Freebie Friday with Jessica Brody

I'm happy to present GCC sister Jessica Brody for this week's Freebie Friday!

The Author:

Jessica is the author of two books for adults. The Karma Club is her first book for teens. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California where she is working on her next novel. Despite what some people from her high school might claim, she has never sought revenge on an ex-boyfriend. Visit her online at: http://www.jessicabrody.com

The Book:

When you mess with Karma, Karma messes back...

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. Do good things and you'll be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what you deserve. But when Maddy’s boyfriend cheats on her, nothing bad comes his way. That’s why Maddy starts the Karma Club, to clean up the messes that the universe has left behind and get back at the people who have wronged them. Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. It turns out Karma often has plans of its own.

What people are saying:

"Written with wit and panache. Readers will have fun with this one, and it might make them think a little, too."--Booklist

“Fresh, funny and engaging. This is one YA debut you won’t want to miss.” -Alyson Noël, NYT bestselling author of The Immortals series

"A well-paced comedy, with a nice balance of cinematic physical humor and genuine teen emotions."--Publisher's Weekly

The Book Trailer:

The Freebie(s):

1. For a chance to win one of FOUR Flip cameras (plus a ton of other cool prizes), check out Jessica's website to enter.

2. I'm blogging over on Micol Ostow's blog today. Stop by and you could win BOOKS!

3. Leave a comment below telling me if you have ever tempted fate (and what happened) and you could win a signed ARC of TRANCE.

On Time This Week!

And the winner of the mini glass slipper c/o Kay Cassidy and THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY is:

JB

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you! Be sure to put WINNER in the subject heading do it doesn't get lost in my inbox!

Everyone, come on back Friday for an interview with Jessica Brody, celebrating the release of her new YA novel, THE KARMA CLUB.

What's going on this week:

SASSy party! (Micol Ostow) I'll be guest blogging for her on Friday. She's giving away books!

1 Million Shirts (I Heart Daily) We can do this!

Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction (brendanovak.com) Starts Saturday!

Harlan Coban goes YA (Galleycat) Ooh!

You, too can wear Bella Swan's engagement ring. (TresSugar) Edward Cullen not included.

Get better Bret Michaels!

Happy Release week to:
Karen Cushman (ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN), Leah Cypress (MISTWOOD), Jenny Han (IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU), Lynn Rae Perkins (AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH), Peter Abrahams (BULLET POINT), P.C. and Kristin Cast (BURNED: HOUSE OF NIGHT), Jennifer Richard Jacobson (THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHY I HATE HER), Jessica Brody (THE KARMA CLUB), Rachel Caine (KISS OF DEATH: THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES), Micol Ostow & Noah Harlan (UP OVER DOWN UNDER), Phoebe Kitanidis (WHISPER), Donna Jo Napoli (THE WAGER), R.C. Alexander (UNFAMILIAR MAGIC), Janni Lee Simmer (THIEF EYES), Carla Jablonski (RESISTANCE), Maureen Daly (SEVENTEENTH SUMMER), and Tom Leveen (PARTY)!

This week's video linkie for all us Twilight Fans:

FF - THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY by Kay Cassidy

It's Freebie Friday time!

Today I'm excited to bring you an interview with Kay Cassidy, celebrating the release of her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY. I got to read the ARC of TCS and I loved it. Not only was it fun to read, but it gave me plenty to think about. This is a must read for all girls!

Kay is the kind of person who lives what she believes. You can see by her official bio below that she's not all talk when it comes to making a difference. I'm inspired by her, both as an author and as a person. Kay's part of my GCC blog tour sisterhood and a member of Teen Fiction Cafe where I feel lucky to rub shoulders (so to speak) with her. If you haven't 'met' Kay yet, I am happy to introduce her to you!

The Author:

Kay cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest ^TM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your Five^TM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

You can find more about Kay on her website, on her blog, and by following her on facebook and twitter.

The Book:

What a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

The interview:

If you could hang out with any literary character, who would you choose and why?

Well, other than wanting to hang out with Jess and the Cindys in The Cinderella Society (in hopes that they would invite me to be a part of the secret society too – I'm sadly still waiting for my invitation)… I would probably want to hang out with Cammie and her friends in Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series. How cool to learn the ways of a spy, you know?

Are you superstitious in any way?

A little bit. I have a routine I go through before going to bed every night. It's not so much a superstition that something bad will happen if I don't do it, but I always feel unsettled if I've skipped the nightly routine. :-)

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?

I have a playlist for each book that really helps me get into the zone of the book. It's particularly helpful on those days when life is crazy and it's hard to make the shift from phones ringing, laundry washing, and dogs barking to really feel in the moment of the story.

What songs would make the playlist for The Cinderella Society?

Some of the songs would give away story points, but the theme song of the book is Soar by Christina Aguilera. Jess's theme song is Who I Am by Jessica Andrews, and Ryan's theme song is Savin' Me by Nickelback. I love the soundtrack.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?

I am a ridiculously bad cook. You know how some people joke that they could burn water? I'm pretty sure I could burn air. Even though I'm very organized and detailed-oriented in other areas of my life, I dissolve into a puddle of incompetence in the kitchen. I'm terrible at timing dishes to come out at the same time, so me putting together a special dinner is cause for celebration. Me putting together a special dinner that a) is not burned, b) does not have any food that is cold or congealed by serving time, and c) does not irreversibly damage anyone's tastebuds is a miracle of biblical proportions. And cause for me to reward myself with something nice like more awesome YA books. Or a pony.

What's your favorite quote?

I have Live – Laugh – Love plaques and items all over my house. It's not so much a quote as it is a mantra for me. I have a tendency to forget to slow down and breathe sometimes, and it helps me remember to savor the moment.

My favorite quote would have to be "Be the change you wish to see in the world." by Mahatma Gandhi. It's what inspired me to found Living Your Five^TM in 2009.

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on the sequel to The Cinderella Society. Cindy on a Mission follows the further adventures of Jess and the Sisters as the Wickeds launch an offensive that threatens everything the Cindys hold dear. Cindy on a Mission will be on shelves in Spring 2011.

The Freebie:

For this week's freebie, Kay is offering this way cool special edition TCS mini glass slipper. (Want!) To be entered to win, please leave a comment below telling us at least one thing that is special and unique about YOU!

This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, April 28.

Haley is Hijacking!

Hey guys! This is Haley♥, Linda's daughter. I'm a music-junkie who -cross your fingers- will someday be on Broadway♫. (you wanna know a secret? my mom said I was who she had in mind for Cassidy, the main character in her next series -comes out in 2011)

It's 'take your child to work day' so my mom is having me do her dirty work, which includes hijacking her blog for the day while she dances to Vogue.

Okay, so I guess todays post is supposed to be the 'Whats up-Wednesday' post, even though its Thursday...? :) But anyways! This weeks winner of Amy Brecount White's Forget Her Nots is... *drum roll please*

angie!

Woohoo! Congrats! Send mailing instructions to gerb(@)lindagerber(.)com and be sure to put "winner" as the subject, because otherwise, believe me- it'll get lost in her inbox.

Make sure to come back TOMORROW to enter the drawing for a special edition THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY mini glass slipper! (its really cool!)

Okay, so im totally creeping on my moms other posts and im stealing her idea...

on the iPod: Tell it to the Volcano by Miniature Tigers

WHAT A KOINKADINK! I was just googling pictures from the whole volcano thing happening in Europe! Kudos to 'dailymail' for the most insanely cool picture of the Iceland volcano like ever.
For some reason, looking at this picture kinda made me miss school. Before you write me off as a nerd (which i kind of am actually) let me explain that the reason it does is because at the top of the picture it looks like a big thunder cloud, called, wait for it...

CUMULONIMBUS!(we are on our cloud unit in science)

So, for all my fellow music fans out there, the other day GLEE made me giggle with the whole Madonna theme. And I know that he is just dating Rachel as a spy... but I am in love with Jesse! He is so dang cute! (even if it is fake...)

In other news, my mom said that she is going to take our mangos on a date...? Yeaa, she needs more sleep. But then again, so do most people in America! for example- tracy kool aid... enjoy :)

haha, "gonna meet peter at the perkk! these crusty-crusts i got!"

Well, I'm going to go now. :) Have a great day!

-Haley :)

FF - FORGET HER NOTS by Amy Brecount White

The Author:

Amy Brecount White has played with words for most of her life.

While she was finishing her M.A. in English at the University of Virginia, she also worked for a health newsletter. Her first published article was on constipation. Really. She went on to teach high school English for seven years and then turned to freelance journalism. More than 75 of her articles and essays appeared in The Washington Post. She also wrote for FamilyFun, Washingtonian, online publications, and Notre Dame magazine.

With all that experience, Amy thought writing a novel would go smoothly, but it took her about eight years to get all the lovely words just right in Forget-Her-Nots and find a home at Greenwillow. Forget-Her-Nots was inspired by her own love for flowers and her desire to spread the magic around.

The Book:

Something—some power—is blooming inside Laurel. She can use flowers to do things. Like bringing back lost memories. Or helping her friends ace tests. Or making people fall in love.

Laurel suspects her newfound ability has something to do with an ancient family secret, one that her mother meant to share with Laurel when the time was right. But then time ran out.

Clues and signs and secret messages seem to be all around Laurel at Avondale School, where her mother had also boarded as a student. Can Laurel piece everything together quickly enough to control her power, which is growing more potent every day? Or will she set the stage for the most lovestruck, infamous prom in the history of the school?

The Interview:

What inspired you to write Forget Her Nots?
A combination of factors. One: see #10. That quotation really focused my creativity. I'd been trying to sell an article on the language of flowers to magazines and newspapers. I'd even made a tussie-mussie (a symbolic Victorian bouquet) for a friend who was battling cancer. One day I realized I had the original idea I wanted and started writing.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?
Not exactly, but I think most characters are a combination of their creator and some memorable
person she encountered.

What excites you?
Flowers, of course! I also love seeing my family, hanging out with friends, hiking,
roller blading, and a great read.

What turns you off?
Icky smells, like burnt toast. Anyone who lies or twists the truth.

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?
I'm sure people have said this before, but Jane Austen. I think she was incredibly
witty and read people so well, and her characters are always taking long walks
through the countryside, which I love to do.

What's your favorite flower power?
Lily of the valley for the return of happiness. I'd like to give that to many people.
Happiness depends so much on your perception.

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
I have three kids and a dog, so lots of time constraints. I have to be ready to
write when my schedule opens up. That said, a steaming mug of Earl Grey tea with
milk seems to work wonders. And I always get good ideas when I'm putting wet clothes
in the dryer.  Go figure!

What songs would make the playlist for Forget Her Nots?
I keep saying I'm going to do this ....  Definitely "Come on Get Higher" by Matt
Nathanson.  Love that song! And Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings," which is one
of the most bittersweet songs ever written.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I have no central vision in my left eye. I had this weird retinal scarring from a
childhood illness, so I have only peripheral vision in that eye. Knock on wood my
right one stays good.

What's your favorite quote?
"Write the novel only you can write." - Toni Morrison.  My mantra!

What are you working on now?
Just finishing up STRING THEORIES, a novel about love and lust, the physics of
relationships, a stream, and getting even.

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
I usually don't write chronologically. The opening is just too hard and so much
depends on it. I usually sketch it out, jot down ideas, and go back to it later when
I know how it can hook my readers into reading the rest.

If The Forget Her Nots were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Laurel?
I think Laurel should be someone completely unknown.  So many actresses have too
many roles associated with them, or their offscreen life overshadows their
performances.

Milk chocolate or dark?
Both please!

Thanks so much for having me, Linda!

The Freebie:

To be entered to win a signed copy of FORGET HER NOTS, leave a comment below, telling us your favorite flower. Bonus points if you know what that flower's power is. This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, April 21.

Another Drive By Post

This has to be quick because the deadline is looming and I'm about to take off. So, without further ado, the winner of TAGGED is...

Kathleen Brown

Congrats! Please shoot me a note with your mailing instructions to gerb @ lindagerber . com and we'll get that sent out to you. Please remember to put "winner" in the subject heading.

Everyone else, please come on back on Friday for another freebie with debut author Amy Brecount White, celebrating her new book, FORGET HER NOTS.

Other cool stuff to watch for this week...

Don't miss Kay Cassidy's THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY launch giveaways happening right now over at TFC! Hurry - only two more days to enter.

Tomorrow is TEEN BOOK DROP, sponsored by ReaderGirlz, GuysLitWire, YALSA, and If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything.



I'll be rockin' the drop around central Ohio with copies of DEATH BY DENIM and three ARCs of TRANCE! You can come join the chat tomorrow night with me and other Book Drop participants - 6 p.m Pacific http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/

AND don't forget - there's still time to Buy a book for a teen at a tribal school. http://tinyurl.com/ycohksh

This week's video linkie cause it made me smile:

FF- TAGGED by Mara Purnhagen

Welcome back to another Freebie Friday with debut author, Mary Purnhagen!

The Author:

Mary Purnhagen cannot live without a tall, caramel latte , her iPod, or a stack of books on her nightstand. She has lived in Aurora, Illinois, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dayton, Ohio and Duncan, South Carolina. She now lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her family and two cats.

The Book:

Can Kate Morgan stand up for herself—without being labeled a snitch?

Kate is just as confused as her best friend, Lan, when she arrives at Cleary High to find the building's been "tagged" with a life-size graffiti mural. Could the culprit be one of their friends or classmates? And is the kind-of-amazing creation really vandalism, or a work of art? She's tempted to stay out of it—mostly because, as the police chief's daughter, she's worried about being labeled a snitch. But when the same mysterious graffiti starts appearing throughout the state, putting more pressure on the authorities to catch the vandal, her investigative instincts kick in.

Now Eli, Kate's favorite coworker at the local coffee shop, is MIA. With Lan preoccupied with her own boy troubles, Kate needs to figure out some things on her own. Like why she can't stop thinking about Eli. And what she will do when all the clues about the graffiti point to someone she's close to…

The Interview:

What inspired you to write TAGGED?
Tagged is my third book (but first published). I like finding inspiration in random places, plucking things from different sources and trying to find a way to connect them. In this case, I used a reality TV show, a British graffiti artist, and my husband’s tool bench.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?
No, but growing up my family was friends with a Vietnamese family. I haven’t seen many Vietnamese characters portrayed in YA, so it was important to me to include Lan, who is the best friend in the book.

What excites you?
Reading an unexpectedly wonderful new book, one that I hate to put down but can’t wait to get back into the next day.

What turns you off?
Gray winters. We moved from sunny South Carolina to Cleveland in 2008, and I’m still getting used to the long and dreary winters up here. It’s the end of March and we just had snow—again.

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?
I’ve always been fascinated with Elizabeth I. The challenges she faced, the people she met and the way she shaped history—I would love to have a candid conversation with her (and then write a novel about it, of course).

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
Not really, but I always listen to music as I write. It helps the creative juices flow.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I was trained in classical violin and played second chair in a symphony orchestra while in junior high.

What's your favorite quote?
Nothing walks with aimless feet.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the third book of my new series, which will debut in September 2010 with Past Midnight. It’s about the daughter of ghost debunkers, and what happens when the family’s theories are tested in an unexpected way.

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
I chew gum when I write. A lot of gum. It’s a weird, compulsive habit of mine.

If Tagged were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Kate? Eli? Lan?
I’d want to see unknown actors!

What songs would make the playlist for Tagged?

1. Secret Meeting by The National

2. 23 by Blonde Readhead

3. Mistaken for Strangers by The National

4. The Heinrich Maneuver by Interpol

5. Guest Room by The National

6. Golden Skans by the Klaxons

7. Time to Pretend by MGMT

8. Fire It Up by Modest Mouse

9. Good to Sea by Pinback

10. Reckoner by Radiohead

11. 2080 by Yeasayer

Milk chocolate or dark?

Milk—preferably, a sickeningly sweet hollow bunny with big ears.

The Freebie:

To be entered to win a signed copy of TAGGED, leave a comment below telling us what you did (or are going to do) for spring break.

Librarians Save the World!

Thanks to everyone who emailed bully stories and who joined the YAAAB facebook group. Together we can help raise awareness and empower kids (and adults) against the scourge of bullying.

Also, thank you to everyone who entered the drawing for a TRANCE ARC. I was completely overwhelmed by the number of entries. Wow! I sincerely appreciate the support. The winner by random drawing is:

Kelsey

Since I already have your information, Kelsey, I will be emailing you.

I also appreciate the requests from book bloggers for review copies. I'll be emailing each of you separately. The number of TRANCE ARCs I have this time around are limited so there will be some sharing involved. If you are a reviewer and would like to get on the list for the pass-along copies, please let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Everyone, please be sure to come back on Friday for another debut freebie with author Mara Purnhagen, who will be offering a signed copy of her new YA novel, TAGGED.

What else is up this week?

A chance to make a difference (GuysLitWire) Operation Teen Book Drop can use your help.

Do you know your signature style? (TFC) Come on over and share!

Another book from JK Rowling (EW) Just don't release it on October 14, please!

More librarians in danger! (SLJ ) (OLA) (Library Stuff) I do not understand this. Librarians rock! We need libraries! I understand we are in a recession, but nowledge is power. Where are the priorities, lawmakers??

Libraries are our learning centers. (HP) At least the Huffington Post gets it.

Laurie Halse Anderson agrees. (ALA) "School libraries are the foundation of our culture."

The iPad is here! (DN) *Yawn*

KFC Unleashes the Double Down. (CNN) Hmmm... I wonder why obesity is a problem in our country.
Sneak peek at final 39 CLUES covers! (EW) Look! That's Margaret's book on the right!

Castle continues to rock. I don't just love him because he's a writer. Well, OK, that helps.

Happy release week to:
Jeanette Ingold (PAPER DAUGHTER) , Sydney Salter (SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK), Catherine Hapka (AT FIRST SIGHT). Adrienne Maria Vrettos (THE EXILE OF GIGI LANE), Natasha Friend (FOR KEEPS), Barbara Quick (A GOLDEN WEB), Hope Larson (MERCURY), Kelly Armstrong (THE RECKONING), John Green & David Levithan (WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON )

This Week's YouTube linkie in honor of the start of baseball season:

FF - CHANGE OF PLANS - Remembering Phoebe Prince

There has been a slight change of plans for this week's Freebie Friday - Wednesday evening I found out our visiting author would not be able to get his interview in on time (for which he is forgiven - deadlines truly are hell...)

Also on Wednesday, I received a box of shiny, new TRANCE ARCs. So for today's freebie, I will be giving away another advanced readers' copy of TRANCE. However, due to the nature of today's post, I don't want to run the freebie from the blog this week. Please send me an email (gerb at lindagerber dot com) if you want to be entered for the drawing. (If you are already on the list to receive a review copy, you can still enter to win a giveaway copy.)

What I really want to draw your attention to is a terrible epidemic that is affecting more children and young adults (and adults!) than I think anyone wants to admit - bullying. Yesterday, I joined with a group of YA authors to discuss the death of Phoebe Prince, who was bullied into despair and even mocked after she died. (Please take moment to check out Megan Kelley Hall's blog post about Phoebe. Also, Carrie Jones's blog for more on bullies.)

We are even more appalled to know that Phoebe was singled out, picked on, physically and emotionally pummeled, and NOT MUCH HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT IT. In fact, just yesterday I read a CNN.com article wherein school administrators whined about how they are being unjustly blamed for turning a blind eye to Phoebe's torment. Her misery, they say, was not their fault. They didn't want to see it then and they don't want to own it now. Well, I have news for those administrators - closing one's eyes to a problem does not make it go away. It's time to take a good, long look at the responsibility we all have to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.

And so, to that end, authors Carrie Jones and Megan Kelley Hall have taken the first step and initiated YAAAB - Young Adult Authors Against Bullying. Please join the facebook group here. Together, we will be doing everything under our power to take a stand against bullying.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by bullying, I want to hear from you. If you feel uncomfortable commenting about it below, send me a private email. We want to share experiences and ideas, to discuss possible solutions, to get the word out and shine a big, unforgiving spotlight on bullying until our schools and our society are unable to ignore it any longer. Please join us and take a stand before bullying steals the potential of another person.