June 18 was the day I had to leave to attend the June residency of my MFA program at Seton Hill University. As THE day got closer I tried to think less and less about it, partly because a full day of travel sucks in itself, but mostly because I’ve never traveled alone. EVER. I had a serious case of the shivering-fear-tingles as I sat on my plane seat, but I mentally slapped myself and told my inner Amy to get her shit together. It was time to put on my big girl panties and act like grownup! All my heroic thought were replaced with R-rated day dreams when Mr. Tall-Buff-and-Gorgeous sat next to me. I could almost see a shinning badge above my head with the sign: Achievement Completed: Meet Handsome Stranger on Plane.
In all of this it never occurred to me to actually speak to the guy. It was only upon arrival at Ft. Lauderdale where he turned asked me if this was my first time coming to Florida, and then dazzled me with a 100 watt smile that left me incoherent. I mumbled a noncommittal sound that made him chuckle…CHUCKLE…and that was it. I never wanted the plane to land. However it did, and I had to speak to Mr. TBG one last time, so I politely asked him for help in retrieving my carry-on from the overhead bin. My head practically spun 360 degrees with the power of his smile, as he used those ripped arms of his to unload my suitcase. This time, I did smile back, managed eye contact for more than 3 seconds, and thanked him. I got off that plane in a daze, partly because of Mr. TBD, but mostly because I hadn’t slept in more than 22 hours and there was a 3 hour and a half-ish layover with my name on it.
Second plane wasn't as fun. My flight partner wasn't a Mr. TBG. It was a kid. A 5 or 6 year old who would NOT. SHUT. UP. My body couldn’t handle the sleep deprivation any longer and I did manage to sleep. My friend Pedro picked me up at the Latrobe airport. I stayed at his place until the next day where, upon arrival at Seton Hill, I discovered the infinite awesomeness that is a dorm. I'd never been in one before as I didn't have to leave home to attend University when I was getting my BA.
Moving on ^__^ Residency was a blast! It's a combination of 3-4 hour long classes with published authors, group critique sessions, mentor meetings, critique group meets, genre meets and dinners, and seminars by guest speakers. I had classes with two of my favorite authors ever, Nicole Peeler and Maria V. Snyder. I kept my fangirling on lockdown and tried not to make a fool out of myself. That day's thesis presentations were the best I'd ever seen so far. Keep an eye out for Mary Karlik and John McDevit. Their books will be awesomesauce.
I was dreading the mentor meeting because right now I'm sort of stuck in the middle part of my thesis novel. I haven't written in weeks, trying to work out the horrible mess that the Middle is. I kept thinking, what the heck will I say to her? I have no new material, I'm sorry? But I shouldn’t have been worried. My mentor is the awesome-est. When I told her I was stuck we went over my plots and subplots, and different ways I could incorporate them, and different techniques I could use. We fangirled over my manuscript, and then even started talking about book two (which totally made my head spin). Overall, I shouldn’t have been that scared about it.
My favorite and most scary part of the residency is the group critiques. This time I had submitted a sci-fi story, a genre of which I know NOTHING about except for movies like Star Wars, Firefly, and Star Trek (2009). I had a paper bag ready to pull over my head, which is why the final verdict floored me. They liked it! Holy shit, I’ve never been happier. Well…maybe I have, but this was something else. To know I wrote in a genre I’m so not familiar with and people LIKED it. Yeah, awesomesauce. The piece still needs a lot of work, but I knew this as it was only a draft.
My friend Talbot and I picked a day and escaped to B&N where we indulged in buying a book each. Then she took me to Ollie’s, which is like a super discount store, and then all hell broke loose. Books…YA books…NEW YA books at 1.99 or 2.99! Holy fuck, that place is book heaven. So I ended up buying 6 books (3 hardcovers, 3 paperbacks). I think she got scared with my book buying frenzy.
By the way, that was AFTER I'd gotten Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo at Barnes and Noble for $11 *headdesk* Of course, that day the SHU Writers Alumni had a Book Signing Even going on. Let's just say my pockets were very, very empty after that day.
It was a long residency week and I was so, so tired that last day. But even when your feet are tired, your brain has melted, and your hair sticks out everywhere from so much pulling, one still waits eagerly for the next residency in Jan 2013!
I still had another week over there, so I switched to tourist mode! I went to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and to EatnPark. Yes, I'd never been to one before. A philly steak & cheese sandwich is one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had. I think this is going to be one of those foods that I’ll eat every time I visit PA. The Oreo shakes were awesome too, as were the smiley cookies. Also, Pizza Marcella can make a mean chicken pizza.
~Blog News~
1. Due to my writing class starting right after residency and my taking that extra week to vacation over there, I am now ridiculously behind on my deadline. What this means is that I still won't be able to fully participate and be here blogging. Post will still get being posted, but I might not be able to respond to all the comments. I'm sorry!
2.That awesome book haul is not only for me. I will be doing a giveaway soon, with some signed bookmarks, a signed book, and some Jennifer L. Armentrout swag I still have. Probably another Amy's Summer Favorites giveaway like last year.
3. I've opened up a page for the YA Crush Tourney which I intend to keep updated with the latest news and matches. People, this will be an awesome tournament. So many swoon worthy crushes out there. Voting will be tough! Oh, I also put my banner up showing my ultimate allegiance ;)
4. Reviews will only be posted on Thursdays now. I'm planning to do a feature post on Saturdays where I'll be interviewing my fellow writer SHU classmates. Just a little preview of these awesome writers-in-the-making.
That is all! How is your summer going so far?
