It's Friday again! It's been a pretty good week here—how've you been?
Anyway, here's my Friday Five:
1) I've (almost) made it to the end of the 30-Day Shred! (Today is Day 29, for those of you keeping count...) Four weeks ago, this exercise challenge seemed incredibly daunting. And I won't lie—it hasn't been easy, especially on the days when I had to get up early in order to fit a workout into my busy schedule. (Getting up early *and* working out...blech.) Anyway, I'm proud to say I haven't missed a day. :)
2) Books: I read two incredible ones this week...and the authors happen to be each other's critique partners! (I also got to see both of them at the NYC Teen Author Festival last week, which was so much fun.)
Kerry Kletter's debut THE FIRST TIME SHE DROWNED is a lush, lyrical book about a girl who's trying to rebuild herself after a two-and-a-half-year stint in a mental institution. Upon release, Cassie heads straight to college, but unsurprisingly has a hard time adjusting to her new circumstances—never mind dealing with renewed attention from her mother, who's the one who checked her into the hospital against her will in the first place. Cassie's mother is magnetic and charming and self-absorbed and cruel, and Cassie is so tempted to fall back into her orbit, even as she remembers all of the abuse and neglect that led to her current fragile state. This is a heartbreaking and hopeful story, beautifully written and extremely hard to put down, not unlike the next book in this post...
Jeff Zentner's debut THE SERPENT KING was always going to be right up my alley, with its small-town Tennessee setting and its distinctly southern prose and sensibility. But man, did I love this book. It's about three misfits: Dill, the son of a disgraced Pentecostal snake-handling preacher; Lydia, who's Internet-famous for her fashion and lifestyle blog; and Travis, who's so obsessed with a Game of Thrones-esque fantasy book series he actually carries a staff. Their mutual outcast status brought them together, but it's senior year, and Lydia's planning to get as far away as she can for college—her top choice is NYU—while Dill feels his small life closing in around him. (Travis just wants to stay out of his drunk father's way.) Full disclosure: this book made me cry. But it also made my heart sing. It's sad and sweet and thoughtful and gut-wrenching and lovely.
3) On the topic of my own writing: it was a fun week, because I got to write a lot of kissing! Spoiler: my first two books (THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND and HOW IT FEELS TO FLY) don't have much in the way of making out. This new project, on the other hand...there's a fair bit of smooching, at least in the chapters I've been working on lately. But don't worry—my characters won't remain in that happy kissing place for much longer...*evil laugh*
4) Husband and I are heading to Philadelphia tonight to celebrate his mom's birthday. It will be nice to see family, even if only for 24 hours!
5) Ahh, NYC spring...
