Random Thoughts About Halloween...

• The most terrifying costume trend of the evening had to be the tweens dressed like 80's workout queens. Those shiny leotards and leg warmers were far scarier than the bloody nurse or the scary clown. Am I really old enough to have kids dressing in clothes that I once wore?

• If you're old enough to have a cell phone with a Lady Gaga ringtone, you're too old for trick or treating.

• I always get stuck handing out the candy, but this year I was prepared. I had my down coat, a chair and Sarah Dessen's Someone Like You. Good. Times. This is my first ever Sarah Dessen book, and damn, I'm loving every second.

• Halloween in Ohio smells like burning leaves and melted chocolate. Sitting on my front step watching all of the kids in costumes run from door-to-door as their parents reminded them to say thank you from the sidewalks was kind of amazing. Sometimes I'm sad that I've traded my three-inch city girl heels for the ballet flats of suburbia, but tonight with my wine and my book and a lawn covered with red, orange and gold leaves, I was content.

Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat?

If you're looking for a nifty trick check this out. But don't get any ideas about turning it into a bestseller, Meg Cabot already called dibs on Twitter.

As for a treat, well stay tuned. We're working on something that will either be epic or mildly entertaining. TBD.

In the meantime, check out the fantastic discussion going on about Blogiquette in the comments from yesterday's post. I'm not sure if we should be honored or embarrassed that the comments are more insightful than the post itself. We'll go with honored.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Blogiquette

A little over a year ago when Laura and I decided to start a blog, we had no idea what we were getting into. For the first few months our only readers were our Mom, our two best friends and our sister. It was pretty pathetic.

But then somehow we started to network with other writers and bloggers and all of the sudden we met some really cool people. And then as we began reading and commenting on more blogs, it occurred to me that there are all sorts of unspoken rules that govern the blogosphere. Now, months later, I'm sick of living in silence. It's high time we begin to document the Rules of Blogiquette.

Here's what we've got so far:

1. The Golden Rule of Blogging: If someone comments on your blog, you must reciprocate by commenting on their blog. It took us FOREVER to figure this one out. Uh, yeah, we're a little slow like that.
2. Don't Blog Angry: Or at least not all the time. Ranting is fun if you're anonymous, but if you're an aspiring writer (or really, an aspiring anything) you're going to scare people off if all you do is bitch and complain about rejections. Our rule is: Don't worry, blog happy. And if you don't blog happy, you'd better blog funny. Deep stuff.
3. Do Unto Others: You know the drill, it's probably not the best idea to write nasty things about other people. That kind of stuff almost always comes back to bite you in the ass. Be honest, but treat people with respect.
4. Stalking is Encouraged: OK, who doesn't love seeing a new address come up in StatCounter? We see cyberstalking as an honor, not an offense. Of course the judge and jury may rule otherwise...
5. Be Consistent: Whether it's content or just the regularity with which you post, make sure you're relatively consistent. No one likes random more than Team LiLa, but we don't mess with our posting schedule. We're here five-days-a-week. We may not have anything interesting to say, but we'll be here. Consistency over quality, that's our motto. Man, that really doesn't sound good.

Now, we may break a rule or two (or three) here and there, but for the most part, we try to be good little bloggers. Although, I'm sure we're missing some really obvious, crucially important Blogiquette rules. Post yours in the comments.

Facebook Makes Me Feel Dirty...

Ok, so team LiLa is dangerously close to creating a Facebook Page. Laura and I both have pages now under our married names and it's actually sort of a nightmare. I can't stop myself from logging on because I just have to know what the random people from high school are up to on a day-to-day basis, but some of the updates are so disturbing I feel like I need to shower after reading them.

Things I don't need to see in your Facebook Status:

• Details about your current medical conditions, including (but not limited to) stretch marks and/or visits to your psychiatrist.
• Random lyrics from songs in the 90's. Sadly, I already remember that Vanilla Ice was too cold without your daily reminder.
• Pictures of you or your spouse giving birth. Does this really need an explanation?
• Photos of your children dressed in Ed Hardy. That's child abuse. Your kids are too young to know they shouldn't be dressed like that in public.
• How much beer you've consumed in the last 24 hours. Keep it to yourself. Haven't you heard the term "private shame?"
• References to "getting back in the saddle" after giving birth. Come on people! Have you no dignity? Are there no details too personal? It's just wrong. WRONG.

Here's the big question for all of you aspiring authors out there: For those of you with Facebook accounts that you use for professional purposes, what the heck do you post? Laura and I are a little terrified of outing ourselves on Facebook because we'll get a mix of random high school frienemies and fun writer friends following us, and while our close friends and family know that we're aspiring writers, the rest of the world does not.

Hold us.

She's Leaving Home...

I'm supposed to be writing and I really am writing between lots of procrastination breaks. Anyways I fired up my iTunes for some inspiration and this song came on and it was just so perfect. It just IS the book, you know? Don't you love it when the right song completely transports you to another time and place?

Ok, I'm going to get back to it before Laura cancels my WiFi. Enjoy.

Tell the Truth Tuesday: Random Confessions

1. I love cleaning. I know, I know, it's weird, but I love cleaning my house. I put on my iPod, crank up my favorite songs and just start scrubbing. Back when I was gainfully employed I used to have someone clean the house every other week, but now I do it myself and I'm finding it to be sort of therapeutic. My friend once told me that she loved to clean because it's one of the few that provides immediate, tangible results. I love that. I work hard and my house is clean. It's all very zen.

2. I don't hate yoga. I've always been a yoga hater. I'm inflexible, I hate the smell of feet, and I never felt like I was getting a real work out. But then my friend talked me into a power yoga class and I sort of love it. It's relaxing and lovely and I feel like a new person when I leave. So, I'm officially a reformed yoga hater. Namaste bitches.

3. H1N1 scares me. This whole frenzy with people waiting hours in lines for vaccines, the 60 Minutes piece and the rumor that a child died on the table in a local doctor's office has me completely freaked out. I keep having flashbacks to The Stand. Terrifying.

4. I'm a fangirl. After hearing rumors that the Glee cast might tour I've decided that I'll do everything in my power to get front row tickets and wear a Glee t-shirt purchased that very night. Wow, that's a whole new level of Gleek.

5. I haven't been reading lately. I'm half way through this book and it's really not interesting or engaging and yet I feel compelled to finish. Absolutely brutal. I hate it when I get bogged down in a book I don't like because it prevents me from reading something else. And yet if I stop reading I'll always wondered what happened. And I'll feel guilty. Annoying.

Ok, so now it's your turn. Spill your guts in the comments. You know you want to...

We're Bringing Catty Back

After all those good vibes we figured it was time for us to return to our usual catty programming. And thanks to an Us Weekly Breaking News Slideshow entitled Lindsay Lohan’s Face: How It’s Changed, I’ve been inspired to rhyme. Thank God no one cares enough about me to create a slideshow with crappy photos from my past.

(Editorial note from Lisa: Just wait till February 21st when it's your 29th birthday. You are going down)

Your debut included freckles and a normal-looking nose,

your red hair was to die for (despite a studded choker that blows).
And then you went for highlights, heavy on the chunk,

and covered up your freckles with some heavy duty gunk.

Your snout appeared more chiseled, your body did as well,
you got to pose for Cartier and were feeling pretty swell.

But your luck began to run out, things quickly headed south,
all photographs that surfaced featured a slightly open mouth.

You went back to basics, and dyed your hair dark brown,

you even tried a spray tan, not sure you’ll live that down.

Now your lips are looking juicy, shaped permanently in a kiss,

light pink is not their color, though I’m not quite sure what is.

Some lament the loss of Lindsay, the red-headed girl next door,
but let’s take some time to warn her of what could be in store.
Oh Meg Ryan, I’m so sorry. Girl from the show Las Vegas, why? Just why?

Save yourself Lindsay, cease the injections, let’s please see eye to eye.

Instant Karma Already Got You

It's the last day of good vibe week over here and we have to say that all the good vibrations seem to be paying off. The hilarious Sarah With a Chance scored an agent. Ok, fine, this happened before good vibe week, but still. Did we mention that she also scored a very rare photo of us? She's like a Canadian paparazzo. Next up, Scott Baio's archenemy Jamie Harrington just announced that she landed an agent on her Twitter. And finally, we got wind of a couple other authors who have some exciting news, but they made us promise to wait until next week to share.

If you haven't already been spreading the love you've got one last chance to pay it forward with our final challenge: Go buy a book from a debut author. You could check out Hush, Hush or may we suggest pre-ordering The Body Finder or The Naughty List? There are so many good books out there, just go buy one, or two, or three. Support your fellow authors!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our week of good vibrations. We've had a blast meeting new people and watching our friends succeed. Can't wait to see what all these good vibes have in store for us. Fingers crossed it's not a karmic bitch slap for that Jessica Simpson post.

Spread the Love, Write a Review

I'm guessing about 99% of the people who read this blog also read books. For the record, this is a totally scientific fact calculated based on two assumptions:

1. Stacey is the only person we know who doesn't read books; and

2. The rest of you are literate.

Ok, there's a point to all of this, I swear. Theoretically all of you have read a book lately, and maybe it's even a book that you really enjoyed.

So, here's your challenge for the day: Blog, Tweet, or leave an Amazon review for a book that you've read and loved. You may not think that authors have time to read your comments or reviews, but they often do. And even if the author doesn't end up reading, someone else will and maybe, just maybe they'll buy the book.

Good Vibrations, Stampfel-Volpe Style

Holy. Crap.

Good Vibe week just got taken up another notch by the fabulous Joanna Stampfel-Volpe.

Take a look at the comment she just left on our original good vibe post:

The first 10 people to query Joanna Stampfel-Volpe tomorrow (10/21/09) will get a full query critique as long as they state in the first line of the query that they read about it on LiLa's blog! Keep spreading the good vibrations people!

So, let's go readers! Clean up your queries and hit send. Joanna is the best of the best. She is a true advocate for aspiring writers and she's willing to invest a lot of time and enthusiasm in the lucky authors she represents. Bottom line: She rocks. Hard.

Thank you Jo, for helping us spread the good vibes this week. You are amazing!!!

Something is in the air...

Good things are happening. Ok, maybe not to us specifically, but to fellow writers and friends. And when good things happen for people we care about, they might as well be happening to us because it's pretty great seeing people you know and love succeed.

So, in honor of good things happening we're declaring this good vibe week on our blog. Come back every day for a new task (suggestion?) to spread the love. You know you could use the karma.

Here's your first challenge: Do something to support an aspiring writer. Comment on a blog you've never read before, offer to critique a query, be supportive of your peers.