Friday, June 26, 2009

Freebie Friday with Tera Lynn Childs!

Happy Friday!

Another great book event last night. I'm giving a recap over at Teen Fiction Cafe if you're interested. Meanwhile, I'm stoked to bring you this week's Freebie Friday guest, YA author and all around goddess, Tera Lynn Childs. Tera Lynn is the author of OH.MY. GODS. and the recently-released sequel, GODDESS BOOT CAMP.

Here's the official GODDESS BOOT CAMP blurb:

Phoebe recently discovered she’s a descendent of Nike (the goddess, not the shoe), and now she's finding out that supernatural powers come with a crazy learning curve. Her new stepfather, headmaster of the Academy for descendants of Greek gods, has enrolled her in Dynamotheos Development Camp—aka Goddess Boot Camp—with a bunch of ten-year-olds for the summer. Embarrassing as that is, hopefully it’ll help her get control of her powers in time to pass the test of the gods, continue training hard enough to qualify for the Pythian Games (the only sporting event bigger than the Olympics), and enjoy her godly boyfriend, Griffin, all while avoiding getting smoted for accidental misuse of powers!

Booklist calls GODDESS BOOT CAMP "lighthearted, magic-packed fun" and Kirkus Reviews says the "light and clever story line" makes for a great beach read. Perfect for summer, right? Right! You can read an excerpt here.

And now on to the Standard Interview Questions:

What inspired you to write Goddess Boot Camp?
My editor saying, "We want you to write a sequel!" Just kidding. (Mostly.) Where the premise for the book started, actually, was with the opening line. After Phoebe learns she's a descendant of Nike in Oh. My. Gods. I suddenly pictured her thinking, I. Am. A. Goddess. And then there would be a bit BUT--the whole not being able to control her powers thing--because nothing is ever that simple for Phoebe. That's where the book began.

What excites you?
Learning. I am such an education junkie it's ridiculous. If I'm not watching a specific show on TV (like Psych, Leverage, or Burn Notice) then I'm usually on the Science Channel, the History Channel, or the Discovery Channel. It's an addiction, I'm telling you. I love that moment when you realize you just learned something you never knew you never knew (how very Pocahontas of me, I know). Like how when a liquid is bombarded with sound it creates bubbles that emit light when they burst. (Seriously. It's called sonoluminescence.) That's moment is magic. And it's all research for some unknown future book.

What turns you off?
Complacency. I never want to be happy with what I've got or what I'm doing. I'm always looking for the next thing, the thing that will be bigger and better and more successful or exciting or just more. This applies to my writing, too. No matter how well I think I did on the previous book, I can always do better and work harder on the next one. Melissa Marr once said, "If it's not hard then what's the point." I totally agree. If it's easy, then you're just letting yourself down.

Have you ever gone away to summer camp? What's your favorite (or worst) camp memory?
Never to a fun summer camp, like the girls in Parent Trap (oh, how I dreamed, though). I went to several summers of basketball camp and pretty much all of it is a worst memory. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but I was exhausting and hard and some of the girls were not very nice.


Who is your favorite Goddess and why?
I'm not allowed to choose, because they take it very personally when you pick favorites (see: Troy, War of). Who knows what kind of trouble those ladies would unleash if I let it slip that I prefer smart and powerful Athena. Ooops! Watch out.


If you found out today that you were a descendant of the Gods, what magical power would you wish to have?
There are twelve primary powers that the gods have passed on to their descendants, and the best by far is autoportation. This is the ability to zap yourself literally anywhere in the world. Of course, if you haven't been to that particular spot before you run the risk of finding yourself in the middle of a mountain or something equally dangerous. Autoport at your own risk.

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?
Jane Austen, because
she could not only tell me what the Regency world was really like, but also name her inspiration for Mr. Darcy. (Come on, there had to be someone who inspired that character!) Besides, I think she would be delightfully fun and could probably prepare tea like nobody's business.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
Sometimes I have nightmares about spiders. (I have no idea what causes them because in real life I'm not nearly this terrified of them.) In the nightmare, I'm lying in my bed in my room when a spider suddenly drops down from the ceiling right above me. I jolt up, instantly wide awake and completely convinced that the spider is actually there. I'm used to them now, so I figure out pretty quickly that it was a dream, but the first time it happened (in college) I leaped out of bed, flipped on the light, and spent twenty minutes searching for the spider. Freaked my roommate out.

What's your favorite quote?
I love this one from Mark Twain: The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.

Milk Chocolate or Dark?
None. I'm not really a chocolate fan. (Linda's note: gasp!) I'll eat it if there are other things involved (like caramel or marshmallow), but usually I pass on the chocolate. (Again, gasp!!) I do like white chocolate, though, but some people don't consider that chocolate. Just like some people don't consider my hazelnut latte to be coffee. I beg to differ.

To be entered to win a signed copy of GODDESS BOOT CAMP, leave a reply below answering one (or both!) of these questions:
1. What is your favorite/worst summer camp experience?
2. Who is your favorite Greek goddess and why?

This contest will remain open until Wednesday, July 1 or when I get back home, whichever comes latest!

Link

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

What's Up Wednesday

Book Signing
Finally met Aprilynne Pike and Sydney Salter last night at our signing. So much fun, both of them! Here I am with Sydney, the B&N CRM extraordinaire, Brandi, and Aprilynne. Insider hint: be sure to watch Aprilynne's blog for an upcoming announcement that's sure to make fans smile.

The TBR Pile Grows
How could I spend three hours in a bookstore and not come away with a pile of books???

Time Change
You may have noticed that I have changed the time setting for my blog to Tehran local time. Find out why here: http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/?p=1050

Healing Thoughts Needed
My brother Reed is going into the hospital for surgery today. If anyone has any positive vibes to spare, could you shoot them his way? Thanks!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Winner!

Happy Tuesday!

I'm really excited because tonight I get to meet Sydney Salter and Aprilynne Pike at our book event at Barnes & Noble. I need to have Aprilynne sign my copy of WINGS and buy a copy of Sydney's MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. Can not wait!

Meanwhile, the winner of this week's Freebie is:

Summer

Please send me a note and I can email the gift certificate to you.

Everyone else, come on by on Friday for another chance to win a copy of Tera Lynn Childs' GODDESS BOOT CAMP!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Freebie Friday - Disconnected Edition

Happy Friday from Utah.

Today I had planned to bring you Tera Lynn Childs and a giveaway of GODDESS BOOTCAMP, but I had a little bit of a technical difficulty getting the interview questions... our Nebraska hotel's internet was knocked out by the tornado.

And get this - my kids and I drove right under the tornado before we knew what it was. We had just passed through Aurora, NE when drove under an umbrella-shaped mass of clouds that must have been a couple miles wide. We were watching the lightning and thinking how cool it all was when small cones starting to form and stretch downward and then dissipate. And then we noticed the rotation in the 'umbrella' and we thought, no way. Could it be a tornado? We were moving west and the storm was moving east so we drove out from under it in just a few minutes, but that was enough to get us really pumped. Just a few miles down the road, as we were trying to find a good rock station on the radio, we heard the tornado warnings. They were telling people in Aurora to seek shelter immediately, that a large tornado had touched down and was heading right toward them. And then we knew for sure what we had just passed under. Coolest. Thing. Ever.*

ANYWAY, Tera Lynn and the GODDESS BOOTCAMP giveaway has been rescheduled for next week's Freebie Friday, so don't miss it!

Meanwhile, we have no wireless this week and I am stealing time on my aunt's computer, so we'll make this week's freebie simple. Up for grabs is a $10 Barnes & Noble e-giftcard (to celebrate my B&N event next week with Aprilynne Pike and Syndey Salter!) To be entered to win, leave a message below telling me about your own coolest weather-related experience. The contest will remain open until Tuesday.

*Just so you know, there was some damage from the tornado that hit Aurora, but no one was hurt - at least that's what I understand from the online news I've read. Otherwise, we wouldn't think it was so cool.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Winner! Late... sorry.

Wow. I am so sorry! I just realized that I never posted the winner of last week's Freebie Friday. I was a little distracted... I can't say a whole lot, but we had some news this week that really shook the family. If you all can spare some good vibes and healing thoughts for my brother Reed, I would appreciate it!

Meanwhile, the winner of the Juicy Couture bag is:

Megan

Please send me your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindageber (.)com and I'll get that sent off to you.

Everyone else, tune in this Friday for another freebie with Tera Lynn Childs!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Freebie... weekend

I'm here! Sorry about missing yesterday. I spent the day getting ready for our road trip next week and seriously underestimated the amount of time all the running around would take. Even then I completely struck out at DSW, trying to find cute shoes for the trip to match a specific outfit. : (

ANYWAY, for today's freebie, let's go with a travel theme. Up for grabs this week is this completely cute Juicy Couture travel makeup pouch. (I got it free with a purchase!)

To be entered to win, leave a comment below, telling me about any travel plans you have this summer - or any travel plans you wish you had!

Meanwhile, for more chances to win DEATH BY DENIM, it's the featured book over at Free Book Friday Teens.

Good luck and happy weekend!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

What's Up Wednesday

Winner
A day late! Sorry! The winner of MIND RAIN is:

Theresa N

Drop me a note at gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com with your mailing instructions and I'll get that sent out to you.
Link
One Million Words
Yes, it's official. Apparently the English language now has one million words. Uh, huh.

Miniature Tigers
My nephew Alex and his band, Miniature Tigers, were in town yesterday, headlining at The Basement in Columbus. You may have heard of them if you follow MtvU. One of their videos, for Cannibal Queen, just won The Freshman and has been added to Mtv2's Subterranean playlist.
Cannibal Queen was actually their finale last night, and they invited people from the audience up on stage to play/dance with them. I videoed it and have been trying all morning to upload the video to Youtube to share it with you, but it is taking FOREVER. So, instead, I leave you with their winning video for Cannibal Queen.





Friday, June 05, 2009

Freebie Friday - Summer Reads

It's official - the kids are out of school and the mercury's rising. Summer has arrived, at least in our Ohio town.

With summer comes a whole new attitude, a new set of rules. For instance, my soon-to-be fifth grader son and I lounged around reading until 11 this morning. No chores, no work, no TV, no computer, no breakfast, no showers, just us on the big couch with our books. Maybe this afternoon we'll head to the pool and read some more. I love summer.

Here are some just-released and about-to-be-released suggestions from me:

A KISS IN TIME by Alex Flinn. I love fractured fairy tales and this take on Sleeping Beauty is thoughtful and just plain fun.

WINGS by Aprilynne Pike. This debut novel hit #6 on the NYT bestseller list in its first week. Yay, Aprilynne! A quick, enjoyable read with a completely unique take on faeries.

LOVESTRUCK SUMMER by Melissa Walker. The perfect beach read. A romantic comedy with depth and perfectly lovable characters.

GODDESS BOOT CAMP by Tera Lynn Childs. If you haven't read OH.MY.GODS. yet, do it now and get ready for the next book! (Hint... TLC will be here giving away a copy in two weeks!)

DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER by Ally Carter. Can I just tell you how much I love the characters and humor in the Gallagher Girl series? This one comes out next week and my daughters and I will have to fight over which one of us gets it first.

ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen. You know how much I adore Sarah Dessen. This one comes out June 16. Which should give me just enough time to finish DJAGBHC. : )

BLUE MOON by Alyson Noel. Again, if you haven't yet read EVERMORE, do it now so you'll be ready for this July 7th release!


I could keep going, but I'll give you a little air time. What about you? What books are you looking forward to reading this summer? What books to you recommend I add to my huge TBR pile? Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of another perfect summer selection, MIND RAIN - an anthology of essays about Scott Westerfield's UGLIES trilogy by YA authors such as Robin Wasserman, Diana Peterfreund, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Jennifer Lynn Barnes and me!

This drawing will remain open until Tuesday, June 9.

AND - For two chances to win a copy of DEATH BY DENIM, check out this contest on SereneHours.

AND this contest at Bibliophiles R Us.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

What's Up Wednesday

Mind Rain
The new anthology MIND RAIN comes out today. If you are a fan of Scott Westerfield's UGLIES trilogy, you'll love this book of essays by your favorite YA authors - including yours truly!

School's Out for the summer!
Need I say more?

New Moon Trailer
Who else can't wait for this movie?


Women's Ski Jumping
Those of you who have known me for a while know that I am a passionate supporter of this sport. If you can believe it, women ski jumpers are still fighting for the right to compete in the Olympics. The IOC refuses to consider a women's jump event, so the appeal has gone to court, with a Canadian judge set to rule on the legality of sex discrimination at the Vancouver games. Meanwhile, women jumpers, like world champion Lindsay Van, are kept waiting, not knowing if they will be allowed the same opportunities as the men in their sport. If you haven't already, I urge you to head over to the Women's Ski Jump USA site and sign the petition to show your support.


That's it around here. What's up with you?

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Winners!

Thanks for all the well wishes and flu remedy ideas. I feel much better today - maybe because I slept most of it! (Which is why this post is so late...)

This week's DEATH BY DENIM winners are:

Meredith
Grace L
CatieK
dissectingperfection
EG

Please send me your mailing info at gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and I'll get those sent out to you!

If you didn't win and are looking for more chances, stay tuned. I'm sending out several books to some fabulous book bloggers that they'll be giving away in the coming weeks. I'll let you know right here as soon as I know when those will be.

Book bloggers - My email service was having problems yesterday and I know I am missing some messages that used to be in my inbox. If you wrote to me and didn't hear back, please drop me another note. Thx!