Tell the Truth Tuesday

1. I'm feeling ANTSY. We just turned in the first draft of THE HUSH FUND and now we wait. I'm just not sure I'll ever get used to the waiting. The truth is, it never gets any easier. I'm not a patient person and when we finish a manuscript I crave instant feedback.

2. Being antsy makes me want to do crazy things. Suffice it to say, I'm driving Laura nuts right now with new ideas and overall angst regarding the state of our writing career. She loves it.

3. My Kindle is stuffed with amazing books and we have the massive Roecker Hilton Head vacation coming up. What are the chances that I'll have time to read in a house with 7 children under the age of 7? Slim to none and yet I can't stop loading books on my Kindle.

4. We have a couple of THE LIES THAT BIND ARCs to give away, but we're struggling to figure out the best way to do the honors. We want something fun, yet epic. Also PINTEREST. So, yeah. Any suggestions would be welcome.

5. We've decided that there should be a law against family members and friends or really anyone you know in real life, reading your book. It's just too hard to have people you love read something you wrote. It matters too much and then it ends up being weird and awkward and ugh.

6. Are you a writer? Have you entered the WriteOnCon/Reading Room Contest of Awesome? If the answer is no, then you are dead to me. You could win $1,000 and the opportunity to work with amazing literary agent Catherine Drayton! Seriously, what are you waiting for?

7. I'm feeling extra sensitive lately. You know when sometimes you tweet something @ someone you kinda/sorta know on the internet and then that someone ignores you? It makes me feel like the BIGGEST LOSER EVER. I also know that we've probably done this on accident before, so if you're ever ignored by us on Twitter, know it's completely unintentional. Sometimes we miss stuff, but it's hard not to take it personally when people somehow miss you.

8. The other day I had this conversation with myself:

Lisa 1: Man, I really wish Newsroom was a real news show. I'd learn so much. It's too bad they don't have a show like that every day.

Lisa 2: Um, they do. It's called THE NEWS. Only you never want to watch it because it's too depressing and you have too much Bravo on your DVR.

Lisa 1: Crap. I'm an idiot.

9. I'm happy. Really, truly, crazy happy. In spite of my endless amount of angst, for some reason at this very moment in my life I feel this overwhelming sense of contentment and possibility. God knows I spend most of my days half asleep looking like a woman who's been sleeping in an underpass and screaming at my children to HURRY UP WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO SLOW, but I also get to write books and work a day job that balances my life and gives our family financial stability and I've got friends and family and a husband who I adore and kids who drive me insane in the best way possible. So, yeah. Happiness with spurts of impatience. That pretty much sums up my life right about now.

10. I still haven't stopped eating the s'mores.

OK, spill. What's your truth this Tuesday?

$1000 CONTEST!

Spread the word! Shout it from the rooftops! Throw a couple power punches! THE READING ROOM/WRITEONCON CONTEST IS BACK!

But you only have until Sunday, August 12th to enter. Go forth and polish those manuscripts and tell your friends to do the same.

And most importantly, GOOD LUCK!

PS: If you want to help spread the word, tell us what you would do with $1000 on Twitter. #ifihad1000

Real Conversations with LiLa

Lisa: So...that chapter, I think it needs to change.

Laura: ....

Lisa: I mean, it's awesome, but I think something needs to explode. Literally explode.

Laura: ... *screaming children in background* *sounds of dishes shattering*

Lisa: And I'm going to need it this morning if we're going to stay on schedule, so, um, the sooner the better, OK?

Laura: Why is it so quiet there? *James wails like he is being stabbed repeatedly with a plastic fork*

Lisa: Quiet? Oh, all the kids are at camp. It's heavenly.

Laura: Lydia! Put the marker down. James does NOT need a mustache! You are not Rapunzel! Do you need another time out?

Lisa: So, that chapter, in an hour, ok? I'm going to go get a quick pedi. My heels are so rough...

Laura: I hate you. No, no. Not you, Lydia. I'm talking to Auntie Lisa. Yes, I know it's not nice to say hate. James! No! Don't drink that! It's Mommy juice! If babies drink it they get very sleepy, oh, well, nevermind.

Lisa: Give the kids a kiss from me! Happy writing!

Laura: *click*

Tell the Truth Tuesday

1. The Hush Fund is eating all of my creative energy. Every last bit. Which kind of, sort of, explains why I suck at blogging lately. I hope you'll all forgive me once you read the book next July.

2. I broke my promise with myself that I would never, ever try to pitch book cover ideas to an editor ever again. EVER. I blame Laura.

3. I ate three s'mores tonight. I'm thinking of asking the cover designer to add a note on the cover of the book that says, "Brought to you by marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate melted in a microwave." Klassy.

4. I've been on yet another mad house decorating spree this time inspired by the fact that we've decided to stay for another school year. Part of the reason I gave in so easily is because it meant I got a tiny budget to do some renovations I've been dreaming of since we moved here 7-years-ago. Not gonna lie, I've been spending WAY too much time on Pinterest.

5. I still worry about Rayanne Graff. Seriously. I think about her on a semi-regular basis. Do you think she's still drinking? What about her mom? I hope her an Angela are friends again. Yes, seriously. This is the stuff I think about.

6. I'm temporarily swearing off bleak, sad books that leave me feeling hopeless and sad for humanity. I just finished a book that was amazing, but left me feeling so, so, sad.

7. Lucky for me I have a super-fun book to read next. It's an ARC from one of our favorite blogging friends and I couldn't be more excited. PLUS we're working on a blurb for another amazing book we just finished a couple of weeks ago. 2013 is going to be a good year, guys.

8. I just remembered I have to email our agent.

9. But I love ending on 10, so I'm totally going to stretch this out....

10. I'm beat, but so happy to be posting something on the blog. It's been too long. I miss you guys. Fingers crossed for some juicy truths in the comments.

Laura Roecker on Copyedits

This is a direct quote from the email Laura sent me regarding copyedits. It should be noted that according to the bylaws of our sisterwriter relationship, Laura is responsible for all copyedits on manuscripts. This was negotiated shortly after it was determined that Lisa would always take the first stab at the document following editorial letters.

"I seriously feel like this copy editor should be paid a million dollars for having to look up things like Cleveland, OH sunset in January and addressing the fact that we don't know how to modify words correctly. Yikers. Who is this person???? And does s/he like cupcakes??? Copy edits make me feel like a failure."

We owe you an amazing ALA wrap up post and it's coming. With pictures and sparkles and maybe even a giveaway of some sort. Suffice it to say, we had an absolute blast and are SO SO SO excited to share some big news about the launch for The Lies That Bind and the new release date for The Hush Fund and and and....our heads just exploded.

More soon. XOXO

Pssst...Wanna Read the First 3 Chapters of The Lies That Bind?

You know you're just a tiny bit curious about what Kate and the gang are up to at Pemberly Brown. You'll have to wait until November 1st to read the whole thing, but you can get your hot little hands on the first three chapters right now. Just click here.

Happy Reading!

We're alive...sort of

We're knee deep in our first draft of THE HUSH FUND and it's kind of swallowed us whole for the time being. We have an August deadline, so posting will be spotty for the summer, but we'll keep you guys posted on our progress. In the meantime, I head to Twitter in between just about every sentance that I write to ramble and cyberstalk. So, if you want real-time updates on my new and improved procrastination methods, you can follow us over there.

In other news, if you're going to ALA we'll be there! That's right, the Roeckers are leaving Ohio! Alert the media and tell the Kardashians to watch their backs.  Click here to see where you can find us at the conference. We're planning on bringing some extra special, one-of-a-kind swag, so be sure to stop by the Sourcebooks booth for our signing on Saturday!

We've also heard rumblings of a tour with some fellow Sourcebooks authors this November. 8-cities, 3 awesome YA contemporary novels and some pretty convincing faux blue hair. We'll post details as soon as we know more.

And now, I must retreat back to the writing cave where it's dark but there's an endless supply of chocolate and Laura stands guard over my computer with a whip made of Twizzlers. More soon!

XOXO,
L&L

More from our resident young adult...

A couple weeks ago, we shared an interview with our incredible cousin Alex. Well today, we'd love to share her thoughts on getting to meet Laurie Halse Anderson as well as her award-winning song in response to the novel SPEAK. The coolest part about this entire project is the power of books. We felt it, Alex and her friends felt it and we hope you will too! Enjoy!

It was a normal school day. Except that most of my reading class and the eighth grade class were going to load up on two buses and get hauled ten minutes away to a college campus with an award-winning author waiting for us. So yeah, maybe not such a normal day.

The whole time during my lunch block, as I was eating my delicious orange chicken, all I could think about was how the next block I would be in was the auditorium. Where Laurie Halse Anderson was.

At first I didn’t see her, just walked in and sat on a folding chair. Once all my friends arrived, Isabella (part of my song group) pointed out an adult wearing a “There and Their. They’re not the same” shirt with glasses, and long brown hair; just sitting there looking bored. I looked up, and recognizing her from photos I shouted to my friends, “Guys, look! It’s Laurie Halse Anderson!” We all grabbed our favorite book we had brought written by her and ran up to her.

She was sitting at a desk, just off the side of the stage. No one else had noticed her, and offering our books and names she gladly signed our books, even though she wasn’t supposed to sign anything until after her speech. Thinking we were all that, we fluttered our freshly signed books at the rest of the anxious audience before sitting down. Then she started speaking; none of my friends and I noticed of course, we were too busy reading what she wrote. But we figured it out by all the clapping, whistling and shouting.

She. Was. AH-mazing. A natural born public speaker, completely at ease in front of a huge crowd. Everyone watched with their mouths hanging open as she revealed some of her scariest and most embarrassing secrets. Laurie was hilarious, and not at all shy to tell people what her opinions are.

At the end of the day, all the teachers, parents and students were herded back into the auditorium for the Award Ceremony. Having been previously informed that my group had got an honorable mention for our song, “Help Us Speak” inspired by Laurie’s book; Speak, we were all excited (My group; Toni Cameron, Isabella D’Urso, and of course, me). Needless to say, when they called our names and had us go up on stage in front of at least a thousand people and receive a check for fifty dollars, a book and handshake by Laurie Halse Anderson; we were shaking. Add a “Congratulations” from Laurie and it was one of the best days of my life. It only could have been better if Taylor Lautner was there.

And now for Alex and her friends' award-winning song!



And don't forget to check out what the rest of the Bookanistas are up to this week!

Nikki Katz has been hit by STRUCK

Katy Upperman adores AMEILA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE - with ARC giveaway!

Jessica Love is thrilled by TRANSCENDENCE 

Christine Fonseca is celebrating the release of SURRENDER with a big giveaway!

Never Give Up, Never SURRENDER

I'm sure many of you already know this, but today is the release day for the amazingly talented Elana Johnson's new book SURRENDER. We've gotten together with some other authors to celebrate Elana and the incredible second book in the POSSESSION series.

Here's what Amazon has to say:

The thrilling and seductive sequel to Possession puts love on the line in a dystopian struggle for independent thought.

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

     Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

     All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

     Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

LiLa's Take: The title of Elana's latest book has us waxing nostalgic about one of our most amazing writer friends. Elana befriended us way back when we were a couple of nobodies with a pile of rejections and a crappy query. Elana is one of those people whose kindness and generosity is contagious. She founded WriteOnCon, she wrote and queried tirelessly until all of her hard work landed her a dream agent and her dream publisher. She still takes the time to comment on blogs and support writers who are just getting started on their journey. Elana has never once surrendered, never given up, no matter what publishing has thrown her way. We are honored to know her and beyond excited to crack open our copy of SURRENDER.



And lucky for you, to celebrate, we've ordered three copies of SURRENDER and we're going to give away a copy to three commenters. Leave a comment about a time you never surrendered below and don't forget to enter the big, huge, epic contest over on Jamie Harrington's blog. Because it's awesome. Just like Elana.

Tell The Truth Tuesday

1. Laura and I spend so much time on the phone that her husband is more informed on my life than my husband because he overhears her side of the conversation while Ken is sound asleep upstairs.

2. I've had three conversations in the past 24 hours that have made me want to stab myself in the thigh with a meat fork. None of them were with Laura.

3. We're going to ALA! If you're going to be there, please, please, please sit in on our panel with the amazing Geoff Herbach, Janet Gurtler and Miranda Kenneally. It's at 10:30 on June 23rd. We'll be talking about the impact of social media on YA lit. And then from 2-3 PM Saturday afternoon we'll be signing at the Sourcebooks booth. And we're completely terrified. What if we're unable to string more than two words together at the panel? What if no one comes to our signing? What if I accidentally wear a see through dress and Laura never bothers to tell me? What if people finally realize that there aren't really two of us, just one crazy girl with split personalities? We're kind of in a panic over here.

4. I'm supposed to be writing.

5. I've been mega moody all day today and I feel guilty for being a crazy, crazy bitch.

6. I'm looking forward to kickboxing tomorrow because I'll get to punch some of the crazy out.

7. I have to find the perfect dress to wear this weekend because I'm determined to look hotter than a sworn frenemy who will be in attendance.

8. Have I mentioned the moodiness? Because...yeah.

9. I read 50 Shades of Grey. I can sum up the entire book in less than 16 words.

10. I get really paranoid when people don't return my emails, but I almost never return emails myself. (See number 5)

11. I just went to schedule this post and realized tomorrow is WEDNESDAY. Not Tuesday. Now I'm moody and moronic. Wicked combination.

Ok, spill your guts in the comments. What's your truth this Tuesday? Lay it on me. Or else. (See number 5).

Bookanistas: Another YA has come to visit!

One of the coolest parts about being a writer for young adults, is actually hearing from young adults. Each week we get emails from readers that make our day, every month we meet with girls in my neighborhood and discuss books and at family events we get to catch up with our younger cousins.

Today, YOU are lucky enough to meet our cousin Alex who is extremely well-read and absolutely adorable. We pass on as many books as we can to her and she devours them. Today, Alex is going to tell us about herself and her experience meeting Laurie Halse Anderson--that's right the Laurie Halse Anderson. She was also deeply touched by Anderson's book SPEAK (who isn't?!)--next week we'll share an incredible project Alex was involved in!

How old are you and in what grade? What's the coolest part about your age? What's the not-so-cool part about your age?

When I met Laurie I was in seventh grade and thirteen years old. The coolest part of my age is the new freedom. I'm not a kid, I'm not an adult, but I'm not yet a teenager. It's pretty awesome. It's like getting a taste of all these new and exciting things that you'll be doing in high school and so on, but much less dramatic and much more fun. The not-so-cool part about my age is with more freedom, comes more attitude and the feeling that "you are all grown up". Which is definitely not how it goes. The attitude also gets you in a lot of trouble with the boss. (AKA Mom)

When did you first read SPEAK? Have you read anything else by Laurie Halse Anderson?

I first read speak last year after my one friend, Toni, (who happened to be in my song group) recommended it to me, because we are into the same books. My reading teacher then also highly recommended it, so of course I HAD to read it. I have read Wintergirls by Laurie for a school project, and also Fever 1793, also for a school project. I highly recommend both books, however Wintergirls is like Speak; talking about an issue that girls face all around the world while Fever 1793 is a dip into the past talking about a horrible tradegy.

How did the book speak to you? What part of the book was most memorable?

The book 'Speak' really spoke out to me because it was so mature, and unlike most books intended for Young Adults, it didn't sugarcoat anything. It made me feel like this is how it really is for some girls. It opened my eyes that not everything in the world is right and that there is more then meets the eye. The part of the book that really stuck with me was when Heather left Melanie for the "Martha's". It stuck out so much because I absolutely despised Heather from then on. I didn't care that she didn't know what happened to Melinda. I just knew that Melinda was hurting, and once someone came to pick up the pieces, they left her without a doubt. Melinda was going through so much, that she didn't need the only friend she had to ditch her. I thought it was the most inhumane thing in the book.

Why do you think it's important for kids/adults/EVERYONE to read Speak?

I think it's important for everyone to read Speak because it's the truth. That happens to people, and it's absolutely horrible. Most people don't want to think about that because it just makes this world evil, but they need to realize that by reading this book, they will understand how hard it is to speak up when something awful happens to them. Yeah, it's not an ideal book for younger girls who haven't quite understood the world, but I encourage most parents to read this book, and then their children. It will teach them to speak up, because that's how you will get help.

Speak has been censored in some communities. Why do you think some people are afraid of the book? Do you think this is fair?

Well, I believe people are afraid of this book because as I said earlier, it's the truth. People don't want to have that burden on their minds when they'd rather read something that makes them laugh, or be happy. I think it is fair in some cases because most schools don't want their younger students picking it up and reading about something they didn't know happened. I don't agree that it should be banned from public libraries though because it is literature, and the people have a right to chose want they would wish to read, and I'm sure there are similar books in public libraries.

What part of the book inspired you to write your award-winning song?

The part of the book that inspired my friend and I to write our song is when "It" comes back to hurt her once more. It tore us up inside and we knew at that moment "It" would be apart of the song, and we would try to incorporate Melinda's despair and heartbreak, but also her courage and strength into a song. We threw ourselves into the lyrics, putting ourself in her position, and letting everything fall onto the pages.

What are some of your other favorite books?

That's a tough one, I love all books and it's hard to chose a favorite. But if I must say, The Hunger Games Trilogy is definitely one of my favorites. It's beautifully written with such an original idea, Suzanne Collins made me feel like I was in the arena facing life and death, while also running the rebellion that would and had cost many lives. Honestly, they are amazing. I also am in love with The Matched Series (Matched and Crossed) It too was an original idea, and obviously the idea of rebellion appeals to me. Both books are so different, but yet they symbolise more than what you can get off the pages. They have a lot of depth to them. My last favorite book(s) is The Harry Potter Series. Not much to them besides pretending I was a secret friend of Harry, Ron and Hermione they never spoke about. Or having fought the war with Vold- I mean He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Or being heartbroken at twelve when I did not recieve an acceptance letter into Hogwarts. You can probably say the Harry Potter Books were my second friends, family, and life while I was a child. Heck, they still are.

Pretty incredible thirteen-year-old, right? Tune in next Thursday to hear Alex's award-winning song!

Check out what the other Bookanistas are up to:

Shannon Messenger celebrates SURRENDER – with arc giveaway

Stasia Ward Kehoe unearths “shadowy” YA titles

Jessica Love is all about IN HONOR

Christine Fonseca interviews author Jo Ramsey