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Five Things I Hate About You!

July 11, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve been selected to receive two very prestigious (or silly…your call) blog awards! Thanks to the lovely Mirka Breen for choosing me. First up:

For this one, I have the pleasure of naming five of my favorite books by writers I have met or know from the interweb. These are all authors I’ve met in person at my favorite conference, the SCBWI Eastern PA Poconos conference.

When A Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore
Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen by Donna Gephart
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
May the Best Dog Win by Kelly Hashway
Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (okay, I haven’t read this whole book yet and it doesn’t release until October, but I love Kim and know it’s going to be fantastic)

Next award up is:

For this, I have to name five things I like and five I don’t.

Likes:

American cheese (not only are you unAmerican if you don’t like this cheese, but I suspect your taste buds might be dead too)
Cream cheese (preferably on a sesame seed bagel, but it’s also good with toast and jelly)
Cheddar cheese (on crackers, in tacos, in little cubes by the handful…it’s all good)
Mozzarella cheese (pizza…’nuf said)
Ricotta cheese (but only in a cannoli, otherwise this cheese belongs in the next list)

Don’t:

When TV shows actually show people vomiting…why do they do that?
Bicyclists who want to be respected on the road but refuse to follow the rules of the road
The phrase “it is what it is”
Books where nothing happens
When you’re passing by someone and you smile at them, but they don’t smile back, even though they clearly saw you

Okay, now it’s my job to pass these awards along to five other bloggers. Except I don’t want to give them to peeps who don’t like doing these types of things, so I’ll bestow the awards on the first five commenters who say they would like to be awarded.

Finding the God Particle

July 4, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

Big news in the world of physics today! Scientists claim they have discovered a new subatomic particle that is most likely the God Particle, a.k.a. the Higgs boson (here’s my not-so-scientific explanation of what the Higgs boson is). Basically, the Higgs boson is believed to be the key to understanding the mysteries of the universe, including what the universe is made of and how it was formed.

Two independent groups of scientists who work with the Large Hadron Collider, a giant particle collider tucked more than 500 feet under the ground just outside Geneva, came to the same conclusion that the new subatomic particle is “consistent” with the Higgs boson.

My interpretation: there’s a new particle and it looks like the Higgs boson and acts like the Higgs boson, but they can’t say for sure it’s the Higgs boson because they are afraid it might not be the Higgs boson and it would terribly embarrassing to be wrong.

There’s a chance it’s an entirely new particle that has never been imagined before. Either way these are exciting times for all humankind!

Fruit of the Earth

June 29, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

This time of year in New England the heat and drought of summer has not yet set in and the earth bursts with the tastes, smells, and colors of the season.

This is what happened when I set out a bunch fresh strawberries to dry after washing and hulling them in preparation for freezing. I call it “Deconstructed Strawberry Patch.”

In the last month I have plucked sun-warmed strawberries straight from the fields; harvested sweet peas from my own backyard; and washed, prepped, cooked, and savored a myriad of fresh fruits and veggies from my local CSA (community supported agriculture…basically a farm share).

The sweet aroma of the honeysuckle permeates the air. The cerulean hydrangea blooms match the sky. The butterfly bush has grown to epic size and is abuzz with bees and butterflies. While on a walk with the hubby and The Boy last night, we spotted a bunny with a cotton-ball tail hop by.

The days of summer may be lazy for some, but I find them to be the most fruitful of the year. What are you looking forward to this season?

Welcome to the New Observation Desk

June 27, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

Hello and welcome to the new Observation Desk blog here at my new site www.katielcarroll.com. The tea water is on (the black dragon pearls are standing by) and the scones are in the oven (blueberry jam not optional…it’s just too delicious).

This is my real, live desk. It’s way too messy to be functional. I actually use the other desk in the home office (which technically is my hubby’s desk…thanks, hubby!).

Things may look a bit different around here, but all the old posts and all your great comments have scuttled on over to the new desk. There’s some bonus stuff too, like my author bio and books page. Look for more content coming soon, including information about my school visit program. Of course you can always use the handy-dandy contact page to send me an e-mail.

I’d love to know what you think of the new site (but really I only want compliments and you can stuff the bad thoughts!). Stay tuned for some posts on the great crops I’ve been enjoying and I think it’s time we had a science update already! What have you all been up to lately?

Elixir Bound Cover Reveal

June 13, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

The good stuff just keeps rolling on in! I have a special treat for you in this month’s WIP Wednesday post: the cover of Elixir Bound!

There’s so many great details. The bottle of Elixir at the top, the vine of little white flowers, and the main character, Katora. I love her expression. When I first saw the cover, I almost didn’t notice the shape of mountains at the bottom (a wonderful depiction of The Sleeping Giant mountain range from the book). The best part: what else but my name…on the cover of a book!!!

*Sighs* with contentment.

Seriously, though, the blog has gotten way too writerly/booky lately. I promise I’ll be branching out with some different topics. Look for some science updates, more magnetic poetry, maybe a fun anecdote or two. All that and more to come on my new website. That’s right…my website is just about ready. My next (and last post on blogger) will guide you to my new website.

What have all of you been up to?