THANKFUL THURSDAY: Happy Birthday, Sheri!!

This Thankful Thursday, we'd like to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the special people in your life, and why you're thankful to have them.

Humans are such social creatures, we need each other for socialization, for sharing, for laughter, for love, for down right rotten bitch fests (let's be honest, they do happen). The list of the ways we need each other could go on and on, but I haven't had enough coffee for that. Some people hit our lives with the force of a sledgehammer, and we are marked by their passage. Some people a guides, nudging us along our paths. and some people breeze in, sweet and soft as a spring whisper and we are forever changed.

So, who are we thankful for? Well, what better day to have a Thankful Thursday than on Sheri Larsen's birthday? It's almost divine intervention. Sooo...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERI!!!

Jessica said: I'm thankful for Sheri, because I've no idea how she juggles all the balls she does w/o dropping them. She's my freakin' hero with that stuff!! Also that she always has the greatest ideas and that she was awesome enough to start this blog and ask me to join. Thank you so much, Sheri, for being my blog sister! Happy Birthday!!

Nikki said: I'm very thankful that Sheri came up with the idea to launch this blog, bringing all of us together to this amazing place! Sheri has been so much fun to get to know, and has been a great CP. She is so creative and such a wonderful mom too! Happy Happy Birthday Sheri. Wishing you a fabulous day and year ahead.

Jessie said: I am so thankful for Sheri -- who had the genius to think up the concept of creating a blog oasis for fellow YA authors. I'm thankful that she reached out to me through YALitChat to see if I'd be interested in joining her and for her thinking enough of my writing to ask me in the first place! Sheri has energy, spunk, creativity, and talent that makes our blog a better place to be on a daily basis. Happy Birthday, Sher, and may this year bring you nothing but continued success!

And me: I try to lift Sheri up when she's down, try to help read for her when I can, and I never feel like I've given enough back for the kind support she's given me. Sometimes a person finds just the right way, uses just the right words. Sheri is that person for me. She has such a wonderful caring heart. The days I've been pouty, wondering if I'm worth any fuss in this industry Sheri comes along and refuses to let me wallow. I can hand her my broken, grubby bits and she puts a shine on them so bright I can feel her belief uplifting me. So, thank you Sheri, just for being YOU. You are an amazing blessing to us Oasis girls.

WRITER WEDNESDAY: Last Lines

In an SCBWI San Diego workshop in 2009, Mary E. Pearson talked about the importance of first lines ... and last lines of your manuscript. She said that the last line is the one that rings in your reader's ears, long after they've finished it. So make it count! It should either tie up your novel, or set you up for that sequel.

I'd never really thought about last lines that way, but it definitely makes sense. And in the same venue as my first sentences post, I'm going to take some famous novels and take a look at their last lines. (Note: There may be spoilers!)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
I'm gone to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer ....

Hush Hush (Becca Fitzpatrick)
I curled my hands into his hair, pulling him closer. "More."

Fallen (Lauren Kate)
And while Luce dreamed below of the most glorious wings unfurling - the likes of which she'd never seen before - two angels in the rafters shook hands.

Paranormalcy (Kiersten White)
I wasn't cold anymore.

Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)
"Very well," he said. "Why don't you tell me what the problem is?"

Incarceron (Catherine Fisher)
"Closer than you think, Finn," he said.

The Scorch Trials (James Dashner)
That's all for now.

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go.

And (just for the heck of it) here's my first sentence for Shoreline:
I shook my head in wonder and plunged in after him.

Which ones are your favorite, and share your last line below!

Darkest Mercy ARC WInner!

A little over a week ago, we held our Piece the Titles and win an ARC of Darkest Mercy Contest. The object of the challenge was to piece at least two titles for the Wicked Lovely series into a sentence that would catch our attention.

We had a wonderful turnout. Everyone worked so hard on their entries. I was really a tough decision.


Some of you chose to use only two titles, while others decided to use more. It was interesting to see what you all came up with.


I'm going to share the 1st and 2nd runners up with you and then the winner--which, I want to say again, was a tough call.


We have a three-way tie for 2nd Runner-Up:


The Lovely Ink yields a Wicked Exchange for one's thoughts. ~ Saturdaynightfever ~

In exchange for eternity with this lovely creature, she inked “No Mercy for the Wicked” on the fragile skin of her neck. ~ cannonwrites ~

In a word, she was wicked--touched by the darkest shadows for all eternity. ~ Kelly Hashway ~

1st Runner-Up: 

The fragile shadows crept over the girl, revealing their radiant eternity. ~ Annie McElfresh

The WINNER of the Darkest Mercy ARC is LARISSA, with her entry of:  The ink was not yet dry, but his face was radiant--the shadow exchange was set.

Congrats, LARISSA

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I'll be in touch for your mailing addy.

Thanks to everyone for entering.