Kristina Springer

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

Don't Facebook and Fly

2012-02-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

A Dutch Airline will soon be offering passengers a chance to pick who they want to sit by based on their facebook profiles. Uh huh. I don't think I like this. For one, if I'm on a flight I just want to get somewhere. I don't want someone to target me and sit by me for nine hours on our way to Paris (I'm dreaming big) because we both found the chubby cat sitting on the glass table funny. And I imagine there are countless directors, producers, and tv network heads who don't want hopeful actors and future reality stars stalking them and pestering them throughout their flight for tips or hookups. And what about the hot girls? The poor poor hot girls who will be surrounded by creepy men hitting on them throughout the duration of the flight. The only benefit I can see coming from this whole facebooking and flying thing is if you post that you had a huge bowl of chili the night before and I know NOT to sit by you for the long flight.

What do you all think? Would you want to facebook and choose your seat companions or have them choose you? Or would you rather take your chances with the big sweaty guy and the screaming kids?

Valentine's Day Event Tonight!

2012-02-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Valentine’s Day (and the Anti-Valentine’s Day) with Me Tonight!

From Fountaindale Library:

"On February 2, from 6:30-8:00pm, we will be having our “He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not” Party in The Vortex! Valentine’s Day will go head-to-head with Anti-Valentine’s Day as we have activities both celebrating and protesting this LOVE-able and HATE-able holiday! The party’s for 6-12 graders and we ask that you please register! Teen author Kristina Springer will join us and sign books that she’ll have available for purchase! A great chance to have some fun and meet a published teen author! Hope to see you there! – Carly T."

For more info, click here.

Ryan Gosling Loves Fake Boyfriend?

2012-02-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

This is too funny.

My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours - Quick Pick!

2012-01-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

Whoo hoo! MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS is a 2012 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers!

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Starring: LUCIENNE DIVER

2012-01-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

About Fangtastic:

What do you wear to face down a cadre ofkiller kids?

GinaCovello would rather be working on her manicure than missions for the Feds’paranormal unit to which she’s been recruited. That changes when a group of killer kids takes out a family in thesunshine state and disappearances begin to plague the lifestylers who only playat the kind of existence our fanged fashionista leads. She and her crew are sent undercover into thevampire clubs…which turn out to be run by realvampires. While Gina’s BFF Marcy hangswith the steampunk-styled Burgess Brigade that spawned the killer kids, Ginaherself is supposed to get in good with the fanged fiends behind the scenes,even to the point of playing double-agent, offering to hand over her powerfulboyfriend Bobby. Her playactingthreatens to become a bit too real when she discovers things about her spyhandlers that make her wonder whether she’s truly on the right side of thebattle between Feds and fangs.

Our Interview:

1) How much time do you spend onmarketing your book? Is there one specific type of marketing that you findworks best for you?

I’mlucky I eek out time to write. Sothis year I delegated a bit…in as much as I hired More Than Publicity to do amusic video for the Vamped series and an original song, whichfans can download for free from my website. I blog, tweet, Facebook,and run contests, like the one I’m doing now with a Kindlegiveaway, but I’m really not certain what time ofmarketing is most effective. Thebiggest seller of books is word of mouth, and that’s all up to the fans!

2) How do you come up with the names of your characters?

Someintroduce themselves . It was that way with my heroine, Gina. She was just…who she was. I couldn’t imagine her being anyoneelse. Other names I have tothink about. They reallyhave to feel right for the characters. Ihave to think about what each name suggests to me and is likely to suggest tothe reader.

3) Have you ever based one of your characters on someone you know? If so, did thatperson find out? How did they react?

Usuallymy characters are a hodgepodge of people I’ve known. Every once in awhile, a person gets amore direct cameo, though usually they know about it, like my friend the gothicmagician who appears as…a gothic magician in the fourth book, Fangtabulous (forthcoming January 2013). I’m always asked if I’ve ever putmyself in a book, and I have in a way. Muchlike Alfred Hitchcock does in his movies (not that I’m in any way comparingmyself with one of my idols), I have a walk on in Vamped.

4) Would you ever try writing in another genre?

I’vealready begun the Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series, which is gearedmore for adults than teens. BadBlood is the first book (already in digital, print May 1^st); I’m atwork now on the sequel, Crazy in the Blood.

5) Who is (or who are) the Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl?

I’dbe a blithering idiot over Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) and Rick Riordan(the Percy Jackson series).

6) Do you prefer reading on anereader or book in hand?

Ihave a first generation Kindle. Ithink I owned it for an entire year before I ever turned it on. I love physical books. LOVE them. The feel, the smell, the covers, thecollectability. However,we’ve long since run out of room for them. I still buy hardcopies of my favorites(and for my son), but I have to admit that it’s far easier to store e-books andthey don’t collect the dust.

Aboutthe Author:

Lucienne Diver isthe author of the popular Vampedseries of young adult novels (think Clueless meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer). School Library Journal calls the first book, “a lighthearted, action-packed,vampire romance story following in the vein of Julie Kenner’s “Good Ghouls”(Berkley), Marlene Perez’s “Dead” (Harcourt), and Rachel Caine’s “TheMorganville Vampires” (Signet) series.” VOYA has suggested that the books“will attract even reluctant readers.”

Her short stories have beenincluded in the Strip-Mauled and Fangs for the Mammaries anthologiesedited by Esther Friesner (Baen Books), and one of her essays appears in theanthology DearBully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperTeen).

Hunger Games, I'm Addicted to Thee!

2012-01-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I'm the last person on earth to pick up The Hunger Games. And WOW, it's so awesome!! I'm listening to it on audiobook right now and I'm so hooked. I've gone outside to shovel three times today just to keep listening to the story. And ok, to pull the car out too. And look at this great video below, it's the new Taylor Swift song, Safe and Sound, from the movie. Can't wait to see it!

Are you a Hunger Games fan?

Giveaway: Signed JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS

2012-01-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a giveaway in a long time so here's one! Looks like I'm 20 followers away from 100 on my blog so the contest ends when I hit 100. I'm giving away a signed hard cover copy of my latest book- JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS. To enter you must be a follower of this blog and you must be a US resident (sorry, no intl shipping). Comment to let me know that you're a new or existing follower. If you tweet or facebook about the giveaway let me know that too in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry.

Good luck!

Things That Make Me Happy: Finding a Series

2012-01-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was the Dawson's Creek complete series!

I was practically giddy. I love Dawson's Creek and it hasn't been on TV, even in reruns, in years. What's that about? Is there no one else out there who loves the kids from the creek? When it was in reruns I watched each episode from the first show through the finale and then started over again when it looped. About the third time the reruns had looped to season one my husband finally said Really?! But I loved them! I wanted to live on the creek with them! And now I get to watch them all over again any time I want.

And I've recently made a new discovery, one that makes me super happy and has given me a new place that I want to live (Stars Hollow anyone?).

Gilmore Girls!!! How did I miss them the first time around?! They're brilliant! And the Soap channel has just started re-showing them from their 2000 pilot. I'm DVR-ing all of them of course and now I always have a bunch of Gilmore Girls waiting for me. And I looked ahead to see the finale is in 2007 so YES! 7 years of episodes ahead for me!

Don't you love when you discover a series after it's already over? So there's no waiting around, longing for the next installment? I like doing this with books too. I still haven't read any of the Harry Potters. And I just last week started Hunger Games. WOW! Why didn't anyone tell me it was so good?! Just kidding. I definitely heard all the buzz but made myself wait.

Anyone else do this?

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit Starring: EILEEN COOK

2012-01-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

WelcomeEileen Cook and her newly released book (1/3/12), Unraveling Isobel

"Thrilling andcreepy, super sexy, and so very hilarious." --Lisa McMann, bestsellingauthor of the Wake trilogy

“Idealfor readers who like their stories supernatural but their dream guys human.”–The Bulletin

“Spine-tingling setting….Isobel’s sass and her steamy romancewith her new stepbrother will help readers race toward the dramaticconclusion.” --Publishers Weekly

“Thisblend of paranormal romance, murder mystery and quirky, coming-of-age narrativeoffers tasty moments….Cook gives readers a fast-paced plot, a likable narrator,and interesting characters.” -Kirkus

"Isobel,all snark and sharp edges covering some intense vulnerability as shecontinuously checks in to see if she has crossed into mental illness (as herfather did when she was young), is a compelling narrator."- Horn Book Magazine

Aboutthe Book:

Isobel’slife is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internetonly three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansionoff the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello,icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking,officially off-limits stepbrother.

Buton her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t onlyher life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because eitherIsobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’sseeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of thetown for all the wrong reasons.

Our Interview:

1) How did you get the idea for Unraveling Isobel?

I work as a counselor and aminterested in mental health issues. I think one of the most difficult thingsabout having mental illnesses is that you can’t trust your own perception ofreality. How do you cope when you aren’t sure what you see and hear is real? I decided I wanted to write aboutIsobel who struggles with trying to figure out if she’s seeing a ghost, ifshe’s going crazy, or if her step dad is trying to make everyone think she’scrazy so he can get rid of her.

Plus, I’ve always loved gothicnovels. I love creepy old houses, buried family secrets and the potential for aghost or two. Not tomention a cute boy in the picture.

2) What is yourmost favorite (or, weirdest, craziest, funniest, most touching etc.) commentyou’ve received from a fan?

I got a great letter from ayoung reader who had read my middle grade series, The Fourth Grade Fairy. She wrote that she really liked thebooks and that I should “keep up the good work.” I still have the card on my desk.

3) What are thelast five young adult books you read?

In the Name of the Star byMaureen Johnson

Don’t Breathe a Word by HollyCupala

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer byMichelle Hodkin

I also got to read two ARC ofsome novels coming out later this year and they were great-

Never Enough by Denise Jaden

The Right and the Real byJoelle Anthony.

4) Are you ontwitter? Where can we follow you?

Yes! Please follow me. I even try and be funny sometimes. Youcan find me at Eileenwriter

5) What are youworking on now?

I am working on a book that we’re currently calling ShadySadie (stay tuned I suspect the title will change!). It’s the story of Sadie,who is a teenage con artist. When she realizes that she looks like an ageenhanced photo of a missing child she decides to pull the ultimate con… untilshe begins to suspect she may actually be the missing child.

6) Do you prefer readingon an ereader or book in hand?

I love the feel of a book inhand and like to see them all lined up on my bookshelf. However, I do love myiPad and there are few things better than being able to go on a trip with adozen books all loaded onto it.

Aboutthe Author:

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novelsappearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishingshe were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for awriter.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things thatstrike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes tobe anyone or anywhere else.

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T15:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years! I'm excited for 2012 and all the good things it holds in store. Like last year, I thought I'd do another year in review. Even if no one else reads it I like to look back and see what all I did in a year. It especially helps in those moments where I'm thinking I can't get anything done to see that yeah, lots does happen! So here's what 2011 looked like for me:

In JANUARY the paperback of The Espressologist was released.

I was super excited for this because B&N gave it a great display for Valentine's Day and when I saw it I had to buy one. I couldn't even wait for the publisher to send me some. I loved when the hardcover came out but the paperback had the little extras we added like recipes from the book and a fun interview. So exciting!

And the most exciting part of the month was seeing my middle grade, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, come out at the Scholastic Book Fairs! I was seeing it everywhere-- in fliers and on posters at the kids' school. And the most exciting part was seeing it at the book fairs firsthand. I love, love, love Scholastic Book Fairs!

In FEBRUARY I got to do a book signing with my dear friend Kristin Walker (did you see she has a new hilarious book coming out soon?) and the super sweet Elizabeth Eulberg.

And I also got copies of the Japanese version of The Espressologist. So cute!

One of the most exciting things to ever happen to me in my writing career also happened this month. We're talking, just about ties with the time Meg Cabot blurbed my book (I'll never stop mentioning that! :-) ). My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours was a BESTSELLER for Scholastic Book Fairs!!! I still get giddy thinking about it.

In MARCH I got advanced copies of my third book, Just Your Average Princess, in the mail.

I sold Korean rights to The Espressologist this month. I also did an hour long interview for author Dyanne Davis's cable writing show. That was so fun and I couldn't stop staring at the monitor. Total amateur!

In APRIL a super creative book club threw a Fauxpresso night to talk about The Espressologist. And I attended the annual Author Fair in Bolingbrook, IL. I also sold Indonesian rights to The Espressologist.

(picture from http://www.iheartmonster.com)

In MAY, I had what I call my Justin Bieber moment when I went to talk to a group of 4th grade girl scouts and they screamed when I held up my book cover. Again, I owe this to Scholastic Book Fairs. I don't think any of them would know who I was if they didn't see my book in their fairs.

In JUNE, I went to Chicago's Printer's Row to do a panel with some really great authors. It was so much fun, I hope to do it again.

In JULY and AUGUST I was busily brainstorming and writing proposals. I outlined a really fun YA and several middle grades. And I was also busily writing The Paparazzi Project (hopefully my fourth book!).

In SEPTEMBER I participated in Anderson's 8th Annual Young Adult Literature Conference. This was another super fun day full of panels and getting to sign my new book (that wouldn't release still for several weeks).

Reviews of the new book started to trickle in too. Here's one from VOYA.

OCTOBER was an especially great month because my third book, JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS released.

And I also got to go on a fantastic writing retreat with two writing friends to Frankenmuth, MI. Frankenmuth is a super cute Christmas village kind of town that everyone should experience at least once. And I got the first three chapters of my new middle grade written here too.

In NOVEMBER, I was a revising fool. I spent every free moment I had whipping The Paparazzi Project into shape to have it done by Thanksgiving. Also this month I sold Czech Republic rights to The Espressologist and my short story "Cart Princess" came out in THE FIRST TIME anthology of 25 awesome YA authors. It's only $2.99 and you should totally buy it. But if you want to read my story right now, go to the Amazon link and click on "Look Inside". It's the first story in the anthology. :-)

And in DECEMBER, I did nothing! Seriously! I guess I sorta took the month off and concentrated on Christmas parties, wrapping gifts, cookie making, coffee drinking, Christmas concerts & plays. But come January it's back to work for me! I hope to have great news to share in 2012! And share your great news with me too!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanza! May your holiday celebrations be merry and enjoy your family! That's what I'll be doing!

Girlfriends Cyber Circuit Starring: Laurie Stolarz

2011-12-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Laurie Stolarz is here with her new book, DEADLY LITTLE VOICES.

About theBook:

Camelia Hammondthought her powers of psychometry gave her only the ability to sense the futurethrough touch. But now she’s started to hear voices. Cruel voices. Beratingher, telling her how ugly she is, that she has no talent, and that she'd bebetter off dead. Camelia is terrified for her mental stability, especiallysince her deranged aunt with a suicidal history, has just moved into the house.As if all of that weren't torturing enough, Camelia's ex-boyfriend, Ben, forwhom she still harbors feelings and who has similar psychometric abilities, hasstarted seeing someone else. Even her closest friends, Kimmie and Wes, are unsurehow to handle her erratic behavior.

With the line betweenreality and dream consistently blurred, Camelia turns to pottery to get a gripon her emotions. She begins sculpting a figure skater, only to receivefrightening premonitions that someone's in danger. But who is the intendedvictim? And how can Camelia help that person when she’s on the brink of losingher own sanity?

Author Bio:

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly Little Secret, DeadlyLittle Lies, Deadly Little Games,Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended MerrimackCollege and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston.For more information, please visit her Web site at www.lauriestolarz.com.

Some funstuff from Laurie:

Laurie’sGuilty Pleasures

Favorite snack:Popcorn with soy butter and lemon/pepperseasoning.
Touristy Trip: Paris.
Fashion addiction (at the moment): artfullytorn jeans, tall boots, pretty scarves, and Michael Stars tees.

Dessert: Dark chocolate in almost any form - the darker thebetter.
Fast food: French fries at leastonce every few months (with lots of ketchup).
Beauty Binge: Aveda haircareproducts, which includes indulging in high-and/or-low-lights every eight weeks.Also, Caudalie skincare, Ineke perfume (Field Notes from Paris), Revitalash mascara,and Buxom Lips from Bare Escentuals.
Late-Night TV: Real Housewives of(wherever), Mad Fashion, Fashion Hunters.
Chick Flick: Never Been Kissed, Howto Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Juno, Green Card, Once, The Devil Wears Prada,Bridget Jones Diary, Thelma & Louise, Mean Girls, Moonstruck, Clueless,Under the Tuscan Sun, and anything with John Cusack.
Nightlife: Pilates in front of theTV (a regular occurrence), answering e-mail (also regular), and dinner and/or amovie out with friends (happens far too rarely).
Cheap Thrill: Window-shopping,tabloid magazines, buying a new lip gloss, a tall cup of coffee from Peet's orStarbucks.
Ultimate Splurge: G2O Day Spa for amassage.

Other Random Info

Favorite Quote:Perseverance is key.
Favorite cuisine: Indian food –onion chutney, curried vegetables, and kashmir bread. I also love cheeselesspizza from Bertucci's.
Interests: Vegetarian cooking,holistic nutrition, aromatherapy.
Favorite Music: Adele, Fergie, JamesBlunt, Gavin Rossdale, Tori Amos, Sting, Sarah MacLachlin, Gwen Stefani,Black-eyed Peas.
Hobbies: Walking, napping, cooking,

shopping, interior decorating.

Pick up Laurie’s new book at your favorite independent bookstoreor online at your favorite retailer!

2011-12-19T06:18:00.000-08:00

Today I'm spotlighting the new artwork for my friend Megg Jensen’s bestselling novel SLEEPERS.

To celebrate the re-launch of SLEEPERS in January of 2012, Megg is giving it a new cover with artwork from the incredible PhatPuppy.

Cool huh?!

Synopsis: An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.
Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

On sale now for only 99 cents!

To read reviews of Sleepers, check Goodreads.

Worst Christmas Gift Ever: It was Beary, Beary Bad

2011-12-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

It was my first Christmas with my first REAL boyfriend. We had been together most of the year and were quite in the giggly, touchy feely, calling each other nauseating pet names stage of the relationship. I had big expectations for this first perfect Christmas and the perfect Christmas gift that was sure to come from he, my Prince Charming. I imagined all kinds of things-- would it be a book of love poems that he inscribed with some amazing note that I would look at every Christmas for the rest of my life?

Would it be some amazing piece of jewelry, like a necklace with our birthstones or a locket with our pictures side-by-side?

Whatever it was, I knew it would be momentous and it would be something I'd take out to show my own kids and grandkids someday.

Or not.

Though I still remember it like it was yesterday. We were sitting on our knees, facing each other, in front of the lit Christmas tree in my livingroom. I had just given him an AMAZING gift (no, I don't remember what it was, but certainly it was AMAZING). And he had just handed me mine. It was in what looked like a clothes box, but I knew it wouldn't be clothes. Not on our perfect first Christmas. Clothes is an old person's Christmas gift. Maybe it was a stunning photo collage of our relationship? I nervoulsy lifted the flaps of wrapping paper, stealing glances at him. He was very excited and proud of whatever lay in the box. Finally it was open. I parted the layers of white tissue paper and froze. Him, giant smile, so pleased with himself. Me, afraid to lift the item out of the box and a hundred thoughts flying through my head of how I was going to make this ok and what I would tell people when they were sure to ask about my first glorious Christmas gift from my boyfriend.

Want to know what it was?

It was a navy blue sweatshirt with a white turtleneck sewn into the collar. And on the front of the sweatshirt were two big embroidered teddy bears hugging.

I didn't know what to do. I was a teenager, afterall, not eighty and in a nursing home. I couldn't figure out why he thought I'd wear a turtleneck sweatshirt with teddy bears. "Did you read it?" he asked. Oh god, there's more? I thought. I looked at the shirt and sure enough, over the teddy bears it said "I love you BEARY much." Of course it said that. It couldn't just stop at the teddy bears right? I let out some weird kinda giggle and tried to hide my dissapointment. "I, oh, uh, love it" I said. I never was an actress. "I knew you would," he said. "Wear it to my New Year's Eve party ok?" I almost fell backward. What's this? Some kind of joke? He actually wants me to wear this? In public? I tried to make like I had another outfit already but he was so darn proud of his bears in love shirt and insisted that I wear it.

I did wear it. But only that one time. I remember slipping it over my head and feeling like the turtleneck was choking me. I remember walking down the long hallway from my bedroom to the front door of my house, past my three brothers who were all rolling around on the floor laughing and pointing at me and my sweatshirt. And I remember my boyfriend's big smile and him telling me how good I looked when I walked into his house that night.

That, of course, was the last of the sweatshirt. I got rid of it soon after. It never did become that item I'd show my kids and grandkids. And I never told anyone else this story. Until now.

Going to see YOUNG ADULT?

2011-12-05T06:23:00.001-08:00

Ok, who's excited to see YOUNG ADULT?! It comes out December 16th and I can't wait. It stars Charlize Theron as a young adult author from Minnesota who goes back home following her divorce to try to win back her old boyfriend. Who is of course, married with kids. I LOVE IT! To me that sounds like a win. :-) As young adult authors we do spend an awful lot of time living in our pasts and thinking about our own experiences (remember me talking about My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours before? If I didn't have such an awesome fake boyfriend of my own in seventh grade I never would have thought of writing this book) so I can totally see an author trying to go back and start up with a high school sweetheart. We always remember things as being way better than they were. Only question I have is, isn't she on facebook? Hello, everyone from my old high school is on there. I already know what everyone is doing and wouldn't have to go back home to stalk anyone. Not that I'm planning to. :-)

Thanksgiving Deadline!

2011-11-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

First, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope you all have a wonderful day with your family and friends! I'm excited to spend the day with my family and I'm also excited that I met my Thanksgiving deadline! Whoo hoo! That's why I've been a little quiet the last few weeks. I've been revising The Paparazzi Project (I posted a teaser of it last week) and my deadline to get it back to my agent was Thanksgiving.

I've been working on it every free minute I've had, which usually is whenever my littlest is in preschool, and evenings. And last night I was determined to not miss my deadline and get it done. The only problem? All four kids are sick (UGH! This is so not fun!) and now I'm sick too (sore throat and fever- boo). But still, I really wanted to get it done so that I'd have the holiday free and I was SO close so I worked through it anyway and e-mailed it to the agent at midnight. Yay!

So yeah, I'm thankful to be done (well, at least until I get notes back from my agent) and excited for a little break before I dive back into my middle grade project.

How's your November going?

Giveaway - THE FIRST TIME

2011-11-11T09:01:00.001-08:00

We're giving away a copy of THE FIRST TIME over at AUTHOR2AUTHOR this week. Leave a comment there for a chance to win.

Look what's out & only $2.99!

2011-11-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

You never forget your first...

In THE FIRST TIME, 25 young adult authors contribute 25 stories all about firsts: first loves, first kisses, first zombie slayings, and more. Featuring New York Times bestselling authors Carrie Ryan and Jessica Verday, plus a host of others. From humor to horror, and everything in between, these stories will make you laugh, cry, cheer, (and maybe even scream) as you experience something brand new from the authors that you love.

Contributing authors include: Cyn Balog, Lauren Bjorkman, Leigh Brescia, Jennifer Brown, Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Janet Gurtler, Teri Hall, Cheryl Renee Herbsman, Stacey Jay, Heidi R. Kling, C. Lee McKenzie, Saundra Mitchell, Jenny Moss, Jackson Pearce, Shani Petroff, Carrie Ryan, Sydney Salter, Kurtis Scaletta, Jon Skovron, Kristina Springer, Rhonda Stapleton, Charity Tahmaseb, Jessica Verday, J. A. Yang, and Lara Zielin

Get it from Amazon

Get it from Barnes & Noble

If you don't have a Kindle, you can still read this eBook on your phone, computer, iPad, e-reader, etc. Just grab the Amazon Kindle app here.

If you prefer the Barnes & Noble Nook app, get it here.

My story is called CART PRINCESS. Let me know what you think of it!

You tube video from a reader

2011-11-03T13:29:00.001-07:00

I love this! It's great to know that other people (besides me) dance around when my book comes to their door. :-)

Author Fair

2011-10-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

I had a great time at the author fair last week! Thanks so much to everyone who came by to get my new book!

Just Your Average Princess Blog Tour

2011-10-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Just Your Average Princess is going on a couple of blog tours! The first one is through teen book scene. Check here throughout the month for reviews and fun interviews. More info on the the second tour next week!

2012 YALSA Quick Picks!

2011-10-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

So excited! My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours was nominated for a 2012 YALSA Quick Pick!

Anderson's 8th Annual Young Adult Literature Conference Recap

2011-09-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

*cross-posted from Author2Author*

The Anderson's YA conference last weekend was absolutely awesome! I had such a great time. First thing I saw when I got there was that they had my new book for sale! Two weeks early. I was so excited to get to start signing it already.

My first panel didn't start until 10 am so following the breakfast I went to see "The Edge" panel. I knew I'd learn a lot since my work is as edgy as a soccer ball.

On the panel were Elizabeth Scott, Sarah Darer Littman, and Jeanine Cummins.

Their books were fascinating and wow, lots of heavy stuff. Kidnapping, murder, rape, internet predators, bulimia...yeah. I kinda wanted to go drink afterward. Just kidding. It really is so different than the light-hearted books I write though. Do you think I'll ever do an edgy book? Hmm. Well, I never

say never.

I also caught the Urban Voices authors talking about their work and reading from their books.

On the panel were Coe Booth, Paul Griffin, Torrey Maldonado, Paul Volponi, and Jacqueline Woodson. Great stuff!

I participated in two panels (sorry, no pics!) with Franny Billingsly and James Kennedy, called Write Down the Street. We represented the local YA authors in the Chicagoland area. They were a lot of fun and the audience asked great questions.

We watched a number of featured speakers. Favorites were Patrick Carmen and the picture of him in one of the priest collared shirts his very catholic mother used to make him (so funny!) and Sharon Draper and her reading the amazing letters she gets from children. I also really enjoyed Lisa McMann (pictured left). Her new book, The Unwanteds looks great!

I had a blast signing books and meeting librarians and teachers. And when it was over I stuck around and stock signed a ton of books (pictured below) for Anderson's. If you're looking for one of my signed books you can go to their web site and order it (or visit if you're local).

It was a wonderful event and I was thrilled to be a part of it!

Signed Books Available!

2011-09-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

I signed a huge stack of books (including the new one-- Just Your Average Princess) for stock at Anderson's Bookshop Naperville. If you're looking for a signed book-- you can go there! (Or order online from them.)

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit Starring JERI SMITH-READY AND ENTHRALLED

2011-09-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

I’m so excited Jeri Smith-Ready is here to talk about the new anthology she’s in and what she’sup to now.

ABOUT THE BOOK

ENTHRALLED: PARANORMAL DIVERSION, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

This collection of original paranormal YA short stories grew out of the 2010 Smart Chicks Kick It Tour, a multiauthor, multicity, author-organized tour of the US and Canada. With it, these 16 authors hoped to bring a little taste of the Smart Chicks experience to readers everywhere.

Contributors to ENTHRALLED:

Claudia Gray

Carrie Ryan

Margaret Stohl

Kami Garcia

Jackson Pearce

Rachel Vincent

Melissa Marr

Kelley Armstrong

Sarah Rees Brennan

Jeri Smith-Ready

Kimberly Derting

Ally Condie

Jessica Verday

Mary E. Pearson

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rachel Caine

ABOUT THE STORY “BRIDGE”

In the world of the SHADE novels, everyone seventeen and under can see and hear ghosts, but no one else can. So when Logan Keeley dies and his eighteen-year-old brother Mickey blames himself, they can’t ease each other’s pain or reconcile their rage. Over the course of SHADE and SHIFT, Mickey sinks into a near-suicidal depression over Logan’s death.

“Bridge” is the story, told in free verse, of how two brothers, with the help of a stranger, forge the chasm between them to find a lasting peace.

OUR INTERVIEW

KRISTINA: In two or three sentences, can you tell me what “Bridge” in the ENTHRALLED anthology is about?

JERI: “Bridge” is a short story written in free verse from the point-of-view of Logan, the 17-year-old dead punk rocker from the SHADE trilogy. In the time and place of the story, Senior Week at Ocean City, Logan’s been a ghost for 233 days and wants desperately to reconcile with his suicidal older brother Mickey, who blames himself for Logan’s death. Problem is, in the SHADE world, only those seventeen and under can see ghosts, so to save Mickey, Logan has to convince a total stranger to communicate between them.

KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)

JERI: My favorite coffee drink is black coffee, as dark a roast as possible. Sumatran, French Roast, Italian roast. Especially with something sweet—HEAVEN!

KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?

JERI: WAITING IN AMBUSH (never published, and never TO BE published). It was a thriller/romance with environmental themes. It was really fun to write and had a lot of good lines, but the plot and characters had…issues. But that’s okay—I learned so much about the process of writing and editing, that when I wrote my second book (which became the first published novel, REQUIEM FOR THE DEVIL), things went much more smoothly.

KRISTINA: What three things must you have while you’re writing?

JERI: Coffee, music, and a decent night’s sleep.

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

JERI: The manuscript for Christine Johnson’s 2012 novel, THE GATHERING DARK. It is so cool and creepy! It takes me back to my teen years and my Stephen King-reading days.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

JERI: I am all over the twitter, LOL! I’m on there waaaaaay too much, @jsmithready. It’s the only addiction I’ve ever had. It’s like my lifelife to other people. I have this fear that if I leave it for a day, everyone will forget about me. So it’s more than an addiction, it’s a full-blown existential crisis! ;-)

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

JERI: I’m still revising/perfecting SHINE, the third part of the SHADE trilogy, which comes out May 1. Then I’ll write the final book in my adult vampire series, LUST FOR LIFE, which comes out next October.

Then I start my first YA contemporary, slated for a Fall 2013 release. We’ll be announcing more details next month, but I can tell you this much: 1) it’s about a boy and 2) I am very, very excited about it!

REVIEWS

“A solid collection of stories...Sarah Rees Brennan's ‘Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road’ follows a vampire in a boy-band and stands out with its perfect blend of snark and sincerity. It's followed in a one-two punch by Jeri Smith-Ready's intense and earnest ‘Bridge.’...This collection is ideal as a sampler tray for paranormal readers looking to pick up new authors to follow or to further explore the fictional worlds they already know. —Kirkus Reviews

A standout among the many paranormal-themed anthologies. -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (Recommended review)

Buy links:

Constellation Books (signed by Jeri): http://www.constellationbooks.com/book/v/9780062015785

B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Enthralled/Melissa-Marr/e/9780062015785

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062015788/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jerismithread-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0062015788

On 12:01am eastern time, Tuesday September 20, the lyrics to a song Logan wrote for Aura (mentioned in SHADE) will be posted here: http://blog.jerismithready.com/2011/09/lyrics-to-logans-song-forever.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. Her nine published books include two series for adults and the SHADE trilogy for teens, about a world of ghosts only the young can see, which concludes May 2012 with SHINE. Like many of her characters, Jeri enjoys music, movies, and staying up very, very late. Visit her at www.jerismithready.com, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JeriSmithready) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/jsmithready), where she spends way too much time. Logan himself can be found on Twitter @keeley_logan, as can his rival/”brother-in-pulp,” Zachary Moore (@moore_zachary). The boys love to chat with each other and with their real-life fans.

Anderson's 8th Annual Young Adult Literature Conference

2011-09-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Are you heading to Anderson's 8th Annual Young Adult Literature Conference tomorrow? Make sure to stop and say hi! I'll be there taking part in two panels, at 10 am and 1 pm. The panels are called Local Authors: Write Down the Street, and feature Franny Billingsley, James Kennedy, and me. Hope to see you there!

VOYA review of JYAP

2011-09-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Just got in a review from VOYA! In it, they say:

"This cheerful and heartwarming novel set in a small town will appeal to teens who enjoy YA chick lit. Jamie's romance with Danny moves slowly, making this novel appropriate for younger teens. In Jamie, Springer creates a lovable protagonist who is able to laugh at and learn from her mistakes."

Awesome! 21 more days until JYAP hits shelves!

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING DEAR BULLY

2011-09-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

THOUGHTS ON DEAR BULLY

WHY THEY DID IT

Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones formed the group YAAAB (Young Adult Authors Against Bullying) in April 2010 when they both coincidentally blogged about the Phoebe Prince case on the same day. Megan reached out to Carrie expressing her frustration with this case and the fact that bullying that seemed to be growing at a ridiculously fast rate. As a Massachusetts resident and having already spoken about bullying in schools, Megan was horrified after hearing about the bullying that took place in the Phoebe Prince case. While writing her books, SISTERS OF MISERY and THE LOST SISTER, she had to dig deep to make “mean girls as evil as she possibly could. When she heard about all the bullying and bullycide stories in the news, she felt like the bullies had jumped off the pages of her book and into real life. She was also disheartened by the numerous times she’d done book signings and would say to readers, “I hope you never meet girls as mean as the ones in my book.” Shockingly, they almost always said, “We already have.” Carrie Jones was also moved to do something, as she was the target of bullying as a young child due to a speech impediment. Together, they felt that they owed it to teen readers to discourage bullying -- to make it "uncool." Megan Kelley Hall started by creating a Facebook page that kicked off an entire "movement" to end bullying. This was the day that Megan, Carrie and other authors decided to use their platform as Young Adult authors to actually facilitate change and to be a voice for those kids who cannot speak out or are too afraid to be heard.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Right away, a large number of authors jumped on board of this cause -- wanting to be involved in any way possible. The Facebook group jumped from 5 to 1500 members in one weekend and is now closing in on nearly 5,000 members. Carrie and Megan were thrilled when HarperTeen offered to put all of the stories into an anthology. The thought of having 70 authors – well-known, highly successful writers – sharing their personal bullying stories with their fans was something beyond what they had ever hoped for.

The stories in DEAR BULLY come from all angles: from the point of view of the victim, the mother, the friend, the sibling, the classmate – even a few from the actual bully. Some of the stories are light-hearted, while others are raw and emotional. All of them drive home the point that bullying is something that almost everyone has experienced. And while that is a sad fact, they want to prove that it's not a rite of passage. It doesn't make you stronger, wiser, or better. But it is something that can be overcome, something that can be changed, something that is relatable, and something that one should never be ashamed of. Through these stories, the authors want to show that they understand what teens are going through today. It is important to encourage bystanders to speak up and make bullying unacceptable. Parents and adults must get involved. Bullying is something that people no longer have to endure--at least, not by themselves.

Though quite a lofty mission, the goal of DEAR BULLY is to help just one person get through a difficult time, and hopefully make bullying a thing of the past.

Don't forget to join the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dearbully, visit the website at www.dearbully.com, or follow DEAR BULLY on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dearbully.

IN THE NEWS:

“FIGHT BACK WITH WORDS. Better Homes & Gardens recommends DEAR BULLY: Remind youngsters heading back to school that getting picked on is tough—but that words can also heal as much as they can hurt, as one anthology proves.” – Better Homes & Gardens

“This anthology of personal essays provides empathetic and heartfelt stories from each corner of the schoolyard: the bullied, the bystander and the bully himself are all represented. Their words will be a welcome palliative or a wise pre-emptive defense against the trials of adolescent social dynamics.” --New York Times

“Two of them, both authors of novels for young adults (Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones), have drawn on the power of the written word to focus attention on the problem and offer solace to the bullied.” – --The Boston Globe

“You’ll love it if… You know someone (or are someone) who’s ever been involved in any type of bullying incident. There’s something in it for everyone, on all sides of the spectrum. You’ll love it even more if you can find a story that inspires you to help someone else.” – Seventeen.com

“With authority often turning a blind eye and cyber-bullying rampant, this timely collection is an excellent resource, especially for group discussion, and the appended, annotated list of websites and further reading extends its usefulness.” – Booklist

“Powerful…All of these stories feel authentic and honest, and readers will find a story or a person to identify with, to look to for comfort or guidance.” School Library Journal

“Bottom line is this anthology is a terrific tool for the counselor who can customize the entries to the needs of the victimized student.” -- Harriet Klausner

ON BLOGS

“This should be required reading of ALL young girls (not to mention some adults)….Dear Bully is for everyone who has grown up in this culture where bullying takes place every day, not just in the schools, but in our streets, in our homes, our place of work (and globally).Dear Bully unveils the truth of who we are as a community of people, and it's not pretty.” – New Pages Blog

“This is why I think this book is brilliant: Much like It Get's Better, this is a situation where one generation is reaching back to support the other... When you share your story you are shining a light. You never know who is at sea and relying on that light to get them home.” – Miss New York, Kaitlin Monte “Life Under the Crown” blog

“Dear Bully is a novel that needs to be on the shelves of every school library, and in every classroom. I hope it makes its way to the hands of the bullied and the bullies.” –The Crazy Bookworm Blog

“You Can't Protect Your Kid From Bullies Until You've Done This I was about halfway through Dear Bully, a new book of essays from 70 big name teen lit authors (for my fellow YA fans, I'm talking the likes of Megan McCafferty, Alyson Noel, R.L. Stine, etc.) when it hit me. These were all grown-ups talking about some of the worst days of childhood. And almost none had kind words to say about adults.” – Jeanne Sagar, The Stir and Yahoo Shine

“70 poignant essays that will make your tear and/or cheer. There is literally something in this book for everyone. I cried, I laughed, I wanted to write a letter to my Congressman, but most of all…I learned a few things. Bullying doesn’t take one form and it can occur at any age. This is must have for every library, teacher, and anyone who owns a shelf…or a table. Be a hero and buy this book for someone who is struggling.” –I Read Banned Books Blog

“I wish there had been a Dear Bully book 14 years ago.” --Lost in the Library Blog

“I personally think that this book should be required reading for all kids in the 7th grade. I’d even be so bold as to say a compilation for younger kids should be written as well.” --Confessions of a Real Librarian Blog

GOODREADS REVIEWS

“This collection is so important and it couldn't come at a better time. This book should be in every administrator's office (their predecessor's failing to address this issue is a common thread woven through the experiences shaed), every media specialist's office, every counselor's office, and in the classroom libraries of every teacher works with these students who stories have not been told. . .yet. Here is the catalyst for discussion. Here are the authors saying, "It happened to me too. . .tell me your story." --Paul Hankins

“EVERY ADULT who works with tweens and teens should read this!” - Sandy

“Once I get the library's budget, this is going to be top of the list - and I'm buying two copies. I want to have one copy on the professional shelf for the teachers to look at and one on the shelf for the students to take out.” - Sarah

“This is a valuable look at how bullying shapes the lives of both the bullies and the bullied.” - Sarah

“Absolutely fantastic. Heart-wrenching and a reality check for anyone believing that this doesn't happen. I'm recommending this to every librarian I know to put this on the shelf.” - Maya

“What a beautiful, amazing, honest, important book. Five stars isn't near enough to show my love for Dear Bully. I'll be donating my copy to my old junior high.” - Colleen

“I knew I would enjoy this book, I just didn't think it would impact me as much as it did. I wish this could be in every middle and high school in the country.” - Stephanie

“I wish I could individually hug everyone who has ever been bullied. Seeing as how that mission is too tragically expansive to take on, I will settle for shouting, "Bravo!" to all the authors to contributed, and to HarperTeen for publishing this anthology. "Encore!" – Gabrielle Carolina

“Amazing anthology of stories about bullying (victimization, perpetration, being a bystander). I mean, what can I say? This collection moved me beyond words. Teachers, parents, and librarians NEED to share this book with their teens. Core title for all teen/ya collections.” - Lalitha

“It's another stark reminder that kids can't do this on their own. They need our help. Thank you to all 70 of these authors and Megan and Carrie for helping me not only set to rest my own past but to chart a path for my future as a mother.” – Jeanne Sagar, Goodreads

“These writers have taken a stand. It's time for all of us to do so as well.” - Jackie

Giving Away ARC of JYAP!

2011-09-12T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Click HERE and enter for a chance to win an advanced copy of Just Your Average Princess over at Goodreads!

Want an Advanced Copy of Just Your Average Princess?

2011-09-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

Look at what I just got! Extra advanced copies of Just Your Average Princess!

I'll send one advanced copy (asap) to the first three librarians or teen book club organizers who schedule me to skype (free) with their book club!

E-mail me at Kristina@KristinaSpringer.com.

*U.S. only. And I'll include bookmarks for your book club.

Giveaway - The Espressologist!

2011-09-06T18:56:00.001-07:00

In preparation for the release of my third book, JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS, on 10/11/11, I'm going to be giving away some of my other books on Goodreads. Click HERE and enter to win a copy of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST.

I Need Your Help...Again!

2011-08-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's getting close to the release of my third book, JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS (10/11/11), and you know what I'm fretting about now? How to sign it!

You may recall me talking about this in the past on A2A. I like to sign something cute with my name instead of just my name. With The Espressologist I asked you guys how to sign the book and you gave me the great suggestion, "Love & Lattes!" I always use that when I sign them. For My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours someone suggested "Keep it Real!" and I've used it ever since. But now? I'm stumped. Here's a bit about the book. Do you guys have any suggestions for me?

Just Your Average Princess

Jamie Edwards has loved growing up on her family’s pumpkin patch in Average, IL, and she’s always dreamed of one day being the town’s Pumpkin Princess at the annual Pumpkin Festival. But when her rich and famous cousin, Milan Woods, comes to town and changes everything, Jamie knows she has to expose Milan for who she really is and teach her that life’s not all pumpkins and apple butter at the patch.

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING JENNIFER ECHOLS!

2011-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here’s a book that is so up my alley! Jennifer Echols’s LOVE STORY was just released last week and it sounds awesome.

About the Book:

From Jennifer Echols, the award-winning author of Going Too Far and Forget You, comes LOVE STORY(Gallery Books; July 19, 2011; $11.00), a provocative and powerful story of teen romance, set against the bustling world of a New York City university.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions – it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter… so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter… except this story could come true.

Our Interview:

KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)

JENNIFER: Skinny vanilla latte.

KRISTINA: What is your most favorite (or, weirdest, craziest, funniest, most touching etc.) comment you’ve received from a fan?

JENNIFER: I’ve gotten several messages lately from people who have been sick and were able to forget their lives for a while and get through treatment by reading. That always touches me, especially when they have read my book GOING TOO FAR, which has a heroine who has been very sick.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

JENNIFER: I’m @JenniferEchols. If I’m going outside to write and accidentally kick a rattlesnake, as I did the other day, you will find out there first.

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

JENNIFER: I’m writing a new romantic comedy that will be published by Simon Pulse in December. Then I’m finishing a new romantic drama, SUCH A RUSH, which will be my hardcover debut in July 2012.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can’t wait to read your newest!

About the Author:

Jennifer Echols is the author of teen romantic dramas for MTV Books and teen romantic comedies for Simon Pulse. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family. Please visit her online at www.jennifer-echols.com.

Beach Creatures, Book ideas, and Jillian Michaels

2011-08-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's August and I'm kinda bummed. I'm so not ready for the summer to come to an end. But all of the back to school ads and registration forms are flooding in. Blah. So I'm trying to hurry up and get in all the summer activities I had planned for the summer. Like hit the beach.

This weekend we went to New Buffalo, Michigan, and it was gorgeous! Perfect day for the beach.

The kids had so much fun and loved picking up anything and everything on the beach. Like this:

Any guesses what it is?

We think those are teeth and that it's some kind of jaw. But who knows?

I'm also excited to start a new book idea! I love this part of the writing process! I just finished revising one book and my agent is reading it this week. Crossing fingers that she thinks it's ready to go. So now I'm ready to start something else. I have a middle grade I want to work on but I just got a great YA idea and I'm afraid if I don't write out at least the first few chapters I'll forget something.

I'm also getting ready for the release of JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS on 10/11. I love fall and it's a perfect fall book so I hope to be doing a lot of fun stuff with it. I'm trying a little promo experiment that I'm going to blog about Thursday on Author2Author and probably cross-post here. So more on that later.

My other summer goal was to get in shape! Well, I've been trying hard for awhile with spin classes and boot camps and muscle classes but things are not moving very quickly. So I'm adding in the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred on top. Yes, double workouts! I'm doing hers at 6:30am everyday and then doing class later in the morning. I may die at the end of the 30 days. It's only day 8 though and I'm still standing so we'll see.

Oh! And my other summer goal was to de-stress. I have no idea how to do that yet though. So if you any suggestions, throw them at me!

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING MELISSA WALKER!!

2011-07-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited to read Melissa’s new book, SMALL TOWN SINNERS! And so glad she stopped by to chat.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Small Town Sinners is the story of Lacey Anne, daughter of the pastor and perennial good girl, who is eligible for a lead role in the season’s Hell House production—a role she’s been coveting for years. But when Ty moves to town as casting begins, a new perspective is added to Lacey Anne’s world and she starts to see her tight-knit, Evangelical community in a different light. With the help of her two best friends Starla Joy and Dean, and her potential first love Ty, Lacey Anne begins exploring her own thoughts and feelings about her religion, her community, and her place within both. While this novel deals with provocative issues like religion, teen pregnancy and underage drinking, it is not an “issue” book; the topics are masterfully interwoven into this story of friendship and family.

Early readers agree:

“Small Town Sinners shines a light on the fascinating world of the teenage Hell House. Sit back and let Melissa Walker be your guide. She writes without a shred of judgment and plenty of heart.” —Dana Reinhardt, author of A Brief Chapter of My Impossible Life

“Walker is sympathetic and respectful of her characters’ faith, while putting on display the shocking extremist scare tactics that make Hell Houses, well, hellish.” —Donna Freitas, author of This Gorgeous Game and The Possibilities of Sainthood.

“A non-judgmental, nuanced, fascinating look at the teenage religious right… Walker writes an outstanding contemporary novel with a cast of characters who, far from being portrayed as hateful zealots, are relatable for readers of all faiths. The extremism of Hell House is tempered by the perfectly understandable attitudes and intentions of Lacey Anne, who struggles with what it means to grow up, to question and to think for herself.” –Romantic Times

“Both tender and provocative… Walker creates an astutely balanced portrait of a conservative congregation’s in-your-face response to perennial issues of domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicide, as well as of those who struggle to fit the prescribed Christian mold.” –Publishers Weekly

“This secular story about religious people could easily devolve into camp mockery, but because Walker takes her character’s crisis of faith seriously and sensitively, readers will, too.” –Kirkus Reviews

OUR INTERVIEW:

MELISSA: Iced coffee, even in winter. Light and sweet, please! I like it to taste like coffee ice cream.

KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?

MELISSA: Sometimes they just come to me, but if they don't, I like to walk through cemeteries and look at names. Quirky, I know, but it's really fun!

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

MELISSA: I am! I'm twitter.com/melissacwalker. Warning: I tweet a lot during March Madness (Go Heels!) and I tend to obsessively tweet about TV I love (the latest being "Friday Night Lights"--so sad it's over!).

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

MELISSA: My next book, Unbreak My Heart, will be out in 2012 from Bloomsbury. It's a story about lost friendships, betrayal and summer love (I'm vague, I know! I haven't talked about it much in detail yet!).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MELISSA WALKER: Melissa has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. She is the author of the Violet on the Runway series as well as Lovestruck Summer. Melissa manages I Heart Daily, an e-newsletter and blogs for ReaderGirlz, an online community for teens. www.melissacwalker.com

Thanks Melissa! Good luck with your new book!

Ta Ta Netflix!

2011-07-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Netflix announced this week that they will be raising their prices 60% starting in September. Surely this means there will be all kinds of great features added to make this spike worth it right? Nope. If you get Netflix already, you'll know it's a DVD in your mailbox (one at a time)/streaming service. The only problem is the DVDs come in any order Netflix feels like sending them, they come broken or scratched half the time so you don't get to actually watch the entire movie, you don't get the newest movies, and the streaming service only has really old, odd, no one rents them anyway, movies available. Ok, so why am I paying an extra 60% for this? The president of Netfilx thinks it's no biggie-- just the price of a couple of lattes a month he says. JUST A COUPLE OF LATTES? Have you met me? You want to take an additional 24 lattes away from me a year for your crappy service? Um, no.

CANCEL

I'm going to switch to some alternatives. For one, there's always Redbox. You can actually get newly released movies from them for only $1. Considering we only watch 3-4 DVDs a month, this isn't much. The library (at least mine) can get any newly released movie in as well. If they don't have it they'll get it from another library. I just go online, place the movies I'm looking for on hold, the library calls me when it's available, and I pick it up in the drive thru. Nice!

I wonder how many other Netflix customers will also be fed up and say, TA TA NETFLIX?

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

Why yes, that is Princess Aurora enjoying the fireworks, courtesy of my 6 yr old. :-)

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING SUZANNE YOUNG!

2011-07-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Suzanne Young is visiting to talk about her new book, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL.

About the Book:

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte’s destiny is to be Forgotten…

Charlotte's best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she's cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what's really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become—her mark on this earth, her very existence—is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny—no matter how dark the consequences?

Our Interview:

KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)

SUZANNE: I always get a skinny vanilla latte. What does that mean for me??

KRISTINA: You’re sweet, trustworthy, kind, and a good friend. Also sorta health conscious, but like an occasional splurge. J

How do you come up with the names of your characters?

SUZANNE: I spend a lot of time on baby naming sites. But I’m fond of old fashioned names. Sometimes I switch character’s names in revisions, which happened with A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL.

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

SUZANNE: I’m reading THE GATHERING by Kelley Armstrong.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

SUZANNE: Sure am! @suzanne_young

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

SUZANNE: The sequel A WANT SO WICKED is due next summer. And I have a new series THE PROGRAM coming Spring 2013 from Simon Pulse.

About the Author:

Suzanne Young currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where she uses the rainy weather as an excuse to stay inside and write obsessively. After earning her degree in creative writing, Suzanne spent several years teaching middle school language arts. Now she can be found at home chasing after her two children and poorly behaved dog and writing novels for teens. You can visit her online at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @suzanne_young.

Check out the trailer for the book:

Canning and Writing

2011-06-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been doing this really fun thing with some other writer friends (Rhonda Stapleton, Michelle Zink, Jennifer Brown, and Danielle Joseph) where we meet online at a set time, someone says go, and we all write as fast as we can on our different projects. We do it for a half an hour at a time and then report back in with our word count. It's kind of like having a diet buddy, someone to cheer you on to write more words instead of lose lbs. It's awesome! I'm getting so much stuff done this way!

Except for last night. I had to miss out so I could go to a canning party. What's that you ask? Well, it's where a bunch of women get together to learn how to can. Good stuff I tell you. I have to admit, I've never canned before in my life and I probably never will again (takes a long time!) but it was fun to try and I felt very Ma Ingalls while doing it. Here's what we made:

The one on the right is strawberry jelly but we weren't sure it turned out as thick as it should so we wanted to leave it open-ended in case it was runny. Then we could call it ice cream topping.

I'm not sure when we'll open these to try. It took so much to get it canned I just sorta want to leave it like this.

They're pretty right?

One last writing thing before I go. I finished my story for the October 2011 Debs Anthology! Yay! I'm really excited about it! 25 super cool authors have contributed to it and the cover is BEAUTIFUL. Check it out:

For more info, click here!

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING ELANA JOHNSON!

2011-06-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome Girlfriend Elana Johnson with her debut dystopian, POSESSSION!

About POSSESSION:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Our Interview:

KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)

ELANA: Yeah, not a coffee drinker. But I love me some grape-flavored Squirt. Like, love it!

KRISTINA: I am always curious about when and where writers write. Can you tell me about your schedule and your favorite place to work?

ELANA: I have a “cockpit” which is really just a tiny card table pushed into the corner of my kitchen. I do most of my writing from 9 – 11 PM, and whenever else I can.

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

ELANA: I have so many books in the to-be-read pile! Right now I’m reading BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton and CHIME by Franny Billingsley.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

ELANA: I am on twitter! You can find me @ElanaJ.

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

ELANA: I’m working on the companion novel to POSSESSION. It’s slated for a June 2012 release, and I’m about to dive into edits.

What People Are Saying About Possession:
"Possession held me completely captivated from beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the characters and had countless moments of 'Wow.'"
--James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials

"Who Should Read This: Anyone who wants a challenge: This plot is so twisty, I had to read the last chapter twice before I could believe what happened. There's also a very nice balance between badass action and romantic tension for readers who like a good mix of the two."
--MTV.com

“Most [readers] will be drawn in by the love triangle, revelations about Vi and her family, and a dark twist ending that maintains the faintest glimmer of hope.”
--Publisher's Weekly

"This debut dystopian succeeds at suspense and tension.... Revelations come hard and fast." --Kirkus

“Emotion pumps through every scene of this thriller. Given all the urgency and action, the novel’s ending may surprise readers as the heroic adventure turns into a tragic love story.” –School Library Journal

“An intriguing dystopia…A good choice for fans of Pam Bachorz and Ally Condie.” --Booklist

To read the first two chapters, go to the official POSSESSION website.

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING AMANDA ASHBY!

2011-06-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Amanda Ashby is visiting with her newest book, FAIRY BAD DAY.

About the Book:

It’s going to be a fairy bad day...

First, my rightful designation of dragon slayer is STOLEN right out from under me by Curtis Green. Sure, he’s really cute, but that doesn’t give him an excuse.

On top of that, I am assigned to slay fairies. I know what you’re thinking—how hard could it be, right? Wrong! These menacing beasts with their tiny hipster clothes and mocking sarcasm love taunting me. And they won’t STOP!

But the thing that tops my list of stuff to ruin my day? That would be the GIANT KILLER FAIRY that I have to hunt down and slay because I am the only one who can see it. There is someone who can help me. Unfortunately…it’s Curtis.

Our Interview:

AMANDA: Hahaha—I like people who call it the way it is!!!! I don’t actually know what my coffee is called—I guess it’s just a long black and have a splash of milk and sugar (because sugar and coffee are SO meant to be together!) We have our own espresso machine, which I love more than life itself. It is just about to die though so I think we’re going to need to get a new one (or throw ourselves off a cliff!)

KRISTINA: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

AMANDA: Not until I was about 27. The signs were all there from early on but I just never took to the time to piece them all together. I was always an avid reader, English was my best subject and I even went to College and did a Journalism and English degree. In fact, some people could say that I’m a very slow learner! However, I finally did decide it would be cool to write a book and from that moment I never looked back!

KRISTINA: Why do you write MG/YA as opposed to other types of fiction?

AMANDA: I write YA because it just feels right. I’ve done adult fiction as well but it just didn’t resonate as much. Though I must say that I’ve just written my first MG series and that was a LOT tougher than writing YA. I guess it’s that old saying—don’t work with kids! But seriously, by the time I went back to writing YA I was so happy to have a heroine who could sneak out of the house, drive a car and own a cell phone!!!!!

KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?

AMANDA: I LOVE naming characters! I just flick through name books and watch lots of TV! I tend to use quite English sounding names for my heroines and geeky names for me heroes. Not sure why!

KRISTINA: Have you ever based one of your characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did they react?

AMANDA: Well, I didn’t consciously do that but after my first book, You Had Me at Halo came out I suddenly realized that the stepmother in the book was VERY similar to my own stepmother and I swear on something pink and glittery that I had no inkling of what I was doing until it was way too late. I was mortified though thankfully I’m pretty sure she never read the book, though she does have a copy.

KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?

AMANDA: Love Story! I know, I really pushed the boat out on that one! Mind you, the bad title just reflected how bad the rest of the book was. Thankfully I have purged it from my mind and from under my bed so Love Story by Amanda Ashby will NEVER be coming to a Kindle near you!

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

AMANDA: Fly Me to the Moon by Jill Mansell, who is one of my favorite authors and life always becomes a bit better when I’m reading her books!!!

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

AMANDA: Yes, I love twitter and obviously only ever use it to say wise and profound things with no mention of how many Skittles and muffins that I’ve consumed in any single day!

http://twitter.com/amandaashby

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

AMANDA: I’ve just finished revisions on the first of my afore mentioned MG books. The series is called SOPHIE’S MIXED-UP MAGIC and book one is Wishful Thinking. It’s about a girl who gets turned into a djinn the day before she starts sixth grade and as you can imagine, chaos ensues!!!!

KRISTINA: Thanks for stopping by Amanda and good luck with the book! Visit Amanda at her Web site.

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit: STARRING JESSICA BRODY!

2011-06-11T20:23:00.001-07:00

Jessica Brody is visiting me this week with her newest release, MY LIFE UNDECIDED. It sounds super cute. Take a look:

About the Book:

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I’m gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

Our Interview:

JESSICA: Short Raspberry Soy Latte. I can’t get enough of them!

KRISTINA: If your book was made into a movie, who would star as your main character?

JESSICA: When I was writing the book, I always pictured Shailene Woodley from The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I think she’d be really good in the role.

KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?

JESSICA: I have a running list of cool names that I come across. Whenever I meet someone who has an especially cool name I ask them if I can use it in a book someday. If they say yes, it goes on the list. Then whenever I start a new book, I scroll down my list and see which name seems to fit my character.

KRISTINA: Have you ever based one of your characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did they react?

JESSICA: Actually, MY LIFE UNDECIDED has a few real people in it. I set it in my home town of Parker, Colorado, at a fictitious representation of my own high school. Mr. Simpson, the Algebra teacher in the book is based entirely on Mr. Simpson, my own high school algebra teacher! I’ve recently reconnected with him on Facebook and I let him know that he has a special cameo. He’s totally psyched and promises to buy a thousand copies. I’m going to hold him to that! :)

KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?

JESSICA: The Kitty and the Puppy. I wrote it when I was seven. It even had illustrations. And if you saw it, you’d understand why I don’t illustrate my books anymore.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

JESSICA: Yes! Please follow me! @jessicabrody

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

JESSICA: Ooh, I have TONS of fun stuff in the works! Some I can talk about and some I can’t…YET! My next book is called 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER. It will be released in Summer 2012. I just finished all the edits. I’m so excited about this one! It’s about a spoiled teen heiress, famous for her partygirl antics and tabloid headlines, who’s forced by her ever-absent mogul father to take on a different low-wage job every week for a year, if she wants any hope of receiving her trust fund. I had SO much fun writing that one. And it was recently optioned for film! So fingers crossed it actually gets made! How cool would that be?

And right now I’m working on the first book in a new sci-fi trilogy I just sold called UNREMEMBERED. It’s about a sixteen year old girl who wakes up amongst the wreckage of a devastating plane crash with no memories. She's forced to piece together her forgotten past with only one clue to her identity-- a mysterious boy who claims she's not from this time.

******

Thanks for visiting me Jessica! And everyone else, check out Jessica’s new trailer!

Printer's Row Panel Recap

2011-06-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

*cross-posted from Author2Author*

Last weekend was the Midwest's Largest Literary event-- 2011 Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago. There were 180 booksellers in tents lining the street:

And 200 authors were in attendance as well. I did a panel with a cool group of writers: Ellen Booraem, Ilene Cooper, Brenda Ferber, and C. Alexander London. It was moderated by Amy Alessio. Amy is also an author and speaker (as well as YA librarian!) and runs a really cool vintage cookbook blog and does a lot of great programs as well.

Ellen Booraem and C. Alexander London both flew in for the event (so cool of them!). Ellen from Maine and C. Alexander from New York. Ellen was so nice and her newest book, SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS, looks great! C. Alexander was really funny and has traveled all over the world as a journalist before writing fiction. I always like seeing Brenda Ferber and sat next to her on the panel. She shared great stories about where her ideas for her books come from. And I was so excited to see Ilene Cooper again. She's written more than 30 books for kids of all ages and she's the Children's Books Editor at Booklist Magazine. On her Web site she says, "Every book published in a year comes into my office and I look at almost every one. All 6,000 of them." How cool is that?!

It was really exciting being with such a great group and as I sat there I realized it was my first official panel. Things I learned:

1) Drink lots of water if you're sitting outside in 95 degree heat. (Yikes, it was hot.)

2) Make sure they have your book for sale at the event. (I usually do check for that at events. I don't know why I didn't think to this time.)

3) Listen closely to the moderator when she's asking questions. (I was thinking about how sweaty and hot it was at one point and missed my question. Whoops.)

4) Talk directly into the microphone (and don't keep thinking about how funny your voice sounds in it.)

4) And have fun! It really takes a lot of pressure off to be with a group of people and have a moderator with pre-determined questions. There is no worry if someone from the audience will ask questions and the moderator keeps things rolling along beautifully. It was a great time!

Printer's Row is THIS weekend!

2011-06-03T14:18:00.001-07:00

The largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest is this weekend! Come out for the 2011 Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago. I'm doing a panel Saturday (6/4/) @12:30PM on the Mash Stage with a lot of really cool writers: Ellen Booraem, Ilene Cooper, Brenda Ferber, and C. Alexander London.

Yay Summer!

2011-05-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for summer to start. One more week of school for the kids and then we're free! Of course, check back in with me in a month and I'll probably be looking forward to the school year. :-) But I am so ready for fun w/ the kiddos and catching up on my writing projects. I did just finish revising one book and I absolutely adore this book so I reeeeally hope it sells! And I've got one more book to revise and a short story to write for the Debs Anthology. NYT Bestselling author Jessica Verday put the group of 25 together and the anthology comes out in ebook format this fall and it's going to be hot! Such a cool list of authors contributing! And I'm excited to try the indie pub experience.

Today's also my baby boy's birthday and while excited for him I'm a little bummed! I can't believe my littlest is three. It's hard letting them grow up! How cute is his cake today?

And have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Scholastic Book Fair? Seriously, I go broke when it comes to my kids' school. They have such awesome deals! I love when you can get a book that everywhere else is $20 in hardcover for $6 in paperback at the fair. I volunteer a lot at the kids' school so I got to work the fair a couple of days and I came home with bags of books. And it was so fun to see my book there too!

Right before the fair I went to talk to the 4th grade girl scouts since they were working on a writing badge. They were so darn adorable. The were asking great questions and listening to me describe the publishing process with The Espressologist. When I pulled out My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours they squealed! So cute! I guess they had all seen it in the Scholastic Flier. It was totally my Justin Bieber moment.

I'm looking forward to Printer's Row in Chicago next weekend (June 4th). It's always such a great fair and this year I'm doing a panel @12:30PM on the Mash Stage with a lot of really cool writers: Ellen Booraem, Ilene Cooper, Brenda Ferber, and C. Alexander London. I love doing events with other writers!

I also just sent JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS off on an arc tour at Around the World Arc Tours. I love the idea of an arc travelling around to different bloggers. I seriously only had two extra arcs this time and one went to my film agent and the other went to Around the World.

And I just realized I didn't recap the "Oprah Experience" on here but I did write it up for A2A here if you want to read. It was pretty darn cool I have to say!

Are you guys excited for summer too? My mind is so full of lists of things I want to do. I can't wait to get started. And it's a holiday weekend so now is a good time. Have a great Memorial Day!

Guess Where I'm Going Next Week??

2011-05-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

OPRAH!!!

I got tix to her Farewell Surprise Spectacular on Tuesday! I can't wait to go! What to wear though??

Book Club: FAUXSPRESSO NIGHT

2011-04-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

Such a cool idea for a fun book club night! Check out this groups "Fauxspresso Night" they had to discuss The Espressologist. They included lots of pics and fun recipes too. I <3 it!

Author Fair in Boingbrook, IL this Saturday! Over 40 authors!

2011-04-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the Author Fair at the new Fountaindale Library in Bolingbrook, IL, this Saturday, 4/16, from 11-3pm! Over 40 authors will be there signing their books. I'll be there too! It's always a fun event. Click here for more details!

Oooooh Pretty!!

2011-03-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

Look what I just got in the mail!

It's the advanced reader copies for Just Your Average Princess and they're GORGEOUS!

This is my third book now but it never gets old, I love this part!

I Love Book Clubs!

2011-03-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

I <3 Book Clubs! I'm always talking about the one I belong too and how much fun we have. And recently I've been getting notes that people are starting to choose my books for their book clubs. Yay! A recent group said they were even setting up a Fauxspresso Night and having drink and treat concoctions to compliment the book. So fun! I'm sending them a package of signed bookmarks and stickers for the club. If you use one of my books in your book club and let me know I'll send you a package too. And if you have skyping abilities (and your meeting is on a night I'm available) we can skype for free too!

My Fake Boyfriend Is Yours Giveaway!

2011-03-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours

by Kristina Springer

Giveaway ends March 23, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I Died and Went to Library Heaven...

2011-03-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

WOW. Our brand new library in Bolingbrook, IL (Fountaindale Library) just opened today and I didn't get a chance to get in there until just now. And I was floored! It's BEAUTIFUL! It looks like it could be a huge mall or museum. It's nothing like any library I've ever seen.

It's so big that when you walk in you feel like you're entering an airport.

And there's an info center and cafe.

Yes, CAFE!!!

The interior design is awesome. And there are computers with huge flat screen monitors everywhere you look throughout the three story building.

The Children's area is HUGE. There are toys and tons of games, and a really fun creativity center. I can't wait to bring back the kids.

One of the most AMAZING sections is the teen room called the VORTEX. It's for grades 6 through 12 and it's separate from the rest of the library.

And yay, my books were there!

Bean bags and cool chairs for the teens!

The words are made out of hanging beads!

Even the stairways are cool.

The adult section is AWESOME too! There are tables everywhere with outlets underneath for people to work (wow, Starbucks is so going to lose business...).

I can't wait to hang out more here!

Just Your Average Princess Cover!

2011-03-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

I can finally share the cover for my fall book (10/11/11), JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS!

Summary: Jamie Edwards has loved growing up on her family’s pumpkin patch in Average, IL, and she’s always dreamed of one day being the town’s Pumpkin Princess at the annual Pumpkin Festival. But when her rich and famous cousin, Milan Woods, comes to town and changes everything, Jamie knows she has to expose Milan for who she really is and teach her that life’s not all pumpkins and apple butter at the patch.

Ode to My Local Borders

2011-02-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm so sad today. My favorite Borders in Bolingbrook, IL, is one of the 200 Borders that are closing. I wrote my very first book in the cafe in this Borders. This was when I had no idea I'd ever be a published author and was just giving writing a try. A lot of people don't like the big bookstores and try to only shop or appear at independent bookstores but this particular Borders has always been so good to me, even when my local independent bookstore wouldn't even take my calls because I wasn't a big enough name. For starters, the general manager of the Bolingbrook Borders, Lynn Nulicek, herself came to my launch party for The Espressologist (held at a coffee shop) and hand sold the books. Lynn is completely amazing!

And Lynn and Borders welcomed me and my friends from The Debs for a holiday event in 2009. (That's Cynthea Liu, Lara Zielin, Aprilynne Pike, me, Darcy Vance, and Saundra Mitchell).

Kristin Walker, Kimberly Pauley, and I had a super fun Valentine's Day event there as well in 2010.

Kristin and I were regulars at the Bolingbrook Borders, doing the Teacher Appreciation Days and Reader Meet Author events. And they always spoiled us with samples from the cafe.

This past fall I had my launch party for My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours at Borders as well.

I've had so many happy memories at this store. I'm just so sad to think there will be no more events for me at my favorite Borders. I'll keep doing events at other stores and libraries but this Borders is like home. :-(

Whoo hoo! February Bestseller!

2011-02-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

WHOO HOO!! I'm on Scholastic's Bestseller list for February!! Off to dance!

This week...

2011-02-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

This past week has been fun!Last Saturday I participated in a reading/discussion/signing with Elizabeth Eulberg (Prom & Prejudice) and Kristin Walker (A Match Made in High School) at The Book Stall in Winnetka. We had such a good time! Elizabeth is completely lovely and reads with really fun voices and Kristin is as fun as always.

(Elizabeth, Kristin, and me)

We had lots of fun in the middle of the week with the 2011 Snowpocalypse. Since the kids had snow days we stayed in and had one big long blizzard party. I think we had 20 inches of snow here. Of course it snowed a few more inches today as well. It feels like the snow isn't going anywhere soon!

(Snow up to our front door)

(The back yard. The patio set got totally buried and the snow reaches the top of the fence. The kids loved it!)

I also got the Japanese version of The Espressologist in the mail this week. It's SO COOL! I knew what the cover looked like but I didn't realize that you read the book backward. So when you open the cover you pull to the right not left.

And you read from right to left too. You can see the first chapter mark on the right side of the page. The little coffee cups on the pages are so cute!

Other than this stuff I'm writing like crazy! I've been working on a new book that I really am hoping to get done by the end of the month. Not sure if I'll make it but I'm trying!

I'm hanging out more on twitter lately too-- @TinaSpringer

Have a good week!

A Great Read...

2011-02-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See and WOW, what an amazing book! It seriously was one of those books that you just can't stop reading, even though you should be working on your own books. A fascinating and beautiful story. I'll admit, just looking at the cover the title was a bit odd to me and the fan image didn't draw me in. Had I just walked by it in the story I likely wouldn't have picked the book up. But it's a word-of-mouth type of book and I'm telling you, you've gotta read it. Here's a description from Lisa's Web site:

"A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship."

The Espressologist Paperback Giveaway

2011-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Congrats to...

Cathy

You won the giveaway! E-mail me (Kristina at KristinaSpringer dot com) your full name and address (and if you want me to sign the book to you) and I'll send it on the way!

The Espressologist Paperback Giveaway

2011-01-26T18:35:00.000-08:00

This week over at Author2Author we're talking about why we write in the genre that we do. I talk about writing YA Chicklit and how much I love it. Comment on this post why YOU love YA Chicklit to be entered for the chance to win the recently released paperback of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST. Mail in the USA only. Winner announced next Thursday.

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit: Starring Laurie Stolarz

2011-01-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

Laurie Stolarz has stopped by to talk about her latest book, DEADLY LITTLE GAMES.

About the Book:

High school juniors Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: they both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to see the future through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control. Camelia’s gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn’t yet comprehend. Before either one has a chance to fully grasp their abilities, a new danger surfaces, but this time, Camelia is not the target. Adam, a familiar face from Ben’s past, is drawn into a puzzle he can’t solve. . . and his life is on the line. As the clues pile up, Camelia must decide whether to help him and risk losing Ben or do nothing and suffer the consequences. But in these games,who can be trusted?

Our Interview:

LAURIE: I love strong black coffee with just a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top. That’s it. Nothing else.

KRISTINA: I am always curious about when and where writers write. Can you tell me about your schedule and your favorite place to work?

LAURIE: I write wherever and whenever I can. I have a toddler who goes to preschool three mornings per week, so I use that time. I also write in the car, waiting to pick up my grade-schooler, at coffee shops when I can get a sitter, and at night.

KRISTINA: If your book was made into a movie, who would star as your main character?

LAURIE: Blake Lively. That’s who I pictured as my MC when I was first starting the series.

KRISTINA: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

LAURIE: Since before I could even write, creating stories and plotlines for my dolls and having them act out plays. Then, when I actually could write, I’d write out the scripts and make edits and adjustments I went along.

KRISTINA: What is your most favorite (or, weirdest, craziest, funniest, most touching etc.) comment you’ve received from a fan?

LAURIE: At one of the places I visited to speak, an all-girls residential facility, a girl cried simply because I showed up, because she never thought it would happen – that someone would want to spend time with them. It was very touching.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

LAURIE: Yes: http://twitter.com/lauriestolarz

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

LAURIE: I’m currently working on Deadly Little Voices, the fourth book in the Touch series.

About the Author:

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series, which has sold nearly 750,000 copies worldwide. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston. For more information, please visit her Web site at www.lauriestolarz.com.

A Contest From Laurie:

TOUCH SERIES CONTEST

From the author: “In celebration of the release of DEADLY LITTLE GAMES, I’ve launched a very exciting contest. You will need to read a copy of DEADLY LITTLE GAMES to enter. Prizes include having a minor character in DEADLY LITTLE VOICES, the fourth book in the TOUCH series, named after him or her, or a phone call from me. OFFICIAL RULES for this contest are on my website, under NEWS. ALL ENTRANTS MUST SIGN A RELEASE FORM, DOWNLOADABLE FROM WWW.LAURIESTOLARZ.COM/NEWS.html. Sign up for my e-Newsletter for updates on contest, book, and appearance info: http://www.lauriestolarz.com/newsletter.html.”

Sarah Dessen Gift Set Giveaway!

2011-01-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, I've been blogging with a great group of writers at Author2Author for the past 3 years. This year we're trying out a FUN FRIDAY (giveaways, author interviews/blog posts, fun writing stuff) and to kick off our first one we're giving away this really cool Sarah Dessen Gift Set. It includes three of Sarah's awesome books, a key pendant, and keepsake box. You only have to comment on THIS BLOG POST for a chance to win. So easy!

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit: Starring Eileen Cook

2011-01-07T14:12:00.001-08:00

Eileen Cook is visiting my blog today to talk about her new book (one I can't wait to get my hands on!) THE EDUCATION OF HAILEY KENDRICK.

About the Book

Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.

Suddenly, Hailey's perfect life--and her reputation--are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don't trust her. Her boyfriend won't even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she's been dumped.

They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

Reviews

"Hailey may be an A student headed to the Ivy League, but when it comes to taking a chance on life, she’s clueless. She’s also enormously appealing and great company throughout this breezy read. Yes, it’s chick lit, but of the highest quality—like a gourmet truffle. Cook has whipped up a real treat.” --Kirkus starred review

"Cook effectively builds both Hailey's (justified) feelings of rebellion and the social dynamics of her ostracism, especially in her growing friendship with a challenging townie, Drew, who supervises her punishment working with the janitorial staff....Cook coaxes considerable empathy for the otherwise privileged Hailey as she abandons the achievement treadmill to explore her independence." --Publishers Weekly

Our Interview

EILEEN: I live in Vancouver where it is practically a crime to admit this- but- I don’t like coffee. Not even coffee flavored ice cream. I’m more of a chai tea latte or hot chocolate (high end only please, none of that chalky power mixed with water) kind of person.

KRISTINA: I am always curious about when and where writers write. Can you tell me about your schedule and your favorite place to work?

EILEEN: Have laptop can travel. I write on the beach, in my backyard, while traveling in hotels, in coffee shops, libraries, at my desk and on the sofa. I find when I get stuck if I change location it seems to make a difference.

I love the idea of having a regular schedule, but I never seem to manage it. Instead I set a weekly goal of what I want to get done and give myself permission to write pages and pages on one day and only a few paragraphs on another.

KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?

EILEEN: I spend an unbelievable amount of time on picking a character’s name. I go to those baby name websites where you can search by different meanings and cultures and play around until I find something that “feels” right. Then when I have a name for everyone I have to decide if they fit together. For example you don’t want everyone’s name to start with the same letter or to rhyme.

KRISTINA: What is your most favorite (or, weirdest, craziest, funniest, most touching etc.) comment you’ve received from a fan?

EILEEN: I love hearing from readers so feel free to drop me a line at Eileen@eileencook.com. I heard from one reader who was going through a difficult time with her mom in the hospital. She would read parts of my book out loud to her mom so they would have a reason to laugh. I was so honored to be able to help (even in a very small way) during that time. One of my favorite comments was someone who said “You write teens so well, it’s like you were one once.”

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

EILEEN: I just started Revolution by Donnelly. So far it seems great!

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

EILEEN: Yes please! You can find me under Eileenwriter.

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

EILEEN: I have a middle grade series coming out for young readers (ages 8-10) in the Spring called The Fourth Grade Fairy. I’m also hard at work on my new YA novel. I’m working on a gothic story with the working title of Haunting Isobel. It has a creepy old house, a family mystery, a brooding handsome man and a possible ghost. It’s been a tremendous amount of fun to write so far.

About the Author

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

Scholastic

2011-01-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

So cool! My Fake Boyfriend is in the Scholastic TAB Flyer!

2010 Year in Review

2010-12-31T12:26:00.000-08:00

What a great year this has been!

It started with a *BANG* with the sale of my third book to FSG, JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS. JYAP comes out in the fall of 2011 so watch for it!

In mid-January I did an event at The Book Stall in Winnetka, IL, with Julie Halpern and Beverley Patt. It was one of my favorite signings with such a fun group and at a lovely store! I'll be back there again on January 29th at 2pm with Elizabeth Eulberg (The Lonely Hearts Club) and Kristin Walker (A Match Made in high School) which I think will be an absolute blast!

February was packed with first the launch party of my friend Kristin Walker's funny book.

And of course the super fun Valentine's Day signing I did with Kristin and Kimberley Pauley.

Then a visit from two of my fave critique partners (Deena from NY and Em from IN) and the annual Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast.

In March I did a fun visit with the Westmont Junior High Writer's Club, attended the Joliet Library Author Fair, met fellow Deb Carrie Ryan at her Anderson's Bookstore signing (yep, with Kristin Walker again. If you can't tell yet we hang out a lot!),

and I was debut author of the month on Alice Pope's blog!

April consisted of more fun author events like the Fountaindale Library Authors Festival (I'm going back again this April!) in Bolingbrook, IL, and a Reader Meet Author chat at the Borders in Bolingbrook (my fave Borders).

In May I did my first ever Skype school visit (loooove the skype visit! Happy to do them free for schools-- e-mail me for info) and visited with a Young Writers Studio group. And I was revising like crazy (and I do mean crazy. Me and revision-- not so cool. It's probably the hardest part of the whole writing process for me).

June was a blur of end of year school stuff with my kids, swim lessons, and baseball games. And I swore off checking my Amazon rank.

In July I had one long anxiety attack as I realized my book, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS, was coming out in August and I needed to order promo, plan a launch book signing, and fill out about a million interviews and guest blog posts. And I launched my new super cute Web site!

In August, I celebrated my new book release!

Early September was the launch book signing.

And two more author fairs in Aurora and Homer Glen.

In October I worked hard at copyedits for JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS, attended the ISLMA Author Showcase, got older (birthday month!), and I about died when my author idol Meg Cabot mentioned me on her blog.

And in November? Things got EVEN BETTER when Meg Cabot wrote a blurb for my book!! I still get giddy even thinking about it! I also had a seriously amazing time on vacation with my family and friends. Looooooove Disney!

And of course this month: a big whirl of fun holiday celebrations with family and friends, the Young Chicago Authors Holiday Book Bash, and my new book trailer celebrating The Espressologist releasing in paperback next week.

Other cool things in the past month or so: The Espressologist was named a 2010 honor book by the Society of School Librarians, Scholastic Book Fairs bought My Fake Boyfriend is Better Then Yours (I can't tell you how much I LOVE the school book fairs and how I can't wait to see my book there!!!) and I also saw the Japanese and Russian versions of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST release (German released in '09). And I sold My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours to Germany too! Foreign sales are the coolest, I'm telling ya.

And moving into 2011 I have one book I'm writing now, one I'm revising, and three more that I've started and need to get back to. Which sometimes feels overwhelming to me but then I remind myself that it's a good place to be: busy!

Happy New Year! I hope your 2011 is amazing!

The Espressologist Paperback

2010-12-29T20:32:00.000-08:00

THE ESPRESSOLOGIST comes out in paperback on Tuesday, January 4th! Here's the super cute trailer for the book.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to you! I hope you're all having a lovely Christmas Eve! So far mine has been great. Started with some major cooking at my mom's with the ladies in the family. Lots of fun and I finally learned how to make Pierogi and Bohemian Braid Bread. And I'm so looking forward to tonight when everyone comes over for pizza and Christmas movies. And of course the big day tomorrow! I wish Christmas could last for weeks!

Egg Nog Lattes

2010-12-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year! All of the decorating, shopping, cookie making, AND yummy coffee drinks! I’m going to share a fave around my house: Egg Nog Lattes!

Kristina’s YUMMY Egg Nog Latte

1) Combine ½ cup of egg nog with ¼ cup of milk in a steaming pitcher.

2) Pour the steamed egg nog/milk into a mug.

3) Make two shots of espresso.

4) Pour the shots of espresso into the mug of milk.

5) Stir.

6) Garnish drink with a pinch of nutmeg.

It’s soooooo good! Here’s a picture of one I made my hubby.

You’ve gotta try it!

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit: Caridad Ferrer

2010-11-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

Girlfriend Caridad Ferrer is here with her newest book: WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE.

About the Book:

A dancer driven to succeed.

A musical prodigy attempting to escape his past.

The summer they share.

And the moment it all goes wrong.

Dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. About to graduate from Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.

But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad's affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

Our Interview:

CARIDAD: I'm fairly boring in that I like my coffee strong, with a bit of cream and sugar. My favorite beans are Sumatra or Kona-- anything really rich and powerful. My other favorite that I don't have all that often anymore is the traditional Cuban cafe con leche. It's a shot or two of sweet Cuban coffee (AKA Cuban jet fuel) mixed into steaming hot milk. Forget your lattes and espressos-- that mixture will keep you running fast than the Energizer Bunny!

KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?

CARIDAD: The first book I ever wrote was a romance called LATE FOR YOUR LIFE. I made tons of newbie mistakes, starting with it was way, WAY too long, but I recently pulled it out from under the metaphorical bed and took a look at it and two things really struck me: one was that as a story, it's really pretty darned good. Good arc, despite its length, the pace is pretty good, and no loose ends were left unanswered. The second thing that struck me was there was a sort of ease in the writing-- I just sat and wrote that thing with no concept of "rules" or whether or not it would work for publication. I just wrote the story because it demanded to be written and I simply sat and wrote. I think I need to try to recapture some of that same freedom-- it's really a joyful feeling.

KRISTINA: What three things must you have while you’re writing?

CARIDAD: Diet Coke or coffee, music, and a notebook nearby for jotting down notes.

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

CARIDAD: Armistead Maupin's MARYANN IN AUTUMN, his new Tales of the City novel, and my reward for completing my release week promo duties is going to be Victoria Dahl's new novella, MIDNIGHT ASSIGNMENT.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

CARIDAD: I'm @BarbFerrer and I'd love for people to follow. I do tweet frequently, so I'm always chattering away.

About the Author:

Caridad Ferrer is a first generation, bilingual Cuban-American, whose young adult debut, Adiós to My Old Life won the Romance Writers of America’s 2007 RITA® for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance as well as being named to the 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list, awarded by the ALA. Her second novel, It’s Not About the Accent was released in 2007 with Publisher’s Weekly stating, “…this twisting book amply rewards readers.”

She has also contributed to the anthology, Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and Other Quinceañera Stories. Her newest young adult novel, When the Stars Go Blue, is a contemporary retelling of Bizet’s Carmen, and will be released by Thomas Dunne Books in November 2010. Booklist calls it, “Beautifully written, with contemporary characters and an engaging story line.”

Thanks Caridad! Good luck with your new book!

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

**cross posted from Author2Author.***

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you're planning on having a fun relaxing day today! I heard somewhere this week that 66% of all families have a fight on Thanksgiving day. I'm determined to not be in that 66%! I'm already thinking about the day after. Not the Black Friday shopping (I'm swearing off that this year too) but getting ready for Christmas. I want to get our tree and start the marathon of Hallmark and Family Channel cheesy Christmas movies!

But first, things I'm thankful for right this very second:

My sweet family! Everyone is happy and healthy and silly as ever!

Warm home, food, and income! The economy is seriously depressing and I hate that so many people are struggling. We are donating to as many food drives, toy drives, coat drives etc. as we can.

Writing Goodness: Meg Cabot blurbed my book, I sold German rights to My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, theJapanese version of The Espressologist just came out, and I started writing a new book!

And finally, our big Disney trip last week went wonderfully! We survived the 20 hour drive there and back and had so so so much fun at all the theme parks. In fact, we are suffering from serious Disney withdrawal and want to go back as soon as possible. Here's just a few shots:

(The castle lit up for Christmas. Isn't it SO pretty? It changed colors too-- blue, pink, green etc. LOVED it!)

(The Osbourne light show at Hollywood Studios. This was AMAZING! Loved the "snow" falling too.)

("Germany" at Epcot. The kids loved all the different countries!)

(The tree of life at Animal Kingdom. So cool and huge!)

What are you all thankful for?

Have a wonderful holiday!!