Wendy Toliver Gets the Party Started!

Happy Saturday, everyone! This morning I woke up late and I have to run out the door to an undokai. I'll explain that one when I get back! And give you a report on my night at B&N and thereafter. Let's just say it has something to do with being caught in a tornado and not getting home till one a.m. (Which is why I'm up late.) I'll post about it - and announce Friday's daily drawing winners - this afternoon.

Meanwhile, I'm going to let my friend and Teen Fiction Cafe sister Wendy Toliver get the party started. Wendy is the author of THE SECRET LIFE OF A TEENAGE SIREN and MISS MATCH. She will be signing with me in Utah, along with Sidney Salter and Aprilynne Pike (whose book WINGS just debuted at #6 on the NYT bestseller list! Yay, Aprilynne!) Anyway, if you're in Utah, we'd love to see you. I'll post details as it gets closer.

Take it away, Wendy!

I'm so excited to be a part of Linda Gerber's book launch party. Since her latest release is Death by Denim, she asked that we blog about our favorite pair of jeans. So here goes ...

You know how some people have a hard time finding shoes or bathing suits that fit right? Well, I'm one of those people who has a terrible time finding the perfect pair of jeans. A few years ago, I tried on a pair of Sevens at an outlet mall. They were a kind of weird bluish-green color but they fit amazingly well and the more I wore them, the more the color grew on me. However, they were stylishly distressed and in a few months, holes wore into the knees and bum. Which wasn't a good look for me, so I had to retire them. I went another year without a favorite pair of jeans.

Then, one day, I found some great jeans at Express. They were extra dark, extra long, stretchy (read: comfy) and a teensy-tiny size (I'm not delusional; I think they just try to make people feel good about themselves). So I bought 2 pair of those size 2s and I still have them. They're kinda dressy as far as jeans go, though, and I didn't have a pair to wear on weekends, so to speak.

As luck would have it, I was waiting for my friend to pick me up from a book signing at a Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago, and I wandered into an Aeropostle store and found the perfect pair of casual jeans on the clearance rack. Faded in all the right places, a fun straw-like stitching, stretchy, and long. AND they cost $15. If there had been more, I would've bought a whole rack of them.

Do you want to know the best part of having the perfect jeans? That gleam in my husband's eye when I wear them. :) Now, tell us something about your perfect pair of jeans. Are they like a second skin? Comfy as sweats? Head-turning sexy? Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of my latest book, MISS MATCH.

LOVE FEST FINALE with WENDY TOLIVER

Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome to our final day of YA LOVE FEST week here on the blog.

Today's romance expert is my friend, teenfictioncafe sister and GCC sister, the lovely and talented Wendy Toliver, whose new book, MISS MATCH, made it's debut this week, just in time for Valentine's Day! MISS MATCH is about a high school matchmaker, and also touches on sisterly love and healthy body issues.

Things you might not know about Wendy:
* She lives in the mountains of Utah and loves to ski and snowboard.
* She has a real-life whodunnit in her family lore - her great grandfather's murder remains unsolved.
* She once taught a transvestite to dance like a woman!
* She knows great places for sushi and undercooked pizza in Roy.
* She is featured on this week's Women Who Rock on Stephanie Kruenert's blog. Check it out!

Meanwhile, on to the Q&A!

I'm a freshman in high school and there is this guy who's a junior who sometimes purposefully bumps into me in the hall. He always makes jokes when I'm around, and sometimes that makes me uncomfortable. My friends say it's because he likes me. I don't know what to think. Help!

Sometimes it's hard to tell if a guy likes you, but it's my opinion that your friends are right on this one. As long as he's not physically hurting you when he bumps into you, or making crude or ugly jokes, I think this junior is crushing on you. Now you have to ask yourself if you like him. If so, you might want to engage in a little flirting yourself. Smile, laugh at his jokes, give him some eye contact, and be your irresistible self. Good luck!

How long did you wait to say "I love you" to your significant other? What is the longest that you waited to say it?

I met my significant other in college, and I think it took me about 4 months to say "I love you." I'm pretty sure I was in love with him well before that, but where we lived in different states, some of that time was the long distance relationship thing. But anyway, I wanted to wait until I knew I meant it, and not just say it because it seemed like the thing to say.

There is this guy I met from another school and he texts and calls me all the time, but we've never gone out. I just found out that he has a girlfriend at his school. (He didn't tell me.) Is it wrong for us to keep texting?

This is a complicated situation, and I hope you don't mind that I have a few questions. First of all, are you texting as friends or is it getting romantic or flirty?

Second, have you mentioned to him that you know he has a girlfriend? If so, how did he react? If not, do so ASAP.

If it's a friendly relationship (not romantic), and you've come clean about knowing about his girlfriend, I'd ask him if she'd care that you two text and call so much.

You haven't done anything wrong (to answer your question), but if it makes you feel uncomfortable that he's made an effort NOT to mention his girlfriend (which, if you text and call often, is the case), then you might consider putting all your time and effort into another guy--someone who doesn't have a girlfriend.

There's this really cute guy at school that I want to meet, but every time I'm around him, all we do is look at each other. I don't even think he knows my name. How do I just walk up to him and strike up a conversation? Please help!

Once there was a really cute new guy in my class and I didn't know the first thing about him except he rode a skateboard and was really cute. He was in my earth science class, and like you, all we did was look at each other. If the cute guy at your school is in a class with you, you can ask him a question about the class. If not, and you can't think of anything to say, just start small and general, like saying "hi" when you pass him in the hall. Or maybe compliment something he's wearing or doing. The good news is, if you catch him looking at you, he's probably eager to talk to you, too, and if you open the conversation line, he'll be excited to keep it going. Good luck!

For today's Freebie, Wendy has generously donated a signed copy of Miss Match!

I'm throwing in this adorable heart cell phone charm.

To be entered to win, you know the drill - give your own advice to one of the questions above. This drawing is open until Tuesday.

All other LOVE FEST winners will be announced today after noon, eastern time.