Winner!

And the winner of this week's TRANCE ARC is:

Elie

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (at) lindagerber (dot) com.

Everyone, thanks for playing. Your entries are tallying up for the month's prizes. (If you're new to the blog, or want a reminder of how to enter, September's Countdown rules are here.)

What else is up this week?

Two more days until I leave for Japan! (Who knows, something fun and Japanese may just find itself in next month's countdown prize basket...) Where's your favorite faraway destination?

Apple does music social networking. What do you think of Ping? (YPulse)

Did you grab a copy of Mockingjay on release day like I did? You aren't alone. 450,000 copies were sold in the first week. (PW)

Do you have an e-reader? Lots of action going on with them this week! Borders jumps into the action with the Kobo and Libre. (GalleyCat), while Sony is upgrading their screens and bodies (crunchgear) and Staples is getting in on the action by selling Kindles (mediabistro). And speaking of e-books, Diesel e-books has reached a deal with Hachette to once again offer their e-book titles. (Diesel Blog)

Happy release week to: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (CRUSADE), Gail Giles (DARK SONG), Kody Keplinger (THE DUFF (DESIGNATED UGLY FAT FRIEND), Nancy Werlin (EXTRAORDINARY), Sophie Jordan (FIRELIGHT), Cate Tiernan (IMMORTAL BELOVED), (Denise Jaden (LOSING FAITH), Michael Thomas Ford (Z), Han Nolan (CRAZY), Don Calame BEAT THE BAND).

This week's video link in honor of where I''ll be on SATURDAY:



P.S. Reminder: leave a comment below answering any of the questions above and you can earn entries in this month's TRANCE Countdown contest.

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:

Spring Break Edition

On the iPod: Cannibal Queen by Miniature Tigers

And the winner of this week's freebie Reader's Choice giveaway is:

Sab H

Please send your book choices and mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and I'll get them sent off to you. Be sure to write "winner" in the subject header so you don't get lost in my inbox!

Everyone, thanks for playing! I loved the book recommendations and already my TBR pile is swelling out of control again. Which will likely lead to another book-clearing giveaway in the near future. Meanwhile, be sure to come back on Friday for another debut author freebie!

What's up this week?

M.T. Anderson has a new website. Love the steampunk feel.

Fiction still rules over digital at Bologna. (PW) Side note - Lenore reported the first TRANCE sighting at the Bologna Book Fair! Woot!

Turkey bans Number the Stars. (SLJ) I first became aware of the scope of the Armenian genocide when my dear friend and mentor Marsha Skrypuch wrote about it in her books Nobody's Child, Daughter of War, Aram's Choice and Call me Aram. Banning books will not rewrite history.

Runaway cyber tour begins today! (Meg Cabot's website)

Stephenie Meyer fans - her new novella is free to read for a limited time. (PW) Pencil in your reading time June 7-July 5!

One person can make the difference. (The Charlotte Observer) #savelibraries (http://savelibraries.org)

Sex in the City goes YA. (PW)
Castle rocks! Just had to throw this in here. Any other Castle fans out there? Did the Boom! episodes slay or what?

Happy Release Week to:
Judith Graves (UNDER MY SKIN), Rachel Roberts (AVALON), Caragh M. O'Brien (BIRTHMARKED), Beth Kephart (THE HEART IS NOT A SIZE), Rob Reger & Jessica Grunerby (STRANGER AND STRANGER: EMILY THE STRANGE), Ni-Ni Simone (TEENAGE LOVE AFFAIR), Heather Tomlinson (TOADS AND DIAMONDS)

Brain Dead Post

On the iPod - Never Let You Go by Third Eye Blind

It's late (or early, depending on how you look at it) but I have a full day tomorrow (today) so here goes. I apologize in advance for any errors in this post.

By random drawing, the winner of Elizabeth Scott's THE UNWRITTEN RULE is...
*drumroll, please*

Lili

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (dot) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Don't forget to put WINNER in the subject line so it doesn't get lost in my inbox.

Everyone, come on back the Friday for a special Spring Break Freebie, featuring a reader's choice giveaway.

What's up?

On Saturday I helped judge the regional Power of the Pen competition. This is for 7th and 8th grade and I'll tell you what - there's a couple writers I'm going to be watching and I'll bet I have their books on my shelves in a few years! Go, Penners!

Health Care Reform was signed into law on Tuesday. (NYT) How did I never notice that President Obama was a leftie? ==>

Eclipse poster released (eonline) *Yawn* They all look bored. (Does Kristen Stewart's face make any other expression?)

Perfect NCAA bracket. (NBC Chicago) After all the upsets this week, I'm impressed. Even more impressed with the amount of $$ this kid could win with his picks. Whoa.

No senior year? (SLJ) Does that mean you could start slacking as a second-semester Junior?

Do school libraries need books? (NYT) Wow. Just wow.

John Grisham's MG novel has cover. (Amazon) Doesn't TheodoreBoone look like a Hardy Boy? : )

Library-Love Challenge (writerjenn) Spread the love by commenting on these blogs!

Happy release week to Alexandra Bracken (BRIGHTLY WOVEN), Nina de Gramont (EVERY LITTLE THING IN THE WORLD), David Patneaude
(EPITAPH ROAD) , Gary Paulsen (LAWN BOY RETURNS), Rachel Hawthorne (SHADOW OF THE MOON: DARK GUARDIAN), Keith Gray (OSTRICH BOYS), Holly Nicole Hoxter (THE SNOWBALL EFFECT)!!!!

This week's Youtube Linkie:

Shhh... It's a Secret

On the iPod - Just Dance by Lady GaGa

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Super massively celebrating today. Irish soda bread baked, dilly casserole bread in the oven, corned beef waiting to go. No, I'm not Irish, but one of the main characters in my upcoming MG series is. Does that count?

The winner of Jennifer Hubbard's THE SECRET YEAR is:

SoLaR

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (at) lindagerber (dot) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Don't forget to write "winner" in the subject header so it won't get lost in my inbox!

Everyone else, come on back on Friday when for a release week celebration with Elizabeth Scott and your chance to win a signed copy of THE UNWRITTEN RULE!!!

Okay - I promised I would tell you the story of my secret relationship a long, long, long time ago...

Back in my neighborhood growing up, we had a group that got together every summer evening to hang out and play kick the can and popgun and radar and about anything else we could think of. In our group, a boy who was about three years older than me singled me out. He would hide with me sometimes during the games. We'd crouch in the bushes together and he might hold my hand, but I didn't think much of it.

Then one day I started to get little gifts on my doorstep from "a secret admirer." I didn't like it much because it meant I got teased by my siblings and any friends who found out about it. So I left a note telling the guy to stop.

That night, this boy 'revealed' that the gifts had been from him. He wanted us to 'go together' and made me kiss him, but he said our boyfriend/girlfriend status had to be a secret. I guess he didn't want to be teased by his friends either since I was so much younger than him. Not much changed, except that when he hid with me during the games, I knew why. And he would sneak kisses sometimes.

We were 'together' secretly like that for months. Until one day I was coming home from a friend's house something felt off. My neighborhood was too quiet. No kids outside playing. No moms visiting on front lawns. Even the birds had stopped singing. It was dead still. I dumped my bike on the driveway and ran into the house. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table, a wadded tissue in her hand. Her eyes were puffy and red. When I walked in, she looked up at me and her eyes welled again. She told me this boy had been cleaning rifles with a friend in anticipation of a hunting trip and his had gone off. He was dead.

I didn't know what to do. I remember wandering outside where I sat on a swing and stared at nothing for a long time. My whole chest felt hollow. I mean, I wasn't in love with the guy or anything, but he was my first boyfriend, if you could call it that. I ached for his family's loss. I ached for him. And I couldn't tell anyone how I was feeling, because I had promised to keep it secret. Which is why there are no names in this story. It still is.

Sooooo... what else is happening this week?

Readergirlz is hosting a LIVE chat with Scott Westerfeld tonight! http://bit.ly/ahuTaT

Wimpy Kid hits the movie screens. http://tinyurl.com/ybt78fz (This is big in our house because youngest son is excited to see it - and hoping they are truer to the book than the Percy Jackson movie was.)

I have 63 entries left to judge in the Central Ohio Writing Contest before next week... which is why I won't be listing more what's happening this week. Sorry!

Happy release week to: Meg Cabot (GLITTER GIRLS AND THE GREAT FAKE OUT: ALLIE FINKLE'S RULES FOR GIRLS), Lindsey Leavitt (PRINCESS FOR HIRE), Deb Caletti (THE SIX RULES OF MAYBE), Elizabeth Scott (THE UNWRITTEN RULE), and Carrie Vaughn (VOICES OF DRAGONS)

YA is HOTT!!!

On the iPod: Hey, Soul Sister by Train

And the winner of GONE by Lisa McMann is...

Jennifer Moore

Congratulations, Jennifer. 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 so you won't get lost in my inbox!

Everyone else, be sure to come back on Friday for another debut author celebration (and freebie!) with Jennifer Hubbard, author of THE SECRET YEAR.

What's up this week?

Birthday Bash! (TFC) Don't forget to stop by Teen Fiction Cafe as we celebrate three years of blogging awesomeness. You could win stuff!

Another Kanye moment at the Oscars? (Salon.com) Or did the strange lady in the purple dress deserve her moment in the spotlight, too?

More adults are reading YA. (LA Times) Yup. I could have told you that.

Seven-figure YA Trilogy (PW) Um... wow.

Lost. I am. (EW) So confused this season. I want to turn away but I just can't.

No bookstore for Laredo, Texas. (Texas Monthly) I. Would. Die.

Kiyomi and Mai are coming!!!! No link for this, just a lot of excitement at my house. Our dear friends from Japan are coming for a visit this weekend. Yay!

Happy release week to: Swati Avasthi (SPLIT), Jandy Nelson (THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE), Varian Johnson (SAVING MADDIE), Beatrice Gormley (POISONED HONEY),Michele Dominguez Greene (KEEP SWEET), Claudia Gray (HOURGLASS), Rhonda Stapleton (FLIRTING WITH DISASTER), Carrie Ryan (THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES), and Allan Stratton (BORDERLINE)!

YouTube Linkie: Simone Elkeles knows how to do book trailers right!

Oh, yesss! The Fan Girl in Me Does the Happy Dance*

On the iPod - Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes by Kristin Andreassen

And the winner of Jen Nadol's THE MARK swag pack is: kathleenliz

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that send out to you. Everyone else, please come back on Friday for another freebie with debut author Julie Kagawa and her new book THE IRON KING.

What's up?

My sweet friend and amazing author Kate Coombs nominated me for the Prolific Blogger Award. Thank you, Kate! I'm going to pass along the nominations in a couple of weeks - as soon as I meet my current deadline!

Snowpocalypse has created a winter postcard outside my office window. Very pretty, but not so fun to drive in or shovel. The kids are on their second snow day from school. Have I mentioned how hard it is to get any writing done with the kids home? *grumble, grumble* Oh, um... hi, kids. I love you! : D

Ellen DeGeneres made her American Idol debut last night. I really liked her. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I love that cheesy show. Anyone else watch it? What did you think?

*Huge week for fabulous YA new releases... HAPPY RELEASE WEEK to Lisa McMann (GONE: WAKE), Heather Brewer (ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS: THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD), Ally Carter (HEIST SOCIETY), Kristin Harmel (AFTER), Jillian Cantor (THE LIFE OF GLASS) and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (TOKEN OF DARKNESS)!

And finally, today's video link: My friend Nikki Stone was on the TODAY SHOW on NBC! Go, Nikki!

Winner and What's Up Wednesday

On the i-Pod: I'll Stand by You - Glee Cast

Thanks everyone for sharing your mottos! The winner of Dia Reeves' BLEEDING VIOLET is:

I Heart Book Gossip

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Be sure to write "winner" in the subject line so it won't get lost in my inbox!
Everyone else, join us on Friday for another Freebie, featuring GCC sister and NYT bestseller, Carrie Jones!


What's up this week?

Haiti is still in desperate need. If you haven't already, you can send donations by texting "Haiti" to 90999 on your cell. It will send $10 to the American Red Cross. Every little bit helps.

Closer to home - I had to send my Macbook away for repairs. Yeah, I know. Not such an important development to anyone besides me. But really. I feel nekkid without that Macbook in my hands! I've been forced to use our PC desktop. (Gasp!) The good thing is the repairs won't take long and Apple is covering them.

Want another chance to win a copy of Rhonda Stapleton's STUPID CUPId? Fictionistas has a contest for you!

For anyone intersted, The Farmer's Daughter Bookshelf is featuring an interview with yours truly this week.

Congratulations to TFC sister Alyson Noel, whose book EVERMORE made the USA TODAY Top Selling Books of 2009 list!

And huge Release Week kudos to Rachel Cohn VERY LEFREAK, Alexandra Bullen WISH, Crystal Velasquez YOUR LIFE, BUT BETTER, Ariela Anhalt FREEFALL, Kashmira Sheth BOYS WITHOUT NAMES, Frank Cottrell Boyce COSMIC, Geraldine McCaughrean THE DEATH-DEFYING PEPPER ROUX, Sara Shepard HEARTLESS: PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, Jen Nadol THE MARK, Hilari Bell PLAYER'S RUSE and Ridley Pearson THE ACADEMY: STEEL TRAPP!

This Week's You Tube linkie:

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

What's on the iPod? Break on Through --The Doors

By random drawing, the winner of Irene Latham's LEAVING GEE'S BEND is:

Erica

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Everyone else, come on back this Friday as we welcome another debut author, Dia Reeves and her book, BLEEDING VIOLET.

What's up this week?

As you might have noticed in the sidebar, TRANCE has a cover! Here it is again - because I love uploading it. Yes, I love Puffin and the cover gods. They have been very good to me. More information on TRANCE will be headed your way in the coming months, so stay tuned.


Lisa McMann is made of awesome. Besides the obvious, I'll tell you why soon, I promise...
Meanwhile, if you haven't entered her "Don't Let Your Dream Fade" Sweepstakes, what are you waiting for? You could win $1000 to pursue your dream.

IMPORTANT: Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake earlier this week. You can help the relief efforts by testing HAITI to 90999 to send $10 to American Red Cross Relief efforts.

And while you're in a giving mood, don't forget the Five Awesome YA Fans support of Devyn Burton's Book Transfusion. Check it out:

And finally, Happy Release Week to
Mari Mancusi BAD BLOOD, Dia Reeves BLEEDING VIOLET, Julie Anne Peters BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD, Shannon and Dean Hale CALAMITY JACK, Carrie Jones CAPTIVATE, Lisa Schroeder CHASING BROOKLYN, Eileen Cook GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, Delia Ephron THE GIRL WITH THE MERMAID HAIR, Noni Carter GOOD FORTUNE, Courtney Summers SOME GIRLS ARE, Angela Johnson SWEET, HEREAFTER, Anna Jarzab ALL UNQUIET THINGS , Rosalind Wiseman BOYS, GIRLS AND OTHER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, Yxta Maya Murray THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO GETTING KIDNAPPED, Irene Latham (of course) LEAVING GEE'S BEND, Jennifer Hubbard THE SECRET YEAR, and Erin Dionne THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET!

That's a lot of good books - and I know I missed a lot of releases this week. Better get reading!

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!!!

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!

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!

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!

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving, US readers!

The winner of Laurie Faria Stolarz's DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS is:

Jill of the O.W.L

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb(@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent off to you. Everyone else, come on back on Friday for a special Freebie kick-off of the holiday season!

What's up this week?

It's my daughter's birthday today!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNA-BEAR!!!!

Like I mentioned above, the US Thanksgiving holiday is tomorrow. I'll be doing turkey dinner with family, watching lots of football and going to see BLIND SIDE for our Thanksgiving Day movie. But mostly, I'll be thinking of all the things I'm thankful for. A big part of that is you, my online friends. Being an author is a dream for me. None of this would be possible without readers willing to invest their time and imagination to step into my stories with me. Thank you for the support. Thank you for your notes and emails. Thank you for buying my books!

Happy Thanksgiving!

And happy release week to Jessica Bendinger (The Seven Rays), Lili St. Crow (Betrayals) and J.B. Redmond and S.R. Vaught (A Prince Among Killers).

See you on Friday!

Winner and What's Up Wednesday

Thanks for all the video links. Made me laugh. The winner of this week's Freebie is:

Yan

I can send the gift card via email, so if you want to just confirm your email addy, Yan, I can send that off to you. Please shoot me a note at gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com.

Everyone else, come on back on Friday when Stacey Jay will be with us, with YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME. Bonus - Stacey is offering up a signed copy of the book and a YOU ARE SO DEAD TO ME t-shirt. You don't want to miss it!

Meanwhile, Yan's Single Ladies video links had me giggling. Kind of embarrassed for Joe Jonas, but loved the Justin Timberlake one. Have to say, though, one of my all time favorite Single Ladies dancers is this baby:



Or the football players in Glee:



ANYWAY, what's up this week?

Today's VETERAN'S DAY. My daughter's school did something awesome today - everyone in the building is wearing dogtags with a real serviceman's name, where and when s/he served (or is serving) and s/he's from. What a fantastic way to personalize this holiday and make the kids aware that there are real people in the service making sacrifices to ensure the freedoms that we take for granted every day. HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!

Tomorrow begins the final appeal for women ski jumpers to be allowed to compete in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Unbelievably, the IOC has continued its stubborn discriminatory stance that men can compete in Nordic Ski Jumping in the Olympics, but women cannot. Please send all your good vibes to Canada in hopes that the court will see things differently!

Happy Release Week to Margaret Peterson Haddix (CLAIM TO FAME), Julie Hearn (HAZEL), Debby Dahl Edwardson (BLESSING'S BEAD), David Almond (RAVEN SUMMER), Neal Schusterman (EVERWILD), Norma Howe (ANGEL IN VEGAS), Katherine Sturtevant (THE BROTHERS STORY), Margaret Mahey (THE MAGICIAN OF HOAD), Laurie Stolarz (DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS), Lucy Silag (THE BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS) and Lauren Kate (THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE)!

So many great books! Better start reading!!! See you Friday!