Tuesday Thingers

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Normally, this is the day that I announce our Freebie Friday winners, but just a reminder... this one stays open until February 1st to celebrate the release of A.S. King's DUST of 100 DOGS, so you still have time to enter this week's contest!

Also, Reviewer X is giving away five copies of DEATH BY BIKINI on her blog! You must tell her that you love her to enter, but really, she's very lovable. The contest is open until February 10.

Meanwhile, it looks like we are about to get snowed in here in Central Ohio, so I've got some special snow day posts coming your way this week. Here's what's on the docket:

Wednesday: Interview with Teri Brown, author of READ MY LIPS.
Thursday: Interview with Diana Wallach, author of ADIOS ALL THE DRAMA.
Friday: FREEBIE FRIDAY - Interview with Alexa Young and a chance to win her book FAKETASTIC!
Sunday: Do100D contest winner announced.

But wait, there's more!

Get ready for the special LOVE & STUFF week here at the blog to celebrate Valentine's Day with interviews, freebies and love advice from YA romance authors such as Tina Ferraro, Wendy Toliver, Melissa Walker and more!

Do you have a love life question for our distinguished YA panel? Be sure to submit it to gerb @ lindagerber . com (omit the spaces) by February 7th.

* apologies to Wendi from Wendy's Book Corner. I have just realized she regularly features 'Tuesday Thingers" on her blog. Didn't mean to rip off your name!!!
EDITED: Ooooh. Tuesday Thingers is a meme from LibraryThing! Got it.
Well, I didn't mean to rip off their name!

Mid-week Catch Up

Happy hump day! Maybe it's the holiday, followed by the inauguration festivities, but it doesn't feel like a Wednesday to me!

This will be a mini-blog because I am smack in the middle of the deadline decent into hell for the next couple of weeks. I just needed to catch up on a few things since the Germany trip last week.

First of all, I apologize for Aphra's tweets disappearing after just a couple of weeks. Seems she was flagged or something and the twitter account wasn't active. It's all ironed out now and the story will move along. You should be able to see updates in the sidebar right here on the blog if you don't have a twitter account. I may also consider a different venue in case we run into any further problems with twitter.

Also, Diana Dang from Stop, Drop and Read awarded me the Butterfly Award this past weekend, which rules are as follows:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Award up to ten other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

In the interest of time, I'm going to limit my nominations to two... both brand new blogs that I already enjoy.

The first is a book review blog by author Kate Coombs. I've known Kate for a long time and not only do I love her books, but I admire the depth of her knowledge about children's and YA literature. Her reviews are intelligent and insightful and sometimes funny and I'm very excited that she's entered the realm of book blogging.

The second is a character blog. Darby Christopher, the lead character in Canadian Author KC Dyer's upcoming book, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW has just begun to post about life in smallsville Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, but knowing her, this will be a fun blog to watch.

Oh! And I just saw that Holly from Holly's Book Notes is running a contest to give away DEATH BY BIKINI and DEATH BY LATTE. Head on over to her blog for your chance to win.

And now back to work for me! Have a great one!

Winner and Interview with Author Eileen Cook

Lots of fun things to tell you about today.

For one, Seth Mulo has been chosen as best male character on Bookworm Reader's blog. Take a peek at the other awards she gave DEATH BY BIKINI and DEATH BY LATTE. Thanks, Claire!

Also, the first reviews for DEATH BY DENIM are up! You can check them out at Flamingnet (where they have given DBD the Top Choice Award!) and at the Maelstrom blog.

Also, we have a winner from our Carrie Jones Freebie Friday:
Little Willow
Please send me an email at gerb at lindagerber dot com and I'll e-send your gift certificate to you! Everyone else, don't forget to stop by on Friday, when Sarah Zarr will join us and give away a signed copy of SWEETHEARTS!

AND NOW, a special Tuesday Treat for you - we have another GCC interview with the fabulous Eileen Cook, Author of WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?

Here's the blurb on the book:

Thou shalt not kiss thy best friend’s boyfriend…again….
There is no greater sin than kissing you best friend’s boyfriend. So when Emma breaks that golden rule, she knows she’s messed up big-time. Especially since she lives in the smallest town ever, where everyone knows everything about everyone else….and especially because she maybe kinda wants to do it again. Now her best friend isn’t speaking to her, her best guy friend is making things totally weird, and Emma is running full speed toward certain social disaster. This is so not the way senior year was supposed to go.
Time to pray for a minor miracle. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time for Emma to stop trying to please everyone around her, and figure out what she wants for herself.

Meg Cabot says that WWED? is “Sassy and sly and sweet all at the same time, this book made me laugh out loud.” And Jaqueline Mitchard says Eileen is the next best thing to Judy Blume. Not bad, huh?

Eileen's insight probably comes from the time she spent as a counselor at Michigan State University. "But real people have real problems," she says. She returned to writing because she "liked having the ability to control the ending. Which is much harder with humans."

The interview:

What inspired you to write WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?
I had recently re-read the Crucible. In the play a group of people begin blaming others of being witches and the situation burns out of control. It got me thinking about what would be the worst thing you could accuse someone of today and how easy it is for the mob mentality to take over. Those thoughts were the beginning of the story that would grow into What Would Emma Do.

Are any of your characters based on real people that you know?
I tend to steal traits and quirks from different people and then mix them up to create someone new. What I find interesting is when someone who knows me reads a book and thinks they identify someone else and it wasn’t even someone I had in mind at the time.

What excites you?
Ideas and stories. I love to read and I gather odd bits of news like black slacks attract cat hair. I listen in on conversations when I’m out in public. All these ideas and scraps of ideas get squirreled away somewhere in both my office and my brain. Like a compost pile sometimes it stinks, but sometimes something really interesting comes out of it.

What turns you off?
I hate when people are narrow minded. I don’t mind disagreeing with someone, but it frustrates me when someone refuses to even listen to another point of view.

In DEATH BY LATTE, my character Aphra starts her adventure with a lie. What's the biggest lie you ever told, and what happened as a result of the telling?
I am a terrible liar. Terrible. I will never be able to have a life of crime or live as a secret double agent spy. For this reason I tend not to lie very often. When I was in high school I wanted to go out to a nightclub where my crush was playing in a band. My parents wouldn’t let me go. I said I was going to my room, but in reality I climbed out my bedroom window. What I didn’t know is about 15 minutes after I left my mom had convinced my dad to let me go. When she got to my room to tell me I was already gone.
Much later that night I carefully slid open the bedroom window and started to climb in. My mom was sitting there in the dark and while one half of me was outside, and the other hanging in, she said: “welcome home.” I knew I was in BIG trouble.

All stories are built on suspense. What's the most suspenseful thing that's happened to you in real life?
There have been a few decisions I made in my life that were a leap of faith. I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, but it felt like the right thing. One example would be getting married. My now husband and I had dated for several years, but broke up while I was still in college. We were broken up a little over a year when he flew into town and told me he missed me and wanted to get married. We went from not dating to married in less than four months. I’m pretty sure there were a lot of people who thought we were insane, but so far it’s been great.

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 would love to have the ultimate writer’s retreat with my current writing buddies, but we would also invite Meg Cabot, Jane Austen, Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Sarah Dessen, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker. I could go on and on. I think we’re going to need a large conference center for all these people.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I can’t do a cart-wheel. I start off good, but for some reason my legs sort of fall over during the “wheel” part of the move. This was a source of great humiliation growing up. Please do not offer to teach me how- many have tried, many have failed. I have accepted that a gold medal in gymnastics is not in my future.

What's your favorite quote?
Oooh I love quotes. I’m one of those people who always has quotes pinned up all around my office. One of my favorites (it is hard to pick just one) is a poem by Shel Silverstein

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me -
Anything can happen, child
Anything can be

Milk Chocolate or Dark?
No debate on this issue at all- dark chocolate hands down.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com.

Merry Winner!

No matter how you celebrate, have the happiest holiday ever! I'm going to be taking tomorrow off to spend Christmas with my family, but before I go... here's our Freebie Friday winner:

Lauren from Shooting Stars Magazine

Congratulations, Lauren! Please shoot me an email at ger at lindagerber dot com with your mailing information and I'll get the books sent off to you. Everyone else, thanks for your creative entries! It's been... entertaining reading them this week! Be sure to check back Friday for another freebie and an interview with Laurie Stolarz, author of DEADLY LITTLE SECRET.

See you then!

DEATH BY FREEBIE

TGIF! I am not kidding. It's been one of those weeks and I am seriously looking forward to the weekend!

Who starts Winter Break today? My kids will be out of school until January 5th. That seems like a loooong time - especially since we won't be going anywhere this year. When we lived in Japan, we traveled every chance we got, so we were always off somewhere over Winter Break. This year we wanted to have Christmas at home so we're staying put. The thing is, it doesn't feel like Christmas around here. While it seems that snow is dumping on everyone else in the country, Central Ohio remains brown and bleh. I need something to get me into the spirit!

To that end, let's get on with Freebie Friday.

Up for grabs this week are all three DEATH BY books -
DEATH BY BIKINI, DEATH BY LATTE, and an ARC of DEATH BY DENIM

To be entered to win, make up your own verse to a favorite Christmas carol (or Hanukkah song, or popular song for that matter) and share it in the comments below to help me get into the Christmas spirit! Don't forget to use the bonus word to earn an extra entry.*

This contest will remain open until Wednesday, December 24th.

Let the songwriting begin!



* The secret bonus word can be found in a previous post.

Winner!

Thanks for sharing your worst movie nominations, everyone. At least I know now what to avoid!

By random drawing, the winner of this week's Amazon gift card is:

Hope.

Please send me an email with WINNER in the subject line to gerb at lindagerber dot com and send me your snail mail address so I can get it sent off to you.

Meanwhile, for any of you who are interested, I'm talking writing thankfulness over at Author 2 Author today, and they are giving away a copy of DEATH BY BIKINI and DEATH BY LATTE!

Monday's Penguin Post

Death by FAQ

No, that’s not the title of my next book. For the first time online, here are some of the questions I am most frequently asked about Death by Bikini and Death by Latte when I visit schools.

How do you come up with your ideas?
I have an overactive imagination. Plus I read and travel a lot.

Did you make your own covers?
No. Authors don’t usually design their own covers, but if I did, I’d want them to look just like the ones I have! My cover designer is the fabulous and talented Theresa Evangelista. You can read about the process of her cover designs for this series here on Melissa Walker's Blog.

Where is Death by Bikini set?
wasThe setting for Death by Bikini was inspired by a visit to Maui several years ago. There’s a beautiful road to a small town called Hana on the east side of the island that winds through some of the most beautiful tropical rainforest you’d ever want to see - pristine and primitive. In fact, Puohokamoa Valley featured in the opening sequence of Jurassic Park. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect setting for a private, secluded island resort.

Why don’t you ever say in the book where it is?
Did I mention the resort is private and secluded? Aphra was not at liberty to reveal its location.
Is it a coincidence that you named Natalie’s partner Joe in Death by Latte?
No coincidence. Joe is old slang for coffee, which plays a significant role in the book.

I already miss Seth. Where can I meet him?
Read Death by Denim in May!

Do you have questions about the series? Now’s your chance to ask!

FREEBIE FRIDAY - Counting Down. For Real!

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm sorry I'm getting a late start... it's almost five here! My apologies... Lots going on today.

As I promised, this week's FREEBIE FRIDAY comes with a surprise and a twist. First, for the surprise... Now that we have finished the edits and the next installment in the DEATH BY series is on its way, I am happy to unveil the cover art for next spring's DEATH BY DENIM! The pockets with the skulls are the cutouts. Too cute, right?! Did I tell you how much I love the designers? They are the best!

Now for twist number one... with less than three weeks to go until the release of DEATH BY LATTE, I'm gearing up for another super cyber release party, with tons of author visits and book giveaways and other fun swag. The party for DEATH BY BIKINI was fabulous... and this time around, we want to share the love! The party will begin on Thursday, September 18 and run through the weekend. So, for your chance to win an advanced copy of DEATH BY LATTE and a Starbucks gift card, help me get the word out! If you have a blog, facebook and/or myspace, post an announcement. Send me the link to your post to be entered.

Twist number two... there will be five winners drawn this week.

Twist number three... you get a bonus entry if any of your friends show up in the comments and tell me you sent them. PLUS they can be entered, too.

Because of the long weekend and because I was so late posting today, this Freebie will remain open until Thursday, September 4th.

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

FREEBIE FRIDAY - With a Twist

Happy Friday, everyone!

As promised, this Friday's freebie comes with a twist. As I mentioned earlier, DEATH BY BIKINI is featured this month as part of Penguin's Plug Into Summer promotion. Check out this great ad in Girl's Life !

So here's the twist. To celebrate the Plug into Summer promotion, everyone who enters this week wins! Pictured below is a place I visited during my travels last month. All you have to do to enter is to send me an email (gerb at lindagerber dot com) and tell me what and where this is. Be sure to include your mailing info and I will send your prize out to you. All guesses - right or wrong - qualify for the freebie, but if you correctly identify what and where this is, you will also be entered to win a DEATH BY BIKINI prize pack which includes a bikini cell phone charm, DEATH BY BIKINI koozie and a $10 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.


This contest will remain open until Monday, July 14.

Let the games begin!

FREEBIE FRIDAY!!! Happy 4th of July!

Greetings from London! I'm sitting in the hotel lobby, stuck here an extra night because my flight was canceled this afternoon. As much as I love London, I'm a little bummed... I won't be home for Fourth of July with my kids. (Though our flight might get home in time for the fireworks.)

Sooo... for this week's Freebie, how about helping me celebrate vicariously? To be entered to win a copy of DEATH BY BIKINI, tell me what you are doing (or did) for your Independence Day celebrations (or, for those of you outside the U.S., what you do for your favorite holiday.) Extra points for romantic or humorous stories!

The contest will remain open until Monday, July 7.

FREEBIE FRIDAY!!! - BOYS ON THE ROAD

This is a very special Freebie Friday. For the first time ever, one lucky reader will get a peek at the follow-up to DEATH BY BIKINI... DEATH BY LATTE, which doesn't hit the shelves until September.

Without giving up too much, in DEATH BY LATTE, Aphra takes to the road and meets a handsome stranger in Seattle. And, of course, she becomes embroiled in another adventure...

For today's giveaway, I want to hear about your travel romances. For example, my dad is a professor. During the summer between my 9th and 10th grades, our family's vacation consisted driving from town to town where he and a group of other professors gave lectures. At one point, we crossed the border into Mexico, where I met this really cute local guy at the hotel swimming pool. I mean, really cute. Dark hair, warm, chocolate eyes, wide grin. He barely spoke English, I barely spoke Spanish, but we hung out at the pool together every day and flirted and he even kissed me the night before we packed up and headed for the next town. The whole rest of the trip was melancholy, me imagining how things might have progressed had we stayed in that town longer...

Want to be the first on your block to read DEATH BY LATTE? Tell me your best boys on the road story to be entered to win an Advanced Readers Copy!

Note... I'm heading out of town again this weekend (Scotland! Yeah!) so this contest will remain open until I hit a hotel with Internet access... Monday or beyond. Keep those stories coming!

Edited to add: I'm also blogging over at Teen Fiction Cafe about summer romances this week... if you're in the story-telling mood, you could hop over and tell us about your favorite summer romance. You might even win bonus points toward being selected for the DBL ARC for doing so...

FREEBIE FRIDAY!

Alright, so this month, as part of a Penguin promotion, I'll be sending off a signed copy of Death by Bikini to todays lucky winner.
Death by Bikini is about girl who lives on a island resort, which is fine until an odd mix of characters come to the island. This mix is deadly, literally. So since this book takes place somewhere with a beach and I got burned really bad in Mexico, to be entered to win a copy of the book, just tell me about your worst sunburn.

Edited to add: I'm back! Who guessed that this post and the winner post previous to this wasn't me? Bonus points if you recognized the difference in voice. Thanks to my dear daughter for filling in while I was still traveling. As she mentioned, I got good and sunburned in Cabo, but it was so worth it - I was swimming with dolphins!

The promotion she mentioned actually kicks off July 2 at Plug into Penguin. It will include galley giveaways, podcasts, Q&As and excerpts. You won't want to miss it!

Meanwhile, keep those sunburn stories coming. The drawing will remain open until Monday. Have a great weekend!

DEATH BY BIKINI WINNERS

Thank you so much everyone for sharing the excitement of DEATH BY BIKINI at our party this weekend! A special thanks to all my fabulous author friends who helped me celebrate, the the fantastic reviewers who have been kind enough to mention the book (and the giveaways) on their blogs and to the readers who make this whole thing possible!

And now, without further ado... The Great Name Drawing! If you have won a prize, please contact me at gerb at lindagerber dot com and send me your mailing information so that we can get your prize to you. If you did not win anything this time around, please keep visiting me each week for Freebie Fridays. I'll keep it up as long as I can!

Thursday's Entries:

YOU HAD ME AT HALO by Amanda Ashby: Anne




THE SECRET LIFE OF A TEENAGE SIREN by Wendy Toliver: Kristin Painter




VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY by Melissa Walker: Please check Melissa's blog on Wednesday for the winner!



ZETA AND OMEGA by Kate Harmon a.k.a. Marley Gibson: Samantha






THE NEW SISTERS by Kate Harmon a.k.a. Marley Gibson: Tetewa




RUNAWAY PRINCESS by Kate Coombs: Bunny B




Friday's Entries:


SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE by Lauren Baratz-Logsted: Aimee C






NINTH GRADE SLAYS by Heather Brewer: Parker





Borders Gift Certificate (perfect for buying READ MY LIPS by Teri Brown when it's released next month!!!): Ginger




Cherry phone charm c/o Sarah Hantz: Lenore





MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK by kc dyer: Check kc's blog on Thursday for the announcement of the winner!

Saturday's Entries:



DEATH BY BIKINI by yours truly: Kwana




Rubik's Cube c/o Kelly Para: Andy






SCREWBALL by Keri Mikulski: paperxxflowers





FRENEMIES by Alexa Young: book adorer





THAT'S WHAT'S UP by Paula Chase Hyman: softindierocker





NATALIE GOLDBERG LEARNS TO SALSA by Micol Ostow: Meredith



Random Names for Random Swag:

Bikini iPod/Cell Phone Charms: Kwana, Danette, Jen, Amie Dupire

DEATH BY BIKINI Koozie: mybkclub, Renee, Susan Adrian, Hillary

Barnes and Noble Gift Card: Daniel

Borders Gift Card: Rachel

iPod Gift Card: Breanna

And the iPod shuffle goes to: Krystal

Congratulations, everyone! Have a fabulous weekend and tell all your friends to go out an buy DEATH BY BIKINI!!! : )

Gerb