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:

FF- The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

This week I'm pleased to welcome GCC sister Elizabeth Scott to the blog, celebrating the release of her latest YA novel, THE UNWRITTEN RULE.

The Author:

Elizabeth Scott grew up in a town so small it didn't even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She's sold hardware and panty hose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn't want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, DC, with her husband; firmly believes you can never own too many books; and would love it if you visited her website, http://www.elizabethwrites.com. You can also follow Elizabeth on her blog, on facebook, on myspace and on twitter.

The Book:

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like you best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...


The Interview:

What inspired you to write The Unwritten Rule?
It actually came about because my editor at Simon Pulse, Jennifer Klonsky, and I were talking about friendships and high school and the things you just instinctively knew you could never ever do then, like be interested in a friend's boyfriend and I said, "Yeah, it's like the unwritten rule," and bam! There was the story. It just popped into my head--all the characters, everything that was going to happen--and I love my editor for letting me take the idea and run with it!

Have you ever had a premonition? What happened?
I knew my husband was someone special and that he was going to be in my life the first time I ever saw him. And since he's my husband, I guess I was right!
Are you superstitious in any way?
I don't know why, but I really hate it when it's a Friday the 13th.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I'm allergic to so many things it's sad. And it sucks. Going outside for more than twenty minutes from March to October--forget it! However, I am a very cheap dinner date...
What are you working on now?
My next book, Grace, will be out from Dutton in September. It's about a girl who's been raised to be a suicide bomber--and what happens when she decides she wants to live.

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
I have to be wearing my comfy black pants. (Well, I don't have to be, but I sure like to be!)

What kind of chocolate best describes you? None--I'm allergic to it! (See, told you I had so many allergies it was sad...)

The Freebie:

Up for grabs this week is a signed copy of THE UNWRITTEN RULE. To be entered to win, leave a comment below, telling us about the any unwritten rules you might have with your friends. This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, March 24.

Edited to add: D'oh! I keep calling this book "The Unspoken Rule" on Twitter. I am mortified. Please make me feel better by sharing something embarrassing you've done recently. All comments will equal one entry in the drawing.

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)