What Are You Reading This Summer?

Today I'm going to talk about what I've been reading this summer! And then, I'd love it if you guys would share *your* summer reading recommendations.

While most offices have "summer hours" (and schools are off altogether - nope, no jealousy here) to accommodate the general laziness of the season,  it's still strange, and kind of a bummer to me, that my company's busiest season is the summer.

Newport is calling me. Sadly, I can not answer :(

Not to mention I'm working diligently on my 3rd novel, and failing miserably at trying not to think about the one that's on submission right now. So unfortunately, my reading list is not nearly as long as I'd like, but I still managed to squeeze in some gems:

BREAK by Hannah Moskowitz

I'd never read one of Hannah's novels before, and did so on Leigh Ann's recommendation. I did not regret it.     

This one was unique, compelling, and the voice was funny, sad, sweet, and realistic all at once. Holy talent.

GIRL PARTS by John M. Cusick

Dudes. I'm still having a hard time comprehending that the person who wrote this book (it's like Weird Science meets edgy contemporary all being towed along by a dark undercurrent) saw something special in my fluffy little YA romance. It's mind boggling. 

THE LAST ECHO by Kimberly Derting

Y'all know I love this series from reviews I've done. There's lots of suspense, Jay, witty dialogue, Jay, vivid characters... and did I mention Jay? Because the one thing this novel needed was MORE JAY!

I've also done some reading for my CP's. 

Jenny shared her urban fantasy, THE RIVER REMEMBERS with me, and guys, she can paint pictures with words as well as any painter can do with a brush. Also, her male mc has a body carved from martial arts and  a ginormous wingspan. Take that as you will :)

I also read my Sub Buddy Dahlia's ms, BEHIND THE SCENES, (you can read the interview about how she got her agent here) and basically fell in love from page one. It's hilarious and touching and by chapter 2 I'd publicly declared myself Dahlia's first stalker fangirl. And you know what? She still gave me her address and let me send her presents, because for reasons unbeknownst to me, she thinks I'm awesome too.

Right now I'm reading Marieke's YA fantasy, PALADIN and if you've ever watched her vlogs you know first hand that her voice is like mental massage - so soothing and pretty. And her book? Is the written equivalent. (BTW Marieke also wrote the pitch that first got my agent to notice me in a contest, and I will NEVER EVER EVER stop thanking her for that. Thank you Marieke. I love you!)

What have you read this summer, peeps? Any recommendations for something you particularly enjoyed?

Eleven Minutes in Heaven

Okay, no, not really on the eleven minutes in heaven thing.

So last week the lovely Megan Whitmer (seriously, if you're not following Megan, hop over right now and remedy that. She is an absolute joy. Go on. I'll wait.) tagged me to answer Eleven Questions in a vlog.

I did so in this little video here:

I was also supposed to list eleven random facts about myself, come up with eleven more questions, and tag eleven more people.

Well, with my lack of vlog-editing skills, it quickly would've become The Vlog That Never Ends, so I took a page from Megan's book and reserved the second part for this lovely little blog o' mine. So here goes:

Eleven Things You Never Needed to Know About Gina:


1) I actually love the number 11. My birthday is May 11th. I have 11 first cousins. The first house I lived in was at 11 Daniel Drive. Eleven rocks.

2) I have 20% hearing loss in my right ear. If the birds are obnoxiously chirping outside my window at 4 a.m., I need only to roll over onto my left ear. Sweet silence ensues.

3) My parents and my husband's parents were friends in high school, but my husband and I didn't meet until we were in high school ourselves.

4) I went to Catholic school for eight years, and came out less religious instead of more. Oops.

5) I firmly believe in meaning what you say and saying what you mean. I'd rather get no compliments at all than to receive an insincere compliment, and the same goes for giving them.

6) I am so not a morning person

7) The year after I graduated college, I went on a 10-day tour of Spain with my cousins and sister. It was one of the best trips I've ever been on, despite falling and cracking my right knee cap halfway through, and walking around the rest of the trip with a knee the size of a grapefruit.

8) I used to be a HUGE soda junkie. But ever since I saw that video where a bottle of coke basically obliterated a nail the size of my finger, I try to stay far, far away.

9) In conjunction with #8, I have a really sensitive stomach. I love food, but most of the time it does not love me back.

10) The only reason I tried on the dress that wound up being my wedding gown was to prove to my mother that I'd hate it. I had something totally different in mind, and I finally had the salesgirl give me something my mother chose just to shut her up. And lo and and behold, the minute I put it on, it was love at first sight.

11) I had a roommate in college who drunkenly puked in her top bunk while I was sleeping on the bottom bunk. And if you stuck around to hear me answer Megan's 11th question, you know exactly how and why I'm traumatized by this.

*pant pant* Holy smokes, that was exhausting.

Okay, since I'm running out of steam, I'm just going to give you guys the option of answering Megan's questions, or responding to something in my facts, or a combination of the two.

If you'd like to participate... consider yourself tagged!

Here are Megan's questions again:

·  What's your favorite song?

·  How many times did you fail your driver's license test?

·  Who's your celebrity crush?

·  What is the most disgusting word you can think of?

·  Don't you think Tombstone is the best movie of all time?

·  If you had to eat one food every day for a year, what would it be?

·  What are your top 3 favorite books?

·  Have you ever met anyone in real life that you originally met on Twitter?

·  What was your first job?

·  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich- do you put pb on one slice of bread, jelly on the other, and then marry the two? Or do you put pb on one slice of bread, spread jelly on top of the pb, and put another slice of bread on top? (My grandfather has a VERY SOLID opinion on this subject.)

·  Name one thing that majorly creeps you out.

Looking forward to learning about you, peeps! Be sure to comment/tweet me a link to your vlog or blog post if you decide to partake!

Amazing News - Again!

You guys! My CP's are on fire!

I am super psyched to announce that my ridiculously talented critique parter, Chessie Zappia, has signed with Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Agency!

Now, I wasn't around for the gif war that took place the last time a member of our group came off the market, but I'm here now. And even though I've never used a gif in my life, I'm sure as hell gonna give this a shot. GAME ON, CP's!

This is basically the reaction of everyone who reads Chessie's book:

Omigod y'all. I can't handle how amazing that was.
It's just not FAIR!

And here's a summary of how our crit group reacted when we found out Chessie finally got THE CALL:

MUPPET FLAIL!!!!!

Like I'd ever, EVER not throw a Smallville gif in here.
Sheesh.

The running man, you guys. It's my signature move

Yup. Even Ron Swanson is getting in on the action

So then, Alexander Skarsgard caught word of Chessie's news, and he was all...

So... I'm first choice for the role of Miles, right baby?

But Kellan Lutz was like,

What? That role is totally mine. Watch your back, Skarsgard.

Alright, so I made that last part up. They're both way too old to be Miles. What I'm really trying to say is: CONGRATULATIONS CHESSIE!!!!