Imagine our (Kristen and my) surprise and excitement when Caroline Leavitt (award winning author of eight novels, most recently Girls in Trouble, which was a Booksense Selection and is now in its third printing…recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts Grant in Fiction…finalist in the Nickelodeon Screenwriting Fellowship…semi-finalist in the Fade In/Writers’ Net Screenwriting Competition…National Magazine Award nominee) contacted us for an interview.

As anyone who follows me on Facebook and Twitter knows, I’ve fallen in love with Paper Rats videos. They’re hilarious, smart, very knowing videos about the writing experience, so of course I had to track down the people responsible and hurl questions at them.

To find out what was hurled, caught, and dodged, check out the interview at her blog. And a great, big thanks to Caroline Leavitt!

A recently uncovered informational video – that may or may not be from the 1950’s – explores how authors Kristen Tsetsi and RJ Keller balance their writing lives with their everyday lives. Or not.

Although the Rats have only two videos under their belt, they still have plenty of bllopers. (Ahem! Bloopers.)

March 7-13 is Read an Ebook week! To celebrate this auspicious occasion, Waiting For Spring is available to download FREE to your PC or ereader from Smashwords. Just use the coupon code RFREE during checkout.

Episode II of Inside The Writers Studio is available for your viewing pleasure.

The American Psychological Association estimates that each year thousands of writers suffer from delusions of inflated worth, knowledge, and identity. In our latest episode of Inside The Writers Studio, we visit one such author, R.J. Keller, as she is interviewed by hair-obsessed reporter Kristen Tsetsi.

Backword author, Moriah Jovan, is giving away ebooks. That’s right…download The Proviso and Stay for free! Check out this post for more information.

I’ve read both of these books (and reviewed The Proviso) and love ’em both. Do yourself a favor and check ’em out.

Fellow Backword Books author Kristen Tsetsi and I are working on writing projects right now. Well, except when we’re making videos for our new show, Inside The Writers’ Studio as Paper Rats. You can friend us on Facebook and subscribe to our videos on YouTube. Hope you enjoy!

Valentine’s Day is one week away. To celebrate, I’m going to repost an entry from 2008.

Have I ever mentioned how very much I hate Valentine’s Day? It is, to quote Joel Barish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, “a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.” The latter part doesn’t really apply to me, since I’m happily married. It’s the fact that Hallmark, FTD, and Russell Stover all want to dictate when a man gives the woman in his life a little bit of attention. Even worse are those idiotic jewelry commercials that make men feel like shit if they don’t fork over a year’s salary for a gaudy, disgusting diamond covered-monstrosity.

Here’s my idea of a romantic gift. A few days ago I used up the last of my Cascade dishwashing liquid. The next night my hubby came home with a brand new jug of it. Why is that romantic?

1.) I didn’t ask him for it. I didn’t even tell him we’d run out. The jug made that funky farting noise that happens when there’s more air left inside than soap. He heard it, knew what it meant, remembered it, and bought me a new one.

2.) He got the right scent. (Melon…I love the way it makes my kitchen smell.)

3.) Did I mention that I didn’t have to ask him to pick me up a jug of dishwashing liquid?

I’ll take a jug of Cascade over a card with a corny poem my husband didn’t write, a dozen roses that’ll make me sneeze, a box of chocolates that’ll go right to my ass, and a diamond that some abused little kid dug out of a mine any day. Even Valentine’s Day.

I know nothing about football, except that – because I live in New England, and because Tom Brady is hot – I’m supposed to root for the Patriots. That doesn’t stop me from making a Superbowl prediction every year. This year, like all years the Patriots aren’t playing, I’ll make my decision based on which uniform I like best.

This year’s choice is a difficult one. I mean, both of these team’s uniforms suck big fat eggs. Seriously. Just look:

Bo-ring.

Still, I have to choose, so here goes.

Saints: 5943
Colts: 7

In overtime.