Winner and Shoplifting Confession

Hola from beautiful Mazatlan. My DH is watching the World Cup so I'm sneaking away quickly to do this post.

The winner of LIFTED by Wendy Toliver is:

elioravespera

Please send your mailing instructions to: gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you.

Notice to my last week winners - I apologize, but since I've been on the road, neither book has been sent yet, but they will be as soon as I get back to the States! Also, because I will be in flight on Friday, there will be no Freebie Friday this week, but check back next week for the summer lineup!

Meanwhile, I promised I would tell you my shoplifting story. I was in 7th grade. My friend Kristin and I used to walk home from school each day, and sometimes we would stop at the drugstore in a nearby strip mall on our way. So one day, we were looking at fingernail polish and I found a color I really liked. We grabbed some candy and I got that bottle of fingernail polish and we paid and left the store.

When I got home, I discovered that I had another bottle of fingernail polish in my coat pocket. I must have put it in there when we were choosing our candy and then forgot about it. I was mortified. I called Kristin and we came up with an elaborate plan of how I was going to sneak the fingernail polish back into the store.

The next day after school, we stopped at the drugstore. We wandered up and down the aisles, scoping out where any security mirrors or cameras might be and how we were going to avoid detection. Then Kristin distracted the clerk while I snuck over to the fingernail polish display and slipped my purloined bottle back onto the shelf. I signaled Kristin to let her know the deed was done and we practically ran from the store. I'm sure the clerk suspected something was up. I'm also pretty sure she wouldn't have guessed that I was shoplifting in reverse!

We never did stop into that drugstore on our way home again.


Quickly before I go... HAPPY RELEASE to Holly Cupala! Her book TELL ME A SECRET just came out this week. I met Holly at the Teen Author Carnival where I learned how to pronounce her name (coo-PAH-la). Not only is she too adorable for words, she's about the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. And I've heard nothing but good things about TELL ME A SECRET. Stop by her Virtual Birthday Party for chances to win swag!

FF - LIFTED by Wendy Toliver

I'm happy today to bring you my friend, TFCer and GCC sister, Wendy Toliver. I was so excited waiting for this book that I wished her a happy release day a month early (and wondered why Amazon hadn't delivered my copy of LIFTED yet.) This book is a departure from than the Simon Pulse comedies she has done. I enjoyed those, but I really loved LIFTED. I know you will, too!

The Author: Born in Texas, raised in Colorado, and now living in Utah, Wendy Toliver has successfully eliminated “y’all” from her vocabulary. However, she still managed to marry a pickup man. They have three young sons and an assortment of furry, scaly, and slimy pets. She is the author of three novels for teens: The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Miss Match, and Lifted.

You can find Wendy online on her website, on facebook, on myspace, and follow her on twitter.

The Book:

Being Bad Never Felt So Good.

Poppy Browne had never stolen anything in her life before moving to Pleasant Acres, Texas and meeting Mary Jane and Whitney. But when Poppy walks out of the mall with her two new friends and her first pair of stolen jeans, she’s hooked.

Before long, Poppy is lifting whenever she gets the urge—it’s never about the merchandise, it’s always about the thrill. But when her secret gets out, the girls in Poppy’s clique turn on one another. As she watches her life collapse around her, Poppy must decide where her loyalties lie … and how far she’ll go to protect herself.

The Interview:

What inspired you to write (name of your book)?

I was watching a show on TV about how shoplifting is a huge problem, especially with teens, and thought it would make an interesting topic for a book. Most people have either shoplifted themselves, have been tempted to try it, or know someone who as, so I think it's something we can all relate to.

Have you ever shoplifted?

Ah, I knew that question would come up eventually! I don’t really remember this because I was only 4 or 5, but according to my mom, we were at a department store in Texas (where we lived) and I wanted to get my dad a leather wallet for Father’s Day. Only Mom had something else in mind: a “World’s Greatest Dad” t-shirt. So I slipped the wallet into my britches and proceeded to follow Mom out to the car. Of course, she noticed that there was a suspicious rectangle on my body and made me march back into the store to hand the wallet back to the saleslady. The saleslady didn’t know what to do with me so she called security. It was a pretty big ordeal I guess. (Poor Mom!)

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

I’d love to hang out with Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

Are you superstitious?

Back when I used to do some acting (before I became an author), I’d listen to Prince’s “Kiss” before going in for my audition. I like to do a little car dancing to get out the jitters. It’s not a very popular song to hear on the radio these days but believe it or not, after a few times of doing this and landing the parts, it actually came on the radio as I was pulling into the studio's parking lot! I landed that part, too!

What songs would make the playlist for Lifted?

“Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, anything by Evanescense, “Call Out” by Kaskade (featuring Mindy Gledhill), “The Fear” by Lily Allen, and, of course, "Got Caught Stealin'" by Jane's Addiction.

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

The last couple of years, I’ve started coaching boys’ soccer and basketball in our community and I love it!

If Lifted were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Poppy?

I’d love Poppy to be played by AnnaSophia Robb. I loved her in “The Bridge to Terabithia” and think she’d be perfect. (She also goes to my old high school I understand!) As for David Hillcrest, I think Logan Lerman (Percy in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief”) would be great. He’s the perfect mixture of cute and hot.

What kind of chocolate best describes you?

Almond Joy. Chocolaty and nutty and happy.

The Freebie:

To be entered to win a signed copy of LIFTED, leave a comment below, telling us if you have ever shoplifted... even by accident. (I'll confess that I have. Not on purpose, though. I'll tell you about it when the winner is drawn on Wednesday, June 23.)

WINNERS!!!

And the winner of Lisa Klein's CATE OF THE LOST COLONY IS:

Erika Lynn

The bonus winner of THE DEATH BY BIKINI MYSTERIES is:

Katie

Please send your mailing instructions to: gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and I'll get your books sent out to you. Be sure to put WINNER in the subject line so it won't get lost in my inbox.

Everyone else come on back tomorrow for another freebie featuring Wendy Toliver and her new novel, LIFTED.

What's up? We're in Utah. The drive from Ohio to Utah is a LONG one, especially when you add stops to Indie bookstores along the way. I've never been to Lincoln, NE before, but we stopped at a bookstore in the historic district downtown (hello, Indigo Bridge Books!) and I am now in love with Lincoln. Such a charming city.

My dear daughter starts classes on Monday, which means... shopping for dorm stuff! So I gotta go spend money. See you tomorrow with Wendy!

FF - CATE OF THE LOST COLONY by Lisa Klein

Last month at the Ohioana Book Festival, Lisa Klein was kind enough to give me an advanced copy of her upcoming YA book, CATE OF THE LOST COLONY. I saved it for my travel read when I went to BEA last month, which may have been a mistake because I couldn't put it down. Yes, I had a deadline looming, but I had to know what was going to happen to Cate! Today I am happy to pass the ARC along to you. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

The Author: I met Lisa at one of our local SCBWI meetings. She was talking then about her book OPHELIA (another beautiful read. Check it out!) Lisa started writing when she was eight, although some of her projects (such as a play adaptation of Heidi meant to be acted out by her friends at recess) weren't quite as well-received as her recent works. She studied English and Theology in college and then went on to earn an Ph.D. in literature. For eight years, she taught English as an assistant professor - which included a lot of Shakespeare - and did research on the writings and domestic culture of Renaissance women.

If you've read any of her books, OPHELIA, TWO GIRLS OF GETTYSBURG, and LADY MACBETH'S DAUGHTER, you'll see her expertise shown in her love of history and attention to detail. (If you haven't read any of her books, what are you waiting for??)

The Book:
"The greatest unsolved mystery of American history--what happened to all the colonists who landed on Roanoke Island in 1587?" Lady Catherine is one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite court maidens—until her forbidden romance with Sir Walter Ralegh is discovered. In a bitter twist of irony, the jealous queen banishes Cate to Ralegh's colony of Roanoke, in the New World. Ralegh pledges to come for Cate, but as the months stretch out, Cate begins to doubt his promise and his love. Instead it is Manteo, a Croatoan Indian, whom the colonists—and Cate—increasingly turn to. Yet just as Cate's longings for England and Ralegh fade and she discovers a new love in Manteo, Ralegh will finally set sail for the New World. Seamlessly weaving together fact with fiction, Lisa Klein's newest historical drama is an engrossing tale of adventure and forbidden love—kindled by one of the most famous mysteries in American history: the fate of the settlers at Roanoke, who disappeared without a trace forty years before the Pilgrims would set foot in Plymouth.

The interview:
What inspired you to write Cate of the Lost Colony?
I found an old book about the Lost Colony in a second-hand bookstore and realized I knew nothing about this part of history, so I decided to read up on it and see if there was a story there. When I told people I was thinking of writing about the Lost Colony, their eyes lit up and they would say, “Oooh, whatever happened to those people?” So I decided to answer that question for myself.

What was the most interesting thing you learned while researching for this book?

That Sir Walter Ralegh, even though he was appointed governor of Virginia and known for introducing tobacco to England, never set foot in America!

What excites you?
A new book idea, the stage of plotting it out and coming up with a main character I love enough to spend two years with, every day.

What turns you off?

Bad writing, my own or someone else’s. I think words matter, and they create such powerful impressions that it’s worth the time and effort to choose the right ones and put them in the best order.

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?
Let me go with the dead ones here: I would have a dinner party and invite Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth I, and someone to really shake things up, like the emperor Nero. If I had to choose just one person to hang out with, it would be…William Shakespeare!

What is an average writing day like for you?

Get up, shower, read the paper, sit down at my computer, resist the siren call of email and Facebook, write for a few hours, have lunch, write/research a few more hours, until I have, say, 4 pages, which is a very good day. An average day has many more small frustrations, maybe just a page of new writing but some good rewriting. A bad day is, “Hey it’s 3:00 and I have nothing to show for the last six hours except a pile of folded towels.”

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
No sacrificial rituals or anything magical. I usually do have to start out by revising what I’ve written the previous day, just to get warmed up and find my groove again.

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

That when I was in 7th grade I went to the National Spelling Bee and finished 15th. The word I missed was “syncretism,” which means the attempt to bring together different religious principles.

What are you working on now?

Another Shakespeare-related story, but a comedy rather than a tragedy. Time for me to lighten up a bit.

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?

This isn’t a quirk so much as a habit, but I always have the Oxford English Dictionary open in a window (on my computer) when I write so that I can look up words and figure out when they came into the language and if it’s appropriate for my characters to use them.

If Cate of the Lost Colony were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Cate? Manteo? Sir Walter?

Ah, the movie! Every author’s dream. For Sir Walter, I’d pick Clive Owen; for Manteo, Johnny Depp—he’s actually part Native American. (I’ll play Cate, thank you very much.) Actually, I’ll let my readers weigh in with their favorites, who are always more interesting (and probably younger) than my picks.

The Freebie:

To be entered to win the ARC of CATE AND THE LOST COLONY, leave a comment below, telling us why you want to read this book . This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, June 16... or possibly Thursday since I'll be on the road, taking my daughter out to college next week *sniff*. So if you don't see the winner post Wednesday, check back Thursday...

Bonus Freebie: A copy of the new Death By... bindup, THE DEATH BY BIKINI MYSTERIES, which includes the complete books DEATH BY BIKINI, DEATH BY LATTE and DEATH BY DENIM! To be entered to win this one, tweet or post about the book and contest on your FB, blog or whatever and let me know, either by leaving a comment below or by emailing to gerb @ lindagerber .com. The winner will be announced the same time as the winner of CATE AND THE LOST COLONY.

PLEASE NOTE: Be sure to check back. We've just recently had to reassign a winner because the name I drew had no contact information associated with it, and the person didn't ever check in to let me know their mailing information. I'm also afraid that with the tight deadlines and launch preparations coming up for me the rest of this year, I won't have time to hunt you down if you win and don't come forward to claim your prize. So - new rule: You must check in to claim your prize within three weeks of the announcement, or it goes back into the kitty. Deal?

A Winner and A Bonus

And the winner of the summer book basket is:

danireading

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

Everyone else, please come back Friday for another Freebie featuring Lisa Klein and an ARC of her upcoming book CATE OF THE LOST COLONY.

What else is up this week?

BONUS FREEBIE: The bindup of all three DEATH BY... books hit the shelves sometime in the past month. I've been watching for it in the stores around home, but hadn't seen it until yesterday, at our local Kroger grocery store. It's on the bestseller wall at #16! Since my author copies of this bindup haven't arrived yet, I had to snag a copy. But my author copies are enroute, so I will give this one away. To be entered to win, tweet, blog or write about the bindup and this bonus freebie and let me know. I'll draw a winner on Wednesday, along with the winner of Lisa's book.

GLEE FINALE: Simply amazing. Can't wait for next season!

BEFORE YOU WERE HOT: (CBS) Friend and fellow TFC sister Melissa Walker was on The Early Show this week! Melissa and Anne Ichikawa founded the Before You Were Hot website (BYWH). Go, Melissa!

YOUNG ADULT AUTHORS AGAINST BULLYING: Still going strong. If you haven't already, please join the facebook group and take a stand with us again bullying here:(FB). Read Carrie Jones's interview THE BULLY PULPIT here: (SLJ)

FIRST REVIEW OF TRANCE!: (thepagesofbrooks) Wow! Thanks, Amy!

HAPPY RELEASE WEEK to: Angie Frazier (EVERLASTING), Kristen Tracy, (A FIELD GUIDE FOR HEARTBREAKERS), Jennifer Lynn Barnes (RAISED BY WOLVES), Tera Lynn Childs (FORGIVE MY FINS), Lurlene McDaniel (HEART TO HEART) ,Tracy White (HOW I MADE IT TO EIGHTEEN: A MOSTLY TRUE STORY), Wendy Toliver (LIFTED), Cath Crowley (A LITTLE WANTING SONG), Jaclyn Moriarty (THE GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH), Martine Murray (HOW TO MAKE A BIRD), Melissa Senate (THE MOSTS), Jane Mendle (MY ULTIMATE SISTER DISASTER), Sue Wyshynski (POSER), Susan Coventry (THE QUEEN'S DAUGHTER), Erin McCahan (I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE), Jackson Pearce (SISTERS RED), Lee Nichols (DECEPTION), Eric Luper (SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO), Todd Mitchell (THE SECRET TO LYING), and JT Dutton (STRANDED)

This Week's Video Linkie for all of us Harry Potter fans:

Winner and Nicole Maggi's Sale

And the winner of GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols is:

Sherr

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you.

Everyone else, come on back tomorrow for a special edition School's Out Freebie Friday, featuring a summer reading basket that is not to be missed.

What else is up this week? For the kids in our school district, school is out tomorrow! Woot!

My daughter graduates on Saturday! *sniff*

Tiger Woods and a plethora of golfers are in town for the Memorial Tournament, just up the street from where I live. It seems to rain every year* at the tournament and this year was no exception - in fact, last night's thunderstorm was so severe, the tornado sirens were going off. Welcome to Dublin, golfers.

*You can read about the rain and the Memorial Curse of Chief Leatherlips here.

A book to watch for! My dear friend and crit partner, Nicole Maggi, just sold her first book!!! Yay, Nicole!!! Here is the listing in Publisher's Marketplace. You will want to put this one on your radar.

Nicole Maggi's SHIFT, based on the Italian legend of the Benandanti, a girl learns she is part of the ancient clan of warriors who can shapeshift their souls into various animals, and is drawn into their centuries-old conflict with the evil Malandanti in order to protect the world's magical sites from their control, to Maria Gomez at Harper Children's, in a pre-empt, by Irene Goodman (NA). Foreign: Baror International

(What the listing doesn't say is that this is a three-book deal and SHIFT is the first in a series. Again, yay, Nicole!!!)

This week's video link: (Pretty amazing. Go, Greyson!)