This past Saturday was the awesome Holidaze with the Debs signing-- Chicago stop. And let me tell you, it was SO MUCH FUN!
After meeting up at my house, the first stop was the Bolingbrook Borders. And I love that Borders-- the manager Lynn is awesome and they brought us coffee and treats while we were signing. Here is the display of our books:
(Note: some of these photos are snagged from Lara Zielin. It's easy to tell which-- crappier looking pics=my camera. Beautiful, hi-res pics=Lara's hubby's camera)
After the signing, we stopped back at my house to pick up fellow Deb, Kristin Walker (her book is coming out 2/4/10). Here's me and Kristin:
And we headed to Chicago for signing #2. First stop was Cynthea Liu's BEAUTIFUL home. Wow, we all wanted to move in! And the infamous Snoop is just as cute as you can imagine. Then we went to Pequod's for a group dinner before the signing.
And finally the super fun signing at The Book Cellar.
Awesome, awesome store. Our books looked awfully cute here too. Speaking of which, if you're looking for signed copies of any of our books for holiday gifts-- we signed loads here and at the Borders in Bolingbrook. Stop by either location and pick one up.
It was really cool to see Ronni and Adam Selzer too! I've been following them on LJ forever so meeting in person was great. Here's me, Aprilynne, and Ronni.
And finally, here's a shot of me and Lara signing.
After the signing, several of the Debs came back to my house for a slumber party. Fun! There was cheesy movie watching, gossiping, too much butter tart eating (Kristin Walker is a culinary goddess!) and Truth or Dare-ing. Well, there really wasn't much need for dares since we're a pretty chatty/open group. :-)
Such a fun time! Can't wait for the next group signing!
Thanks for entering everyone-- I LOVED seeing the pics! And the good news is, since there were only 5 entries and 5 prizes, you're all winners! Whoo hoo! :-) So I'm just drawing for first place. Here's a reminder of the prizes:
1st place: Signed copy of The Espressologist, a custom made $25 Starbucks gift card (with Jane's (the main character) name and favorite drink on it), some bookmarks, and a big box of my favorite TJ's dark chocolate covered espresso beans. Here's a peek:
2nd-5th place: $5 Starbucks gift card and signed bookmarks.
Now onto the picking of first place:
And the winner is:
Congrats Ari! You get the prize for first place! But like I said, everyone is a winner so Ari, R, Sharmaine, Deena, and Gary, e-mail me your mailing addresses and I'll get your prizes in the mail
Hey, today is the LAST day to enter the contest! Tomorrow I'll be drawing winners. :-)
Today we have three awesome pics from R in Singapore!!
The first two are taken at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and she's having a white chocolate coffee ice blended.
And this one is taken at Coffee Club and she's having a toffee coffee ice blended.
Last day to take The Espressologist out for coffee! Just read the details of the contest here and mail me a pic by midnight. I'll post winners tomorrow!
I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! And a fun Black Friday! If you've got book lovers on your holiday list and need some help picking out books, check out the Holidaze with the Debs tour! Find out what YA & MG Authors are Writing AND Reading. Tour stops are across the country and in Canada. I'll be at two signings next weekend in the Chicagoland area. Details below!
DECEMBER 5th, 1:00pm - 3:00pm, BORDERS IN BOLINGBROOK, IL
Holidaze with the Debs: Find out what YA & MG Authors are Writing AND Reading.
Authors appearing: Kristina Springer, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST Cynthea Liu, PARIS PAN TAKES A DARE and THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA Saundra Mitchell, SHADOWED SUMMER Darcy Vance, THE GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO CHEERLEADING Lara Zielin, DONUT DAYS Aprilynne Pike, WINGS
161 N. Weber Road Bolingbrook, IL Signing, chatting, personalized book recommendations, and prizes.
DECEMBER 5th, 7:00pm - 9:00pm, THE BOOK CELLAR IN CHICAGO, IL
Authors appearing: Kristina Springer, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST Cynthea Liu, PARIS PAN TAKES A DARE and THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA Saundra Mitchell, SHADOWED SUMMER Darcy Vance, THE GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO CHEERLEADING Lara Zielin, DONUT DAYS Aprilynne Pike, WINGS
4736-38 North Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL
Signing, chatting, personalized book recommendations, and prizes.
Wow, it's been too long since I've done one of these! L.K. Madigan is stopping by today to talk about her debut, FLASH BURNOUT.
About Flash Burnout:
Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who's a girl. One of them loves him, the other one needs him.
When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa's long-lost meth addicted mom.
In a tangle of life, death, and love, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of loyalty.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: What's your very favorite thing about your book (Certain chap? Scene? Cover?)
L.K.: My favorite thing about my book is that it exists in the world. It sits on shelves in cities I’ve never even seen, waiting for readers who are not related to me.
KRISTINA: Where do you do most of your writing?
L.K.: I write at home, but I move around a lot – red chair, kitchen table, desk, green chair, and once in awhile … bed.
KRISTINA: What's the naughtiest thing you did in high school that you DIDN'T get caught doing (Fess up now!)
L.K.: Um, heh.
I, uh, (wracks brain for appropriate answer) once had a party when my parents were out of town. Nothing gone broken, no one got hurt, and they never found out.
KRISTINA: What did you do on the release day of FLASH BURNOUT?
L.K.: A book signing at Powell’s Books!
KRISTINA: What's your favorite coffee drink? (If you don't like coffee, WHY NOT?! Really, what do you like to drink then while you're writing?)
How cool is this? Sharmaine from Sydney, Australia took The Espressologist out for coffee! She walked 10 blocks down to Circular Quay, ordered a short white chocolate mocha at the Starbucks on Alfred St, and took a picture of The Espressologist in front of Sydney's two most famous landmarks.
Thanks for entering Sharmaine!!
There is still time for you to take the Espressologist out for coffee too! Just read the details of the contest here and mail me a pic by 11/27.
Hey, we've got an entry! This is Gary and he took The Espressologist out for an eggnog latte at Cutters Point in Lacey, WA and note the Landon Pigg CD nearby featuring his song, "Falling In Love at a Coffee Shop". I love it!!
Thanks for entering Gary!!
There is still time for you to take the Espressologist out for coffee too! Just read the details of the contest here and mail me a pic by 11/27.
My launch party was yesterday afternoon at Fat Bean Coffee Bar in Naperville, IL. Fat Bean was such an awesome place to have a party! The place was huge and comfy. And of course it had lots of coffee. I estimated we had about 75 people in all come to the party-- it was a nice steady flow the whole time.
Here's the yummy spread I put out:
And the super wonderful Bolingbrook Borders' manager herself came and sold books. Isn't the display pretty?
Here's me and my big brother (he insists that he's my muse. :-) ):
It was great to see so much family and friends (writer friends, neighbors, local friends, high school and college friends, book club friends and more). Here's a great shot of a bunch of the fabulous women from my book club:
And here's me and one of my fave authors and super cool friends, Kristin Walker:
The atmosphere was really great-- lots of chatting, lots of laughing, lots of treats, and lots of coffee of course. And the kids were so, so good too!
The one on the right is one of mine.
You're probably wondering, being The Espressologist Launch party and being in a room with so much coffee, was there any matches? And I'm happy to say that there was!
My littlest, Gavin, met this cutie pie Lily there.
Neither likes wearing shoes, both are fans of the Gerber baby cheetos (Lily shared hers with Gav) and both like a warm milk, hold the coffee. Total match. :-)
As people left I gave out the favors I made:
They are little espresso cups full of chocolate covered espresso beans. Yum.
It was such a super fabulous party and I'll remember it for a long, long time. <3 <3 <3
My release day this past Tuesday was so fantastic! Since it was my birthday also I decided it was going to be a big fun wonderful day. It started bright and early with dropping off tot #1 at school (husband took the day off from work to watch tots #2 through 4) and then a stop at:
You saw that coming didn't you? :-) Yep. I didn't get my regular drink though. Instead I got a celebratory Venti Espresso Truffle. Yum. Then off to:
for a spa day! Oh my, this was HEAVEN.
5 hours of quiet and relaxation! Facial, massage, pedicure, manicure, and makeup. Awesome. I tried the steam room for approximately 13.5 seconds and thought I was going to die though. Do people really like that?!
After my spa day, there was still a little time before I needed to pick up tot #1 so I stopped at the local B&N. And look:
5th row down, 4th from the left. My book!! I just gazed at it with a stupid look until a woman came over and asked if I needed something. I told her that's my book!! She was very nice and asked if I would sign the five that they had. I said of course! And then she put these cute little autographed by author stickers on them:
After I got home with tot #1 we finished off the day with family birthday stuff: dinner, cake, and presents.
Pam Bachorz, author of CANDOR is here to chat today. This book is at the very top of my wish list (aka shopping list next time I go to the bookstore) because it sounds so darn cool.
About the Book:
In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town's founder, Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.
But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant–perfect–through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. And Oscar' s built a business sabotaging his father's scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before they're turned. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks?
Then he meets Nia, the girl he can't stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever. Keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure . . . and more.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: What's your very favorite thing about your book (Certain chap? Scene? Cover?)
PAM: I love my main character--he's an antihero, really, with a smart mouth, dark outlook and some really questionable morals. But I love him like my own child. I know he's actually very lonely and vulnerable. I just want Oscar to be happy! *big mama sniff*
KRISTINA: Where do you do most of your writing? And if you have a picture could you share?
PAM: I do most of my writing in my study, at a little old oak desk we bought at an antiques show in Mount Dora. It's tucked in the upstairs part of our house, carved out of attic space and with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I have a wire that runs from one end to the other that I hang index cards on whilst plotting. Pic here: http://pics.livejournal.com/pambachorz/pic/0000fdp3/
KRISTINA: What's the naughtiest thing you did in high school that you DIDN'T get caught doing (Fess up now!)
PAM: My secrets stay buried deep, deep within me. I mean come on, man, my Mom follows my online life too closely! Although, really, I was a good girl in high school. Not much exciting stuff to report. I think my imagination is too outlandish for me to do much bad stuff; I am all too aware of what the consequences, however unlikely, could be!
KRISTINA: What did you do on the release day of CANDOR?
PAM: I would have loved to be in Florida, since that's where the book is set and it's where I wrote nearly the whole book. But I can say that I did NOT cook dinner, or wash dishes, or any other such daily-life stuff! I reveled!
KRISTINA: What's your favorite coffee drink? (If you don't like coffee, WHY NOT?! Really, what do you like to drink then while you're writing?)
PAM: Decaf iced cafe americano. Because Starbucks does not make decaf iced coffee and we don't have a lot of Dunkin Donuts near our house!
KRISTINA: Thanks so much for stopping by Pam! Good luck with Candor!
I have always wanted a sister. Seriously, I still give my mom crap for not having given me a sister. Sisters look like they have SO much fun. They are the built in best friend right? So I'm curious to check out Lauren Bjorkman's debut book about sisters, My Invented Life.
About My Invented Life
Roz and Eva are sisters, close friends, and fierce rivals. Roz fantasizes about snagging the lead in the school play and sexy skate god Bryan as her boyfriend. Sadly a few obstacles stand between her and her dreams. For one, Eva is the more talented actress. And Bryan happens to be Eva’s boyfriend. But is Eva having a secret love affair with a girl? Enquiring minds need to know.
Roz prides herself on random acts of insanity. In one such act, she invents a girlfriend of her own to encourage Eva to open up. The plan backfires, and Roz finds herself neck deep in her invented life. When Roz meets a mercurial boy with a big problem, she begins to understand the complex feelings beneath the labels. And she gets a second chance to earn Eva’s trust.
My Invented Life is set in a small California high school during rehearsals for a Shakespeare comedy.
Our Interview
KRISTINA: What's your very favorite thing about your book (Certain chap? Scene? Cover?)
LAUREN: My characters. I wish I could hang out with them more!
KRISTINA: Where do you do most of your writing?
LAUREN: In bed. My house is cold a lot of the time. I upgraded to fuzzy sheets recently.
KRISTINA: What's the naughtiest thing you did in high school that you DIDN'T get caught doing (Fess up now!)
LAUREN: I was too good in high school. Ah, the regret. One night I snuck out with three friends and we picked up some visiting track stars from USC who'd come to compete at Stanford. We pretended to college students. Hah! I bet they weren't fooled for a second.
KRISTINA: What did you do on the release day of My Invented Life?
LAUREN: A full on bash!
KRISTINA: What's your favorite coffee drink? (If you don't like coffee, WHY NOT?! Really, what do you like to drink then while you're writing?)
LAUREN: If coffee didn't exist, I couldn't write, and ergo sum, there'd be no book to celebrate. I adore cappuccinos, lightly sweetened, for their lovely foaminess. I have many foam spoons. And my nine year old son can say demitasse in a French accent. I only let him drink decaf for now.
KRISTINA: Another coffee lover! OMG, I think we'd be BFFs if we met! Thanks so much for stopping by Lauren, good luck with your book!
We just got another delivery of stuff for the launch party.
6yr old son: Book stuff again? Me: Yep 6yr old: Isn't your book released yet? Me: Nope. Soon. 6yr old: It's too bad you're just an author. Me: Um...what? 6yr old: Maybe someday you can be an illustrator too. Me: :-) I doubt it. 6yr old: When I grow up I'll be your illustrator for you. Me: Awwwwwww! *slobber with kisses*
Cass McKenna much prefers the company of ghosts over "breathers." Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody... and Cass loves dirt. She's on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.
But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass's whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.
As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim's life, she's surprised to realize he's not so bad--and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it's time to give the living another chance...
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: What's your very favorite thing about your book (Certain chap? Scene? Cover?)?
MEGAN: I have favorite scenes, but most of them are spoilery! I'm very fond of the moment when Cass feels haunted by the sounds of the waves on the lake, even though there aren't any actual ghosts around.
KRISTINA: Where do you do most of your writing? And if you have a picture could you share?
MEGAN: The back third of my bedroom is my writing space--I've got my writing chair, my computer desk, and bookshelves with all my research and YA books. You can see it here.
KRISTINA: What's the naughtiest thing you did in high school that you DIDN'T get caught doing (Fess up now!)
MEGAN: I was pretty stick-to-the-rules in my teens, especially at school. There was a while, though, where my parents felt I was getting too serious with my boyfriend, so they limited my phone time with him to one hour a day. I used to call him on the school payphone during lunch hour to get extra time talking with him that they didn't know about.
KRISTINA: What did you do on the release day of Give up the Ghost?
MEGAN: I stopped by stores I knew had copies in stock and signed books, and went out to dinner with my husband to celebrate.
KRISTINA: What's your favorite coffee drink? (If you don't like coffee, WHY NOT?! Really, what do you like to drink then while you're writing?)
MEGAN: I love Tim Hortons' iced cappuccinos--so good! I'm also fond of their French Vanilla coffee.
KRISTINA: Oooh, haven't heard of Tim Horton's. Must try! Thanks Megan and good luck with your book!
Hi and welcome to my blog! I'm the YA/MG fiction author of The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, Just Your Average Princess, The Paparazzi Project, and Boy Swap. I'm also the mom to four little ones and a coffee fanatic. Find me on twitter @TinaSpringer.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
