Coveted Cover

I'm in love with the font on this cover. I've just finished reading this book, and thought it was amazing! As I spend most of my time writing, I find it very hard not to think about the writing process when I'm reading. But with When You Reach Me, I forgot that I was reading the words that a writer had written - I really felt like I was listening to a child's story from their perspective (if that makes sense!). I'm in awe of how great the voice of the main character was! This book really impressed me and I would highly recommend it.

Have you read anything amazing lately?

What's in my Bag?

I got this River Island satchel for Christmas and am totally in love with it.  I really like the colour and size. It's perfect for everyday wear, but I also use it when going out. I've been wearing it all month!

Here's what I'm currently carrying around:

Diary - I got this diary from Paperchase.  I love the stripes and the pocket at the back.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green - I'm reading this at the moment. I loved Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns so I have high hopes for this!

iPhone - After a tragic screen breaking incident at the airport last year, I bought this case for my phone.  It's a bit inconvenient because I have to flip it open all the time, but the colour is cute!

Keys - Edinburgh is one of my favourite places in the world. I bought this keyring at the Fringe Festival last summer.

iPod - this makes crowded buses and train journeys bearable.

Pen and Pencil - I gave blood the other day and got a pencil with my blood type on it. I'm AB Negative. Only 1% of the Irish population have this blood type!

Strange as Angels

image source 

I've spent the past few days in various cafés, writing 18 Kisses. It's set in Dublin, which is rather convenient, as that's where I live now.  As some of you know, I'm slightly obsessed with fancy notebooks.  But I recently made a discovery - I think I write much better on yellow legal pads. It's thought that the colour yellow stimulates the mind, apparently F. Scott Fitzgerald was a fan! As well as writing on yellow paper, I've also been doing my usual thing of listening to songs on repeat while I'm working. I choose a song that fits with the chapter I'm writing, and then play it over and over until I'm finished. I'm not sure exactly why this helps, but it does! Here's the latest 18 Kisses playlist:


Fake - The Frames
Quite an emotional song, particularly good for writing dramatic scenes!

Just Like Heaven - The Cure
I was reminded of how much I love this song whilst re-watching Adventureland last week.  If you haven't seen that movie yet, you have to watch it.  It has everything - great characters, brilliant soundtrack, cute love story, and Jesse Eisenberg in a Neil Young t-shirt. 

Dance With You - David Kitt

I think this is really romantic.
'All I wanna do baby is dance with you.' 
It makes me smile.

Rock & Roll - The Velvet Underground
This wakes me up when I've been writing for hours.

Amie - Damien Rice
I was sixteen when Damien Rice's first album came out, and whenever I listen to it it takes me back.

California King Bed - Rihanna 
Ballads seem to work particularly well when I need to get my word count up.

As always, I welcome any musical suggestions you may have, new or old!

Goal Getter

It's 2011! Woohoo! A new year, a new decade, a perfect time for a fresh start. Hope you're enjoying it so far. Today I've been doing lots of organising- sorting out my computer files, writing stuff into my new diary etc. 

Below is a piece on resolutions which I wrote the other day for the Inkwell Writers' Newsletter. It's all about setting goals and being positive. (I sometimes forget to be positive myself, but I'm going to make a real effort this year!)

It's that time of year again, when many people are making resolutions. I personally prefer to come up with New Year goals. Resolutions often involve denying yourself things, but goals are full of possibilities.  So I begin each January by writing down all the things I want to achieve in the coming year.  This has nothing to do with the fact that I've never been capable of keeping a resolution... I swear.  Anyway, I started doing this back in 2009, when I wrote the following sentence in the first page of my new diary:

'2009...the year I sign on the dotted line.'

I wanted more then anything to sign a publishing contract.  I'd finished my first book, but at that stage I had no offers and no agent.  However, I did have a feeling that 2009 was going to be a good year.  So I would read that sentence to myself almost every day. It's true what the say, a goal not written is only a wish.  Writing it down made it seem more attainable.  Months went by, but still I had no offers. Then on November 20th 2009, on my 23rd birthday, I signed a two-book deal with Puffin Books. 

Aspiring writers often ask me for advice, and I always tell them to be positive. Even if you don't achieve the exact goals you write down, I really do think that the process will help you get there eventually.  If you think and act like you're going to get published, this confidence will transfer over to your writing.  If you believe in yourself, then agents or publishers are probably more likely to put their faith in you.  Staying positive can be difficult at first, but it soon becomes a habit.  A good attitude won't necessarily guarantee you a smooth journey (I should know, I got lots of rejections before I found my agent!), but it will inspire you to keep going.  I'm so glad I didn't let myself give up after those rejections, because I ultimately signed with my dream publisher. 

This year, my goals include getting my second book finished and I also have some high hopes for my first book, Angel Kiss! The way I see it, we have nothing to lose by being positive.  So whatever it is you want for yourself this year, write it down (or type it into) that new diary now.  I wish you the very best of luck.  Here's to a happy and successful 2011, full of wonderful words.

Laura Jane Cassidy

My first goal of 2011:

Finish the first draft of Book 2 by February 8th. I'm going to give this my best shot. I have parts of Book 2 written but they are not good enough to show anybody.  I need to write a lot more of it and also work on the bits I've already written. So I've set myself this deadline. And now that I've told you guys, I can't back out. Eek. 


Other things I want to do in 2011:
Cook more interesting dinners. (Laura, step away from the waffles.)
Read every day. 


So, what are your goals for this year?