My Mad Flag Skills

In staying true to my declaration a few days ago that I would try to read more REAL LIVE BOOK THINGS, I finished Marissa Meyer's CINDER yesterday. Not only was I totally blown away by just how much Marissa made me re-fall-in-love-with the Cinderella fairy tale, but I remembered from the Salt Lake City branch of the Fierce Reads Tour that CINDER was the first of a four-book series. But, much to my dismay, the second book, SCARLET, is not due out til next year. NEXT YEAR. That, I felt, was totally unacceptable, so when I came across this:

http://www.marissameyer.com/blogtype/design-a-flag-contest-enter-to-win-an-annotated-scarlet-arc/

I sprang into action.

Normally, I am not the arts-and-crafts type. I am currently attempting a Paint by Numbers scene which is turning into some kind of multi-colored glob of cheap paint, and once upon a time I crocheted tiny creatures that now bravely guard Day Job desk from evil passersby. But trust me when I say both of those undertakings have been undertaken simply because I needed some other outlet. So I was a little hesitant at first to enter this contest, but I think I did rather decently.

I chose to make a flag for Marissa's American Republic and stuck true to the red, white, and blue colors that adorn many of the current North/South American countries. Without further ado, here is my entry:

The eight red stripes represent the eight territories formerly owned by other countries (such as all those wee islands France owns). The twenty-seven stars represent the twenty-seven countries that make up Marissa's American Republic. (If I miscounted countries, please turn a blind eye. It's been a long, long while since I had geography.)

How to Wait

1) Embark on a quest to learn a new trade. For instance, it has been suggested that the Paint By Numbers market is saturated with jobs to be had. Also, rumors have been circulating that the crochet industry is desperate for willing fingers proficient in the age-old art of magic circles.

2) Immerse yourself in the written word as a form of cathartic distraction. Written words can take many forms, whether they be in books, magazines, news articles, or even the occasional chuckle-inducing description on a bottle of Vitamin Water. It is perfectly acceptable to take a grocery store trip with the sole intention of building a Vitamin Water tower and spending a few hours in verbiage bliss as you frolic among the passages of wisdom bestowed on us by the gods of Vitamin Water.

3) Hurl yourself willy-nilly into a Day Job. If willy-nilly hurling is frowned upon at your Day Job, opt for a more subtle thrusting, a gentle tiptoeing, or even a quiet, unassuming spewing-forth.

4) Indulge your social senses by broadening your friend database. The definition of friend is, of course, all up to you -- friends are as pliable as written words and can take just as many forms. A person, a dog, a cat, a duck and even the occasional muddy puppy can serve as a solid foundation for a lasting friendship. Bottles of Vitamin Water, while useful for many things, are unfortunately not the best choice for a friend foundation due to their lack of muddy puppy droopy eyes.

5) In relation to #4 -- explore the ever-unexplored terrain of deep rooted mental philosophies. Your broadened friend database should serve as an excellent sounding board for any revolutionary ideas you unearth as you babble through such intense topics as why the Paint By Numbers industry bases its revenue on confining people to such tiny number spaces. Your new-found duck and muddy puppy friends are sure to offer their own valuable insight. Ironically enough, bottles of Vitamin Water offer a plethora of answers to deep rooted mental philosophies, yet are banned from the friend category due to their inability to look at you with big droopy muddy puppy eyes. A conundrum of life, and one you may feel free to discuss with your muddy puppy friend. 

6) If after all these attempts at distracting yourself from waiting you still want to scratch that unavoidable impatient itch, and the itch becomes so mightily unbearable that not even your muddy puppy friend or a particularly well-placed bottle of Vitamin Water can soothe you, you may play the Get Out Of Jail Free card. This card played in this situation equates to the action of checking one's email without any snide looks from passersby. Know, however, that you only get ONE such card each go around, and once you play said card you are opening yourself up to snide looks and derisive head-shakes from your muddy puppy friend. He judges you, you know. Each time you check your email after you play the Get Out Of Jail Free card, your muddy puppy friend knows. And he watches. And he stares. Keep the muddy puppy in mind before you play said card. You only get one chance.

In which I read things

Because, contrary to popular belief, I do still, in fact, read things. Lots of things. Like emails at Day Job and labels on potato chip bags (DEAR LAYS: STOP PUTTING SUNFLOWER OIL IN POTATO CHIPS kthanks) and subtitles in weird German movies that The Boyfriend brings home. That counts as reading. Right?

No, Sara. No it doesn't.

*hangs head in shame*

My excuse for not reading prior to about three weeks ago was that I was either A) busy working on Ghost Book edits or B) busy writing my YA fantasy WIP. And I could get away with being all "I can't be distracted from my awesomeness by other people's awesomeness or their awesomeness will override my awesomeness and I'll cry." But as of about three weeks ago, I have both finished edits on Ghost Book and finished the first draft of YA fantasy WIP. Which means I have NO EXCUSES now, so I am going to read REAL LIVE BOOK THINGS.

Thanks to JR Johansson and her willingness to be my own personal library, I scored the quite the hefty stack of YA awesomeness this weekend. Observe:

STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth
CLARITY by Kim Harrington
SHIFTING by Bethany Wiggins
EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton
CINDER by Marissa Meyer (this one comes to me courtesy of Amazon)

Thus I am embarking on Summer Reading Madness. Never mind that we're on that downswing of summer now.

What books are you going to/have you read this summer? Anything that should be added to my list?