What I'm Reading, What I'm Writing, and FBF Winner Announced

FBF Winner:

Jill of the O.W.L.

Please email me your top three choices from the picture below to brosam (at) gmail (dot) com. (Hint: I'm out of Maze Runner). Don't forget to include your address.


What I'm reading:
I just finished Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr. Loved it.


It's about a Pastor's daughter, whose family is already in crisis when her neighbor is kidnapped. During the ordeal, she struggles with her beliefs, her faith, and her fears.

I loved the writing, and the main character asked the same questions I think all of us have asked in our lives.

Excellent read.

What I'm Writing:
WIP (Work in Progress) is at 39,000 words. That's about 178 pages. I'm trying to just finish the darn thing before I edit, but I can't help editing. So I'm stating it here and now: I will finish by the end of November. You hear me? I expect you all to hold me to it.

So, what are y'all reading and writing?

1. Kid C is home sick from school today. First time he's ever missed school due to illness. It's gonna be a long day. This morning, when I was giving him his medicine, and he was psyching himself up for it, he said under his breath, "Oh Tummy. You are not going to like this..."

Yeah, sucks to be you, Tummy!

2. Kid C is in a children's program at our church, where each child gets to stand up to the microphone and say a part. I had several other adults tell me they couldn't wait for Kid C's turn, because he is notorious for inappropriate microphone use. (One time, he screamed, "Jesus loves elephants!" I don't know where he comes from.)

So I go over and over his part with him.

When it's Kid C's turn to speak, he leans in close to the microphone and says his part, word for word... all in "burp talk". You know, where someone burps the alphabet?

Everyone laughs.

I rush the podium and whisk him out of the room, all the while trying to think of a threat that would make sense to Kid C. I couldn't say, "You want to miss the program?" Because he would inevitably say, "Yes."

We get to the hallway and I crouch down so I'm face to face with him, and I say, "What you just did? You weren't only being disrespectful. You were being a... big meanie to... your teachers... and Jesus."

I bit the inside of my cheek trying not to think about what I just said. Kid C, who has a pretty good sense of humor, looked like he was going to crack, and then we were both laughing hysterically.

Anyone else cringe when their kid has the microphone?