Hello Blog! It's Me Margaret

want this!

∞ 2:55 pm, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 46 notes ]

verbvixen:

Snark and Circumstance- Stephanie Wardrop
I’m thrilled to be part of the Snark and Circumstance blog tour. Be sure to check our my exclusive interview with author Stephanie Wardrop below my review.
I love Jane Austen. I had all of her works by the time I was 16 and have been a constant fan ever since. When the chance to read Snark and Circumstance popped up, I knew it would be a good fit for me. I love Wardrop’s fresh take on Austen and while I was frustrated that I will have to wait a bit for the next installment, I actually do appreciate the series aspect. To explain—-the book is being released as a serial ala Jane Austen style. I love this return to the way these books were originally released. Now let’s get down to business: the story itself. I love the snark aspect- Georgia is a clever, witty, strong leading lady. The high school setting is a perfect modern translation to Austen’s world and Georgia and Michael while different from their Austen models hearken back to their predecessors just enough to keep the symmetry. Georgia feels more like an outsider than I think Elizabeth Bennett did but those changes make the story even more interesting. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and this is a series I am going to continue to read. My only complaint is that I want the next book sooner!
Overall: A
Snark and Circumstance is out from Swoon Romance now and is a wicked cheap bargain! Feed your e-reader at Amazon or B&N.
Also, be sure to check out Swoon’s site for more awesome YA and romance titles.

Our Interview with Stephanie Wardrop:
1. What inspired your retelling of a Jane Austen classic? Why tackle such a beloved book?
You’d think it would be audacity, but it was really insecurity that motivated me. After years of grad school and teaching, I wanted to get back to writing fiction and was really rusty. What better model than Jane Austen?
2. HS and suburbia seem to translate really well to the societal hierarchy and social commentary that Austen is known for. Tell us a little bit about how you make that setting work for you and what commentary on high school you’d like your reader to walk away thinking about.
The biggest thing I want Georgia to learn is what the reader should consider, I guess. We’re all human, we all have our perspectives on things, and if we take time to see someone else’s view, what motivates them, it usually benefits us.
Wow. That sounded so preachy! Not my intention. Maybe the lesson is if you’re going to laugh at others, you have to laugh at yourself first. And through Georgia I’m kind of laughing at myself. And laughter is the key to surviving high school.
3. Your leading lady, Georgia Barrett, is quite snarky, which I love, where did the idea for her come from and who do you see when you think of her?
I picture her as tall and thin, gangely even, with dark hair and eyes. She came from my own discomfort at moving (as a grown up) to a preppie New England town quite unlike where I grew up and feeling that sooner or later someone was going to ask to see my membership card. And I wouldn’t have one to produce. Georgia keeps insecurity at bay through snark — I hid out and wrote a book :)
4. As far as modern Darcy like boys go, Michael Endicott is pretty close to perfect, but just like Darcy it’s hard to read his motivations. Can you give us a glimpse under the surface?
Michael is not nearly as confident as he looks, though I have to say his parents did a good job with him. He’s very well adjusted except for some minor OCD. But impatient with people and he can appear cold and aloof when he just doesn’t know what to say.
5. What is your writing process like? Are a (fly by your seat) Pantser or a (outline outline outline) Plotter? Do you have any requirements when you are writing? Snark was different be because I already had the structure , but in some ways that made it harder. I had to give myself permission to jump off the P&P rails at some points. Other times I just have an idea of a scene or a conversation between two people I don’t know yet and I just try to get it all down before I forget. Then for two days I am ecstatic; two days later I read it and decide it sucks! Then the work of fleshing it out and deciding what to do with it begins. I think for every book any writer’s produced, they probably have at least another whole book’s worth of unusable material — at least I do.
6. If Snark and Circumstance had a theme song what would it be?
Depends on the book, but Book Four is Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and not just because he has serious vegan cred.
7. Snark and Circumstance is a series. Did you approach writing it differently? What can we expect next and when?
Book two comes out in May and I can’t tell you how happy I was when someone said “I can’t wait that long!”. Originally it was a standalone novel but Mandy at Swoon had the idea to turn it into a four novella series— which is so Jane Austen! (Her books came out in threes or Tripledeckers”). It’s been a challenge to make each installment work on its own but I’m learning a lot in the process.
8. Free share— tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know. This will freak out some people who know me but don’t know this. When I was in grad school, I had an acquaintance whose mom, unbeknownst to me, was a famous British psychic, apparently. I met her at a party and we talked about Tess of the Durbervilles. The next day someone told me that she asked her daughter if — I’m paraphrasing here — I knew I had it. So some psychic thinks I am psychic. I sometimes know things that are about to happen, unexpected things, but nothing useful yet, like picking Lotto numbers.
Thank you to Stephanie Wardrop and Swoon Romance for the interview and the opportunity to review this awesome new book!
e-ARC provided gratis by Swoon Romance.

Snark and Circumstance- Stephanie Wardrop

I’m thrilled to be part of the Snark and Circumstance blog tour. Be sure to check our my exclusive interview with author Stephanie Wardrop below my review.

I love Jane Austen. I had all of her works by the time I was 16 and have been a constant fan ever since. When the chance to read Snark and Circumstance popped up, I knew it would be a good fit for me. I love Wardrop’s fresh take on Austen and while I was frustrated that I will have to wait a bit for the next installment, I actually do appreciate the series aspect. To explain—-the book is being released as a serial ala Jane Austen style. I love this return to the way these books were originally released. Now let’s get down to business: the story itself. I love the snark aspect- Georgia is a clever, witty, strong leading lady. The high school setting is a perfect modern translation to Austen’s world and Georgia and Michael while different from their Austen models hearken back to their predecessors just enough to keep the symmetry. Georgia feels more like an outsider than I think Elizabeth Bennett did but those changes make the story even more interesting. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and this is a series I am going to continue to read. My only complaint is that I want the next book sooner!

Overall: A

Snark and Circumstance is out from Swoon Romance now and is a wicked cheap bargain! Feed your e-reader at Amazon or B&N.

Also, be sure to check out Swoon’s site for more awesome YA and romance titles.

Our Interview with Stephanie Wardrop:

1. What inspired your retelling of a Jane Austen classic? Why tackle such a beloved book?

You’d think it would be audacity, but it was really insecurity that motivated me. After years of grad school and teaching, I wanted to get back to writing fiction and was really rusty. What better model than Jane Austen?

2. HS and suburbia seem to translate really well to the societal hierarchy and social commentary that Austen is known for. Tell us a little bit about how you make that setting work for you and what commentary on high school you’d like your reader to walk away thinking about.

The biggest thing I want Georgia to learn is what the reader should consider, I guess. We’re all human, we all have our perspectives on things, and if we take time to see someone else’s view, what motivates them, it usually benefits us.

Wow. That sounded so preachy! Not my intention. Maybe the lesson is if you’re going to laugh at others, you have to laugh at yourself first. And through Georgia I’m kind of laughing at myself. And laughter is the key to surviving high school.

3. Your leading lady, Georgia Barrett, is quite snarky, which I love, where did the idea for her come from and who do you see when you think of her?

I picture her as tall and thin, gangely even, with dark hair and eyes. She came from my own discomfort at moving (as a grown up) to a preppie New England town quite unlike where I grew up and feeling that sooner or later someone was going to ask to see my membership card. And I wouldn’t have one to produce. Georgia keeps insecurity at bay through snark — I hid out and wrote a book :)

4. As far as modern Darcy like boys go, Michael Endicott is pretty close to perfect, but just like Darcy it’s hard to read his motivations. Can you give us a glimpse under the surface?

Michael is not nearly as confident as he looks, though I have to say his parents did a good job with him. He’s very well adjusted except for some minor OCD. But impatient with people and he can appear cold and aloof when he just doesn’t know what to say.

5. What is your writing process like? Are a (fly by your seat) Pantser or a (outline outline outline) Plotter? Do you have any requirements when you are writing? Snark was different be because I already had the structure , but in some ways that made it harder. I had to give myself permission to jump off the P&P rails at some points. Other times I just have an idea of a scene or a conversation between two people I don’t know yet and I just try to get it all down before I forget. Then for two days I am ecstatic; two days later I read it and decide it sucks! Then the work of fleshing it out and deciding what to do with it begins. I think for every book any writer’s produced, they probably have at least another whole book’s worth of unusable material — at least I do.

6. If Snark and Circumstance had a theme song what would it be?

Depends on the book, but Book Four is Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and not just because he has serious vegan cred.

7. Snark and Circumstance is a series. Did you approach writing it differently? What can we expect next and when?

Book two comes out in May and I can’t tell you how happy I was when someone said “I can’t wait that long!”. Originally it was a standalone novel but Mandy at Swoon had the idea to turn it into a four novella series— which is so Jane Austen! (Her books came out in threes or Tripledeckers”). It’s been a challenge to make each installment work on its own but I’m learning a lot in the process.

8. Free share— tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know. This will freak out some people who know me but don’t know this. When I was in grad school, I had an acquaintance whose mom, unbeknownst to me, was a famous British psychic, apparently. I met her at a party and we talked about Tess of the Durbervilles. The next day someone told me that she asked her daughter if — I’m paraphrasing here — I knew I had it. So some psychic thinks I am psychic. I sometimes know things that are about to happen, unexpected things, but nothing useful yet, like picking Lotto numbers.

Thank you to Stephanie Wardrop and Swoon Romance for the interview and the opportunity to review this awesome new book!

e-ARC provided gratis by Swoon Romance.

∞ 6:08 pm, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 1 note ]

Feb 01st, 13

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is full of passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering; these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love; these are what we stay alive for.

... John Keating (Character)

(Source: jarrodis)

∞ 3:14 pm, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 368 notes ]

Jan 24th, 13

petitetiaras:

Disney Dream Portraits by Annie Leibovitz [x]

The best photos ever really.

∞ 8:03 am, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 13,719 notes ]

Jun 17th, 12

As you read a book word by word and page by page, you participate in its creation, just as a cellist playing a Bach suite participates, note by note, in the creation, the coming-to-be, the existence, of the music. And, as you read and re-read, the book of course participates in the creation of you, your thoughts and feelings, the size and temper of your soul.

... Ursula Le Guin (via creativehypocrisy)

∞ 8:14 pm, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 472 notes ]

Jun 11th, 12

The Zodiac Temperament

Capricorn:wow you pissed me off so I'm going to sulk in silence and snap if spoken to

Aquarius:YOU MADE ME UPSET IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD /melts into a dramatic heap

Pisces:I'M GONNA FUCKING THROW THINGS. LIKE THE BIGGEST TANTRUM. YOU HAVE -EVER- SEEN.

Aries:WOW I'M SO MAD for like a second. What's for dinner?

Taurus:BRB SMASHING HEADLONG THROUGH A WALL TO KILL YOU

Gemini:Oh, I'm not mad. Wait. YES I FUCKING AM. Okay maybe not. BUT THEN AGAIN--

Cancer:...oh. I'm angry. But you'll never know. Tillit'stoolate. Cookie?

Leo:/INDISCERNIBLE NOISES OF RAGE

Virgo:how could you do this to me. how. HOW??? Get out of my life. No wait baby come back...

Libra:Passively plotting your demise.

Scorpio:This'll only sting for a second. Unlike my wounds which'll bleed FOREVER and you'll never hear the end of it. WHIIIINE

Sagittarius:I have to leave before I kill someone. Bye!

∞ 1:47 pm, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 79,968 notes ]

May 17th, 12

its-a-duckpond:

I had to. Okay you know the drill reblogs only, likes don’t count and following me won’t help you.

Ends May 22, 2012 at midnight and the winner must have an open ask box and respond within 24 hours.

Winner gets a free fluffy skirt in their favourite Avengers fabric. ($40 normally)

If you want to order something or check out my portfolio blog here

Theres no reblog limit but don’t be annoying. I can tell because after a while I recognize your name, don’t annoy me either please.

Have fun.

-Ally

∞ 12:01 am, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 12,404 notes ]

Jul 07th, 11

[HD]

LOVE THIS IDEA! Lookin at you Kris and Kimmy~

dayanatuna:

Ice cube painting - freeze watercolors & then paint with the melting ice cubes on fabric, an old white sheet or papers.

∞ 10:38 am, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 3,151 notes ]

Jun 12th, 11

DASHNER ARMY CONTEST!

So if you follow me or James Dashner, author of the Maze Runner, Scorch Trials and Death Cure on Twitter, then you know that I suggested he form an army and well, he did. Our ranks are growing on twitter and you can join the army by tweeting with the #dashnerarmy hashtag. But I digress.

The real reason I am posting is because the newest #dashnerarmy mission is to create the first official merchandise for the #dashnerarmy cafepress store!

The Contest: Create a slogan and/or design for the #dashnerarmy. Obviously we encourage things related to the Maze Runner series.

The Rules: Designs must be original. You can submit as many as you want either via link on twitter (make sure both I @verbvixen and @jamesdashner are cc’ed on it). Or you can submit them via email to VerbVixen@gmail.com. The Contest is open until June 30, 2011. Winners will be chosen at the sole discretion of VerbVixen and James Dashner.

The Prizes: The winner gets a. bragging rights, b. their design on the first official merch in the cafepress store, c. a swag pack from me including a signed copy of the first chapter of The Death Cure! The prize will include other materials including but not limited to 1 other dystopian ARC, autographed bookmarks from other YA authors, pins, and various sundry items. Runners up may also receive prizes, I’m in a giving mood.

Props to Josh David Galloway @joshdgalloway who pointed out this need and thus ignited this contest. Follow him and all the #dashnerarmy members on twitter by following our official #dashnerarmy list:

∞ 4:59 pm, by helloblogitsmemargaret

May 30th, 11

saltstainedeyes:

How it’s done? Get a bowl of water, pour little bits of all the different shades you want, it should float on the top, swirl with a toothpick or something like it and when it looks like you want on top of the water, then dip your nails through the water. Put vaseline on your fingers (not the nails) so that the paint doesn’t get on your skin.

∞ 5:14 pm, reblogged by helloblogitsmemargaret, [ 45,383 notes ]