Party with Jeri Smith-Ready

Welcome party girl Jeri Smith-Ready to the blog!

I first met Jeri at the Teen Author Carnival in May, where we sat on a panel together. She's as beautiful in person as she looks online. She an award-winning author, and lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world’s goofiest greyhound. Jeri's plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that. When not writing, Jeri she can usually be found—well, thinking about writing, or on Twitter. Like her characters, she loves music, movies, and staying up very, very late.

Here's the lowdown on SHADE:

Love ties them together.

Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Jeri's number reading and response:

Your compound vibration numbers are 17, 13 and 21.

*Thirteen* is a number indicating change of plans, direction or place.
It is a warning of the unexpected or the unknown, although the changes
can very well be positive. Some ancient writings claim, "He who
understands the number 13 will be given power and dominion".
Individuals with this vibration should take care, however – wrongly
used, the power can cause destruction to oneself.

Thirteen! I love that number, because I'm anti-superstitious (I also love black cats). When I hear "unexpected change and unknown," I get very excited. Fingers crossed it means a trip to Europe. ;-)

*Seventeen* is known as the Star of the Magi. It is a highly spiritual

number and indicates that the person it represents will rise with
superior spirit to the challenge of trials and difficulties early in
life. Seventeen is also considered the number of immortality and
indicates that the persons name will live after her.

Hmm, I don't remember huge trials and difficulties early on (I had a very happy childhood, although I did have a serious illness when I was 3). As for immortality, I would love it if people were still reading my books long after I've left this world. Or, you know, next year.

*Twenty-one* can be a number of ad­vancement, honors, and general

success, but victory generally comes after long initiation and tests
of determination.

Haha! Well, I've had eight books published over the course of ten years, and had many rejections along the way, so I think that counts as a long initiation. What do I win?

The number *three* indicates someone who is artistic, social,

friendly, and in some cases, wasteful. Threes tend to be creative,
sensitive, ambitious and intuitive.

Artistic? Check. Social? Check (anyone who follows me on Twitter knows). Friendly? Check.

Wasteful? Umm, okay, who's been looking in the vegetable drawer of my fridge?

You can read more about Jeri at jerismithready.com

Today's daily giveaway is a signed copy of NEED by Carrie Jones.

Freebie Friday with Jeri Smith-Ready

I'm pleased to welcome another GCC sister to the blog today - Jeri Smith-Ready, who is celebrating the launch of her hot off the presses, released-this-week book, SHADE.

The Author:

Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world’s goofiest greyhound.

Jeri's plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that.

When not writing, Jeri she can usually be found—well, thinking about writing, or on Twitter. Like her characters, she loves music, movies, and staying up very, very late.

You can read more about Jeri on her website, her blog, on facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

The Book:

Love ties them together.

Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

NYT best-selling author PC Cast calls SHADE "hauntingly good." Lisa Schroeder says "SHADE left me breathless." And Publisher's Weekly (in a starred review!) says "Smith-Ready changes the world completely by simply changing our ability to see."



The Interview:

What songs would make the playlist for SHADE?
Funny you should ask. I just put the entire SHADE soundtrack on my website, at http://www.jerismithready.com/books/shade/music/ You can see a full list of the songs there, listen to a sampler, and follow a link to the iMix on iTunes where you can buy any or all of the soundtrack. Some of the biggies that are mentioned in the book are “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, “I Will Possess Your Heart” by Death Cab for Cutie, and “Devil’s Dance Floor” by Flogging Molly, which is the group that the main male character, Logan Keeley, models his own band on.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
One of my high school boyfriends was a follower of political weirdo Lyndon Larouche. He was pretty normal otherwise (my boyfriend, not Larouche).

What's your favorite quote?
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller

What are you working on now?
I’m writing the sequel to SHADE, called SHIFT, which will be out in May 2011. I also just finished page proofs on the third book in my adult vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT, which comes out in August. I can’t wait to see what fans of the series think of this installment!

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
I’m a bracket fiend. When I’m on a roll, I don’t like to stop to look something up, or even to sit there and think of the perfect word or transition. So my rough drafts are full of things like “[need scene ending]”, “[chk dates]” and “[this conversation is going nowhere what was I thinking I don’t even know why I thought this scene would be important should I cut it off and come back or just keep pushing through??????]”

If SHADE were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Aura? What about Logan and Zachary?
I’d go with Selena Gomez for Aura and Zac Efron for Logan. Zachary is a little tougher, since I don’t know any Scottish actors that age. But there’s a British actor named Tom Sturridge who would be totally yum.

What kind of chocolate best describes you?
Wow, I just spent twenty minutes staring off into space thinking of different kinds of chocolate. Not kidding. Anyway, I’m back! My answer would be a truffle made of both white and dark chocolate, because I can be very sweet (and pale) but also bitter (when I haven’t had enough sleep or food).

The Freebie:
To be entered to win a signed copy of SHADE, leave a comment below, telling us - who is your favorite ghost ever? (And are they purple-hued?) This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, May 12. Because this is a hardcover and rather expensive to send overseas, this drawing will be limited to the continental US. Thanks for understanding.

And the Fun Begins...

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope your day is as beautiful where you are as it is here. I'll be spending as much of it outside as I can.

This week's winner of a signed ARC of TRANCE is:

Isi and Jas's Mom

Please shoot me an email with your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and I'll get that sent out to you.

Be sure to come back on Friday with another GCC freebie featuring Jeri Smith-Ready and her brand new, just released book SHADE. You won't want to miss this one!

What's up this week?

It's another busy one! In fact, this whole month is going to be crazy busy. Here's where I'll be. If you're close by, come say hello. I'd love to see you!

5/5 Thurber House 6:30 pm 77 Jefferson Avenue Columbus, OH
5/8 Ohioana Book Festival 274 E. First Avenue Columbus, OH
(Panel Discussion@2:00 pm, Reading @3:00 pm)
5/12 Karrer Middle School Author Visit Dublin, OH
5/24-27 Book Expo America, NYC
5/24 Teen Author Carnival 5-8 pm Jefferson Market Branch Library
425 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY
5/26 Group Signing with Stephanie Kuehnert, Melissa Walker and Erica Kirov 6-8 p.m.
Books of Wonder 18 West 18th Street New York, NY

Also this week: TFC is welcoming four new authors to our fold. Be sure to drop in for the introductory week starting on Monday and say hello to Elizabeth Scott, Josh Berk, Jessica Brody and Greg Logsted!

Happy Release week to: A BLUE SO DARK by Holly Schindler, THE DAUGHTERS by Joanna Philbin, THE DEADLY SISTER by Eliot Schrefer, GIGGED by Heath Gibson, THE ORACLE OF DATING by Allison van Diepen, PICTURE THE DEAD by Adele Griffin & Lisa Brown, THE PYRAMID OF SOULS by Erica Kirov, SHIP BREAKER by Paolo Bacigalupi, FIRE WILL FALL by Carol Plum-Ucci, FIRE WILL FALL by Carol Plum-Ucci, JEKEL LOVES HYDE by Beth Fantaskey, MARCIA'S MADNESS by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Greg & Jackie Logsted, THE REASON: GHOST HUNTRESS by Marley Gibson, ZEN AND XANDER UNDONE by Amy Kathleen Ryan, COMPROMISED by Heidi Ayarbe, FRIEND IS NOT A VERB by Daniel Ehrenhaft, LIES: A GONE NOVEL by Michael Grant, LITTLE VAMPIRE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott & Lynn Messina, THE PRINCE OF MIST by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, THE RED PYRAMID: THE KANE CHRONICLES by Rick Riordan, SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready, SOMETHING LIKE FATE by Susane Colasanti, SPELLS by Aprilynne Pike, and THIRTEEN PLUS ONE by Lauren Myracle.

This week's video linkie - because I am so stoked to see Iron Man 2 this week and this commercial made me laugh: