Kids aren't dumb

I write young adult stories so I always try not to talk down to my readers, but it's only now that I'm in the classroom that I realise how smart they are, especially when they think you don't know what you're talking about.

The amount of questions I've been asked just trying to gauge my knowledge of the subject is phenomenal. so, now I know, even though I write paranormal and horror that I really need to know my world and characters inside out or else the reader will not be satisfied.

How do you prepare to write? Do you know the world before you start or do you jump straight in?

Wish me luck

Today I start my third and final teaching prac, the one prac that is more important than the other two. If I can prove myself competent after one week, I'll be in the classroom by myself - without the supervision of my mentor teacher. YIKES!

If that's not scary enough, in just 4 weeks I'll be sitting for my teaching interview, which I need to pass. Ooh, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's a scary kind of light that reminds me that next year I have no idea where I'll be, but I'll be a new teacher in a classroom full of teenagers...

Life just keeps moving forward.

Back to the Dark Ages

The electrical company are doing work on the power poles and I received in the mail a letter saying the power was going to be switched off for the majority of the day. This is not goo. How am I going to live.

And precisely at 8, in the middle of doing this post, the computer and everything goes dead. Now I need to figure out how to entertain myself for 8 hours. Isn't it funny how we've become so reliant that electricity is an essential need.

Would you be able to survive without electricity? What would you do to entertain yourself?

P.S. I love my iPad...

A week of highs

I don't know if I really should be feeling this way, but I'm feeling great. After suffering chronic migraines for most of my life and nothing has ever worked that the doctors prescribed, my boss suggested a naturopath.

She has placed me on a very strict diet. It's been 2 weeks since I've had any caffeine, sugar, fatty foods, anything with colours or additives... pretty much any of the nice stuff. And, I'm feeling great.

It also helps that my mind has been so clear that I'm powering through my new story, and Shadow Embraced is getting great feedback and requests.

Boy, if I knew cutting out all of the bad stuff from my diet would have this effect, I would have done it a while ago.

Just what I needed...

Well, after no more than 3 hours sleep due to seeing the final Harry Potter movie (which definitely lived up to my expectations), I am feeling more energised that I've been for a while. I've been in a sort of slump at the moment when it came to writing and I didn't know which project to tackle or what to write next, but as soon as I got home all the ideas started flowing.

Ooh, I can't wait to start writing it.

The end of an era

It's been a decade, but now the countdown to the final movie is nearly over. It's premiering here at midnight and I am eagerly anticipating it. I've had my 12:04 cinema ticket for the past 3 or so months. I actually feel sorry for the cinema workers because the cinema I'm going to is having a massive marathon of a run for the final film tomorrow. The cinema is going to stay open 24 hours showing a session every hour throughout the day.

Even though I was practically grown up when I discovered Harry, I've read all the novels and seen the films. I remember picking up the first one (and I didn't even know it was the first one, so I was lucky there) in college when the first three were available and quickly devoured those.

It's going to be sad when the journey is over, but I'm hoping the movie definitely lives up to all the excitement and thrills that it definitely deserves to go out with a bang.

So when did you discover Harry (if you discovered him)? Is anyone excited to see this final film?

The end of the book store

This is the sign that here, down in Australia, has been seeing a lot of at shopping centres. The two main giant book store chains (Borders and Angus & Robertson) are all closing their physical stores, but are still continuing in the online market.

This is sad, but also good as a book buyer since I've managed to get so many books for 50-85% off that I'll probably never get around to reading. So, is this the way the future of book companies are going to be. No more brick and mortar stores, but all online with more available e-books than actual physical books? I'm very impulsive so I liked walking into a book store and picking up some random book that I'd never heard of before and walking out with it, not really expecting to buy anything.

What do you think? What do you think is the future of brick and mortar stores?

Random Acts of Kindness - June wrap up

R.A.K. is a fantastic project hosted by  Book Soulmates. It was a blast to participate in this month. I managed to send out two books books:

to Franny @ Mind Reader

to Cicely @ Cicely Loves Books

And I received 1 this month:

from Cherie @ mystrez.blogspot.com

I enjoyed participating in June and look forward to signing up for the fun of July and passing on some more books.