WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

The winner of the signed copy of Rhonda Stapleton's
STUPID CUPID is:

GMR

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get it sent out to you. Don't forget to put "winner" in the subject heading.

Everyone, thanks for playing and for the happy wishes for Rhonda! Don't forget that STUPID CUPID would make a great holiday gift!

And while we're at it, DEATH BY BIKINI, DEATH BY LATTE and DEATH BY DENIM would make killer holiday gifts as well. I'm just saying...


What's up this week?

I have no idea. Seriously. Between Christmas preparations, kids home from school and trying to finish up this latest book before the end of the year, I have no clue what's going on in the real world.

Oh! Except I have a new great-nephew! (That 'great' in front of the word nephew makes me feel old...) Anyway, he made his debut on Saturday and he's adorable.

And speaking of debuts, happy release week to Rhonda, of course (STUPID CUPID), Bree Despain (THE DARK DIVIDE), Lindsay Eland (SCONES AND SENSIBILITY), Yvonne Printz (THE VINYL PRINCESS), Ed Decter (VIP LOUNGE), and Andy Briggs (VIRUS ATTACK and DARK HUNTER).

I'm going to be taking the rest of the year (as well as the first week of 2010) off from the blog, but I'll see you back in January for more Freebies.

Have a safe and happy New Year!!!

FREEBIE FRIDAY with Rhonda Stapleton

Happy Friday! Only one week until Christmas! Anyone else not ready?

Today I'm very pleased to welcome Rhonda Stapleton to the blog. Her book, STUPID CUPID hits the shelves on Tuesday - just in time for gift giving!

I met Rhonda in person just last Saturday at an event Chelsea (The Page Flipper) organized for authors and book bloggers. Fun event - with cupcakes!- and Rhonda is about the funniest person I've met.

Rhonda says she started writing appease the voices in her head. (Pretty strong voices, I'd guess - she has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing.) She shares my love for chocolate, Chinese and Japanese food, and reading! If you ever invite Rhonda to your house, don't serve her blue food and what ever you do, don't hang the toilet paper roll so that it unwinds along the wall. You've been warned...

Meanwhile, I can't wait to get my hands on her book, STUPID CUPID. Chapter one is available to read online, and it left me wanting more! Here's the official blurb:

Felicity Walker believes in true love. That's why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid's Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn't just a matchmaker...she's a cupid! (There's more than one of them, you know.) Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired...and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.

Reviewers call it "charming", "fast-paced", "real life" and "fabulously funny."

If that's not enough to get you excited, how about this - two more books will quickly follow STUPID CUPID - FLIRTING WITH DISASTER and PUCKER UP.

For this week's Freebie, we're going to do something a little different. To celebrate the release, Rhonda and her release date triplets, Bree Despain and Lindsay Eland are hosting three scavenger hunts on their blogs, giving away their books, STUPID CUPID, SCONES AND SENSIBILITY and THE DARK DIVINE. Hurry on over to enter. I'll wait. (But don't forget to come back for another chance to win!)

You're back? Okay. We're going to conduct our own little scavenger hunt - and it's super simple. To be entered to win a signed copy of STUPID CUPID and a seriously adorable STUPID CUPID bookmark, leave a comment below, wishing Rhonda a happy release day and search Rhonda's website to find the correct answers to my mini scavenger hunt questions. (They're way easy.) Choose one of the three to answer and send the answer to me at gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com. (Important: please write STUPID CUPID in the subject line of your email so that it will not get lost in my overflowing inbox.) This contest will remain open until Wednesday, December 23 - one day after the release date!

1. Why does Rhonda write YA stories?
2. What color heart is featured on PUCKER UP?
3. When does Rhonda blog over at Fictionistas?

That's it! I told you it was easy. Have a fabulous weekend!

(To my friends in the Northeast - get out those shovels and bundle up. Stay safe and warm!)

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Happy mid-week! Thanks everyone who commented about who they appreciated. We should do this more often. It made me happy all weekend.

By random drawing, the winner of the chocolate and gift card is:

Kate Coursey

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Don't forget to write winner in the subject line so you don't get lost in the inbox.

Everyone else, please come on back on Friday for a celebration freebie - Rhonda Stapleton is stopping by to party with us and celebrate the release of her hilarious new book, STUPID CUPID. You do not want to miss this one.

What's up this week?

Kirkus Reviews has folded. Sad.

Borders UK is in danger of closing. Gasp.

Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Bennett in the movie adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. Cool.

Awesome upcoming deals: Four more books from Lisa McMann, Two more books to come in the TANTALIZE series by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Film rights sold for Marley Gibson's GHOST HUNTRESS YAY!!!!!

SYTYCD results are tonight. Can't wait! Who do you guys think will win?

This week's YouTube linkie... (This is how I sound sometimes trying to sing lyrics in the car. Just ask my kids.)



See you Friday!

Freebie Friday and Agent Love

Happy Friday!

Today is International Agent Appreciation Day, thanks to a really smart idea by the brilliant Kody Keplinger. I'm so happy to spread the agent love because my agent - Elaine Spencer with The Knight Agency - is made of awesome and I don't tell her enough how much I appreciate her. So, Elaine, this one's for you!

The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love my Agent

10. She is exceedingly patient with me.

9. She just got engaged and her joy is contagious.

8. She is a great brainstormer.

7. She stands up for me when I don't have the backbone to stand up for myself.

6. She helped me navigate the business end of the Death By series even though it was sold by my previous agent and she didn't get paid anything for all that work.

5. She believes in me.

4. She makes sales happen.

3. She appreciates good chocolate.

2. She's an enthusiastic partner and cheerleader.

1. She's one of the nicest people I know in a business where nice is easily forgotten.

Happy International Agent Appreciation Day, Elaine! Thank you so much for the patience, guidance, encouragement and friendship!

In Elaine's honor, today's freebie is a pound of Anthony Thomas chocolate (Anthony Thomas is a local chocolatier) and a $10 B&N gift card. To be entered to win, leave a comment below telling me about someone you appreciate in your life.

This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, December 16.

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Until now, we've avoided the storm that's been smacking the rest of the Midwest, but last night the rain blew in, followed by a cold front that's gusting hard enough to toss the huge trash cans down the street and spit sleet against my windows. Brrr. I tell you this only to warn that this post might be short. The wind keeps messing with our satellite, which is messing with our phone, TV and Internet connections.

So, without further ado: The winner of Debbie Rigaud's PERFECT SHOT is:

Jenni

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Everyone else, please come on back on Friday for a special super sekrit Freebie Friday post!

What's up this week?

I'm on of the 25 Guests of Christmas over at Books are Bliss. I'm talking holiday travel horror stories and giving away a copy of DEATH BY DENIM. Stop by and say hello!

And speaking of DBD, I have to share these pictures with you... Saturday I had lunch with my dear friend Jenny Meyer who lives a couple of hours away. She brought me a quilt she had made to celebrate DEATH BY DENIM. Isn't this the coolest thing ever? I completely love the fact that she even made it for me. (I can't even sew a straight seam so I seriously appreciate the hours and hours of work this must have taken.) Plus, there are so many cute little details I keep discovering. Jenny is the best ever.

And these are some illustrations of my SASS characters, Nori and Mo, that my niece Emma drew for me. Again, I'm really touched that she spent so much time and effort. Thanks, Emma!

Meanwhile, the International Climate Treaty talks are underway in Copenhagen, Denmark. I'm wondering what impact (if any) the global warming scientists hoax scandal will have on their decision making...

Check out this new game to teach HS students about cell biology. I wish they had something like this to help me understand the concepts when I was in school!


And finally, happy release week to Lauren Kate (FALLEN) and Libby Schmais (THE PILLOW BOOK OF LOTUS LOWENSTEIN)!

Keep warm! See you Friday!

FREEBIE FRIDAY with Debbie Rigaud

Happy Friday!!!

(Edited to add: Hey! It's Tiara Day! Happy Tiara Day!)


Today we're celebrating this week's release of Debbie Rigaud's PERFECT SHOT. If you like the Simon Pulse romantic comedies, you'll love PERFECT SHOT. It's clever and fun and the first of the group to feature a heroine of color.

Debbie's also the first African-American author to write for the series. She's been writing for teens for years in such magazines as Seventeen, Twist and CosmoGIRL!. She’s interviewed celebs, politicians and other social figures, but enjoyed interviewing “real” girls the most. A total Jersey girl at heart, Debbie lives in Bermuda with her husband.

You can find out more about Debbie, her work, and PERFECT SHOT on her website here or her blog here.

The official backcover blurb for PERFECT SHOT:

London Abram’s first love is volleyball, so why does she enter an online modeling competition? Answer: superhottie Brent St. John. London spots Brent signing in contestants at a store, and she gets in line simply to say hi. But she never dreams she’ll make it into the competition!
London’s now up against fourteen hungry fashionistas willing to do whatever it takes to win. All she wants to win is Brent’s heart…but the money prize couldn’t hurt. If London plays this right, she can win the contest, the boy, and the cash. GAME ON!

The interview:

What inspired you to write PERFECT SHOT?
I like exploring what happens when a character steps way out of their comfort zone. In PERFECT SHOT when London suddenly goes from the volleyball court to the fashion runway, she feels out of her league. In life there’s going to be super uncomfortable moments that have a lot to teach us. It’s about having the courage to step outside of our self-assigned or socially-assigned boxes.

Have you ever done anything crazy like London does in PERFECT SHOT?
Yes, like London, I have done some wacky things after a crush attack. Once, on a high school class trip to Wall Street, I used hand signals to communicate with a young intern working the floor. Back then there was a visitors’ mezzanine above the trading floor that was, I believe, enclosed in glass. The intern signaled back and this exchange at the - er, stock exchange caught the attention of my classmates who all crowded around me. This was way out-of-character for me so that’s how I know I was seized by a crush attack.

Have you ever had a premonition? What happened?
I sort of have. Several years after college, I moved to London for about two years. Sure I was working a regular job out there, but I also used the opportunity to go on dance auditions. Well, before one audition, I psyched myself up by visualizing that I?d rock it out so hard, a guy would jump in and dance with me during my audition. I don’t know why a guy jumped into my visualization, but there he was. Fast forward to the actual audition - I was called before the judges in a group of three performers, a guy and two girls. When the three of us started dancing, the guy in my audition group turned to me and we danced together, just like in my visualization. Crazy. I didn’t get the part, by the way. I guess I should have visualized the judges giving me a call back instead.

If you could hang out with any literary character, who would you choose and why?
Baby Suggs from Toni Morrison’s BELOVED. The elderly are like royalty to me and I love being around them. And Baby Suggs is a gem. I could sit at her feet all day and be content.

Are you superstitious? In any way?
If you’re asking if I’m superstitious in the don’t-split-poles or avoid-stepping-on-a-crack way, no. But believe me, I’ve got lots of quirks that some may consider eccentric or ‘woo-woo.’ For instance, I never put my purse on the floor because I was raised to believe that, in essence, it means I’m debasing myself.

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
No, but I’m hoping to adopt something that feels right to me. I think rituals can help build more discipline in my writing routine. I can use more structure to keep me organized and productive.


What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I’m super whiny. Fortunately, the Hear Debbie Whine club is a very exclusive one. I only whine to my mother and my husband. My sisters have heard me whine, I’m sure, but I don’t whine to them.

The freebie:

To be entered to win a signed copy of PERFECT SHOT, leave a comment below, telling about the craziest thing you've done for a crush. This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, December 9.

Game on!

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

The winner of this week's freebie is:

Amy

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and your preference (book or gift card) and I'll get that out to you. Please remember to put WINNER in the subject heading so you don't get lost in my inbox.

Everyone, thanks for sharing your serendipitous moments. It's so fascinating to go back and see the forks in the road that led us to where we are. I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of them (I did read them all) but between the holiday weekend and this deadline I'm powering through, I barely had time to do that much!

Please come back on Friday, when GCC sister Debbie Rigaud will drop in for an interview, offering up a signed copy of her new release, PERFECT SHOT. You won't want to miss it!

What's up this week?

Did they or didn't they? White House Party Crashers claim they were invited. (Then why do we care?)

Nick Jonas is going solo. Gasp!

Why I love SYTYCD:



Happy release week to Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures), Lyah B. LeFlore (The World is Mine), Debbie Rigaud (Perfect Shot) and Maryrose Wood (What I Wore to Save the World)!

See you Friday!