and by tonight, i meant tomorrow morning.

Good morning!

The moment has arrived! Our random.org-drawn winners of a signed copy of Article 5 are:

*drumrrrrolll*

Anonymous {look at you go, Anonymous! Haha.}

and

Sarah Pearson!

Congrats to you both! I am emailing you right now. And then I'm hitting the road for Knoxville, and the most fun afternoon ever.

Yay books!

in which i go to a book signing and am too shy to say anything but my name.

I am so grateful to Beth Revis, Victoria Schwab and Myra McEntire for noting the gaping hole in this region that tends to suck all the cool stuff down the proverbial drain and redeposit it in places like New York, Utah, California and the Major Cities. I love living in the South (though, I will claim that I am slightly more Midwestern, coming from Pretty-Much-Indiana, Kentucky), don't get me wrong. However! So many things slip through the cracks. Like, if you don't live in New Orleans, Atlanta or (sometimes) Nashville, or (sometimes) Asheville, you sort of miss everything. And, now that I have stated the same thought three times, I give you, FROM ASH TO NASH.

So, Husband had the camera, but I was directly in front of him. His only photo option was that which you see above. Thus, the picture-taking job fell to me. I was in direct eyesight of the four authors present, and it was awkward to be all snappity-snap with the Big Silver-Plastic SLR, right in their faces. In my defense, the flash remained off, and I'm pretty sure that I would not have minded being photographed, were I Beth Revis, Victoria Schwab, or Myra McEntire. Or Alan Gratz. Because it would mean that I was SIGNING BOOKS. *drifts off to fantasize about that very thing*

It was so fun. My grin was plastered and unyielding.

This is (thankfully) where my wonderful husband took over photographer duties.

Back in college, I went to several signings. For a grade. Those were... not so fun. I was never miserable, per se, but I also never knew exactly whom the authors were, and they were usually poets, anyway. Don't get my wrong (again). I love poetry. I have at least three friends who are published poets, and it's awesome and their words make me drool-happy. But it was SO DIFFERENT, and so fun, to go see authors I'd actually heard of, read things about, blog-stalked, etc.
Another major difference between then and now is that in college, it really was all about the grade. I did not *love writing,* they way I do now. I didn't know anything about agents or publishing or the writing process. All I knew was that I never really loved what I wrote. I just wanted to be in plays and graduate one semester late instead of two. Ah, the achiever in me.

ANYWAY. It was awesome, this book signing. I loved hearing the authors talk about their processes and experiences, and to actually understand--at least in part--what they were talking about.

I thought long and hard about what I would say when I got to the table, but none of it actually came out. Did I mention how nervous I was? I did manage to use polite words and tell them my name, and not get embarrassed about asking for a picture:

Glasses are cool! Look at me, fitting in!

Which was awesome. Maybe next time, I'll mention that I write.

But hey, look at it this way: we're closing on the new house in the morning, and I will have no shortage of chances to daydream about signing autographs.

Wish me luck.

award! sparkfest! ash to nash! finding peace! all the good stuff.

First of all, if you haven't taken a gander at the Harry Potter Zipline photos, please do. It really happened. You won't regret it.

Second-- and most important-- ly, here are some things that are going on:

1. We have moved our bed into the den. Pretty much everything from the bedroom, actually, has been moved. Some call this "packing," I call it "in-house camping." It's a mess, but it's also pretty fun to have a double bed, two couches, a coffee table, two bookshelves, a TV, and a small dining table with two chairs and a bench in one room (don't worry, it's an unusually large room).
1a. We're buying a new mattress and bed frame when we move. I can't wait to show you guys this bed. It's so odd. It has WHEELS. We're looking at a huge bookshelf with wheels, too. Good thing our new bedroom is tiled. Oh yes, tiled.

2. With the end of camp, I've been looking at my summer goals, again. The only ones that probably just aren't going to happen are to watch less TV and exercise daily. I know, I was doing so well. But!
2a. Even though I haven't gotten as much done as quickly as I would have liked this summer, I'm feeling pretty good about my writing. Have I gone through my entire rough draft yet? Well, no. But I have been doing a fair amount of planning and aligning events in my head and my notebook, which will hopefully help me figure out the direction of everything once I really get into revisions.

3. The lovely Deirdra at A Storybook World has given me an award! Just because! I am so thrilled. Seriously, you blog folks are awesome. I know I should say this more often, so I'll try to make up for it now:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

When I started blogging, I had no idea what I was getting into. All I knew was that I wanted to write, and I wanted others to read. I've noticed how some bloggers can cultivate huge followings in the span of months, and while that is awesome, I do not possess such skills. I am a networking sloth. I struggle with putting myself out there, I really do. So, again, THANK YOU. I am so encouraged.

So fun and pretty!
(Also, I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one being entertained, over here.)

4. Speaking of putting myself out there, I'm going to be participating in Christine Tyler's Sparkfest in a few weeks. Hooray! I hope you'll join me; blogfests are so much fun. And so is Christine's blog, The Writer Coaster. Let's show some love.

5. Have you guys heard about From Ash To Nash?                     (look there it is! -->)
Anyone outside of this area probably doesn't care, but as a resident of the East Tennessee/Western North Carolina region, this is thrilling. A book signing in Knoxville! Who'd'a thunk? And so, I will be there, at Union Ave. Books, next Sunday afternoon. If you are going to be there, too, please tell me! Especially if that means you also live in this area. Friends we shall be, I say.

6. Speaking of the East Tennessee/Western North Carolina region, an amazing thing happened at camp a few weeks ago: I stopped caring about being cast as an extra in The Hunger Games. A good move, on my part, because they never called me. :) Look at that, a smiley face. And you know why?
6a. There are so many wonderful things going on in my life, these days. Really. I have a wonderful husband, fantastic friends, two highly entertaining cats, and a whole world that exists solely in my imagination. I don't NEED to be in The Hunger Games to feel good about myself. That's what it was, for a while. I wanted to be a part of something that made me feel significant. I also wanted a chance to see Jennifer Lawrence again, I won't lie (that's not just a pipe dream-- I knew her {i.e. her brother} back in Louisville... for those of you who hadn't heard that a thousand times over, already). Also, since I'm being brutally honest about myself, I felt a bit... possessive of the story. As if The Hunger Games existed solely for me, and so OF COURSE they would let me be a part of it. I thought that if no one called me, it meant that I was not good enough for the story I loved, had no presence, was doomed to never act again. But the truth (or at least part of the truth)?

I don't live in the right state.

A crap-ton of people went to those casting calls, and most of them lived in the immediate area. I like to think that I'm not half-bad at the things I do, but I also knew I wasn't going make such an impression that the distance wouldn't matter. And that's okay. I don't regret going out for it. Now that I can look back without the butterflies or the gut-pounding high hopes, I see the day for what it was: a fun morning with friends and coffee and good conversation, a profound learning experience, and something I will always be able to say I did. What's not to love about that?

So, how's the beginning of August faring for you, my friends?

the most well-read cities in america.

I like to think I had something to do with this:

article here.

Goodness knows I've tried. Yeah, Knoxville!

and then i quit my day job.

Here it comes, friends: my last day at Mast. What to say, what to say.

Well, for one thing, I think I'm doing a pretty good job of pretending that I didn't quit so I could write more. There goes that semi-secret. Here's to hoping I actually do something about it. Me without a job, in the past, has been a lot like me without a personality, a will of my own, a spine, or a purpose. It was not fun, before. Granted, I had not started writing, before. I had not started writing (the way I am now), or blogging, and I was stuck in a lasting, college recovery/just married laziness. Perhaps I shall overcome it this time. I won't really be writing full-time, which is wise, I think. I'll be volunteering, too. And possibly moving, though we have no idea where.

I have several other lofty and unattainable goals for my foreseeable future. Please, try not to laugh so loud that it disrupts your neighbor. I want to clean this house. Scrrrrrruuub it, the way you want to scrub the gunk out of the waffle-cuts on your Chacos. And I want to throw stuff away. And organize things. Ha! Me! Organized! It will never happen, but I may as well dream (my mother is having a good time with this one).

I want to learn how to cook. OH! That's the real kicker. I hate cooking. I love the outcome, sure, but I am so terrible at the execution (and so baffled and frustrated by the whole "clean up" issue), that it's hardly worth it. Now you see why I'm so lucky to have married a boy who enjoys and excels in cooking. I will not have to live on spaghetti for the rest of my life. And, once I learn how to cook, he won't either.

Yes, please. [from this article]

I want to be outside more. This one's not too funny, because, unlike cooking and cleaning, it actually speaks to who I am. Ironic, no, that ever since I started working at an outdoor store, I haven't had one single chance to go backpacking? Oui. Or... I guess that's not technically "ironic" (I always feel like I'm stepping on someone's toes when I claim such things), but you get what I mean.

I will miss Mast, though. One cannot ask for a better company, a better retail experience. And boy howdy if I didn't meet some of the most wonderful people while working there, both co-workers and customers. I won't miss selling things, but I will greatly miss all the laughter, the camaraderie, the dogs, the break-room fridge (full-sized!), and the way everyone who works at Mast General Store feels like they are part of something important and beautiful.*

It's been a good run for me at 402 S. Gay Street. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Let's make our last eight hours together something special, yeah? Never mind that it's Sundown tonight, and things might get crazy. If nothing else, I'll go out with something memorable.

[*The fine print at the bottom: these are my opinions, and not those of Mast General Store. Though, I'm pretty sure they'd agree.]

a cool thing.

I bet you all are loving the fact that I've had three days off in a row, and can't seem to stay away from blogger.  Ha.

So, remember how I was going to read all those books?  And then I was afraid that I wouldn't?  Well, surprisingly, I still read six books in February.  Six!  And I've already read (that is, finished) one for March.  And all this reading has really had me itching to write, which is a good thing.  But the funny part is that my draft is taking all the punches.  I've been reading the Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld (awesome), which is in third person omniscient, and even though what I'm writing has always been third person limited (I mean, always), I recently can't help but to hop from brain to brain.  And it's FUN.  But, just like when I wrote in some completely unrelated tumult after reading the Gregor books, I'll probably end up changing it back before I move on.

But should I?  Because the new viewpoints actually seem to work.  It's coming a LOT more naturally to me.  So maybe I shouldn't change it back quite yet.  Has this happened to anyone else?

In other news, here's the cool thing I wanted to share with you:  me without makeup!  [Oh, wait, that's me every day.]  Along with the treat of seeing my face (and sweet headphones), check out this cool mug for sale at the Blount County Library (my favorite place, you know):

[**Note the orange.  Note that I am not actually a huge Tennessee fan.  Note that orange was one of my favorite colors long before I lived in this state.  Note that in Delirium, liking orange was considered "freakish."  Yee-haw!**]

Of course, why take actual pictures when I could use Photobooth (as always)?  So, um... you can't read it.  It says: "Read Grow Learn Imagine [drawings of: dude reading a book, guy playing guitar, Shakespeare's face, a gardening tool (meh?), black bear, lily, and the front of the building] at the Blount County Public Library."  Happy dance!  And it came with a free cup of tea, so yeah.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Thursday!  And don't forget to support your local library.  :)

monday mixtape... on sunday?

I had this idea that I would do a regular thing called "Monday Mixtape," wherein I would fascinate you all with my exquisite taste in music.  I made a playlist on iTunes for it and everything.

It was going to be SO awesome.

But then I went to a Greencards concert, and I can't NOT share that with you, even though it's not Monday, and, technically, neither a "mix," nor a "tape."

If you take these two videos, pretend like they took place at the Square Room in Knoxville on Febraury 26th, and imagine the audience sitting at tables with candles and wine, you've got the opening of the show we went to last night.  Sigh.



Don't ask me why the second video is so much smaller.  I have no control over such things... apparently.




These people delight me.  I know this is silly, but I'm even amazed at the... attractiveness of all involved parties.  I mean.  Just look at them.

Australia never made bluegrass look so good.

Well, Australia and the Philippines and Oregon, respectively.