Flashback Fridays: The Devastating Southern Storms

For this week's Flashback Friday, I wanted to reflect on the local and world events

of the last ten days, predominantly the devastating storms in the South. And holy moly, what an insane ten days it has been. I mean, the Royal Wedding and Osama Bin Laden's death all in one weekend coming on the tail end of the second worst tornado system in American History.

It all began a week ago on Tuesday evening. While perusing Facebook posts, I saw where a local Atlanta station, WSBTV, had posted a very ominous weather report for Wednesday night. On a rating scale, conditions are likely for tornado activity at 2 and 3--they were predicting levels of 8 and 11. I'd already heard of devastating storms hitting Arkansas, so the threat seemed very plausible.

Wednesday at my school was supposed to be a fun day for the Seniors--slide show, talent show, picnic, and then a Powder Puff game where the girls of the schools don football jerseys and the guys play the cheerleaders.

All that came to a screeching halt at about 8:15 when we were ordered to get into the hallways(especially my class since we're in a mobile unit). In my ten years of teaching, I've practiced tornado drills each and every year. However, I've never actually been involved in an actual tornado until Wednesday. And I knew it was bad when administration told us teachers we were to take cover with our students instead of patrolling the hallways. The worst was hearing the reports crackling over the walkie talkies of tornadoes touching down close to us. After almost an hour packed into the hallways, we were ushered to the talent show. But in the middle of it, we got word that they were sending us home early at 11:30. On the drive back home, the damage was already very visible with uprooted trees and broken limbs. But the worst was yet to come.

Around eight that evening, I packed up my two dogs and headed to my grandmother's who lives five minutes from me. We huddled in her living room, glued to the news reports--ready at any moment to head to the interior hallway since she didn't have a basement. Over and over, the piercing tornado siren rang through the night, but fortunately, the storm went directly to the north of us.

The entire night reminded me of the book, Night of the Twisters, that my 4th grade teacher read aloud to us. It was made into a 1996 movie with Devon Sawa from Final Destination and John Schnieder from The Dukes of Hazard.

I teach an hour away from home this year in Walker County(which was featured in Water for Elephants...the farmhouse is owned by a teacher at my school). And while my home county had very minimal storm damage, the county where I teach was hit hard. We ended up missing school on Thursday, Friday, and Monday, and then we've been on a 2-hr delay all week to allow extra time for those still without power. However, compared to Walker's next door county, they were lucky. Ringgold, Georgia, which is in Catoosa County, was basically leveled. Businesses, the schools, houses--all wiped away. Seven deaths were reported in that county, which brought the death total in Georgia to fifteen.

However, nothing in Georgia could compare the utter devastation and destruction in Alabama. Over two hundred dead. The college town of Tuscaloosa wiped out. The images I've seen on television and in person are horrifying and almost unbelievable.

Ways you can help

You can head over to Help Write Now, an online auction from writers, agents, and editors to bid on items where all proceeds go to help storm victims.

The Salvation Army & The Red Cross are already on the ground and helping delivering food, shelter, and helping with clean up.

The Passionate Penny Pincher has a link for care packages for children impacted by the storm.

Flashback Friday: Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery & CONTEST

For this week's Flashback Friday, I'm looking back to some of my earliest writing--those Middle School and High School days when I suffered from "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery syndrome." Basically, it meant I read something and then mimicked it...sometimes with embarrassing consequences.

(1). Exhibit A: Sweet Valley Family Saga

I gotta say I was a huge Sweet Valley Twins and High fan growing up. And when the epic Sweet Valley Saga came out, the stories of the twins family heritage from the late 1800's on up to when their parents, Alice and Ted Wakefield, married, I was hooked.

It was after rereading the books in Middle School that the imitation bug hit me, and I did my own epic family saga story with five generations. As you guessed it, there were blinding similarities--probably enough to get Francine Pascal's attorney after me! :)

(2). Exhibit B: RL Stine's The Cheerleaders 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Evil

I was addicted to RL Stine's Fear Street books in 7th and 8th grade. Because of that reason, I wrote a cheerleader mystery myself. I will say that I actually branched out this time and didn't totally copy, er, imitate the Cheerleader Evil with the fact it wasn't all about an other worldly force possessing cheerleaders. It was actually a pretty decent serial killer type book with cheerleaders from different high schools being targeted and murdered while one girl tries to find the killer.

I wrote it on one of those old MS Dos computers. Remember those days before Microsoft Windows? Good times. I ended up losing the story with a computer crash, or I might totally reread and resurrect that bad boy, lol.

*************************CONTEST TIME!!!!*********************************

I want to give away some books with themes and plots I've managed NOT to imitate yet!

(1). Identical by Ellen Hopkins: I totally admire and covet Ellen's ability to write in verse. The images she weaves with her words is fabulous.

(2). Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan: I've managed not to integrate zombies, so I'll defer to Carrie Ryan's awesome ability to use the scary undead.

(3). Across the Universe by Beth Revis: I haven't been there, done that on Sci-Fi, and since Beth does it so well, along with creating a great in-space murder mystery, I'll leave it to her.

So, how do you win? All you gotta do is (1). Be a Follower & (2). Leave a Comment with one of your Imitation stories, ideas, novels....or a comment will suffice! lOL

Easey Peasy, right?

The Contest will run until next Thursday, and Contest Winners will be announced on Friday!!!

Flashback Friday: The Five Things I Wished I'd Know About the Writing Business

For this week's Flashback Friday(yes, it's really back!), I'm joining forces with my buds over at the group blog Paper Hangover(you should totally follow them btw. They're some AMAZING ladies of YA literature!) They're doing their Friday Five today on the five things they wish they'd known before they began in the writing game.

And since I'm movie analogy nerd--er, fan, I wanted to take my flashback approach like Mary Catherine Gallagher would....well, not quite since I won't be interpreting popular made for TV movies, but you get the gist.

(1). Fasten Your Seat Belts, It's Going to be a Bumpy Ride--All About Eve

I got 3 words for you....Ignorance is bliss! I knew nada, zilch, zippo about the writing business when I first started. Agents? Query Letters? Say what? I had no idea what I was going to be getting into when I took the writing plunge. It will be three years ago this summer that I began my first serious novel(I've written my whole life--short stories, bad Danielle Steelesque ripoffs, etc). It was/is an adult Literary Fiction with Christian symbolism. When I look back on writing it, I remember it as one of the happiest times of my life. It was a freeing, exhilarating, and manically creative time. But I had no idea the full quality and quantity of the bumpy road of publication that lay before me. The very road that would make writing the next novels not quite so carefree and much more angst ridden.





(2). They May Take Our Lives, But They'll Never Take Our Freedom!!---Braveheart No one could have prepared me for how soul sucking, life-altering and ball-busting the writing business is. Until you've queried and put yourself out there for rejection, you have no idea how hard it can be. There were/are days I wanted to walk away. To forget I'd ever written anything and to vow to never write again. But then that fiery passion, the one that sometimes was only a few flickering embers, would burn within me. And I would vow that no matter what, I would see a book to being agented and/or published. Nothing would take away my dream!!!!

(3 ) You're Going to Need a Bigger Boat--Jaws Another thing I wish I had understood or comprehended was that the industry was much bigger and much more complicated than I could have ever imagined. You had to get an agent. Then they had to put you on submission. One editor didn't control your publishing destiny--it could be a whole team of people. And just like in Jaws, it was going to take a LOT to succeed and keep my little boat safe in the shark infested waters









(4). Just Keep Swimming Total words to live by then and now. I like the to think of this as a just keep on writing mantra. Write, write, write. Rinse, wash, repeat. If you don't succeed with the first book, keep on writing. Write because you love it, not because you want to be published.









(5). May the Force Be With You--Star Wars I think this is a pretty simple mantra to stick by. Keep your faith--whether it's faith in a spiritual being to see you through the bumpy road or faith in yourself as a creative being with a story to tell. Surround yourself with positive forces--critique buddies, family, friends, pets. You will need to draw on their strength. They will ride the emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows with you.

Friday Funnies

So, excuses are like.....er, well. BUT, I promise that the Flashback Fridays segment is coming back with some homage to the classics like Anne of Green Gables & Pride and Prejudice as well as other hot topics in the industry.

You'll also want to check back in April when we celebrate our ONE Year Anniversary at GotYA!! Some giveaways are coming your way!!

In lieu of an actual post, I give you something to smile about this Friday. I know a

lot of areas are suffering through snow drifts, and I've got to s

urvive one more week before Spring Break. Help me!

Flashback Fridays: Movies that Shaped Our Generation

They're the movies we grew up with--the ones that have stood the test of time. They've bridged the generational gap to be appreciated by new audiences, and whenever we find them on television, we're instantly transported back to another time and place. So, let's take a look at a sampling of some of those movies.

First Stop...the 80's: Even if you didn't sport poofy, Aquanet sprayed Jersey hair, wear stirrup pants with Coke shirts, or check the time on your Swatch watch, you probably still appreciate the majesty of 80's teen flicks, especially those of John Hughes who gave us Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Uncle Buck, & Some Kind of Wonderful. Who didn't squeal when Jake Ryan showed up at the wedding to sweep Samantha off her feet, or who hasn't felt the angst of poor Duckie who loves a girl who only sees him as a friend? Not to mention who wouldn't love to runaway for the day and take over a city like Ferris Bueller.


Want a literary look at your favorite John Hughes's movies? Then check out the following.


In Don't You Forget About Me, twenty contributors pen essays on everything from late infatuations with Ferris Bueller, many, erm, biological factors of Weird Science, to ultimate fangirl/boy experiences with Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink.






Or there's You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried that complies interviews with twenty actors as well as the directors and producers behind the Brat Pack's memorable movies like The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. As Gora, the author, puts it, "These films changed the way young people related to everything from class distinction to friendship, from love and sex to fashion and music."






Did you know that Brat Pack member Ally Sheedy has ties to the literary world herself? Not only is her mom literary agent Charlotte Sheedy of Sterling Lord Literistic, but at twelve years old, Ally penned the NY Times best seller, She Was Nice to Mice. She's also written a book of poetry called Yesterday I Saw the Sun









Hopping Over to Hogwarts With Harry:


Not since the late 70's Star Wars Trilogy premiers have opening days grossed such megabucks, but also brought a book series to life for so many people. What else but a love of a great series would get you to venture out to Midnight Showings, thus keeping you out late in lines that often wrap around a theater. Midnight showings are more than just a film experience considerng you can find people dressed as anyone from Harry to Hermoine even Dobby. But it's not just in midnight showings that Harry Potter has the ability to unite families; it can happen at anytime of the day or year. Just like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have grown up before our very eyes, many moviegoers have gone from children to teens in the span of the decade long movie series.














Mania of Mean Girls:No list of movies that defined a generation would be complete withoutMean Girls. Why? Because it brought the term "mean girl" as well as "Queen Bee" into the pop culture lexicon. It can also been seen in books like the Clique series, Some Girls Are, Blair in Gossip Girl, and Dominque in Jumped.

And while the film took a satirical look at the mean girl experience, one cannot discredit and downplay the seriousness of the subject matter, especially in light of the suicide's of teen girls who were bullied to death.

If you want some nonfiction based reading on the "mean girl" culture, then click on the following book covers.

















Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery:And just like snarky MC's have defined a lot of YA literature, the millennium brought us snark movies to parody the high school experience captured in so many films and books. One of the best is Not Another Teen Movie, which highlights 80's films like Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, along with 90's movies like Cruel Intentions, She's All That, American Pie, 10 Things I Hate About You, Varsity Blues, & Can't Hardly Wait. And you also need to check out the soundtrack because it's awesome and features some great updated 80's cover songs.

PS. If you're ever worried about contemporary cliche's in your novel, you should check this one out!


And yes, no collection of movies that shaped a generation would be complete without a look at Twilight. Yep, that's right. We went there. After all, the Twilight series is a phenomenon around the globe, and it got a lot of reluctant readers reading. Like Harry Potter, its fan base bridges the generation gap.







Must see Twilight Sites:
TWITARDED: an absolutely HILARIOUS parody site that goes behind the movies and books for full on RPatz and KStew obsession.

The HillyWood Show: the Hindi sisters, Hannah and Hilary, are actors, directors, and producers in this show that not only parodies Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, but also Dark Knight, Sweeney Todd, and Star Wars. You seriously have to check them out...the New Moon parody is amazing!



Twilight Moms: This site caters to the older Twilight fans. And the forums have all sorts of book and movie conversations going on. They also get press access to do interviews with the cast members. And a really cool thing about this site is they try to give donations to charity.

Flashback Fridays: The Challenger Disaster and Teachers Who Inspired You

Welcome to Flashback Fridays where the old and new collide on everything from books to movies to first loves to favorite vacations. This week we're taking a look at a dark day in American history: The Challenger Explosion.















Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the Challenger Explosion. Even though I was only six, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. The main reason is because chicken pox had struck my 1st grade class, and I was one of its last victims. That cold January morning I was home lounging on the couch in our den. The television was on to the shuttle launch. I was particularly interested since one of the astronauts, Christa Mcauliff, shared my name...just a different spelling. Just as my mom went to grab me a Popsicle, history was forever altered.







In later years, Christa and I would share more than just a name--we would share a profession. For many years, Christa had been an 8th grade History teacher in New Hampshire. When President Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Program, Christa applied and won out over 11,000 applicants. She was going to keep a journal of her experience as well as teaching a live class. On that fateful morning, her students sat in an auditorium anxiously watching a live feed of the launch. I can only imagine the horror and shock that morning as they watched their teacher's life come to a fiery end. Not only did she leave behind grieving students, but she also left a nine year old son and six year old daughter.

Christa's influence is still felt in the space program. There are countless awards and scholarships given in her name as well as monuments honoring her sacrifice.

Here are some great quotes from Christa McAuliffe that transcend the space program into the writing game.

"Reach for it. Push yourself as far as you can."

"What are we doing here? We're reaching for the stars."

"May your future be limited only by your dreams!"

The question posed today is:

Who is a memorable teacher that influenced your life and/or your writing?

For me, it would be my 8th grade language arts teacher, Mrs. Gwen Lancaster. She was the first person to really read and enjoy my creative writing outside my family, and she greatly encouraged me to write. I won the Young Author's Fair while I was in her class, and I'll never forget the way that shiny blue ribbon felt in my hands.

As far as my teaching, I was greatly influenced by 5th and 6th grade Science and Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Pat Lemeska. When I think about teacher's who taught outside the box, she is one of the only ones who comes to mind. Who else would have dressed up at Halloween to read The Raven while also giving us a "spook house" of peeled grapes for eyes and cold spaghetti for intestines. Seriously, Mrs. Lemeska was like Mr. Keating in Dead Poet's Society. She found new and exciting ways to learn. She also went to a summer internship at NASA between my 5th and 6th grade years.

Flashback Friday

Welcome to Flashback Fridays where the old and new collide on everything from books to movies to first loves to favorite vacations. This week we're taking a look at *cues the clip from White Christmas*

SNOW!!!!!






So it's been an interesting week of what I like to call Snowpacalpse 2011! It's certainly not one I would have foreseen when I packed up my two dogs and went to stay with my grandmother. Sure, they were predicting snow and ice. I'd made the trusty grocery run, not to mention the school system I teach in(think extreme mountain roads, curves, etc) had already called off school for Monday and Tuesday.

But what no one really could foresee would be how the temperatures would not get above freezing all week, and we'd be STUCK! *flails hands and runs around the room* Yep, that's right. I've been snowbound since Sunday night until I chipped out of the ice today.

Yeah, the South just doesn't quite do snow well. I think this picture sums it up pretty well!!








And they're really not joking about us having so few plows!

Or this guy who made an ice rink out of one end of Peachtree Street in Atlanta






But I digress.

This week on Flashback Friday we want to hear about your Snow Day memories. Can you remember as a child what it felt like when you would hear your county had called off school for the day? Oh, I can....in fact, I still feel that way! I just wonder if my teachers hoped, prayed and did snow dances quite like I do....

What about the Blizzard of 93'? Oh yeah, I have not so fond memories of it. Try a massive oak tree falling over a power line and knocking out the power. At the time, we didn't have a fireplace, so we were forced to refugee to local National Guard Armory. Desert Storm vehicles came to pick us up, and we spent the night on cots in a mass room of people. It really made you feel homeless. But the epic of embarrassment to my uptight 8th grade self occurred when we made it to the armory and stepped out of the Desert Storm vehicles. That's when a local news crew shoved a camera and a mic in our faces. Let's just say I was NOT camera best in my two layers of clothes, no makeup, and unwashed air. Not how you want to be caught at that age!! When the snow finally melted and we went back to school, some people in homeroom were like, "Hey, didn't I see you on television?" I played dumb and said, "I have no idea what your talking about!!


So tell us your favorite snow day memories, or tell us how you've been surviving Snowpacalypse 2011!!!

Flashback Friday: Homage to Holiday Films

Welcome to Flashback Fridays where the old and new collide on everything from books to movies to first loves to favorite vacations. With a nip in the air and everyone decking the halls, it's the holiday time of year again. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, you can't help but feel a little festive this time of year. So, this week on Flashback Fridays, I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite holiday movies.

My favorite Christmas movie of all time is It's a Wonderful Life. Sure, you can argue that it isn't really a Christmas movie since only half of the movie takes place on Christmas Eve. However, if you feel that way, you really need to look deeper into the theme of the movie as well as its correlation to "He kept Christmas in his heart all year long" aspect of A Christmas Carol. I think we've all had disgruntled George Bailey moments *cough, cough, the writing biz* where it seems like the whole universe is conspiring against us. And then when things look their bleakest and all hope seems gone, if we can look to our family and friends, we are truly blessed. The last ten minutes of the film from the time George "lives again" up to the Auld Lang Syne ALWAYS has me weeping happy tears. It's just a beautiful movie. I am such a huge fan of the movie that I also have the It's A Wonderful Life Christmas villages that I put out every Christmas!!

A Christmas Story is one of my all-time favorites. I love, love Ralphie and his plight to get a Red Ryder BB gun. I think most of us have had that one gift that we desperately hoped we would get. What a great ensemble cast with the mom and Old Man, Flick and Schwartz and brother Randy who "Can't Put My Arms Down!" Plus, there's the great bully in Scut Farkus...with his red eyes! My viewing pleasure has been enhanced by watching the 24hrs of A Christmas Story on TBS even though I have the DVD at home!





I love the story of a Christmas Carol, and there are seriously a ton of versions out there. My favorite is a Muppet Christmas Carol. Sure, I love and grew up on the Muppet Show, but there are other reasons why it is such a great version. First, it has a great musical soundtrack. Songs like Bless Us All, Scrooge, One More Sleep Til' Christmas, and It Feels Like Christmas are so awesome I even downloaded them on my iPod to sing along to on the run! Plus, Rizzo the Rat and Gonzo as Dickens are hilarious as they narrate the story.


White Christmas--the movie that gave us one of the best Christmas songs also titled White Christmas! I really didn't gain an appreciation for this film until I got a little older and my appreciation for musical theater blossomed. The film has such a great post WWII message of everyone pulling together to help a deserving General down on his luck. There's other great songs like Sisters and Snow. The costumes are to DIE for too!





I think you'd have to have had your sense of humor removed if you do not find Christmas Vacation funny. After it debuted in 1989, it has wiggled its way into my family's lexicon in calling overly decorated neighbor's houses "the Grizzwald's". I was a fan of Vacation, but I have to say that Christmas Vacation is the funniest. There are too many great liners that I wouldn't be able to do the movie justice by quoting it!








And some great scenes from the Holiday movies, including the original Grinch! :)