We interrupt this silence for an update

Sorry for the radio silence lately. I've had family in town and was too busy having fun with them to think about blogging. I think that is a good thing. :0)

School starts next week and I'm gearing up to have the middles of my days free again for thinking about nothing but writing. Yee haw! I've received a partial critique and a full critique of my manuscript back from two critique partners and have my work cut out for me over the next week or so before I send it off to my "expert." Let's hope my hands aren't too weary from filling out the myriads of forms the schools require during the first week ... that are populated with exactly the same information as last year. Sigh. At least I only have two piles of them this year, much as it hurts my ego to admit I have a child in his second year of college. (I had him when I was five, of course, so I'm only 25. Snort!)

Awesome critiques received, though, with plenty of positive feedback, too. (YAY!) That light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

Speaking of positive feedback, I've been reading some books lately. Not like that's anything new, but I couldn't think of a better segue.

So, one I read last week totally flabbergasted me. Well-known author I've been fairly impressed with before, fascinating subject, and you'd think it would have been a great read. Not so much! This always puzzles me. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I really have to wonder what was going on with the writer during the writing and editing.

The writing itself really came up short. Seemed like every other sentence started with a ... um ... gerund phrase? Is that the right terminology? I can't remember what it's called, but it sure drove me nuts every time I saw it. You know, the "Looking out the window, she ..." or "Checking her watch first, he ...." thing. And ten bonus points goes to the reader who notices I started this very paragraph EDIT: section (sorry!) with one. Hehe! But gosh, this is just a blog, right? Besides the gerund crimes, the story just plain dragged, and the characters were pretty flat, IMHO.

Not naming any names, though. I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt, and I checked it out from the library, so I didn't lose any money except for a fraction of a penny of taxpayer contributions, right? Let's hope the next one is a home run.

BUT ... (big but), there is this OTHER book I'm reading now. I'm only about 2/3 through, but I'm totally loving it. I checked it out from the library, too, but I would have gladly paid for it. It's the author's first and her second just came out, so I'll likely shell out the bucks for the new one.

The author I'm referring to here is Kristy Kiernan, and the book is Catching Genius. It seems like a lot of books about sisters or twins, their mysterious secrets, and strangely, MATH, are popping up these days, so when I first read the cover copy, I was like, "Hmm, another book about sisters, secrets, and math?" but I told myself to shut up and read it anyway, and I'm so glad I did. I started reading Thursday at 11, and by the time I finally switched off my tiny flashlight at 1:30 (cuz yeah, my husband actually has to get up in the morning and go to work, poor thing), I was half through. Haven't had much time to read since then, but I'm picking it up in any spare moment I can find. The writing is gorgeous, the story is mesmerizing, and darnit, I just can't stop turning the page!

I'd been reading Kiernan's blog (I think she's even commented here before) and have been marking time until her new release, Matters of Faith, came out, but Catching Genius was in at the library, and I'm so glad I went ahead and picked it up. I've rambled on long enough, but I think you should find it and read it, too. Great debut novel, and I can't wait to find Matters of Faith.