29
Jul
Thankful Thursday
0
So, I’ve started a little ritual lately of keeping a gratitude journal. It’s a pretty recycled-paper notebook with flowers on the front, and I write in pink and orange felt-tip pens, and I do it even when I’m tired because I feel like it’s important. It helps me recognize all the awesome little moments scattered throughout my days. The tiny delights it’s easy to ignore. It is so easy to be negative, to mindlessly complain about the weather or the endless waiting of submissions or not having little elves that bake me warm ginger scones every morning for breakfast. This new ritual makes me a more positive person, and a more observant person, and I am all in favor of that.
Anyway, my list for today:
1. I woke up with an idea for a new book. It’s so very very fetal that I can’t talk about it yet but I’m glowy about it. It would be a straight-up contemporary YA and it would involve theatre.
2. I spent the day pondering new-character names. I even downloaded a baby-name app onto my iPhone and wrote down ideas over lunch. I love naming characters. Some people can’t start writing until they have that perfect first line. I need perfect names. When I first started jotting down ideas for Thrice, Cate was initially Kate and Maura was Moira and Tess was Tessa and it was ALL WRONG.
3. I had cardamom gelato from Pitango Gelato tonight. It was amazing. Cardamom is one of my favorite spices.
4. I ordered two dresses from Modcloth on Monday and they arrived today and they are both super-cute. I’ve been pondering personal style lately. As in, I’m trying to figure out what mine is. So far, it seems to involve pink. What a surprise.
![](http://pics.livejournal.com/jessica_shea/pic/0002ak5p/s320x240)
![](http://pics.livejournal.com/jessica_shea/pic/00029g8q/s320x240)
5. I also got an email from my fab critique partner today telling me she finished read my messy first draft of Thrice and love-love-loved it. It was very happy-making. I work tomorrow until noon, and then I’m heading into the revision cave for the weekend!
If you haven’t entered my contest for ARCs, look at the post below! It is open internationally and I’ll draw a winner tomorrow at noon!