Haiku contest--enter to win!!

I was thinking about what to post today and decided to have a contest. YAY! The winner will get a $10 Amazon gift card emailed to them.

Today's contest--write a haiku about high school life from the point of view of a teenager (it could be an imaginary one, or someone you know/knew in school, or even yourself). It can be funny, serious, or whatever floats your boat.

For those who may not be familiar with haiku form, it's 3 lines of unrhymed poetry with 5 syllables on the first line, 7 syllables on the second line, and 5 syllables on the third line.

Here's my laaaaame example:

I hate our school food--
Pizza doesn't go with corn!
Sandwiches for me.

Okay, give it your best shot and enter the haiku contest today no later than midnight, EST! The best haiku will win, and the winner will be announced on tomorrow's blog post.

Good luck!!

Teen Pregnancy, and a contest!!

Given the hubbub around this presidential election--and most recently, about McCain's VP candidate Palin's pregnant teenaged daughter--I wanted to talk about teen pregnancy.

Confession time. I was a teenage single mother (that sounds like a Lifetime Television for Women movie, doesn't it? haha).

I got preggers when I was 19. I was a sophomore in college, and the father of my child and I were not, and did not, get married. When I found out I had a bun in the oven, I moved home for a while, then moved out and was on welfare for a year or two. All the while, I continued going to school to get my bachelor's degree, and I was working a part-time job to help bring in extra income.

Yes, I had a few people tell me it was shameful that I was single and pregnant--especially as a teenager. But for every person who pointed a finger, who shook their head in shame at me and my "unfortunate" situation, I had twenty more who told me how much they loved and respected me for trying to keep moving forward.

I clung to that comfort and support during those long nights when I couldn't get my daughter to sleep, or when I was stressing over final exams, and work, and missing milestone moments in my child's development.

Palin's daughter has a long, tough road ahead of her. Being a single teen mom is hard enough, but being a single teen mom whose mother is striving to be the VP of our country? It must be incredibly trying on her to be in the spotlight right now, to have so many people judging her and her family. I can't even imagine the pressure she must be under.

But you know what? Politics aside, I'm happy to see that Palin is supporting her daughter in this difficult time. I know I couldn't have made it without my mom and dad's support.

Here I am, 13 years later, with my own house--that I pay for with my own $$. I have a Master's degree in English. I couldn't have gotten my day job, or my weekend teaching job, without my schooling. My children are happy and healthy. I'm happy and healthy.

I think I read a statistic that said 1 out of 4 teen girls will get pregnant. It's scary how common this occurence is, but it's a fact of living in the US.

Yes, it happened to me, but even from the start, my family and I knew I wanted to be more than just a "statistic." I was going to make something of myself, and just because the path was harder didn't mean it was impossible. My folks insisted I stay in college, and I'm thankful every day that I did.

I hope Palin's daughter will keep moving forward and let her family's love and support launch her into being a strong, independent woman who can take care of her family--as well as herself.

Teen pregnancy doesn't need to be a tragedy. Out of my struggles, I developed character, inner strength, tenacity, empathy, and the capacity to deeply love. And I wouldn't trade my kids, or my past, for anything. They made me the person I am today.

* * *

Contest time--please leave a comment here on today's post. Tomorrow, I'll pick one lucky commenter to win a $10 Amazon gift certificate! This is my way of apologizing for being MIA last week...boy, was August totally insane!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

First of all, congratulations to Melissa Marr for last night's RITA win. After hearing from all the nominees, I know it was tough competition. And thanks again to all the nominees for taking the time to visit with us.

And the winner of our bag of books:
poodle649

Please send an email with your name, age, and address to: admin@fictionistas.com

Thanks to everyone who participated in our contest. I hope you'll stop by again or add us to your RSS.

Welcome YA RITA Finalists!

The Fictionistas’ Fabulous Fiction Giveaway has arrived!

In honor of the upcoming Romance Writers of America® national conference, the Fictionistas have interviewed all five RITA® finalists with Young Adult novels. For those not familiar, the 2008 RITA honors the top romance fiction published in 2007, and over 1000 novels and novellas were judged in 12 categories.

Winners of the awards will be announced August 2 at the RITA and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony to be held at RWA’s 28th Annual Conference in San Francisco, California.

Why should you read these interviews? Other than the fact that you’ll learn some fun new facts about your favorite YA authors, the Fictionistas are giving away a bag of YA books from the RWA conference to one lucky commenter. To enter, just comment on any of the interviews this week. The more times you comment, the more chances you have to win!

We’ll begin the interviews tomorrow, Tuesday, July 29, but for now, meet our finalists!

Melissa Marr
Prior to writing, Melissa taught college lit. After a decade of teaching, she applied her fascination with folklore to writing. Wicked Lovely, the first novel, was simultaneously released in the US and the UK by HarperCollins in 2007 (with translation rights also sold in seven countries). It debuted as a NY Times Bestseller. Critical responses both here and abroad have been positive. Ink Exchange, the second novel, released in Summer 2008 to similar responses. Currently, Melissa lives in the DC area with her family and writes full time.


Kelly Parra
Kelly is the author of the novel Graffiti Girl. She lives in a diverse agricultural town in Central California with her husband and two beautiful children. Visit her website: www.KellyParra.com, and follow the Secret Fates blog at SecretFates.blogspot.com.


Rosemary Clement-Moore
Author of Prom Dates From Hell, Rosemary has been writing stories all her life, even when she should have been doing other things, like studying Algebra. Her first paying job was as Chuck E. Cheese. She worked in theatre for years, and now she writes full time, which is her dream job, because she gets to work in her pajamas and take a break every afternoon to play Guitar Hero.




Maureen Johnson
Maureen is the author of six novels, including Girl at Sea. She’s a graduate of the University of Delaware, home of the Fighting Blue Hens, where she was a writing major, but spent most of her time working on shows. After college, she became the literary manager of a wonderful (but now defunct) Philadelphia theater company. Soon after that, she moved to New York to study theatrical dramaturgy and writing at Columbia University School of the Arts. Her first novel was released in 2004.


Simone Elkeles
Simone was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Her funny way of looking at life and the world around her has an affect on the people she hangs out with. If you hear people laughing, you’ll probably fine Simone not far away. She writes about teens because she was a teen in the 80s (when spiked hair and blue eye shadow were “rad”) and she loves writing about those exciting teen relationships and romances. She’s the author of three books, including Leaving Paradise.

Okay, you know the rules…leave a comment during this week and you’re entered the win the bag o’ books! Enter as many times as you like. Check us out all week!

exercise your mind

I used to read A LOT. Now I read when I get a chance. And that makes me a picky reader. I have to get into the story or characters right away. If I don't, I chuck it. Sad to say, but time is money, so when I'm not writing, I don't wanna spend my time reading something that's painful.

I used to feel differently. If I started a book, I would finish it no matter what.

Reading is good for my soul. It helps keep me juiced up and ready to write my own stories and it keeps me entertained in ways that nothing else can. I can 'cast' whoever I want as the main characters instead of having that done for me, like in the movies. (and yes, many times the same face shows up over and over again. *koff* Matt Damon *koff) And I'll admit, if I pick up a book that doesn't do it for me, it makes me more determined to write better. My goal is to entertain and hopefully, create an emotional reaction of some kind (hopefully the good kind).

Right now, I'm reading Gena Showalter's The Darkest Night and boy has she pulled me in with Lord of the Underworld #1: Maddox. HOT. Matt Damon is not playing the part of Maddox. Vin Diesel is....sorry, I digress. Anyway, this book is available for preorder or if you want your chance to win a free advance copy, check out fellow Ficitonista Kristen Painter's blog today.

Another fab contest is going on over at my friend Marley Gibson's group blog, Books, Boys, Buzz. Pop over, comment, and qualify to win two fab books!

I just finished Stephenie Meyer's New Moon and I was so disappointed--especially after LOVING Twilight the way I did. But I'm not giving up on the series. Mainly because Meyer made me fall in love with Edward. Yesterday, I downloaded Eclipse to my iPod and I'm listening every morning while I walk. I figure it's almost 16 hours, so that's some good exercise time. :)

So, what have you been reading lately? Anything super fab or disappointing?