Page by Paige

It's Sunday night, and I'm updating because honestly, I need a few minutes to focus on something other than dealing with my cranky toddler. The holidays make everyone a little tense, I know, but it seems---just based on my own personal experience---to be especially overwhelming for two year olds. Suffice to say that I THINK she broke her record for whining today, clocking in at over a half hour straight. I had to take myself outside and count to ten, and I wish I could say it was the first time over this long holiday weekend. Honestly, I know I have said this before, but I don't know how you full time stay at home moms and dads do this. I will be so happy to see my sitter tomorrow afternoon that I may just burst into tears at the sight of her. Hopefully not, as it would probably scare her. But you get the idea.

(I hesitated to even post the above paragraph, as I feel like it makes me look like a bad mom. It seems so effortless for a lot of people, or at least not this hard. But I look at parenting the way I do writing: I'm honest about how challenging it is for me. If it's not for you, I admire you greatly. And I wish I was you. But this is me, and I'm counting to ten, whether over whining or plotting frustrations. And that's okay. I hope.)

Tantrums and meltdowns aside, it really WAS a great Christmas. We had good food and good times with all our families (except those who couldn't be around my sick husband and child: we hope to catch up with them when we are germ free, if and when that ever happens). My husband bought me a kick-ass pair of cowboy boots, so I can totally channel Tammi Taylor and Lyla Garrity, and I got some gift cards to hopefully put towards a new desktop for my office sometime soon. My daughter LOVED Christmas and we now have even more plastic stuff than before. The craziest thing, though, is that for all I (and everyone else) spent on her---tent, blocks, tons of books, play camera---her favorite toy of all was this five dollar plastic tentacle ball I got at Target. She's obsessed with it. Second best? A ninety-nine cent Slinky. Gotta love that.

Now, there's four days until 2010 begins, so I'm thinking about my resolutions. First up: healthier living. Which means no popcorn or chips before bed, and trying to cut back on the desserts and maybe the red wine. (Note: I said MAYBE.) Also, I want to do more for my dogs, who I feel have been neglected for the past two years. Just more walks, more cuddle time, more pats on the head, that kind of thing. I also want to try and spend more time with my girlfriends, because every time I do I feel SO much better about everything. It's like a tonic, I swear, and I just need to make the effort to try to set things up more often, even if does mean sitters or NASA-level scheduling. What else? I want to stop sighing loudly so much (my husband tells me I do this constantly) and maybe lose that last seven pounds of my pregnancy weight I'm still carrying around. Oh, and I'd really like to see at least five movies, in the theater, with popcorn, this year. Which would be five more than I have in the last twelve months.

That's the start of my list, anyway. I've learned not to make resolutions that are too hard to do....which is probably why that six pounds won't make the final list. I guess my resolution, as always, is really just to try and be a better person all around. That's just vague enough to work. Not specific enough? Okay, I'll try to floss more and curse less. Done!

Have a great evening, everyone!

Over the last year, more and more of my webpages have been redone using blogger. Yesterday, I decided the time had come to give adamselzer.com. So I've been moving it over over the last day. Now that it's running, I plan to use that page a lot more - livejournal updates will generally be cross-posted there, and there'll be regular updates with links when things are moving over on Playground Jungle, I Kissed a Zombie, etc. I'm running too many pages to consolidate them all into one big one by now, but I want adamselzer.com to be more of a clearinghouse for them. Sort of like a nucleus of all the stuff I do. Or maybe the mitochondria is a better cell-bio simile.

Anyway, the new page is up and running, borrowing most of the visual elements of the old version, only a whole lot cleaner!

For those of you who happened to Google your title and ended up here, please know that one star is not a bad thing in Robin's world -- just the fact the I picked up your book and started it means that somewhere it's getting good buzz (or that your blurb was really cool). 'R' means it's a re-read. Different colored font means it's an ARC (and I'll try to remember to put the month it's released, as well). I'm linking to the Powell's pages for the ARCs.

* I didn't make it beyond the first 20 pages.
** I made it to the end, but I either skimmed or skipped large sections.
*** I might have skipped/skimmed, but I liked it and might read it again.
**** I read at least 95% of the book and it was good -- definitely will be reread.
***** I read every word, and I loved it! A favorite.







The Wizard Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima ***** I really enjoyed this -- it's interesting because I checked out the first book in the series (The Warrior Heir) a while ago and never got into it. But the MC in this one, Seph, caught my attention (and my sympathy) much more. Set in a fantastical earth, Seph knows he's got power, but he doesn't realize how much until various powerful wizards, enchanters and other guild members begin to fight over him -- and to change the balance of power in the Weir World. (There are some basic similarities to HP -- except that Seph is a teen already when we meet him -- as Seph is an orphan; he's been passed around from family to family, place to place, until his magic disrupts those where he lives.)

The Dragon Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima **** I liked this one, as well, but it was more about others, rather than Seph, so my interest waned a bit. I think I'm just a Seph fan :) But it's the conclusion to the story, so I definitely wanted to find out how it all ended!

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, by Julie Halpern ***** This is a very fun book as Jessie deals with her two closest friends moving into 'punkdom', a place she really doesn't want to go -- so she must find her own way. I love how she sews a new skirt for every day of school, how she's smart, and how she worries about joining the 'nerds' when she's kind of already there ;)

Yeah, I know this is pathetic -- I haven't had any time to read (it's so sad), but now that most of the stuff is done, I'm hoping to get more time. However, I will be posting my favorites for 2009 in the next couple of days -- stay tuned (hehe).

I had the best Christmas ever. We did not buy gifts or decorate. The family was together. That made me happy.

Wishing everyone happy holidays.

I promised my sister I would make dessert for our holiday feast (since she always does most all the cooking, because if it was up to me we'd have Chinese take-out and call it a day.)

I decided on Persimmon Pudding because it was a childhood favorite and the thing my mom always made for holidays. And because it is delicious. And because I have made it before (granted, with my mom's help and many years ago, but still! Sense memory, right?)

Note: You should use the big orange Hachiya variety persimmons, like what grows all over in southern California, extra-ripe & soft - if you must use Fuyu persimmons, you'll have to skin and blend first because they are not soft enough.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 c sifted flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1 c raisins
1/2 c chopped nuts

2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 sieved persimmon pulp
1/4 c melted butter

3/4 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Mix eggs, sugar, persimmon & butter in a mixer. Add stuff in bowl & milk. Mix. Put in well greased mold. Set in a pan of water and bake at 325 for at least 1 hour 1.5 - 2 hours (? - This is where it gets a little dicey). Serve with hard sauce.

HARD SAUCE = 4 Tbs soft butter, 1 c sifted powdered sugar, 1 egg yolk, dash salt, whip, add 1/4 c brandy, blend.

OK, sounds easy enough, right? Well, first of all it is a terrific mess and uses WAY more bowls and things than anything else EVER. Second, my mom told me "cooking takes longer than the recipe says". Sadly, she told me this after I was well into making it.

Anyway, I put it all together, I pop it in the oven, I leave the thing in for an hour and a half. After all, my mom said it would take longer than expected! I peek. Looks done. Put a toothpick in. Seems done. Take it out.

Flip it over onto a plate.

OY! NOT DONE! The bottom (now top) is in the shape of the pan, but still liquidy. It is like nothing I've ever seen before. So, I decide that it should go back in the oven. But how?

Our bundt pan is not simple, it is a Fleur-de-lis. I carefully position each pan spike over the appropriate cake spike.

I flip the cake back in. But oh no! My judgment was off by an eighth of an inch and now the whole thing is crooked and half of it looks collapesy! But no matter - we are the only ones who are going to eat it, right? I let the thing bake another half hour and wash all the dishes. (It is remarkably difficult to get persimmon pulp out of a sieve, btw.)

At this point the top of the thing is starting to look a little TOO brown. I decide it has had enough, so I take it out. I flip it over onto a plate. The bottom (now top) is STILL not done, and the top (now bottom) is burny. So I cut off the top and the bottom. The remaining chunks I put into a little silicone mini-loaf pan. I'll bake for a few minutes just before serving and top with the sauce.

This is what the dish is supposed to look like:



This is what mine looks like:

( Surprise! )

I prefer to think of it as "rustic" or "wabi-sabi" rather than looking like "a dog's dinner."

First things first: it's time for my annual plugging of The Frosty Files. Writing up a movie version is one of the 999 things listed on my "possible projects for 2010" list.

Did you ever play with Playmobils? They're just plain toys. Every now and then they'll make something with very minor electronic capabilities, like a light that turns on, but more often it's just regular toy planes, horses, people, etc. They don't try to teach you anything, they don't sing songs, they don't have articulate ankles or elbows (the people just move at the neck, shoulders and hips). No highly detailed sculpting, even - they're one of the last toys standing where you have to let your imagination do most of the work. And, best of all, they now make Playmobil Art Museum Thieves.

I'm not kidding. See?

The Playmobil police have to have someone to arrest, right?

Last time we were at Anderson's, a book/Playmobile shop in Naperville that we simply adore, I was checking out their Playmobil selection, there were two things I noticed: one was a collection of scruffy-looking guys in suits who came with a sports car, briefcases, and colorful money. The boxes never say what the stuff is supposed to be - they just show you a picture and let you make your own conclusions. I decided that these guys were supposed to be European no-goodniks.

But even better was the museum thief set: in the set you got a display case with a crown in it, plus an easle with a portrait of some dude wearing the crown. Then you get two guys wearing masks who come with a bag, a grappling hook, and a fishing pole, and various other thieving-tools. The fishing pole allows them to steal the crown through a hole in top of the case.

Now THAT I had to own. I haven't bought many Playmobils over the years, though I still have a tub of them from when I was a kid. I brought it home with me and forgot I'd bought it at all until Aidan (my six year old stepson, for those of you just tuning in) noticed it. We opened it up and he proceeded to spend HOURS playing with it. Soon, he had personalities for each guy (one was "the smart guy" and one was "the guy who always messes everything up.") Using the grappling hook, he soon had them repelling down every vertical surface in the apartment, attempting to steal whatever they could find.

Tomorrow morning he'll be getting the big Playmobil airplane set.

I have no real beef with electronic toys, though I don't REALLY think any toy, let alone practically every toy, needs to count to ten and sing songs. No one's REALLY going to learn anything like that from their teddy bears or fire trucks, are they? That's what TV is for.

(here're the European no-goodniks)

The following folks won on either the Rath, my blog give away, or the randomizer.
( Read more... )

STILL WANT ONE/DIDN'T GET IT HERE:
I'm still giving 10 away in the Goodreads program thru the 12th of Jan.

My feet are fixin' to fall off. The busiest week of the year in the bookstore, y'all, and I am in the trenches for it! WOOHOO!!!

*does weird rambo-like dance, falls over*

I am staving off the flu with a combo of vitamin-c and sheer cussedness.

That is all.

It's out in the world now!

As of yesterday, the hottest new tween book is on shelves and ready to be snatched up!
If you have a tween on your shopping list, no need to look any further!

* It snowed again last night, but because it's sooooo cold (single digits?), we only got a couple of inches.

* We're hopefully headed up to my good friend's house today -- her daughter and D have known each other since their first year of pre-school -- and it was because of their friendship that O's mom and I met. Since she's now one of my dearest friends, I feel very blessed :) They live up the canyon, so they might have gotten more snow than we did...but the kiddos are crossing their fingers that it will still work out!

* We always spend Christmas Eve with my parents, so the kiddos are getting excited that it's only a day away...it's nice to be past most of the prep and just get to enjoy it, isn't it?

* I hope your holiday season is also winding down to the most important parts -- those time with friends and family, enjoying the beauty of friendship and laughter and love and sharing...many HUGS to you all today!

The Creature With Fangs Elfed yesterday.



My Beloved Husband Elfed yesterday.



Queen Louise Elfed yesterday.



And I did, too.



A most merry time, indeed!

Revision Tip #23

I rarely have the image systems of my books in mind when I start writing. But by the end of the first or second draft, some image (symbol for Eng lit majors) has cropped up and I realize that I can riff on that symbol throughout the book to tell the larger story. In a subtle way, I hope.

In SPEAK, it was the image of the tree. There was only one mention of it in the early drafts. When I realized the power of it, I wrote in all the art class scenes, and made the tree into a year-long project for her.

WINTERGIRLS was interesting. The first paragraph of the first draft of the book was this:

"The crows stalk me, wings folded neatly behind them, hungry yellow weighing my soft spots. They circle around me once, twice, three times, claws scarring the stone floor of the church.

I curl up on the frozen altar. They flutter close, black feathers filling my mouth and eyes and ears."

I really don't know where that came from; I just wrote it down, plus a bunch of other stuff. The reference to the "frozen altar" is what got me thinking about ancient religions and mythology, which in turn led me to ponder if there was a mythological story within Lia's story. Of course there was: the story of Persephone. That became a central image system for the book, with references to pomegranate seeds and the death that is winter, along with mother/goddess figure at her wits end, trying to pull her daughter back from the grasp of hell.

(For the record - that opening paragraph wound up migrating to page 264. It fits much better there.)

Is there a small detail in your draft that could be expanded into a central image system?

It's the day before Christmas Eve, and I have to say that I feel like I am finally getting into the spirit. Sure, there's still a level of stress and craziness as I try to juggle everything to do and everyone we have to catch up with. Also, both my daughter and husband have come down with this wicked cold, so I am doing all I can to rally my immune system so I don't go down as well. I really thought we'd get a pass on being sick for Christmas this year, after the debacle that was last year, when we all came down with a throw-up bug on Christmas Eve. THAT was fun. If I have to pick, I'd much rather have a sniffle and a cough than that. Although not being sick at all would be, like, the best gift ever. I'm putting out extra cookies and milk for Santa in the hopes he'll deliver.

Meanwhile, last night I had two of my best girlfriends over for pigs in a blanket (tofu pups for Dana) spinach dip, pizza, wine and Love Actually. It was just what I needed to mark what I decided was the official beginning of my vacation. When you are self employed, and in the midst of a tricky novel, it's REALLY hard to just stop working, even when you know you should. And I should, because my house is so incredibly messy, and none of my gifts are wrapped, and I'm totally exhausted and surrounded by sick folk. Plus, holidays are supposed to be relaxing, right? Please say yes. Anyway, so after having two great work days in my new office---which is so great, I can't even tell you---I'm stepping back. Clocking out until at least next week, and hopefully the new year. It will be good for me, and hopefully for the book as well.

I know it will be good for my house and the clutter that is piled up everywhere. I'm about to grab a garbage bag, put my hair in a ponytail, and get down to it. But before I do, I just want to wish all of you, wherever you are and whatever you happen to believe in, the happiest and healthiest of holidays. It's been a crazy year, busy and fun and stressful (at times) but I would not change a thing. I'm so grateful for all your support, for the fact that you don't judge me too harshly for watching so much TV (hello, Jersey Shore!) and that you read this silly blog so faithfully. You are my co-workers, in a lot of ways, the folks around my water cooler, who make those sort of lonely work days so much more fun. Thank you for that. It means more than you know.

Okay, off to clean. Maybe I'll chug down an Emergen-C first, though.....

Have a great a safe holiday, everyone!

SMART ALECK is out today - what a nice way to celebrate. Two reviews I couldn't have written any better myself!

SELZER, Adam. I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It. 192p. Delacorte. Jan. 2010. PLB $12.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90497-1; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73503-2. LC number unavailable.
Gr 7 Up–For 18-year-old Algonquin “Alley” Rhodes, living in an era in which vampires, werewolves, and zombies are the norm is not what it’s cracked up to be. Unlike most human girls at her high school, dating, especially the undead variety, is the last thing on her mind. Alley just wants to leave Cornersville Trace, go to college, and make something of herself. But then, while critiquing a local band for the school newspaper, Alley the Ice Queen falls head over heels for the guest singer. Like Alley, Doug truly loves music, and she feels as if he is singing just for her. They begin dating, and Alley overlooks what is obvious to everyone else. Doug isn’t just a Goth–he isn’t even human–he’s a zombie. As Alley’s world is turned upside down, she must make decisions with major ramifications for her future. The story is original, funny, unpredictable, romantic, and tragic. Selzer explores some basic teen issues like love, friendship, acceptance, commitment, and loss in a way that is realistic and that will make readers question their own values. An excellent addition to libraries with an occult following.–Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

SELZER, Adam. The Smart Aleck’s Guide to American History. 326p. photos. reprods. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Delacorte. 2009. PLB $15.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90613-5; pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73650-3. LC 2009003897.
Gr 8 Up–In the style of acclaimed writers Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) and Steven Colbert (The Colbert Report), this witty, comedic, and appealing volume abandons the world of historical dates and battles to fill in some of the gaps in young Americans’ knowledge of their country’s history. Readers learn of General Washington’s rebellion against the “basic rules of boating safety” as well as encounter James K. Polk’s mullet (“Business up front, party in the back, baby.”) while benefiting greatly from the book’s efficient presentation of pivotal themes and events such as the American Revolution, Civil War, and Civil Rights Movement. This clever and informative work follows a chronological arrangement from early exploration to the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009. Each chapter concludes with a “Some of the Stuff We Missed” section, essay questions such as “Who was the bigger jerk, Hitler or Stalin?”; vocabulary words; and multiple choice “End-of-Chapter Questions” that range from “What do you think happened to those Croatoan guys–and what gave you that idea?” to “What Civil War guy had the best nickname?” Small black-and-white photos and reproductions appear throughout. The companion Web site contains supplemental information, links to relevant documents and other sites, and “Assignment Alerts!” for further exploration. This informal approach is sure to appeal to even the most reluctant of readers.–Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL

A little late.

We spent the weekend cleaning, organizing, and then cleaning some more. My cousin arrived yesterday morning -- and can I just say that 1) I'm so thankful my kids aren't two anymore; and 2) I'm so glad I didn't have two two year olds at once?! Wow...they're well-behaved girls (for two-year olds), but just watching them and how much they still depend on my cousin and her husband was exhausting. I'm completely worn out.

The house is so quiet right now, and I think this is my favorite part of the visit (ha) -- my cousin left about twenty minutes ago. My kiddos have cleaned up the messes, and I'm finally going to have time to exercise and such -- thank goodness!

I haven't had time to read anything in days, but I'm hoping to catch up with everyone's holiday fun this afternoon -- till then, have a great Tuesday! (The second day of winter, true?)

ARC winners will be announced in the next day or so.  Thereason is prob obvious to For those who read the Twitter feed or FB (which gets my twitter feed),  but for those who aren't there:  we had around 18-19 inches of snow on Saturday.  The resulting being-snowed-in, waaay too many hours of shoveling snow, & canceled school tweaked my schedule quite a bit.

I haven't forgotten the contests.  Snow & kids & Winter Break starting a few days early took priority though.

Will get results up as soon as I can do so.

All work in the Forest today will grind to a halt as we enjoy the ceremonial viewing of Elf. And we might even make spaghetti with maple syrup.






I got to thinking about my family's tradition of setting out rice pudding for the julenisse. Nisse have been around long before Christmas celebrations. English words that describe them as elves, or gnomes; I've seen "pixie," too. If properly cared for, nisse will watch out for your farm animals, your house, and your barn. If you don't take care of them, they will cause all kinds of mischief on your property.

Nisse are low-maintenance creatures. All they require is a bowl of rice pudding (risengrød) set outside your door or in your barn on Christmas Eve. We've always done this faithfully and I think our nisse appreciate it.

But as the sun was setting yesterday and I was lighting candles in honor of the solstice I realized that the nisse have been around a lot longer than Christmas celebrations. Ack! Have I been disrespecting the nisse all these years? They are ancient creatures... do they wait, forlorn, on the night of the winter solstice, their tummies grumbling, while the Big People go about their ignorant business? And when the pudding FINALLY shows up on Christmas Eve, do they call up the other nisse and complain?

So last night I put out rice pudding for them. And I will again on Christmas Eve. You can't be too careful with nisse.


Revision Tip #22

Are you sure that you've chosen the right point of view for your novel?

Take your favorite chapter and rewrite from a different POV; shift from third to first, or first to third, or if you are bold and way smarter than me, experiment with the second person POV.

Or.... (and.....) fool around with the tense structure. If your story is told in present tense, rewrite that favorite chapter in past tense. If you've written the whole thing in past tense, try out that chapter in present tense.

What's the point of all this mucking around? It helps you see your characters and the Story from a slightly altered perspective.

Today when I turned my back the puppy pulled my laptop off the desk. She is unhurt. Laptop did not work at first but it finally came on and I immediately backed up everything. I think I am a bad puppy mommy.

The following is EXCITING to me:

SISTERS RED has sold Italian, Spanish, and Arabic rights. ARABIC! How crazy is that? That means my book will be printed in a language I don't have even the tiniest, smallest clue how to read.

I keep waiting for this feeling to fade or become normal, but every time I hear about a new foreign rights sale I want to jump and cheer and act like a total loser/way unprofessional (since I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to smile and nod and eat a croissant and act like this is totally normal and stuff). There's just something REALLY exciting about knowing that this story that was once 100% in my head, and I wasn't even sure would be published, that at one point no one had even read, is going to be read by people I've never met in a country I've never been to in a language I can't speak.

I used to think that once you sold a book, that was kind of the big deal. That you eventually stopped getting excited about all the little things and even the big things. But no, at least, not for me. I'm still excited about everything. And thus I will do the Happy If Unprofessional Loser Dance now.

*dance*

Good morning from my kitchen, where I am sitting literally four feet away from not one but TWO leftover half cakes: one amazing red velvet, and one double chocolate. And don't even get me started on the cheese straws, coffee ring, and Whole Foods chocolate cake in the fridge. Give me strength. I just got off the treadmill, but I think it might take a miracle for me not to dive headfirst into them while I drink my coffee.

Our party was great, but crazy hectic as always. This is, like, the twentieth year we've done this party, in various incarnations, and it's always changing. Used to be everyone came late and stayed later. Now, the announced time is 6 but people show up, babies in tow, as early as 5:30. Then it's total mayhem, toddlers and kids running wild while my husband and I try to be good hosts and get a huge amount of food onto the table for everyone. At eight sharp, half the room has cleared. By ten, the only ones left are our friends who are in their twenties, who probably don't even go OUT until that hour in their normal lives. I tried to rally, staying up until 12:30, then was really hating it when my daughter got up at 5:30. Whoa. All I want for Christmas is sleep, sleep and more sleep. Are you listening, Santa?

One of my favorite parts of the party, though, is the night after. That's when I get to put on my pajamas and eat leftovers, and this year we did it while watching equal opportunity television: football, followed by Love, Actually. Oh, man. Nothing like eating leftover lasagna, beans and rice and chicken casserole while watching Hugh Grant dance to the Pointer Sisters. Good times.

With the party behind us, I can move onto the actual holiday. I've done most of my shopping---although there's always a few more things to pick up---and with my office done (yay!) I can spend the time I'm not checking things off my list geeking out by labeling folders and organizing boxes. It is nerd heaven, I am telling you. All I need to do is get the internet working over there, and I'll be all set to officially move over. Although really, what I SHOULD do is not hook up the DSL, because I'd probably get a done more work done without the distractions of Twitter, and Ebay, and reading the comments on this blog. But let's be realistic here. Me with no internet is about as likely as me actually managing to resist that red velvet cake. Well intentioned, yes, but not going to happen.

Just one, small piece. A sliver! Because it's Christmas....

Have a great day, everyone!

I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It Adam Selzer. Delacorte, $7.99 paper (192p) ISBN 978-0-385-73503-2

Selzer (Andrew North Blows Up the World) takes a delightfully wicked but thoughtful poke at teenage infatuations, vampire groupies, and pretentious goths. It's been years since “post-human” vampires, werewolves, and other undead creatures came “out of the coffin” to protest Megamart's exploitation of zombies as stockroom workers. But 18-year-old Alley Rhodes can't help rolling her eyes at her classmates' continuing obsession (“teenage vampires are a pain in the ass—they never actually mature... but dating one has become the ultimate status symbol”). Then moody singer Doug catches her heart, and she's soon reconsidering her plan to flee Iowa for college in Seattle. She loves his authentic goth look (pale skin, unkempt hair, “moth-eaten suit”), but she's forgotten the first rule of modern dating—Google him. Doug died four years ago, and he's still wearing the suit he was buried in. Now all of her preconceptions are out the window and she has critical decisions to make. With snappy dialogue and a light, funny touch, Selzer creates a readable examination of love, self-sacrifice, and where to draw the line before you lose yourself. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)



Still working on getting the "soundtrack" going!