I admit, I'm a bit of an American Idol junkie and am really looking forward to tomorrow's showdown...especially since my two favorites from the beginning have made it to the final two. Even though I love Crystal and will be happy if she wins, I'm rooting for Lee. My favoritism swiftly swayed to his side after this amazing performance:
Not only is he ADORABLE, the boy can SINGGGG.
Do you watch American Idol? If so, are you rooting for Crystal or Lee to win?
On a sidenote, if you're wondering why my blog background is plain white now, it's because it's getting ready for its magical transition to match my author website. Both my new and improved blog plus my author site will be debuting soon. Yay!
I used random.org to randomly select the winner from the 75+ entries I received. The lucky winner is: basheemadory (Kristy). Congratulations! I'm sure you will absolutely LURRRRVE this book! I will be in touch through email to discuss the details.
To all you hopefuls who didn't win this time around, I will be holding another signed book giveaway on my blog in June. Please make sure to come back and enter for a chance to win! Below is a blurred picture of the cover of my next book giveaway. The first person who correctly recognizes it and leaves a comment below naming the book title and author will get an extra entry in the giveaway.
Here's a helpful hint: This book was released in April.
Most people have heard of Christmas in July, right? Well, I think it's about time for people to start celebrating Halloween in May. In fact, I'm going to start that tradition by celebrating Halloween this week... heck, I might even celebrate it this whole month.
Why, you ask? Is loving Halloween not a good enough answer? I mean, c'mon people, do I look like someone with an ulterior motive? Okay, you caught me. The truth is I won the "Scare up Some Fun" Hallmark Halloween greeting card competition and my winning card is for sale at Hallmark.com right now. If you're feeling Halloweenie (no inappropriate side comments, please), go ahead and take a look at the winning cards HERE (there are 23 fabu winners total)... and if you're feeling especially Halloweenie, go ahead and order some of your favorites to send this coming Halloween. For anyone who would like to buy my specific card with my not so Halloweenie smiling picture on the back, the direct link is HERE.
Thanks and I hope you all have a BOOtiful day. *Insert groan and eye roll here.*
If you haven't already, check out and enter the current signed book giveaway with Eileen Cook on my blog HERE. Last day to enter is May 9th. The lucky winner will be announced on May 10th.
An Interview and Signed Book Giveaway With Author Eileen Cook!
For those of you coming back from yesterday's Spread The Awesome post, thanks for returning! For those of you just joining me today, I'm interviewing Eileen Cook, author of Getting Revenge On Lauren Wood. This is a follow-up post to yesterday's book review, so if you haven't checked it out already, you can read it HERE. Yes, that's right, I'm devoting two blog days to Eileen and her book because (as mentioned yesterday) both are made of awesome. In return, Eileen has generously offered to donate a signed copy of this wickedly funny book to one lucky blog follower who leaves a comment on today's and/or yesterday's post(s). The giveaway is open to international participants. Full entry details will follow my interview.
Now for the fun....
Will you please sum up Getting Revenge On Lauren Wood in a tweet of 140 characters or less?
A novel of friendship, betrayal, revenge and classic movies.
What was your reaction when you got the first sneak peek of your fabulous cover?
I love this cover so much I nearly licked it when I saw it. I am very lucky that my publisher includes me in the cover design process. The designer, Cara, asked me if I had any ideas for what I wanted to see. There is a scene in the book where the main character chucks a Barbie doll dressed in a cheerleader outfit into a wood chipper. That appealed to me, so I suggested someone holding a Barbie doll by her hair and sticking pins in voodoo style. Cara told me that Mattel (the makers of Barbie) apparently frown on people using their trademarked doll for voodoo. Go figure.
Cara found a doll company in China that does custom ordered figures. She ordered a Lauren doll and then stabbed it. This gave me a lot of joy.
If you could be a character from your book for a day, which one would you be and why?
Brenda is my favorite character in the book, but I've already lived high school as a geek so I think I would take a pass at reliving it. If I could be anyone I would be Christopher. It would be nice to understand what boys think even for a day. I found them confusing in high school and I still find them confusing.
Helen has a passion for classic movies in this book. What movie would Helen say best compares to your life?
Oooh, good question. I think my real life might be too boring for a movie. Two hours of watching someone schlep around in yoga pants staring into space making stuff up would be pretty dull. If I could be in a classic movie I would love to be Katharine Hepburn. She was gorgeous, funny and spunky. Plus she got to kiss Cary Grant, I could live with that.
The revenge tactics in this book are brilliant. What inspired you to come up with all the fantastically wicked sabotage ideas?
I was somewhat surprised how easily the evil revenge ideas came to me. Apparently, I have a lot of unresolved issues from high school. I think most people think about the evil things they would do to someone who hurt them. We don't do them because we have no interest in doing prison time. Speaking for myself, I would look lousy in an orange inmate jumpsuit. Writing gave me a chance to get all those evil ideas out on the page while staying out of jail.
You managed to portray Helen as a likable character even though she is consumed with seeking revenge through most of the book. What tips would you give to writers to help increase likeability in flawed characters?
I absolutely love the screenwriting book, Save the Cat, by Blake Synder. He has some great advice on writing flawed characters. I think there are two things that are important, the character must have a motivation to do what they do and they must have some redeeming characteristics. Hopefully, while people may not agree with what Helen does, they understand why she does it. It was also important for me that people see that Helen was a good person who was doing a bad thing versus being a bad person.
Plus, who likes someone who is perfect? We like to see flaws in others, it makes us feel better about our own.
What is your best advice for aspiring writers hoping to be published?
My best advice is the easiest- read! Read a lot! I believe books are the best teacher. If there is a book you really like then break it down chapter by chapter. What did you like? When were you sucked into the story? Did you cry? If so- when? You can also do the same thing with a book you hated. Publishing is a hard business. It can take a long time and there will be a lot of rejection on the way. The good news is that as a writer you can keep getting better and that part of the puzzle is in your control.
Thank you so much, Eileen, for the interview and offering to give away a signed copy of your book to one lucky commenter! Find out more about Eileen and her books at her AUTHOR WEBSITE and BLOG.
Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details: 1) You will be entered once by reading and commenting on this post (or yesterday's Spread The Awesome review post). Please leave your email address with your comment. 2) Your name will be entered twice in the random drawing if you comment on both today's and yesterday's posts. 3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of today's or tomorrow's post to earn the extra entries.
***If you comment on both posts, plus blog and tweet about the giveaway, your name will be entered 4 times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from all the entries I receive and will be announced next Monday (May 10th). Good luck!***
Spread The Awesome: GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, By Eileen Cook -- Review and Giveaway!
***Read and comment on this post (and/or tomorrow's author interview) to be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD from author extraordinaire, Eileen Cook! This giveaway is open to international participants. Full entry details will follow my review.***
Today I'm participating with a bunch of other blogging writers to pay tribute to an author and book that I think deserves 10 stars. In short, we're spreading the book-loving awesome all day today. I've chosen Eileen Cook and GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD because Eileen and her book are both made of awesome. I can't begin to explain how much I LURRRVE this book, but I'll try to sum it up with five reasons:
1) The cover art and tagline (This time, the mean girl is going down) are hilariously brilliant! How could you walk by this book without picking it up?
2) The characters are relatable and likable. Whether you root for the underdog taking a stand, love to hate the mean girl, relate to the academic brainy type, or adore the quiet hot guy, there's a character for everyone to cheer for.
3) The revenge tactics in this book are wickedly fabulous. Everyone loves to think of the things they'd *like* to do to those who've crossed them, but would never actually consider doing in real life... well, this book will satisfy your revenge fantasies without a trip to the slammer.
4) The plot is fun, funny and clever: Mean girl betrays best friend, best friend moves away and reinvents herself, best friend then moves back with a new name/identity with the hopes of seeking revenge and causing havoc in mean girl's life. What's not to love? Not to mention, I laughed out loud in several parts of the plot. Eileen's writing is fresh and funny. If you'd like more plot info, check out the whole summary at Amazon or Goodreads.
5) The ending is superb! It's not too rushed or perfectly resolved in an unrealistic fashion like some other books out there.
If it's not already evident by my enthusiastic endorsement above, I'd suggest you all choose this book for a fun, entertaining read. If you find you LURRRVE it as much as I do, keep my book (THE LIPSTICK LAWS) in mind for a spring 2011 read. It also delves into mean girl drama and revenge. Thanks for reading my review and don't forget to enter the book giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of this Spread The Awesome book from Eileen herself.
For more Spread The Awesome fun, check out Angela Ackerman's blog for her review of THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES, by Carrie Ryan. A full list of Spread The Awesome recommended reads can be found HERE. A big thanks goes to Elana Johnson for organizing this Spread The Awesome day!
************************************************************************* Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood Signed Book Giveaway Entry Details: 1) You will be entered once by reading and commenting on this post (or tomorrow's interview post). Please leave your email address with your comment. 2) Your name will be entered twice in the random drawing if you comment on both today's and tomorrow's posts. 3) You will also receive an extra entry for each online shout-out you give about this giveaway (tweet on twitter and/or blog about it). Be sure to leave links to your shout-out(s) in the comment section of today's or tomorrow's post to earn the extra entries.
***If you comment on both posts, plus blog and tweet about the giveaway, your name will be entered 4 times in the random drawing, increasing your odds of winning. The lucky winner will be chosen at random from all the entries I receive and will be announced next Monday (May 10th). Good luck!***
Remember to come back tomorrow for my interview with Eileen Cook!
FYI - I will be holding a signed book giveaway on my blog starting this Monday (the 3rd). There will be several chances to enter and it's open to international participants. The winner will be selected at random this time. Make sure to check back on Monday for more details.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program...
Thanks to all who participated in my What's Your Fortune, Cookie? contest and an extra big thanks to those who blogged and/or tweeted about it! To recap, participants were asked to come up with creative fortunes for a fictional character and/or anyone in pop culture for a chance to win an Amazon gift card. Entries that did not follow the rules or are previously published jokes/quotes could not be chosen as winners. I received close to 40 awesome entries, which made my judging job extra hard. I ended up enlisting some fortune-ology loving friends to help me narrow down the competition.
Without further ado...
The first place $30 Amazon gift card goes to Lisa R. at Lisa's Loves (Books of Course). Lisa's fortune for all the "He Man Vamps" out there is very clever and it made me laugh! Congrats, Lisa!
The second place $20 Amazon gift card goes to Kari at A Good Addiction. Kari's fortune for Marilyn Monroe is cute, true and it rhymes! Not to mention, it's sort of relevant to my book, THE LIPSTICK LAWS... but I don't want to give any spoilers away. :) Congrats, Kari!
The third place $10 Amazon gift card goes to Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century. Kristen's fortune for Alice in Wonderland is great because it incorporates both the literary world and the world of pop culture (the movie was big this year). Congrats, Kristen!
I had a really tough time picking just three winners, so I thought I'd add one more $10 Amazon gift card to the award pot for an entry that went above and beyond the creative call of duty.
The extra $10 Amazon gift card creativity award goes to Adriana at ~*Loves to Read*~. Not only does this fortune have both pop culture (2012 doomsday) and literary (Twilight) references, Adriana displayed all her fortune entries creatively on her blog HERE. Congrats, Adriana!
But it doesn't end there; seven is a lucky number in the world of fortune-ology, so I'd also like to add three more of my favorites as honorable mentions. Honorable mentions from this contest will be allowed two extra entries in my next multi-prize gift card competition later on in the summer if they choose to participate. I will be sure to remind the honorable mentions when the time comes.
The three Honorable Mentions are:
DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude for this very funny fortune for a certain cheating celebrity husband:
Thanks again to all who participated and congrats to the winners and honorable mentions! To those who were not chosen this time, please know that I loved each entry, and I wish I could award you all for your Nostradamus geniusness. Please check back regularly for more contests and giveaways for another shot to win prizes. Don't forget to stop by and check out my next giveaway this Monday.
**To all gift card winners, if you did not leave an email address in your entry, please leave it in a comment below so I can contact you with your prize details.**
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
I'm the author of THE LIPSTICK LAWS, a young adult novel published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on April 4, 2011. I'm repped by Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary Agency.
