Inside Elana: This and That

Hey, I warned you that my blog is just a mish-mash of this and that. You thought I was kidding, didn't you? Ha! Never.

A couple of months ago, I opened up the blog for questions. And, uh, well, I never finished answering them. Here we go.

Stina Lindenblatt asked: Are you going to LA SCBWI conference? Uh...maybe? Yeah, maybe. I'm lame like that. I am planning to go to ALA in New Orleans though, and Comic Con in San Diego.

Jill Kemerer and Alex Cavanaugh asked a variation of these two questions: Do you write more than one genre? and/or Besides YA, what other genres do you like? I write under the YA umbrella, but I sort of oscillate all over. Dystopian (obviously). Contemporary. Paranormal. Fantasy. Even a historical thingy. (Yes, that's the technical term.) But all YA.

And hold the phone. There are other genres besides YA? *wink* I suppose if held at knife point and forced to name another genre I enjoy, I would go with...oh, freak, I can't do it. It's YA or nothing. Sorry, I am shallow like that.

Sara B. Larson asked: If you only had one week to live, what would you do and who with? I would travel somewhere exotic, like the White Cliffs of Dover or the beach or something as long as I don't have to clean up after myself or make any meals. And I'd take my family, and we'd spend all our time watching movies and ordering whatever we wanted to eat and just laughing.

Wendy Paine Miller asked: Do you believe all writers are just a wee bit crazy? Definitely.

Marsha Sigman wanted to know about how many submissions I sent out while querying for POSSESSION. Over 50. Then she wanted to know how I kept from getting discouraged from all the rejection. Uh...I didn't. I get discouraged all the time, even now. There are a couple of posts I wrote for other people that I like a lot. One here at Sara's blog, and one at Adventure's in Children's Publishing.

Jodi Henry wanted to read the query letter that got me my agent. It's not a secret. You can read it in many places, but one of the best is on Matt's blog.

There are still a few questions, some of which have spurred entire posts over the next couple of weeks. If I haven't gotten to yours, never fear! And if you have a question for me, lay it out in the comments.

Inside Elana: Everything You Maybe Wanted To Know

So I totally stole this post idea from Ali. She did a great one on herself, sort of as an introduction to new people on her blog.

Well, I thought, I have new people on my blog all the time! Maybe they're not used to my bacon obsession, and hey you haven't talked about Adam Lambert for a long time...

So here we go.

I am Elana Johnson.

I have lived in Utah my whole life. From as far north as Newton (pronounced New-uhn in a traditional hickville accent, about 5 miles from the Idaho border) to as far south as St. George (no accent neccesary, about 5 miles from the Nevada border).

I have been married for 14 years to the same wonderful man. I don't talk about him much here, except when he says/does funny things. (Remember that whole butt/bat incident? Hilarious.)

I attended four universities before graduating with an Elementary Education degree from Southern Utah University. It's not like I got kicked out or anything, my husband just moved me around a lot. The last year and a half of college, I drove 100 miles round trip with my 4-month old son in the backseat to attend classes.

Speaking of kidlets, I have two though I've been pregnant four times. One boy, one girl. Boy is 12. Girl is 6. I don't talk about them much here, except for funny things they say or do. I adore them most of the time.

I have many more kids in my life. About 700 more. At my elementary school of 11 years, where I am the technology specialist. That's code for "computer teacher" or "glorified babysitter who sometimes teaches typing and forces the kids to play math games." Take your pick. I don't talk about school much here either. I mean, how exciting can typing instruction be? (Don't answer that...)

I am religious, and serve as a leader in a world-wide women's organization. I don't talk about that much here.

So what do I talk about?
Bacon. Adam Lambert. Music. Survivor. Books. School visits. My hair. Friends. Writing. Not writing. Blogging. Query letters. Conferences. Twitter. WriteOnCon. Whatever I feel like. Sometimes all at the same time. With me, you just never know. Strap in.

Miscellaneous:

• I have a book coming out on June 7. It's called POSSESSION. It's dystopian. Brainwashing. 
• I'm highly sarcastic. I need my own font, because sometimes that doesn't translate into type.
• I love to laugh.
• I cry at some commercials, the Food Network, and most songs.
• I am not an animal lover. Anything with more legs than me freaks me out. All geese and ducks, and every known species of snake. 
• I like to drive really fast.
• I have one sister, and no brothers. I do not get boys.

So, did you learn something new? I know I did.

Inside Elana: Preparing for the Apocalypse

So I've been evaluating my food storage (that's right, people. When the apocalypse hits, I'm going to have rice and pancakes. And Ramen noodles. Get excited), and I realized that my beverage selection stunk.

Water. I mean, seriously. Just water? Even after the end of the world, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want more than water.

So as I was pondering what drink I'd like most, I came to the conclusion that there's nothing better than Welch's grape soda.

NOTHING.

I bought a case, and now I can't stop dreaming about the Grape-soda-induced coma I'm going to be in at the end of the world.

Good times.

What drink would you take with you into the apocalypse?

Inside Elana: Favorites

Jemi Fraser asked: I'd like to know 2 things...
1 - what was the book that really hooked you into being a reader as a kid? (I have no idea. I didn't think consciously of things like that as a child. I still don't, most of the time.)

2 - what is your favourite book to read aloud to kids? (Hmm...I don't teach reading, but my husband loves to read THE WISH LIST by Eoin Colfer.)

Sharon K. Mayhew asked: Twizzlers or M & M's? (M&Ms. Pretzel.)

Nicole L Rivera asked: What book did you read that made you most want to become a writer? (UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld.)

Jess of All Trades asked: What's your sign? (Sagittarius. My birthday was on Saturday.)

lynnrush asked: I like to wear one of my most favorite sweatshirts while I write. It's totally old and faded, but it's just something I love to wear while writing. Anyway, do you do anything like that? Like clothing, or maybe a special spot to write, or whatever. . . (The only thing I need is a pair of headphones. The louder the music, the better. But I won't lie; I like to lounge in pj's most of the time.)

lotusgirl asked: What's your favorite time of day and why? (Night, between say 9 - 11 PM. The house is quiet. I'm done "working" for the day. I can write/blog/watch TV, whatever I want. 9 - 11 PM holds FREEDOM.)

Colene Murphy asked: What is the best thing you ever brought to show and tell as a kid? (Uh...no idea. I remember being lame in elementary school, so I probably brought lame things.)

Susan R Mills asked: do you like your bacon burnt and crispy like I do? (Heck yes! Almost to the point of burnt.)

Shannon Messenger asked: Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner? (This says it all.)

(He'll always be Legolas to me.)

Lisa Gibson asked: Do you think bacon flavored jelly bellies would be good? (I don't think they have them do they?) Would you try them if they made them? Or even bacon flavored Twizzlers (okay that's kinda too weird)? (I'm not what you'd call experimental with her eating. But I'd probably try anything bacon flavored at least once.)

Okay, your turn. Favorites? Least favorites?