Getting Excited About Autumn!

Having grown up in New England, I have a special place in my heart for fall. The leaves change, it gets all brisk and windy, all the harvest festivals and fairs start up (Though I’ve been told my excitement about this is regional. True or false?), pumpkin EVERYTHING hits shelves (Again… regional?), and I get to start wearing layers and sweaters and boots! (I just really like my fall wardrobe, okay?)

And, to make it even BETTER, today is rainy, which is my favorite kind of day. I know, I hate Wednesdays, but I love the rain. It doesn’t need to make sense. So I’m spending the day inside working, listening to Counting Crows, drinking tea out of my elephant teapot and getting more and more pumped for fall with each degree the temperature drops!

My adorable elephant teapot and my shmancy new cup and saucer

So if you’re rained-in like I am (and if you are on the East Coast you probably are), some questions to ponder:

What are your favorite parts of fall?

IS my obsession with fairs a regional thing?

Do you have a favorite pumpkin based item? I will accept apple and apple cider based products as well.

Do I still hate a Wednesday if it’s raining?

Let me know in the comments because I want to talk to someone!

-Beth

PS – Don’t forget we have TWO fabulous contests running right now! You could win a free copy of Circle Nine just by commenting on our contest post. Or, enter our back-to-school writing challenge and win a free PLL tote bag.

Another Bout of Mid-Week Inspiration

If you haven’t noticed, I’m passionate about Wednesdays being kind of horrible.

And so, continuing in that spirit, here’s some inspiration for those of us out there trying to break into the creative arts. I haven’t been able to find a credit for this wonderful piece of word art, but it is based on an interview with Ira Glass on storytelling. He stays some really interesting things. I’ve also included the video below.

Keep plugging along!

-Beth

Wednesday Hump

If you’re anything like me, Wednesdays are the worst day EVER. Monday and Tuesday are slow but tolerable, since there’s no near end. Thursdays mean it’s almost Friday, and Fridays mean it’s almost the weekend! But I have never found anything redeeming about a Wednesday. Even when my birthday falls on a Wednesday. Even the immature joy of calling it hump day wore off by the end of high school.

So, on days like these, we sometimes just need a little snark, harsh truths, and maybe a small dose of cynicism to push on through to the promise of Thursday. Check out two of our favorite webcomics that provide a good blunt chuckle, and keep on keeping on: Thursday is almost here!

A Softer World

Rock Paper Cynic

The Wednesday Hump

I personally got off to a slow start today due to my aching EVERYWHERE when I got up this morning. This is how you guys know I love you. But I did arrive in time to snag some more great galleys and ARCs that we can’t wait to share with you!

I’m heading down now to check out the BlogWorld and New Media Expo floor to see about the blogging revolution and what I’m missing. Or not missing. Basically I’m getting pumped for the Book Bloggers Convention on Friday! I met lots of other awesome book bloggers waiting in line for the release of galleys this afternoon like Thea of The Book Smugglers who I bonded with over my being terrible at Scrabble. Just because I have a large vocabulary does not make me good at strategy or math. Is this just me?

Who else will be going to the Book Bloggers Convention Friday? I’ll see you there!

-Beth