What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I NEVER had a school assignment that asked what we did on our summer vacay's - that always sounded like a cliche made up from the 50's, like the Easter Bunny or moms who wear aprons.  (Who does that other than hipsters??) (The only time I wore an apron was to model a designer one no one can afford for a trade show in NYC.)

So I'm THRILLED to be a part of fellow Campaigner Michael di Gesu's blogfest!

JUNE 

Camp NaNowriMo and high tea with the ladies from the Los Angeles Twilight Lovers Group (the same ones who were interviewed by msn.com - where I got to reenact Bella)

JULY 

Played Bellatrix at the Harry Potter midnight showing with Krispy (what's with me playing Bella-'s?) and a Gryffindor at the Harry Potter Exhibit at Nucleus Gallery

Possessing the Elder Wand

AUGUST

Krispy and I had a very gangster birthday at the 20's-40's-themed Cicada Club downtown.

Look - a photo of the elusive Alz!  Why is there a big purple splotch instead of her face?  Because if I show her face, she will hunt me down and kill me (and take back the Yellowfiendatee she sewed me).

Real life writer-blogger pals Anime and Nutschell (who took most of these photos) stopped by too:

And of course, SCBWI.  This was a GREAT summer.

Snitches Be Crazy: Harry Potter Exhibit Opening

making friends in line

Krispy, Karyn and I waited over 2 hours in line to get got our cosplay on at Gallery Nucleus's Harry Potter exhibit opening.

We played the Bertie Botts WORST GAME EVER - each bowl had identical jelly beans that were either, for example, Peach...or VOMIT.

I ate:

• canned dog food
• toothpaste
• boogers
• centipede

but was lucky enough to miss:

• rotten egg
• skunk spray

next to a Hermione portrait w/ Luna Lovegood

the Lovegoods, Cho Chang and, um, me

(wait, aren't I supposed to be on a 48 Hour Dark Experiment? Yes I am; I pre-blogged this.)

Slytherin in the House

Slytherin, Bellatrix (me), Sirius (Krispy), Gryffindor (Ani), Slytherin Quidditch

Krispy and I finally met Ani at last week's Harry Potter midnight showing, where we had a strong Slytherin representation.

Before you all go in an uproar, I sorted into Gryffindor.  BUT...the Death Eaters have cooler costumes.

yes this is a nice Muggle restaurant, I'm still gonna Cruciatus you

And then all 3 of us bloggers got sick after the showing.  Whoever hexed us, I will hunt you down with my Bellatrix brand of crazy.

YAtopia Pitch Contest

YAtopia is having a 3-line pitch contest with Vickie Motter!  This is perfect for those who are squeamish about posting work willy-nilly over the webz. 

Yeah, with a z.

Sorry, I've been working with teenagers all day, then I went to Hot Topic to hunt for Harry Potter-wear for the premiere tomorrow night.

And I almost bought a leather-waisted jumpsuit at Bebe.

I need to just sit down quietly with a book .

Once Upon a Readathon/48 Hour Dark Experiment Update

I finished , so I only completed half my goal for the read-a-thon, though I did make strong headway into .  And got in a good hour of reading at the doctor's office (I hate you HMO's.)

The Dark Experiment was really necessary, despite a freak-out on the second night when I got stressed about work and compulsively surfed for like 4 hours.  I got no sleep, but found out that Vin Diesel is NOT gay, and IS a dad.  (Take that, boyfriend, for trying to ruin my raging crush on deep-voiced, beefy men.)

Going dark was like a reset - I learned to curb unnecessary email checking and blog reading.  I'll host another internet fast in a few weeks so we can all join in!

***
Krispy, Ani and I are going to the Harry Potter premiere tomorrow night!!!  Photos and probably videos will go up.

Summer 2011 Diversity Your Reading Challenge

glamorous Cindy and me at YA In Bloom last month

Diversity in YA, run by Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo, is holding a summer reading challenge with AMAZING book prizes! 

There's a kick-off giveaway, just for...um, kicks.  (Man my brain function's really taken a downhill turn since the post-Harry Potter mental illness.)

And an essay contest at the end for a huge motherload of books.

Go check it out.  Go now. 

(psst - recognize the other author behind us in the photo?)

Sophia Plays Bella At Last on Msn.com!

Comedian @KevinAvery interviewed 3 members of the LA Twilight Book Club for his new series on msn.com

Yup.  I'm in that book club.

Then Kevin donned fangs so we could reenact the pivotal "How old are you?" scene from Twilight.

Dream. Come True.

After 3 ridiculous hours of Team Jacob v. Team Edward talk, our slot was cut into a 3-second snippet.  Catch me in the beginning holding tight to Edward like a spider monkey.  (Please tell me you know that reference.)  I even got to keep the sides!*

You can also watch it at msn.com here

*That's Biz speak for excerpt of script.   Yeah.  I'm a db.

It's Those 11 Questions

I'm the last blogger on earth to get this meme.  Tagged by Nutschell (and accidentally tagged by Julie Dao when I commented on her blog, so I sprinkled some of her questions in.)

1) What’s your ultimate caffeine source?

Boba!!! 4 Life

Which I can only drink before 7 p.m.  Caffeine messes me up.  One day I would love to own a caffeine-free boba shop.  I know, I know, no one but me would drink it.

2) If you were stranded on an island, what book would you like to have with you?

One of Maria V. Snyder's, or one of George R. R. Martin's since it'll last me a long time.

3) Favorite music source? (Radio, Pandora, Spotify, CD, Ipod, etc)

Pandora and Spotify these days, though I used to get most of my new music from KCRW, our local public radio station

4) You have the winning $50 million lottery ticket. What do you buy first?

A house not in the ghetto.

(Maybe this pimp mansion that just got built next to Krispy's house.  Alz and I visited the Open House today and spied on Krispy and her sister in their backyard.  With their permission.)

5) Favorite day of the week?

Tuesday or Sunday (coincidentally those are the days local movie tickets are $6)

6) Favorite TV show?

Sister Wives

do NOT judge me

7) Movie you’re planning to watch on the big screen?

Safe House
Denzel AND Ryan - the manly one

photo of hottest man on earth from Lani's site

8) Actor/Actress you’d most like to meet?

Since Dante Basco and I didn't pan out...it's time to introduce myself to one of my future husbands, Keanu Reeves or Christian Slater.

I would also say Jason Momoa or Joe Manganiello, but I can't breathe when I see those two men, even with shirts on.  In fact I'm having a hard time finishing this blog post with this photo ...of...humina humina....

9) Author you’d love to have lunch with?

Maria V. Snyder

10) What Disney character are you most like?

Is there any writer/book lover who doesn't answer Belle?

11) Harry Potter or Twilight?

This question is so uncool. I'm a crazy dress-up and reenact scenes fan for both.

But of course I'd say Twilight. I'm an admin of the Los Angeles Twilight Lovers Group after all.

I've said too much.

Liebster Award

Thank you Bluestocking for the Liebster award!

This award is intended to connect bloggers, specifically those with less than 200 followers. In accepting the award, I must:

• Show my thanks to the blogger who gave me the award by linking back to them.
• Reveal my top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Post the award on my blog.
• Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the internet—other writers.
• And best of all – have fun and spread the karma.

These blogs are on my Gold Class list in Google Reader:

1. A Nudge in the Right Direction - Alz and Krispy, my co-vlogger from Boba 4 Eva
2. A Glimpse of Wistfulness - Linda whose photos of life in Taiwan make me jealous every day
3. I Aspire To Be - Juliana Brandt is so real in her blog
4. You Are the Unicorn of My Dreams - Lori M. Lee's blog. The name is award-worthy enough.
5. Anime's Musings - Ani is an original girl-boyfriend and a fellow sufferer of Harry Potter Hex

Who's Your Favorite Villain?

This week's question:

"Who's your all-time favorite book villain?"

Answer: Devlen Daviian from Maria V. Snyder's Glass Series

Although if I were to dress up as a Harry Potter character, I would be Bellatrix Lestrange - mostly because I keep my hair big and crazy too.

(I just loved this question so much I had to jump on the book blogger bandwagon - hope they don't kick me off!)

My all-time fav not-yet-published villain is a gal I'm writing in my third novel.  She has become so important to the plot I've considered making the sequel about her.  I adore her so much that I take glee in letting her win over my protag time and again. :)

A Day in the Life: Kelsey Macke

I hate to share my lover with the world, but I cannot hold back our entirely-internet-based affair any longer.  For my next Day in the Life, I present my online-wife, Kelsey Macke.

***

You guys don't even knows the depths of my girl crush on Sophia.

Like, MY HUSBAND KNOWS ABOUT OUR LOVE... It's that serious. I thought it'd be a good idea to just make sure he knows she exists incase we decide to run off and make a world dominating girl rock band and get a little flat above a vintage jewelry shop.

So, yeah. Soph is in-crey-abb, and I am so happy that she indulged me by letting me participate in her cool-kids party over here.

6:45 AM
The hubs alarm goes off and he wakes to get ready for work. I spend the next hour or so with the covers over my head, resisting the call of daylight because it's summer. And I'm a middle school special education teacher (I work with lil rockstars who have emotional/behavioral disorders) and it's VACATION time.

7:30 AM
I eventually roll my butt out of bed and as soon as my feet touch the ground, I'm instantly awake and smiley because I'm insufferable morning person. I try to resist the singing part until he's out of the house, but don't always succeed.

At this point, I traipse downstairs and let the cats out of their kitty apartments.

(Yes, our cats are "crated" and it's AWESOME.)

At some point before 9 AM

I try to get outside and go for a jog before the sun here in North Texas begins to melt the pavement and turn the cement back into a liquid form which would trap me there forever, resulting in my skin burning off before lunch time. It really is hot here... and SO FREAKING HUMID.

9:45 AM
Showered and clean (unless I DGAF) I'm ready to do my daily vocal exercises. I'm a singer (folk indie duo, Wedding Day Rain, with the hubs -slash- musical theatre actress when I can) and warming up each day is great for my chords and makes it possible for my endless hours of youtube karaoke alone in my living room in front of my cats.

10:45 AM
I'm meeting some friends for lunch today, and I need to stop at the office supply store (aka the most important store in the universe) so I'm out the door headed for a little pick me up. I almost NEVER order the same drink at starbucks, but today, I go for a non-fat vanilla latte.

It is iced. Because I live in Nouveau Sahara.








10:57 AM
I FOUND THE MOST AMAZING NEW PENS.

The new papermate inkjoys eye me from across the crowded aisle. I shyly avert my eyes, not wanting to be too forward, but quite confident that the feeling is mutual. The demonstration stand is on the endcap, scribbled on by so many patrons, filled with endless loopies, smiley faces, and dozens of "Hello"s.

I fight the urge to run away from the undoubtedly e coli infested sample pen. Eventually, I pick it up, and begin to write.

"Hellooooooo"OOOOHHHHHHMYGOD. THIS PEN IS FABULOUS!

This moment is one of the highlights of my week.

1:45 PM
After an awesome lunch with two of my writer friends, I am rejuvenated.

These are the friends who tell you when you're being ridiculous.

And I am.

My contemporary YA manuscript needs some revision love to make it really shine, and I've been putting it off. My friends encouraged me to rip the bandaid and get in there.

I make plans to take a big bite out of my MS in the morning.

3:00 PM

This summer, I'm really excited to be working with new teachers who are coming into the profession from other careers. I'm filling in for an instructor for a couple of weeks, and teaching the basics class! I've always been interested in teaching adults, especially after graduate school, and this is the perfect chance to get my feet wet and see how I really respond to having adult students.

This will only be a short class, but the curriculum is fast and furious. I spend the next several hours going through my lessons and notes.

6:00 PM
Hubs is home, and he brought me ICE CREAM.

9:45 PM
I just realized that I've been at this very spot and on my computer for the past 5 hours.

*shrug*

Everyone's got a vice, I guess.

10:00 PM on the freaking DOT
I'm heading to bed with a little Harry Potter to keep me company. I re-read the series every other year or so, and I'm somewhere in the middle of Chamber of Secrets right now.

I usually go to bed early, but especially so tonight because I feel awfully sick. I - along with approximately 176 MILLION other women worldwide - have endometriosis, a chronic, painful disease which is, unfortunately, under diagnosed and often misunderstood.

So, that sucks.

But life doesn't!

Thank you, Soph, for having me here! And thanks to her readers for stepping into my crazy world of songs and words for a few moments today!

Obligatory paragraph in 3rd person:

Kelsey Macke is a YA writer, special education teacher, recovering graduate student, and singer from Dallas, Texas. She is in love with the internet, particularly twitter (@kelsnotchels) and blogging (kelseyiswriting.blogspot.com). She likes office supplies, making music (weddingdayrain.com) having an obnoxiously large smile, and sharing her home with an amazing husband and 2 cats.