I've gotten in this habit of reviewing my yearly writing life each New Year's Eve and now that all four of my sick kiddos are in bed and there are still two hours until the ball drops, now is the time. :-)
In JANUARY, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS was named a 2012 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, which was way way cool! My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours is still in Scholastic Book Fairs (love, love, love the fairs!) and will also be released from the publisher in paperback form in 2014.
In FEBRUARY, the Indonesian version of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST came out and I got so much love from my readers there. Check out the cute cover:
In MARCH, the Korean version of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST released.
I also was a feature speaker at the 2012 IRC Conference held in Springfield, IL. Wow, that was like the best author event I've ever done-- so so amazing! I blogged about it here.
In JULY, I was feeling the effects of all the highs and lows of the writer's life and blogged about it over at Author2Author.
In AUGUST and SEPTEMBER I was trying hard to get back into a good writing schedule with the kids back at school. And I announced my ebook coming out in December, THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT.
In OCTOBER the Czech version of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST came out.
I also attended the Illinois Library Association Conference in Peoria, IL.
In NOVEMBER, I attended my first ever SCBWI-IL writing conference. It was actually my first time as a conference goer and not on a panel or signing or speaking. It was super informative and fun and I'm looking forward to next year's.
And this month, DECEMBER, was especially busy in that Vuguru exercised their option and purchased THE ESPRESSOLOGIST! I can't tell you how excited I am to see the characters from my book come to life. THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT also released just two weeks ago for kindle ($3.99)! One early reviewer said, "With a unique plot and a rollercoaster ride of high school 'drama' throughout, Springer creates a world where one ends up both angry and in love with the protagonist, Livvie. As with her previous novels, she delivers a page-turning story so charming and sharp-witted that you don't even realize you learned a lesson!"
It's been a fun, full year and I'm looking forward to more adventures in writing in 2013. Happy New Year and may you have a fun-filled productive year! And keep reading! :-)
Laurie
Faria Stolarz’s new book, Deadly Little Lessons is out!
About the Book:
Camelia Hammond's trying junior year of high school is
finally over...but her troubles aren't. After she discovers a painful truth
about her family, she escapes to a summer arts program in Rhode Island.
Determined to put family - and boyfriend - drama behind her, she throws herself
into her artwork.
At the arts school, she gets caught up in the case of
Sasha Beckerman, a local girl who is missing. Even though all signs suggest
that the teen ran away, Camelia senses otherwise. Eager to help the girl, she
launches her own investigation. Meanwhile, Camelia realizes how much she misses
Ben, despite being committed to Adam.
But time is running out for Sasha, and Camelia will
have to trust her powers if she's to save her. Will the lessons Camelia has
learned in the past give her the strength to do so?Show MoreShow Less
Laurie
Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly
Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies,
Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series.
Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack
College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston.
For more information, please visit her Web site at www.lauriestolarz.com.
Favorite snack:Popcorn with Earth Balance butter and lemon/pepper
seasoning. Touristy Trip: Paris. Fashion addiction (at the moment): artfully
torn jeans, tall boots, pretty scarves, and Michael Stars tees.
Dessert: Dark chocolate in almost any form - the darker the
better. Fast food: French fries at least
once every few months (with lots of ketchup). Beauty Binge: Aveda haircare
products, which includes indulging in high-and/or-low-lights every eight weeks.
Also, Caudalie skincare, Ineke perfume (Field Notes from Paris), Revitalash mascara,
and Buxom Lips from Bare Escentuals. Late-Night TV: Real Housewives of
(wherever). Chick Flick: Never Been Kissed, How
to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Juno, Green Card, Once, The Devil Wears Prada,
Bridget Jones Diary, Thelma & Louise, Mean Girls, Moonstruck, Clueless,
Under the Tuscan Sun, and anything with John Cusack. Nightlife: Pilates in front of the
TV (a regular occurrence), answering e-mail (also regular), and dinner and/or a
movie out with friends (happens far too rarely). Cheap Thrill: Window-shopping,
tabloid magazines, buying a new lip gloss, a tall cup of coffee from Starbucks.
Ultimate Splurge: G2O Day Spa for a
massage.
And check
out her contest:
Karma Chameleon Contest
In celebration of the release of
DEADLY LITTLE LESSONS, I'm so excited to announce the launch of a brand new
contest. I'm calling it Karma Chameleon
- yes, after the Boy George song from the '80's (in case any of you have heard
of it; if not, you can YouTube it for fun).
I'm naming it that, not because of Boy George or his song, but because
the contest is all about karma - good
karma that is, and the spreading of it, and
because, five books later, I thought it'd be the perfect time to celebrate
Camelia from the Touch series (recall that Camelia's real name is Chameleon).
The
contest is all about giving and getting - hence the karma part. As many of you know, the law of karma, in its
simplest definition, is that whatever you put out to the world - energy or
otherwise, good or bad - comes back to you.
And so, in the spirit of good
karma, let's spread some goodness. I
want to encourage readers to do a good deed, i.e. organize a fundraiser or food
drive, volunteer to tutor or teach something, visit the elderly or a children's
hospital. All good-karma submissions
will be entered into a drawing to win autographed copies of some of my Touch
series books. I'll be sharing the most inspiring stories on my website and
Facebook, and I'll Tweet about them as well (with your permission, of
course). For more information, see the
official guidelines and rules on my web site:
http://www.lauriestolarz.com/news.html
And if you don't have a kindle, don't worry. You can download the free kindle app from the app store on your phone or iPad. And if you don't have either of those you can still download the app for free on your PC. Instructions here.
The Paparazzi Project was one of my very favorite books to write and I hope you enjoy it! Check out my release week contest below to win a great prize pack: A $25 Amazon gift card plus a copy of all my books plus bookmarks and stickers. Enter below and thanks for checking out The Paparazzi Project!
You guys remember when I announced that Vuguru had purchased the film option for The Espressologist? This morning I got the news that they were exercising their option! Wheeee!
What does that mean? Well, books can be optioned by a production company and they hold the rights for a period of time (usually 1-3 years). During this time they figure out if they can make the project work. Like, secure funding, attach actors, producers etc. This guy explains the process pretty well. Some books get optioned again and again and nothing ever comes of it. Companies can't produce every book they option. But if they're ready to move forward with a book they'll take the next step and buy the rights.
And that just happened for Espressologist!
I'm so, so happy! This thing is really going to happen! I can't wait to see the characters from my first book come to life. Totally over the moon today!
So, I feel like doing a giveaway. :-) I'll be doing another one next week when Paparazzi Project comes out (did you mark it on Goodreads yet?) so please don't think I'm a nag for the next two weeks telling you to enter and win stuff. :-) Enter below to win a coffee date with The Espressologist (a signed copy of The Espressologist plus $5 Starcbucks giftcard). And hey, for this contest, there will be FIVE WINNERS!
I just love Eileen Cook’s books and she has a new one coming out
December 4th! Check it out:
Book Summary:
From the author of Unraveling Isobel and The Education of Hailey
Kendrick, a smart, romantic novel about a teenage con artist who might be in
over her head.
Sadie can’t wait to get away from her backwards small town, her
delusional mom, her jailbird dad, and the tiny trailer where she was
raised…even though leaving those things behind also means leaving Brendan.
Sadie wants a better life, and she has been working steadily toward it, one con
at a time.
But when Sadie’s mother wipes out Sadie’s savings, her escape plan is
suddenly gone. She needs to come up with a lot of cash—and fast—or she’ll be
stuck in this town forever.
With Brendan’s help, she devises a plan—the ultimate con—to get the
money. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own
hoax…and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she
wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her
future at stake and her heart on the line, suddenly it seems like she has a lot
more than just money to lose....
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: How did you get the idea for THE ALMOST
TRUTH?
EILEEN: Most often book ideas come to me as a collection of unrelated
things. A bit of an idea here, another piece there, until it sticks together as
one idea. This process can take months
or years. This is one of the few books where I can remember the exact second I
had the idea. I was on the ferry and saw
a missing child poster. At the bottom
there was an age-enhanced photo so you could see what the person might look
like now. I had the thought "How weird would it be if I looked like the age
enhanced photo?" In that instant
the idea of the book dropped into my head. I ran back to my seat and wrote it
down as fast as I could. I spent another
week thinking over some different details, but I started writing almost right
away.
KRISTINA: If
your book was made into a movie, who would star as your main character?
EILEEN: I’m terrible at this! I always want to cast actors who died
years ago or else I can’t remember their names. I think I would have them cast
all unknown actors- that way I won’t have any preconceived ideas. However, I’m open for them putting Colin
Firth in the movie just so I can meet him.
KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your
characters?
EILEEN: I search baby books that list names along with what the names
mean. Sometimes a name pops out right away and just feels right. Other times it
takes a long search. I have a hard time starting the book until I know the main
character’s name.
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow
you?
EILEEN: Yes, please! My twitter name is
Eileenwriter
KRISTINA: What
are you working on now?
EILEEN: I am working on a new YA which is currently being called LOST
TO BE FOUND, but stay tuned the title may change. It’s about a girl named Avery
who decides to search for her birth mom as part of her senior project, but ends
up finding out more about herself than she expected.
Praise for
Eileen Cook’s books:
".. enormously appealing and great company throughout this breezy
read.....the highest quality—like a gourmet truffle. Cook has whipped up a real
treat." - Kirkus Starred Review
"Thrilling and creepy, super sexy, and so very hilarious." -
Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the Wake trilogy
"Sassy and sly and sweet all at the same time, this book made me
laugh out loud." - Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Airhead
About Eileen
Cook:
Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in
eight different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were
someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Her latest release, Unraveling Isobel came
out in Jan 2012. You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that
strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen
lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be
anyone or anywhere else.
Thank you for having me on your blog today.
I'm truly honored to be here with all of you!
How many people do you know that make jokes
about their GPS device or even talk to it?
Nearly everyone, right?
GPS devices know where you are and how fast you
are driving. Who says that, in the near future, they won't be able to know who you
look at and what you say.
These thoughts form the basis of my new
release, GPS WITH BENEFITS, in which a womanizer purchases a new GPS device,
not knowing that it has a mind of 'her' own.
"The inspiration for GPS WITH BENEFITS
came to me when I was in the car with a friend," Vanessa says. "We
made jokes about the GPS device and imagined what it would be like if the GPS
was actually aware of what the driver was thinking. I immediately knew that
these ideas could be turned into a hilarious story."
I won't reveal more, but GPS WITH BENEFITS has
some twists and turns that you won't see coming and that will have you laughing
out loud.
Your
turn... What's the weirdest or funniest thing a GPS has ever done to you?
By
the way, if you leave a comment on this post, you'll automatically be entered
to win an Amazon Gift Card of $25.
About the author:
Vanessa Morgan is known as the 'female version
of Stephen King'. Her screenplays, A GOOD MAN and GPS WITH BENEFITS, are
currently being turned into movies. She is also the author of the books DROWNED
SORROW and THE STRANGERS OUTSIDE. If she's not working on her latest
supernatural thriller, you can find her reading, watching horror movies,
blogging, digging through flea markets or indulging in her unhealthy obsession
to her cat. She writes in English, Dutch and French.
About her latest release, GPS WITH BENEFITS
In GPS WITH BENEFTIS, a womanizer purchases a
new GPS device, not knowing it's one with a mind of 'her' own.
Kelly Parra is stopping by the blog tonight with an anthology she is in called, SOMETHING WICKED.
About the Book:
Sometimes, they aren't costumes.
They’re baaaack.
More nightmares brought to you by the authors of the young adult anthology Prom Dates to Die For...
Beware the Midnight Troll on your late-night stroll by Mari Hestekin. Swim at your own risk Under Loch and Cay by Jenny Peterson. A curse of spiders on campus means Arach War by Lena Brown. Through a Glass Darkly one could lose a soul by Heather Dearly. Supernatural Hunters turn to the sea in Mermania by Kelly Parra. Social media goes to the ghouls in Spectral Media by Aaron Smith.
Don’t miss this paranormal fun for tween, teens and adults!
Kelly Parra’s short story “Mermania” continues Teen Supernatural Hunters Jaz and Blake’s paranormal adventures. The duo debuted in “Darkness Becomes Him” in the young adult anthology PROM DATES TO DIE FOR as they battled a soul hungry dark angel. In SOMETHING WICKED a merman entrances Jaz and it’s up to her and Blake to rush against time before Jaz grows her own tail by the full moon!
Our Interview: KRISTINA: How did you get the idea for title of your story “Mermania” in SOMETHING WICKED?
KELLY: Hi Kristina, thanks for having me! So I’m not very great at titles. Buzz Books named the anthology and both my short stories that I’ve contributed to them. The first "Darkness Becomes Him" in PROM DATES TO DIE FOR, and "Mermania" in SOMETHING WICKED. I’ve totally loved both outcomes.
KRISTINA: Would you ever try writing in another genre?
KELLY: Yes! I certainly love writing adult romance as well under Kelly Lynn Parra.
KRISTINA: Who is (or who are) the Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl?
KELLY: I absolutely love Rachel Caine and her Morganville Vampire series. Her novels are filled with characters to root for and page-turning suspense.
KRISTINA: Do you prefer reading on an ereader or book in hand?
KELLY: I’ve always loved paperbacks. Hardcovers are too bulky to read in bed so I’m also a fan of ereaders KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?
KELLY: Yep, my twitter is kparra. And I’d love for readers to stop by my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/authorkellyparra
KRISTINA: What are you working on now?
KELLY: I’m working on an adult romance and my next young adult novel, and since I love short stories, a collection is in the works. :)
About the Author:
Kelly Parra’s earliest stories were told with paintbrushes, but upon discovering the drama and forbidden love of romance and suspense novels, those paintbrushes were replaced with a keyboard. Now a multi-published author in young adult and romance fiction, she has created memorable characters such as a graffiti artist in Graffiti Girl, a psychic teen in Invisible Touch, and a tough undercover narc in her novel for adults, Criminal Instinct. A two-time RITA finalist, she divides her time between her novels, short fiction, and the adventures of motherhood, where she juggles her home life with two children, a tattooed husband, a sweet poodle, and a rowdy pit bull. Visit her website www.KellyParra.com.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kparra
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkellyparra
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Parra/e/B001JRXHUI/
Thanks for stopping by my blog during the I Am a Reader, Not a Writer's/vvb32reads' Jane Austen Giveaway Hop!
If you're new to me and my books I'm a young adult/middle grade author and I write mostly fun, light, contemporary books. My newest YA, THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT, will be released on December 15th of this year. For this blog hop, I'm giving away my YA book inspired by Emma, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, (shipping in the US only).
About the Book:
What's your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you're lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it's a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it's not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane's Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She's the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?
With overtones of Jane Austen's Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.
--
And if you want a chance to win even more books inspired by Jane Austen, follow the list below my Rafflecopter form to go to other great websites on the blog hop!
Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaway!
Yay! It's Cover Reveal Day! Here it is, THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT:
Isn't it awesome? You can read more about The Paparazzi Project (and mark it to-read!) on Goodreads. The book will be released in kindle format on December 15th of this year. To celebrate I'm giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky winner. You'll also get an eARC of THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT as soon as it becomes available! And of course, signed bookmarks and stickers. Enter the rafflecopter below and thanks for celebrating my cover reveal!
Mindi Scott is visiting the blog with her new book, LIVE THROUGH THIS.
About the book:
From
the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that
means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance
team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush
Reece helps distract her. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a
mom and stepdad who would stop at nothing to keep her siblings and her happy.
But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t
admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own
carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt
over a relationship that crossed the line. Now that Coley has the chance at her
first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling.
In this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel,
Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an every girl
living a nightmare that no one would suspect.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: If your book was made into a movie, who would
star as your main character?
MINDI: A very pretty blond
girl with an athletic/slender build, who can pass as age 16. I haven’t seen a
specific actor who would make a good match, but surely one has to exist!
KRISTINA: Lots of them! Have you ever based one of your
characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did they
react?
MINDI:
One of the villainous characters in my first book was inspired by a villainous
person whom I knew in high school. When I first started the draft, the
similarities were pretty obvious, but critique partners found that character
too unbelievable (ha!). I changed things so much that no one would recognize
who originally inspired the character.
KRISTINA: That was a good idea! What is the weirdest comment
you’ve received from a fan?
MINDIN:
OH, MY! I’ve had girls and women ask me some really, um, private and detailed
questions about the, er, private parts of Seth from my first novel,Freefall. (Do other writers get
asked questions of this sort about their male characters? Just curious!)
KRISTINA: I never have! What are the last five young
adult books you read?
MINDI:Please Ignore Vera Dietzby A.S. King,Something Like Normalby Trish Dollar,Invincible Summerby Hannah Moskovitch, andWe’ll Always Have SummerandIt’s
Not Summer Without Youby
Jenny Han.
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow
you?
MINDI:
Yes! @mindi_scott
About the author:
Mindi Scott is the author of Live Through This and Freefall. She lives near Seattle,
Washington, with her drummer husband. Please visit her online at
mindiscott.com.
I haven't been home for the last week. I've been busily having a great time on a road trip first to visit family that live up on this really cool mountain in West Virginia.
And like most writers, I'm always taking mental notes of places, people, situations and thinking about how I can fit them into a book. Take our first night in D.C. We could have driven into D.C. and parked in a parking garage. But someone told us no, take the metro, it's the best way to travel. So we took a shuttle from our hotel, to the metro. Had problems figuring out how to get tickets and whatnot but finally did. And got all 6 of us to the White House in once piece, though we spent about $30 doing it when there was a nice big parking garage with a sign that said $9 all day parking available. :-)
We walked and walked and walked until we were exhausted. The littlest in our group being 4 and having walked his little legs off. At the end of the night, we realized we were at least a mile either direction away from a metro stop. Crap. We picked a direction (over the Arlington Bridge to the Arlington Cemetery stop) and started walking. We had to stop to sit down three times in that mile because everyone was so tired. When we finally got there we found that the metro stop was closed! There were no signs anywhere saying that this stop would be closed. It was a new thing as of October 1st. And now we were two miles away from the next stop. We were getting really worried as the hotel shuttle driver warned us his last pickup was at 10:45 so we had to call him before then and it was about 9:15-9:30. And we were stuck on an empty road with 4 kids.
We tried for a half an hour to hail a cab. No one would stop. I guess because there were 6 of us. I finally called the hotel and told them our situation and they gave me a number for a cab company. My husband called and when they said we'd need two cabs he got mad and hung up on them. And I started crying. Our situation was really sucking. By some luck, a taxi driver finally stopped for us and I squished all 4 kids in the backseat with me. We didn't care what it cost, we just wanted to get back to the hotel. Only the driver wouldn't drive us all the way to Alexandria. He said he could drop us off at the airport. We agreed. There was no way we were getting back out of that taxi. So now it's 10 something and we're running through the airport trying to figure out where the metro is. We find it, pay another $20 for tickets and catch a train. And we caught the last shuttle to the hotel too.
My husband was upset at what a mess it was trying to get back to the hotel but I was cracking up. How crazy was it that we walked to a closed stop, got stuck on the side of the road, caught a ride to the airport just to catch a train, to catch a shuttle? Spending hours on travel and almost $100 just to get from the hotel to the National Mall and back? When we could have drove and spent $9 on parking?
I've got to use this in a book some day, right? And then I can write it off. :-)
It’s
been awhile since I’ve had a touring girlfriend! Gretchen McNeil is here to
talk about her super intriguing looking book, TEN.
About TEN:
And
their doom comes swiftly.
It
was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – three days on Henry Island at
an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own
reasons for wanting to be there, both of which involve Kamiak High’s most
eligible bachelor, T.J. Fletcher. But what starts out as a fun-filled weekend
turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message:
Vengeance is mine.
Suddenly,
people are dying and the teens are cut off from the outside world. No
electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return
for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each
other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer
to her than she could ever imagine?
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: How did you get the
idea for (title of book)?
GRETCHEN:
TEN is an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, originally
titled Ten Little Indians.
KRISTINA: If your book was made
into a movie, who would star as your main character?
GRETCHEN:
Not sure about Meg, but I’d love to see her best friend Minnie portrayed by
Elle Fanning.
KRISTINA: How much time do you
spend on marketing your book? Is there one specific type of marketing that you
find works best for you?
GRETCHEN:
TONS of time. Currently, I'm running a
grass roots campaign called The Army of Ten (http://armyoften.blogspot.com)
where fans can win prizes for helping me with promotion. Grand prize includes getting their name in
the Acknowledgments of my next book!
KRSTINA: Would you ever try
writing in another genre?
GRETCHEN:
I'd love to write adult horror. Slight
difference, I know, but oh, the things I could do…
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow
you?
GRETCHEN:
Oh yes! @GretchenMcNeil!
KRISTINA: What are you working on now?
GRETCHEN:
My next book is called 3:59 and comes out Fall 2013. It's sci-fi horror about two girls who are
the same girl in different dimensions, who discover that their worlds connect
every twelve hours – at 3:59 – for one minute.
When they decide to switch places for a day, all hell breaks loose.
Literally.
After
that I just sold a two book series, also to Balzer + Bray, for 2014 and
2015. GET EVEN and GET DIRTY are books
one and two in the Don't Get Mad series about four very different girls who
have formed a secret revenge society, getting back at bullies and mean girls
who have terrorized their classmates, which all goes well until one of their
targets turns up dead and the society is implicated in the death.
KRISTINA: They all sound
fantastic Gretchen! Good luck to you with TEN! And if you guys want to pick up
a copy of TEN you can find it here. And be sure to leave Gretchen a review on Amazon and Goodreads!
About the Author:
Gretchen
McNeil is an opera singer, writer and clown.
Her YA horror POSSESS debuted with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins in
2011. Her follow up TEN – YA
horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer
– will be released September 18, 2012, and her third novel 3:59, sci fi
doppelganger horror is scheduled for Fall 2013.
Gretchen's new YA contemporary series Don't Get Mad (Revenge meets The
Breakfast Club) begins Fall 2014 with GET EVEN, followed by the sequel GET
DIRTY in 2015, also with Bazler + Bray.
Gretchen
is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she
sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. Gretchen blogs with The Enchanted Inkpot and
is a founding member of the vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as
"Monday."
I'm so excited to share some news! My young adult contemporary book, THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT, will be coming out in kindle format on December 15th!
Here's the book summary:
Livvie Peterson thought taking Interpersonal Communications her junior year would be an easy A. But when the first assignment is given, her world flips upside down. Here’s the deal: the class is assigned a six-week project and is split into three groups— Paparazzi, Tabloid, and Celebrities. The Paparazzi follow around the Celebrities taking pictures and grabbing any kind of quotes they can. The Celebrities try to navigate being tailed on a daily basis. And the Tabloid receives all the information collected by the Paparazzi and decides what makes the weekly summary report. Sounds harmless…and it’s all just pretend anyway, right?
Livvie is assigned as Paparazzi and when she is matched up with the über-cute Chas Montgomery as her Tabloid boss she’s pretty sure things couldn’t get much better. Livvie’s uncanny ability to capture the Celebrities in compromising photos matched with Chas’s skill of exaggerating captions and editing the photos make them an unstoppable team. And the long hours working side by side with Chas aren’t a bad bonus.
Livvie simultaneously launches an anonymous blog, leaking the class’ photos and stories on the Internet. Her rising follower number quickly becomes addicting and she possibly spills too much information online. Once she finds her own celebrity will she be able to give it back? And will Chas be gone before she ever has the chance to find out?
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I'm SO excited for this book to be out in the world! Stay tuned for the cover reveal on October 15th.
And p.s., if you don't have a kindle but have an iPad or iPhone, download the free kindle app. That's how I do my reading. :-)
Jamie Edwards has loved growing up on her family's pumpkin patch in Average, IL, and she's always dreamed of one day being the town's Pumpkin Princess at the annual Pumpkin Festival. But when her rich and famous cousin, Milan Woods, comes to town and changes everything, Jamie knows she has to expose Milan for who she really is and teach her that life's not all pumpkins and apple butter at the patch.
Enjoy it with a latte at your favorite coffee shop! :-)
Thanks for stopping by my blog during the I Am a Reader, Not a Writer's "Reading Clean Giveaway" Blog Hop!
If you're new to me and my books I'm a young adult/middle grade author and I have three books with Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. My first YA,THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, has sold in six countries, was a 2010 Society of School Librarians International Honor Book, and has been optioned for film. My Middle-Grade novel, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS, was a Scholastic Book Club Bestseller and a 2012 YALSA QUICK PICK. And my most recent YA novel, JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS, is a perfect Fall read as it's about a girl who has spent her whole life on her family's awesome pumpkin patch. And that's the book I'm giving away in this hop (shipping in the US only).
All my books are very clean and you can share with anyone from your fifth grader to your neighbor.
And if you want a chance to win even more great stuff, follow the list below my Rafflecopter form to go to other great websites on the blog hop!
This week's visiting girlfriend is Elise Allen with the newly released version of POPULAZZI.
About the Book:
WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you had the chance to erase your past
and reinvent yourself as the person you’ve always wanted to be? Would you grab
it? Would you stick with it, no matter what the consequences?
Cara Leonard always wished she could be one of those girls:
confident, self-possessed, and never at a loss for the perfect thing to say.
One of the Populazzi.
It always seemed impossible… but now could be her chance.
When Cara moves to a new school just before junior year, her
best friend urges her to seize the opportunity and change her life… with the
help of The Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms herself
into the perfect girlfriend for guys higher and higher on the Popularity Tower,
she can reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi, the most popular girl in
school.
The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment — a
straight climb up — but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when
everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a
chance of setting things even a little bit right.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: Have you ever based one of
your characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did
they react?
Elise: Trista’s dog in the book is my dog Riley. He’s described to a tee, and even has Riley’s
name. Riley did find out, and he has
demanded a share of the royalties, paid in chicken.
KRISTINA: Would you ever try writing
in another genre?
ELISE: Yes… and I have!
I’ve written for prime-time sitcoms, an MTV soap opera, preschool TV,
Barbie DVD movies… and in the book world I’ve written a non-fiction travel
guide and an early reader book series. I
really enjoy writing in a variety of genres – keeps things interesting.
KRISTINA: Who is (or who are) the
Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl?
ELISE: Laurie Halse Anderson. I reached out to her for an interview when I
was blogging with The Debutante Ball, and when I got an email reply from her
assistant I startedshaking. I have some
major worship issues there.
KRISTINA: What are the last five
young adult books you read?
ELISE: I’m bad with chronology, but I can tell you five that
I’ve read recently, loved, and highly recommend:
Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where
can we follow you?
ELISE: Yes! You can
follow me @EliseLAllen.
KRISTINA: Do you prefer reading on
an ereader or book in hand?
ELISE: I prefer a book in hand, but I always need to have at
least one book at the ready on my iPad and/or phone so I’m never without
something to read.
About the Author:
After starting her career in television, ELISE ALLEN has
emerged as a vibrant new voice in teen fiction. She is the co-author of Hilary
Duff's New York Times Bestseller Elixir, as well as its sequels, Devoted and
True. She received an Emmy nomination for her work on the PBS show Dinosaur
Train, and fulfilled a lifelong dream when she wrote for the Muppets. She lives
in Los Angeles, where she indulges her inexplicable desire to run marathons.
Visit her at www.eliseallen. com, or on Twitter @EliseLAllen.
It's back to school time and if you're a parent you're running from store to store trying to get everything on the school supply list. Well, I have a back to school list for you writers. You must get (okay, look at and ooh and ah over it like me) everything on this list:
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.
