Great Things Come in Three’s!
I am believer that great things come in three’s:
The words “I love you.”
Buy-two-get-one-free sales.
The Back-To-The-Future movies.
Taco Supremes in Taco Bell’s value meal.
My kids.
Adding to this list of three-themed favorites is the Stephanie Hale’s terrific “Aspen Brooks” series, for this is the week the third book has been released! Called Spring Break-Up, I am sure it’s going to be every bit as clever and funny as Revenge of the Homecoming Queen and Twisted Sisters.
Here’s the blurb on Spring-Break-Up:
Aspen Brooks trades in sand between her toes for shopping on The Strip when she agrees to go to Las Vegas for spring break with her boyfriend, Rand, her bff, Angel, and Angel’s bf, Lucas. Their hotel is hosting the Miss Teen Queen Pageant and surgically enhanced beauty contestants are everywhere. But when Miss Illinois goes AWOL, it’s up to Aspen to represent her home state and find out what’s really going on. Even if it means putting down the suntan lotion and ignoring Angel’s meltdown over breaking up with Lucas…
I was lucky enough to get my hands on two copies, one for my own pleasure and library, and one to give away in a contest that starts NOW. All you have to do to be entered is to list three of your favorite things in the comments.
Good luck, and check back here at the end of the weekend to see the winner’s name. The contest closes Sunday, March 8th at 7pm EST.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Good luck!
What's Fresh with Carol Lynch Williams's The Chosen One
Hello Carol, thanks so much for joining us. Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale ?
Carol: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. When I was a little girl I wrote plays that my sister and I, or my cousins and I, would perform. Mostly Nana (my maternal grandmother) endured these plays (which once included borrowed music and us dancing around in her nylon nighties). Then, as I got into college, I began writing a collection of short stories. This was in my first creative writing class. Bruce Aufhammer was my teacher and I was a month away from turning 17 and excited to write. He gave me great encouragement.
Still, I didn’t believe in myself as a writer. After I married and began my family, I took a writing class offered by mail. My teacher was Louise Plummer ( a terrific YA writer whose titles include The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmier, A Dance for Three and Finding Daddy) and she encouraged me to find a publisher. I entered a contest at her suggestion, and four months later got a call from Dell. My first book did not win the contest, but Delacorte did publish it. Kelly and Me came out two years later.
Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.
Carol: Hahahahaha! I wish I did something typical. It seems that time slips away so quickly. What I would love is to write four hours a day—producing every minute. What I do is awake before the rest of the family and try to write for an hour or two. Later in the day I try to get back to my computer. Just last night, however, I made a goal to write 750-1250 new words each day. I have a novel to rewrite and get back to my editor, so I want get that finished. Having goals that you work toward is a good idea. Remember, the only way to publish is to actually write.
Please tell us about your latest novel releasing in May and what we can expect from your characters.
Carol: I hope you’re excited to follow Kyra Leigh Carlson as she makes some pretty big decisions. She lives in a polygamist community where everything the prophet says is law. She has a secret boyfriend and she’s found books (any kind of reading material has been banned from the community).
When Kyra gets the news that she will be chosen to marry someone else, she decides to do something few in her sect have the courage to do: she stands up for herself.
The book is called The Chosen One and the publisher is St. Martin’s Press. It comes out any second (May 12, 2009, to be exact!).
Sounds awesome! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.
Carol:I have another book coming out with St. Martin’s that I working on right now. It’s called Lost in Peace. This is the story of Lacey O’Rourke, her mother who is ill, and a dead grandfather who keeps peeking into the family and stirring things up.
Thanks for hanging out with us, Carol! Best of luck with your writing! Would you like to close with a writing tip?
Carol: Hmmmm. One of a writers best teachers, I think, can be books themselves. So you need to read. A lot. All the time. See what’s good out there and study what makes the book good. Get cheap copies of novels you like at used bookstores and write in the margins. Dissect the books. How is the beginning? The rise in tension? Do you see it happening on the page? Make notes—study other successful writers, really think about what you’re reading. I’d also like to say that ‘ly’ words are not your friend. Words like happily, interestingly, funnily. If you’re using this kind of word, it means your verb is weak. So there.
Carol Lynch Williams is the author of more than 20 books for young readers. Her books have garnered several positives nods including being on the Quick Pick list, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, nominated for the PEN Award, winner of the Nebraska Golden Sower Award, IRA Teacher’s Choice book, Selected book for the Social Studies, Top Ten Romance Book for Booklist, Book for the Teen-Age New York Public Library List, Top Ten Barnes and Noble Book and Scholastic Book Pick for Humor.
The Chosen One is grabbing early attention. Here are what a few readers are saying about Williams’ newest novel:
Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked said, “Makes the heart race, the teeth grind, and the brow bead up in sweat.”
Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries said, “A heartbreaking novel of love and hope.”
Terry Young said, “A modern day ‘Romeo and Juliet.’”
Michael Cart said, “Harrowing and hopeful. An important book.”
Let's hear it for Zombies!
Wow, you guys are rockin' for entering Amanda Ashby's Zombie Queen of Newberry High ARC Giveaway! Thanks so much!
Okay, so the lucky reader is...
Erika Lynn
Congrats, Erika Lynn! Please email me through my website and provide me with your mailing address and I will get you the ARC.
Happy Reading!
~kelly
Zombie Blog Bash and a Giveaway!
I just had to share about the fun book I read by author Amanda Ashby--Zombie Queen of Newbury High coming out March 5th!
Here's the blurb:Quiet, unpopular, non-cheerleading Mia is blissfully happy. She is dating super hot football god Rob, and he actually likes her and asked her to prom! Enter Samantha-cheerleading goddess and miss popularity- who starts making a move for Rob. With prom in a few days, Mia needs to act fast. So she turns to her best friend, Candice, and decides to do a love spell on Rob. Unfortunately, she ends up inflicting a zombie virus onto her whole class, making herself their leader! At first she is flattered that everyone is treating her like a queen. But then zombie hunter hottie Chase explains they are actually fattening her up, because in a few days, Mia will be the first course in their new diet. She's sure she and Chase can figure something out, but she suggests that no one wear white to prom, because things could get very messy.
This is what I have to say about it:
"Zombie Queen of Newbury High is where popularity can turn you undead (with an unsettling appetite) and Prom will be a little dangerous this year. Amanda Ashby moves into the YA world with snapping prose and an entertaining high school mix of teen crushes, popularity drama, and a zombie squad. Zombies beware--you'll love to follow the twists and turns of this fresh and fun novel!"
Scottish Food, Anyone?
Watching the Oscars, I was reminded that a few years ago, Morgan Spurlock was up for Best Documentary for his film, SuperSize Me. And while he didn’t win, his film had a profound effect on me, encouraging me to make “healthier choices” in my diet.
In fact, I probably didn’t go to McDonald’s for what my friends and I used to refer to as “Scottish food” (you know, like Chinese and Mexican) for an entire year. Which was a dedicated life change because I had had a serious Filet o’ Fat (uh, Filet o’ Fish) and Orange Hi C addiction.
And when I did return, the trips were few and far between and out of dire necessity.
Until recently.
But it’s not about fish filets or Hi C anymore. It’s about coffee. Iced, hot. Mocha, vanilla. Latte, drip.
Not only are they my idea of delicious, but they’re reasonably priced and (being the ultimate lazy consumer), I can get them in the drive-thru! And sure, yeah, a Filet o’ Fat and small fries sometimes makes its way my bag now, too.
Uh-huh, I’m back. And since “misery loves company,” I have to ask if any of you partake of Scottish food, too. Come on, make me feel better.
Just don’t rat me out to Morgan Spurlock, ‘k?
In Too Deep Giveaway!
What's Fresh with Jennifer Banash's In Too Deep & a GIVEAWAY!!!
I have to tell you how intriguing it is to follow the lives of Casey, Madison, and Drew! I read THE ELITE and was blown away by Jennifer's descriptive voice and each character's deep and complicated issues. Writing multiple point of views is an awesome talent that Jennifer has pulled off with chic style. If you enjoy intrigue, gossip, and the lifestyle of the elite, check out this tantalizing series.
Hello Jennifer, it's great to have you back! Please tell us about your latest novel.
Jennifer: My latest novel, IN TOO DEEP, is the sequel to THE ELITE, and was just released last month from Berkley Jam! A little about IN TOO DEEP:
If you don’t belong here— you just don’t belong...
The Bramford building’s newest resident and small-town transplant Casey McCloy is adapting to life in the Big Apple and loving it. She’s got the look, the attitude, and a delish new boyfriend, Drew Van Allen. But she’s starting to have second thoughts as to whether the “New York” Casey is the real Casey. And she’s not so sure she likes herself much anymore. She’s not the only one.
Madison Macallister has always had her Manolo Blahniks firmly planted on the top rung of the social ladder—until that corn-fed cow Casey stole Drew away from her and made her look the fool. So what if Madison wasn’t exactly dating Drew at the time? She wanted him. And everyone knows that Madison gets what she wants, like Drew—and a little revenge.
Could you share a bit about the main characters of your book and what makes them unique?
IN TOO DEEP--like all of the books in THE ELITE series, switches off between characters, so there really is no "main" character in the series, which is what I think makes the series a bit unique. The story does revolve around Casey McCloy, who moves from Normal, Illinois to NYC to live with her grandmother for a year in the most lxurious apartment building on the Upper East Side, but all of the characters have their say!
So fun! How did the idea for this novel come about?
Jennifer: IN TOO DEEP is the latest novel in the ELITE series, and it picks up right where THE ELITE leaves off. Without telling you TOO much, all I can say is that the plot revolves around reality TV, and a fantastic sweet sixteen party that makes the ones featured on MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen look cheap :) I was obsessed with reality TV when I was structuring IN TOO DEEP, and since the girls eventually get their own reality show, I wanted to make the structure and plot of the book itself as much like a reality show as I could.
What do you hope readers will gain from reading this novel?
Jennifer: I hope it functions, first and foremost, as an escape! I know that escapism is half of the reason that I, personally, like to read! But the characters also have real problems--infidelity, cutting, adoption, etc, which I think makes the series interesting. My characters may look perfect on the outside, but their lives are far from it.
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer! Would you like to close with a novel you highly recommend and why?
Jennifer: I really love Megan Kelly Hall's SISTERS OF MISERY. It's the one novel I read last year that I wished I'd written myself! The characters Kelly Hall has created are simply masterful. And it's scary!
Jennifer Banash grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is the author of HOLLYWOODLAND: AN AMERICAN FAIRY TALE and The Elite series. She divides her time between Paris and the Midwest—where she lives with her vast designer shoe collection and her beagle puppy, Sigmund. Visit her website, www.theelitebooks.com/.
Jennifer is being totally awesome and giving away a copy of IN TOO DEEP! Leave a comment and be entered for a chance to win--winner will be posted Sunday--I mean Monday! (haha)
Bradford Bash!
I would like to point you to Micol Ostow's Bradford Blog, where she's hosting a blog bash for the release of her new Bradford series...
Micol kicks off the series with Golden Girl available now! Read an excerpt here.
Micol's got it all on her Bradford site:
The Bradford Tweets
Bradford Blogs & Myspaces
Author Vids
Book Trailers
I'd say Micol knows how to launch a series!
I wouldn't miss this party. Check out my interview with a chance to win Invisible Touch. :) :)
And for your viewing pleasure...a book vid for Golden Girl!
How Cute Is This?
Have an idea what is it or what it says?
It's the Indonesian version of Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, published by Atria! They did a darling job with it, didn't they?
Here's the bookmark that was sent, too: 
Many thanks to Atria for giving it such beautiful packaging, and my fingers are crossed that some of their readers find their way here to join us!
