Teen Read Week!

It's mid-October and just week and a half from Halloween. Yay! But an even cooler celebration happens this time of year --ALA's Teen Read Week. To celebrate we're posting about it all week long on BBB.

Today, I'm remembering my early teens, when books were the salvation and the escape from the horrible world of school life. My dad was a teacher at the local high school, which was only three blocks from my middle school. So, I would ride into work with him and then trek over to my m.s. on foot. I was often early, so I hid out in the library, working my way through a ton of mysteries and spy books. In the afternoon, I'd be subjected to riding home on the bus with the gross boys, bullies, mean girls, etc. But those mornings, when it was just me, the librarian, and a written world of escape, were precious.

I recently got a reader letter from a girl who'd enjoyed Never Cry Werewolf. She said that she loved the book because it helped her escape from the awful world of middle school. Isn't that cool and funny? That what I once treasured about others' books, this girl treasured about mine? I wrote back that my respite used to be reading in middle school, too - but now I used writing to find that same escape.

Reading is unlike any other activity I know. Readers and writers escape together in some way. We're both invested in the worlds we're creating in our minds and on the pages. I think that's a beautiful thing and it changed my life, starting in my teen years.

So how did you come to reading as a teen? What was or is your favorite place to escape with a book?

Happy Teen Read Week!

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Wherever You Go - Harcourt, Fall 2011

Ghost Huntress Spotted "in the wild!"

Whooohooo!! Well, the "official" release date on GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON isn't until May 6th, but there are reports of the book being seen and bought out in the wild.

Here's Shelby-Nicole Holt with her copy. She just happens to be a major character in book three. Her mom, Mary, bought naming rights to a character at a charity fundraiser auction in December 2008 at the Queen Mary for Erin Gray's Haven House. Mary paid $500 to have Shelby's name in the book, so I thought I better do it up right.



And here's another fan, Emmanuelle Dessureault with her freshly-purchased copy.



And finally, a buzz reader, Stephanie, sent in this pic of her and the book.



Thanks so much to everyone who's buying the book! And please send me picks if you see it anywhere!

Hugs,
Marley = )

Is It Spring Yet?

It’s not even the end of January, and I’m already craving spring. It’s raining all the time, of course – and down in California, the rain is really, really bad for peeps like Tina, living up in the fire-scarred hills. Hugs to Tina! I’m so sorry your family is dealing with this flooding again. Sending you love…

Up here in the Northwest, it’s just steady, dripping, depressing rain. That does mean snow in the mountains, so people who ski and snowboard have a completely different take on the whole weather thing than I do.

It is a perfect time to read though. The rain, dark evenings, fireplaces, hot tea or coffee brewing nearby, make me want to get to some of the really fun books in my to-be-read pile. Of course, I’m in the middle of judging a contest, so I’m ready contest entries instead of books.

I did start Carlos is Gonna Get it by Kevin Emerson a week or so ago and I can’t wait to get back to it. I’m halfway through and it’s really, really good. I’m using it like dessert now – a chapter for reward when I’ve finished my contest reading.

How about you? I’d love to see what everyone’s reading during this dreary end of winter. Please post in comments what you’re reading!

Who knows, maybe you’ll lead us to a new gem to pick up at the bookstore or library…

Hugs,


Heather
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/
The Clearing – April 2010 HMH
Never Cry Werewolf – Sept 2009 HarperTeen

Books By Our New Bee

The Wendy welcoming week continues! Yesterday, Tina told us about Wendy's upcoming book. Today, I get the honor of telling you about the two books she already has out. (And such fun!)


The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren

Geeky to gorgeous in sixty seconds...

Roxy's about to turn sixteen, but life isn't so sweet. As a band geek, Roxy can barely get the cute guys to notice her, much less go out with her. Then, on her birthday, Roxy is transformed into a siren: seductively beautiful with the power to control all men. She thought sirens were an ancient myth, but suddenly Roxy can get any guy she wants with just a few notes on her flute.

There are only two rules: don't tell anyone about being a siren, and don't fall in love. When she starts dating Zach, the guy everybody's crushing on, Roxy realizes she could get used to this siren thing...but how can she keep herself from falling in love?



Like it? Order it!


Miss Match

Has this miss finally found her match?

Sasha Finnegan has always had a knack for setting people up, and at sixteen, she's turned her talent into an online business, molding high school crushes into true love.

But Sasha finds her toughest match yet when hottie Derek Urban asks her to set him up with Sasha's gorgeous sister, Maddie. It's not that Derek isn't a good catch. In fact, after spending so much time with him, Sasha can't help but think he's perfect -- for her, that is.

Can Sasha push her feelings aside for the sake of her business? Or has this miss finally found her match?

Like it? Order it!

Winner of The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
YA Vampire Books
Congratulations! Send your mailing info to tlc at teralynnchilds dot com.

And don't forget to comment on today's post (and every post this week) for a chance to with a $10 gift card from Borders.

Hugs,
TLC

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

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!)

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!

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

Happy Thursday!

In just two days, this Bee will be leaving the hive for some R & R. Is a vacay something one should tweet about? I'm totally sold on Facebook -- love it, in fact. I adore seeing what people are doing and thinking and I like how I can drop into the app on my phone anytime I am bored. But I haven't made the jump to Twitter. How about you guys?

I haven't used Twitter yet, and I'm a little skeptical. Isn't there something kinda weird about sending missives to digest an experience in the midst of that experience? I mean, here in the NW, we have a church that encourages its tweeters to tweet during and about the sermon. How are they supposed to absorb the sermon if they are tweeting in the midst of it, though? And what about other daily life experiences -- is it valuable to be tweeting about shopping while you're shopping? Unless maybe your friend is shopping across town and gets a tip from your tweet?

Isn't there something cool about having a unique experience and then thinking about it and writing something about it? Maybe we are becoming a society addicted to instant reaction -- needing to get the word out about something before the something is even over... I'm not sure, so I'm asking you guys: How many of you use Twitter to either tweet or follow other tweeters? Does it lessen or heighten the experience of the tweet topic for you? What kinds of things do you think are tweetable?

Hugs and tweets,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

NEVER CRY WEREWOLF ~ HarperTeen Sept 2009

THE CLEARING ~ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt April 2010

Awesome new YA book!!!

I have to brag.

I'm not a mother, but I'm a mother hen. And when a good friend has an amazing accomplishment, I have to gush just like she's a kid of mine.

My friend and critique parter, Wendy Toliver, has just debuted her new YA romantic comedy entitled MISS MATCH and it's just the most adorable book. I had the priviledge of reading this book in the early stages...before it was even bought. And let me tell you...what a fun, satisfying, heartwarming read this is.



Sasha Finnegan has always had a knack for setting people up, and at sixteen, she's turned her talent into an online business, molding high school crushes into true love. But Sasha finds her toughest match yet when hottie Derek Urban asks her to set him up with Sasha's gorgeous sister, Maddie. It's not that Derek isn't a good catch. In fact, after spending so much time with him, Sasha can't help but think he's perfect -- for her, that is. Can Sasha push her feelings aside for the sake of her business? Or has this miss finally found her match?

To celebrate Wendy's new release, I'm going to give away a copy of the book to our loyal Books, Boys, Buzz readers. Just leave a comment in the stream telling us about any matchmaking you or a friend has done in your life. Winner will be announced next Wednesday.

Congrats to Wendy!! Love ya, hon!!

Hugs,
Marley = )

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE (Coming October 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON (Coming May 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
CHRISTMAS MIRACLES (Coming October 2009, St. Martin's Press)
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available from Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available from Puffin Books)

Christmas/Hanukkah Giveaway!

Could we *be* any prouder of Simone here at Books, Boys, Buzz with her awesome new release, PERFECT CHEMISTRY? We probabaly could be, but then we'd be busting all of the buttons off our clothes from the pride! Huge congrats to Simone on her release!!! Can't wait for Amazon.com to deliver my copy.



And you, too, can have your very own SIGNED copy of the book. My Christmas/Hanukkah present to one of our awesome readers! All you have to do is leave holiday greetings in the comments trail...as many times as you'd like. No limit to the entries this time! What they hay...it's the holidays! Cheers and glad tidings all around.



Here's wishing you and yours an awesome holiday season and all good things for 2009! Thanks for supporting the Buzz Girls and we're looking forward to an awesome New Year!

Big hugs,
Marley = )

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE (Coming October 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON (Coming May 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available from Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available from Puffin Books)

Gone to the Beach...

Ahhh...vacation. What can I say? It's the end of summer, which calls for one more fling with the sun and surf. One more chance to get my skin golden brown and delicious to get me through the pasty-white New England winter. Fortunately, Tropical Storm Fay decided not to mess with my vacay too much and I have been happily floating in the pool, enjoying the sun, reading good books, and (hopefully) writing one. Couldn't ask for a better time.

And while I was in Daphne, Alabama, visiting the parentals, I stopped in at the local Barnes & Noble to sign stock of my books SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA? and SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS. I was thrilled when then manager said he'd display them at the featured counter...next to a triva book about my Crimson Tide that he said is "flying" off the shelf.



While I was there, I checked out some of my friend's books!

Here's Tera Lynn's book...



And BOTH of Stephanie's books...



But my favorite view of all...the view from my beach house. Ahhhh...does it get any better than this?



What are you going to do to celebrate (mourn?) the end of summer? Let us know!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available Now! Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available Now! Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

Ladies and Gentleman...Dona Sarkar!

The crowd goes WILD for Dona Sarkar!



And why not? Her second novel, SHRINK TO FIT is out and available for purchase. We're so proud of our Buzz Girl, Dona, and all of her accomplishments.

I met Dona in 2004 at the RWA Conference in Dallas, Texas. She won me over with her enthusiasm and dedication to her writing. I was tickled pink when she sold her first book, HOW TO SALSA IN A SARI.

Here she is with fellow Buzz Girl, Heather Davis, during our Buzz in YA panel at Nationals in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago:



And a writer's gotta eat, you know! Here's Heather, Dona, and Tera Lynn at our lunch at The Thai King. (Has anyone blogged out the robbery we witnessed? let me tell you, Buzz Girls are something to be reckoned with when apprehending a suspect! LOL!!)



Dona stopped my table at the Literacy Signing to visit:



Doesn't Dona look stunning in her electric blue cocktail dress during the Ritas?



Why would anyone even attempt to stand next to Dona in a picture? LOL!



All this is to say that I'm proud to call Dona a friend and I'm so thrilled about her new book, SHRINK TO FIT. I hope everyone goes out and gets it as it's a really strong story that will resonate with teens.

And to spice things up, I'm going to give away a copy of Dona's book to one lucky winner! Just post a comment in the message trail about what you love about teen books. Feel free to enter as many times as you'd like. Winner will be announced next week.



Congrats, Dona!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available Now! Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available Now! Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

The Twilight Series...can't get enough!

Borrowing a theme from the tres fabulous Kristen Painter, I can't tell you how excited I am about the upcoming TWILIGHT movie, based on the book by Stephanie Meyer.

When the book first came out, I avoided it as "just another vampire book" (so sorry to everyone writing vamp books, but hey, I'm an Anne Rice fan and just didn't know how anyone else could do it better than her Vampire Chronicles.) I had mixed reviews from friends who either loved, loved, loved it or hated, hated, hated it. I have to say, it was one of the "hated it" conversations that peaked my curiousity to the point of having to read this book because this person and I usually agree on books. So, I picked up TWILIGHT...and couldn't put it down.

Ummm...one word: Wow.

Aside from wanting to desperately edit down the book by about a hundred pages (sorry, it's the writer in me...LOL!), I was hooked. Or bitten. Or smitten. Any of it. All of it. The writing. The emotion. The characters. The world. Again...wow. I jumped in feet first.

I read NEW MOON just about as fast and am about a hundred pages from finishing ECLIPSE just in time for the August 1st release of the fourth and final book, BREAKING DAWN.

And on December 12th, the movie version of TWILIGHT will be released in the theatres. I am soooooooooo there! Check out the trailers.


I have to admit that while reading the books, I always imagined Evan Rachel Wood in the role of Bella Swan. However, the casting of Kristen Stewart as Bella works just fine for me. I think she's going to do a fabulous job. British-born actor, Robert Pattinson of Harry Potter fame, has been cast to play Edward. I have to say (going back to Kristen's post) that I'm a little surprised by the casting as he's not *as* gorgeous as Edward is portrayed in the book. Also, they've got him powdered up and white as a sheet in all the promo pictures, which I hope isn't as stark in the movie. Yes, yes, yes...I know he's a stone, cold, pale vampire, but the powdering up seems a bit over the top.

Taylor Lautner will play Jacob Black. Not bad casting...although Latner is only 5'9" and isn't Jacob 6'7" in the books? Oh, and I think it's cool that James is played by Cam Gigandet who played Volchok on THE O.C., the guy responsible for Marissa's death. Always thought he was a good villain, so he'll do well as James.

In any case, I can't wait to see how the movie turns out. I will be one of the first in line on December 12th!

What are your thoughts on the TWILIGHT series? What do you think of the casting? Have you pre-ordered BREAKING DAWN?

Hugs,
Marley = )



SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available Now! Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available Now! Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS SERIES (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

Buzz Girl Sightings

On my recent trip to Vegas, I had to hunt down Buzz Girl books in every bookstore. I found them at every turn!

In one of the bookstores at the Denver International Airport...

Buzz Girl Tina and Marley's books, face out on the same shelf...

... and Dona on another.

Steph's debut at the jazzy new Borders on the south side of Vegas ...

... along with Simone's debut. (And yes, that's Tina's book hiding off to the right.)

A girl just can't go anywhere without finding the Buzz Girls by her side. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hugs,
TLC

A Day in the Life: Boys in Books

Okay...I'll admit that I've been sitting here since about Wednesday trying to figure out what I was going to post today. I'm not a mom, so I know nothing about a day in the life of teenage boys (although, my friend Mel sent me an awesome e-mail about the many variations of farting that her teenage boys go through over the course of the day), I thought I would simply post about my favorite fictional boys and what they go through in a day.

First book I've got to start with is TWILIGHT.



Stephanie Meyer does a great job painting Edward Cullen in such a vivid way that you feel everything he's going through on a daily basis. Because of him being a vampire, he has to live in cloudy environment to help shade the sun from him. He also has to hide his vampiric ways from his classmates and the townspeople. Edward is such a beautiful, tortured soul. But he loves Bella without pause.

Next, I have to say how much I love the boys in Jenn Echols' THE BOYS NEXT DOOR.



Lori has been crushing on Sean for forever, but his little brother, Adam, is the true boy for her. A day in the life for them is hanging out at the lake water boarding. Jenn does such an amazing job writing the emotions the Lori is struggling with thinking she's getting the guy of her dreams while being swept away by the guy she's always dreamed about. Jenn Echols can write a kissing scene...let me tell you what!

And finally, our own Simone Elkeles' LEAVING PARADISE.



Caleb is a hero among heros. Most of all, he's deeply flawed...but that's what makes you love him so much. See, Caleb served time for a car accident that left Maggie crippled. When Caleb comes back to town, it's torture for Maggie...until the two of them find each other. A day in the life consists of trying to catch up on his life that he's missed, as well as being over-protective of Maggie, due to her injury. It's a beautiful love story and Caleb leaps off the page as 3D hero.

So, who are your favorite boy heroes? Let us know!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (May 2008, Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (May 2008, Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Begins May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

Pick My Favorite (WIN WIN WIN)

Sunday girl, here, to close out the "Favorite Line From Our Books" week. (Psst, next week is "Favorite Group We Were In" week, in honor of Steph Hale's new release, TWISTED SISTERS. Ha ha, Tina, beat you to it!) Anyway, so I'm supposed to present my favorite line from OH. MY. GODS. But that's hard! I mean, how do I go through a book that took hours upon hours of blood, sweat, and tears (great band, btw) to write, and pick just one favorite line?

Well ... I couldn't. I picked three instead.


Favorite Line #1: The original opening. In OH. MY. GODS., California girl Phoebe Castro is about to start her senior year at the same L.A. school she's gone to since Kindergarten, where she has her two best friends (Nola and Cesca) and she's the superstar of the cross-country team. Then her mom returns from a family reunion in Greece with a fiance and announces they're moving to the tiny, practically uninhabited island of Serfopoula. In the original opening, Phoebe has just found this out before the story starts and is complaining to her bffs. (In the final version, this line is on page 10.)

"Who's ever even heard of Serfopoula anyway?"

Favorite Line #2: The current opening. During the revision process, my editor and I decided we needed to see Phoebe in her L.A. element before throwing her for a loop with the whole moving-to-Greece thing. Instead of opening with her whining, we open with her about to win the final race at the USC cross-country camp. (Right before Mom shows up to ruin everything.)

When I'm running I can almost feel my dad at my side.

Favorite Line #3: This is the line the shifts Phoebe's world completely off tilt. She and her mom are on the boat to Serfopoula when Damian, her new stepdad, shares some surprising information about the the "benefactors" of the school she's about to attend--the ultra-exclusive Academy where he is the headmaster.

"There is little the Greek gods cannot do when they choose to act."

There they are, my three favorite lines. (At least, the three that aren't also spoilers.) But I can't decide which one is my ultimate favorite ... so I'd like you to.

But Tera, you say, the title says WIN WIN WIN. You haven't said anything about winning yet. What can we win?

Greedy, aren't we?

Okay, okay. Everyone who comments with their pick for the favorite of my favorites will be entered in a drawing to win an advanced galley copy of OH. MY. GODS! (If you win, then you can pick your own favorite line.) You have until midnight Monday, Pacific time.

Let the winning begin.

Hugs,
TLC
OH. MY. GODS. -- Dutton, available May 1st!
teralynnchilds.com

Book Picks to Read in Fire and Ice

Ten Books to Read in Fire


Looking for the perfect beach read? Dreaming ahead to a summer filled with sun, sand, surf, and pages? Well, here are some beach-worthy books to toss in your tote, sunscreen not included.

1. Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott
   
2. Cruel Summer by Kylie Adams
3. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
   
4. The Au Pairs by Melissa de la Cruz
5. A-List by Zoey Dean
6. South Beach by Aimee Friedman
   
7. Pool Boys by Erin Haft
   
8. Secrets of a South Beach Princess by Mary Kennedy
9. Laguna Cove by Alyson Noel
10. Chicks Ahoy by Lynda Sandoval

Ten Books to Read in Ice


Glad that winter is still hanging on? Want to hang onto it a little longer? Pick up these cool-weather books, fix yourself a cup of hot cocoa, and prepare to keep the chill alive even while the world outside begins to thaw.

1. Icing on the Lake by Catherine Clark
2. My Life as a Snow Bunny by Kaz Delaney
3. Chalet Girls series by Emily Franklin
4. The Finnish Line by Linda Gerber
5. Snowed In by Rachel Hawthorne
6. Love on the Lifts by Rachel Hawthorne
7. Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley
8. Secret Santa by Sabrina James
9. Oblivion Road by Alex McAuley
10. Kissing Snowflakes by Abby Sher

So there you go, a broad selection of books--in no particular order--to suit every season. What books would you pack for the shore and the slopes?

Hugs,
TLC
OH. MY. GODS. -- Dutton, May 2008
teralynnchilds.com

Curious for George

Happy Saturday from snowy, snowy Boston. Hope where you are is a lot warmer!

I woke up (late this morning -- loves my sleeping in time on Saturday!) and decided I needed to do a little dusting. I worked my way over to my secretary that I inherited from my grandparents. Here, I keep all of my "old" and "valuable" books - like a 1964 printing of GONE WITH THE WIND and some of my books from my childhood.



Today, I was particularly drawn to a couple of books on the end: CURIOUS GEORGE GOES TO THE HOSPITAL and CURIOUS GEORGE LEARNS THE ALPHABET. These came out the year I was born and I remember reading them so much that the covers came loose.



I turned to the front of the book to see who the publisher was (like any curious author) and irony of irony....it hit me...George's publisher is also my publisher... Houghton Mifflin Company here in Boston. Coincidence? I think not! Amazing that books...and a character who meant so much in my childhood are produced, even today, by the very publisher who bought my GHOST HUNTRESS series.

Isn't he just the cutest?



Do you have a favorite childhood book that has stayed with you? What is it?

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (May 2008, Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (May 2008, Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Begins May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

Introducing ... Griffin

After interviewing Phoebe via IM chat, I decided it was worth the international charges to actually call Griffin (aka the dark brooding bad boy maybe-hero of OH. MY. GODS.). Besides, he's not the most talkative guy so I figured it wouldn't be a multi-hour conversation. [Here's the pic of Tom Welling from my dream cast list.]


TLC: Hi Griffin! How's it going?

Griffin: Fine.

TLC: [waiting for more] Um, okay. So why don't you tell the readers a little more about yourself. They're here to learn about you, after all.

Griffin: Like what?

TLC: Like... anything. We already know you're a descendant of Ares and H--

Griffin: Hey, privileged info. Don't spread that around.

TLC: Oh, I forgot. But you know everybody's going to find out as soon as they read the book, right?

Griffin: [probably clenching his jaw] Yeah. I know.

TLC: Alright. For now we'll stick to the common knowledge. So what's it like being a descendant of Ares? He's the god of war. Does that mean you like to fight a lot?

Griffin: No. It's not that simple.

TLC: Sometimes you do have a bit of a temper...

Griffin: Who doesn't? But war isn't his only area of expertise. Ares is also the patron god of athletics.

TLC: Which brings up something you and Phoebe have in common: running. You guys are getting off to a bit of a rough start, but admit it. You kinda like her.

Griffin: I don't know what you're talking about.

TLC: Your Aunt Lili adores her.

Griffin: [silence]

TLC: Just wait until your running date--

Griffin: It's not a date.

TLC: --tomorrow. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve.

Griffin: Great. Look, I need to go. I promised Aunt Lili I'd help her decorate some cupcakes for bake sale.

TLC: [snicker]

Griffin: What?

TLC: Nothing. That's cute.

Griffin: Later. [click]

Well, that is apparently the end of my interview with Griffin. Get his full story in OH. MY. GODS., coming in May from Dutton Children’s Books. The as-yet-untitled (and un-revised) sequel is slated for Spring ’09. (I haven't told Griffin about that yet. He can sweat it for a while.)

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. -- Dutton, May 2008
teralynnchilds.com

Interviewing the guys from SORORITY 101

Happy Saturday to everyone! It's a cold winter day here, but I have some warm (good looking) faces: the guys from SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA? and SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS. Since the books aren't out yet and we don't want to give too much away, we'll see what the guys are up to and what you have to look forward to... We've got DeShawn Pritchard, David "Tiger" Harrison, and Lance McManus.

ME: Hey guys! Thanks for joining me today!

LANCE: Hey.

DESHAWN: What up?

TIGER: Thanks for having us.

ME: Introduce yourself and tell our readers something about you.

DESHAWN: I'm a sophomore at Latimer and I'm a running back for the Red Raiders. I'm majoring in architecture and I have a couple of classes with Lora-Leigh Sorenstein. She's pretty cool, but I have to stay focused on football and don't really have time for girls, even if they are cute.

LANCE: I'm on the Latimer swim team and spend most of my time between class and the natatorium. Roni Van Gelderen and I have had some interesting races in the pool. She's an amazing swimmer.

TIGER: David here. I'm on the Latimer golf team, so my fraternity brothers call me Tiger. I'm a sophomore in Phi Omicron Chi. I met Jenna on her first day of class. What a cutie she is! She's a lot of fun and I can't wait to hang more with her.

ME: Now...all three of you make your appearance in ZETA OR OMEGA?, but the book's really about the girls mostly. How do you feel taking a back seat to the ladies?

LANCE: Well, we're in THE NEW SISTERS a lot and readers really get to know us.

DESHAWN: (shrugs) I'm focused on football, like I said. Winning the game and getting seen by pro scout. That's what matters.

TIGER: I have a bigger role in ZETA OR OMEGA? so, you know, whatever. It's just great to be around such fun girls and help tell their stories.

ME: DeShawn, Lora-Leigh tells me that you also have a real talent in art. Can you tell us about that?

DESHAWN: (shrugs again) It is what it is, you know? You need to know how to draw if you're an architect, so it blends together. If I get in the NFL, I can't live off that forever. I just want to be able to make some good money and take care of my family since they've taken care of me.

ME: That's really great. Tiger, are you going to do anything with golf in the future?

TIGER: Not sure. Right now, I just like hanging with the guys and doing stuff at the frat house. I figure I've got the rest of this year to sort of figure out where I'm going.

ME: And Lance, what's your major?

LANCE: I'm studying Criminal Justice right now and I love my Geography class, as well. I'm with Tiger over here, college is great and I'm just trying to enjoy the exeperience and meeting so many new people.

ME: Thanks guys! One last question: who'd play you in a movie?

DESHAWN: (laughs and smiles) My man, Tyrese.



LANCE: Roni makes a reference to me being Clark Kent-ish, so I guess Brandon Routh.



TIGER: I've been told that I look like that guy on THE O.C. You know, Ryan Atwood.

ME: Benjamin McKenzie?

TIGER: Yeah, that's him.



ME: I agree with all three. Okay, guys! Thanks for your time. I hope our readers will look forward to reading more about you in the sorority books, available May 1, 2008. Thanks!

Marley = )
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (May 2008, Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (May 2008, Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Begins May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)