Let's Make a Difference

I would make a long speech about how we've all been there or seen this happen, but I won't. I'll just let this speak for itself.

The MPAA has rated this movie R which means the people who really need to see it, Teens, won't be able to. Hop over and sign the petition if you think this should be changed. Maybe we can at least get them to take another look at it.

Fangirl Friday!

Happy Birthday to Billy Zane, Edward James Olmos, and Barry Bostwick!

So, I'm sure you've heard, but I must talk about this awesome news: J.K. Rowling will release a new adult book! Here's GalleyCat's announcment: http://t.co/DrMt9OHV

I mean, seriously people, I can't wait! I wonder if it will have any fantastical aspects. Or if it will just be straight up real things happening to real people. In my mind, J.K. can do no wrong. She could write about how to make haggis and I'd read it. And probably love it.

And there's your LOL for the day. You're welcome. I got this from my Pinterest. Harry Potter memes are my new obsession. Check it out :)

Oh yeah, and there's this:

AW YEAH! Are you kidding me?! How awesome does that look?!

And that's it. Post in the comments, tell me what you're fangirl/guy squealing about!

The Big Reveal

It was Friday, February 10th. I was a little down and out about querying. I had given a certain publishing company a look before, I knew who they were, I knew some of their authors, I knew they were very author friendly, and I knew that they were legit and making a big splash. After even more research, they seemed like exactly the type of team I wanted to be on. So, I thought, "Why not?"

I put together my query for Heather Howland, Senior Editor, and pressed the send button. Normally, when sending a query, I would hem and haw over clicking that button, but for some reason, I barely hesitated this time. Twenty minutes later, she responded with an enthusiastic full request.

One week and a day later, February 18th, I was having a phone conversation with her. She loved my book... Sigh... That feels SO GOOD to say!

Today, I signed the contract!

That's right... I'm an Entangled Teen author!!! My book, THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD, is slated for Spring 2013!!!

Wow... I still... I can't even... Yeah, I'm still in shock...

(Cover Reveal) 7 Awesome Things About Tara Fuller's INBETWEEN

Number 1: The blurb for INBETWEEN (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller coming out August 7, 2012:


Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s
life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving
“accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so
Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling
in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who
makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate
has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him
hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before,
and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves
from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the
only thing he has left…his soul.


Number 2: There is no way you can tell me that doesn't make you want more! *swoon* 


Number 3: The cover:

:(

I know why you're here... You want to see me make a fool of myself. And justly so, since I promised a dare. Only one problem, um, I was unable to do it. I did not anticipate the absolute crazyness that happened on Friday and Saturday. 


What? Don't look at me like that! If this happened to you, you wouldn't have followed through either. Or maybe you would've, but... I'll give an update on the crazyness soon and maybe I will be forgiven. 


Good news: I'm still giving away the gift certificate. And the winner is:

Steph Funk (@SV_Fnk)

This girl has a gift for coming up with ways for other people to embarrass themselves. Here are some of her suggestions:

 - Go to the mall wearing white pants w/ an apple-sized brown spot on the butt, giving the appearance that you soiled yourself

-  Draw life-like breasts on a T-shirt and wear it grocery shopping.

- Buy fart machine, go to restaurant, & any time waiter comes to table, press it & say "Oops. 1 too many fiber bars this a.m"

And my absolute favorite: Put a cat on a leash & go to McDonalds, just the 2 of you. Buy it a happy meal & sit in the play place. Wear a cat shirt.

So, there you go. Feel free to berate me in the comments for breaking my promise. I deserve it! But watch this first. Maybe a good laugh will diminish the ire you feel towards me:

Challenge Time!

So, I want to try something out. I love connecting with people and having fun. Here's the plan:

Rules:
I'd like people to tweet me (@LeahR_Miller) or leave a comment here on this post (leave an email or twitter handle) with suggestions for a challenge/dare for me to do. It has to be something I can do in a day, doesn't cost much money, not racy, and you know, won't put me in any mortal peril. The winning suggestion will be chosen by my husband and my brother. My husband because he won't be too hard on me and my brother because he will.

I'm not going to make following me on this blog or on twitter or anywhere else a requirement. BUT that'd be nice :)

What you could win:
A $10 gift card to Amazon!!! That's right, when I do things, I do them BIG!

Grand Finale:
On Saturday, I'll do the thing, and on Sunday, I'll post the winner and document how everything went.

If it goes well, I could make this a bi-weekly or monthly thing.

So, go for it! Give me your best shot! Oh, and spreading the word is appreciated!

Birds in My Brain

So, I've finished THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD. It's polished. At least, I think it's polished. I've been querying, waiting for someone to bite. And I've gotten a couple of nibbles, which just means I have to wait even more. I'm sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I'm a very impatient person. So, maybe I'm learning a lesson in how to keep my mouth shut and just trust that news will come soon, but the waiting is driving me crazy. The general line of advice I've been getting from writer friends is to keep writing, start something new, which is proving to be incredibly tough.

In our front yard, there's a huge pecan tree. It's gorgeous with it's tire swing and phoenix fern covered trunk. So, I was on the porch this morning, watching the tree, watching little birds flit to it then to the ground and then on their way and so on. I look over at my kids' window and there's my cat, Minnie the Skinny, doing the same thing as me: bird watching. It occurred to me then that this is exactly what trying to find the right idea for the next project is like.

The tree is my brain and here comes a little bird. It settles on a branch ever so lightly. Maybe it pecks at the branches, leaving little remnants of the fact that it was there, ideas for scenes or plot points. Then, it moves on. More birds come, more birds leave. Ideas flit in and out, none staying long enough for me to find my binoculars so I can take a longer look. I make note of the ideas like I'm checking off different species in a field guide to birds of North America.

It's only when one of the birds decides that my pecan tree is the perfect place to make its home that I'll be able to start that new WIP. I could write the wren that hopped from branch to branch, never staying still. I could write the crow that cawed so loudly it woke the dogs sleeping in the yard. But I want to fall in love with my story. I want it to build a nest and have babies (Am I really saying I want to have baby birds hatch in my brain? Geez, I'm weird) then nourish those chirpers and teach them how to fly.

Everyone Should Watch Modern Family

There, I said it. Believe me, your faith in television programming will be restored.

Fangirl Friday!

I know, Fangirl Friday seems to be the only posts I'm doing lately, but things have been busy in Leahland. I promise to work up some other stuff soon :)

Happy Birthday to Elizabeth Banks, Robert Wagner, and Emma Roberts!

New The Avengers stuff!!! ....homina, homina, homina....

"I have an army." "We have a Hulk." *fangirl squealllll*

Speaking of comics, for the longest time I've kind of been avoiding reading the new Astonishing X-Men due to the absence of Jean Grey (my FAVORITE comic character), but I finally gave in when my brother insisted I catch up. And, you guys... WOW! As much as I hate to admit it because of the whole Jean Grey issue, it is awesome! I highly recommend it even if you've never been into comics. I mean, just look:

Fangirl Friday!

Happy birthday to Isla Fisher, Nathan Lane, and Warwick Davis!

So, earlier in the week I made it into the beta of this:

And then I was like this:

I was also able to catch up on American Idol. Here are some of my favorites:

THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD Playlist

I love making playlists for my stories. Here's the one for my current book, THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD. Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants actually inspired one specific scene. Enjoy.