Do you write fan fiction?

Give us a little peek!

~ Don't forget to include a link to your story! ~

Hey hey hey! Just in time for holiday season, we're looking for your favorite cookie recipes! Easy, complex, no-bake, what-have-you. We'll take them all! Also, can someone tell me why springerle cookies are so freaking expensive? I'm lucky if I can shell out for one pack of them at Christmastime. And they're so gooooood....

In a previous CF a few days ago, we talked about Mary Whitney (aka Betty Smith) and her books.

Her OF, a novella entitled "A Very Important Guest", is free to download from Amazon today.

Abby Flaherty has a lousy job, but it's the perfect one for her.
Housekeeping in a luxury Waikiki hotel is a refuge from her troubles. Once your average college student, Abby now has had to deal with responsibilities beyond her years. But when a visiting congressman discovers there's more to Abby than her uniform and cleaning cart, happiness hits her like a train on a track.

The papparazzi have scored again!  A new picture, hot off the 'net.

Yet another intimate portrait of the actor Robert Pattinson, at least we think it's Rob, appearing just two days after he was caught waiting at an intersection in an obvious 'Love ron-day-vuu'  with Twilight actress Kristen Stewart.   

The way he grips the steering wheel shows a true committment to his woman.  "Rob has errands to run," said a source close to the hunky star.   WE KNOW YOU DO, ROB.  GO DO THOSE ERRANDS, WINK WINK.

Now for some far more worthwhile driving shots:  Wonderful Russian dash cam moments, below.

It's here. NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Could they have picked a more awkward title? 

The answer is no. It would have been impossible to pick a more awkward title!

I know there are some other campers participating, and I hope everyone who is is having fun.

I'm tracking my progress on my blog, and today I decided to post an excerpt. 

My novel is called A Borrowed Life. It is about Tracy Nobd who is shot and killed in the course of a bank robbery. Afterwards she discovers that this is not the first time she's died, but it's almost the last. This is her last and final life, her borrowed life.

The excerpt is called First Life. Please read and enjoy, and maybe even leave a little comment?!!

http://www.stephlj.com

So both my teams are still awful :(

BUT my fantasy team is in second place and I have all of your teams to cheer for. So come on in and tell me who you love, I need to follow some boys that will actually win this weekend, lol. 

No pics to my men or my boys this week, bit I will post this, because I am now a fan of this marching band. Watch these guys, they're awesome!

So, how's it going? 

What makes you happy? 

I'm still celebrating All Saints Day/Samhain

So I wanna know about your old wive's tales, your superstitions, your hoodoo.

Okay so here's one of mine: It is said that if a female glances in the mirror on All Hallows Eve, she will see the face of her future husband. (You wouldn't believe how many times I pulled out my trusty old mirror....)

Not the best picture of the leaves that greeted my students today. 

Today was Leaf Day in my classroom.  For the first time in many of my student's lives they were able to scuff through the fallen leaves and hear the shush shush of a forest in autumn.  They saw the bright colors (that really I was surprised remained.) Many noticed the smell that can only mean freshly fallen leaves and we listened to Blue Grass Music, saw a slide show of Autumn forests and ate pumpkin cookies and drank apple cider.  Dare I say, it was magical.

I'd like to thank the campers who sent me the leaves.  I have your Real Names but I don't know which screen name matches except for LJSummers and Babyface Carter! Ah, the confusedness that is the internet.

So, I want to thank those gracious ladies who took to time to help me teach. It meant  a lot to me and it means a lot to my students. 

Hopefully is ok since its FFA. Mods please let me know if it's not.

In the lead up to Catching Fire, I've been searching out all my favorite Hunger Games fanfics to reread, not always with much luck.

The fic in question:

- One-shot. AU. Peeta was killed and Katniss is back in 12 alone. While in the capital, she was forced to... well, to basically be like Finnick. When she returns to 12, she is insane and talks to the ghosts of Prim, Peeta, Rue, etc. Tragic ending.

- I'm pretty sure there was a companion one shot from Gale's POV, in which he talks about taking care of her and watching out for here when the whole district thinks she's crazy.

Familiar to anyone?

My recc for you:

Hunger Games fandom - Waiting for the Skies to Fall by MonroesLittle. Really, all her one shots (HG, Pitch Perfect, Harry Potter [Lily/James]) are spectacular!

IT'S NOVEMBER WTF FREEFORALL

WHEN DID MOST OF 2013 MANAGE TO PASS 

WHAT'S GOING ON

WHY HAVEN'T ME AND JANDCO PUBLISHED OUR BOOK YET

HOW WAS HALLOWEEN

WHY WAS I AT MICHAEL'S BUYING 80% OFF SCRAPBOOKING PAPER WHEN I DON'T EVEN SCRAPBOOK

WHAT'S GOING ON SOMEONE TALK TO ME OR SOMETHING

IN CAPS LOCK IF YOU PLEASE

ALSO NO N00DZ OR EFFING CURSE WORDS ON THE FRONT PAGE, OTHER THAN THAT

GO TO TOWN

ALSO TELL ME IF I SHOULD GET THE NEW ARCADE FIRE LOOKINGFORHOOFPRINTS IS UNSURE AND IDK LIKE NOTHING WILL EVER BEAT THEIR FIRST ALBUM

OG ARCADE FIRE FYT

I, like many people (including many fellow Twilight fans), have knocked Stephenie Meyers' writing. But there' s no denying that Twilight sparked in me a reaction like no other book ever has, before or since.  Before I thought Bella was a clutzy goof, or got fed up with Robsten drama, or weighed in on P2P and 50 Shades, I stayed up an entire night reading Twilight and being shocked that my feelings towards Edward Cullen were almost exactly like the feelings I had the first time I fell in love at the age of 16.  Exactly.  

I saw this clip about Forks, WA this morning over at That's Normal (love those gals and that site). How amazing is it that this town has been revitalized all because an author randomly picked it as the perfectly gloomy, overcast setting for her sparkly vampire family?

Have you ever been to Forks?  Do you plan on going some day?  Have you ever taken a trip solely for the purpose of visiting the setting of your favorite book or movie?  Do you have pics to share?

As for me, I've never been to Forks ... yet.  Two of the items on my bucket list include a visit to Forks and Port Angeles WA, as well as a visit to the Highlands in Scotland (the Claire and Jamie Fraser tour, natch). 

PS - Am I the only one who thought the Alice Cullen "look-alike" in the clip above actually more closely resembled Jessica Stanley??

Welcome to the Feed Your E-Reader

weekly campfire! 

Please post all the fabulous deals you've found this week. And if you pick up a book from a comment inside, please let your fellow campers know you did.

And don't forget to feed the trees, yeah?  

There's a teen fiction site called Wattpad. An author over there by the name of poet_angle001 has plagiarized three different fics. She makes no attempt to change the names. Just outright copies and pastes. 

She has plagiarized runs-with-fenrir's Vampire Mating Academy and it's companion piece
Edward and Draco love me's I Am The Mate To The Vampire King
and the-truth-about-heaven's Darkness. (All these links are the originals)

You can report the offender here

To make this interactive: Since FFNET started implementing the no copy and paste, do you see an increase or decrease of plagiarism incidents in our fandom? Do you think there is a better way to stop this from happening as often? 

EDIT: Hooray! The stories have been taken down!

FREE BOOKS

Yup, that's right.

Really good ones, too. 

Now that I have your attention, 

here are the details:

WORLD BOOK NIGHT (US)

BOOKS ANNOUNCED

(See inside Campfire for list.)

Have you read any of the chosen titles?

Would you like to share your love of reading?

(If so, there is still plenty of time to sign up if you wish!)

What book or books would you LOVE to share with others?

Which one should I give out?

This Campfire okayed by the amaziing Wtvoc.

World Book Night takes place April 23. Volunteers distribute 20 copies of a book to others free of any charge or obligation in an effort to spread the love of books and encourage reading.

Since it's Halloween - I thought we should talk about villains. Sinstro, The Joker, Bane, The Green Goblin, etc

Also, what comic/movie suits the idea of Halloween best to you?