In Which I Am Not Freaked Out

I finished reading Peeps by Scott Westerfeld last week and it was pretty much awesome. Definitely a unique take on the whole vampire mythology, so woot-woot for that.

Besides just finishing the book, I'm super proud of myself for not getting totally freaked out by all the very real, very scientific, and very gross information about various real world parasites that Westerfeld wove into the story. I'm a science show addict, but I still tend to go little overboard on the reaction scale. Like omigod-I-have-ebola overboard. But I remained completely rational throughout and after the book. I'm never getting a cat, but that wasn't really a concern in the first place.

Another book that should have freaked me out but surprisingly did not was Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I've been known to have nightmares about the sun expanding into a red giant, a meteor or comet hitting the earth, or the moon circling ever closer, the last of which is the premise of the book. I didn't have a single moon-related nightmare.

If I were feeling self-congratulatory, I would attribute my sane reactions to a new level of maturity and acceptance of the unpredictible nature of the world. But I have to give credit where credit is due: to the authors. Westerfeld and Pfeffer did amazing jobs of presenting scary, scientifically-sound information in a way that kept my head level. Kudos, because that's a tough thing to do!

Obviously, I recommend both of these books. Has anyone else read them with similar or differig result? Am curious.

Hugs,
TLC

Sadness

That is all.

Hugs,
TLC

Goal Wars

Remember that old game you used to play in elementary school, where you lock fist with a friend (or enemy) and say:

One, two, three, four.
I declare a thumby war.

Well, Goal Wars is kind of the same. Only, instead of squashing you partner's thumb into submission, you're squashing your own goals for that day. I got the idea when Nisha Sharma and I decided to faceoff (my copyedits vs. her three chapters) on Twitter. What better way to use the Twitterverse than to become more productive?

The rules are simple. Declare your Goal War for the day by defining your goal, choosing your partner(s), and posting both to Twitter with the #goalwar tag. At the end of the day, post your reckoning. Claim your reward if you succeeded, admit defeat if you failed. Anyone who includes me (@teralynnchilds) in their Goal War will get posted to my blog in either the Hall of Heroes or the Wall of Shame. Enter the battlefield at your own peril.

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (out now!)
http://teralynnchilds.com

The 80s: Early Music

I'm going to give you a lesson on 80s music, but first a squee moment. For reader/fans from north of the border I have some very exciting news. FORGIVE MY FINS is already available for pre-order on Amazon.ca!!! (That also means it has a tentative official release of May 19, 2010.)

Okay, now onto the lesson.

The first pop song I ever heard was "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. I was in first grade and one of my classmates came to school one day signing it. It's a classic and is Billboard's number 5 song from 1983. You can watch the original video on the Michael Jackson YouTube channel (but they won't let me embed).

Next came "Mickey" by Toni Basil. My girlfriends and I used to sing this to the boys we liked during recess. (Yes, I'm talking about you Josh and Barclay!) We even had a little choreographed dance to go with the song. Adorable, no? Here's the video:

I also have a fun memory about "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Taco. (Yes, really, Taco.) There was a street performer painted silver to look like a tin man sculpture, doing the robot to this song. That's what I picture every time I hear this song.

Here is my essential playlist of fun and/or forgotten pop hits of the early 80s:

1. "Beat It" by Michael Jackson
2. "Mickey" by Toni Basil*
3. "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Taco
4. "Call Me" by Blondie*
5. "Lady" by Kenny Rogers
6. "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
7. "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John
8. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
9. "I Love Rock N' Roll" by Joan Jett*
10. "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band
11. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police*
12. "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner
13. "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors
14. "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Gos*
15. "Maneater" by Hall & Oates
16. "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club*
17. "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners*
18. "All Night Long" by Lionel Ritchie
19. "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams*
20. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder

(* indicates song is still a fave)

Hugs,
TLC

Travel Fantasy #648

(The is an experimental blog direct from my iPhone. Hope it works.)

As the lease on my apartment nears it's expiration--and renewal means committing to at least another year at a higher rent--my travel fantasies are raging at full throttle. My most recent plan is to pack up my belongings, drop them off in my parents'
garage, and head off to Europe to buy a bicylce and see the world.

I can just imagine rolling through the English countryside or the Scottish highlands or the Swiss alps, a backpack full of all my worldly possessions and no real plan other than heading down the road. And, bonus, I would be in phenomenal shape by the time I finished.

Doesn't that sound like fun? Where would you cycle, if you could cycle anywhere?

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (out now!)
http://teralynnchilds.com

I Miss the 80s

Wait, let me retitle that.

I Miss Parts of the 80s

(Reaganomics, apartheid, and fingerless lace gloves I'm glad to be without.)

Being a 76er, I spent most of my formative years in the decade before last. The 80s are my childhood, a time of nostalgia and happy memory. The time when I first listened to pop music, first had themed birthday parties with my friends, first started making fashion my own. (Thankfully, most of my fashion don'ts didn't happen until the 90s, so I was saved from the excess of neon.)

Get this adorable tee from Detourdesignables on Zazzle.

The current 80s resurrection trend, in which bright colors, leggings, and ankle boots are all very now, takes me back to the original version. It also makes me feel old, but that's between me and my psyche.

I think the thing I miss most about the 80s, or at least about being a child in the 80s, is the toys! Oh, did we have wonderful toys. And while some of those toys have made the trip to the present (namely My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and Transformers), there are so many that seem lost to history.

No longer! It is now my self-appointed mission (because really who else would appoint a mission such as this) to share some of the fabulous things I remember from the 80s, the things that didn't quite make the resurrection.

So check back for a semi-regular feature on cool stuff from the 80s. You know you love it!

Hugs,
TLC

I'm A Bad Blogger

I know, I know. I kind of disappeared for a bit and didn't even blog my GODDESS BOOT CAMP release date! But I have an excuse (sort of). I was on a crazy weekend cross-country trip with my parents and have spent the last few days recovering.

But I'm back now, and am officially screaming from all available rooftops that GODDESS BOOT CAMP is in stores NOW!!! And by in stores now I mean actually in stores now (not like the whole OH. MY. GODS. naked-dude-cover debacle of 2008). See, it's really there, next to alllll those copies of OMG!


And since it's out now, I guess I'm off the hook for any more GBC Teasers. Hooray!

Also, I wanted to let everyone know about something very special happening over on the Buzz Blog this week. We're hosting interviews with some of our favorite authors. Shhh, don't tell anyone else, but my author is the BEST! Here's a hint:


Tune in tomorrow at Books, Boys Buzz... to see me act like a gushing fangirl.

Hugs,
TLC

OMG Poetry Contest Winner #5 (and a GBC Teaser)

Winning Poem #5 by Cynthia H.

Oh. My. Gods. Phoebe, look at her hair,
that make the guys stare.
Just 'cause she's a goddess
she thinks she's the hottest.
Her hair so shiny and long.
It's so unnatural, it's wrong.
And Oh. My. Gods. Phoebe,
you're a descendant of Nike.
You can out run her any day,
in games the Gods all like to play.
She may be hot with silky hair
but you're the one the guys all dare
to love, not like, the way they just like her.

Take that, Adara of the gorgeous hair! We all know who got the guy in the end.

And a GBC Teaser.

"For the love of Zeus, Phoebe, stop thinking!"

Hugs,
TLC

OMG Poetry Contest Winner #4 (and a GBC Teaser)

Winning Poem #4 by Abbey C.

Oh. My. Gods. Phoebe, look at her unibrow
its as large as a cow
soft and lumy, like cat chow
it makes all the other girls turn and bow
when the boys come the all say "chow"
oh, how I want her unibrow

Totally, ridiculously funny!

And a GBC Teaser.

One step closer to not getting smoted.

Hugs,
TLC

OMG Poetry Contest Winner #3 (and a GBC Teaser)

Winning Poem #3 by Shelly.

Oh. My. Gods, Phoebe. Look at her track shoes!
Can you believe it?
I mean, they're hot pink
and they have little wings on them!
What does she think she's going to do?
FLY?
Oh. My. Gods, she is!
What a show-off.
She can't beat you though,
super-powers or not
You are the best, the greatest,
show her, show her, show her!!!

Aw, straight to my heart with the Phoebe pep talk!

And a GBC Teaser.

"I could just jump over this counter and hug you."

Hugs,
TLC

OMG Poetry Contest Winner #2 (and a GBC Teaser)

Winning Poem #2 by Paradox.

Oh, my, gods. Phoebe, look at her powers.
They are so dark. She looks like,
she's totally Hades' girlfriend.
But, you know, who understands those death deities?
They only talk to her, because,
she looks like a total Persephone, 'kay?
I mean, her powers, are just so dark.
I can't believe they're just so dark, it's like,
evil, I mean - creepy. Look!
She's just so ... eek!

This one reminded me so much of the original, but with just enough OMG-related twist.

And a GBC Teaser.

I spin around, face-to-face with the one person I never expected to see here.

Hugs,
TLC

OMG Poetry Contest Winner #1 (and a GBC Teaser)

Winning Poem #1, FASHION SENSE by Lesley C.

Oh. My. Gods. Phoebe,
look at her outfit.
Did she walk into
her mother’s closet
this morning?
That neon pink top
looks like
a grotesque bubblegum,
all stretchy
and wrong.
AND IS THAT
A HIGH-WAISTED
BELL BOTTOM JEANS?
And someone please tell her
earrings aren’t supposed to
jangle louder than your cell.
Ha ha.
There’s just no accounting
for taste, is there?
What’s that?
THERE’S A STAIN ON MY HOT PANTS?
WHERE?
Oh, your mistake.
Phew.
Good thing I have
a friend like you
to make sure
I don’t look
end up looking
like HER.

How fun was that?

And now for one of your last GBC Teasers.

Clearly, the gods aren't taking that into account.

By the way, I'm pre-posting the winning poems (only on Blogger) because I'll be making a cross-country dash with my parents this weekend. Back next week.

Hugs,
TLC