A picture's worth a thousand words

Forgive the short post as I'm literally *IN* the car headed back to Boston. Sorry I missed last Wednesday as I was fulfilling a dream I've always had that lived up to every single expectation. I'll let the picture speak for me...



'Nuff said.

Hugs,
Marley = )

It's Banned Books Week

In case you haven't noticed all over the internet or in your local school or library ... it's Banned Books Week! Before anyone goes getting all funny, no, this is not a celebration of banning books. It's a celebration of our first amendment right to freedom of expression.


My mom, a fairly politically vocal person and one with extremely strong beliefs, always says:

I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

I think that sums up the essence of Banned Books Week pretty well. It's not about what the books say or why they say them or who the authors are, it's about the right to say and write and read whatever we want. It's about the choice.

So why not check out the Banned Books Week website or ask your favorite librarian how you can get involved. Because even one book banned is one too many.

Hugs,
TLC

Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp (out now!)
Forgive My Fins (coming June 1, 2010)
Get your goddess on. Join the Ning!

Little Black Dress

I first came upon the concept of a Little Black Dress while reading Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series. And I adored the idea that she kept an "all purpose" little black dress in her car, for whenever the need struck!

Sometime later I got my own (although I admit I keep it on a hanger in a closet). In fact, I have two now, one for winter, one for summer. And I'm thinking one of them might be perfect for an event I have coming up next month: my high school reunion.

How about you? Do you have an all-purpose little black dress that plays an important role in your wardrobe, or are you more about finding the right outfit for the right occasion?

Tina

Tina Ferraro
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
How to Hook a Hottie
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

The Book Launch

The Launch party for Never Cry Werewolf was even better than I expected.

I got to Queen Anne Books in Seattle and found a ton of friends, writing buddies, co-workers, and family waiting for me at store – and Tegan, the bookseller was so great.

Here's the signing table she had set up. My dad sent flowers from my family in Wisconsin, my mom picked up a ton of gummy worms, my aunt Dena picked up my grandpa, who’s in his 80’s and drove him down just in time for the reading.

And speaking of driving, my dear friend Danna trekked all the way from Concrete (my old town in the mountains, 2 hours away) with my friends Renata, Melia, and my very special student Emily. Emily was the one who read the first chapters of my first YA book and encouraged me to keep going since she really wanted to know what happened. Emily was in 6th grade then, and now she’s a senior in high school. Man, time flies!

I was so happy to see them, as those friends from my small town were a huge part of helping me become a writer. Renata and Danna were teachers at the elementary school, and without them requesting me to substitute their classes, it would have been hard to keep afloat while I followed my writing dreams.

Okay, so moving on -- the reading out loud part was a bit scary. Half-way through, I realized I didn’t have my glasses on. Oops. But, people seemed to enjoy it, and I made them laugh -- which is the whole point of my book, btw. NCW is a sweet, dark, comedy -- it's not trying to depress you.


And now the snacks! After the reading, we had refreshments. Here are the “full moon” brownies I baked with slices of marshmallows pressed into the tops of the batter. They were pretty yummy.


Here is our lovely bee Dona Sarkar showing up to lend her support. Dona is my critique partner and I know none of this would have happened with our her help.

Love you, D.
Finally, here I am signing… for a long time! The bookstore sold out of my book, which was super cool.

Anyway, that’s the short and sweet version of the signing. Thanks to my friend Liz Gallagher, and Tegan from the bookstore for the snaps. I hope you enjoyed the party!

Arrrroooooo!

Heather
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/

Never Cry Werewolf – Sept. ‘09
The Clearing – April ‘10

Fortune Cookies: The Good, the Bad, and the Horrid

Okay, so continuing Tina's superstition-themed lucky number post, I wanna have a chat about fortune cookie fortunes. I Twittered/Facebooked yesterday that I got the worst. Fortune. Ever. Seriously. It was:

Your sports team will be very successful this year.

Some fortune, huh? Maybe if I was a die-hard Packers fan or something. (Not likely, btw.)


But my fortunes haven't always been so awful. I've got three that I've saved and keep tucked behind my drivers license in my wallet. They are:

1. Your genuine talent will find it's way to success.
2. You will make money and be able to keep it.
3. Good news will be coming to you soon.

I'm hoping my talent as a writer is genuine and that it will eventually find it's way to success, and I'm still waiting on that money to save and that good news.

What about you? Have you ever gotten a really great (or really awful) fortune? Do tell.

Hugs,
TLC

Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp (out now!)
Forgive My Fins (coming June 1, 2010)

Lucky 17!

17 is my lucky number. Although I am not exactly sure why. What I know is how it started...

It was my sixteenth summer, and my southern California vacation was coming to a close. On Main Street at Disneyland, I bought a stuffed animal as a souvenir, and put a quarter into a Fortune Telling Machine.



A little piece of paper popped out, telling me alleged attributes about myself, and I remember being disappointed that none of them were remotely true. (They probably said something like "looks before leaps, "shy around new people," and "does well in math.") But when it came to my Lucky Number, it said...


And for reasons I can't not recall, I thought this was absolutely, dead-on correct. I was suddenly a satisfied customer.

And I have never, ever waivered. 17, it is!

How about you? If you were to drop a quarter in a Fortune Telling Machine (somewhat like this one)


and it was told you your lucky number, what would it say? And why?

Tina

Tina Ferraro
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
How to Hook a Hottie
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

And the Books go to...

It's been a wonderful week for us to remember how the Buzz Girls came together three years ago, and to reflect on how lucky we are to be doing what we love -- writing books!

We love that so many of you stopped by to comment on our posts this week. Thanks for all the support!

And now -- the envelopes please:

Monday - Tina Ferraro offered up a signed copy of the winner's choice of Tina's Books. CAIT045 was the winner and has already contacted Tina to collect her prize.

Tuesday - The winner is Christina Lee! Email TLC at tlc@teralynnchilds.com with your choice (either OH. MY. GODS. or GODDESS BOOT CAMP) and your mailing info.

Wednesday - The winner is MD...she wins my two SORORITY 101 books and my first two
GHOST HUNTRESS books. Please e-mail Marley at marley_gibson AT yahoo (dot) com.

Thursday - The winner is kee43... she wins a copy of her choice of ANY of the Buzz Girls' books. Kee, please email Heather at heather(AT)heatherdavisbooks.com with your choice of books and your mailing address.

Friday - The winner is Elnice. Please email Steph at stephaniehale@stephaniehale.com with your address and choice of Buzz Girl book.

Saturday - Buzz Girl Dona Sarkar is off in the wilds of the Midwest, on special assignment, so check back next week to see what she'll do to celebrate three years of buzzing with The Bees!

Thanks again for three wonderful years!

Much Love,


The Bees

Anniversary Week Giveaways!

~ Tomorrow (Sunday) we'll be announcing the winners of the giveaways celebrating Books Boys Buzz's 3rd Anniversary week. Don't forget to post a comment on any of the regular weekday posts to enter to win a book.

Thanks for helping us celebrate!

The Bees

Happy 3rd Anniversary Bees!

Wow, time flies when you're having fun, huh? I can't say enough good things about all my fellow bees. We may be spread all over the map but I always know that if I need any of them, they are just an email away.

I remember being so shocked and honored when Heather and Dona asked me to be a part of a new blog they were putting together. Three years later, I'm constantly amazed by the talent, strength, and courage of my fellow bees. We have all been through so many changes and struggles of our own the last three years, but we have stuck together by offering support and friendship when it was needed most.

This is a picture from the 2007 RWA Nationals in Dallas. Sadly, Marley couldn't be with us that year. I'm really hoping we can all meet up in Nashville next year.

To most people, being an author probably seems like a pretty cush job. And somedays it is. But other days you doubt yourself, convinced that your writing is crap and that there is no way you'll ever get another contract. Or someone writes a horrible review about your book. Or you are positive that you will never again have another good idea for a book. Your circle of family and friends might listen to your gripes and worries about writing but they'll never really get it. These are the times that I give my bee keychain (that TLC bought all of us!) a rub and am so thankful that I have the bees! There is always someone just an email away who understands what I'm going through.

Thank you, Marley. Thank you, Tina. Thank you, Heather. Thank you, Dona. And thank you, Tera! Thank you for being the incredible women that you are and for being my friends.

Okay, enough mushy stuff. Leave a comment about something/someone you are thankful for for your chance to win any BBG book that you choose!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Three Years Later!

I almost want to cry as I write this...

It’s three years since the Buzz Girls began and I couldn't have dreamed what wonderful friends we would become.

It all started back in the summer of 2006 when Simone Elkeles, Dona Sarkar and I were batting about the idea of a group blog. We decided to go for it - so each girl invited a talented YA author they knew to the party -- Tera Lynn Childs, Stephanie Hale, Tina Ferraro, and Marley Gibson -- and that fall, Books, Boys, Buzz debuted. At the time, there weren’t many YA group author blogs out there, so "the bees" as we called ourselves, quickly filled a niche in the blogosphere.


For Dona and me, it was a gift. We were two unpublished writers (critique partners for each other) who in our own minds were very close to selling. Dona was a hard-working software engineer and I was a substitute teacher living in a tiny town I was about to leave forever.

The fact that these wonderful published women would blog with us still blows me away. And you know, not soon after the blog began, a little pixie dust fell from their shoulders on to our laptops. Dona and I each made our first sale within six months!

Here is a photo of me and Dona at the August 2006 RWA summer conference. She was my date to the Golden Heart awards for unpublished manuscripts and ended up being my lucky charm! I'm wearing two corsages - one from my RWA Seattle chapter and one from my other wonderful critique partner, Pat White.


Anyway, so the Buzz Blog began that fall. Skip three years ahead and my life is completely different. I live in a new town, have a new day job, and a whole new life as a published author. The only thing standing in my way is myself. (And I’ve learned to politely ask her to move over from time to time.)

As you know if you read the blog regularly, my book Never Cry Werewolf debuted at the start of this month – and this Friday will be my launch party at Queen Anne Books in Seattle. http://www.queenannebooks.com/ I literally can’t believe my book is real.


But to show myself (and you) that is exists, here is Daisy the Pug reading it on Kindle with her human companion Alyssa Day. (Thanks for the photo, A!)



And finally -- here at last is the cover for my April book, The Clearing. I can’t wait for this one to come out. It’s moody, dark and very romantic – and it’s set near my former home in the country. I just turned in the page proofs (galleys) so it won’t be long before it feels like a real book, too.

Anyway, I’m grateful for three years of friendship, support, and fun on Books, Boys, Buzz! I love that readers can connect with us here, and I love that we are still together.

To enter to win a copy of your choice of ANY book from the Buzz Girl’s collection of twenty books – please leave a comment about your longest friendship. How have you kept that friendship going strong through the years?

I will choose a winner on Sunday morning, so post away until then!




Love and Light,


Heather

http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/
NEVER CRY WEREWOLF – HarperTeen 09/09
THE CLEARING – HMH Graphia 04/10

Happy Anniversary to Buzzzzz...and winners!

A hearty HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my Buzz Blog sistahs! Can't beeeeelieve we've been together for three years. And TLC says we've got 20 books between us? WOWLZA!

First off, I wanted to announce the winners of my double release book giveaway! Here they are:

Elaing8
LORIT
WHAT A GIRL READS
CARI
Donnas
Kelsey

Whoooohooooo!!! Please e-mail me at marley_gibson AT yahoo (dot) com with your snail mail address and I'll get the books in the mail to you.

As for our anniversary...it's amazing how time flies. And how books fly off the shelf. It's also incredible that when we started, not all of the Buzz Girls were published...and now we all are. I'm so fortunate to be amongst such an amazing group of women who not only share the passion for writing, but who are also so supportive and the "go-to gals" I need in my writer's life. Everyone should be so lucky as to have people like Tina, Steph, Dona, Heather, and TLC (and Simone!) in their lives.

Now...for my special anniversary giveaway...I'm going to give away not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of my books! Wow...the fact that I have four books to give away blows even ME away. In order to have a winner of the four-book pack, you must do the following:

1. Leave a comment with a Hallmark-like anniversary greeting for the Buzz Girls
2. If you're on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter, please let folks know about our contest
3. You may comment as many times as you want...but we must have at least 25 comments in total to have a four-book winne!
   

Not too hard, eh?

The books you'll win will be my two Kate Harmon SORORITY 101 books and my first two GHOST HUNTRESS books. Spread the word!



Hugs and love to our readers and my Buzz Sistahs!!
Marley = )

(Please check out my newly launched website!)

Has It Really Been Three Years?

When Heather suggested we do a Third Anniversary week a while back, my first thought was, "It can't have been three years!" On the one hand, it feels like no time at all. On the other, it doesn't seem possible that everything that's occured since the Buzz blog started has been crammed into three short years.

A lot of crazy things have happened in this time, from meeting up with all the Buzz girls (and Marley on a Stick) in Dallas, to giving a workshop to a crowded room (with Tina and Steph sadly missing), to sharing in the triumphs and tribulations that are a part of any writing career.

But mostly what happened was books. Lots and lots of books.

Sometimes, as writers, it's hard to remember the good things. Our writing lives are full of deadlines and reviews and copyedits and changing editors or agents or both. Of worrying if we'll ever get another contract. Of worrying if we'll be able to fulfill the contracts we have. Of late night Googling when you might find your first awesome review... or your first awful one.

When you're bombarded with those kinds of things, it's hard to think positive. So I'm going to do it for us. I'm going to put the last three years into a nice, neat little perspective.

In the three years since the Buzz girls first became, well, the Buzz girls we've produced 20 books. That's 20 books between the seven of us (past and present). And that doesn't even count the ones we have on the way (which is at least another half dozen).

TWENTY BOOKS!!!

Now that's something to be proud of.

Okay, now to be entered to win your choice of a copy of OH. MY. GODS. (paperback) or GODDESS BOOT CAMP (hardcover) tell me something you've done in the last three years that you're really proud of.

Hugs,
TLC

Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp (out now!)
Forgive My Fins (coming June 1, 2010)

Announcing the Winner...

Thanks to everyone who entered my contest, long-time Buzz Girl friends, and new!

The winner of my contest (who gets a signed copy of one of my books--her choice) is:

CAIT045

But there are many more chances to win this week...so keep tuning in!

Cait, please e-mail me at admin@tinaferraro.com!

Happy Anniversary, Buzz Girls!

This week marks the anniversary of the Buzz Girls Blog. Three Years Old and Going Strong! So we're going to spend the week doing some reminiscing...

It’s hard to imagine that three years ago I was a newly contracted pre-published author, and now I’ve got three books on the shelves! The time just flew past me in a blur of copy edits, brainstorming sessions, book launches, and over 150 blog posts!

In celebration, I pulled out some favorite pictures from my moments with the Buzz Girls to share...


Me at the Dallas RWA Conference in July, 2007, participating in my first Literacy Signing. And FYI, see the pink boa in front of me? That was from Tera and Steph because they knew it was my birthday!


A group shot of all of us (Marley, too--sort of) from that same conference.


Simone Elkeles reading my book in the Dead Sea! (Simone needed to bow out of the Buzz Girls earlier this year due her hectic schedule, but she'll always be a Buzz Girl in spirit!)


Tera and me screaming "Rita!" after accepting our finalist certificates at the Washington, D.C. RWA Conference in July, 2009.

* * * * *

Finally, a very fitting "now and then" photo, one I happened upon in reviewing the conference blogs. Here is Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency at the 2007 Dallas RWA Conference, pretending to give Marley Gibson (who couldn't make the conference) a big hug. Elaine worked as the assistant to Deidre Knight, who is Marley's agent.



Well, at the 2009 RWA conference, I signed with Elaine and The Knight Agency! As did Dona, just days before!

So--three fun years of writing books and writing blogs and being great friends. In celebration of such, I'll pick one name from my commenters to receieve a signed copy of any one of my books (winner's choice). All you have to do is write one memory from our Buzz Girls blog for the past three years (and if you are totally blank or this is your first time visiting, the words "Mark Wahlberg" is quite sufficient.) Good luck!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys
www.tinaferraro.com

Animals and Ghosts….<ooh scary!>

Your girl Saturday here talking about Marley Gibson’s hot new releases Ghost Huntress: The Guidance and The Other Side: A Teen’s Guide to Ghost Hunting

For those of you who don’t know and love Marley like we do, she is easily one of the most beautiful, talented giving people I have ever known and I am SUCH a fan of her Ghost Huntress series!

If you want the chance to win a copy of her latest book THE GUIDANCE as well as TEEN’S GUIDE, please read on….if you dare!

I have never seen a ghost. Ever. Like my buddy TLC, I am a ghostly failure. I’ve tried and tried for years, but have been an epic failure. No ghosts, no presences, nothing.

But I have a feeling my cat, Ashton Sarkar-Mishra has seen them. There he is below...doesn't he look just he's seen something?


Often he'll be curled up on my lap napping and suddenly sit up and stare off into the distance, following something with his huge green eyes...

I always turn around to see what he's looking at and there's always.....

NOTHING! No ghost, no spirit.

There is an obscure superstition that because animals can see ghosts, when an animal sees a ghost someone can, from behind the animal, look between their ears toward where the animal is looking and see the ghost that they see.

I'm totally going to try and do this next time.

If I can get my kitty to hold still that is. So, to win your copies of the lovely Marley's books, please post either a comment about an animal-ghost experience, or just a spooky story!

-------------------------------------

Dona Sarkar-Mishra

http://donasarkarmishra.com

Congrats to Marley on her double release week!

The Buzz Girls are so excited to be celebrating Marley Gibson's double releases this week. Ghost Huntress: The Guidance and The Other Side: A Teen’s Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal. If you comment on today's post, you'll be entered to win a copy of each of Marley's releases.
So apparently the town I live in is very haunted. I know this because every year around Halloween a local author fills a bus with people and takes them on a tour of the most popular haunts around town. I'm not buying it.

It's not the ghost part that I have a problem with. At this point in my life, I believe just about anything can happen. The part I don't buy, is why in the world would a ghost choose to haunt my town? It is seriously boring here. Not kidding. If you could just appear anywhere wouldn't you just show up in Hawaii or something? Okay, so maybe you have to stay close to where your energy was or something like that (Marley knows all about this stuff!) but I still can't imagine you would want to take your new ghost friends for a tour of the soybean/corn fields around here.

One place I would love to take a ghost tour is The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Now those are some haunt-worthy digs. I have actually been to the Stanley in the early 90's but I haven't been on the tour. I know Marley has and I can only imagine it was amazing. After all, this was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. And while I don't think I would request to stay on the third or fourth floor, I would love to stay here someday.

Is there a ghost tour that you would just LOVE to go on? Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Marley's new releases!

And here is a cheesy little ghost joke for you!

What do ghosts eat for dinner?

Spook-ghetti!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Release Week for Marley Gibson!

We’re celebrating the arrival of Buzz Girl Marley Gibson’s TWO new releases this week. Ghost Huntress: The Guidance and The Other Side: A Teen’s Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal.


Marley has really tapped a nerve with all this ghost stuff. My little niece, who is eight, has loved everything to do with ghosts forever. When she was six she told my dad she wanted to be a ghost hunter when she grew up. He asked her what equipment she would need and she listed off all these magnetic reader things and flashlights and then… a plunger.

Dad was like, a plunger? But, he didn’t burst the kid’s dreams. Later, he was watching the show Ghost Hunters and he noticed that they were PLUMBERS for their day job. Hence, the plunger.

I’m buying Marley’s new book for my niece to enjoy. She’s just getting into reading, but anything with ghosts is bound to be irresistible.


And speaking of irresistible, have you met my friend Marley Gibson? She is one of the most positive, kind, funny, and sweet people I know. And her books are wonderful! I am so happy for Marley and her well-deserved success. She is amazing.


I hope you’ll pick up Marley’s books this week – and of courses, leave a comment to enter to win a copy of BOTH books!





Answer this… do you think children have a greater sensitivity to seeing ghosts?


Comment to enter!! Congratulations, Marley!!!



Hugs,


Heather

http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/
Never Cry Werewolf – HarperTeen – Sept.’09
The Clearing – HMH – April ’10.

Dinner at Popjoys!

We are continuing our celebration of Marley Gibson’s TWO releases this week, Ghost-Huntress-Book-2-Guidance and Other-Side-Teens-Hunting-Paranormal with giveaways of both books to one lucky commenter each day!

Our theme this week is ghosts, which inevitably takes my mind to Bath, England, known as one of the ghost sighting capitals of the world.

Three summers ago my family and I spent a memorable day there. We took a bus tour, which included historic overviews and stories of the town, stops at several Roman baths, and lunch at a tavern in the old town area. But what surprised me was how little information our tour guide gave us on ghosts.

But that didn't mean I didn't know what I was missing! I had my eyes open, anyway. For apparitions like...

The Man in the Black Hat:

Bath’s most famous and oft-seen ghost, the man in the black hat is dressed in 18th century attire, and can be seen around Saville Road and Bennett Street.

Horse Drawn Carriage:

An elegant four-horse drawn carriage is sometimes spotted outside of the Royal Crescent Hotel, where long ago, a Miss Elizabeth Linley and the Irish playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan eloped. This followed a sword-drawn duel over her hand, in which the Irish playwright won.

The Jilted Bride:

Julia, a jilted bride, can be seen wandering around Queen Square in her white gown.

The Restaurant Patrons:

At the historic restaurant, Popjoy’s, two ghosts are repeatedly and separately “seen” dining. One is believed to be Juliana Popjoy herself, the 18th-century mistress of Beau Nash for whom the restaurant is named. Beau Nash owned the establishment and lived there in his later years. Also, a woman called Janet or Janice, who seems to be a woman from the 1960’s.

I never saw any of them, but it's not like I didn't try!

Now tell us, if you could spot the ghost of a deceased celebrity of any era enjoying tea and scones or kidney pie and a tankard in Popjoy’s, who would it be?

I’ll open with Margaret Mitchell of Gone With the Wind fame!

Remember, one commenter will be chosen to win a copy of both Marley’s books!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys
www.tinaferraro.com

My (Lack of) Ghost Story

It's back-to-back release weeks here on the Buzz blog, and this week it's a double release! Congrats, Marley, on GHOST HUNTRESS 2: THE GUIDANCE and THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL!

In honor of Marley's ghosty books, we're talking spooky stories this week. Which is a really grate theme and all, only... I don't have any.

Seriously, I've made it to my advanced years without a single paranormal encounter. It's not that I haven't tried. I mean, I love cemeteries, crumbling historic buildings, and anything generally old and scary. I'm ready, willing and able, to see something out of this world, but nothing. Not one unnatural chill or hovering ball of light or weird hazy apparition. And I have to ask: What gives? Am I the only wannabe-non-skeptic who's been left doubting?

To be entered to win a copy of each of Marley's new books leave a comment answering one of the following questions:

Have you ever had a paranormal experience?

or

Have you gone looking for one, but come up empty?

Hugs,
TLC

Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp (out now!)
Forgive My Fins (coming June 1, 2010)

Two Releases in One!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late post, but I'm at Dragon*Con in Atlanta and, boy, has it been insane!

I'm soooooooooo excited about the release of not just one new book from yours truly...but TWO releases this week! Yep...that's right! I have two books out this week.

The first book is the follow up to GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING -- book 2 in my series, entitled GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE. I sold a lot of copies of it here at the convention in Atlanta and people seem excited about the book.

Oooo...pretty cover! LOL!!



AND...the non-fiction companion book to my GHOST HUNTRESS series is the second book that is out. It's called THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL.



The book was written with my good friends, Patrick Burns of TruTV's Haunting Evidence, and Dave Schrader of KTLM FM's Darkness Radio. We felt it was necessary with so many TV shows about ghost hunting that teens be given responsible advice about investigating.

Here we are at Dragon*Con where we premiered the book and sold fifty copies! (And yes...we're all wearing sunglasses on our head. Don't ask! LOL!)



Hope you'll pick up the books and let me know what you think! I'm thrilled to have these books out in the wild for people. I've gotten some amazing reader feedback already and each e-mail just makes my day.

Do you have any questions about ghost hunting? Comments? Thoughts? Leave your question or comment in the trail to be entered to win a copy of BOTH books. I'll be giving away a copy of each book every day this week (Monday-Friday).

Thanks and hugs!
Marley = )

Never Cry Werewolf Release Week Winners!

Thanks to everyone who commented during Release Week for my very first published novel, Never Cry Werewolf!


Here are the daily winners for each Buzz Girl Post:

Monday - Heather's Post = Jessica Capelle

Tuesday - Tera's Post = WENDY (who is scared of bridges)

**THIS JUST IN**

Wednesday - Marley's Post = ****WANDA****

Thursday - Tina's Fireproof Post = CHERYL (from Florida)

Friday - Steph's Post = LLEHN


I will update Marley's winner as soon as I get it. In the meantime - if you are one of the winners listed above, please email me at Heather(at)heatherdavisbooks.com with your mailing address.


AND... I belive there are more giveaways coming. I heard a rumor that our own Marley Gibson, who has not one but TWO books out this month, will be holding a contest starting Monday as we celebrate her release weeks.

AND... The Third Anniversary of the Buzz Girls - aka Booksboysbuzz.com - will be the following week. That means more giveaways!!

We love books on the Buzz Blog and we love readers. Please spread the word about the giveaways to all of your friends and feel free to link your own review sites and the like to our url. There's nothing more important that celebrating great books!

Thank you to everyone for a great Release Week celebration for Never Cry Werewolf. I am touched by, humbled, and grateful for all the kindness you've shown.

hugs,

Heather
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen - Available Now!
The Clearing - HMH - April 2010

BONUS PRIZE: The First Time I Went to a School Dance

If you didn't get a chance to win Heather Davis' debut novel NEVER CRY WEREWOLF this week, you have one last opportunity! I will be giving away not one, but TWO copies of this fantastic new book. I will pick winners from two commenters on this post!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Heather's cover, don't you?

Heather is my critique partner, my writing mentor and one of my closest friends. I've been waiting for the day that her book hits the shelves for years now and that day is here! Tr rust me on this, you cannot miss out on this amazing "Pride and Prejudice at Brat Camp" love story....the hero will leave you swooning! Edward Cullen, who? ;)

Heather and I at RWA a few years ago

Today I'm talking about School Dances. When I was in eighth grade, ALL of my friends were allowed to go to our Very First School Dance. I begged and pleaded with my super-strict parents and finally I was allowed to go.

I picked out a dress I thought was cute (I wish I had a picture to post--hideous and dorky!) , got together with my best friend to do hair and finally I was ready.

I arrived at the school, waved good-bye to my Dad and gathered my courage.

I was too chicken to go inside. I watched my classmates come in and out of the gym, laughing, talking, and I hid behind a pillar. I remember distinctly that Mariah Carey's HERO was playing and I just hid in the corner for TWO HOURS.

I imagine this is what the inside of the gym looked like, I wouldn't know since I never WENT INSIDE!

Why was I so scared? I don't know. Maybe that I wouldn't want to be the dork standing alone, maybe I was afraid someone would actually ask me to dance.

I look back and laugh because I was able to overcome my fear of school dances and had a fantastic time at my High School Homecoming and Prom, but that eighth grade dance really did scar me for quite a few years.

Now, commentors, what is your best or worst school dance experience? Is it as dorky as mine?

Leave good stories!

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Dona Sarkar-Mishra

http://donasarkarmishra.com/

The first time I was REALLY kissed....

Congrats to Heather Davis on her debut novel, Never Cry Werewolf. You should own this book. Poor Heather had her release date pushed back at least three times that I can remember, yet she never got down about it. I know this book is going to be flying off the shelves, especially with Halloween right around the corner and people hankering for scary things (like werewolves!).

(Buy me, buy me, buy me!)

For some reason I had a super-hard time thinking of a blog post. The topic was easy enough (the first time I -insert whatever you did here- but I think maybe it was too open-ended for me. I finally settled on my first romantic kiss. Not my first nervous peck on the lips. Or the first time I was French-kissed at school only to be busted by my principal. But the first time I was kissed and everything was perfect. The guy. The music. The ambiance.

(It didn't go exactly like this but you get the picture!)

Okay, so the ambiance was a 1978 Thunderbird with extremely dark tinted windows. But that's why it was so incredibly perfect. We could sit in the driveway and my parents couldn't see anything! I had been flirting back and forth with this guy, I'll call him Rod, for a while. We were both on Student Council and I think he was driving me home from a meeting or something. A song called "The Flame" by Cheap Trick came on. (Yes, I am THAT old). I can remember the way he touched the side of my face and then we were just kissing. And it was the most awesome kiss of all time (okay, I was 15, I didn't have a lot to fall back on). I could have sworn there were sparks flying all around us. Then my mom started flashing the porch light off and on, completely killing our perfect buzz.

And even though that was twenty-one years ago and Rod turned out to be a pretty big tool, it is still a moment I think back on when I write kissing scenes for my books. It is a memory of growing up that I treasure. Not because of who I was with, but for who I was, and still am, especially when I hear Cheap Trick.

Do you have any perfect mental snapshots that you treasure?

And do you think Shelby and Austin share the perfect kiss in Never Cry Werewolf? I guess you'll just have to read it and see. You can also post a comment for your chance to win a copy!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

The First Time I...

I am so happy to participate in the celebration of the much-anticipated release of Heather Davis’s debut novel, Never Cry Werewolf!


Heather is as talented as she is sweet and lovely, and I am anxious to crack open the copy I received in the mail! Which actually leads me right into my blog topic under the heading of, “The First Time I...”

For Tuesday was the first time I ever received mail while my neighborhood was under police-mandated fire evacuation. (And I hope it’s my last!)

You see, my foothill home sat on one of the perimeters of California’s biggest and latest wildfire, called the Station Fire. My husband, three kids and I have been in this community for 15 years, and have always known we were at risk for a forest fire, but you know, you never really think it’s going to happen...

The Station Fire started last Wednesday, August 26, near a fire station (hence the name) and quickly went out of control. While the smoke, sound of choppers and ominous skies over our house quickly became unnerving, it was nothing compared to when the fire itself arrived.

Here’s a picture of the blaze cresting a distant (but not too distant) hill on Friday night:


Now it’s about 16 hours later. Hot, angry (yet surreally beautiful) clouds high in the skies on Saturday, right before the flames appeared on the hill behind our neighborhood, and the police did the reverse 9-1-1- call to tell us all to GET OUT:


We packed up and went to a family friend’s place about 20 miles away and stayed until yesterday morning, although my husband and older son did make periodic visits to the neighborhood.

And this picture is from Tuesday, a a shot of the controlled burn that firefighters set to kill off the existing brush and put an end to the danger in my town:


As I write this, the Station Fire continues to ravage southern California acreage, but my little piece of the world is again safe. Endless gratitude and thanks to the brave firefighters, forest rangers, police and personnel who fought and continue to fight this fire!

And let me say that the one positive aspect I found to a scare of this magnitude is it not only made me stop and appreciate what I have as far as family and community and even property, but made me realize that “the emergency system” in my area really works!

So tell us, have you ever been evacuated or had to “batten the hatches” because of Mother Nature? Leave a comment and be entered to win a copy of Never Cry Werewolf!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie
The ABC's of Kissing Boys

Heather Davis...Up, Up...and Away!!

Can I just tell you how proud I am of Heather? This is her first published book to hit the shelves and what an awesome cover! Who wouldn't pick this up?



I remember the first time I met Heather at the Chick Lit Writers party. And then, I remember when Heather won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award. She looked fabulous and gave an eloquent speech. I knew that gal was going places.



And look at her now. If this book isn't already in your TBR pile, then go out and get it now.

Since we're talking about firsts, I thought I'd share a first experience of mine that I just had. As you all know, I'm going through a big life change and have been living a bit more of an adventurous life. Our readers know that I learned to SCUBA dive (and recently encountered about sixty or so dogfish sharks on a dive in New England), but I also did something that I've wanted to do foooooooooooooooooorever!

I went parasailing!



You know, I'm a writer...but I find it hard to form the exact words to explain what an amazing experience this was. For lack of a better description, it's like you're ascending into heaven. It's so ridonkulously peaceful, I can't even begin to tell you. The wind is quiet and serene and there's nothing but the soft flap of the sail behind you and your own thoughts.

First, you get strapped into the life jacket and then put in the harness at the back of the boat. You sit on your bottom and grip the bar over head. The shoot is fully inflated and then the boat takes off.



As the boat gets up speed, the rope is released little by little until you are about five hundred feet in the air. NOT even kidding! We were up there for about 12 minutes before they started reeling us in. At the very end, before you get back to the boat, they stop so that you plunge into the water up to your waist. Very refreshing. Our guy even dunked us twice upon our yelled request.



Then, they reel you back in and you're done. All in a matter of moments. And you realize...I did it!

It truly is breathtaking!



And as you know, Heather's giving away books this week, so if you'd like to be entered in today's drawing, please leave a comment in the trail and let us know if you've ever been parasailing. Have you ever wanted to? Do you think I'm insane? LOL!! Feel free to leave as many comments as you'd like.

Again...major congrats to Heather!!!

Hugs and love,
Marley = )

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE
THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL
Both available now!