Melissa Walker Joins the Party!

Our next party guest is the beautiful Melissa Walker, author of the VIOLET series and the newly-released LOVESTRUCK SUMMER. Melissa does the great cover series that I love so much on her blog, and she also blogs with Readergirlz and co-founded the fabulous I Heart Daily. AND, in case you didn't already enter, she's running a release celebration contest of her own with Susanne Colasanti thru the end of May. Check it out!
My Perfects Jeans

I have a favorite pair of jeans. They're Levi's 505s, and I found them at a thrift store in North Carolina when I was 22. When I tried them on, my friend Ruthie said, "Oh yeah, those are winners." My legs looked long, my butt looked tight. Score.

Through the years, these jeans have been worn to the point of, well, being really worn. Holes started to crop up, and my roommate's mom sewed patches all over these things. But yes, I still wear them. I can't give them up--though they look kind of crazy now--and they stopped making this style. I've never found a pair like them since!

So, do you have a pair of unequaled jeans? I hope so. Do tell.
To be entered to win a copy of LOVESTRUCK SUMMER, leave a comment before telling about your unequaled jeans, real or fantasy!

Winner and Rock the Drop!

Happy Support Teen Lit Day! I know - I'm a day late announcing last week's Freebie Friday winner! Sorry! This has been another crazy week and I hope to be able to tell you soon why it has been so busy...

Meanwhile, loved your captions! The winner of the signed copy of FADE by Lisa McMann is:

Kate at Read This Book

Please send me a note with your mailing instructions and I'll get it sent off to you! Everyone else, come on back tomorrow for another freebie and an interview with Jenny O'Connell!

And now, I'm off to ROCK THE DROP! I'll be leaving copies of DEATH BY BIKINI, DEATH BY LATTE and a couple ARCs of DEATH BY DENIM in the Columbus/Dublin area today to celebrate Support Teen Lit Day with readergirlz, GuysLitWire, and YALSA. You can join me and dozens of book-dropping authors at the The TBD Post-Op Party on the readergirlz blog - tonight at 6:00 PM Pacific/9:00 PM Eastern.

Now go out and read and support teen lit!

Book Transfusion

When Devyn Burton was 12 years old, he was diagnosed with lupus. As a result, Devyn started spending a LOT of time in the hospital. Over the years, he was frustrated to find that the Giving Library at his hospital didn't have much to offer in the way of YA books. Like nothing. Little kids' books they had. Main stream books they had. YA, not so much.

In fact, this seems to be the case in a lot of hospitals. So much so that last year, YALSA and Readergrlz arranged for the donation of hundreds of YA books to a number of hospitals across the country. But the University of Michigan Hospital - where Devyn has had to spend so much of his time because of the lupus - was not one of them.

So he went on a crusade. He established an organization called Book Transfusion and set about asking authors if they would send a book or two that he could donate to the hospital. I was lucky enough to be one of those authors. I say lucky, because what Devyn is doing is beyond awesome. Over the year, he collected 103 books for the University of Michigan Hospital. And a donation of $100.

Today, Devyn delivered those books to the hospital.

Devyn Burton is my hero.

If you'd like to find out how you can help Devyn in his quest to provide YA books to hospitals and brighten the stay of many a teen (and adult!) patient, visit his Book Transfusion blog. And stay tuned right here because in the coming months we've got something designed to help in a big way.

I Rock the Drop!

Today is Operation Teen Book Drop! I'll be joining readergirlz, YALSA and an army of YA authors to celebrate Support Teen Literature Day.

Today, readergirlz and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has arranged for teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States and Canada to receive 10,000 donated young adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels!

And around the country (world!) your favorite YA authors will be dropping copies of their novels where teens can find and read them. If you live near Dublin, Ohio, be on the lookout for my drop of NOW AND ZEN, THE FINNISH LINE, and one advanced reader copy of DEATH BY BIKINI!

AND! You can come celebrate the drop with us tonight at the TBD Post Op Party, an two-hour online book bash , (9 p.m. eastern, 6 pacific) at the readergirlz myspace forum.

See you there!!!