Kid C snores at the Shakespeare Festival... and the best perk to being an Author

Hey y'all. 

So, today marks one-month until the sequel to EVERNEATH is due in to my publisher. 

I'm not freaking out. Mostly because my editor reads my blog. (Hi Kristin! Nothing to see here!)

But I will say you can read my stress on my chin. I pick at my chin until it starts to bleed, then I wait for the blood to dry up, and then I pick it some more. And like any self-respecting addict, I say, "This is the last time I pick it. The last time. I am in control."

And then I pick it again. 

Yes, I have just spent the first half of this blog talking about picking scabs. There are so many places to go from here. 

1. When I turned eight, my parents took me to the Shakespeare Festival for the first time. Since then, with few exceptions, I've gone every year.

Kid C and Kid B at the Globe replica in Cedar City

Now Kid C is eight, so I took him to his first play, expecting it to be as magical as my first play. 

Here's how magic it was for him:

To sleep, perchance to dream...

And he was on the front row. The actors were practically tripping over his feet. And yet, he slept...

2. Look at what I got in the mail today!

UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows

SLIDE by Jill Hathaway

Undoubtedly, the best perk to being an author is being able to read books before they come out! But the worst part is getting these books in the mail on the day that marks one month before my sequel is due... 

And... we've come full circle. 

So, what do y'all plan on doing for the last month of summer? Anyone going to the SCBWI conference in L.A. this week? If you are, look for me!

How Bree and Brodi Saved the Writing Retreat

Last weekend, my critique group went up to Midway for a writing retreat.

The Six. Not at the retreat, but I just really like this picture.

When we got there, we realized the air conditioning wasn't working. If there's one thing I've learned about my writers' group, it's that we can put up with a lot of things... except a broken a/c. 

So, as the pioneers of yore would've done, we called all the local repair shops. But since it was a Saturday AND a holiday weekend, we struck out. Although there was one repairman who said he'd come out for $130 an hour. 

I'm sorry, I don't have $130 an hour. But it did make me rethink my career choice. 

So Bree Despain and I did some investigating. 

Did you know there are two parts to an air conditioner? An inside and an outside? Well, the outside part - the air condenser - was vewy vewy quiet. It was clearly not working.

Not the actual air condenser. I forgot to take pictures.

To make a long story short (too late) we ripped a chunk of the fusebox out and took it to the hardware store, where I asked the hardware guy to replace all the little parts.

When we got back, we drew straws as to who was going to put the new part in, upon risk of electric shock. I drew the short straw.

Thinking of my safety, I was all, "Do we have rubber gloves anywhere?"

And Bree was all, "Oh yes! I could use those in case I have to pull your charred remains away from the fuse box!"

And I was like, "I meant for me!"

There were no rubber gloves, but I did find a dish rag. And Bree was all, "Excellent! All the better to clean up the bits of Brodi that will surely be scattered about."

To make a long story short, I put the new fuse doohickee in the fuser-mah-thingee and... it worked! And I wasn't electrocuted! And Bree stood there with her towel at the ready, looking disappointed.

I was so excited, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "I am the GODDESS of AIR CONDITIONERS!" That might be the first time anyone has ever screamed that sentence.

The rest of the day was spent recounting the heroic story of "The Day we Saved Air Conditioning" to friends and family and basically anyone who would listen. 

We couldn't stop talking about it. It was as if we had actually given birth to the air condenser. We described each labor pain in detail, and every once in a while, one of us would spontaneously shout, "Girl Power!"

I told Sam the story over the phone, and when he didn't show the appropriate level of awe, I handed the phone over to Emily Wing Smith to give her version, and then to Sara Bolton for yet another perspective.

Trust me, the next time I tell Sam about my awesomeness, he will be appropriately amazed.

How about you? Have you ever had a moment of triumph like this? I felt like I could do anything. ANYTHING, I tell you!

Next, I'm going to build a car, using only a gum wrapper and belly button lint.

How You Can See some of my Pioneer Heritage in EVERNEATH... and The Dead Elvises have a Logo

Hey y'all. 


Sorry about the blog silence on Monday, but for those of you out of Utah, Monday was a state holiday where we celebrate the Pioneers...

This pic would be more accurate if it showed people dying. The plight of the pioneers was not a pleasant one.

... and the dude who looked over the Salt Lake Valley and said, in a large booming voice: "This here's the place. Let's put up some tents."

Brigham Young. And his sidekicks.

That guy in the middle is my great great great grandfather. Once a year, the Daughters of Brigham Young get together for lunch, and we divide ourselves up according to which wife we are descended from. 

I always sit with the other descendants of the "Third Wife from the Left"

If you've read EVERNEATH, you may notice a similarity between the Daughters of Brigham Young and another group in the book. There's some behind the scenes trivia for you!


To celebrate Pioneer Day, we set off firecrackers, just like the pioneers would wish us to do. Sometimes we dress as pioneers and walk down State Street.

Sometimes we dress as Bumble Bees.

You can almost hear the whispers of our ancestors saying, "That'll do, Pig. That'll do."


So, these are just some interesting tidbits about me and where I come from. 


A couple of things to mention:


1. My first ever podcast is up! 


Robison Wells (VARIANT from HarperCollins) and his cohorts Sarah Eden and Marion Jensen invited me to record two of their weekly podcasts at The Appendix.


In the first one, we discuss perseverance, editing, and other funny stuff. Shenanigans ensue. So, take a listen!


2. EVERNEATHY stuff:


In EVERNEATH, the immortals are part of a band, called THE DEAD ELVISES.  Well, my cousin's hubby drew me this:

www.tarlsscribbles.com

I heart it so much, I think I'm in love. In love long time. I keep thinking of all the things I want to do with it! T-shirts? Stickers? Tattoos? Toilet Paper? 


The possibilities are endless. 


What do you think? Isn't it cool? And... which wife are you descended from? 

Guess what I got in the Mail? I'll give you Four Hints

I got something in the mail yesterday. 

It's skinny...

It's got shiny parts...

It's got pretty words...

It's got a high-tech doohickee...

I don't know what this means. Is it a map of the Underworld? Is it a hidden message from the Cybermen?

Can anyone guess what I got in the mail?

It's an actual jacket cover! 

I believe if you stare at the app bar code long enough, you might be transported to the Everneath. Or maybe I don't understand apps. Or bar codes.

So, what's everyone doing this weekend? Are you going out of town? Are you going to stare at the app bar code until you see a hidden image? If you do, tell me what it is!

The Power of a Picture Book

It may look like just a book...

OH, DADDY! by Bob Shea

But it's not. It's really magic.


Because this kid...

Kid B. Pulling a "Bieb". 

...loves OH, DADDY! Loves it.


And every night, as Sam is tucking him in, Kid B reads some of the words in the book. 


Like: 


"Is THIS how you eat carrots?"


"Oh, Daddy! No, THIS is how you eat carrots!"


I hide in the hallway outside his room and listen. Because if you're familiar with Kid B, you know how rare it is to hear him speak.


Often during the day, he is unsure of the right words, and even more unsure of how to put them together. And too soon, he becomes frustrated. Hopeless.


But at night, he is confident in these words. And he speaks them loudly.


It's heaven. 


Do any of your kids respond to a book like this?  

My Timeout from Kid C... A Break We Both Need

Happy Monday, yon Bloggerville.

Kid C has a Basketball camp this week, so I'm planning on getting a lot of work done. If I could just get out of bed.

Here he is on his first day:

Check out that form. He can make the ball hover at three-inches above the ground.

Truthfully, Kid C and I needed a break. We had a rough weekend that consisted of a grand total of 28 time outs, 26 of which were his. (Two were mine.) I got in such a groove that eventually I was putting everyone in time out: Kid B, Sam, the neighbors, the neighbors' dog, the lamppost... It was sad.

At one point, as he was emerging from one of the time outs, Sam and I felt the need to list our grievances against him, just to make sure he was clear on exactly why he was in time out.

After the first few accusations, he looked up at Sam with sad little eyes, and said, "Can we please just skip to the part where I say 'I'm sorry'?"

Both of us cracked up and he was off the hook. It was a needed moment of levity in a weekend of suck.

Do you ever have weekends like this? Where you're just dying for Monday to get here?

Five Things About Me This Week: Including the World's Tallest Weed

Hey y'all.

1. I forgot to post the sneak peek teaser quote on EVERNEATH's facebook page. 

I am sorry. Thursdays are hard for me, because they are the only other day of the week that starts with the same letter as another day of the week, and so sometimes when it's Thursday, I wonder if it's really Tuesday...

Never mind. I just suck. It's up now if you want to check it out. (It's time to meet Nikki's best friend Jules)

2. Kid C said his prayers last night. 

He prayed that, "Grandpa will feel better, Japan will be able to clean itself up, and that the world will have no more wars... because I really hate wars... and that the world will have a great day."

So, Japan, if you're listening, try to clean yourself up a bit. 

Kid C. He's a pirate. With a stick. Doing Yoga.

3. For those of you new to the blog, you may not know I have an intense fear of "Plants that grow fast". 

One day, a vine grew through my wall... through my wall.... and I thought I was gonna die.

Yesterday I walked out to my backyard and discovered weeds that were taller than me. Okay, I'm exaggerating... its smallness. 

It was as tall as Sam. 

I don't know why he's looking forlornly off in the distance.

This says a couple of very disturbing things about me:

1. I am lazy.

2. I let an egregious amount of time pass between visits to my backyard.

So I did something I never do: I weeded. With a shovel. 

First dig of the day, I dug up a sprinkler line. It was a stubborn line too. I had to put the full force of my weight on the shovel before it came loose. I looked left, then right, and then - confident Sam didn't see me - nonchalantly shoved it back in place.

And that, my friends, is why I don't weed.

4. For Mother's Day, Sam bought me an iPad.

For Father's Day, I bought Sam a University of Utah t-shirt. 

Best. Wife. Ever. Am I right? 

High fives! Who's with me? *waits patiently*

*waits some more*

... Self Five!

5. The other day, I personalized an ARC of EVERNEATH for the winner of the contest (Lesli Lytle). 

I wrote in cursive, and apparently it's not like riding a bike, because I messed up quite a few times. And I had to subsequently scribble out a few mistakes.

Even on my Betsy Ross, I still flubbed up on the "o".

So, I will not be trying cursive in the future. And I'd love to have a tag line I can use for the signings. Here are some I'm considering:

1. Enjoy reading! Try not to end up in the Underworld!

-Brodi Ashton

2. Remember, there is no such thing as redemption, and there are no heroes!

-Brodi Ashton

3. Even if you're getting the life-force sucked out of you, try to see the cup as half full! 

-Brodi Ashton

4. Remember, it's never too late! But sometimes it is.

-Brodi Ashton

I don't know. Which one gets your vote? If any of you have read the book, feel free to help a girl out. 

*added: I forgot to mention this great "mini-review" of EVERNEATH.