NYC Recap

So I went back to NY on Friday--this time to hit up a Brooklyn book signing at Word with Lauren Oliver, Leila Sales and Anna Jarzab, followed by what's become a traditional appearance at KidLit Drinks Night!

Word Bookstore in Brooklyn

Anna Jarzab, Leila Sales, Lauren Oliver

Check out The First Novels Club because Donna took a ton of notes recapping the event. But as far as signings go, this one was AWESOME! Lauren, Anna and Leila were so cool, down to earth and insightful about the writing/publishing process. What was really neat too was they all work on both sides of publishing, so they had a very unique perspective. Afterwards we got to meet Lauren, Anna and Leila and they were soooo amazing to talk to in real life. I spent a lot of time picking Lauren's brain about writing. Also SQUEEE-worthy moment--she recognized me. We were both at a Jay Asher book signing (before she was published) which was pretty epic because I got to read part of 13 Reasons Why to the audience!

Lauren Oliver! The awesomeness! It blinds me!

And here I am with Donna hanging with Anna Jarzab (who was awesome) and Leila Sales!!!!! (Who I adore)

Anna, Donna, Leila, Frankie

And GUESS who we met? ALL the way from Germany, Lenore of Presenting Lenore was in town for SCBWI!!!

Donna, Lenore, and Me! :-)

We also got to meet Rachael from The Book Muncher who then decided we were sane enough to follow from Brooklyn to Manhatten for Kid Lit Night :-) 

So after a bit of complicate subway navigating and a short cab ride (because of someone's unfortunate shoe choice...ahem....) we made it to the pub! WOOHOO!

And we found....

...THE Weronika Janczuk who was quite possibly the sweetest most adorable person EVER! AND....fellow writer/bloggger Christina Lee!!!!! I was looking forward to meeting her for weeks and she was a total sweetheart like I knew she'd be :-)

Also caught up with Philly writer K. M. Walton who is totally spoiling me with her presence because I got to hang out with her last weekend at Philly Lit Night.

Christina, K.M. and me!

Other highlights included talking to Andrea Brown Agents, Jennifer Laughran and Mary Kole.

AND...finding the only member of the First Novels Club actually attending SCBWI--SARA!!! With all of her being a responsible adult lately--buying a house, etc, we've hardly seen her.

Her smile is so big because she LOVES us...not because she just hung out with Mo Willems;)

Ok, so I am probably missing some people....oh Hi Jessica Spotswood! But all in all, we had a blast, talked to a ton of cool people and got home really, really late! And that my friends, is your weekend recap! Happy Monday.

:-)

Sweet Or Sexy

So you guys know I have a very profound taste in movies.

Empire Records? FTW!

Love and Other Drugs? Blech, blech. blechety blech!

And I recently saw the movie No Strings Attached. I mostly thought the movie was pretty cute. Ashton Kutcher becomes sex buddies with his friend Emma, except he totally has feelings for her and if she'd stop being completely ridiculous, she could admit she has feelings for him too (because honestly, sweetie, you CAN'T do better than Ashton Kutcher, just saying...).

Do you love me? Check yes or no? And just remember, I'm Ashton Kutcher!

Bonus! Natalie Portman is a doctor living with 4 other doctors (I could relate, I lived with something like 6 pre-med students my senior year of college).

BUT!

By the end of the movie when you are supposed to be rooting for the hero and heroine to get together, I was seriously hoping Ashton would dump Natalie's butt and end up with the nerdy glasses girl instead--because she was HILARIOUS and also not a complete psycho like Natalie's character.

Ashton, I KNOW it's not in the script, but you're meant to end up with me instead. 

And it got me thinking...you know, I felt the SAME way in Love and Other Drugs. I did not want the MC to end up with the girl, because she was pretty b*tchy and lacked redeeming likable qualities, which...that's bizarre right? You are SUPPOSED to root or the lovers to get together and fall in love with both of them.

The thing Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman's characters both had in these movies? They were both completely free with their sexuality, promiscuous and awesome about that (yay)--but they were also incredibly irritating. And I'm getting pretty irritated with this notion that sexually free women need to be portrayed as SO annoying--I KNOW we're making big leaps that these kinds of characters are leading ladies at all, but something is missing in their characterization, and I'm not liking them. It seems like you either get to play a sweet uptight virginal character (every movie Katherine Heigel was in EVER) or you're the new vixen, the PMSey girl who won't commit.

There was ONE movie that I thought combined the sweet and sexy perfectly in a leading lady---Sweet November! (I know this movie is all kinds of flawed [the end! aaaah the end!] but it works)!

I love you....for ONE month only.

Charlize Theron embarks on month long love affairs AND she is completely sweet AND likeable! She was a perfect combination of these two still seemingly conflicting images of the virgin and the temptress.

So what do you guys think? Are there any other movies out there that are getting this sweet and sexy combination right? These characters have definitely been around a long time, but it seems like only recently are they becoming the main love interest.

P.S. YA books are generally fantastic at creating sweet and sexy leading ladies.

Recent faves are: Bianca from The Duff--Kody Keplinger, Calla from Nightshade--Andrea Creamer and the QUEEN of Sweet and Sexy, Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy--Richelle Mead. 

You CAN Edit Yourself

Anyone who caught my twitter feed early Sunday morning saw me ranting about this. But honestly, I'm not done. So here I go!

Over the weekend, I went to a talk where the speaker advised everyone to hire an editor--that the ONLY way to make it in the publishing industry was to hire out help, and that they'd never ever possibly get anywhere (get an agent or become a bestseller) without doing so.

Hiring an editor is a very personal decision and I do believe there are a few instances why you might want to hire one.

But to be told that you HAVE to HIRE an editor, that to get an agent you HAVE to PAY someone, that as a writer you CAN'T EDIT yourself or see your own mistakes and that a writers group isn't enough??!?!?

I practically fell out of my seat. I never heard such wrong information in my life.

Here's the thing, You NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER HAVE to hire an editor! EVER!

Is editing easy? NO! Not at first. But can it be learned? Hell yes it can, and in fact it SHOULD be learned by every writer out there. Editing is a part of the Writing Craft. If you want to master your craft, you have to strive to master every part of it and that includes editing.

Your book is your art, your passion, your creative outlet, your story, your reason for being, your purpose, and so many other things (insert your own word here). You had the idea, you plotted the story, you slaved away writing late into the night day after day getting to know YOUR characters. So WHY on earth would you then pay someone to edit it for you when you don't know this person, don't know if they understand you, aren't necessarily legit and you can (if you're willing to try) do it yourself?

Painters don't draw their images onto a canvas and then hire someone else to come in and paint by numbers.

Dancers don't spend hours upon hours in rehearsal and then have the understudy bow at the end and receive the applause.

Actors don't earn their roles in movies and then hire someone else to do voice overs.

Artists live in their art from start to finish. And writers aren't any different.

As a writer working towards getting an agent, you should have a vital role in every step of your process and the ability to complete your own process. Writing is a craft, and editing is a part of the craft, which means if you want to master your craft, you'd better learn that part of it too.

Do dancers get critiqued and study other dancers? Sure. Painters study other painters and get critiques from them and from their teachers all the time. So do actors. And so do writers. I'm not suggesting writing is a solo process--it's def not and I wouldn't be where I am right now if it weren't for all the people who write with me, critique for me, advise me and teach me.

The difference is, I don't pay them, I'm not dependent on them (in the way that's being suggested above). I CAN edit myself, I do get a feeling when something is off in my draft, and I CAN tell when I need to do something over or better. Sure, its nice when Agent Laura tells me what's wrong--she's an expert on that. But it's not her book (as much as she loves it)--it's mine. At the end of the day, I need to be the number one champion of my own work and able to work on it from any stage and at any angle.

I would be SO cautious of anyone who tells you that you MUST hire an editor to get ahead. You never HAVE to, and I can tick off a very long list of writer friends who have agents and never paid anyone to edit for them--and many now have editors at publishing houses who pay them.

I do believe all writers should read books on editing. I think all writers should learn the art of self-editing. And I highly recommend joining a critique group and finding critique partners. I don't for a second think that anyone with the passion and drive to be a writer is incapable of learning how to be their own editor (BEFORE you get an awesome editor at a major publishing house). If you want to be a writer, you will be a writer, and if you want to master your craft, you WILL do it, and you WILL find an agent and get published if you keep working at it and keep bringing passion to the table.

But why might you hire an editor?

• When you've done ALL you can. You've read the books, self edited, shown your book to CPs and you would just feel really comfortable if you had a pro do the final once over. I can understand that, especially right before you query, you want to make its perfect times ten. And if that's what you really need to feel comfortable, then go for it.

• When you know that you learn best by example and seeing someone else edit your work is what it will take for you to learn how to self-edit your work. The more I have my work critiqued by my CPs and work with edits from my agency, the more I am learning the craft of editing--so I can def see the benefit to this. In this way, I'd see hiring the editor as more of a teacher.

• When you know the person who will do the editing--either you know them personally, or they come with reliable recommendations--and you really feel you need a final touch up. I wouldn't jump blindly into this--check out Editors and Predators to be safe.

I'm sure there are other reasons that I can't think of. I never hired one, so I'm not an expert. But I hope you got this from my rant--editing can be done on a situational basis. But its not ever something you don't have a choice over.

Why NOT to hire an editor:

• Someone says you have to
• You don't feel like editing
• You don't think you should have to edit (you're the talent, not the technical one)

If anyone ever tells you, you HAVE to do this, please know that's not the truth. You CAN do this on your own, and its totally your choice to have help or to go solo. At the end of the day writers make the best editors, and if you absolutely need to have one, okay, but if you don't want to hire one, you can still land your dream agent anyway. If your CPs aren't helping you get you draft into tip top shape, you probably need different CPs. It's all a process that can take time, but if you stick with it, I know it works! Why waste money on a simple solution that has no positive correlation with your successful outcome? You got to work for this, and if you do, I really do believe it'll pay off in the end.

Rant, over.

Writers Gone Wild

So after my crazy weekend of live blogging in NY with the First Novels Club for Writers Digest, instead of going home and uhhh sleeping, I hopped into the city and met up with some of Philly's Finest Writers and Bloggers for the second ever Philly Lit Night with my co-host Simon C.Larter.

It was supposed to be a casual afternoon where people went to brunch, had coffee at Barnes and Noble and then maybe went to dinner. I was supposed to arrive and things were supposed to have been calm.

That was NOT exactly what happened.

See, while I was traveling, Simon was SUPPOSED to be keeping everything under control. And really, how hard could that be?

Apparently pretty hard, because not long after people arrived at Barnes and Noble, I got a call from Simon.

Simon: Erm, Frankie?
Me: Yeah?
Simon: We got kicked out of Barnes and Noble... (said in a chagrinned Scottish accent)
Me: WHAT? You got kicked out of Barnes and Noble!?!?!?
Simon: Erm, uh, the police actually are on the way. Talk to you later. Cheers!*

So I spend some time redirecting traffic to location #2, Cosi, via twitter. And after I tried to track down everyone in Philly who may have missed Simon at Barnes and Noble (including some who missed him while he WAS there) I relaxed on the train.

Then my phone rang.

Simon: Erm, yes, so that thing that happened at Barnes and Noble happened again at Cosi!
Me: WHAT?
Simon: They called us a fire hazard...chasing us out the door...OW! No don't do that--must go...CHEERS!**

So at last, these Writers Gone Wild having been evicted from two places within the hour ended up at the Irish Pub, which ironically enough (or not) was where we all met for the first ever Philly Lit Night.

The two location changes certainly made it interesting for those trying to locate Simon at Barnes and Noble, so I spent the rest of my train ride acting like Ground Control via blackberry. But at last, I arrived.

And am I glad I did!

Philly Lit Night (which was really more of a late afternoon/early evening) was probably the most fun time ever! I seriously am in love with all these writers I'm getting to know. The conversation was great (yes, CONVERSATION--I don't talk THAT much, Simon), the company was great. And I can't wait to do it again, especially because these relationships that were mostly formed on blogger and twitter are turning into real friendships. And I only made a few crude hand gestures. I think.***

So THANK YOU to all who came. I can't wait to do it again. And if you missed it, you'd better be there next time because the shenanigans that ensue are hilariously off the wall.

I only remembered to take a picture at the very end, so many people like K.M. Walton and Jessica Tudor and more are missing (although I think Simon has a pic of them), but here's me, Christine Danek, Kelly Lyman and THE Simon C. Larter.

Look out for the next Philly Lit Night--probably taking place in The Irish Pub, our new unofficial, official hang out, in March (squeee my birthday month).

Simon and I are putting together a mailing list--so if you're in the Philly area, let us know and we'll include you. We promise to only spam you bimonthly for meet ups.****

*Ok, so the police never came. I made that part up.
**So they didn't get chased out of Cosi....but they were called a Fire Hazard!
*** This does not include several of my dramatic reenactments of things.
****Plus you know we desperately need more people to send chain letters to so our wishes can come true at precisely 12:01AM.*****
*****Ok, no, not really.******
******Or not....

Writers Digest Recap

So this past weekend as you know (which you should know if you've been keeping up with the blog--but in case you haven't--well now you do), I was at the Writers Digest 2011 Conference with Donna and Janine (3/4 of the First Novels Club) LIVE BLOGGING all weekend!

If you go to THIS LINK, it will take to you all of our recaps from the conference, which seriously, you should check out because there is some GOOD info there.

So since most of our weekend is actually recapped for you via the Writers Digest Blog...I figured I'd recap for you in pictures! Yay! We love pictures!

Janine and Donna SO happy in our hotel room!

A rare moment when Donna wasn't blogging, or hanging out with super agents

Besides writing and blogging, the FNC has a MAJOR love affair with boots!

Proof I'm staff! This got me access into every talk. But most importantly, it got me near all the electrical outlets. Live blogging uses a lot of laptop battery!

Le Bloggers!

Highlights (without pictures):

*Taking the subway by myself!

*Meeting Chuck Sambuchino!!!

*Japanese delivery to our room

*Listening to Super Agent, Donald Maass talk--he is AMAZING!

*Meeting Andrea Brown Agent, Mary Kole

*The Sheraton's WELCOME TO YOUR DAY Channel! Soothing music and pretty pictures 24/7

*Meeting new writer friends! (This is ALWAYS my fave!)

I hope everyone who attended had as much fun as we did! And I hope everyone who wasn't there gets a chance to check the recaps.

Next on the FNC Event Agenda: New York this Friday for a Book Signing with Lauren Oliver, Anna Jarzab, and Leila Sales, followed by Kid Lit Night with all the writers, agents and editors in town for SCBWI NY!

Live From the Writers Digest Conference 2011

Donna, Janine and I are at the Writers Digest Conference 2011 running around like crazy and blogging (what else do we do?) Finally got to meet The Chuck Sambuchino of the Guide to Literary Agents Blog.  I also got to meet Andrea Brown Agent, Mary Kole. Wheee! And we saw Janet Reid again!

So head over here to keep up with us and hear all the cool info they're handing out at the conference. Seriously, some of this advice is AWESOME! I'm so happy to be here. And don't worry, when I'm back on Monday, I shall have some fun pictures and recapping goodness!

Headed To New York

 Hey, guys! I'm on my way here:

To New York! So I can Live Blog at the Writers Digest Conference.

Go HERE to catch me blogging this weekend. If you happen to be at the conference in person say hi! Or visit the conference online and leave me some love.

And then Sunday, I'll be at THIS!

Yay! Have an awesome weekend, guys! Let me know if you're meeting up with me in any way shape or form. Or if you have your own fun plans :-)

Philly Lit Night Part Deux: Afternoon Affair

Sooooooo Philly Lit Night Part Deux is coming THIS SUNDAY, Jan 23rd! And this time, it's an Afternoon Affair with multiple location and time options depending on your schedule and availability (ie there is something for everyone, you have no excuses not to come!).

My fabu planning partner Simon Larter explains it really well on his blog. And with pretty pictures.

But here's the basic rundown.

1PM: Meet Simon at the Marathon Grill, 16th and Sansom for brunches.

2:30PM: Coffee and chatting at Barnes and Noble, 18th and Walnut

4:00PM (ish): I will magically appear, coming back from a weekend of Live Blogging in NYC.

4:01PM (ish): All dance for joy that I've arrived.

4:02PM (ish): I kid, I kid...

5:30PM: We shall head to dinner!

Ok guys! Have a fabulous week, adjust your schedules accordingly and let me and/or Simon know if you'll be there, because we like you, and want to hang out with you, and sprinkle you with sparkle dust.

EEEK! Stress!

In case you've noticed that I haven't been blogging AS MUCH as I usually like to lately, it's because I've developed this crazy case of my-eyes-bugging-out and purple-tinged-skin.

I really got to stop posing for pictures before noon!

So I'm a little stressed. I'm on a major writing deadline this week, and all of my classes are starting, not to mention I'm going out of town for the next 3 weekends in a row. See the post below!

All of which is GREAT, don't get me wrong. I'm so excited for everything coming up I've turned into a little bouncy ball. Its just a lot of things are happening at once, and NOW, when they used to look oh so far away on my little planner.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. But to end on a positive note--What super exciting thing do you have coming up? Even if it's stressing you out a little?

Frankie's Winter Events!!!

I have so many exciting things coming up, and of course I wanted to share them with you!!!

So stalkers, get ready for my Calendar O' Fun!

1. The Writer's Digest Conference Jan 21-23 in NY!. I'll be there with Donna and Janine from the FNC Live Blogging ALL weekend!

2. And then as soon as I'm back in town Jan 23, I'm meeting up with one Simon C. Larter and any other Philly area writers for our second ever Philly Lit Night, though this one is more of an evening affair. Anyone interested in meeting up should definitely let me or Simon know!

3. Kid Lit Night! Jan 28th in NY! This is the first year I'm not attending the SCBWI Winter Conference in NY *tear* because I'm saving up for a little thing known as SCBWI LA! BUT, though I won't be at the conference, I will be in the city Friday night at Kid Lit Night, which is hosted by Cheryl Klein. So if you're planning to be at the conference, we can still hang out! Yay! There should be more details closer to the date.

NEW!!!! Just before Kid Lit Night I'll be at a book signing for Lauren Oliver, Leila Sales and Anna Jarzab! EEEEEHHHHHH!!!!!!

And last....but certainly not least...

4.. Super Amazing Writers Retreat of Awesome! So the first week of February I am retreating to an undisclosed location with 22 other amazing writers and a lot of mooseheads.

And there will be a vlog where we answer questions. So if you happen to have a question for any of these guys...see below.

1. Maggie Stiefvater
2. Tessa Gratton
3. Brenna Yovanoff
4. Carrie Ryan
5. Jackson Pearce
6. Jackie Dolamore
7. Dawn Metcalf
8. Kiersten White
9. Jenny Moss
10. Julie Kagawa
11. ME! OMG do you have a question for me????????
12. Sonia Gensler
13. Victoria Schwab
14. Natalie Standiford
15. Saundra Mitchell
16. Myra McEntire
17. Jessica Spotswood
18. Carrie Jones
19. Jeri Smith-Ready
20. Julia Karr
21. Elizabeth Scott
22. Beth Revis
23. Sarah Darer Littman

Um did that list just blow your mind? Because it kind of blows mine everytime I look at it. But head over to Maggie's and ask a question!

Whew! And now Im exhausted just thinking about my schedule for the next month. But you know what this means....Lots of recapping goodness to come!

No Kiss: Take 2!

So yesterday marked the second annual most amazing blogfest ever because I created it The No Kiss Blogfest!

I just wanted to give a HUGE shout out and THANK YOU to everyone who participated, signed up, posted No Kiss Scenes from their favorite shows and movies, wrote original No Kiss Scenes for the fest, left comments, tweeted and especially to the brave souls who posted pieces from their WIPS!

Yesterday did not go off without a hitch. Yikes! It seems to be a yearly tradition now for Mr. Linky to shut down/go under maintenance the same day as this fest....coincidence? Or not? But anyway, just in case you were here yesterday when Linky was asleep, or your links weren't working, or you signed up late or *gasp* forgot to post....I just wanted to invite everyone to check out the blogger list again and leave comments for any last minute stragglers.

I still have a few blogs to visit :D

So once again Thank You so much to everyone who made yesterday rock, and thanks for being good sports about our sleeping Mr. Linky! It was so much fun reading your scenes and I CANNOT wait for next year!

I'll see everyone at the 3rd Annual No Kiss Blogfest January 2012 (possibly not on Jan 2nd bc I think Linky has a thing with that day).

Also "HI" to my new followers:-) You know I think you're awesome, don't you? Well I do! You're awesome!

Wishing you all a year of *actual* kisses ;)

XOXO

No Kiss Blogfest!!!!!!!!!!

Happy No Kiss Blogfest Day! YAY! It's finally here! Today is all about the tension, the longing, the yearning, the suspense... The moment just before two people are about to kiss because you and them have been dying to get together through the whole/book/movie/tv show and OMG you want them/need them to just do it already and then......then...they don't! AAAAH! These moments drive us crazy, but we LOVE them anyway.

I hope you enjoy my No Kiss scene (below) that I wrote especially for you guys. And make sure you click HERE to see who else is participating and check out their scenes.

Get ready to swoon and feel the tension! (P.S. Anyone can sign up, even today--and feel free to share your fave No Kiss scene from a book/movie/show if writing one isn't your thing and don't forget to link back) :-)

No Kiss

“Look,” I said. “Are we going to do this or not?”

His blue eyes bored into mine and maybe it was the cheesy Christmas lights Stacey had hung around the room for her party, or maybe it was because this was the first time I’d ever stood this close to Jackson, but I noticed he had a little green in his eyes. Just a little.

“Um, yeah, yeah," he said. "Definitely, we’re doing this.”

“Well, then come on. Kiss me.”

He bit his lip. “Hang on, Kristy. It’s not that simple.”

“Simple? Do we need to rehash the facts again?” I placed my hands on my hips, my fingers sprawling over the itchy sequins sewn onto my tube dress.

“No.” He groaned.

“Well then what’s the problem? It’s not like you’ve never kissed anyone before.” Like Stacey. A lot. Especially in the far corner of the school where the lockers made a convenient hiding spot from teachers. And I wasn’t even going to hypothesize that he didn’t find me attractive. Maybe I was no Stacey to him, but I was certainly up there in the top 5% (at least) of the hottest girls in school. Jenna once worked the math.

“It’s just…” Jackson started, glancing around the room. “We’re in the middle of everyone. People are already staring.”

“Which is perfect!”

He shook his head. “Wouldn’t you rather, you know, go someplace private. If we went to Stacey’s room that would really—”

“No.” I snapped. “Kissing your girlfriend’s best friend in her bedroom at her own party would add a nice little eff you to this whole situation. But if we do it in there, no one will see and no one will report it back to her and that’s the whole point of this.” Though people probably would see us go in there and our mission would be achieved. But honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for the sort of rumors that might start. Kissing my best friend’s boyfriend in public—at her party—was enough.

“I just don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”

My mouth fell open. “You’re backing out? Jackson! This was your idea!”

“I know. But…I don’t know. I just, I don’t think I want to do this. Like this.” He sounded pained.

“Are you going to forgive her?” I asked, my voice sounding maybe a little louder and more hysterical then the situation warranted. But I was losing patience. We had a deal!

He shook his head. “Of course not. It’s just that since we started planning revenge on Stacey and Ada—”

“Don’t say his name!”

“Fine! But, just listen to what I’m trying to tell you. Please, Kristy.”

Somehow we’d moved closer together. Our hands both resting on the edge of the dining room table were nearly touching. The paper tablecloth, rumpled beneath our fingers, was the only barrier between them. His lip twitched and I realized I was close enough to see just the tiniest hint of stubble he’d missed shaving that morning on his chin.

“Kristy?” he asked, his voice low.

I pulled my eyes up toward his. We were even closer. Was this it? Was it finally going to happen?

His lips parted and I nervously checked the room. Yes. People were definitely watching. Even Stacey, gossiping in the corner with Jenna had a suspicious eye on us. Good, you cheating, backstabbing, boyfriend kissing slut! Watch me with your boyfriend and see how you like it!

I turned back to Jackson and moved my fingers over the table cloth. Our hands touched. His skin was warm.

“Ready?” I breathed.

He bit his lip and swallowed. “Yeah.” He leaned in. I tilted my head up. Our lips were barely a breath apart.

There was an audible gasp from someone watching us, someone who knew what a scandal this kiss would be.

I squeezed Jackson’s fingers on the table as his other hand moved through my hair, pushing it behind my ear and smoothing it against my neck. Something tightened inside me as his cologne filled my senses. And then he was close. Too close.

His lips were by my ear. Which meant they were NOT on my lips and we were NOT about to kiss. What the…

“I want to kiss you, Kristy,” he whispered.

“Then do it.” I sucked in a breath, my eye darting now to the keg where Adam stood refilling his cup.

Jackson pulled away from me, a sad smile on his face. His eyes looked even greener than before. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I want to kiss you. You.”

And he was gone, walking away from me and heading for the door.

My heart pounded in my chest as every member of the junior class stared my way, and Stacey gave me a death glare.

My fingers flew to my lips, untouched, but tingling now in a way they never had with Adam.

I want to kiss you. You.

I gasped. This was no longer about revenge. Jackson had meant it.