YA Scavenger Hunt on August 1st!

A few of us Buzz Girls are participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt organized by YA author Colleen Houck.  Our own Marley, Tera, and Heather will be part of the event, which will be one day only -- August 1st.

There are thirty YA authors participating, all of whom will post bonus chapters, news on upcoming books, cover reveals, and much much more on their individual sites.  To play, you just start at one of our sites and follow the links to complete the hunt -- enjoying all this cool insider content along the way.

At many of the author sites, you can enter individual giveaways.  To enter the grand prize drawing for a multi-author book bonanza, you'll collect the clue word in red on each author's post to complete the YA Scavenger Hunt Puzzle.  Once you've got the puzzle completed, you'll email it in to enter the grand prize drawing.  Rules and a puzzle form will be on each author's blog in the hunt.

It's one day only - August 1st, 2011 -- so get ready to go on the hunt!

Hugs,

Heather

Perfect Love

A big huzzah to our very own Heather Davis, whose amazingly romantic YA novel, The Clearing, is a contender for the prestigious and coveted 2011 RITA award. As you might have already heard, Heather is giving away a fabulous prize package and all you have to do is comment on this or any (or all) of our posts this week to be entered to win. To read more about the prize, click HERE.

When Heather suggested we write about an elder who has in some way influenced or inspired us, I admit I had a hard time coming up with just one. I finally decided on my maternal grandmother, Mama Billie. The reason is two fold.

One, she helps me put things in perspective. For example, one day I was really upset because my brand-new dishwasher wasn't working. (I don't know about you, but doesn't it seem odd that the dishwasher and washing machine your grandma bought twenty years ago still work just fine and these new ones last fewer than three years!?!) I was seriously about to cry, and all it took was her saying in this angelic voice, "Isn't it wonderful that we live in a time where we have dishwashers?" She didn't launch into a "when I was a girl we had to walk 20 miles to school in a blizzard, uphill both ways" monologue. No, it was just a simple sentence that brought me out of my tirade and into peaceful, even thankful, waters.

The other thing I find so inspiring about Mama Billie is she loves people unconditionally. Now, to put this in perspective, a) She's a Southern lady, who as you might know, usually have very strong opinions about ... well, everything (haha!) and b) My family is WEIRD. Sorry, there's no other way of saying it. As a whole, we are about as imperfect as they come. I'm talking the stuff of Reality TV. And yet she loves each and every one of us as if we are perfect. So when I'm frustrated with people, I remember Mama Billie and it helps me forgive them their imperfections and love them.

Now it's YOUR turn! Who in your life has a knack for getting you off the ledge and putting things into perspective? Comment because I know you want to win Heather's fabulous prize package, the winner of which will be announced on Sunday.

A Moravian Moment

Congratulations to Heather! I'm so excited to celebrate the RITA nomination for The Clearing this week with another post about inspiring elders (and another chance to with the fabulous farmhouse prize pack Heather is giving away).

When I was in graduate school (studying Historic Preservation at Columbia University) one of our first year required classes as called Basic Principles of Traditional Construction. We studied things like brick recipes, house framing, and roofing techniques. The professor was a distinguished old (like 85-years-old old) Czech-born architect named Jan Pokorny. He wore a blazer and a bow tie every day and always showed up early for class.

I have a special connection to the Czech and Slovak people because my dad's theatre design mentor was also Czech. Actually, he was also Moravian, the area between the Czech republic and Slovakia. He once told my father that, when the country was still Czechoslovakia and they would play the national anthems at events, Moravia was the space between the two.

I really enjoyed that class because I love learning how things are built. I loved learning about the different kinds of siding used in Colonial housing and how to make different colored bricks by adding certain things to the recipe. The class also happened to be right after lunchtime, so I often got there early to eat lunch in my seat before the other students started showing up.

One day, Jan came in and started making notes on the board. Feeling a little awkward, I tried to make some small talk and asked him about being Moravian. When he saw that I knew what Moravia was, his eyes lit up. He asked if I was Moravian. I told him no, but that we had close family friends who were.

From that moment on I was his favorite student (well, it did help that I scored highest on the midterm test). He eventually made me T.A. for the class and was the faculty sponsor of our class trip to Prague before graduation.

Jan is no longer with us, but I can still picture his smiling round face, his quirky bow ties, and the neat and precise architectural drawings he used to make on the board. At 85 he still swam laps every day, still taught every semester, still designed and sat on committees and made a significant contribution to the world of historic preservation and the world in general. I am inspired to be as active as possible for as long as possible.

Okay, to enter today, comment with a favorite or inspiring teacher and why. Be sure to comment on all the other posts this week for more entries and check back on Sunday to find out if you've won!

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

The Clearing Giveaway Week!

So, you may have heard that my book The Clearing is nominated for the RITA award for Best YA Romance this year.  I couldn't be happier to see this little book get recognition from an organization I've been a part of for nearly a decade.  The ceremony will be in NYC on July 1st, and I'm already getting a little nervous. 

This week on BooksBoysBuzz, we're celebrating the nomination with stories about special elder people in our lives.  In The Clearing, Amy has moved in with her Aunt Mae in the country.  Aunt Mae's home is anything but glamorous -- it's a double-wide trailer.  The special part of Amy living there is the kindness that Aunt Mae shows her.  She tells Amy that she doesn't need a boy to tell her how special she is, that she should know that she is special already.   And then, of course, Amy meets Henry Briggs, the one boy who realizes how beautiful and amazing Amy really is.  The only problem is, of course, that he's living in the endless summer of 1944.

How did the character of Aunt Mae come to life?  I've always been close to the older people in my family.  From my grandmas to my great aunts, there were always elders who offered my father advice on raising us kids and shared their perspectives on life with us.  To date, all of my books have an older secondary character in them.  There's no way that's a coincidence!

 For those of you who haven't seen the field that inspired The Clearing, here it is in this photo from my old hometown in the North Cascades.  That's Rinker Ridge in the background, and the red barn belongs to my old neighbors, The Dellingers.  When the bad weather would come in, the barn would disappear in a curtain of mist.  One day I began to wonder if it was still there, if it really still existed when I couldn't see it, and what might be in its place if it didn't.  Pretty deep thoughts for me, right?  I imagined a family, trapped in the 1940's living behind that curtain of mist -- and Henry Briggs was born.  The Clearing ended up being the book of my heart.  It's so gratifying to get letters from readers who connected with Amy and her journey and wished for a Henry Briggs of their own. 

So, how about the giveaway?

Comment each day to be entered to win The Clearing Farmhouse Prize Pack:

Signed Copy of The Clearing
Assorted Fine Teas
Briggs Family Biscuit Recipe
Biscuit Cutters
Cool Fortune-Tellers Tea Cup

We'll draw a winner on Sunday, June 19th from all the daily comments.  US and Canada winners only.  No purchase necessary to win, of course!

Today's question:

Who has been the most influential older person in your life so far?

 Good luck!

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Wherever You Go - Harcourt (Nov. 2011)
Sometimes by Moonlight: A Novella - eBook
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

Rita, Purina, and Romantic Times

First off, let me join in on the buzz and congrats for Bee Heather on her fabulous Rita Award nomination for her book, THE CLEARING. I adored this book from the second I started reading it and knew it was something special. So proud of Heather and wish her luck at the awards ceremony!



Secondly, I've entered a little contest of my own. My fiance, Patrick Burns, and I have done a video application to be Purina's first Cat Chow Correspondents. Check it out and leave a comment for us, if you will.



Thirdly, I'm getting ready to join everyone out in Los Angeles for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention where they're featuring teen reads. There's going to be a huge Teen day with book signings and speed reading "dates" with teen authors, as well as panels, discussions, giveaways, and more. My awesome publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has donated a ton of not only my GHOST HUNTRESS series, but also Heather's Rita nominated THE CLEARING. So exciting! And, I'm doing a ghost hunting basket giveaway including my series, my how-to book, some basic ghost hunting equipment and more fun stuff.

To celebrate all the good things going on, I'm going to give away an advanced copy of my upcoming May release, GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY.



Just leave a comment here in the trail or on my YouTube video, to be entered to win. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday.

Hugs,
Marley = )

www.marleygibson.com
www.ghosthuntress.com

Ghosts don't hang up their sheets after Halloween!
GHOST HUNTRESS series - The Awakening, The Guidance,
The Reason, The Counseling - available now!

YA Romances, How We Adore Thee

You might have already heard but if not, it's my great pleasure to announce that our own Buzz Girl Heather Davis's The Clearing has been nominated for the prestigious RITA award which is given by the Romance Writers of America at their national conference each summer. (Read Donna's post below for more info.) This is an epic accomplishment and we'll be celebrating all week long right here.

Since The Clearing is a YA romance (and if you haven't read it yet, you're in for a treat once you do) I thought I'd talk about what we all love about YA romances, whether realistic or paranoramal or sci fi or whatever you like to read.

Here's what my agent, Christina Hogrebe, has to say about what makes YA romance so fun to read: "[It captures the] intense feelings of awkwardness that surround all of the firsts. ... It's messy and embarrassing and scary and irrisistible."

I couldn't have said it better myself. I adore a story where awkwardness reigns, and where there's an exciting mystique to the beautiful ordeal of falling in love. Where the ending of the emotional trip isn't necessarily a wedding or even a desire to get married (as it oftentimes is in "adult" romances), but a new level of understanding and self-acceptance--a golden piece of the puzzle of life.

Here are some quotes I found that nicely portray teen love:

"Once in a while, right in the middle of ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale." ~ Author unknown

"There is a time for risky love. There is a time for extravagant gestures. There is a time to pour out your affections on one you love. And when the time comes, seize it, don't miss it." ~ Max Lucado

What do YOU like most about YA romances in general and the romance in The Clearing in particular?

What's New With Heather

Catching up week continues with Buzz Girl Heather, who filled me in on the latest doings and goings on in her world. Let's see what Heather had to say...

What are you working on?

Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on a new proposal. It’s a book about the closeness of sisters, a topic I haven’t really touched much in my work so far. I’m excited to be going deep and personal with this story, and of course, it has a touch of the supernatural. I also just sent back my page proofs for Wherever You Go, my next book for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. That’s the last call for changes and corrections before the actual book is printed. I’m working on things like bookmarks, interviews and other promotions for the book. And, very soon, I’ll be relaunching my website with a whole new look and feel that reflects where my fiction is going these days.

What’s coming up in 2011?

November 14th is the release date for Wherever You Go. It’s a book that deals with several family issues close to my heart: Alzheimer’s and teen depression. I’m hoping that the novel will give teen caregivers and families struggling with these problems hope and comfort. The story’s theme is “real love is seeing the people you love for who they are, not for who you wish they would be”. Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about the necessity of that practice -- of taking the time to honor the truth of our loved ones and ourselves. As you can probably guess, there are no car chases or explosions, but there is a ghost boy, wandering among the living while he tries to find his way to the light. And a wonderful Italian grandpa who I wish was real.

What about upcoming travels?

Like several other Bees, I’m attending the RT Booklovers Convention in LA this April. I can’t wait to interact with readers and meet some authors I admire. (No fan girl incidents a la Meg Cabot in Atlanta circa 2006, I promise!) It's going to be my first time there -- I have no idea how crazy that teen day might be, which is kind of exciting.

After that, I’ll be packing my bags for a much anticipated trip to Italy, where I’ll be writing some pages of the new book, riding some Vespas, eating way too much, and appreciating great art. I’ve been studying Italian since last September, so I’m excited to try it out in real life. I’m hoping to be able to blog from there -- we’ll see!

Wow, sounds like a fabulous year in store for Heather! Don't you think? Keep up with Heather on Twitter and stay turned for her website relaunch.

Remember to comment below (with a question or a thought or whatever) to be entered to win our fabulous St. Patrick's Day jewelery prize.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com

WINNERS!

Thanks to everyone for helping celebrate the paperback release of Never Cry Werewolf this week! And thanks to all the readers who commented for their chance to win a signed copy of the book.

And the winners are:

Ladytink_534
brendajean
Steph
Jessie Oliveros
Jenny N.

Please email me at heather(at)heatherdavisbooks.com with your mailing info.

Ahooooh!

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com

Great Expectations

Hooray for the new paperback version of NEVER CRY WEREWOLF by our own Heather Davis!

This week we're chatting about things that are better the second time around. The types of things that pop into my mind have to do with:

1. My taste changing with time.

For example, music, art, and food. Avocados used to gross me out, but now I find myself actually craving them, whether in salads, on sandwiches, or guacamole.

2. Being in a better or different mind set the 2nd time around.

You know, when you aren't really enjoying yourself because you're not in the right mood? For instance, vacations, books and movies. Vegas was a bit of a blur my first time, but the more I go, the more I explore and enjoy it. And sometimes a book or movie is better the 2nd time I read or watch it because I look at the details instead of just the big picture.

3. Knowing better what to expect and therefore being able to relax the 2nd time around. This is close to #2, but a little more specific. It is what happened to me with my first kiss.

Since I was older (almost 18) when I finally had my first REAL kiss, I'd been playing the moment over in my head for eons. And when it happened, I was so shocked, I literally fell over! I recently told this story on Nisha Sharma's blog, so if you want to read it, click HERE. But then, as can be predicted, subsequent kisses went much smoother--with him, as well as with future guys (Notice I didn't write "boyfriends" because I admit that when I got in college I kissed my share of random guys. ha!)

Want to win 1 of 5 signed copies of NEVER CRY WEREWOLF (in its new paperback version) by Buzz Girl Heather Davis? Of course you do! So leave a comment here, as well as on the other posts made this week, for a chance to win. Here's your prompt for today: What have you enjoyed more the 2nd time around 'cause you knew better what to expect?

Second Time Around: Book to Movie

What a great week...we're shouting out about the of the paperback release of Never Cry Werewolf by our own Heather Davis.



And, because of the second release, we're talking about something we loved even more in its second incarnation than the first.

For me...it's BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY by British author, Helen Fielding. I read this book in 2000 and it changed my life. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and, most of all, it made me want to quit talking about writing a book some day and make some day happen. This is the book that got me writing until I hit "The End."



It was because of the voice, the energy, and the characterization in this book that had me glued to the computer working on my own novel about a quirky, fun, friendly heroine.

Imagine my excitement when I found out the book was being made into a movie!



And not just any movie. A blockbuster! A hit! An iconic film for our time. I laughed all over again. I cried all over again. I watch it time and time again with fresh eyes each time. Renee Zellweger WAS Bridget. Colin Firth WAS Mark Darcy. And, Hugh Grant WAS Daniel Cleaver. Brilliantly brought to life on the big screen for my enjoyment.

The actors literally brought to life the already vividly written scenes like Bridget's dinner party with the blue soup, showing up at the Tarts and Vickers party as a Playboy bunny, her dieting, her friends, her bad habits...but my favorite scene that was brough to life was Mark and Daniel fighting over Bridget in the streets of London. CLASSIC.



And, of course, books made into movies are never really the same, so it was like getting another version of the book...still with the happy ending.



What's your favorite book-to-movie? Leave a comment to be eligible to win one of five (5) copies of Heather's book, NEVER CRY WEREWOLF that she's giving away.

Finally...the winners of last week's GHOST HUNTRESS: THE COUNSELING giveaway are:

petra
elaing8
donnas
chelleyreads
Louise
Kari
Lora1967

Please e-mail me at marley_gibson AT yahoo DOT com with your full name and mailing address. CONGRATS!

And congrats to Heather!

Hugs,

Marley = )

Second Time Around: Columbia

Hooray to Heather for the paperback release of her debut novel, Never Cry Werewolf. Because this is her book's second time around in the publishing world, all week we're talking about things that we loved even more the second time we experienced them. (Heather's also giving away books, but more on that later.)

When I first left for college in New York City, I was a few days shy of my 18th birthday. At just 17 I was ready to take on the big apple, to get an Ivy League degree and forge a path into whatever future I desired. For a while everything was great. I had awesome friends my freshman year, I (mostly) loved my classes, and had wonderful experiences in the greatest city in the world.

A few months into my sophomore year, so much had changed. I had a single room and suddenly my friend all felt too far away. I took the first class in my architecture degree, and I hated it. And then, after a fateful trip to the Dartmouth campus--beautiful, perfect, picturesque Dartmouth--I suddenly felt trapped by the city. I wanted fresh air and escape and trees. Lots and lots of trees.

Shortly after that I withdrew from Columbia and eventually transfered to the University of Colorado at Boulder. Fast forward a couple of years, and I'm applying to graduate schools. The one that floats to the top of the pile is, once again, Columbia. (Partly because they were the only school that accepted me, but that's another matter.) Once again, I packed my bags and headed to New York.

This time, though, things were different. I would only be there for two years--just a semester longer than I'd lasted the first time. I was a bit older and far more experienced, especially socially. I was studying a very specific field that I loved. I could tailor my classwork to my personal preferences. I had a fair amount of free time to explore museums and attend shows, often as part of my thesis research. In short, it was a wonderful experience.

Not that I didn't love New York the first time, but I definitely learned to appreciate the city and what it has to offer even more. And I now consider New York to be one of my hometowns--along with Boulder and Houston, all the places where I made the most progress on becoming myself.

Your turn to share. Have you ever done something that started out great, went a little wrong along the way, but then wound up awesome in the end? (FYI, I feel that way every time I write a book!) Comment for your chance to win one of five (5) copies of Never Cry Werewolf that Heather is giving away this week.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Second Time Around: Vacation

In celebration of the paperback release of Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis, we are talking are "the second time around" this week, or something we have loved even more in its second incarnation.

Which brought to mind this picture of me, taken the summer of '07, in Oahu:


If you look closely, you can see I am holding a copy of my critique partner, Kelly Parra's, book, Graffiti Girl, which I had brought along to reread.

That was my first time to Hawaii. Because I am not naturally a bathing suit wearing island girl, I had put the 50th state low on travel list, and only pretty much went because it interested my family. Well...of all of us, I think I was the one most blown away by the gorgeous beaches, rolling hills, sunsets, laid-back atmosphere, and adding becoming a total fangirl for LOST, I have been bugging my husband ever since to take me back.

And since next month we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, can you think of a better place for a get-away? Maui, here we come!

How about you? Is there a vacation spot you've visited once that you're itching to return to? (Or barring that, a place you're dying to go to?)

A comment below will make you automatically entered to win one of FIVE copies of Heather's paperback release!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, 2010 Rita® Finalist
How to Hook a Hottie, 2009 Rita® Finalist
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

Release Week for Never Cry Werewolf in Paperback!

Hello and ahhooooooooh!

It's Sunday, and that means is the kick-off day for my first book Never Cry Werewolf's paperback release!

I'll be giving away five signed copies of the paperback, so please comment on each Buzz Girl's post and we'll each announce winners at the end of the week.
Contest is open to US and Canada residents, 13 and over.

So, the theme of this Release Week is the second time around. What did you enjoy or appreciate better the second time you experienced it?

For me, this one is so easy! It's all about food.

Just last night, I had one of my favorites - beets. I can remember totally hating them when I was younger and first encountered the ruby-colored beauties. My dad was from farm country in Kansas and he'd boil up beets on the stove for pickling. The whole house would get this earthy, then vinegarey smell that made me go, ugh! I was so not into boiled beets.

Then, years later, I encountered beets of the roasted variety. Roasted beets on a yummy salad of argula and goat cheese. Swoon! They were drizzled with olive oil and balsamic, not overly sugarey and tasted like earth in a good way. This was definitely not the horrid vegetable I had once despised. I fell in love with beets at second bite and we've never parted since. And now, I know there are golden beets, too - which are also super yummy.

So how about you? Did you hate a food when you were younger that now delights you? Please post in comments to be entered to win a copy of the book!

Ahoooooh!

Heather

http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/

Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen 9/7/10

The Clearing - HMH Graphia - Now

Wherever You Go - Harcourt Fall 2011

And the Suddenly Summer Giveaway Winner is...

Thanks to everyone who commented to win a signed copy of my book, The Clearing, this week!

I'm so happy everyone has something to celebrate and touched by the intensity and diversity of all those things that are happening in your lives! Wow - big beginnings and endings..!




Ok.... so the random winner this time around is:



lostinbelieving



I'll be in touch soon, lost, to get your mailing deets. Off to finish revisions on the new book. Hope you're all enjoying the summer!



hugs,



Heather
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/

Suddenly Summer Giveaway!

It's suddenly summer! Finally the temperature will be almost 90 in the Seattle area. It's time to get out the flip-flops, slather on sunscreen, and... edit my new book.

Yep, although the weather is great, I've been inside revising my draft of Wherever You Go, my new book for Harcourt for fall 2011.

It's a book packed with characters in transition - a ghost boy, a girl caring for her grandfather with Alzheimer's, a guy who's lost his very best friend on the planet. As I'm writing this book, I've been working with the idea that guys are very emotional; they're just not encouraged to show that side of themselves. The loss and love they feel is no smaller than anything women experience. The hurt and the joy can be just as big as anything we go through.

I'm in the home stretch, which is so great to report. And there was no bigger satisfaction than to write "The End" on the last page of the draft - especially with my awesome bf across from me at the coffee shop during my writing fest.

THE SUDDENLY SUMMER GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate the beginnning of summer and the approaching end of this revising round one - I'd like to giveway a signed copy of The Clearing - my first book for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

To enter, comment about something worth celebrating - an end or a beginning - and I'll choose a winner Sunday 7/11.

Until then, enjoy the sun!

Heather
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/
Wherever You Go - Fall 2011 Harcourt
The Clearing - April 2010 HMH
Never Cry Werewolf - 09/2009 Harperteen

On the Road Again...

I’m getting ready for yet another trip, and the familiar feeling of having too-much-to-do is starting to hit me again. Packing is so not my thing. Neither is getting up early to head to the airport. I’m not so much for dragging heavy suitcases, either. And don’t get me started about waiting in long lines at the airport, or that anxious feeling that hits my stomach before we take off.

What I am into is getting there.

Once I’ve checked in at the hotel, I’m starting to feel ok. Then, if I’m in a town or city I’ve been before, I make a beeline to nearby haunts – like the place that serves my favorite slice of pizza in Midtown, my favorite plate lunch shack on Oahu, the joint that has the best tacos in Portland. The comfort of familiar places and food calms my travel nerves. Yummy food is somehow a home when I'm far away.

So what if I go to a new destination? Well, I immediately find a favorite food place. When I was in Dallas for a conference with buzz girl Dona a few years ago, I didn’t feel at home until she texted me one morning on my way out of a workshop -- “Found cheap a$$ food! Two streets away at diner!” After being dismayed by the cost of restaurants nearby the hotel, we suddenly had our breakfast place, and everything was right with the world. (And we had pancakes!)

How do you make yourself comfortable when you travel? Can you related to my food location trick? Do you pack pictures of family, friends, or pets to display by your bedside? Do you bring your own pillow? A favorite book to get you through the trip?

I’d love to have some travel tips to pack to today.

Hugs,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

The Clearing – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Never Cry Werewolf – HarperTeen

Wherever You Go – Harcourt Fall 2011

P.S. That photo of my kitty is not staged! She is having a sit-in to protest my packing.

The Greatest Lie I keep Telling...

It's Thursday and we're continuing the celebration of release week for Buzz Girl Stephanie Hale's new book, The Alpha Bet.

In celebration of her book about lies told... we are dishing about lies this week on the blog. You've heard some whoppers already - I mean, who can beat Tina's story about being a made-up physicist leading to meeting her true love - but I wanted to talk about a different kind of lie.

Did you ever see the movie The Usual Suspects? It's one of my favorites and has one of the best endings ever written in Hollywood. In the movie, Kevin Spacey says a line something like, "The greatest lie the devil ever told was convincing mankind that he didn't exist." It's a prophetic statement because it has much to do with the unfolding plot, but it also seems to point to a bigger idea about the world.

So what's your greatest lie ever told?

The longer I live, the more I realize the greatest lie ever told (and continue to tell!) is, "I can handle this on my own." How many times have I said those words, only to realize that I need my friends, family, and other folks to help me handle something.

Sometimes it's a good lie. Seriously, for perfectionists or overachievers, the lie that everything's fine and it's all going to work out, is almost a necessary mantra. It's part of optimism, a little bit of ego that helps you push through whatever task is at hand. The part that comes as a surprise is just how much you do need other people to help you get the job done. And, even more surprising is the fact that even though you are nowhere near perfect, it's okay to let them see you in your imperfection. They want to help you. And, P.S. -- they already know you're not perfect!

Need an example? Picture me baking four dozen buttermilk biscuits the night before my launch party for The Clearing and trying to manage those along with the other snacks, getting into a cute dress, preparing my talk, and packing for a vacation that was supposed to happen the very next day. When my handsome entourage of one came to pick me up, I just about collapsed into his arms from the sheer relief.

The reality is that you need your loved ones to help you out. You need your friends to cheer you across the finish line. Sometimes, I need reminding.

CONTEST:

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the lie that you can handle something on your own?

Post in comments a few words about telling the "I got this" fib and then realizing you needed help. How did it turn out? Post your story and I'll draw a winner this weekend for a copy of Steph's fun new book!

Hugs,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

Wherever You Go - Harcourt - Coming in Fall 2011

The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

The Winners!

We have had a super fun week talking about time travel fantasies in celebration of the release of The Clearing.

Now it is time to announce the winners of a signed copy!

Tetewa
(Please e-mail your contact information to heather@heatherdavisbooks.com.)

Elizabeth Briggs
(Please e-mail your contact information to heather@heatherdavisbooks.com as well as to tlc@teralynnchilds.com to let her know if you want a signed copy of Oh.My.Gods or Goddess Boot Camp).

Jessy
(Please e-mail your contact information to heather@heatherdavisbooks.com as well as to marley_gibson AT yahoo DOT com and let her know if you want a signed copy of Ghost Huntress: The Guidance or Christmas Miracles).

GirlforChrist
(Please e-mail your contact information to heather@heatherdavisbooks.com.)

Samantha R.
(Please e-mail your contact information to heather@heatherdavisbooks.com as well as to stephanie@stephaniehale.com for a signed copy of The Alpha Bet.)

Jessica Rabbit
(Please e-mail your contact information to heather@heatherdavisbooks.com.)

Congrats to the winners...and to those of you who entered my contest two weeks ago called “How to Encourage an Author,” check back tomorrow for two more winners’ names!

Time Machine Time!

This has been such a fun week, learning what time period and place people would like to experience. And how exciting that this is the launch week for Heather Davis's The Clearing! I don't know about you all, but I'm very excited to read it. And this week, six lucky commenters will win it!

Now, what time period and place would I like to visit if I could? I'm really bad at these type of questions because I analyze them way too much and keep changing my mind and make a whole production out of something that should probably be easy. For instance, would it be for just a day, or would I be stuck there for a long time? So I'm just going to pretend that it's only for a short time so I can be braver with my answer.

I'd like to go back to the beginning of the Renaissance, specifically 14th century in Tuscany. Hopefully I'd survive the Black Death plague and get to put my two cents in when it came to new intellectual, artistic, philosophical, and religious views.

Other time periods/places I would like to visit are: The Wild Wild West of America, mid to late 1800s, for the cute cowboys; Paris in the 1960s for the grooviness; and Bethel, NY, Aug. 15-18, 1969 for Woodstock.

What time period or historical event would you like to visit?

Time Travel: Changing History

I just want to say how proud I am of Heather for her new book THE CLEARING. It's on order for me and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Time travel has always fascinated me. I love movies with it (hello...SOMEWHERE IN TIME) and action sequences (STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME) and just the idea of it in general. Particularly...I wonder, if I went back in time and did even the slightest thing...would I alter history? Would I change my own existence?

Like...what if you went back in time and stopped Eve from eating the apple from the snake. What then?



What if you went back in time and warned the Titanic captain not to speed up and that there were iceburgs up ahead?



What if you went back in time and told Abraham Lincoln not to go to the theatre that night?



What if you went back in time and killed Hitler before he came to power?



(UGH...hate even putting that man's picture on the block. He still creeps me out!)

What if you went back in time and warned JFK not to ride in an open convertible through downtown Dallas?



Or happier things...like...

What if you went back in time and bet on the 1986 World Series outcome or told poor Bill Buckner to actually field ball?



What if you went back in time and invested all of your money into Microsoft before it took off to be the company it is today?



What if you went back in time and met your own parent in a freak car accident that caused them to not ask your future parent to the school dance? (LOL...I love BACK TO THE FUTURE.)



They say everything happens for a reason and, say, if you killed Hitler, then there would just have been another person like him to come along and maybe cause even worse events in history. It's that whole space/time continuum that the science fiction movies are so good at portraying.

Contest

Now, for your chance to win a copy of Heather's new release, The Clearing, and a copy of GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE or my CHRISTMAS MIRACLES book, and to clock another 50 cent donation from Heather to Teen Feed, then comment with your answer to this question:

If you could time travel to another time and alter an historical event, what would it be and why?

Hugs,
Marley = )

Ghosts don't hang up their sheets on November 1st

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON - on sale now!