Blog for Larry Sweitzer

First off… I can’t believe this is my first blog post of March. The older I get, the faster time seems to whiz by.

 I’ve been reading a lot lately (and writing very little—more on that in a minute). I just finished The Hunger Games. Loved it! As you can see on the right side-bar, I’m diving right into book two: Catching Fire. HG’s level of suspense—and the fact that it’s sustained pretty much throughout the entire book—is incredible. I’d heard so much about this series that I had to find out what all the hoopla was about. I’m so glad I did! It took me a while to get to it, since my enormous to-be-read pile had to be split into TWO piles for safety concerns just a few months ago.

 As far as my own writing is concerned, I think I’ve finally decided to get to work on my next novel. I was so burned out after GEBRP, I wasn’t sure if I was even going to write anything else…ever—seriously. Then came promoting the egghead book (which is still on-going, of course) and that pushed back any real attempts at a second novel. I swear, I don’t see how so many authors churn out a book (or even multiple books) a year. I’ve said it before: I think I’m the slowest writer in the history of writing. At least it feels that way sometimes.

 Anyway, I’ve been working on outlines for three novels. Well, “working on” meaning “mostly in my head”. I plan to have a synopsis completed for each of them soon. I’ll possibly share them here when they are complete. Then, I’ll probably see which one jumps out at me and go from there.

 Once I get started in earnest, I’ll add a progress meter to the side-bar and hopefully keep everyone informed of any developments.

~Larry

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Valid in U.S. Borders, Borders Express, and Waldenbooks stores 2/23/10 through 2/25/10 at close of business. Valid at Borders.com 2/23/10 through 2/25/10 at 11:59 PM PT.

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GEBRP has been named a finalist in the Reader Views Literary Awards! It is one of three finalists in the Teen (12-16) category. The last round of judging will determine the final order of the winners and will be announced the second week of March.

I feel lucky and honored to have my little book recognized as a finalist!

~Larry

After months of lingering computer problems, I finally broke down and purchased a new one. I’m still tinkering with the old one and hope to bring it back to life, but in the meantime I have the shiny, new one!

Will the snow in Virginia ever end?

We’ve got six inches of snow still on the ground and up to eight more on the way this weekend. There’s another storm coming in behind this one that could bring even more on Tuesday of next week! I don’t mind a little snow, but this is getting rediculous!

~Larry

2009 was such a big year for me! After a lot of hard work and many ups and downs, I finally saw the release of my first book. It was such a great feeling to hold a copy of it in my hands! The support and encouragement from family, friends, and readers has been awesome (and much appreciated)!

Earlier in 2009 I had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines for the first time! Being half filipino, it was something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.

It’ll be hard to top ‘09, but now it’s time to look ahead to 2010. My top four goals for the year are:

1. Be a better blogger. (Say that really fast five times!) I’m hoping to blog a lot more this year. My goal is to blog at least twice a week. Look for updates on my writing projects, my travels, articles on writing and music, and so much more.

2. Finish my next manuscript. I have a number of “starts” to three or four books. I really need to concentrate on ONE of them and finish it.

3. At least start laying down the tracks to some original songs. I’d like to have enough songs for a full length album within two years. I need to start now if that’s going to happen. I have three nearly completed songs ready to record. I’ll definitely be blogging about this in the coming year.

4. Another trip to the Philippines. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with or meet any of my family in PI on my last trip. The timing and logistics just didn’t work out. That will be a top priority if and when I visit again.

Well, there they are. It’s a tall order, but I hope I can get through these goals. I look forward to trying!

~Larry

Andre “The Hawk” Dawson is heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Andre was the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and won the NL MVP in 1987. He earned 8 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Slugger Awards, and made 8 All Star teams over 21 seasons.

Career stats:

Games: 2,627

AB: 9,927

Hits: 2,774

HR: 438

RBI: 1,591

SB: 314

BA: .279

Getty Images

Congrats to “The Hawk” !

This is from a few weeks ago and I’m just now getting around to posting it!

The Ghost, the Eggheads, and Babe Ruth’s Piano is now in stock at Barnes and Noble’s Valley View store.

Copies of GEBRP are tucked snuggly between The Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud and Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor.

Send me pics of other sightings in your town!

~Larry

Well, my blog tour wraps up today. I had a lot of fun and met some great people!

Thanks to all of my hosts and thank you to those who have purchased books and supported me during the tour.

A special thanks goes out to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book Promotions for all her hard work.

Happy Reading!

Had a great time answering questions at my tour stop today at Pump Up Your Book’s Q&A Chat.

The tour continues on tomorrow with two more stops. At the end of the day tomorrow, the tour will be half over. I can’t believe how fast it’s flying by!

Eleven more stops to go! I’d love it if you stop by and visit some of my stops.  My tour hosts would love it too!

~Larry

Zhu Zhu Pets are the HOT toy this Christmas season. The problem? They are sold out everywhere.

At eBay and Amazon they are selling from 35 to 65 dollars.

 I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of these little guys! So, in honor of Harry from “The Egghead Book” (it’s a stretch, I know) I am giving away the Zhu Zhu Pet Num Nums to one lucky person!

*********** Leave a comment to this post to enter.***********

1. Ends Saturday December 5^th at 8 pm
2. I will use random.org to pick the winner and post the name by 9 pm
3. The winner has 24 hours to email their address to ljs6796@cox.net
4. US residents only

Other giveaways going on now:

Book tour stops on December 7^th (Pump Up Your Book) and December 10^th (A Book Blogger’s Diary) include giveaways for a signed copy of GEBRP. Leave a comment to enter.

Fan GEBRP on Facebook for exclusive book giveaways over there.

While you’re here, slide your pointer thingy over there to the right, and vote for your favorite character from The Ghost, the Eggheads, and Babe Ruth’s Piano!

 ~Larry