WInner and What's Up Wednesday

What's on the iPod? Break on Through --The Doors

By random drawing, the winner of Irene Latham's LEAVING GEE'S BEND is:

Erica

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Everyone else, come on back this Friday as we welcome another debut author, Dia Reeves and her book, BLEEDING VIOLET.

What's up this week?

As you might have noticed in the sidebar, TRANCE has a cover! Here it is again - because I love uploading it. Yes, I love Puffin and the cover gods. They have been very good to me. More information on TRANCE will be headed your way in the coming months, so stay tuned.


Lisa McMann is made of awesome. Besides the obvious, I'll tell you why soon, I promise...
Meanwhile, if you haven't entered her "Don't Let Your Dream Fade" Sweepstakes, what are you waiting for? You could win $1000 to pursue your dream.

IMPORTANT: Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake earlier this week. You can help the relief efforts by testing HAITI to 90999 to send $10 to American Red Cross Relief efforts.

And while you're in a giving mood, don't forget the Five Awesome YA Fans support of Devyn Burton's Book Transfusion. Check it out:

And finally, Happy Release Week to
Mari Mancusi BAD BLOOD, Dia Reeves BLEEDING VIOLET, Julie Anne Peters BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD, Shannon and Dean Hale CALAMITY JACK, Carrie Jones CAPTIVATE, Lisa Schroeder CHASING BROOKLYN, Eileen Cook GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, Delia Ephron THE GIRL WITH THE MERMAID HAIR, Noni Carter GOOD FORTUNE, Courtney Summers SOME GIRLS ARE, Angela Johnson SWEET, HEREAFTER, Anna Jarzab ALL UNQUIET THINGS , Rosalind Wiseman BOYS, GIRLS AND OTHER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, Yxta Maya Murray THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO GETTING KIDNAPPED, Irene Latham (of course) LEAVING GEE'S BEND, Jennifer Hubbard THE SECRET YEAR, and Erin Dionne THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET!

That's a lot of good books - and I know I missed a lot of releases this week. Better get reading!

Freebie Friday with Irene Latham

I'm going to try something a little different this year.

There are so many fabulous authors and books making a spash with their debut novels, I thought it would be cool to highlight some of them on the blog this year. So, in the Freebie Friday mix, you'll have a chance to meet many of this year's debut MG and YA authors (and win stuff from them!) You can check out some of the upcoming books and authors at The Tenners - 2010: A Book Odyssey, Authors Now, and Class of 2K10. While you're at it, sign up for the Story Siren's 2010 Debut Author Challenge.

Today, I'm pleased to introduce you to Irene Latham, whose MG novel, LEAVING GEE'S BEND made it's bookshelf debut yesterday. (Happy release, Irene!!!)

Irene is a poet, novelist, traveler, dreamer, mom and quilter who lives in Birmingham, Alabama. I could easily identify with Irene as a kindred spirit because she has also traveled the world with her family and likes to use "research" as an excuse to see more places. Irene's experiences have inspired over 120 published poems and her new book, as you'll see.

Here's the official backcover blurb for LEAVING GEE'S BEND:

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong.

But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won’t help. That’s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic—leave Gee’s Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn’t stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other.

What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town.

One of my all-time favorite authors, Richard Peck, calls LEAVING GEE'S BEND "a beautifully stitched quilt of a novel." First Draft Magazine says it's a "stunning debut." I think we all need to read it and find out what we're missing!

The interview:

What inspired you to write Leaving Gee's Bend?
I was inspired to write this book in 2003 when my husband and I traveled to New York City and viewed the Quilts of Gee's Bend art exhibit at the Whitney Museum. Although I live only 120 miles from Gee's Bend, it wasn't until then that I became aware of the art and history of Gee's Bend. Something happened to me as I walked through those rooms... I was moved by the quilts and by the voices of the quilt makers. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know: What if your community was so remote and isolated that it didn't have a doctor, and your mother was seriously ill? What if you were black and you saw a white person for the very first time? What if you thought the whole world was just like what you saw from your front porch and found out it wasn't? What if you wanted to make a quilt but didn't have anything but scraps of cloth to work with?

Are any of your characters based on real people that you know?
They all have pieces of me in them... even the villain, Mrs. Cobb. But they weren't particularly modeled after any one person.

What excites you?
Wasp nests and sea shells and sweet gum balls... I love looking at things in nature through a jeweler's loupe (basically a magification device). Looking at the world from a different perspective opens the mind and heart to WONDER. I make time to this as often as possible, and it always makes me feel like I'm an ocean tide or wind brewing in the west.

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?
Shel Silverstein. He's got the guitar, the drawing skills, the funny bone... sounds like fun to me!

Do you quilt?
My 2010 quilting project is a charm quilt, which means collecting 300 + squares of fabric, as in a charm quilt none of the fabrics repeat. So far I have about 30 square cut. Must get busy!!

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
Nope. I just WRITE. I was given a book called BECOMING A WRITER by Dorothea Brande, and it changed my life. It taught me how to keep the writing present, so that whenever I sit down, it's there, ready for me to access. It was a huge thing in my life, because at the time, my kids were small, and it seemed all I had was fifteen minute snatches of time here and there. And it's easy to let that be an excuse. Not anymore...

What's your favorite quote?
“Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.” - Ray Bradbury

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
Despite what we're told, I don't believe in writing every day. To me, that would be like those people you see on vacation, the ones with the video camera capturing every single moment, so they can remember? Which means they aren't fully engaging in the vacation, which, ironically, would make it much more memorable. I think the most important part of the process takes place during the quiet times, the still times. It's really important to let a story marinate for a while - then it will pour out, tenderly, without the tough spots. I guess that's a quirk...

If Leaving Gee's Bend were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Ludelphia?
I think Ludelphia should be one of those unknown kids, maybe like the kids they picked up from the slums for Slumdog Millionaire? But Mrs. Cobb -- I'm thinking Glenn Close would be just about perfect.

The freebie: Irene has generously offered a signed copy of LEAVING GEE'S BEND for this week's winner. To enter to win, leave a comment below, describing your favorite quilt. Maybe it's a beautiful work of art like the quilts Irene saw in the Gee's Bend exhibit. Maybe it's just a simple well-worn quilt you like to snuggle up in. Tell me about it and you're entered.

This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, January 13.

First GCC Tour of the Year - Eileen Cook

Starting 2010 off with a bang - today I'm happy to welcome GCC sister Eileen Cook to the blog. Eileen is celebrating the release of her new book, GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, available NOW!

Here's the official back cover blurb:

In the final weeks of eighth grade, Lauren Wood made a choice. She betrayed her best friend, Helen, in a manner so publicly humiliating that Helen had to move to a new town just to save face. Ditching Helen was worth it, though, because Lauren started high school as one of the It Girls--and now, at the start of her senior year, she's the cheerleading captain, the quarterback's girlfriend, and the undisputed queen bee. Lauren has everything she's ever wanted, and she has forgotten all about her ex-best friend.

But Helen could never forget Lauren. After three years of obsessing, she's moving back to her old town. She has a new name and a new look, but she hasn't dropped her old grudges. She has a detailed plan to bring down her former BFF by taking away everything that's ever been important to Lauren—starting with her boyfriend.

Watch out, Lauren Wood. Things are about to get bitchy.

Eileen's writing has been called “Sassy and sly and sweet" (Meg Cabot). "pitch perfect" (Jacquelyn Mitchard) and "Smart and fun and full of heart." (Sarah Mlynowski.) You're not going to want to miss this book.

The interview:

What inspired you to write Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood?
The book was inspired in part by rereading The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s such a great revenge tale with secret identities, romance and betrayal between best friends. It made me think how things would play out if the story were to take place in a high school. Right then I was off and running with a story.

Have you ever sought serious revenge on a rival?
I haven’t ever done any of the evil revenge plans (at least for legal reasons I could never admit to it!) I came up with in the book, but I certainly have thought about it! Doesn’t everyone dream of getting someone back who really hurt us? When I started writing the book I couldn’t believe all the evil ideas for revenge that came to me.

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
Nothing in particular, but just to be on the safe side, I make sure to have lots of chocolate around.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I can’t do a cartwheel. I am nearly terminally clumsy. I fall over stray clumps of dust. I always wanted to be able to do a cartwheel, but my arms, legs and gravity refuse to work together. My mom even hired me a trainer when I was a kid to try and help me. No luck. I guess it is clear I will never make the Olympic gymnastics team.

What's your favorite quote?
Carpe Diem. It means seize the day. I think it is far too easy to let life slip away and become routine. I don’t want to be old and in a nursing home and realize I used up all of my life watching reruns of some TV show that I didn’t even like that much. I try and look for any chance to try something new, spend time with friends, enjoy the moment and be willing to take risks.

What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
When I am stuck and am hitting a patch of writer’s block I have to leave the house and go write someplace in public (a coffee shop, restaurant, the library- anywhere public) and I have to handwrite versus using my laptop. For some reason this works.

If GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD were made into a movie, who would you like to cast in the lead?
I’ve been asked this sort of question before and I stink at it. I come up with one name and then change my mind and then sit there and spend hours on IMDB trying to figure out a better plan B. Personally, I would like to cast Colin Firth so I could meet him, even though there is no real Colin Firth type character in the book. Thus, I will leave the casting to Hollywood as long as they promise to invite me to the fancy parties.

What kind of chocolate best describes you?
Dark Chocolate with nuts, that me- complex with a bunch of quirks!

Huge thanks to Eileen for starting the year off right! I'll see everyone on Friday for the decade's first freebie.

Happy New Year!

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

The winner of the signed copy of Rhonda Stapleton's
STUPID CUPID is:

GMR

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get it sent out to you. Don't forget to put "winner" in the subject heading.

Everyone, thanks for playing and for the happy wishes for Rhonda! Don't forget that STUPID CUPID would make a great holiday gift!

And while we're at it, DEATH BY BIKINI, DEATH BY LATTE and DEATH BY DENIM would make killer holiday gifts as well. I'm just saying...


What's up this week?

I have no idea. Seriously. Between Christmas preparations, kids home from school and trying to finish up this latest book before the end of the year, I have no clue what's going on in the real world.

Oh! Except I have a new great-nephew! (That 'great' in front of the word nephew makes me feel old...) Anyway, he made his debut on Saturday and he's adorable.

And speaking of debuts, happy release week to Rhonda, of course (STUPID CUPID), Bree Despain (THE DARK DIVIDE), Lindsay Eland (SCONES AND SENSIBILITY), Yvonne Printz (THE VINYL PRINCESS), Ed Decter (VIP LOUNGE), and Andy Briggs (VIRUS ATTACK and DARK HUNTER).

I'm going to be taking the rest of the year (as well as the first week of 2010) off from the blog, but I'll see you back in January for more Freebies.

Have a safe and happy New Year!!!

FREEBIE FRIDAY with Rhonda Stapleton

Happy Friday! Only one week until Christmas! Anyone else not ready?

Today I'm very pleased to welcome Rhonda Stapleton to the blog. Her book, STUPID CUPID hits the shelves on Tuesday - just in time for gift giving!

I met Rhonda in person just last Saturday at an event Chelsea (The Page Flipper) organized for authors and book bloggers. Fun event - with cupcakes!- and Rhonda is about the funniest person I've met.

Rhonda says she started writing appease the voices in her head. (Pretty strong voices, I'd guess - she has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing.) She shares my love for chocolate, Chinese and Japanese food, and reading! If you ever invite Rhonda to your house, don't serve her blue food and what ever you do, don't hang the toilet paper roll so that it unwinds along the wall. You've been warned...

Meanwhile, I can't wait to get my hands on her book, STUPID CUPID. Chapter one is available to read online, and it left me wanting more! Here's the official blurb:

Felicity Walker believes in true love. That's why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid's Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn't just a matchmaker...she's a cupid! (There's more than one of them, you know.) Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired...and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.

Reviewers call it "charming", "fast-paced", "real life" and "fabulously funny."

If that's not enough to get you excited, how about this - two more books will quickly follow STUPID CUPID - FLIRTING WITH DISASTER and PUCKER UP.

For this week's Freebie, we're going to do something a little different. To celebrate the release, Rhonda and her release date triplets, Bree Despain and Lindsay Eland are hosting three scavenger hunts on their blogs, giving away their books, STUPID CUPID, SCONES AND SENSIBILITY and THE DARK DIVINE. Hurry on over to enter. I'll wait. (But don't forget to come back for another chance to win!)

You're back? Okay. We're going to conduct our own little scavenger hunt - and it's super simple. To be entered to win a signed copy of STUPID CUPID and a seriously adorable STUPID CUPID bookmark, leave a comment below, wishing Rhonda a happy release day and search Rhonda's website to find the correct answers to my mini scavenger hunt questions. (They're way easy.) Choose one of the three to answer and send the answer to me at gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com. (Important: please write STUPID CUPID in the subject line of your email so that it will not get lost in my overflowing inbox.) This contest will remain open until Wednesday, December 23 - one day after the release date!

1. Why does Rhonda write YA stories?
2. What color heart is featured on PUCKER UP?
3. When does Rhonda blog over at Fictionistas?

That's it! I told you it was easy. Have a fabulous weekend!

(To my friends in the Northeast - get out those shovels and bundle up. Stay safe and warm!)

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Happy mid-week! Thanks everyone who commented about who they appreciated. We should do this more often. It made me happy all weekend.

By random drawing, the winner of the chocolate and gift card is:

Kate Coursey

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Don't forget to write winner in the subject line so you don't get lost in the inbox.

Everyone else, please come on back on Friday for a celebration freebie - Rhonda Stapleton is stopping by to party with us and celebrate the release of her hilarious new book, STUPID CUPID. You do not want to miss this one.

What's up this week?

Kirkus Reviews has folded. Sad.

Borders UK is in danger of closing. Gasp.

Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Bennett in the movie adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. Cool.

Awesome upcoming deals: Four more books from Lisa McMann, Two more books to come in the TANTALIZE series by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Film rights sold for Marley Gibson's GHOST HUNTRESS YAY!!!!!

SYTYCD results are tonight. Can't wait! Who do you guys think will win?

This week's YouTube linkie... (This is how I sound sometimes trying to sing lyrics in the car. Just ask my kids.)



See you Friday!

Freebie Friday and Agent Love

Happy Friday!

Today is International Agent Appreciation Day, thanks to a really smart idea by the brilliant Kody Keplinger. I'm so happy to spread the agent love because my agent - Elaine Spencer with The Knight Agency - is made of awesome and I don't tell her enough how much I appreciate her. So, Elaine, this one's for you!

The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love my Agent

10. She is exceedingly patient with me.

9. She just got engaged and her joy is contagious.

8. She is a great brainstormer.

7. She stands up for me when I don't have the backbone to stand up for myself.

6. She helped me navigate the business end of the Death By series even though it was sold by my previous agent and she didn't get paid anything for all that work.

5. She believes in me.

4. She makes sales happen.

3. She appreciates good chocolate.

2. She's an enthusiastic partner and cheerleader.

1. She's one of the nicest people I know in a business where nice is easily forgotten.

Happy International Agent Appreciation Day, Elaine! Thank you so much for the patience, guidance, encouragement and friendship!

In Elaine's honor, today's freebie is a pound of Anthony Thomas chocolate (Anthony Thomas is a local chocolatier) and a $10 B&N gift card. To be entered to win, leave a comment below telling me about someone you appreciate in your life.

This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, December 16.

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

Until now, we've avoided the storm that's been smacking the rest of the Midwest, but last night the rain blew in, followed by a cold front that's gusting hard enough to toss the huge trash cans down the street and spit sleet against my windows. Brrr. I tell you this only to warn that this post might be short. The wind keeps messing with our satellite, which is messing with our phone, TV and Internet connections.

So, without further ado: The winner of Debbie Rigaud's PERFECT SHOT is:

Jenni

Congratulations! Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get that sent out to you. Everyone else, please come on back on Friday for a special super sekrit Freebie Friday post!

What's up this week?

I'm on of the 25 Guests of Christmas over at Books are Bliss. I'm talking holiday travel horror stories and giving away a copy of DEATH BY DENIM. Stop by and say hello!

And speaking of DBD, I have to share these pictures with you... Saturday I had lunch with my dear friend Jenny Meyer who lives a couple of hours away. She brought me a quilt she had made to celebrate DEATH BY DENIM. Isn't this the coolest thing ever? I completely love the fact that she even made it for me. (I can't even sew a straight seam so I seriously appreciate the hours and hours of work this must have taken.) Plus, there are so many cute little details I keep discovering. Jenny is the best ever.

And these are some illustrations of my SASS characters, Nori and Mo, that my niece Emma drew for me. Again, I'm really touched that she spent so much time and effort. Thanks, Emma!

Meanwhile, the International Climate Treaty talks are underway in Copenhagen, Denmark. I'm wondering what impact (if any) the global warming scientists hoax scandal will have on their decision making...

Check out this new game to teach HS students about cell biology. I wish they had something like this to help me understand the concepts when I was in school!


And finally, happy release week to Lauren Kate (FALLEN) and Libby Schmais (THE PILLOW BOOK OF LOTUS LOWENSTEIN)!

Keep warm! See you Friday!

FREEBIE FRIDAY with Debbie Rigaud

Happy Friday!!!

(Edited to add: Hey! It's Tiara Day! Happy Tiara Day!)


Today we're celebrating this week's release of Debbie Rigaud's PERFECT SHOT. If you like the Simon Pulse romantic comedies, you'll love PERFECT SHOT. It's clever and fun and the first of the group to feature a heroine of color.

Debbie's also the first African-American author to write for the series. She's been writing for teens for years in such magazines as Seventeen, Twist and CosmoGIRL!. She’s interviewed celebs, politicians and other social figures, but enjoyed interviewing “real” girls the most. A total Jersey girl at heart, Debbie lives in Bermuda with her husband.

You can find out more about Debbie, her work, and PERFECT SHOT on her website here or her blog here.

The official backcover blurb for PERFECT SHOT:

London Abram’s first love is volleyball, so why does she enter an online modeling competition? Answer: superhottie Brent St. John. London spots Brent signing in contestants at a store, and she gets in line simply to say hi. But she never dreams she’ll make it into the competition!
London’s now up against fourteen hungry fashionistas willing to do whatever it takes to win. All she wants to win is Brent’s heart…but the money prize couldn’t hurt. If London plays this right, she can win the contest, the boy, and the cash. GAME ON!

The interview:

What inspired you to write PERFECT SHOT?
I like exploring what happens when a character steps way out of their comfort zone. In PERFECT SHOT when London suddenly goes from the volleyball court to the fashion runway, she feels out of her league. In life there’s going to be super uncomfortable moments that have a lot to teach us. It’s about having the courage to step outside of our self-assigned or socially-assigned boxes.

Have you ever done anything crazy like London does in PERFECT SHOT?
Yes, like London, I have done some wacky things after a crush attack. Once, on a high school class trip to Wall Street, I used hand signals to communicate with a young intern working the floor. Back then there was a visitors’ mezzanine above the trading floor that was, I believe, enclosed in glass. The intern signaled back and this exchange at the - er, stock exchange caught the attention of my classmates who all crowded around me. This was way out-of-character for me so that’s how I know I was seized by a crush attack.

Have you ever had a premonition? What happened?
I sort of have. Several years after college, I moved to London for about two years. Sure I was working a regular job out there, but I also used the opportunity to go on dance auditions. Well, before one audition, I psyched myself up by visualizing that I?d rock it out so hard, a guy would jump in and dance with me during my audition. I don’t know why a guy jumped into my visualization, but there he was. Fast forward to the actual audition - I was called before the judges in a group of three performers, a guy and two girls. When the three of us started dancing, the guy in my audition group turned to me and we danced together, just like in my visualization. Crazy. I didn’t get the part, by the way. I guess I should have visualized the judges giving me a call back instead.

If you could hang out with any literary character, who would you choose and why?
Baby Suggs from Toni Morrison’s BELOVED. The elderly are like royalty to me and I love being around them. And Baby Suggs is a gem. I could sit at her feet all day and be content.

Are you superstitious? In any way?
If you’re asking if I’m superstitious in the don’t-split-poles or avoid-stepping-on-a-crack way, no. But believe me, I’ve got lots of quirks that some may consider eccentric or ‘woo-woo.’ For instance, I never put my purse on the floor because I was raised to believe that, in essence, it means I’m debasing myself.

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
No, but I’m hoping to adopt something that feels right to me. I think rituals can help build more discipline in my writing routine. I can use more structure to keep me organized and productive.


What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I’m super whiny. Fortunately, the Hear Debbie Whine club is a very exclusive one. I only whine to my mother and my husband. My sisters have heard me whine, I’m sure, but I don’t whine to them.

The freebie:

To be entered to win a signed copy of PERFECT SHOT, leave a comment below, telling about the craziest thing you've done for a crush. This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, December 9.

Game on!

WInner and What's Up Wednesday

The winner of this week's freebie is:

Amy

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and your preference (book or gift card) and I'll get that out to you. Please remember to put WINNER in the subject heading so you don't get lost in my inbox.

Everyone, thanks for sharing your serendipitous moments. It's so fascinating to go back and see the forks in the road that led us to where we are. I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of them (I did read them all) but between the holiday weekend and this deadline I'm powering through, I barely had time to do that much!

Please come back on Friday, when GCC sister Debbie Rigaud will drop in for an interview, offering up a signed copy of her new release, PERFECT SHOT. You won't want to miss it!

What's up this week?

Did they or didn't they? White House Party Crashers claim they were invited. (Then why do we care?)

Nick Jonas is going solo. Gasp!

Why I love SYTYCD:



Happy release week to Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures), Lyah B. LeFlore (The World is Mine), Debbie Rigaud (Perfect Shot) and Maryrose Wood (What I Wore to Save the World)!

See you Friday!