Thanks for all of your comments and for spreading the word about last week's contest. I know I shouldn't be amazed by the response (because Steph and Kiersten are that cool), but I can't help it; I've never had this kind of response to a book giveaway. You guys are awesome!
There have been some questions in the comments and some comments that have made me realize I need to clarify a few points.
l. The book portion of this contest is now open internationally (Thanks, Ruth and Stella!) to anyone living in a countries on The Book Depository's list of countries they'll ship to for free. The list is impressive, so I'm hoping it includes everyone. But I'm not shipping the Nutella, sparklies, ect. overseas. The books are the cool part anyway, right?
2. Two of these books aren't out yet. I know. I'm as bummed about this as anyone. I'm giving away pre-orders of PARANORMALCY and ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. GOOD NIGHT, GOOD KNIGHT will ship immediately (as soon as I place the order), but PARANORMALCY comes out August 31st, and you'll have to wait until December 2nd for ANNA.
In light of this, I've search out contests where bloggers are giving away advance reader copies (because you all "can't wait" to read them. However, *giving you my sternest mock stern look* this does not excuse you from reading the interview I'll be posting with Miss Kiersten White, especially since I'll award extra entries to anyone who comments on said interview.
You have until July 15th to enter this one, but I'm sure you'll want to pop over now. In addition to a PARANORMALCY ARC, The Undercover Book Lover is giving away ARCs of NIGHTSHADE, by Andrea Cremer, THE ETERNAL ONES, by Kirsten Miller, HALO, by Alexandra Adornetto, and PEGASUS, by Robin McKinley. PARANORMALCY and PEGASUS? I'm SO entering this one. She's also giving away five packs of 5 gum: Zing (Bubble), Cobalt (Peppermint), Flare (Cinnamon), Lush (Tropical) and Rain (Spearmint). This one is open internationally.
Kiersten White is also giving away an ARC of PARANORMALCY (open internationally), along with some other highly coveted ARCs and goodies (not open internationally). I also intend to enter this one before the July 24th deadline.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone giving away an ARC of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. Hopefully, people will be more likely to part with their copies as they get closer to the book's release date.
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. I'll have my interview with Kiersten up in the next 24 hours.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Boy, I Mean Book Recommendation and Giveaway
Set in a boarding school in Paris, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS made me think of college almost as much as I thought of high school. Though, mostly, the humor reminded me of friends from high school. It's interesting how some books bring up memories and get me thinking about decisions I've made in my life. This was one of THOSE books.
To better acquaint you with the author (because, seriously, Steph is a riot), I asked her some questions. My questions are still in black, but I've colored her answers blue. :o)
How long have you had blue stripes in your hair, and is there a story behind them?
Two and a half years! There's not a story-story behind them, but they arrived in my life during a time in which I found myself asking on a daily basis, "If not now, then when?" Blue hair was something I'd long admired (Clementine in Eternal Sunshine, Billie Joe Armstrong in the Dookie days, Gwen Stefani), but redheads (my natural color) are so DEFINED by their hair, that I was too afraid to change it for years. But one day it hit me: it's just hair. It'll grow back.
Not surprisingly, this "If not now, then when?" period was the same time I finished my first full-length novel, which was Anna. Perhaps I can chalk everything up to a mid-twenties life crisis.
How many years did you spend researching HBM (Hot British Males) to come up with THE BOY?
Oh, man. How much do I love this question?
I suppose my interest in HBM . . . exploded in early high school, during the two years in which the only music I listened to was The Beatles. "Obsessed" does not properly do justice to how I felt about them. It turned me into an Anglophile, and after that, there was no looking back. I have watched a LOT of BBC programming.
Étienne St. Clair was a surprise. He came to me in a dream — French name, English accent, American school — and I was extremely thrown that this FRENCH thing had been tossed in! Why on Earth was I dreaming about FRANCE? I'm pretty sure my subconscious gave him an English accent, because it knew I would have dismissed the dream without it. But he arrived fully formed, and the story grew organically from what I knew about him, so . . . yeah. My years of HBM research had finally paid off!
What is your favorite place in Paris?
THE WHOLE CITY. I have happy memories in all of the neighborhoods! But it's probably a tie between two places featured in Anna — the Panthéon, because that's where my idea for the story began (THE BOY was sitting on the steps), and Point Zéro (a star that marks the center of France), because that's what tied everything together. Both places have become rather spiritual for me. But the *coolest* places in Paris are Père Lachaise, a gigantic crazy beautiful cemetery, and the catacombs. One made it into Anna, and the other is in Book Three.
Your favorite food?
To keep with the Parisian theme, banana Nutella street crêpes! Delicious melty goodness.
And (since I'm giving away copies of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and PARANORMALCY) how did you become critique partners with Kiersten White?
We met after I signed with my agent, Kate Schafer Testerman. Kate keeps a fantastic blog [http://ktliterary.com/daphne/] and had announced me as a new client. Kiersten followed Kate's link, and my "I have an agent!" post made her laugh. She commented and made ME laugh, and we probably commented back and forth on each other's blogs a dozen times in the first day or two of knowing each other. Dozens (now thousands) of emails rapidly followed, and it was just one of those instant, easy friendships. I'm often reminded of this really sweet White Stripes song in which Jack sings, "I can tell that we are going to be friends."
It was like that. We could tell.
Being critique partners followed naturally. I feel lucky that I met her while she was working on Paranormalcy, because it's such a hilarious, romantic, special story! The bulk of Anna was done — it was waiting for my editor's touch — so Kiersten's influence has been greatest on my second novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door. There is absolutely no way I would have finished it without her.
We work well together, because our writing styles are complementary. Kiersten is the fastest, smartest thinker I know. She writes novels quickly, and she's a great plotter. I'm nitpicky and detail-oriented. It takes me a long time to write a good draft. So Kiersten is great at moving my stories forward, and I'm good at building her stories up.
My husband has joked that one day I'll get a tattoo of her name. He's not that far off.
Thanks for such awesome questions!! It's ALWAYS a pleasure talking to you, Myrna.
Thanks for answering my questions, Steph, and for writing such an amazing book! You can learn more about Stephanie Perkins at her website. I've been fan-girling her blog for a few years now; the girl, she makes me laugh, and I love her taste in music, movies, art, and books.
And now for the giveaway part: one lucky commenter will win pre-orders for ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, by Stephanie Perkins and PARANORMALCY, by Kiersten White.
I will also throw in one of these lovely ANNA bookmarks,
a jar of Nutella, something pink and/or sparkly to go with Kiersten's book, and GOOD NIGHT, GOOD KNIGHT, by Shelley Moore Thomas, because it's a great book, and I'd rather pay for another great book than shipping.
The contest is open until Midnight PST on Thursday, July 15th. I'll post the winner on Friday. You don't have to be a follower to enter, but do let me know in the comments. Also, I'll throw in three extra entries to commenters who leave a link to their blog post, FB, or Twitter about this contest (for as many links as you leave for me to check out). Capiche? Yes, I know that's the wrong language, but Mer would approve.
Thanks for reading my very long recommendation/fan-girly-gushing. I love finding books that make me want to gush. I'll be posting Kiersten's interview next week, but she has a great blog post up today, if you'd like to know more about her.
*I'm squeamish about swearing and well, anything that would give a movie a Restricted rating. If you know me, you know this already. When I say mature content, I don't mean offensive content; I mean realistic content. Steph's book doesn't skirt around the way teenagers interact with each other or the consequences of the characters' actions. I liked that. I also liked that I didn't have to feel guilty or dirty about reading it.
Anna has already garnered happy blurbs and reviews, and I agree with what authors and book people have said so far. You DON'T want to miss out on Etienne St. Clair, the laugh out loud humor, or the characters. Oh, how I fell in love with these characters, especially Anna, Etienne, and Mer. The writing, character depth, imagery, and the honesty with which Stephanie Perkins handled *mature content should make this novel literary, but then there are so many fun parts that had me belly laughing and reading out loud to my husband. I've never read a book that made me laugh and ache for the characters of a story the way this one did.
How long have you had blue stripes in your hair, and is there a story behind them?
Two and a half years! There's not a story-story behind them, but they arrived in my life during a time in which I found myself asking on a daily basis, "If not now, then when?" Blue hair was something I'd long admired (Clementine in Eternal Sunshine, Billie Joe Armstrong in the Dookie days, Gwen Stefani), but redheads (my natural color) are so DEFINED by their hair, that I was too afraid to change it for years. But one day it hit me: it's just hair. It'll grow back.
Not surprisingly, this "If not now, then when?" period was the same time I finished my first full-length novel, which was Anna. Perhaps I can chalk everything up to a mid-twenties life crisis.
How many years did you spend researching HBM (Hot British Males) to come up with THE BOY?
Oh, man. How much do I love this question?
I suppose my interest in HBM . . . exploded in early high school, during the two years in which the only music I listened to was The Beatles. "Obsessed" does not properly do justice to how I felt about them. It turned me into an Anglophile, and after that, there was no looking back. I have watched a LOT of BBC programming.
Étienne St. Clair was a surprise. He came to me in a dream — French name, English accent, American school — and I was extremely thrown that this FRENCH thing had been tossed in! Why on Earth was I dreaming about FRANCE? I'm pretty sure my subconscious gave him an English accent, because it knew I would have dismissed the dream without it. But he arrived fully formed, and the story grew organically from what I knew about him, so . . . yeah. My years of HBM research had finally paid off!
What is your favorite place in Paris?
THE WHOLE CITY. I have happy memories in all of the neighborhoods! But it's probably a tie between two places featured in Anna — the Panthéon, because that's where my idea for the story began (THE BOY was sitting on the steps), and Point Zéro (a star that marks the center of France), because that's what tied everything together. Both places have become rather spiritual for me. But the *coolest* places in Paris are Père Lachaise, a gigantic crazy beautiful cemetery, and the catacombs. One made it into Anna, and the other is in Book Three.
Your favorite food?
To keep with the Parisian theme, banana Nutella street crêpes! Delicious melty goodness.
And (since I'm giving away copies of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and PARANORMALCY) how did you become critique partners with Kiersten White?
We met after I signed with my agent, Kate Schafer Testerman. Kate keeps a fantastic blog [http://ktliterary.com/daphne/] and had announced me as a new client. Kiersten followed Kate's link, and my "I have an agent!" post made her laugh. She commented and made ME laugh, and we probably commented back and forth on each other's blogs a dozen times in the first day or two of knowing each other. Dozens (now thousands) of emails rapidly followed, and it was just one of those instant, easy friendships. I'm often reminded of this really sweet White Stripes song in which Jack sings, "I can tell that we are going to be friends."
It was like that. We could tell.
Being critique partners followed naturally. I feel lucky that I met her while she was working on Paranormalcy, because it's such a hilarious, romantic, special story! The bulk of Anna was done — it was waiting for my editor's touch — so Kiersten's influence has been greatest on my second novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door. There is absolutely no way I would have finished it without her.
We work well together, because our writing styles are complementary. Kiersten is the fastest, smartest thinker I know. She writes novels quickly, and she's a great plotter. I'm nitpicky and detail-oriented. It takes me a long time to write a good draft. So Kiersten is great at moving my stories forward, and I'm good at building her stories up.
My husband has joked that one day I'll get a tattoo of her name. He's not that far off.
Thanks for such awesome questions!! It's ALWAYS a pleasure talking to you, Myrna.
Thanks for answering my questions, Steph, and for writing such an amazing book! You can learn more about Stephanie Perkins at her website. I've been fan-girling her blog for a few years now; the girl, she makes me laugh, and I love her taste in music, movies, art, and books.
And now for the giveaway part: one lucky commenter will win pre-orders for ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, by Stephanie Perkins and PARANORMALCY, by Kiersten White.
a jar of Nutella, something pink and/or sparkly to go with Kiersten's book, and GOOD NIGHT, GOOD KNIGHT, by Shelley Moore Thomas, because it's a great book, and I'd rather pay for another great book than shipping.
Thanks for reading my very long recommendation/fan-girly-gushing. I love finding books that make me want to gush. I'll be posting Kiersten's interview next week, but she has a great blog post up today, if you'd like to know more about her.
*I'm squeamish about swearing and well, anything that would give a movie a Restricted rating. If you know me, you know this already. When I say mature content, I don't mean offensive content; I mean realistic content. Steph's book doesn't skirt around the way teenagers interact with each other or the consequences of the characters' actions. I liked that. I also liked that I didn't have to feel guilty or dirty about reading it.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sprouting, Stop Animation, and Addition
I agreed to post a picture of the snake and dragon sprouts (mung bean and lentil sprouts) I mentioned in a previous post, so here they are. Fierce looking, aren't they?
As for instructions, you need a mason jar, some cheese cloth to go over the opening, and a rubber band to keep it in place. You can pick up organic seed to sprout at most health food stores.
Soak the seeds overnight. Rinse and drain two or three times a day, and you can start eating them in a few days. I keep mine right by the kitchen sink to remind me to rinse them, and I haven't had any problems with mold. But then, I live in an extremely dry climate. Good luck!
I'm not qualified to teach anyone how to do stop animation, but I saw this video over on Laini Taylor's blog and had to share it.
And how many of you doodle on your numbers and letters until they turn into people or creatures? It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who thinks the number four has a really big nose.
BTW- I'll be discussing and giving away a pair of exciting debut novels this month, hopefully within the next week. :o)
And I have no idea why two paragraphs of this post have a white background or how to get rid of it. It's never happened before, but I'm not sure I can blame it on Blogger (I left the computer unattended for a bit, and I do have three kids). If any of you know how to get rid of the background and would like to help me out, I'm all ears. Thanks!
As for instructions, you need a mason jar, some cheese cloth to go over the opening, and a rubber band to keep it in place. You can pick up organic seed to sprout at most health food stores.
Soak the seeds overnight. Rinse and drain two or three times a day, and you can start eating them in a few days. I keep mine right by the kitchen sink to remind me to rinse them, and I haven't had any problems with mold. But then, I live in an extremely dry climate. Good luck!
I'm not qualified to teach anyone how to do stop animation, but I saw this video over on Laini Taylor's blog and had to share it.
And how many of you doodle on your numbers and letters until they turn into people or creatures? It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who thinks the number four has a really big nose.
BTW- I'll be discussing and giving away a pair of exciting debut novels this month, hopefully within the next week. :o)
And I have no idea why two paragraphs of this post have a white background or how to get rid of it. It's never happened before, but I'm not sure I can blame it on Blogger (I left the computer unattended for a bit, and I do have three kids). If any of you know how to get rid of the background and would like to help me out, I'm all ears. Thanks!
Friday, July 2, 2010
It's Raining Cupcakes
I won a copy of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, by Lisa Schroeder, from Lisa and Laura a while back, and it warrants a recommendation. This middle grade novel is a delicious combination of baking, important relationships, art, and wanting. The main character wants to travel, and she wants her mom … well, I think I'll let you read that part. I loved the characters. The plot was flawless, and it's been kid tested and approved by Robyn and two of my nieces.
I haven't tried either of the recipes in the back yet, but I will. I'm thinking the author should write a companion cookbook because each of the chapters has it's own cupcake, and then there's, THE recipe. You'll know what I mean, if you read it.
Anywho, I'm not willing to give up my copy of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, but Shannon Messenger is giving away a signed one on her blog.
I haven't tried either of the recipes in the back yet, but I will. I'm thinking the author should write a companion cookbook because each of the chapters has it's own cupcake, and then there's, THE recipe. You'll know what I mean, if you read it.
Anywho, I'm not willing to give up my copy of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, but Shannon Messenger is giving away a signed one on her blog.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Snake and Dragon Sprouts
Summers have always been about having adventures and trying new things, for me anyway. Recently, I've taken up sprouting. It's something I've been meaning to get around to for a long time because of the health benefits, but it was just another thing on my to-do list (you know that you know what I mean). I've tried several varieties now and have settled on a combination of green lentils and mung beans that taste great together. And FYI, sprouting is really easy.
I have to admit, though, the kids were squeamish about trying mystery greens until I pointed out how much the leaves coming out of the beans looked like snakes' tongue or dragon fire. They took it from there (with alarming enthusiasm) and started biting off heads. So, now you know why we grow snake and dragon sprouts at our house.
I've also been giving them bubble blowing lessons with bubblegum. :o)
And we start swim lessons tomorrow. What adventures are you having this summer?
I have to admit, though, the kids were squeamish about trying mystery greens until I pointed out how much the leaves coming out of the beans looked like snakes' tongue or dragon fire. They took it from there (with alarming enthusiasm) and started biting off heads. So, now you know why we grow snake and dragon sprouts at our house.
I've also been giving them bubble blowing lessons with bubblegum. :o)
And we start swim lessons tomorrow. What adventures are you having this summer?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
My Favorite Counting Book
I love Maurice Sendak's rhyming counting book, ONE WAS JOHNNY. I can read it over and over again and still appreciate the humor. I always read the middle section in a crescendo that has me roaring the "I'll eat all of you!!!!" because it makes my kids giggle. Have any of you read it?
We bought ONE WAS JOHNNY as part of Sendak's NUTSHELL LIBRARY, and all four of the books are great. They're just so tiny. Gwenyth likes that they're tiny, but it makes reading them to more than one child at bedtime more challenging. And once they hear me start reading it, I have more than one child to read to, and they want me to read it more than once (this is why I only buy picture books that I like to read).
If you're not sure who Maurice Sendak is, he also wrote and illustrated WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, one of the most beloved picture books of all time.
Do you have a favorite counting or Maurice Sendak book? And do you think my reading choices are warping my children? At the moment, this is their favorite Muppet clip.
I wish you could hear them laughing. :o)
We bought ONE WAS JOHNNY as part of Sendak's NUTSHELL LIBRARY, and all four of the books are great. They're just so tiny. Gwenyth likes that they're tiny, but it makes reading them to more than one child at bedtime more challenging. And once they hear me start reading it, I have more than one child to read to, and they want me to read it more than once (this is why I only buy picture books that I like to read).
If you're not sure who Maurice Sendak is, he also wrote and illustrated WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, one of the most beloved picture books of all time.
Do you have a favorite counting or Maurice Sendak book? And do you think my reading choices are warping my children? At the moment, this is their favorite Muppet clip.
I wish you could hear them laughing. :o)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Happy, Smiley, Happy News
It's not often I get exciting news before five in the morning (takes a lot to get me excited - that time of day), but this morning I did. One of my very favorite blogging writers posted pictures of herself with her newly arrived ARCs, and then she said I could borrow one.
Saying I'm excited to read her book would be a gross understatement, and even though it's not April Fool's and she's too nice to tease me, I'm having a hard time believing this is real. So, I'm not going to tell you who the author is. I will give you a clue (besides the clues I've already given). How many of you know who Maureen Johnson is? Check out this blurb she gave the book I'm hoping is already in the mail and on its way to moi.
"Very sly. Very funny. Very romantic. You should date this book."
— Maureen Johnson
My second bit of happy news is closely related; I've just been asked to beta read my favorite critter's manuscript. YAY! Which leads me into my third bit.
Enna Isilee of Squeaky Books also made me happy today by giving me an award for my book recommendation posts. Not just any award either - it's a brand spankin' new award that she created. Thanks, Enna Girl! :o)
What I look most for in a blog is a writer whose personality, humor, and WRITING make me wish they were published. I blog because I LOVE reading certain blogs. The author I mentioned above tops my list, but because her book actually comes out this year, I'm not going to give her the award. I'm only giving the award to bloggers who don't have book contracts (or even agents), but I wish they did. I'd pre-order their books in a heartbeat.
Krista
Adam
Jackee
Jenny
Amy
Julie
and Niki
There are more, but I'm only supposed to give the award to seven. It was hard to narrow it down. The bloggers I'm awarding may not be the most prolific bloggers out there, but they CAN write and are persistent. Do you have any blogging friends you'd love to see published?
Okay, Krista guessed right away, so I'm linking to a picture of Steph with her books (because she's adorable).
Saying I'm excited to read her book would be a gross understatement, and even though it's not April Fool's and she's too nice to tease me, I'm having a hard time believing this is real. So, I'm not going to tell you who the author is. I will give you a clue (besides the clues I've already given). How many of you know who Maureen Johnson is? Check out this blurb she gave the book I'm hoping is already in the mail and on its way to moi.
"Very sly. Very funny. Very romantic. You should date this book."
— Maureen Johnson
My second bit of happy news is closely related; I've just been asked to beta read my favorite critter's manuscript. YAY! Which leads me into my third bit.
Enna Isilee of Squeaky Books also made me happy today by giving me an award for my book recommendation posts. Not just any award either - it's a brand spankin' new award that she created. Thanks, Enna Girl! :o)
Rules:
1. Thank who gave you the award and link to them
2. State what is is you look for in a blog
3. Give the award to 7 people whose blogs pertain most to you (be sure to let them know they won!)
What I look most for in a blog is a writer whose personality, humor, and WRITING make me wish they were published. I blog because I LOVE reading certain blogs. The author I mentioned above tops my list, but because her book actually comes out this year, I'm not going to give her the award. I'm only giving the award to bloggers who don't have book contracts (or even agents), but I wish they did. I'd pre-order their books in a heartbeat.
Krista
Adam
Jackee
Jenny
Amy
Julie
and Niki
There are more, but I'm only supposed to give the award to seven. It was hard to narrow it down. The bloggers I'm awarding may not be the most prolific bloggers out there, but they CAN write and are persistent. Do you have any blogging friends you'd love to see published?
Okay, Krista guessed right away, so I'm linking to a picture of Steph with her books (because she's adorable).
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