Written In Lipstick

Gift Card Giveaway

2011-11-15T14:10:00.005-05:00

Check out this fun giveaway on Natalie Zaman's blog: Whose Shoes Are Whose? I was with Natalie this past Saturday for YA-Palooza in Clinton, NJ... and my shoes make an appearance in her giveaway contest. I would post pictures from the event, but will have to wait until Natalie's giveaway is over (11/25/11) so that the answers aren't given away. Natalie is giving away a $100 gift card to Clinton Bookshop in Clinton, NJ. What a fab prize!!! Click the link above & enter! Good luck!

YA-Palooza!

2011-11-11T21:20:00.018-05:00

Come see me, Alissa Grosso, Charlotte Bennardo, Natalie Zaman, Kathy McCullough and Kristi Cook tomorrow (11/12/11) from 1 pm to 3 pm at the Clinton Bookshop in Clinton, NJ (12 East Main St, Clinton, New Jersey 08809-1410 - 908-735-8811). There will be pizza, sweets, giveaways, prizes, book signings, reading... and lots of FUN! See all of the event details HERE.

Neshaminy Event Pictures

2011-10-24T21:47:00.022-04:00

I participated in another group author signing this past Saturday (10/22) at the Neshaminy Mall Barnes & Noble in Bensalem, PA with the KidLit Authors Club. Here are some pictures from the event:

Front Row L to R: Alissa Grosso, Amy Holder, Jennifer R. Hubbard, Keri Mikulski
Back Row L to R: Cyn Balog, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Cynthia Chapman Willis

Authors Nancy Viau & Alison Ashley Formento

Keri Mikulski and Amy Holder (me!)

L to R: Amy Holder, Jennifer R Hubbard, Nancy Viau, Alison Ashley Formento, Cyn Balog, Alissa Grosso, Ellen Jensen Abbott

Neshaminy Mall Event

2011-10-21T13:27:00.009-04:00

Do you live near Bensalem, PA? If so, the Barnes & Noble at the Neshaminy Mall will be hosting me and eight other KidLit Authors tomorrow (October 22nd from 1 to 4 pm) for a big signing event. We would love to meet you!!

Participating Authors:
Ellen Jensen Abbott
Cyn Balog
Alison Ashley Formento
Alissa Grosso
Amy Holder (me!)
Jennifer R. Hubbard
Keri Mikulski
Nancy Viau
Cynthia Chapman Willis

Store events page details HERE

Store address & phone: 300 Neshaminy Mall, Bensalem, PA 19020, 215-364-4235

More Event Pictures...

2011-10-09T09:35:00.059-04:00

I've been keeping busy so far this fall with many fun signing and book festival events. I'm sharing some pictures from the last two that I participated in below:

Collingswood Book Festival - 10/1/2011

KidLit Authors Club YA Tent

L to R: Alissa Grosso, Keri Mikulski, Amy Holder (me!), Ellen Jensen Abbott, Cyn Balog

L to R: Ann Malaspina, Toni De Palma, Cynthia Chapman Willis, Irene Breznak, Alison Ashley Formento, Timothy Young

Authors Alissa Grosso & Keri Mikulski

Authors Ellen Jensen Abbott & Cyn Balog

Authors Margie Gelbwasser & Jennifer R. Hubbard

Authors Irene Breznak & Alison Ashley Formento

Author & Illustrator Timothy Young

Author Nancy Viau talking with young readers

KidLit Tent

Doylestown Bookshop Event - 9/23/2011

Doylestown Event Announcement

Doylestown Bookshop Shelf Display

Doylestown Bookshop Shelf Display #2

L to R: Cyn Balog, Alissa Grosso, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Jennifer R. Hubbard, Amy Holder (me!)

L to R: Amy Holder (me!), Alissa Grosso, Jennifer R. Hubbard, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Cyn Balog

That's it for now... Please check my News & Reviews page for more upcoming events. I'd love to meet you! :)

Book Birthdays Galore!

2011-09-27T19:01:00.043-04:00

Some big Happy Book Birthday wishes are in order! Yay! Today is the release day of three very special Class of 2k11 books:

THE FAERIE RING by Kiki Hamilton
The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

THE MEPHISTO CEVENANT: THE REDEMPTION OF AJAX by Trinity Faegen
Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE by Tess Hilmo
When Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial.

Find a Home for Padfoot!

2011-09-26T22:17:00.055-04:00

If you follow my blog or have checked out my author site, you most likely know that I'm a huge animal lover. I came across an article about a very special dog who's up for adoption that I couldn't help but mention on my blog. Berry, the dog that played Padfoot (Sirius Black's animagus) in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is up for adoption in Britain. Here's a picture of the adorable guy below:

Let's all let out a collective "awwwww!" for this cutie...

If interested, please read the full story HERE.

I'm pretty confident that this movie star will probably be adopted rather quickly (thankfully), but I just wanted to take a moment to give a shout-out to all the amazing animals who are up for adoption and in need of homes at your local shelters. I myself have two dogs that I adopted five and six years ago. They are my buddies and I couldn't picture life without them. If you're thinking of getting a pet, please consider saving a life by adopting one. You won't be sorry, and your new furry friend will be forever grateful.

Now, let's send some magical thoughts Berry/Padfoot's way to help him find the perfect furever family!

Teen Night at the Doylestown Bookshop!

2011-09-23T12:40:00.009-04:00

Come see me and YA authors Cyn Balog, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Alissa Grosso and Jennifer R. Hubbard for a group signing and teen night at the Doylestown Bookshop (16 S Main St Doylestown Pennsylvania 18901) tonight (September 23)! The event will be from 7 to 9 pm. For full details, please check out the event page on the Doylestown Bookshop's website HERE

Warwick Book Festival 2011

2011-09-19T16:00:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, I participated in the Warwick Children's Book Festival. It was an amazing event in Warwick, NY that was put on by the Albert Wisner Public Library. There were close to 50 other YA, MG and/or PB authors participating with me. The day was filled with fun, book signings, mingling with authors, and advocating literacy and reading. I was able to take some pictures before the event started, so I thought I'd share some of them on my blog!

YA author Alissa Grosso (POPULAR)

YA author Ellen Jensen Abbott (WATERSMEET)

YA author Margie Gelbwasser (INCONVENIENT)

YA author Shari Maurer (CHANGE OF HEART)

Authors setting up before the crowd came.

Another picture before the festivities...

KidLit Authors Club (KAC) group shot:
L to R: Wendy Mass, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Irene Breznak, Margie Gelbwasser, Alison Ashley Formento, Amy Holder (me!), Alissa Grosso

Another KAC group shot:
L to R: Alissa Grosso, Margie Gelbwasser, Elen Jensen Abbott, Alison Ashley Formento, Amy Holder

One of the promotional posters for the event...I was excited to see THE LIPSTICK LAWS on it!

Giveaway Winners

2011-09-16T22:52:00.016-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my September Giveaway! Kudos to some great Lipstick Laws! After collecting all the entries, I used the random name picker at Classtools.net to randomly choose three winners.

Congrats to:
Nata ArtistaDonna
Lynsey
Sarah
You have won a Lipstick Laws prize package. Please email me at amy@amyholder.com to set up the shipping details.

Thanks again & I hope everyone has a great weekend!

For those of you near Warwick, NY, I'll be participating in the Warwick Children's Book Festival from 11am - 4pm tomorrow (Sept. 17) with over 40 other authors. Stop by for the festivities, great books, signings, and a chance to meet some awesome authors.

September Giveaway! Yay!

2011-09-02T12:00:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to run another giveaway on my blog for a longggggg time now. My summer was pretty crazy, and now that things are settling down, I thought this would be the perfect time! So, here are the details:

What will I be giving away?
Prize packages for three separate winners containing:
A signed copy of The Lipstick Laws
Lots of swag (bookmarks, stickers, temporary tattoos, etc.)
One Lipstick Pen
One lips lollipop
Lipstick & gloss
The lip beauty encyclopedia from e.l.f. cosmetics
Class of 2k11 swag

Who can enter?
This giveaway is open internationally! You must be a blog follower to win.

How can you enter?
Since the Lipstick Laws are a set of rules that are followed in my book, you can enter this giveaway by leaving a comment below explaining a Lipstick Law that you'd create and abide by....be as crazy and funny with your answer as you'd like!

What can you do for extra entries?
Tweet about this giveaway = +1 entry
Vote for The Lipstick Laws on goodreads HERE = +1 entry per vote (up to five)
Blog about this giveaway = +2 entries
Send me a picture of my book (not the ARC or Netgalley version) in the wild (at a bookstore, on your bookshelf, kindle, etc) to amy@amyholder.com = +10 entries

*Please add up your entries and leave the number with your comment below*

When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be chosen at random and announced on September 16, 2011!

Literary Rambles Giveaway

2011-07-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

Want a chance to win a signed copy of my book? Check out my most recent interview by Natalie over at Literary Rambles HERE. Leave a comment by midnight on July 30 & a signed book winner will be chosen from the comments and announced on August 1! While you're at it, check out the rest of the site... there are so many great interviews & resources for writers.

Night of the giving Dead Charity Auction

2011-07-25T06:00:00.006-04:00

In my last post, I mentioned the current charity auction that author Carrie Harris is holding to benefit the Giving Library. There are AMAZING items up for bid, including manuscript and query critiques by agents, phone conversations with authors, signed ARCs, customized book trailers...and there's even a chance to win two fantastic grand prizes!

Please check out the auction items available HERE. While you're at it, please consider bidding on the signed copy of THE LIPSTICK LAWS, which I will be sending directly to the winner. You can continue to bid on my auction item until 12 pm noon EST today (July 25)!

Thanks so much for supporting this very important cause!

For the Love of Zombies!

2011-07-12T07:00:00.024-04:00

As you might be able to tell from this charming picture of me, I've gotten some lovely new red highlights... and a really bad case of poison ivy. Obviously I'm severely allergic to poison ivy. I'll be fine...in time. Lots of time & ointment. In the meantime, at least I still have my smile. Okay, the truth is I'm celebrating (in style) the launch of BAD TASTE IN BOYS, a wickedly funny YA zombie book by the amazing Carrie Harris. I was lucky enough to be able to read an early draft of BTIB... and have to say it's as awesomesauce as its author! And I'm not even naturally the zombie-loving type...but this book converted me to zombieism (spelling?). So, the short of it is if you're looking for laughs, a fabulous zombie-fighting heroine, a hottie, and some good wholesome...er, maybe not so wholesome (we're talking lost body parts here, people) zombie fun, you should run and get your copy of BAD TASTE IN BOYS today!

Don't believe me about the zombie fun? Take a look at this trailer:

While you're celebrating the zombierama, you should also check out the special launch auction called NIGHT OF THE GIVING DEAD that Carrie has set up to benefit the Giving Library at the University of Michigan C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital. There are tons of fabulous items up for bid, including signed books, critiques, phone conversations with authors and agents, and two awesome grand prizes! For a full list of auction items, click HERE. If you'd like a signed copy of THE LIPSTICK LAWS from yours truly (ah-hem...me), click HERE to bid! I will give you a cupcake (free of zombie parts).

So, what are you waiting for? Start bidding & celebrating zombie-mania!

Pictures Galore

2011-07-03T20:00:00.024-04:00

Helllllooooo! I know, I know, I've been MIA from the blogosphere... but for good reason. The last month has been a whirlwind both professionally and personally. I've survived a move, had lots of fun at signings and events, and have been working on writing whenever there's extra time. I thought I'd share some photos to bring you up to date on some of the recent events I've participated in below.

If you haven't been able to come to any of my signings/events yet (listed HERE), I'll be at the Neshaminy Mall Barnes & Noble in Bensalem, PA on Friday, July 8th from 5-7 pm. Also, I'll be signing at the PAYA festival in West Chester, PA on August 27th. I'd love to see you at either event!

And now for the pictures:

Books of Wonder, NYC

Class of 2k11 author panel at Books of Wonder (in NYC) during BEA week.
L to R: Sheila O'Connor's arm, Bettina Restrepo, me, Alissa Grosso, Angie Smibert, Geoff Herbach, Christina Mandelski, Kiki Hamilton, Amy Fellner Dominy

Class of 2k11 display at Books of Wonder

I'm with super awesome James of Book Chic (check out his Lipstick Laws review HERE) and fellow 2k11 author, Christina Mandelski.

Natalie Zaman & Charlotte Bennardo, authors of SIRENZ

With a great group of students!

Voracious Reader, Larchmont, NY

Class of 2k11 authors at Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY
L to R: Bettina Restrepo, Alissa Grosso, (front) Amy Fellner Dominy, me, Gae Polisner, Geoff Herbach, Angie Smibert

L to R: Alissa Grosso, me, Gae Polisner, Geoff Herbach, Angie Smibert

Voracious Reader Class of 2k11 display

The Shelf Awareness Image of the Day 6/1/2011 from the 2k11 Voracious Reader event.
L to R: Bettina Restrepo, Amy Fellner Dominy, Gae Polisner, Geoff Herbach, Carole Estby Dagg, me, Alissa Grosso, Angie Smibert

Gae Polisner with the henna artist. Yes, 2k11 had a henna artist at our BEA events!

Lipstick Laws signing at Borders in Exton, PA

KidLit Authors Club (KAC) group signing event at Borders in Stroudsburg, PA.
L to R: Irene Breznak, me, Cyn Balog, Alissa Grosso, Cynthia Chapman Willis

Some of my favorite KAC authors! L to R: Cyn Balog, Alissa Grosso, Cynthia Chapman Willis

In this picture I'm with Lauren (teen blogger extraordinaire) from Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf at the Stroudsburg signing. Check out her review of my book HERE.

The fabulous KAC display at Borders in Stroudsburg, PA

That's it for now... hope you all have been well!

Updates: Giveaway & Events!

2011-05-20T18:00:00.002-04:00

So...I've been slacking a bit on the Blogger front. Shame on me! Time has slipped away from me recently. I'm so sorry & have missed you all. I'm hoping to resume a more regular blogging schedule, write an updated post about the TV info, and hold the giveaway I've been promising in the coming weeks (hopefully sooner rather than later). However, today I just wanted to post a quick update on some things you might want to check out:

Sara (Fabulous) McClung is holding a giveaway right now for a copy of my book and lots of swag over at her awesome blog, Babbling Flow. Today is the last day to enter to win. She's also reviewed The Lipstick Laws & interviewed me - woohoo! Check it all out HERE.

Tomorrow (May 21) I'll be signing books at Borders Express at the Exton Mall (Exton, PA) from 1-3pm. I would love to see you there if you're in the area!

Are you going to BEA in NYC next week? If so, please check out the many Class of 2k11 events going on that week. For a full list, CLICK HERE. I will be participating in the Books of Wonder signing on May 25 6-8pm & the Voracious Reader group signing on May 26 6-7:30pm.

If you can't make those signings (or you're stalking me), maybe you'll enjoy stopping by the Harrisburg (PA) Family Favorites Festival on June 4th. I'll be there for a YA signing with Jennifer R. Hubbard (author of The Secret Year).

I'll also be participating in a KidLit Authors Club group signing at the Borders in Stroudsburg, PA on June 18 from 1-3pm.

I hope to see you at one or more of these events! I'll have more signing/event updates through the summer as well. Stay tuned...

Exciting News!

2011-04-26T21:58:00.011-04:00

If you read Publishers Marketplace, you may already know this. If not, here is the official announcement of my big news:

Television rights: Amy Holder's THE LIPSTICK LAWS, to producer Teri Weinberg's Yellow Brick Road Productions (The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors), by Jerry Kalajian of the Intellectual Property Group.

I'll be writing a more detailed post on how this came about soon. In the meantime, I'm jumping up and down like crazy with excitement! I love the shows that Teri produces & feel lucky that she has my book! Fingers crossed that it goes to production! :)

Week Three Blog Tour Winner

2011-04-17T23:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who followed and commented on The Lipstick Laws blog tour! After collecting all the comments from the last week of the tour posts, I used the Random Name Picker at classtools.net to help me choose the week three winner of a signed copy of THE LIPSTICK LAWS. A big congrats to Kailia Sage for winning! I will be in touch with prize details.

If you did not win one of the three signed book giveaways from this blog tour, keep in mind that I'm planning a fabulous giveaway to hold on my own blog soon. There will be multiple chances to win signed copies of my book, swag, and other fun prizes. Stay tuned...

In the meantime, if you missed my Teen Book Scene blog tour, but would still like to visit the tour posts, please check out the details and direct links HERE.

My Embarrassment = Your Chance to Win a Signed Copy of The Lipstick Laws!

2011-04-16T18:27:00.013-04:00

Today is the last tour stop of my three week blog tour for THE LIPSTICK LAWS. If you're interested in being entered to win a signed copy of my book, please be sure to comment on at least one of this week's posts -LINKS HERE-(one entry per post)...and I'd like to especially urge you to read and comment on my very last guest post HERE, where I embarrass myself & reminisce about my teen traumas that inspired some of the angst in my book.

I will be randomly selecting a winner from the comments collected on the last week of the tour tomorrow night. Thanks for following my tour!

Week Two Blog Tour Winner

2011-04-10T21:30:00.026-04:00

After collecting the comments from the week two Lipstick Laws blog tour posts, I used the random name picker at classtools.net to help me select the winner of the second signed copy of my book. Congratulations to Ana Lucia for winning! I will be in touch with prize details.

Please follow and comment on the last week of the Lipstick Laws blog tour to be entered to win the final signed copy of my book. You will be entered once for each comment per tour stop. The more posts you comment on, the better your odds will be to win. Thanks for following my tour and good luck!

WEEK THREE Lipstick Laws Blog Tour Links
*The winner of the third signed copy giveaway will be randomly selected on April 17 from the comments collected from the April 10 - April 16 posts*

Sunday, April 10: Kelsey at The Book Scout (Review)

Monday, April 11: Corrine at Lost for Words (Author Interview)

Tuesday, April 12: Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog (Character Interview: Matt)

Wednesday, April 13: Jami at YA Addict (Review)

Thursday, April 14: Yara at Once Upon a Twilight (Tens List - Top Ten Places or Activities I did as a Teen)

Friday, April 15: Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog (Review)

Saturday, April 16: Cindy at Books Complete Me (Guest Post - Teen Traumas)

It's A Girl!

2011-04-07T15:30:00.023-04:00

I'm a little behind in posting this exciting announcement (because my week has been CrAzY):

THE LIPSTICK LAWS was officially born this past Monday (April 4). She came into the world wearing red lipstick, weighing in at less than a pound, and measuring 5 & 1/2" x 8 & 1/2"! Woohoo! A big thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (and my editor, Julia Richardson) for making my publishing dream come true!

If you see my book baby out in the wild, please snap a picture and send it to me at amy@amyholder.com. I'm thinking up a giveaway for later in the month where these pictures will earn you entries. Stay tuned...

I have a lot of Lipstick Laws related interviews and guest posts floating around the internet now. Check out my News & Reviews page for links. If you aren't already following my blog tour through The Teen Book Scene, please see details (and tour links) HERE. I will be giving away three signed copies of THE LIPSTICK LAWS. The winners will be chosen from the tour post comments.

And finally, here is the fabulous James from Book Chic Club reading an excerpt! I never thought I'd see a guy reading about April's bra-stuffing... but I'm pleasantly surprised by James! He's awesome (and brave)!

You can see his original vlog of this on his site HERE or YouTube HERE.

Week One Teen Book Scene Blog Tour Winner

2011-04-03T21:58:00.054-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who is following and commenting on THE LIPSTICK LAWS Teen Book Scene blog tour that's going on right now. For those of you who don't know, I will be giving away a signed copy of my book at the end of every week of the tour (three copies total). The winner(s) will be randomly selected from the comments collected on the tour stops each week. Comment on at least one tour stop each week to be entered. To increase your odds of winning a signed copy, please comment on several or all of the posts. For more tour details and links to the posts click HERE.

Now it's time to announce the first signed copy winner! After collecting all of the week #1 entries, I used the Random Name Picker at Classtools.net to help me select the winner. Congratulations to Fiona Chan (Fi-chan) for winning the first week's giveaway! I will be in touch with prize details.

Thanks again to everyone else who has been reading and commenting on my blog tour posts! Please continue to follow and comment on the rest of the tour stops for a chance to win the other signed copies.

TWO more days!

2011-04-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Holy crapoli! There are only two more days until THE LIPSTICK LAWS is out in the wild! Dun, dun, dunnnnn.....

Wait..wait...did someone just say THE LIPSTICK LAWS is coming out in bookstores in TWO days?!

Why yes, yes I did say that. And I'm feeling super excited... and a little nervous... and a little, well, like this guy:

Since these three highly caffeinated animals are clearly geeked about the official release of THE LIPSTICK LAWS, how about you get on the geeked bandwagon with them & help me stalk my book in the wild. Any authentic pictures of wild bookstore LIPSTICK LAWS sightings will be greatly appreciated! Please send your picture(s) to amy@amyholder.com... and I will give you a cupcake. Or maybe a signed bookmark will be less messy to mail.

Remember to follow my blog tour and comment at the various tour stops to be in the running to win one of the three signed copies I'm giving away! Details are HERE.

LIPSTICK LAWS Giveaways, Video Review and Interviews Galore

2011-03-31T14:30:00.008-04:00

There is less than a week left in my countdown for the official release date of THE LIPSTICK LAWS (April 4). Therefore, I'm throwing books at people. That's right; I'm throwing books all over the place and am going a little crazy like this kid:

Now that that confession is out of the way, I'm hoping to throw some books YOUR way... via several LIPSTICK LAWS giveaways going on right now. First, the fantabulously funny Carrie Harris is featuring THE LIPSTICK LAWS for the Bookanistas on her blog today. Comment on her post HERE to be entered to win a signed copy of my book. That's not the only reason you'll want to visit her blog post... you'll also want to find out the reason behind this stuffery:

I also have several giveaways going on in conjunction with my Teen Book Scene Blog Tour (happening now through April 16). At the end of each week of the tour, I will be giving away a signed copy of my book (three copies total). The winner(s) will be randomly selected from the comments on the posts each week. That means all you have to do to enter to win is comment on at least one of the tour stops. To increase your odds of winning, comment on several (or all) posts. More details (and links) are HERE.

In other fun news, I was so excited to see the first video review of THE LIPSTICK LAWS! I want to send huge THANK YOUS to Cari Soto of Cariblogs for the video review below & Tami Snow for featuring the review on her fabulous website, Lyrical Lip Service! You both are awesome!

Finally, I have some recent interview links to share as well. Check them out if you want to learn more about me, my book and/or the book's it-girl villain (Britney):

The Book Scout's Character Interview With Britney Taylor from THE LIPSTICK LAWS

MARJOLEINBOOKBLOG Interview

Black Fingernailed Reviews Interview

Author Interview at Reading Teen

Interview at The Angsty Writer

The Teen Book Scene Lipstick Laws Blog Tour with Giveaways!

2011-03-27T16:44:00.026-04:00

Today is the start of my online blog tour for The Lipstick Laws through The Teen Book Scene. I will be giving away a signed copy of my book at the end of each week of the tour (three copies total). Please comment on at least one tour post each week to be entered in the giveaway(s). You can increase your odds of winning a signed copy by commenting at several or all of the tour stops. Each comment per tour stop will equal one entry per week (up to seven entries per week). Thanks so much in advance for following the tour and commenting! :)

Tour Details for The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
March 27 - April 16, 2011
Coordinated by: Kari

WEEK ONE
*The winner of the first signed copy giveaway will be selected from the comments collected from the March 27 - April 2 posts*

Sunday, March 27: Andye at Reading Teen (Author Interview)

Monday, March 28: Lea at YA Book Queen (Review)

Tuesday, March 29: Kelsey at The Book Scout (Character Interview: Britney)

Wednesday, March 30: Andrea at So Many Books, So Little Time (Review)

Thursday, March 31: Kathy at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (Top ten reasons to read THE LIPSTICK LAWS)

Friday, April 1: Corrine at Lost for Words (Review)

Saturday, April 2: Jami at YA Addict (Guest Post about Bullies)

WEEK TWO
*The winner of the second signed copy giveaway will be selected from the comments collected from the April 3 - April 9 posts*

Sunday, April 3: Kate at I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read (Author Interview)

Monday, April 4: Kari at A Good Addiction (This or That)

Tuesday, April 5: Lea at YA Book Queen (Character Interview: April)

Wednesday, April 6: Yara at Once Upon a Twilight (Review)

Thursday, April 7: Andrea at So Many Books, So Little Time (Tens List - Must Have Beauty Essentials)

**There was a mishap with the April 8 blogger... she is no longer blogging & did not post the review**
Friday, April 8: Casey at A Passion for Books (Review)

Saturday, April 9: Jessica at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile(Guest Post about cliques)

WEEK THREE
*The winner of the third signed copy giveaway will be selected from the comments collected from the April 10 - April 16 posts*

Sunday, April 10: Kelsey at The Book Scout (Review)

Monday, April 11: Corrine at Lost for Words (Author Interview)

Tuesday, April 12: Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog (Character Interview: Matt)

Wednesday, April 13: Jami at YA Addict (Review)

Thursday, April 14: Yara at Once Upon a Twilight (Tens List - Top Ten Places or Activities I Did as a Teen)

Friday, April 15: Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog (Review)

Saturday, April 16: Casey at A Passion for Books (Guest Post - Teen Traumas)

*I will announce each blog tour giveaway winner here on my blog on the Sunday at the end of each week of the blog tour (April 3, April 10, April 17)*

Write Hope

2011-03-26T19:00:00.003-04:00

Please check out and bid on the wonderful items up for bid in support of Write Hope's mission to help raise money for Japan. If you would like to bid on the Lipstick Laws package I'm donating for the cause (picture below), please see the Day 4 Item 1 auction HERE. Bidding will end tomorrow. It is open internationally!

Write Hope LIPSTICK LAWS Auction Package
Signed copy of The Lipstick Laws
Lipstick beauty kit from e.l.f cosmetics
Signed Lipstick Laws bookmarks
Class of 2k11 bookmarks
Lipstick Laws magnets
Stickers (The Lipstick Laws & Class of 2k11)
3 lipsticks (lipstick, liquid lipstick & hypershine lipgloss)
2 lipstick pens
1 lip gloss key chain
1 set of wax lips candy
1 lips lollipop
I'm still planning an upcoming giveaway of my own, but decided to hold off on posting it so it wouldn't coincide with the current Write Hope Lipstick Laws auction. However, my online blog tour starts tomorrow (check out the full details HERE), and I'm planning some fun giveaways for April! More info to come soon...

Happy Weekend!

Good Things Come in Boxes...

2011-03-13T19:00:00.005-04:00

That is, final copies come in boxes! Yay! Check out the pictures of the box of Lipstick Laws final copies that I received this week. I think this calls for a celebratory contest/giveaway. Check back this coming week for details.

Also, if you're interested, please visit my most recent interview over at Readergirl Reviews a Teen Book HERE. Leave a comment under it for an extra entry in my upcoming giveaway.

Lipstick Lowdown #5

2011-03-04T19:45:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday! Today is March 4th!!! That means it's exactly ONE month before my book launches in April! I'm super excited and want to celebrate by posting my last Lipstick Lowdown countdown post. Lipstick Lowdown has been a recurring post on the 4th of every month to help me count down to my book's release date, and to celebrate all things lipstick. This month, I'm going to share the secrets of what your lipstick says about you...check out this awesome lipstick personality theory below, created by Cynthia Christ (article by Linda Gillan Griffin), and let me know if you think it's accurate.

So, I'm curious... which lipstick picture looks closest to your own lipstick? Does the corresponding personality description accurately describe you?

Thanks so much for checking out my last Lipstick Lowdown post! Next month at this time, The Lipstick Laws will be out, I'll be participating in an online book tour through The Teen Book Scene... and I'll be holding lots of giveaways! Stay tuned!

Calling All Librarians and Book Lovers!

2011-02-25T15:25:00.012-05:00

Have you checked out the Elevensies Book Feast yet? It's a major giveaway hosted by a bunch of authors from the Elevensies (including moi!). We'll be giving away huge prize packs throughout the year (spring, summer and fall)! Currently, the spring prize package is up for grabs... it includes these fabulous books:

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer — "Glee" goes to the opera in this novel about best friends, bitter enemies and one life-changing competition.

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder — Sometimes popularity comes with a price...especially when the Lipstick Laws are involved.

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard — There's not much beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but Grace thinks she's found it in an unlikely friendship with wild girl Mandarin Ramey — that is, until Mandarin betrays her.

Illegal by Bettina Restrepo — Nora, a Mexican immigrant, crosses the border illegally to find her father in Houston, Texas.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys — A fifteen-year-old girl fights for her life amidst Stalin's genocide.

Haven by Kristi Cook — A paranormal tale set at a boarding school where everyone has psychic abilities.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers — Frannie possesses a skill so unique that the king of Hell himself has taken notice, and he's sent Luc to claim her soul.

Warped by Maurissa Guibord — A romantic fantasy about a girl, a unicorn tapestry and the threads of fate that bind them together.

XVI by Julia Karr — In the future, innocence expires at sixteen.

Vesper by Jeff Sampson — A geeky teen girl must figure out who’s committing a rash of murders in her small town...and what’s causing her to turn into a monster.

Memento Nora by Angie Smibert — A teenage girl struggles to hold on to her memories—and her identity—in a world that finds it far more lucrative for everyone to forget—and keep on shopping.

Kat Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis — In Kat Stephenson's Regency England, magic is the greatest scandal of all - but Kat's not going to let that stop her when there are highwaymen to battle and true loves to catch for her older sisters!

Dogsled Dreams by Terry Lynn Johnson — Rebecca dreams of becoming a famous sled dog racer.

The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante — Thirteen year old Dellie learns about faith and healing from Miss Shirley, a mysterious new neighbor, and Corey, a five year old boy in need of love and rescuing.

The Rotten Adventures of Zachary Ruthless by Allan Woodrow — Tales of the nefarious and all-around evil doings of ten-year-old Zachary.

So... what are you waiting for?!? Enter today!

Librarians, click HERE for your entry details.

Readers, click HERE for your entry details.

Are You Swimming in Valentine's Day Chocolate?

2011-02-16T22:43:00.037-05:00

Did you get a ton of chocolate this week that you don't know what to do with? If you're like me (a chocolate lover), this wouldn't be a problem. However, I know there are some people out there who don't like chocolate that much...ahem - misfits - cough, cough. Anyhow, if you're wondering what to do with all of your Valentine's Day chocolate, I've created the perfect list for you. Check out my guest post for The Books With Love Hop over at Once Upon A Twilight for the Top Ten Uses for Valentine's Day Chocolate. And even better, leave a comment below if you come up with a creative addition to my list.

One more thing - I'm planning another giveaway like THIS ONE & it's coming soon... so stay tuned...and leave a comment below to get one extra entry right off the bat!

Happy Valentine's Day! Time to Announce the Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-14T19:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Heart Day!!! I hope everyone is having a special day filled with love, fun...and lots of chocolate! I'm posting this evening to announce the winner of my recent giveaway and to chat about some other fun stuff.

Thank you SO much for all of the fabulous giveaway comments, shout-outs and votes! I was so happy by the awesome turnout and wish I could give the prize package to each and every one of you! Unfortunately, there's only one winner this time around...but I do plan on having more giveaways over the next couple months to celebrate my book's upcoming release. So please stay tuned and continue to check back for more giveaway fun.

Now...without further ado, the winner of this prize pack is:
Uniquely Moi Books
Congratulations! I will be in touch shortly with the prize details.
(The winner was randomly selected through classtools.net's random name picker)

In other news, I'm participating in the Books With Love Blog Hop at Once Upon a Twilight with a guest post and a giveaway. Not only am I giving away a preorder copy of The Lipstick Laws plus swag, there are many more authors donating some fab goodies to the blog hop. Check out these AWESOME PRIZES that you could win if you enter. I mean, hello?!? Are those not the best bunch of prizes ever?

Also, the Class of 2k11 has some fun activities going on this month that may earn you some signed books and/or swag. The Lipstick Laws is one of the titles to choose from for Mashup Mania, Cover Re-Creation and the Hands On contests. Enter now & let your creativity win prizes!

**As an extra thank you to everyone who entered my last giveaway, I'd love to send you a signed bookmark. If you participated in my recent giveaway and would like a signed bookmark, please leave a comment below and email me at amy@amyholder.com with your address info. Please note, this is only for participants of THIS PREVIOUS GIVEAWAY**

Lipstick Lowdown #4

2011-02-04T18:00:00.002-05:00

It's February 4th today...so that means it's exactly TWO months until the release of The Lipstick Laws. It also means that it's time for Lipstick Lowdown #4, to help me count down to my book launch and celebrate all things lipstick!

Seeing that February is the month of love and Valentine's Day, I figured I'd post an extra sweet Lipstick Lowdown recipe today. Try getting some sweet kisses from your honey on the 14th (or just enjoy the lip smacking yumminess yourself) while wearing this chocolate lipstick:

Heavenly Chocolate Gloss (from the book Lipstick A Celebration of the World's Favorite Cosmetic by Jessica Pallingston)
Ingredients
1 & 1/2 teaspoons grated cocoa butter
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon grated chocolate (or three small chocolate chips)
Directions
Carefully heat cocoa butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E oil in the microwave. Slowly stir in chocolate and continue melting. Stir the mixture from time to time until it's very well blended, returning it to the microwave as needed. Pour into a small container and allow to cool. Enjoy!

Also, for you lipstick & gloss lovers out there, Elf Cosmetics is having a fabulous sale for the next few days. Use coupon code 50LIPS to get half off of all lip products until Monday, the 7th.

I hope you'll join me next month for my final Lipstick Lowdown post before my book launch - woohoo!

***If you haven't entered my current giveaway, make sure to check it out and enter HERE for a chance to win an ARC of The Lipstick Laws, two gift cards & lots of other goodies. It's open to international participants & ends on Valentine's Day. Good luck!***

Giveaway Time!

2011-01-24T18:00:00.162-05:00

As promised, I'm posting today with my first giveaway of 2011! Many of you know that my book, The Lipstick Laws, debuts in April of this year. 2011 is a very special year for me, so in turn, I want to give back with an extra special giveaway:

One Lucky Winner Will Receive:
1 - $25 Amazon Gift Card
1 - $10 iTunes Gift Card
1 - signed ARC of The Lipstick Laws
Lots of Lipstick Laws swag (including signed & unsigned bookmarks, stickers, temporary tattoos, magnets, wax lips, etc.)
Lipstick & gloss from ELF Cosmetics
1 - Signed bookmark from Carrie Harris (my friend & author of the awesome upcoming book Bad Taste In Boys)
Class of 2k11 swag (bookmarks, stickers & postcard)
KidLit Authors Club Bookmarks

Entry Details
All you have to do to be entered once to win is:
1) Follow my Blog
2) Leave a comment saying why you'd like to win an ARC of The Lipstick Laws.
It's that easy! If you'd like extra entries to increase your odds of winning the prize package, you can do any or all of the following:

+1 - Tweet about this giveaway
+1 - Mention on facebook
+1 - Add my giveaway to your blog sidebar
+2 - Write a blog post about this giveaway or The Lipstick Laws
+1-10 - Vote for The Lipstick Laws on any of THESE GOODREADS LISTS. you'll get one extra entry per vote, up to ten total per person. Previous votes do not count.

**You can earn up to 15 extra entries (16 total) if you do all of the above**

Please add up all of your extra entries and leave the total number of entries along with your comment. I will be verifying your extra entries, so if you'd like to leave links, that's great!

This giveaway is open to international participants & the winner will be chosen at random and announced on February 14, 2011 - Valentine's Day! Good luck!

Upcoming Giveaway, Interview & Fabulously Fun Art

2011-01-20T20:30:00.063-05:00

Eek! Okay, I realize that I haven't posted in two weeks... to make up for this, I plan on hosting a contest/giveaway on my blog next week. Check back on Monday (the 24th) for the details.

In the meantime, please link over to my recent interview at Tori Scott's blog HERE. While you're there, make sure to check out Tori's full website - she's fabulous!!

Speaking of fabulous, take a look at this AWESOME poster art that an early reader (Vickie over at Coma Calm's Book Reviews) made for The Lipstick Laws at Glogster.com:

Isn't it awesome?!?! I LOVVVVVE it! <3 Thanks again, Vickie, for making my day with this fantastic art!! You can also check out Vickie's review of my book HERE.

Hope to see you all for my giveaway starting on Monday! :)

Happy New Year & Lipstick Lowdown #3

2011-01-04T10:32:00.047-05:00

Happy 2011 everyone! I was absent from the blogosphere for the last couple of weeks during the holidays. I had a lot of fun and I hope all of your holidays were fabulous & that 2011 will be an amazing year for us all!

Now to my second bit of blog business. Today is January 4th! Do you know what that means?!?! It's my birthday tomorrow! Do you know what else?!? It's exactly THREE months until the official release of The Lipstick Laws! Yay! To celebrate & help me count down, I'm posting about all things lipstick on the fourth of every month up until April. For today's post, I've found this lipstick tutorial. I know, I know... you wouldn't think you'd need a tutorial to put on lipstick correctly...but apparently applying red lipstick is more difficult than one might think. Check out these tutorial tips:

Not quite sure why this lady says she has blue in her skin?? Perhaps she's part smurf? Regardless, I think it's a pretty good tutorial. Although I should confess that I'm more of a lip gloss girl. If you read The Lipstick Laws, you may shy away from red lipstick as well.

I hope you'll come back next month for Lipstick Lowdown #4!

Christmas Countdown Interview

2010-12-17T14:38:00.043-05:00

I was asked to participate in three holiday blog events this year. Today I'm happy to be over at Fragments of Life blogspot for a Christmas Countdown Interview. Find out what I do to prepare for the holiday, why I write for teens & other fun stuff. There is also a Lipstick Laws giveaway (signed final copy & swag) with this post that is open internationally & ends on January 3...so be sure to check it out & enter!

If you haven't checked out my other holiday blog events/giveaways yet, you can link to them here:

Badass Bookie's 2011 Debutante Event
My Spotlights: Day 3 & Day 4
Giveaway
Signed Lipstick Laws ARC & swag
Open Internationally
Ends December 31

Author Holiday Extravaganza
My Spotlight: Sneaky Holiday Tradition post
Giveaway
Lipstick Laws preorder & swag
Open Internationally
Ends December 29

(Today's Blog Event) Christmas Countdown: 13 Books to Gift & Giveaway!
My Spotlight: Day 5
Giveaway
Signed final copy of The Lipstick Laws & swag (winner will receive the prize in March or April)
Open Internationally
Ends January 3

Holiday Tradition Guest Post and Lipstick Laws Giveaway

2010-12-15T16:11:00.055-05:00

Want to read about a sneaky holiday tradition that I learned from my brother? Check out my guest post at A Good Addiction for the Author Holiday Extravaganza. Please leave a comment and enter to win a preorder of my book The Lipstick Laws & some swag - the contest is open internationally & ends December 29th!

And since I'm half Irish, I thought I'd post this video in the spirit of Christmas giving:

Book Blogger Interview

2010-12-13T18:35:00.025-05:00

Today I'm over at the blog: Just Your Average Everyday Teen Blogger for an interview. Andrea is awesome and she just started her blog last month, so I'd love it if you head on over to check it out and show us some comment love (and follow her)!

I'm Over at Badass Bookie's Blog Today...

2010-12-03T14:33:00.021-05:00

I'd love it if you head on over to Badass Bookie's blog, where I'm being spotlighted today. You'll find out what I might do if I weren't a writer, why I love writing... and how I compare writers to holiday elves.

Please comment on the post for an extra entry in tomorrow's Lipstick Laws ARC giveaway on the same blog.

Thanks! :-)

Holiday Fun & A Shiny New 2k11 Trailer!

2010-12-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

I LOVE the holiday season... mainly because the month of December gives me an excuse to act like a loony holiday elf for several weeks without being questioned or escorted to the nearest nuthouse. This year I'm even more excited for the holidays because I'll be participating in some holiday blog events this month.

Please be sure to check out the 2011 Debutante Event at Badass Bookie's blog from December 1 to December 25! There will be lots of fun author posts & giveaways - woohoo! I'll be spotlighted on December 3 & 4. Please click HERE to check out the full author/giveaway schedule.

I'll also be participating in the Christmas Countdown Blog Event with another great lineup of authors from December 13 - 24. This event is being hosted by Amaterasu Reads and Fragments of Life. It will be filled with interviews, reviews & lots of giveaways! Please watch for my interview spotlight on December 17.

In other exciting news, the Class of 2k11 has a brand new trailer for you to watch! Yay! You can also check it out & comment about it on YouTube HERE.

Thanksgiving Poem

2010-11-25T19:00:00.006-05:00

I'm thankful for my family and friends...
and all the food this yummy day lends.
But something that I'd gladly return
are all the calories I'm left to burn.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Remember, calories don't count today! <3

Revision Makeovers

2010-11-21T11:00:00.074-05:00

Manuscript revision can be a tricky thing to explain and an even trickier thing to master. There are so many types of revision styles, and very few writers go about revising the same way. What works for some won't work for others...much like perms...and skinny jeans. Along this same hair/clothing line of thought, I like to compare the revision process to a makeover. After all, everyone likes a nice makeover, right? To give you an idea of my take on the spectrum of revision styles, I've detailed the various revision makeover types below:

Al Natural: These writers do very little to their manuscripts to make them fabulous. Their first drafts come out pretty close to the finished product. Plain and simple, these writers are misfits. They're lucky and talented misfits, but misfits nonetheless.

Tweeze as You Please: Grooming their manuscripts continuously is what this type is known for. These writers spend lots of time plucking, prodding, tweaking and brushing up trouble spots throughout their first draft writing process. Naysayers may call this writing vanity, but many would say it's proper manuscript hygiene.

Touch Up & Go: This type of writer leaves his/her manuscript in sweatpants until the day of the publishing ball. The touch up & go writer will miraculously transform his/her manuscript like Cinderella right before sending it off to meet Prince (or Princess) Charming (more commonly known as an agent or editor).

Clever Concealers: These writers are afflicted with manuscript acne (plot holes, character flaws, grammar blemishes, etc.). But have no fear; not all manuscript zits leave scars! A clever concealer will find ingenious ways to hide and/or get rid of said acne with various writerly techniques....some cleansing....and maybe a little acne cream.

Nip/Tuck & Beyond: Nipping and tucking is more common than most would think. Some writers will deny that their manuscript has had this type of work done. After all, if it's a good nip/tuck revision, you may not even notice that a manuscript has had character lifts, plot implants, and bad grammar liposuction... but the bad nip/tucks can be spotted from miles away. Trust me!

Complete Reconstructive Surgery: This is the most invasive and painful form of revision makeover, and the finished product often resembles very little of the first draft. Recovery can be long, tedious and excruciating. This type of makeover may include, but isn't limited to: slicing the setting, dicing dialogue, cutting characters, and ripping up and rewriting some, most, or (heaven forbid) ALL of the manuscript. This type of revision makeover can lead to hair pulling, bursts of hysterics, crossed eyes, and delusional thoughts of quitting entirely. Pain medication in the form of lots of chocolate is typically required.

For the record, I confess that I've tried and survived all of the various revision types above. However, I tend to be a combo of the tweeze as you please and nip/tuck types the most. That's right, I'm not afraid to admit that I've given my manuscripts character lifts and plot implants. Are you?

So what manuscript revision makeover type are you?

Lookie What I Have!

2010-11-17T09:00:00.034-05:00

ARCs & Lipstick Laws swag! Yay!!!

And here is an outtake from my ARC photo shoot... yes, the book is upside down. This is what happens when you're your own photographer. Le sigh...

Class of 2k11 Launch!

2010-11-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to announce that the Class of 2k11 has launched today! For those of you who don't know what the Class of 2k11 is, we're a group of 19 MG & YA debut authors (including me) who have come together to support and help promote one another and our books through our debut year - 2011! The 2k groups were founded in 2007 and have been renewing every year with new authors, new books, and lots of fun!

We've been preparing for our launch for about a year now... and after all we've shared, I consider the authors in this year's group to be among my best writerly friends. I hope you'll check our site out HERE to see just how awesome the other members & their upcoming books are. Better yet, join our blog where you'll get updates on contests, activities & news through the year! Even better, If you sign up to our newsletter (at the bottom of the "home" page), you'll be entered in the drawing to win 23 (yes, 23!!!!) Class of 2k10 books - mostly signed!

So, what are you waiting for? Please head on over and check out the Class of 2k11!

Fall Fun

2010-11-08T20:00:00.019-05:00

Fall is my absolute FAVORITE season! It's my favorite kind of weather AND it's the start of the holiday season. I love when the leaves change colors, the outside changes to jacket-weather, the cool air smells of firewood, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

To celebrate the fabulous fun of fall, I took a trip to the Poconos a couple weeks ago to take in some beautiful scenery... so I thought I'd share lots-o'-pictures of one of my favorite spots that I visited.

What have you been up to so far this fall?

Lipstick Lowdown #1

2010-11-04T04:00:00.114-04:00

It's November 4th! Do you know what that means?!? It's exactly five months to the day of the release of The Lipstick Laws, due out on April 4th! Woohoo! To help me count down and celebrate all things lipsticky, I've decided to do a recurring Lipstick Lowdown post on the 4th of every month up until my book hits the shelves.

What's Lipstick Lowdown, you ask? It's a quick post with a random tip, an interesting fact, fun quote, or some other lipstick-related info that may come in handy if you ever want to impress anyone with your remarkable lipstick knowledge... which, come to think of it, isn't super likely...but just humor me here.

LIPSTICK LOWDOWN #1
Did you know...

You can expect to get around 5 hours of color from one application of long-wear lipstick before having to reapply.

You should get a total of 1,325 hours per long-wear lipstick tube.

AND...

If you wear lipstick regularly, your long-wear tube should last six months to a year.

**These facts/stats were paraphrased from the book Lipstick: A Celebration of the World's Favorite Cosmetic by Jessica Pallingston***

Come back next month for Lipstick Lowdown #2 where I will be sharing a lipstick recipe!

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T20:56:00.111-04:00

As trick-or-treating is winding down in my neighborhood, it looks like I'm going to be left with A LOT of candy...and I'm not just talking about the snack size candy... I'm talking about lots of full size candy bars:

That's right, I'm one of the full size candy bar giver-outers -- the same candy goldmines I dreamed about finding on Halloween as a kid. And I think it's super fun to pass on my full-size-candy-bar-house dreams to other kids now.

Are there any Halloween traditions/fun memories that you've continued through the years?

Before I go, I want to send a BIG thank you shout-out to Jen, the awesome blogger/writer @ Unedited! She went on a scavenger hunt to track down my Hallmark Halloween card in her hometown... not only did she find it & buy one, she sent me these FABULOUS pictures below! Thanks, Jen! You're awesome!!

Hope everyone is having a very Happy Halloween!

Spooky-Good Writing Contest Winners

2010-10-26T22:00:00.053-04:00

Okay, so I'm posting this way later in the day (er, night) than I intended to, but the truth is that I had a REALLLLLY hard time deciding on the winners -- all of the entries to my Spooky-Good Writing Contest were awesome! Thanks to everyone who participated. Since it was tough to pick just two winners, I've decided to give everyone who entered this contest two extra entries in my next multi-prize giveaway/contest, because you all deserve something for your creativity. I'll be sure to post a reminder about the extra entries when the time comes. Stay tuned!

Now for the winners, I have several favorites... but I decided to go with the two that really grabbed my attention and left me intrigued about the characters and plots the most. Without further ado, here are my picks:

Winner of the writing pack

Paige Garrison
Panic set in as I stumbled through the dark, following the eerie beam of moonlight guiding me through the graveyard; I hadn't expected to be haunted by some dead teenaged girl who just so happened to be the Grim Reaper.

This entry left me dying to know more about the teenage Grim Reaper and the MC she's haunting! Love it!

Winner of the publishing pack:

T. Knowley
True evil rose above the victim on a dark cold October night, the terror it had caused in the now lifeless corpse was just the beginning of what was to come.

This sentence chilled me to the bone! It's beyond creepy and packed with mystery. It's definitely an attention grabber!

Congrats to the winners! I will be in touch shortly about your prizes. And thanks again to everyone who participated. You're all very talented; keep up the fab writing!

Spooky-Good Writing Contest & Giveaway! Calling all Writers!

2010-10-16T21:00:00.049-04:00

Spooky-good writing + spooky-good fun = spooky-good writing prizes!

I've held a bunch of signed book giveaways for readers on my blog, but I think it's about time to hold a contest/giveaway for fellow writers. October is the perfect month to hold such a writing contest; not only is it a spookerific time for fun contests, it's also right before NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts, which I know a lot of writers in the blogosphere participate in. I will be giving away two prize packs that are sure to help your writing!

*Please read entire post & entry instructions before entering!*

So here are the Spooky-Good Writing Contest details:
To enter, you must create a fantastic first line of a potential book using at least FOUR out of these 30+ frightfully fabulous words:

*All words can be modified to plural, past tense, adjective, adverb, verb or noun forms when appropriate*
Blood
Bite
Cold
Terrifying (can be modified to terror or terrorize)
Witch
Pumpkin (can be modified to jack-o'-lantern)
Ghost
Skeleton (can be modified to bones)
October
Trick
Treat (can be modified to candy)
Midnight
Moon
Monster
Mask
Ghoul
Dead (can be modified to corpse)
Dark
Grave (can be modified to graveyard or gravestone)
Evil
Boo
Haunt
Demon (can be modified to devil)
Murder
Panic
Shiver
Scream
Victim
Nightmare
Knife

Even though this is a Halloween contest, your first line entry DOES NOT have to be scary and/or intended for a horror novel; in fact, the more creative and surprising you are with the words, the better. Your first line could be funny, mysterious, intriguing, creepy, adventurous, informative, romantic, fun, etc. It can be the first line for any age group and book genre, just remember to make it PG (or PG-13). Also, make sure to create a line that will leave me dying to read the rest of the story... and even better, will make you want to WRITE the rest of the story!

And now for the prize details:

I have purchased four reference/writing books that have helped me a lot with my own writing and publication process to give away as prizes (all books are brand new!). These prizes will be broken up into two prize packs (2 books each); one is a writing prize pack, and the other is a publishing prize pack. The two best first line entries will win ONE of the following packages:

Writing Prize Pack

Wild Ink: How to Write Fiction for Young Adults by Victoria Henley - Filled with great writing tips, info & helpful interviews from successful editors, agents & authors! It's a wonderful reference!
And
Revision & Self Editing by James Scott Bell - THE BEST BOOK on revision that I've read!!! This book is a self-editing lifesaver!

Publishing Prize Pack

Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Chuck Sambuchino - Provides detailed information and visual examples for submitting your manuscripts(s) correctly and professionally in various genres and types of writing (including but not limited to: children's, nonfiction, magazine articles, scripts, poetry, etc).
AND
Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Richard Curtis - Will teach you the ins and outs of the publishing world & book contracts!!! This book is a must-read for anyone who hopes to be published, whether you plan on having an agent or not.

*IMPORTANT*Please indicate which ONE prize pack you'd like your first line(s) entered for in your comment!!! Each participant can only be entered to win ONE of the two prize packs.*

Special Spooky Surprise
Each prize pack will also include one of my GOOD GOURD Halloween cards being sold by Hallmark now!

***************************************************************

Complete Contest Entry Details Breakdown
- You must follow my blog to enter.

- Enter once by creating a first line for a potential book using four out of the long list of words listed above.

- Indicate which ONE prize pack you'd like to win in your contest entry (writing package or publishing package).

- You can create and enter more than one first line to increase your chances of winning your chosen prize pack by doing any or all of the following:
*Tweet about this contest - +1 extra first line entry
*Blog about this contest - +1 extra first line entry
*Vote for The Lipstick Laws on any goodreads list that you have NOT already voted on found HERE. - +1 extra first line entry for each vote (up to +3).

- Please leave links to your online shout-outs/votes in your comment

If you do all of the above, you can enter up to SIX creative first lines to be considered for the prize pack you want to win.

***************************************************************

This contest is open to international participants. The two winners will be chosen and announced on Tuesday, October 26. Good luck and happy writing!

LMAO with Saw 12

2010-10-12T17:25:00.008-04:00

We're getting closer to Halloween, a frightfully fabulous holiday (if I do say so myself)... and in turn we're in store for scary movies popping up all over the place. Not only does this mean that a bunch of new scary movies will be played in theaters and on cable, but it also means that at least 937,405 hilariously cheesy sequels and remakes will also push their way into the scary movie universe. To honor the inevitable cheese-fest, I'd like to share this video:

So now I'm curious... what's your favorite scary movie?

Winner of The Signed Copy of SPLIT by Swati Avasthi!

2010-10-07T18:40:00.054-04:00

Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win a signed copy of SPLIT by Swati Avasthi! I used the Random Name/Word Picker Fruit Machine at classtools.net to help me randomly select the winner from the entries I received.

The lucky winner is: Maddie M. Congratulations, Maddie! You'll be receiving your signed copy sent straight from Swati herself. I will be in touch to discuss the details soon.

Please remember to follow Swati's book blog tour and check out all the great items from agents, editors and authors up for bid in the Before The Split Charity Auction. You'll have until the end of this month to bid, and proceeds will be going to the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

For everyone looking for more contest/giveaway fun, I will be holding an October Spooky-Good Writing contest very soon...so stay tuned! :)

The Book Scout

2010-10-03T15:53:00.007-04:00

Check out my newest author interview posted over at The Book Scout today! Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Kelsey!

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday! <3

Let's End Bullying!

2010-10-02T16:15:00.026-04:00

I'm not the most serious person in the world. I can usually find humor in just about any mundane thing.... and I'd much rather be laughing about something goofy rather than having a heated political debate any day of the week. In turn, I try to keep my blog light-hearted and fun, because that's how I like to be most of the time. However, this week has thrown my happy spirit for a loop. When I heard the horrible news about what happened to Tyler Clementi, the amazingly gifted Rutgers student who was betrayed and humiliated by his roommate and ultimately committed suicide, it not only broke my heart... it disgusted me! Now, I don't know whether the incomprehensible actions of Tyler's roommate were a hate crime, a horrible act of bullying, a ridiculous act of ignorance, a very mean prank, or a combination of all the above, but what I do know is the devastating outcome is all too familiar in our society... and it bothers me beyond words. It's truly tragic and heartbreaking!

I can't be silent about something I feel so passionately about. I have a public outlet through this blog, and I'd be doing my principles an injustice by not commenting on something so important to me. Teen bullying is a pandemic in our country that has to end! Everyone has differences, that's what makes this world such a wonderful place.... and it's about time that we as a society (and world) respect and celebrate our differences rather than stifle them with intolerance. It's about time we support and uplift our fellow classmates, colleagues and neighbors, however different they may be, rather than tear them down because of prejudice, jealousy, or ignorance. It's about time we stop turning a blind eye to injustice, cruelty and discrimination because of indifference, ambivalence, fear, or not wanting to get "involved". And it's about time we stand up to people who bully and hurt others out of callousness, spitefulness, unawareness, or the need to make themselves feel better about their own shortcomings and insecurities.

I know there are millions of people who feel the same as I do, but unfortunately to those being bullied, the voices of their bullies are louder than our voices of support and acceptance. Please unite with me to make our voices louder than the taunts of intolerance and hurt. Help our voices multiply and echo to drown out the callous voices of bullies all over the country (and world). Please take a moment to post your own anti-bullying message on your online outlet. And/or help me spread this message by adding the anti-bullying ribbon to your website or blog.

The only intolerance that should be accepted in our society is intolerance to bullying and cruelty.

*Ribbon image borrowed from www.stopbullyinginourschools.com*

Teaser Trailer for The Lipstick Laws!

2010-09-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I hinted about unveiling my book trailer soon... It's already up on YouTube and my facebook page, but today is the day for its unveiling on my blog! Yay! The amazingly talented Madison at M2 Productions created this short teaser trailer for The Lipstick Laws. And she'll be creating a longer TLL trailer with more plot info closer to my release date in 2011.

Please get some popcorn to munch on, get comfy... and go ahead and watch this teaser 50 times in a row like I did - lol. Better yet, if you love it, please spread the love by posting a comment on the trailer's YouTube page HERE.

So....what do you think? I'd love some feedback!! :)

*Don't forget to read and comment on Swati Avasthi's interview below for a chance to win a signed copy of SPLIT!*

Before the Split Blog Tour and Charity Auction Interview with Swati Avasthi, Author of SPLIT! Plus a Signed Book Giveaway!

2010-09-28T09:00:00.017-04:00

Today, I'm welcoming Swati Avasthi (the fantastic author of the must-read book SPLIT) to my blog for an interview and signed book giveaway. But this isn't your typical author interview and giveaway... because Swati is also sharing the details of her upcoming book blog tour and charity auction for Domestic Violence Awareness Month starting on October 1st. Please help support the cause by reading the important info discussed in this interview, and checking out the blog tour and auction event (button links to tour & auction follow this interview). If you decide to bid on any of the auction items, you'll be helping a very important cause.

*Signed book giveaway entry details to follow this interview*

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming blog tour and charity auction?
Of course. Thanks for asking!

To honor National Domestic Violence Awareness month, I'm combining a blog tour for my debut novel, Split, with a fundraiser for Family Violence Prevention Fund. I'll be on twenty-six blogs with guests posts, a contest, an animated scene, a photo essay, cut scenes, and a, 8G pink nano ipod prize. Kari Olson from Teen Book Scene, coordinated the tour and you can see where I'll be at: http://theteenbookscene.weebly.com/split-details.html. Or my blog at www.swatiavasthi.blogspot.com, for that matter. For every comment, I'll donate $1/comment with a goal and cap of $250. If I receive 250 comments, I’ll double my donation.

But that's just the start. Even better, more than 40 agents, editors and authors have generously donated cool stuff for an online auction. Nathan Bransford donated a query critique, Sara Zarr donated a 25 page manuscript critique, etc, etc. We have memberships to YALITCHAT.ORG and Children's Literature Network, a wide array of different types of critiques, personalized signed books from wonderful authors, and even some items donated by other artists, including photographer John Magruder and graphic designer/author Amy Holder (a name you might recognize). All donations should be ready to bid on on October 1st. Follow the tour, get stuff you want, and help out a great cause all at once.

Why is the cause against domestic violence close to your heart?
I coordinated a domestic violence legal clinic for three years and, in that time, listened to thousands of victims. It was inspiring to watch people with so much courage leave their abuser and get an order of protection, facing down the devil they didn't know and reject the devil. It was also heart-breaking. The experience left me asking a lot of questions about the nature of love and violence and of what it would mean to grow up with abuse as a regular occurrence.

What inspired you to write SPLIT?
Once a woman came in with her two kids. While she was telling me about the abuse, I interrupted her and asked her if she wanted an intern to look after her kids. She said, "No, they seen it anyway." That was one of the hardest moments in the clinic for me because I was angry at her, instead of being angry with the man who was beating her. I knew better than to victim blame, but I found it hard to reconcile how she did nothing to protect her kids with my sympathy for her. I understood, intellectually, that if she couldn't protect herself, then she couldn't protect her kids and that it was the abuser's fault, not hers. But it took the writing of Split for me to accept that emotionally.

Although SPLIT is a fiction novel, Jace's situation is all too familiar to many individuals dealing with domestic violence in real life. How can people get involved to help domestic violence victims and/or survivors?
If you think you might be experiencing abuse, it's worth talking to someone. There are a number of organization that can help. For teens, call the National Teen Dating Abuse Help 866-331-9474. Or, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE, or at www.ndvh.org who can direct you to local resources. But do remember that what you do on your computer can be tracked, so be sure to connect from a safe place.

What's something you hope readers will take with them upon finishing SPLIT?
That there is a life after abuse and, even though recovery is long, it is possible because we are defined by what we do, not by what has been done to us.

Thank you so much for this amazing interview and the details about your upcoming blog tour and charity auction, Swati! Is there anything else you'd like to add before we go?
Thanks so much for having me. Good luck with your book! I'm excited to read it. Also, thanks so much for your donation to the Before the Split Blog Tour and Charity Auction.

You're very welcome, Swati! And thanks for including me in your auction! If you'd like more info about Swati and her must-read book, please check out her WEBSITE and BLOG. If you'd like to order SPLIT today, here is the Amazon Link.

Watch the very cool trailer for SPLIT:

Also, be sure to check out Swati's blog tour and charity auction! The button links are below. There are some great items to bid on, and remember, you'll be helping an important cause:

Button link to go to the blog tour schedule:

Button link to go to the charity auction site for the event:

And don't forget to comment at the various blog tour stops! Your comment(s) will add to the amount Swati donates to the Family Violence Prevention Fund!!!

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SPLIT Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) Comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of SPLIT.
2) You will receive an extra entry to win the signed copy of SPLIT with each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter, facebook status, and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of this post.
3) Help spread the word and support the cause by adding Swati's Blog Tour Schedule and Charity Auction links to your blog for an additional two extra entries to win the signed copy of SPLIT. Remember to let me know where I can find the links in your comment.

*Sorry, this giveaway is open to USA and Canada residents only*

The winner of the signed copy of SPLIT will be randomly selected and announced on October 7th here on my blog. Good luck!
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News, Updates & Stuff to Watch for

2010-09-27T18:20:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! Okay, I confess... I've been a bad, bad blogger recently. I've been MIA from the blogosphere since mid-month... and I have plenty of reasons why, but I won't bog you down with those. What I will do, however, is let you know that I have lots of fun stuff planned for October. YAY!

For now, here's a catch-up list of news, updates, and stuff to watch for:

Some Book Updates:

I've been working on Lipstick Laws swag -- I'm talking bookmarks, stickers, magnets, postcards, and other fun stuff that will translate into TLL swag bags galore!

Also, The teaser trailer for The Lipstick Laws is DONE - woohoo! I'll be unveiling it soon...stay tuned!

Blog News:
I'll be posting an extra special author interview and signed book giveaway with Swati Avasthi tomorrow. Her book SPLIT deals with the issue of domestic violence. October is domestic violence awareness month, and Swati has set up a charity auction (which I'm donating to) and book blog tour to help the cause. I'd love for you all to check out the details tomorrow here on my blog!

In other blog giveaway news, I'm planning a fun October contest/giveaway that writers won't want to miss out on!

Random Amy News:
If you don't already know, I'm also a freelance artist and have been published in the greeting card market by Hallmark and Oatmeal Studios. My Hallmark Halloween card is in Hallmark stores and other stores that sell Hallmark cards now! Make sure to look for it... Better yet, if you find it, take a picture of it at the store (or at home if you buy it) and send it to me here: amy@amyholder.com. This will call for a TLL swag bag in return.

Other Random News:
I'm very excited because I just found out that J.K. Rowling is being interviewed on Oprah this Friday. I'm a huge fan and can't wait for this!

And I also can't wait for November because of THIS:

That's all for now! Please come back tomorrow for my important blog post with Swati Avasthi!

Winner of LOSING FAITH!

2010-09-15T16:30:00.004-04:00

Thanks to all who joined me to celebrate Denise Jaden's book release, and for commenting to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of LOSING FAITH (donated by Denise herself)! Remember, if you commented on the launch celebration post below, even if you aren't selected to win this signed copy, you'll still have a chance to win the grand prize(s) on Denise's blog. She'll start announcing the winners of the grand prizes by Friday between 8 - 9 AM (PST)!

Now for the signed copy winner... I used the Random Name/Word Picker Fruit Machine at classtools.net to help me randomly select the winner from the entries I received. The lucky winner is: Jenny N.! Congratulations, Jenny! I will be in touch to discuss the details soon.

Be sure to come back for my next contest/giveaway in October, which I'm planning especially for writers! :)

Also, if you are a YA or MG author debuting in 2011, and you'd be interested in joining a great group of fellow debut authors to promote and market your book with, please email me directly to find out about the Class of 2k11. Membership is closing soon!

Update and More

2010-09-13T16:59:00.161-04:00

I went out of town for Labor Day weekend through part of last week, and to my surprise, I returned to no internet, phone or cable at my house -- BOO! I'm very happy that I was able to set up Denise Jaden's book launch blog tour celebration (below) to post automatically. Which, by the way, if you haven't entered to win a signed copy of her fabulous debut LOSING FAITH yet, please CLICK HERE to enter (the winner will be announced this Wednesday).

Anyhow, the internet glitches have been fixed, but I've gotten a little behind on keeping up with blogs and emails during my unexpected internet hiatus... so if you've emailed me and haven't received a response yet, or if you're wondering why I haven't stopped by your blog in a while, just know that I'm not ignoring you on purpose. I'm hoping to catch up on blogs and emails this week.

Now for some fun book news!!! Last week, I received my second pass of The Lipstick Laws. Originally, I wasn't going to be privy to the second pass pages, but because I made some significant changes in the first pass (I hacked a character from the plot), my editor thought I should review the changes in this second pass. The good news is I like the new changes translated to paper. The bad news is there are now a few minor mistakes that will not be corrected before the ARCs go out. So if you receive an ARC for review, you'll notice a couple sentence mistakes here and there... but that's what makes the uncorrected ARCs so special, right?

Check out some sneak peek second pass pictures:

Isn't the two page spread cool?

There's one more thing I'd like to mention before I go. The Class of 2k11 (which I'm a member and Vice President of) is closing membership this week. The 15th is the last day that we will be accepting new member applications. If you're a YA or MG author debuting in 2011, and you'd like more info about the group and/or you'd like to fill out an application, please contact me at amyholderbooks@yahoo.com.

Losing Faith Launch Blog Tour Celebration: Interview & Signed Book Giveaway with Author Denise Jaden

2010-09-09T08:00:00.176-04:00

Today, I'm happy to welcome Denise Jaden back to my blog (CLICK HERE for Denise's first appearance) as a part of her book launch blog tour celebration for LOSING FAITH. Just when I thought Denise couldn't get more awesome, she offered to donate a signed copy of her book to one lucky commenter. So now she isn't just sitting at the very top of the awesomesauce totem pole, she's hovering over it. Not only will you have a chance to win a signed copy of her amazing book by commenting below (details to follow the interview), you'll also be entered to win more celebratory prizes that she's giving away on her own blog. In fact, every time you comment at one of LOSING FAITH's blog tour stops (including this one), you'll be entered to win lots of fabulous prizes. To check out all the prize goodies in question, CLICK HERE.

But enough about prizes, because now it's time to learn more about Denise and LOSING FAITH:

What inspired you to write LOSING FAITH?

When I was sixteen, I lost a close friend in a car accident. After her death, I learned so much about her that I hadn’t known before from her parents and friends. I think that was the nugget that started the story of a girl losing her sister, and discovering her sister’s secrets after her death.

Which character do you relate to the most and why?

I think I relate most to my main character, Brie. She has a real determination and tenacity that I think comes from me. And, like her, I was a little bit rebellious as a teen. Okay, sometimes I still am J.

What was your reaction to your gorgeous cover art?

To be honest, the first look at my very white cover art on the white background of my computer screen was not love at first sight. But I printed it off, and once I could see it the way it was meant to be viewed, I immediately fell in love. It has so much going on in it, much of which many might not even notice. But I love that! And the butterflies are my favorite.

Do the butterflies on the cover have any relevance to the book's content?

Okay, another moment of full disclosure here. Like I said, I really love the butterflies, but really, I think they were only added as a hopeful image. And there is a hopefulness to LOSING FAITH that goes well with this, especially with the black butterflies, since the book has some darker themes. But after seeing my cover art, I did add one very small paragraph about butterflies to a scene in the graveyard and asked my editor if we could add it in. I doubt anyone will even notice it, but I really wanted just a very slight reference to the butterflies in the text.

What's one thing you hope readers will take with them upon finishing LOSING FAITH?

I hope readers will feel a renewed sense of inner strength and a confidence to look for answers life’s big questions for themselves.

What's your best advice for aspiring writers wanting to be published?

Read a lot, write a lot. Don’t compare your experience to others’ as it really is apples and oranges, even with the same agent or publishing house. Write for yourself first. Sorry, I guess that’s a mishmash of many pieces of advice.

Thanks so much for the awesome interview, Denise! And thanks for letting me participate in the LOSING FAITH online book launch party!! For more information about Denise, please check out her WEBSITE & BLOG.

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LOSING FAITH Signed Book Giveaway & Grand Prize Entry Details:
1) Comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of LOSING FAITH.
2) Your comment will also enter you in the drawing to win one of Denise's grand prize packages (for full details on the grand prize giveaways and links to the other blog tour stops, go to Denise's blog).
3) You will receive an extra entry to win the signed copy of LOSING FAITH with each online shout-out you give about this giveaway and/or Denise's blog tour (tweet on twitter, facebook status, and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of this post.

*Sorry, this giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only*

The winner of the signed copy of LOSING FAITH will be randomly selected and announced on September 15th here on my blog. Good luck!
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Dogs are Man's Best Dance Partner

2010-09-03T20:20:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge dog lover... always have been, always will be. So I feel compelled to share this incredible video of an amazing dog who has more rhythm than Shakira on steroids. I predict a spot on Dancing With the Stars is in this dog's future... not sure if she'd be the star or the pro dancer, watch and decide for yourself. :)

I'm usually impressed when my dog gives me a high five... but after watching this, I think we need to step up our act.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Power of Tantalizing Titles

2010-08-31T09:00:00.094-04:00

Let's face it, there are some titles out there that grab you and won't let you go until you purchase the books and read them. Whether they induce intrigue, a laugh or a shiver up your spine, the author has been successful at getting your attention with limited words; it's quite a significant feat if you think about it. Clearly, a book's title is the author's first chance to hook potential readers. If the title isn't what the publisher and its marketing team think is best for that particular book, you better believe it's going to be changed quicker than a llama can spit (no matter how attached the author may be to it). Thankfully I haven't dealt with a title switcheroo yet, but I've seen it happen to several of my writing friends. This goes to show just how important titles are in the book world.

I'm definitely not immune to the lure of a tantalizing title. I admit, I've been guilty of purchasing books simply because their titles have hooked me like a hungry fish. When recalling past YA title love that propelled me to pull out my book-buying wallet, these three books come to mind right away:

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

The above titles hooked me immediately because they're quirky, funny and tend to make me think of girl-related topics. That's exactly the type of YA book I'm drawn to the most. Hence, the magnetic power of the perfect title hook for my reading taste lured me in from the get go.

So all this title talk leads me to some questions:
What do YOU think makes a great title?
Which book titles have hooked you?
and...
What do those titles reveal about you and your reading preferences?
If you'd like to learn more about the importance of titles from a publishing insider, check out this interesting ARTICLE.

For even more title fun (if you're easily entertained like I am), do a google image search for funny titles...and see what comes up. Here's one I couldn't help but laugh about like a five-year-old boy:

Winner of the signed copy of FAITHFUL by Janet Fox

2010-08-30T09:00:00.042-04:00

Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win a signed copy of FAITHFUL by Janet Fox! I used the Random Name/Word Picker Fruit Machine at classtools.net to help me randomly select the winner from the entries I received.

The lucky winner is: Julie Musil. Congratulations, Julie! You'll be receiving the signed copy of this fabulous book sent straight from Janet herself. I will be in touch to discuss the details soon.

To all you hopefuls who didn't win this time around, there will be plenty more giveaways on my blog in the months to come. In fact, I will be participating in Denise Jaden's LOSING FAITH online launch party blog tour in September where you will have the chance to win a signed copy of Denise's debut (which she's generously donating) on my blog. She also has oodles of awesome books and swag that she'll be giving away on her own blog to celebrate (check out the prizes HERE). It's a launch you will not want to miss! Be sure to check her site out for all the details and blog tour dates and remember to stop by my site for a LOSING FAITH blog party on September 9th!

PS: Isn't it ironic to go from a Faithful giveaway to a Losing Faith giveaway? For the record, I have endless faith in both titles!

Impressions

2010-08-29T13:00:00.016-04:00

I don't typically watch America's Got Talent, but I happened to catch a snippet of it this week when Jimmy Fallon made a guest appearance and did a compilation of comedian impressions. Considering my best impression is of a napping mute, his talent impressed me and cracked me up. I think he's dead-on with most of these, what do you think?

*Impressions start 1 min. in*

My personal favorite was Adam Sandler, but then again, I LURRRRVE Adam Sandler...so perhaps I'm biased. Do you agree that he saved the best for last?

You can catch more of Jimmy tonight while he's hosting the Emmy Awards (Yay for Glee!).

*Please don't forget, this is the last day to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of FAITHFUL by Janet Fox. All you have to do to enter the drawing is read Janet's interview below & comment. The winner will be announced tomorrow!*

Interview & Signed Book Giveaway with Author of FAITHFUL, Janet Fox

2010-08-23T08:00:00.057-04:00

I'm happy to welcome the very talented and super sweet Janet Fox to my blog for an interview and book giveaway. Janet's book, FAITHFUL, is a beautifully written historical YA novel that's sure to please. For a full description, check out FAITHFUL's goodreads page HERE. The entry guidelines for a chance to win a signed copy of this amazing book will follow Janet's interview below:

What's one thing you hope readers will take with them upon finishing FAITHFUL?

I hope you don’t mind if I mention more than one thing. I hope that readers who have suffered a loss – especially loss of a parent – will take some comfort in Maggie’s discovery. I hope that girls who read FAITHFUL will recognize how difficult it was for a girl in 1904 to have the freedom to choose her own path. I hope that readers are moved.

What about Maggie's character do you think is a product of the time period she lives in, and might change if she were alive today?

At the beginning of FAITHFUL, Maggie is trapped – and feeling sorry for herself, and helpless, and she isn’t sure what she wants. By the end of the novel, she has discovered her inner strength and the core of her that is like her mother. The “prison” in which Maggie is caught is a reflection of her time – men dictated all the terms to their wives and daughters. If Maggie were alive today, she would never have felt compelled to do exactly as her father wishes; she would have walked out on the situation in which he places her. But, then, she might never have discovered the magic of Yellowstone.

Why did you pick Yellowstone as the major setting for this book?

Yellowstone is a place that is close to my heart. And it is a place of natural magic – like another realm, fantastical. I thought that setting a story there could evoke that fantastic element and provide a rich backdrop for Maggie’s transformation.

If you were to travel back in time to 1904, the era of FAITHFUL, what's one modern day amenity you'd want to take with you and why?

Things weren’t so bad in 1904, as long as you were wealthy – wealthy people did have indoor plumbing and electricity and telephones, and even automobiles. But for the poor or even middle class, that was a different matter. If I were poor, what I’d miss the most is indoor plumbing. I can’t imagine using an outhouse at 20 below. I would hate to only be able to bathe once a week and have to haul my water and heat it on a stove before I could bathe, and then in a tub in which the water was first used by my older siblings so the water would already be dirty and cold.

You have already published a non-fiction book called GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT. What's the biggest difference that you've encountered between the publishing process for non-fiction and fiction?

When writing non-fiction it’s acceptable for submissions to be outlines – that is, you create the concept and market that. Only rarely would you write a non-fiction book in its entirety and try to sell it. But fiction requires a complete manuscript, at least for a beginning writer. Perhaps once you’re successful you can sell a fiction concept, but not initially. I sold my non-fiction book from a synopsis and chapter outline; I had to have a complete and well-revised manuscript of FAITHFUL before it sold.

What's your best advice for aspiring writers wanting to be published?

Read. Read constantly and broadly. Write. Write daily and reexamine your writing in craft terms. Learn the key components of craft: character, pacing, voice. Find a critique group and share and be willing to listen. Revise, then revise again. Find like-minded writers and learn from them. Writing is a career; it’s not easy. Most writers do not get rich. If you’re in it for the fame and fortune, good luck. If you’re writing for the long haul and because you love crafting beautiful stories, I promise you will succeed.

Thank you for stopping by my blog for an interview, Janet! To learn more about Janet and her book(s), visit her WEBSITE, BLOG and/or AMAZON PAGE.

For a sneak peek, check out Faithful's trailer, created by Janet's talented son:

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FAITHFUL Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) You must be a follower of my blog for a chance to win.
2) You will be entered once by reading and commenting about Janet's interview and/or book in the comment section below.
3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter, facebook status, and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of this post.

***That means you have the chance to be entered up to four times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from the entries I receive and will be announced on Monday, August 30th. Good luck!***

*Sorry, this giveaway is for US and Canada participants only*

Adriana will receive an extra entry because she was the first to correctly guess the book in this blurred cover image post.

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Are you looking for more interview fun? Check out THIS INTERVIEW with me today over at Unedited.

Website Launch Celebration Giveaway Winners!

2010-08-21T14:35:00.033-04:00

Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate my website launch! I rounded up the (200+) giveaway entries, and used the interactive fruit machine at classtools.net to help me randomly select these four winners to receive a $30 Amazon gift card:

Elie @ Ellz Reads
Jen D. @ Unedited
Cindy @ Princess Bookie
Nicole @ One Significant Moment at a Time

One of these four winners will also win a signed ARC of The Lipstick Laws (as soon as it's available) plus a fun assortment of TLL goodies. Without further ado, the ARC winner is:

Jen D.

Congrats to all the winners! I will be in touch shortly with prize details. To everyone who didn't win this time around, I plan on holding many more giveaways in the coming months (including more TLL signed ARC giveaways)... so there will be plenty more chances to win!

Speaking of more giveaways, please be sure to come back this Monday (the 23rd) for an interview with Janet Fox, where you'll have a chance to win a signed copy of her book, Faithful! Isn't this cover stunning?!

Website Launch Celebration Giveaway!

2010-08-11T09:00:00.134-04:00

$30 Amazon Gift Cards!
The Lipstick Laws Signed ARC Giveaway!
Come help me celebrate by looking around my website and entering below for a chance to win!

It's official! My author website is up and running, thanks to the very talented Denise Biondo! To celebrate my launch, I'm holding a giveaway in which I will randomly select FOUR lucky blog followers to shower with cold hard cash. Okay, I'm not really giving away cash, but Amazon gift cards are just as good, right? Each winner will receive one $30 Amazon gift card... and ONE of those lucky winners will then be randomly selected to win a signed ARC of The Lipstick Laws (when they're available), plus a fun assortment of TLL related goodies!

How do you sign up, you ask? Good question! Just follow these guidelines...

Website Launch Celebration Giveaway Entry Details:

*You must be a follower of my blog for a chance to win.*

You will be entered for a chance to win by answering ONE of the following questions in the comment section below:
1) From the info you've gathered from my website, what's one thing that you and I have in common?

2) What interests you about The Lipstick Laws?

3) After checking out Denise Biondo's list of web designs, what's the name of one other author on this list who has a site that you adore?

That's all you have to do to enter for a chance to win! But if you'd like to increase your odds of winning, you'll get extra entries for doing any (or all) of the following:

Tweet about my site launch & giveaway on twitter = +1 entry
Mention my site launch & giveaway on facebook = +1 entry
Vote for The Lipstick Laws HERE on goodreads = +1 entry
And/or vote HERE = +1 entry
Add my giveaway info to your blog sidebar = +1 entry
Write a blog post about my site, giveaway and/or book = +2 entries

*Be sure to tell me how many extra entries you should be getting, and where I can find your online shout-out(s) in your comment.*

That means you have the chance to be entered up to EIGHT times in the random drawing (4+4 to pay homage to TLL's April 4th release date). The lucky winners will be chosen at random from the entries I receive and will be announced on Saturday, August 21.

Good luck and thanks for helping me celebrate my website launch!!! Woohoo!

PS: Feel free to leave a comment even if you don't want to enter this giveaway. I'd love to hear from you! :)

Book News

2010-08-09T13:25:00.002-04:00

My book has survived a cover tweaking! Here is the new cover... it's the same concept as the first, just a tad bit different:

Also, I have an official pub date: 04/04/2011!
Woohoo! I love the sound of April 4th, what do you think?

But it doesn't end there... check out The Lipstick Laws listed on Publishers Weekly 2011 Sneak Previews

AND I've saved the best part for last! The Lipstick Laws is available for pre-order on Amazon!!! Ahhhh! I just about hit the floor like a fainting goat when I saw it!

If I'm not mistaken, I think this all calls for a celebration dance:

Come back for a continuation of this celebration for my website launch & corresponding contest on Wednesday, August 11th! See you there...er, here.... you get the idea.

Dreams = Boatloads of CASH. Who knew?

2010-08-05T17:59:00.070-04:00

"If you can dream it, you can do it" - Walt Disney

I love this quote; it's one of my favorites. And I never realized just how true it is until I read this cool-beans ARTICLE about wealth-magnets accruing fortunes from real snoozetastic DREAMS. That's right, you heard it here first (or second, depending on if you've already read the article in question) -- If you DREAM it, you really CAN do it... and make boatloads of moolah while you're at it!

By this point, you'd have to be living under a partially unearthed rock not to have heard the story about Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series coming to fruition from a dream. (For all you living under those partially unearthed rocks, I'm sure your homes are lovely...and I'm very impressed that you get an internet connection underground). So Stephenie's dream that started it all is old (albeit fascinating) news, I know. BUT, did you know that James Cameron got the idea for Avatar from a dream? Or that the legendary Paul McCartney came up with the song Yesterday while in a dream-state? Or how about the Declaration of Independence? Yep, I'm declaring that it might be thanks to a snorefest. Cool, right?

This is precisely why I think we should wear pajamas to work/school...and snooze every time we're supposed to come up with a good idea. We should start a snoozing revolution... and soon we'll be sleeping on wads of cash. Who's with me?

If you're not fully on the pajama bandwagon, you could always wear these pajama jeans. That way, only you will know you're snooze-ready:

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap.

Socks and Sandals, Oh My! Tasteless or trendy?

2010-08-01T15:25:00.043-04:00

I've decided to take a break from my WIP to comment on a topic that can no longer be ignored...

If it's cold enough for socks, it's too cold for sandals. If it's warm enough for sandals, it's too flippin' warm for socks. It seems practical, right? Alas, my friends, practicality is underappreciated these days.

During the summer, the inevitability of seeing socks and sandals in the wild increases tenfold. The natural habitat of socks and sandals typically consists of campgrounds, gas stations, and some of these endangered fashion species can even be spotted in your very own neighborhood while mowing the lawn. But thanks (or no thanks) to some fashion "trendsetters", this wild, contradictory fashion species is being torn from its natural habitat, tamed, and displayed on the runway as a 2010 fashion trend. Yes... I said runway. If you don't believe me, check out this ARTICLE or THIS ONE. What in the name of holey socks is going on, you ask? Join the confused club.

What are your thoughts? Are socks and sandals a cool new trend or a tacky fashion flop? If you're with me or against me on the anti-socks/sandals front, I beg you to voice your opinion below. Important issues like this should be discussed.

And if you can't get enough of the socks and sandals extravaganza, you'll go gaga over this SOCKERIFIC SITE.

We have a winner!

2010-07-30T16:30:00.064-04:00

Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win a signed copy of A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL by Kristin Walker!

I used the Random Name/Word Picker Fruit Machine at classtools.net to help me randomly select the winner from the entries I received.

The lucky winner is: Jami from YA Addict. Congratulations, Jami! I'm sure you will absolutely LOVE this book! I will be in touch through email to discuss the details.

To all you hopefuls who didn't win this time around, I will be holding another signed book giveaway on my blog in August. Please make sure to come back and enter for a chance to win! Below is a blurred picture of the cover of my next book giveaway. The first person who correctly recognizes it and leaves a comment below naming the book title and author will get an extra entry in the giveaway.

Here's a helpful hint: This book was released in May.

I'm also planning a top secret giveaway in August that you won't want to miss!!

August is going to be a fun-filled month! Stay tuned...

A Day in My Writing Life

2010-07-22T16:30:00.006-04:00

Some of you may know that on every Thursday, a 2011 debut author from The Elevensies shares a blog post about a day in her (or his) writing life. Well, today is my day to share...so, I thought I'd post it here on my blog too. If you'd like to see my post over at the 11sies (which is pretty much the same thing as here), check it out HERE.

This is where the writing happens...
In all honesty, my day to day writing life varies like flavors of jelly beans. Some days I'm lucky to get a bunch of delicious tasting jelly beans. Other days, I'm stuck with the ones that taste like black licorice -- yuck. Since my writing life isn't always predictable (and is sometimes downright snooze-worthy), I thought I'd do something a little different with this post by taking the things that happen most frequently and creating a recipe from them. So, here it goes... hopefully it doesn't taste terrible.

(click picture to enlarge)

Amy's Recipe for A Day in The Writing Life

Ingredients:
1 computer
1 semi-comfortable chair
1 authorly behind
*Note* Chocolate consumption for extra authorly behind cushioning is recommended.
3 email accounts plus passwords
2 liters of waiting at room temperature
4 tablespoons of patience, separated
5 social networking site cubes (Blogger, Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Myspace)
1 stick of melted internet stalking...er, I mean browsing
1 wise editor
1 medium rare manuscript
1 peeled work in progress (WIP)
Long to-do list
1 cup of good news (optional)
*Note* Any publishing/writerly progress is considered good news.

Cooking Directions:
Attach 1 authorly behind securely to semi-comfortable chair. Turn on computer to bake. Crack open email accounts with various passwords, read & respond. Pour 2 liters of waiting in a large pot, adding 1 tablespoon of patience at a time as needed; stir and let simmer. In a small bowl of procrastination, dissolve social networking site cubes into the melted stick of internet browsing, mix until well blended. In a separate bowl of quit stalling and get with the program, fully squeeze 1 wise editor for a flavorful marinade. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of wise editor marinade over medium rare manuscript in an 8.5 X 11 nonstick baking dish. Bake until well done. Meanwhile, slice off dead ends and bruises from peeled WIP, and drizzle left over editor marinade on top. Continue to shape and mold WIP until satisfied. All the while, cross off to-do list when appropriate to provide a slight sense of accomplishment. Finally, blend all ingredients together in a large casserole dish. Cook on high for 8-10 hours until crisp. Serve warm.

**For an extra sweet day in the writing life, sprinkle 1 cup of optional good news over the writing casserole before serving.**

My recent sweet good news was getting my first pass pages -- woohoo!

Finally, I shouldn't forget to add that my day in a writing life wouldn't be complete without my four furry, verbally challenged sous-chefs by my side:

Clearly I've watched one too many episodes of Top Chef. Thanks for checking out a day in my writing life. Now I'm hungry.

*Disclaimer* No real editors were squeezed during the making of this day in the writing life.

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On a side note, if you'd like to win a fabulous SIGNED copy of Kristin Walker's A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL, don't forget to enter for a chance to win HERE. The winner will be announced on July 30th!

An Interview & Signed Book Giveaway with Author Kristin Walker

2010-07-16T14:25:00.006-04:00

I'm happy to welcome Kristin Walker, the awesome author of A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL, to my blog for an interview and signed book giveaway. Yes, that's right, I'm holding another giveaway contest where I'll be providing one lucky commenter with a signed copy of this fun and funny debut! As usual, entry details will follow the interview. But first, here's a summary of Kristin's book:

When a mandatory course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life couldn't get any worse. Until her crush is paired with her arch enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks leave Fiona wondering: is there something her “best friend” hasn’t told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than an awesome music collection? And most intriguing, could Todd Harding have a heart beneath his pretty-boy exterior?

Can you sum up A Match Made in High School in one sentence?

High school seniors get paired up for a mandatory course in marriage education with disastrous and hilarious results.

What inspired you to write A Match Made in High School?

It just seemed like it could be a really funny premise. I was looking for a topic with a lot of potential for humor, and since the book was going to be the longest thing I'd written, I figured I should pick something I knew a bit about. Pretty much my whole life was raising kids, doing laundry, loading dishwashers, and being married. So I went with marriage. I didn't think too many teens would want to read about stain removal or crusty spatulas.

If you could be one character from your book for a day, which one would you be and why?

Great question! Hmm... Okay, this is totally shallow, but I'm going to say it anyway... Amanda. I've always wanted to be stunningly beautiful for a day. All I'd do is walk around being gorgeous. Isn't that dorky? Other than Amanda, I'd pick Sam because she's so alive and energized and completely genuine. Plus she has stains on her shirts, and that's pretty much me every day with my coffee.

Who would you have wanted to be paired with to "try the knot" when you were in high school?

Oh, you don't seriously think I'm going to answer that, do you? Ha! I'm sure I would've picked whomever I was dating at the time.

What has surprised you the most about the publishing industry?

Everyone knows everyone in publishing. It's a very close-knit industry. So if you're interested in getting into the publishing game, tread kindly and try not to burn any bridges.

The great part is that everyone I've encountered is super cool. For the most part, they're people I'd hang out with in real life. It's humbling to have so many brilliant, fun people discussing and putting effort into my work.

What's your best advice for aspiring writers wanting to be published?

Just keep writing! Never quit. Every word you write makes you a better writer, so just keep going. It's a long, often heartbreaking haul, but you'll get there.

Thanks so much for having me, Amy! I had a great time with your questions.

Thank YOU, Kristin, for stopping by my blog! If you'd like to learn more about Kristin and her book, please be sure to check out her WEBSITE, BLOG and GOODREADS page.

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A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) You must be a follower of my blog for a chance to win.
2) You will be entered once by reading and commenting on this post.
3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of this post.

***That means you have the chance to be entered up to three times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from the entries I receive and will be announced on Friday, July 30th. Good luck!***

Ashley will receive an automatic extra entry for her correct guess from this blurred cover image post.

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Cool New Sites

2010-07-14T19:00:00.019-04:00

As I wait for my own author site to make its debut (I promise, it's coming...), I'd love to share some other great new sites for your cyber stalking pleasure:

First, if you're a fellow writer/author, you'll want to check out the new book tour site called The Teen Book Scene, created by book blogging extraordinaires Kari (from A Good Addiction) and Kelsey (from The Book Scout). Not only are these girls awesome, they've mastered the art of online book tours and author promotion. If you're looking for a free way to help promote your (YA or MG) book, be sure to contact them to set up a tour!

In author news, Carrie Harris just launched her fantastically freaky WEBSITE. Check it out for yourself to get in on all the monster mania. If you sign up for her NEWSLETTER, you'll be entered for a chance to win an ARC of Bad Taste in Boys & a poster of the very cool homepage illustration... and who in their right mind wouldn't want a poster of a monster prom? That's prime dining room art right there.

But the author news doesn't stop there... Gae Polisner , another fellow 2k11er, also launched her fabulous AUTHOR SITE not too long ago. Check it out for the inside scoop on The Pull of Gravity (her 2011 YA debut) and her other writing endeavors.

Finally, have you ever wondered which famous writer your writing compares to? Take this fun QUIZ to find out. Word on the street is that it's had over 100,000 hits in a single day. Sounds like a lot of people are curious to see what their own writing stacks up to. And yes, I admit I took the quiz... several times. I got a different answer with each entry, ranging from Chuck Palahniuk to James Joyce. Not sure if that means the quiz isn't accurate or my writing has multiple personalities (or maybe both?), but it's a fun experiment nevertheless. If you try it, be sure to tell me which writer you get.

**Come back this Friday for an author interview & signed book giveaway with Kristin Walker**

First Pass Pages

2010-07-09T16:44:00.008-04:00

I just got the first pass pages (the unbound layout of the inside pages/text) of The Lipstick Laws! Woohoo! The proof is in the pictures:

Limbo... how low can you go?

2010-07-01T16:30:00.003-04:00

So, I've been a little MIA lately... mainly because I'm in limbo. No, I'm not doing the "Limbo" as the above picture and title might suggest. As much as I wish those Stayin' Alive-esque 70s bell-bottoms and matching top were mine, alas, they're not. I'm in limbo. That's right, I'm waiting in the in-between. Waiting for what, you ask? Well, the word on the street is that my cover art is being tweaked. If you're crying out, "For the love of all things holy, WHY???"... you're not alone. I'm disappointed too, but apparently it's going to be very similar to my first cover. Which is good. This whole cover switch-up just goes to show that the publishing industry is filled with ups and downs and twists and turns. Just when you think you know where the ride is taking you, it veers off in a different direction. I'm just thankful that I'm tall enough to ride the publishing roller-coaster... and that I have a safety harness.

Anyway, I've been on hold waiting for my tweaked cover to both blog about and to launch my website to the world. Since I haven't gotten El Newcover yet, I decided that I can't hold off any longer; I must blog. So today, I thought I'd share another author's fantastic cover news. The super funny and fantastic Carrie Harris has just revealed her cover art for BAD TASTE IN BOYS (summer 2011) to the world. Check out its awesomeness on her blog HERE. Can we say ooh-la-la?!

In the meantime, I should have some book news or other fun stuff to share with you all soon! :)

I'm back...plus a Father's Day note

2010-06-20T12:54:00.052-04:00

I'm back from my trip and just want to thank everyone for your thoughts & condolences in response to my last post. It really meant a lot to me. I plan on getting back on the ball with blogging this coming week. In the meantime, I'd like to wish all the fathers out there a very special day today! I'm sending an extra special HAPPY FATHER'S DAY shout-out to my amazing dad! Love you, Dad!

Also, you may have noticed that my blog has changed from my original pink background to white, to a full color new template, and back to white again recently. No, your eyes aren't fooling you... my blog template has in fact been possessed lately. All of these random changes are due to the construction and live testing of my website and matching blog, which will be made public permanently very soon.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! :)

Swoon At Your Own Risk Signed Book Giveaway Winner!

2010-06-12T09:00:00.004-04:00

Sorry this post is a day late. There's been a death in my family, and I've been tying up loose ends before leaving to travel out of town for the funeral. I will be on a blogging hiatus until I return next weekend.

But don't worry, I didn't forget about announcing the lucky winner of Sydney Salter's fabulously fun book before I hit the road. Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win. I used random.org to help randomly select the winner from the entries I received.

The lucky winner is: Emma Kate "Coops" at What's Cracking Coops?
Congratulations, Emma! I will be in touch through email to discuss the giveaway details with you.

How fitting is it to have a winner from Australia when the author's name is Sydney?! Too cool!

To all you hopefuls who didn't win this time around, I will be holding another signed book giveaway on my blog in July. Please make sure to come back and enter for a chance to win! Below is a blurred picture of the cover of my next book giveaway. The first person who correctly recognizes it and leaves a comment below naming the book title and author will get an extra entry in the giveaway.

Here's a helpful hint: This book was released in Febraury 2010.

Interview and Giveaway with Author Sydney Salter!

2010-06-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

Today, I'm excited to host an interview and signed book giveaway with Sydney Salter, the fabulous author of My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, Jungle Crossing, and (most recently) Swoon At Your Own Risk.Sydney and I share the same publishing house, and she was the first fellow author I contacted upon signing my publishing contract. Not only is she nice, funny and incredibly talented, her books are an absolute delight to read! Do you want to know the best part? One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Sydney's fabulously fun new book, Swoon At Your Own Risk! The entry details will follow this interview:

How would you sum up Swoon at Your Own Risk in one sentence?

After a junior year of dating disasters, Polly Martin has sworn off boys; now she’s just trying to survive her summer job at Wild Waves Water park (under the supervision of ex number three, Sawyer Holmes) and focus on herself for once.

If you could be any character from your book for a day, which one would you be and why?

I’d be Xander Cooper, mostly because I’ve always wanted to know how to skateboard, but my first attempt resulted in elbow scars, so I haven’t tried again. Plus, as a writer, I’d love to truly see things from a male perspective for a day.

What inspired you to give Polly, the main character of Swoon at Your Own Risk, a job at a water park?

Every summer I take my daughters to our local water park; I love watching the teen employees, all the crazy kids, and the distracted parents…and I suppose I’m one of those with all my people watching! I’ve always thought it would make a great setting/summer job for a story.

If you could ask Miss Swoon a question, what would it be and how do you think she'd answer?

Dear Miss Swoon,
I used to think that becoming a published author would make me feel so confident and secure. But now I’m worried about so much more: will my book get good reviews? How many copies will it sell? Will people like my next story, too? It’s so much more complicated than I expected. How do I cope?
–Obsessing Author

Dear Author,
Just write! Ignore all the stuff you can’t control and focus on writing the next story. Isn’t that why you started doing this in the first place?
–Miss Swoon

Polly has a bunch of ex-boyfriends in this novel. Do you have a funny or interesting breakup story of your own to share?

I married my first boyfriend! I haven’t experienced an official boyfriend breakup, but I’ve been hurt by crushes gone wrong, lost friendships, and the end of professional relationships. I tapped into those emotions while writing Swoon At Your Own Risk.

What's your best advice for writers wanting to get published?

Write the next novel, and the next one after that—you never know which one will sell first, and each new story will teach you something that you can apply to earlier manuscripts. (BTW, I sold my fourth manuscript first, my seventh manuscript second, and first manuscript third.)

Thanks so much for the enjoyable interview, Sydney! For more information about Sydney and her books, be sure to check out her AUTHOR WEBSITE and BLOG.

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SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) You must be a follower of my blog for a chance to win.
2) You will be entered once by reading and commenting on this post.
3) You will receive an extra entry by adding what (or who) makes you SWOON in your comment.
4) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of this post.

***That means you have the chance to be entered up to four times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from all the entries I receive and will be announced next Friday (June 11th). Good luck!***

This contest is open to international entrants.

Crystal or Lee?

2010-05-24T16:00:00.012-04:00

I admit, I'm a bit of an American Idol junkie and am really looking forward to tomorrow's showdown...especially since my two favorites from the beginning have made it to the final two. Even though I love Crystal and will be happy if she wins, I'm rooting for Lee. My favoritism swiftly swayed to his side after this amazing performance:

Not only is he ADORABLE, the boy can SINGGGG.

Do you watch American Idol? If so, are you rooting for Crystal or Lee to win?

On a sidenote, if you're wondering why my blog background is plain white now, it's because it's getting ready for its magical transition to match my author website. Both my new and improved blog plus my author site will be debuting soon. Yay!

Spread The Awesome Signed Book WINNER!

2010-05-10T09:00:00.042-04:00

Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win a signed copy of GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, By Eileen Cook!

I used random.org to randomly select the winner from the 75+ entries I received. The lucky winner is: basheemadory (Kristy). Congratulations! I'm sure you will absolutely LURRRRVE this book! I will be in touch through email to discuss the details.

To all you hopefuls who didn't win this time around, I will be holding another signed book giveaway on my blog in June. Please make sure to come back and enter for a chance to win! Below is a blurred picture of the cover of my next book giveaway. The first person who correctly recognizes it and leaves a comment below naming the book title and author will get an extra entry in the giveaway.

Here's a helpful hint: This book was released in April.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:00:00.018-04:00

Wishing all the mothers out there a very special day! I'm sending an extra special HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY shout-out to my amazing mother! Love you, Mom!

Don't forget, today is the last day to enter the Eileen Cook book giveaway. The winner will be announced tomorrow. Check out the entry details HERE.

Halloween in May

2010-05-06T16:00:00.001-04:00

Most people have heard of Christmas in July, right? Well, I think it's about time for people to start celebrating Halloween in May. In fact, I'm going to start that tradition by celebrating Halloween this week... heck, I might even celebrate it this whole month.

Why, you ask? Is loving Halloween not a good enough answer? I mean, c'mon people, do I look like someone with an ulterior motive? Okay, you caught me. The truth is I won the "Scare up Some Fun" Hallmark Halloween greeting card competition and my winning card is for sale at Hallmark.com right now. If you're feeling Halloweenie (no inappropriate side comments, please), go ahead and take a look at the winning cards HERE (there are 23 fabu winners total)... and if you're feeling especially Halloweenie, go ahead and order some of your favorites to send this coming Halloween. For anyone who would like to buy my specific card with my not so Halloweenie smiling picture on the back, the direct link is HERE.

Thanks and I hope you all have a BOOtiful day. *Insert groan and eye roll here.*

If you haven't already, check out and enter the current signed book giveaway with Eileen Cook on my blog HERE. Last day to enter is May 9th. The lucky winner will be announced on May 10th.

An Interview and Signed Book Giveaway With Author Eileen Cook!

2010-05-04T08:00:00.075-04:00

For those of you coming back from yesterday's Spread The Awesome post, thanks for returning! For those of you just joining me today, I'm interviewing Eileen Cook, author of Getting Revenge On Lauren Wood. This is a follow-up post to yesterday's book review, so if you haven't checked it out already, you can read it HERE. Yes, that's right, I'm devoting two blog days to Eileen and her book because (as mentioned yesterday) both are made of awesome. In return, Eileen has generously offered to donate a signed copy of this wickedly funny book to one lucky blog follower who leaves a comment on today's and/or yesterday's post(s). The giveaway is open to international participants. Full entry details will follow my interview.

Now for the fun....

Will you please sum up Getting Revenge On Lauren Wood in a tweet of 140 characters or less?

A novel of friendship, betrayal, revenge and classic movies.

What was your reaction when you got the first sneak peek of your fabulous cover?

I love this cover so much I nearly licked it when I saw it. I am very lucky that my publisher includes me in the cover design process. The designer, Cara, asked me if I had any ideas for what I wanted to see. There is a scene in the book where the main character chucks a Barbie doll dressed in a cheerleader outfit into a wood chipper. That appealed to me, so I suggested someone holding a Barbie doll by her hair and sticking pins in voodoo style. Cara told me that Mattel (the makers of Barbie) apparently frown on people using their trademarked doll for voodoo. Go figure.

Cara found a doll company in China that does custom ordered figures. She ordered a Lauren doll and then stabbed it. This gave me a lot of joy.

If you could be a character from your book for a day, which one would you be and why?

Brenda is my favorite character in the book, but I've already lived high school as a geek so I think I would take a pass at reliving it. If I could be anyone I would be Christopher. It would be nice to understand what boys think even for a day. I found them confusing in high school and I still find them confusing.

Helen has a passion for classic movies in this book. What movie would Helen say best compares to your life?

Oooh, good question. I think my real life might be too boring for a movie. Two hours of watching someone schlep around in yoga pants staring into space making stuff up would be pretty dull. If I could be in a classic movie I would love to be Katharine Hepburn. She was gorgeous, funny and spunky. Plus she got to kiss Cary Grant, I could live with that.

The revenge tactics in this book are brilliant. What inspired you to come up with all the fantastically wicked sabotage ideas?

I was somewhat surprised how easily the evil revenge ideas came to me. Apparently, I have a lot of unresolved issues from high school. I think most people think about the evil things they would do to someone who hurt them. We don't do them because we have no interest in doing prison time. Speaking for myself, I would look lousy in an orange inmate jumpsuit. Writing gave me a chance to get all those evil ideas out on the page while staying out of jail.

You managed to portray Helen as a likable character even though she is consumed with seeking revenge through most of the book. What tips would you give to writers to help increase likeability in flawed characters?

I absolutely love the screenwriting book, Save the Cat, by Blake Synder. He has some great advice on writing flawed characters. I think there are two things that are important, the character must have a motivation to do what they do and they must have some redeeming characteristics. Hopefully, while people may not agree with what Helen does, they understand why she does it. It was also important for me that people see that Helen was a good person who was doing a bad thing versus being a bad person.

Plus, who likes someone who is perfect? We like to see flaws in others, it makes us feel better about our own.

What is your best advice for aspiring writers hoping to be published?

My best advice is the easiest- read! Read a lot! I believe books are the best teacher. If there is a book you really like then break it down chapter by chapter. What did you like? When were you sucked into the story? Did you cry? If so- when? You can also do the same thing with a book you hated. Publishing is a hard business. It can take a long time and there will be a lot of rejection on the way. The good news is that as a writer you can keep getting better and that part of the puzzle is in your control.

Thank you so much, Eileen, for the interview and offering to give away a signed copy of your book to one lucky commenter! Find out more about Eileen and her books at her AUTHOR WEBSITE and BLOG.

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Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) You will be entered once by reading and commenting on this post (or yesterday's Spread The Awesome review post). Please leave your email address with your comment.
2) Your name will be entered twice in the random drawing if you comment on both today's and yesterday's posts.
3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of today's or tomorrow's post to earn the extra entries.

***If you comment on both posts, plus blog and tweet about the giveaway, your name will be entered 4 times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from all the entries I receive and will be announced next Monday (May 10th). Good luck!***

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If you haven't already, check out the Spread The Awesome recommended reads list organized by Elana Johnson.

Spread The Awesome: GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, By Eileen Cook -- Review and Giveaway!

2010-05-03T08:00:00.140-04:00

***Read and comment on this post (and/or tomorrow's author interview) to be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD from author extraordinaire, Eileen Cook! This giveaway is open to international participants. Full entry details will follow my review.***

Today I'm participating with a bunch of other blogging writers to pay tribute to an author and book that I think deserves 10 stars. In short, we're spreading the book-loving awesome all day today. I've chosen Eileen Cook and GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD because Eileen and her book are both made of awesome. I can't begin to explain how much I LURRRVE this book, but I'll try to sum it up with five reasons:

1) The cover art and tagline (This time, the mean girl is going down) are hilariously brilliant! How could you walk by this book without picking it up?

2) The characters are relatable and likable. Whether you root for the underdog taking a stand, love to hate the mean girl, relate to the academic brainy type, or adore the quiet hot guy, there's a character for everyone to cheer for.

3) The revenge tactics in this book are wickedly fabulous. Everyone loves to think of the things they'd *like* to do to those who've crossed them, but would never actually consider doing in real life... well, this book will satisfy your revenge fantasies without a trip to the slammer.

4) The plot is fun, funny and clever: Mean girl betrays best friend, best friend moves away and reinvents herself, best friend then moves back with a new name/identity with the hopes of seeking revenge and causing havoc in mean girl's life. What's not to love? Not to mention, I laughed out loud in several parts of the plot. Eileen's writing is fresh and funny. If you'd like more plot info, check out the whole summary at Amazon or Goodreads.

5) The ending is superb! It's not too rushed or perfectly resolved in an unrealistic fashion like some other books out there.

If it's not already evident by my enthusiastic endorsement above, I'd suggest you all choose this book for a fun, entertaining read. If you find you LURRRVE it as much as I do, keep my book (THE LIPSTICK LAWS) in mind for a spring 2011 read. It also delves into mean girl drama and revenge. Thanks for reading my review and don't forget to enter the book giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of this Spread The Awesome book from Eileen herself.

For more Spread The Awesome fun, check out Angela Ackerman's blog for her review of THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES, by Carrie Ryan. A full list of Spread The Awesome recommended reads can be found HERE. A big thanks goes to Elana Johnson for organizing this Spread The Awesome day!

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Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details:
1) You will be entered once by reading and commenting on this post (or tomorrow's interview post). Please leave your email address with your comment.
2) Your name will be entered twice in the random drawing if you comment on both today's and tomorrow's posts.
3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of today's or tomorrow's post to earn the extra entries.

***If you comment on both posts, plus blog and tweet about the giveaway, your name will be entered 4 times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from all the entries I receive and will be announced next Monday (May 10th). Good luck!***

Remember to come back tomorrow for my interview with Eileen Cook!

And the Contest Winners Are....

2010-05-01T22:35:00.053-04:00

FYI - I will be holding a signed book giveaway on my blog starting this Monday (the 3rd). There will be several chances to enter and it's open to international participants. The winner will be selected at random this time. Make sure to check back on Monday for more details.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Thanks to all who participated in my What's Your Fortune, Cookie? contest and an extra big thanks to those who blogged and/or tweeted about it! To recap, participants were asked to come up with creative fortunes for a fictional character and/or anyone in pop culture for a chance to win an Amazon gift card. Entries that did not follow the rules or are previously published jokes/quotes could not be chosen as winners. I received close to 40 awesome entries, which made my judging job extra hard. I ended up enlisting some fortune-ology loving friends to help me narrow down the competition.

Without further ado...

The first place $30 Amazon gift card goes to Lisa R. at Lisa's Loves (Books of Course). Lisa's fortune for all the "He Man Vamps" out there is very clever and it made me laugh!
Congrats, Lisa!

The second place $20 Amazon gift card goes to Kari at A Good Addiction. Kari's fortune for Marilyn Monroe is cute, true and it rhymes! Not to mention, it's sort of relevant to my book, THE LIPSTICK LAWS... but I don't want to give any spoilers away. :)
Congrats, Kari!

The third place $10 Amazon gift card goes to Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century. Kristen's fortune for Alice in Wonderland is great because it incorporates both the literary world and the world of pop culture (the movie was big this year).
Congrats, Kristen!

I had a really tough time picking just three winners, so I thought I'd add one more $10 Amazon gift card to the award pot for an entry that went above and beyond the creative call of duty.

The extra $10 Amazon gift card creativity award goes to Adriana at ~*Loves to Read*~. Not only does this fortune have both pop culture (2012 doomsday) and literary (Twilight) references, Adriana displayed all her fortune entries creatively on her blog HERE.
Congrats, Adriana!

But it doesn't end there; seven is a lucky number in the world of fortune-ology, so I'd also like to add three more of my favorites as honorable mentions. Honorable mentions from this contest will be allowed two extra entries in my next multi-prize gift card competition later on in the summer if they choose to participate. I will be sure to remind the honorable mentions when the time comes.

The three Honorable Mentions are:

DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude for this very funny fortune for a certain cheating celebrity husband:

Claire at Points of Claire-ification for this extra sparkly fortune for Edward Cullen:

Cindy at I Heart Book Gossip for this funny fashion prediction for Lady Gaga:

Thanks again to all who participated and congrats to the winners and honorable mentions! To those who were not chosen this time, please know that I loved each entry, and I wish I could award you all for your Nostradamus geniusness. Please check back regularly for more contests and giveaways for another shot to win prizes. Don't forget to stop by and check out my next giveaway this Monday.

**To all gift card winners, if you did not leave an email address in your entry, please leave it in a comment below so I can contact you with your prize details.**

Contest Closing

2010-04-30T23:58:00.001-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the What's Your Fortune, Cookie? contest! I received soooooo many fun, funny, creative, insightful entries... you all thoroughly entertained me. Not to mention, you've made my job as a fortune judge entirely too hard. I will be choosing winners tomorrow and announcing them at some point this weekend with another blog post. If you're not chosen as a winner this time around, have no fear, because I have plenty of other contests in store for you all! In fact, there may be a special giveaway scheduled next week. :)

Stay tuned...

Contest! Contest! Contest!

2010-04-20T09:00:00.074-04:00

Enter the What's Your Fortune, Cookie? contest to win an Amazon gift card! Details below...

I love the fine art of fortune telling (or the fine art of BS to those skeptics out there). I'm a sucker for psychics, tarot cards, Nostradamus, Magic 8 Balls, astrology... you name it! Whether it's real or not, I suck up fortune-ology with a straw. Unsurprisingly, I love the crisp prediction goodies otherwise known as fortune cookies. Several weeks ago I was horrified to find that my favorite part of Chinese takeout (the fortune cookie) was empty inside. EMPTY! No fortune! Nada! Clearly I was gypped.

To counterbalance my recent lack of fortune fun, I have decided to hold a contest to collect creative fortunes. Since asking for a bunch of random fortunes for me would be a bit selfish, I'm asking each participant to come up with a creative fortune for a fictional character or anyone (or anything) in pop culture. I will then choose up to three of the most creative (or laugh-out-loud) entries to win the following prizes:

First Place - $30 Amazon gift card
Second Place - $20 Amazon gift card
Third Place - $10 Amazon gift card

In order to enter the contest for a chance to win you must:

1) Be a follower of my blog

2) Leave a creative pop culture or fictional character fortune in the comment box below. Make sure to add the name of whom or what it's about somewhere in your comment. Keep in mind that fortunes in fortune cookies are short, so please don't write a dissertation. Funny entries will get extra kudos!

3) Enter ONE creative fortune per participant. You can submit up to TWO extra fortunes to be evaluated for prizes if you mention this contest on your blog, twitter and/or facebook page. Please provide me with the link to your online shout-out with each extra fortune you enter. This means no more than THREE creative fortunes should be entered by any one participant.

4) Remember to play nice in the fortune factory sandbox - no mean predictions, please.

An example of a pop culture fortune (for Brangelina):

An example of a fictional character fortune (for Pinocchio):

Now go ahead and entertain me with your fortune geniusness, my Nostradamus reincarnates!

*Adriana at Loves to Read was the first to answer my bonus question correctly in my last blog post. Congrats, Adriana! If you choose to participate, you can submit an extra entry*

Winners will be chosen on May 1st. Good luck and have fun!

I'm Baaaack...

2010-04-18T19:30:00.002-04:00

Did you miss me? Because I missed you... each and every one of you. I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do.

"Soooo....what is up? What's the 411? What has everybody been up to? What's the hot gossip? Tell me everything. What have you guys been listening to? What are the cool jams?"

The first person to tell me what movie and character this above quote is from will get an extra entry (if you choose to participate) in my upcoming contest. Yes, I DID say contest! You didn't think I was lying when I told you all I was planning a contest for April, did you? Well, shame on you if you did! Check back Tuesday, the 20th, for my first official contest. You must be a follower of my blog to enter... and you must love cheese. Okay, cheese actually has nothing to do with it, but I thought it would sound more "official-like" with two entry rules. More to come...

On the author front, my fabulous web designer, Denise Biondo, is working on my website drafts as we speak... er, type. Sometime soon my author website will be up and this blog will be one of its internal pages. If you're one of those types who's not fond of change, I'm warning you now that my blog template WILL BE CHANGING (the horror!) when my full website is up and running. Hence I may not be able to post all the various blog awards you've given me anymore (thank you for the awards!!). That said, I have several more awards that I want to acknowledge and post now, but I won't be passing any more on because there are too many great blogs to choose from, and to be honest, figuring out who doesn't already have the awards I want to pass along makes my eyes cross. For the love of uncrossed eyes, I hope you all understand. If, however, you want any of my awards, let me know, and I'll be happy to pass them along to you.

Without further ado, I shall acknowledge the awards now...

I'M SENDING BIG THANKS TO:

Medeia Sharif for the Awesomesauce Award and the Super Comments Award! Medeia also tagged me in a fun Q&A blog post which I will be participating in and posting at some point in the future...

D.L. Hammons at Cruising Altitude for the Sunshine Award

and....

Claire at Points of Claire-ification for the From Me to You award and the Soulmates Award!

Claire had to invent a fictional fact about each person she chose to pass the Soulmates Award onto. Since I won't be passing it along, I thought I'd at least share the awesome fact Claire invented about me: Amy Holder's the current Chocolate Diving Champion of Pennsylvania. To win this title she dove into 6 feet of chocolates to retrieve a teddy bear, with a time of 15.26 seconds.
Hahahaha! I love it!

Thanks again to all the wonderful bloggers who've passed along blog awards to me!

Make sure to come back on Tuesday to check out and participate in my contest!

Spring Fun

2010-04-07T09:36:00.019-04:00

Happy spring! I have limited internet access this week, so if I'm MIA from commenting on all of your fabulous blogs, you'll know why. I want to take a minute to share some fun news and links before I disappear into the abyss for the week.

First, Carrie Harris (my friend and fellow 2011 debut author) announced the new title of her much anticipated YA zombie comedy this past weekend. The book was previously called NO PAIN, NO BRAIN, but has since been switched to (drum roll): BAD TASTE IN BOYS. How fantastic is that?! I LURRRRVE it! If you feel the same way, check out Carrie's official announcement .

If you're still looking for laughs after reading some of Carrie's laugh-out-loud blog, take a look at this blog post comparing rejection letters to dating by Shelli at Market My Words. The analogy is funny, clever and so true!

In other news, there's a great new YA book blogger (Voracious YAppetite) who hosted a Women of YA Tribute on her blog last month. Make sure to check it out if you haven't already. Eleni at La Femme Readers did a Q&A for the tribute and gave me a shout-out. Thanks, Eleni!!!

Finally, I'm excited to announce that the KidLit Authors Club (which I'm a member of) will be holding their first in-person events this month. There will be authors, books, balloons and party bags! If you live in the NJ, PA, DE or MD areas, don't miss out on the fun! Although I won't be at these April events, there are many more to come that I can't wait to be a part of! You can find more information at the KidLit Authors Club Blog , Website and Twitter.

Here is a list of events scheduled so far:
Big Blue Marble Bookstore, Mt. Airy, PA, April 10
Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, DE, April 14
Barnes & Noble, Moorestown, NJ, April 15
Barnes & Noble, Rittenhouse Sq, Phila, PA, April 17
Barnes & Noble, E. Brunswick, NJ, April 20
Barnes & Noble, Deptford, NJ, May 2
Sparta Books, Sparta, NJ, May 22
Barnes & Noble, Howell, NJ, June 2
N. Wildwood Beach Writers Conference, N. Wildwood, NJ, June 8-9

I'll be back with more fun stuff (and maybe a contest) soon. In the meantime, I hope you're all enjoying beautiful spring weather (I know I am)!