Happy Holidays!

Thanks to everyone who has popped by my wee bloggie, and everyone who has supported my books in 2011!

Hope you holidays are full of great joy and create wonderful memories!

See you in the NEW YEAR!!

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

Oh hello badly neglected Blog. You are still here? Waiting for me to return? How sweet and loyal. Thank you.

Well. I did it! I finished Who I Kissed and turned it into my editor exactly less than 24 hours ago. (I was going to give an exact time but seriously, I'm tired. My brain is fried. Estimations will suffice)

I know it's not done. As in done done. Lovely Leah, super editor, will read and contemplate and send me back revisions, and that's okay. I actually really like the revision process of a novel. Not that I haven't already done lots of work and re-work.  Who I Kissed was an edit as I go project. A weaving journey.

Right now. Today. I'm pleased with it. Of course my brain is still really really full of it, as in I worked on it pretty hard and in pretty high gear to get it written to a fairly short deadline. Again. That's okay. I'm a pretty fast writer. But I haven't really had a chance to step back from it and then look at it with fresh eyes. That will come in January.  

But it has some good bits I think. Hope. Pray. Of course there are sad points. The synopsis kind of acts as a spoiler for that. Girl has a peanut butter sandwich, kisses boy and kills him not realizing he is deathly allergic to peanuts. But there's lighter things. And cute boys.

It's a journey of self discovery.  Angels even have a role. And a funny little dog named Fredrick who looks kind of (okay exactly) like this:

But now as I emerge from my writer cave, I see that Christmas is almost here. Funny how it does that the same time every year, yet it always seems to sneak in unexpectedly. My house is a true disaster zone. My boy is having a sleepover party tomorrow, and there's domestic work to be done. After this weekend I am planning to collapse for a while. And then we'll be off to visit family and then back and ready for a brand new year.

2011 has been a full one. That's for sure. But that's another talk for another day.

Happy Christmas Shopping. See you on the flip side!

Warning. More Writer Deadline Confessions.

When writing a new book, once in a magical while (usually at the beginning when brains are enamoured with  new shiny stories) it sometimes seems like it's the best thing ever written by anyone ever. There may be laughing out loud while writing, there may be tears as characters suffer. These moments are usually replaced by fear that this is the most horrible drivel ever conceived and that the editor will rip up the contract and block email when she receives her first copy of the manuscript.  There may have to be intervention from other writers.

Thinking about people especially professional reviewers reading your work at this stage can only cause major carbohydrate binging. It is best avoided.

Even when it doesn't look an author on deadline is working. She is. She's watching and thinking and contemplating the way real life scenarios or conversation bits might be useful in books. She`s thinking about what her characters are doing and why. She`s wondering how she can make that person more alive. All this is secretly done while driving, eating, talking, watching our children play sports and even sleeping.

An author on deadline secretly wishes that everyone could just stop needing her for a couple weeks. Going away to a secluded room with wifi and coffee and snacks seems like the best idea. Ever. And a personal maid would be awesome too. The author still loves her family and her dog, she just wishes they could function without her for a couple weeks.

Coffee and pop become food staples.  Exercise seems much less important in the whole scheme of things.

Daily chores are really aggravating. And often aren`t done. Laundry starts to breed and multiply.

Google becomes a writer`s best friend. Real friends are only communicated with on Twitter, Facebook or in a real emergency, by email.

Worry. There is lots of worry. And hope. Lots of that too.

Happy writing!!

Confessions and a Deadline

I'm not Catholic but I live in a house with them and therefore this feels like a good time for a confession.

Hello Blog. I have not visited you in two weeks.  During that time I have often been busy working on my new novel as I should be. I also had to stop to write two non fiction write- for- hire books about Football. It was fun but way more work than I thought. The time she is ticking. November, she is a busy busy month. Plus I have begun a run program with plans to run my first half marathon in March 2012?. Yes. I might be crazy. Have I mentioned that I am not a very good runner?

I have spent wasted time reading celebrity gossip. What is up with Blake Lively? Did she really dump Leo or did he dump her? Should I really care? I suppose I'll never know the truth. Seriously she'll always be Bridget from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants to me. No matter who she is sleeping with or how much cleavage she shows in a dress.  Okay. Yes. I'm jealous.

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I also rediscovered that I am really not a fan of Jesse James. Really not. Did you know he fooled around on that tattoo girl 19 times? Well with 19 different woman, probably more times. Which is bad enough, but what makes it worse to me is that he said something that was a total SLAM to Sandra Bullock,while engaged to tattoo girl.  Something about the tattoo girl being the very best lover he ever had.  So he purposely went out of his way to make Sandra Bullock feel bad when he was fooling around on Tattoo girl too.  Grrr. He has really scary eyes I think. Plus have I mentioned how much I love Sandra Bullock? She handled the whole thing with mega class.

 Please Blog. Tell any teen readers to never ever let themselves be fooled by the bad boy antics of boys like Jesse James. They will break your heart. Every time. There may be a character who has similarities in my new book. But I don't want to give spoilers. So shhhhhhh.

During my absense I also watched almost two full seasons of Drop Dead Diva. This. This is an awesome show. I need to hunt down Season Three.  But not until I finish writing.

I am working working working on book 3, WHO I KISSED.  I promise. And you know what, it has some really awesome parts. Unfortunatley right now it also has some parts that need work. ALOT of work. This deadline stuff is kind of freaky.

The next few weekends I have swim meet committments. I have lots of work to do. Did I mention this deadline stuff is kind of freaky?

I will be back soon, Blog. In the meantime.  If I'm not here, I'm writing. (or catching up on celebrity gossip. But shhhhh. Let's pretend it's all writing)

Read all about The First Time!

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:

Happy Halloween!!

I am in the cave. Doing that writing thing. Whew. My brain is frying hard. But. A break is needed since I reached my goal for the day. Word count wise.  And so. A quick blog. A quick blog with my current writers brain. Scattered.

True Fact- There are mini chocolate bars in my home and I have not eaten any of them. Today. Yet.

True Fact- Since we last spoke, I have became addicted to Drop Dead Diva on Netflix. OMG I love this show so frickin' much.

True Fact- I feel like Halloween is over already  since we had our Halloween party last weekend. Tonight I will go out with Superson and his buddy and my buddy to trick or treat for a short while. Then all the decorations come down.

And now, some pics of Halloween past before I move on...

A Most Amazing Gift For An Author

One of the things I try to remember as an author is that no story is for everyone. What speaks to one reader may say something completely different to another. It's a personal thing and everyone has their own tastes and preferences in stories.

That said, one of the very best parts of being an author is hearing from readers who connected with a story. I've been fortunate enough to hear great comments and even have had requests for sequels or questions about what happened next. To me it's awesome that a story I wrote was vivid enough readers want to know how lives turn(ed) out or what happened later!

If you think notes like this don't make a writer's day, think again! Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself.  It's AWESOME.

When I'M NOT HER first came out, I invited my friends to a launch party, a celebration for me sticking in there and getting a new book out in the world. It was a great chance to celebrate I'M NOT HER. I dare say I really love the book and wanted to share my happiness and accomplishment with "my peoples". It's hard to brag about my own work, but I am pretty proud of I'M NOT HER.

Paula, one of my girlfriends who was at the launch, (who is always great for my writing ego and a good publicity person as well) passed the book on to her friend and her daughter read the story.  Well, this teenager, Hailey Bell, not only wrote me the most beautiful note, a hand written note about the book, but she is also a talented artist and she drew me a picture from the novel.  First of all the note brought tears to my eyes and then the drawing. Wow!!!

It touches my heart to say the least.  Later, not long ago, I got to meet her in person (at my IF I TELL launch). I even got to give her a hug! She's a beautiful (much taller than I thought) girl with a warm open heart and lots and lots of talent. Thanks so much to Hailey for honoring me with the gift.

Without saying too much about it and giving away a spoiler....this is Hailey's version of a drawing by the character Nick in I'M NOT HER.  If you've read the book, you'll know that this is a drawing that won a major prize.

Thanks again to Hailey for such a wonderful drawing! It hangs on my wall and is an amazing amazing gift!

If I Tell, Who I Kissed and More

Whew!

I've been a little quiet on the blog front, but the good news is that I've been writing. Book 3- aka - The Peanut Butter Book which according to a note from my editor MIGHT be called WHO I KISSED (kind of loving that title now).

It's an engaging book to work on and includes some cool Parkour scenes, one I worked on yesterday.  I only hope it's going to be as good a book when it's done as I want it to be while I'm drafting! I'm hoping for lots of emotional response from readers and maybe even some tears like with I'M NOT HER but I think the ending might be a little more resolved and happy in this book! Oh writing. You are so fun and yet so hard.

I spent the past weekend celebrating IF I TELL, my second Sourcebooks title.  My lovely friends joined me on Friday night at Chapters/Indigo for cupcakes. I signed some books and chatted and caught up and had a great time. I do admit to feeling kind of bad making people come out again so soon after the launch of I'M NOT HER, but you know, it's not often that authors get to actually publicly celebrate our writing so I thought, what he heckles Jannie. Let's do it again!

On Saturday I was at MONKEYSHINES Bookstore, a funky and fun independent Children's Book store in Calgary.  Sue, the owner, was so gracious and amazing. If you are in Calgary and are intending on picking up IF I TELL, I'd LOVE it if you could go to her store for copies!!!

I was thrilled to see Jan Markley, another local author and another amazing woman with deep passion for Young Adult literature- Betsy Fraser. She's kind of a YA rock star in my eyes, and I was so pleased both came by.

Now, it's back to getting the next book written and off for another run outside. Okay.  Here goes!!!

Goals. On running. And writing.

Today I went for a run outside and it was hard. Actually it kind of sucked. But I did it. My cheeks were bright red and hot after and my lungs hurt after the first five minutes. But I did it. It made me mad because I've slacked off of it for MONTHS and I'm back at a beginning point in the running. AGAIN.

I always want to make great running goals. Like a half marathon. That would be so cool. But I always forget one important thing.

I hate running.

I'm quite bad at it. Or maybe it's just that I believe I'm bad at it that makes it true.  After five years or so running on and off I can still pull off a 5km run with no problem. Okay. Some walking intervals and lots of internal grumbling, but nothing too bad. (That's 3.11 miles for my American friends.)

But I want to go further. 10km.  So how do I do it? In some ways, maybe I believe I can't do it.  Or I just don't want it bad enough. Something always stops me from getting past the 7km mark, and I always fall back on the comfort and ease of a slow 5km.

But it's pretty easy to liken running to writing.

The more you run, the easier it becomes.  Writing. Yes. The same.

Right now I am in the process of writing my third Sourcebooks novel. I have a deadline when it has to be done. This is new for me. Having a book sold that isn't finished yet I mean.  We want to get the book out next year, and that makes for a quick turnaround.  So in order to meet my deadline, I have daily writing goals. Weekly writing goals. And doing it every day like this keeps me inside the story and forces me to write even when I don't feel like writing.  Like today.  I have been putting off my writing all day. Well. I was busy this morning and had some chores that had to be done, but I know I HAVE to get my word count in and I'm not there yet.  But I did get in the run. Actually what I did was change up the order.  Usually I exercise while my son is swimming. But today I ran during writing time and will write during exercise time.

But the run made me realize how easy it is to get things done when you break them down into smaller chunks.  I broke my runs into smaller intervals today and it made it easier for me. I know if I keep it up I'll be back to my 10:1 intervals (which is the way the Running Room taught me to run) I KNOW I CAN run 10km. I just have to want it a little more. I have to DECIDE I want it.

I will finish the book. That I WANT. That I NEED. Break it down until I get the first draft done and then for me comes the fun part- the revisions. That is when I am so immersed in a book that I have to be forced back to real life.

Let's see if I can a similar thing with running goals. How about a 10km in a Spring Race? Half Marathon in the Fall? By this time next year, Book 3 will be complete and launching out into the real world. How about my half marathon?? How about it, indeed.

Shall you check back with me. Let's chat at book launch #3.

If I Tell - Jennifer R. Hubbard

Jennifer R. Hubbard http://www.jenniferhubbard.com/ is the author of contemporary YA novels The Secret Year, which is about a secret relationship and a sudden death, and the upcoming Try Not to Breathe (Viking, 2012).

Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

I think I'm good at keeping private things that should be private. To oversimplify: Privacy is about keeping confidential what is nobody else's business. A secret is something another person has the right to know, but is being kept from him or her.

Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Betrayal of trust is very difficult to get over. I like to think I'm a more forgiving person now than I was years ago. But there's a difference between forgiving and condoning--for example, if a relationship is abusive, there's no need for a person to continue to take abuse.

Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

My friends were good in school; they tended to be in the band rather than on the football team; some of them played Dungeons & Dragons. I liked to dance and spent hours on the phone. I also worked on my writing after school, and sold my first short story while still in high school. I don't know what "category" that would make me.

Describe your fave teen outfit.

T-shirt and jeans.

If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self

"Relax: things really do get a lot better."

Digging Sourcebooks for the GREAT COVER!

So it's October.

I know, I catch on quick, right? I love this month. Well. I love this month when the snow doesn't come early and bug me. There's plenty of time for that. I am anti-snow right now. And so far, so good.

October is the month I was born. And while I've never really been all about my birthday, I do love an excuse for cake. So yeah, that's good. Then there's HALLOWEEN and my son is a huge fan. We have a party every year, and yes I admit I go a little overboard sometimes (*always*).

This year October was also special because of the release of IF I TELL.

I'm seeing lots of reviews on IF I TELL because it's been on Netgalley and hopefully people start picking it up in stores or purchase it for their ebooks.  (subtle begging or blatant? You decide)

Anyhow, the one thing that I'm not really seeing discussed on blogs or in reviews, something that I thought might come up is how absolutely wonderful and COOL Sourcebooks was about the cover.

As in the authenticity of the model.

If you follow book news and YA news, you'll remember past controversy when publishing houses "whitened" up cover models.  So I was really thrilled when I saw the first comp for IF I TELL and it was really clear that the model is biracial. She actually resembles the Jaz I had in my mind when I wrote the book.  Awesome hair, naturally thin and BIRACIAL skin tones!!

Fabulous job I must say to the wise folks at Sourcebooks.  And they are a wise and wonderful bunch over there. I couldn't be happier to be a part of the Sourcebooks Fire Team!

Hello Jaz!

IF I Tell- Maureen McGowan

Maureen McGowan is the author of the YA novels, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer. Maureen’s always been making up stories, but sidetracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to see the light and channel her energy into writing novels. After pummeling her sensible side into submission, she quit her career in finance and hasn't looked back.


Aside from books and writing, she's passionate about art, dance, films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes. Maureen takes her shoes to a lot of movies in Toronto, Canada.

So what about secrets? Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?


Maureen: Oh, I so wish I could unequivocally answer yes. I'm very good at keeping other people's secrets. Secrets where I know the person who shared the information would be devastated if I anyone else knew. But I'm not so good at keeping my own secrets. People know way too much about me.

Ha ha, I think that's awesome. I love people who tell all about themselves!! Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Maureen: I think I do... I can't think of any specific things (other than major crimes against people I love) that I couldn't forgive a true friend for. I suppose if a friend purposefully said something negative about me in public (online) that would be hard to forgive. But I can't really imagine any of my true friends doing that.


Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?
Maureen: Oh, this is a tough one for me. I hung with a bunch of groups in high school. If I have to pick one, I'll go with "brain" or "brownnoser?" I got really good grades and didn't get into much trouble. But I also was on a lot of athletic teams (jock) and was in the Musical and choir (nerd).


Jock/nerd/brownnoser. Describe your fave teen outfit.

Maureen: This will date me. I was totally into the Annie Hall look. Except more often with skirts/kilts instead of the pleated slacks she wore. (I'm too short to pull of pants like that.) Imagine me in a man's shirt, skinny tie, skirt, cable tights, loafers. Sometimes a vest over top. Occasionally a cool man's hat. That was probably my favorite teen outfit.


I think it still sounds cool. Have you seen the hats they're wearing these days. Man hats. If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Maureen: I wish I could have told my teen self to have more confidence, especially around boys. I remember this one time when I was in grade 9 or 10 and in the halls after hours in my gymnastics uniform. One of the older, really popular boys smiled at me -- really smiled at me. I think I sneered back, thinking he was making fun of me in some way. Now I look at photos of me back then and totally know why he was smiling. I wish I could have realized it then. LOL.

Yeah I hear you. Listen up teen girls. You are HOT. Work it!

If I Tell- Sydney Salter

Today to talk secrets, we have a wonderful author and a wonderful person as well, Sydney Salter.  Confession. My fave name for a girl is Sydney. I always wished I was named Sydney.

 Sydney Salter writes middle-grade and young adult fiction. She is the author of My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters, Jungle Crossing, and Swoon At Your Own Risk. Sydney lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, lazy cats, big hairy dogs, and a pair of quiet tortoises. When not writing, Sydney likes to read, think up adventures, experiment with new recipes, sample exotic chocolates, hike with her family and go to movies and rock concerts with her husband.



http://www.sydneysalter.com/

I love your books so much!!! Thanks for stopping by. So. Right to it. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Sydney: I am good at keeping secrets because I'd rather hear juicy new stuff than tell someone what I already know!

Love juicy new stuff too! Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Sydney: I consider learning to forgive people--even for awful behavior--one of the best life lessons I've learned. I could forgive a friend for anything, although that doesn't mean forgetting what kind of person he/she can be. I don't always continue to hang out with those I've forgiven, but at least I'm not carrying around a bunch of bitterness and resentment.

 Ah yes, the life lessons. Bitterness turns inward, best to move on! Okay. Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

Sydney: My Biology teacher once called me a "smart rah-rah." I floated between the jocks and nerds, known, but not super popular.

A smart rah rah. I think it's a compliment. Smart and cheery! Full of pep! It fits!! So describe your fave teen "rah rah" outfit.

Sydney: A little red overalls mini-dress that I wore with a yellow spaghetti-strap tank. Combine that with my fluffy 80s perm & I felt SO cute!

You were so cute I bet.  Oh 80's hair. I wonder if you'll ever come back. If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Sydney: I would have believed in myself and not worried so much about my flaws (duh, we all have them!). I would've told myself what I'm telling my daughter who starts high school this week: the key to high school is self-acceptance. Quiet confidence combined with genuine friendliness is incredibly attractive! And anyone who judges you based on the circumference of your thighs (or nose-width, in my case) isn't worth knowing, anyway.

True dat. And I think you have a lovely nose. And genuine friendliness! Thanks so much for stopping by Sydney!

IF I TELL- Judith Graves

Judith Graves is the smart and sassy author behind the young adult paranormal trilogy SKINNED. Library technician, singer, songwriter, author, and book club haunter, Graves loves all things a bit creepy. Thankfully, her sidekick, and lick-the-boogy-man-to-death labrador retriever, Weeping Willow, is always nearby.

Welcome Judith! I was lucky enough to meet Judith at a library presentation she did in OKOTOKS, ALBERTA (where I just happen to be appearing at 7pm on MONDAY!) Judith was an amazing presentor and is a very talented author and a really nice person as well!



So do tell Judith! Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Judith Graves:  I am to a certain extent. If the secret involves some delicious and twisted surprise for a friend, I’m likely to spill the beans or set off their internal alarms with cryptic remarks or wayward grins. However, if the secret is that of a personal confidant, I consider it “in the vault” and sealed forever.


Much like me.  Good secrets are so much easier to spill imo. So. What about forgiveness? Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Judith:  Chocolate and a sincere apology go a long way to ensuring we remain friends, but once trust is broken, things will never really be the same again.


Note to mistake makers in Judith's life, stock up on chocolate! So. Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

Judith: I had a blast in my teens because I didn’t have one particular group. I walked the fringe of many. I got along with the nerds, the drama crowd, dancers and musicians, but I also hung out with the goths and loners. The only group I avoided like the zombie plague - the jocks. Ironically, I ended up falling madly in love with and marrying one of their ilk. My husband (who is now a high school history teacher and basketball coach) and I would have HATED each other in high school. Go figure.

Ahh ha haha. That totally cracks me up. So then describe your fave teen outfit.

Judith:  Since I didn’t belong to one particular crowd and therefore assume their related costume – my style was a mish-mash of everything and anything. I did favor vintage finds and would often offset a trendy bit of fluff with a used classic from Value Village.


Ah. The mash of the mish. I am pressing the like button!! So, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self? P.s. It probably shouldn't be that you're going to end up marrying a high school coach.

Judith:  I would have gotten out of private schools a lot sooner. My world opened up when I convinced my parents to send me to a public school for my senior year. What would I have told myself? Enjoy those skinny jeans while they last, kid. Thanks, Janet, this was a blast from the past.

Ah yes. Skinny jeans. Only the young can rock them really well.

Visit Judith at  http://www.judithgraves.com/

Twitter: @judithgraves

Upcoming goodness: The Crossroads Blog Tour

http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/crossroads-2011/

15 YA paranormal authors. 7 days. SWAG. ARCS. Bwahhhahhhaaa…..

OFFICIAL Release Day for IF I TELL

Say hello to Jaz! 

Last Chance to Win one of 15 IF I TELL copies from Goodreads!

15!!! That's a lot of chances!

Good luck. Winning free stuff rocks!

Click Here to Enter

Best Eyebrow Picture EVER

I like Jennifer Aniston. I like her new boyfriend. He's kind of delicious and I love how both of them always wear black. He's a cool looking dude. A bit of the bad boy thing going on, but seemingly tamed for now. This is how I am seeing it in my romantic head. Okay.

But.

The best thing about him? His eyebrowlift. I love boys that can rasie one eyebrow.  Swoonworthy. Swwoooon.  Many, many of my male characters in my novels can do this exact move. Well played, Justin Theroux. 

If I Tell - The Book Shelf Muse- Angela Ackerman

Angela Ackerman is not only my agent mate, she also lives in the same city as me and we are real life friends!  She's funny and nice and just plain awesome and also has an AMAZING website with a million followers because it is made of WRITER WIN.  If you haven't, you must drop by for the amazing writer thesaurus's.

Visit Angela at THE BOOKSHELF MUSE

Thanks for stopping by, Angela. So tell us, are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Angela:  I hate secrets because my inclination is to be honest with everyone. But, if the secret is for a good thing, like a surprise birthday party, etc, I can totally keep my lips zipped, because the end result is that someone else will end up happy. But keeping a secret that can harm another? I can't do it. I try to convince the person involved to be honest and solve the issue rather than hold onto the secret (if it's theirs) and if the secret belongs to someone else and they are passing it along...I try to help the person who is in need without revealing that I know their secret. So, I don't necessarily 'tell', but I will try and do whatever I perceive to be right.


Honesty is the best policy, yes? You sound like someone I should trust with my secrets. Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Angela:  I think we all make mistakes. I make them all the time! :) I definitely forgive others, but I am human and sometimes I make judgements based on what the mistake is. I don't like this side of myself, but it's true and like the last question, I tend to be ruled by honesty...even when it might make me look bad. I'm trying to change :)

The one thing I could never forgive a friend for is betrayal. If there was something that they knew would hurt or devastate me or my family but they did it anyway for personal gain...I would feel a profound sense of betrayal and I think we'd be done as far as friendship goes.


Don't mess with mama bear! I promise never to betray you for personal gain. Okay, let's go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with? 

Angela: I was the 'in-between-er', I guess. The group I hung out with sort of marched to its own band. We weren't geeks, because we were socially accepted by everyone else. We weren't popular in the sense that we wouldn't think to go to the popular parties by 'It crowd', but in school we could talk to some popular kids and no one thought twice about it. None of us were overly athletic, some of us were artsy, some brainy...we were an eclectic crowd.


Sounds about perfect.  And now you're the it crowd in my mind! And I think you have the best stories from high school about your hubby! But don't worry, I won't tell. Secret. Get it. Describe your fave teen outfit.

Angela:  Oh man...*reaches back in brain* Okay, I think I liked it best when we all wore our jeans rolled tight at the ankle and long button shirts with beads or crazy belts. And popped collars of course. 'Cause we were cool like that. :) Oh and I loved my acid washed jean jacket decorated with chains and pins that looked like dead happy faces. Good times, I tell you. :)


If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Angela: I think I would tell myself to stop obsessing about my own weight and appearance. I was so insecure, and now looking back I realize I had nothing to be insecure about! Oh and I would definitely tell myself to not date Erik Graves. BIG mistake...they guy was only interested in one thing, and even when I dumped him, he still was hoping for it as a 'way to say goodbye'. Yeah, right. Dream on buddy...dream on.


Ba ha ha ha. I'm imagining Erik googling himself and going, "Damn. Thought I still had a chance!" Silly rabbit. 
All right, thank you for stopping by, Angela! See you at lunch soon. Yes. We get to go for lunch together with our other Calgary writer friends! Yay writer friends!

IF I TELL- Danielle Joseph

Danielle Joseph is the author of SHRINKING VIOLET from MTV/Pocket Books and INDIGO BLUES and PURE RED (September 2011) from Flux Books.

When not writing, Danielle can be found listening to music, eating chocolate or swimming--sometimes all at once!

 For more info visit her website at: http://www.daniellejoseph.com/

First off, I would really like to see you swim while eating chocolate. But never mind that for now. Let's go to the questions. First. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Danielle: Yes, I am. I attribute it to the fact that I have three sisters and adhere to the "sister code". That means no matter how mad we are at each other, we never spill one of our secrets to anyone, especially to our parents.


Ah. The sister code. Good practice for secret keeping indeed. So what about mistakes? Do you easily forgive friends for mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Danielle: Not so easily but it really depends on what they did. One thing I really can't stand is when people flat out lie. Luckily, that does not happen very often and I have made many great friends over the years.

Note. Do not lie to Danielle! Okay. So let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

Danielle: I'd say my group was the 90's version of goth. Grunge Punkers I'll call it!

Yay Grunge Punkers!!! So this should be interesting. Please describe your fave teen outfit.

Danielle: I usually went for comfort so I'll pick a pair of vintage blue jeans, Newbury Comics tee, black and white striped socks and my maroon Dr. Martens.

Swoon. Maroon Dr. Martens. I am in love with them. And you.  Okay, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Danielle: I would just tell myself that high school is not the end of the world and that really the world is waiting for you. The only thing I would change is how I dealt with the social situations. I would tell myself not to worry so much about what others think and do what I think is right. I believe we learn from experience and that is no different from what I did.

Yes. I totally know of what you speak. So much worry about people who were not worrying about me at all.  But it all brings us to where we are now and that is not such a bad thing.

Thank you for stopping by Danielle! And I know you have a great secret to share, so hopefully we'll hear more about that soon!!

Bio

Janet Gurtler is the author of contemporary Ya novels, I’M NOT HER and IF I TELL, as well as a new novel from Sourcebooks Fire coming out in 2012.   Although she is chronologically (way) older, in many ways Janet will always be a 16 year old girl in her head.   Follow Janet on Twitter or Facebook or reach her through her website.

Silly Points To Ponder When faced with a Deadline

Oh! So I just got the official deadline for my third Sourcebooks YA,  Just Breathe aka The Peanut Butter Book which will have a new title soon.

I have been working on it on and off while I waited for the contract to come in and now it's official so I must get my butt in GEAR!!! There's a book to be finished baby!! I have to admit I kind of am a deadline person. There may or may not be a procrastinator living inside my head (okay there totally is). I like a little kick in the pants.

Plus, I really am very much in love with this story (remind me of this in a couple of months when I'm panicking!) so writing it is pleasurable. I hope it comes out as good as it presently is in my mind.
Of course, books are always incredibly brilliant before they're written. Yes. It is true!

 So while I'm thinking about this book I have also been pondering the following not so deep thoughts.

1. What happened to the guy who was married to Jerry Seinfeld's wife? The one she dumped after meeting Jerry and (apparently) traded up? Where is he now. Did he get paid off? Is he happy? Hmm.

2. What about the lady who was married to Julia Roberts husband when they hooked up. Vera something if memory serves me. Didn't Julia wear a rude shirt because she wouldn't divorce him? Oh Julia. Does she hate Julia's children? Does she boycott Julia's movies? Is she happy? I hope she got paid off. She deserves it. That would be hard to take.

3. What about George Clooney's ex-girlfriends? They must get a pretty good package when he lets them go? I'm starting to wonder about his sexual orientation. I can't help it. This new girlfriend of his just seems so conveniently timed. Do you think he's using these women to hide something else? Would that be a great job or WHAT? George Clooney's girlfriend. Hmm. If only I were younger. Taller. Thinner and you know, liked high heels and was um...single.

4. Is Jennifer Lopez really going to date Bradley Cooper. I love BC something fierce.  She doesn't seem his type. Renee Zellwfunnylast name and then JLo? I don't get it. I just don't.

5. And speaking of, I wonder if the rumors about Ben Affleck are true? Remember the way he spiralled downwards before he and JLo broke up? Does he love his wife. I love his wife. I think Jennifer Garner seems down to earth and you know, kind of real. Beautiful and she was in Alias dude. I miss Alisa. Anyhow, Ben kind of seems like a player. Is he still off the booze? I hope so. Does he still hang out with Matt Damon anymore? I love Matt. Does Ben's mom totally love Jennifer Garner? Is Ben still hung up on Gwyneth Paltrow.

You know, these are the kinds of things that are fun to think about when your mind starts getting all serious and deadline freaky.  I love me some movie star gossip. There I said it. It's true.

And if you know the answers to 1 or 2, please let me know.

Remembering some things a published author should be thankful for.

I haven’t done a thankful Thursday post for a while and I feel a need. My soul feels the desire to pause for a moment to ingest the imaginary scent of virtual roses.

As I get close to my second book launch this year and feel some shame because I’m constantly shouting at the world about myself and my books on Twitter and Facebook--as I spend too much time stalking Goodreads and book blogs for reviews and words about my work--I need to remember that I have so much to be thankful for to be where I am. Right now. Not where I want to be. Not where I hope to be, but where I am. This second.

It’s easy in the crazy world of book publishing to get caught up in the ‘need to do’s’, the ‘have to do’s’ the’ want to do’s’ and forget to just take it all in. Inhale the incredibly wonderful thing that it is to have a book published and appear in bookstores. Exhale the feeling similar to being exposed to the world in your underpants.

Things I’m thankful for (in no particular order) And I will forget some important ones. So I’ll probably have to add to this next week. But for now…

• Readers who get my books and take the time to tell me that they like my work. My ego, she does like to be stroked.

• Good book reviews from professional reviewers. Sigh. The feeling it is delicious.

• My editor Leah Hultenschimdt who is a pleasure to work with and so very supportive.

• Kay Mitchell, the publicist at Sourcebooks who I want to miniaturize and carry around in my pocket because I love her so much. Heck all the Sourcebooks group who are truly fantastic. Really.

• My friends and family who came to my book launch(es) and were so very excited for me and with me. Old faces, new faces, wonderful bookstore people- just so much support. Pure amazingness.

• Being able to thank people who I love and who have supported me over the years by putting their names into print in the acknowledgements and dedications of my books. It’s a kick for me, I don’t really know if it’s the same for them, but assume it’s kind of neat-o.

• Going to New York and feeling overwhelmed and unworthy at times, but also feeling like I found “my people”.

• The writer friends I’ve made over the years. The book people I’ve met. My renewed respect for librarians and all that they do and booksellers who are so passionate about the written word.

• The numerous times I’ve been humbled. Don’t want me getting a big ol'ego head.

• An overall sense of finally finding me. The writer. The author. And striving to accept the kind of writer I am. And embrace those strengths and limitations and to be okay with it. And me.

Thanks.

IF I TELL- Is Kristina Springer JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS?

Welcome, welcome to Kristina Springer, an amazing Young Adult Author with a new book coming out OCTOBER 11!

JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS by Kristina Springer

Is this an amazing cover, or is this an amazing cover????
Um yeah it's an amazing cover!

 Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!

Kristina is also the author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST and MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS. She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and children.

Plus. She has really great hair. (Oh this MIGHT be Janet's addition to the bio) But seriously. Look at her hair. Covet, covet!

So, Kristina! Thanks for stopping by to let me snoop inside your brain  chat! Tell us! Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

I am excellent! Most of the time. Really, if someone stresses to me NOT to say something then I won't. But I do have a really hard time not telling at least my husband and mom.

True date. Word to my teen friends (did I really just say word to my teen friends?)  when you get older, please know that it is very hard not to tell your husband most of the secrets you hear. Much harder than not telling a boyfriend imo.  Btw Kristina- I love that you have a close enough relationship with your mom that you tell her stuff (like secrets!)

Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Totally. I know no one is perfect and I don't have the energy to hold grudges. Even when I thought there was something completely unforgivable and I'd never forgive the person for? I still got over that about 6 months later. Now if a friend hurt someone in my family or made moves on my husband or something-- yeah I don't think I'd forgive that.

Also note teen friends, no making moves on future friends' husbands. Okay. So let’s just go ahead and stereotype Kristina for a moment! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with? (cheerleader, Goth, nerd, jock , loner etc.)

Total dork! I was in all the school musicals, swing choir (we were so not Glee but it was cute anyway), and I played the flute in band.

Dorks for-evah! And um, could someone please explain to me what a swing choir is?  I should have done the musical thing in high school, but I was too busy getting into trouble.  Do-over! Anyhow, I know swing band is not what I'm imagining in my head. (shaking images from my head and returning to teen Kristina) So, describe for us your fave teen outfit.

Jeans and a tee shirt.

Simple and classic, no? So. If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self

Hmm, I probably wouldn't have sprayed my bangs up so high. I would have avoided the hair dryer and curling irons too. And I wish I would have taught my teen self proper facial care! I don't think I figured out the whole face wash, toners, moisturizers thing until college.


Ha ha ha. The bangs cracked me up! And proper facial care. Oh yes. Based on my serious face wrinkleage, I think I still need to figure that out.

Well, thanks so much for stopping by to chat about secrets and swing bands and hair!!!

You can find Kristina on her website at http://www.kristinaspringer.com/

And don't forget to check out  JUST AN AVERAGE PRINCESS OCTOBER 11!

Delay and .........Winners

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winners of a signed copy of I'M NOT HER and a copy of IF I TELL when it releases.

I was away building a cabin with the family.  Which I could moan and complain about but what's the point really?


So without further babbling from yours truly-- from the followers, tweets and comments here are the two winners!


ROGIER (new follower)

PRECIOUS (precious_shusky at yahoo dot com)




Please get ahold of me so I can send you the books!

Also, if you didn't win this round,  SOURCEBOOKS put up an AMAZING draw for 15 copies of I'M NOT HER on Goodreads. Click   HERE



More IF TELL AUTHOR INTERVIEWS



Can you please email me at write4me at shaw.ca so I can get all the deets etc and send you out the copies!

Thanks for playing!!!!

J

IF I TELL CYN BALOG, what will she do?

Now THIS woman who is talented and prolific! 

Cyn Balog is the author of the young adult paranormal novels FAIRY TALE, SLEEPLESS, and STARSTRUCK and also--coming in 2012, TOUCHED and in 2013, DEAD RIVER.

Cyn lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters. Visit her online at http://cynbalog.com/

Hey Cyn. Nice photo.  Great hair. Hate you a little. Oh just kidding! I love Cyn and her books are truly amazing. So lets chat. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

CYN: Yes, depending on the secret. I tend to want to tell good news to people too soon.

Uh oh. Surprise parties drive you wild then? Me too actually. What about forgiveness? Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

CYN: Yes, I do forgive people easily. I am fully aware I am not perfect, so I don't expect others to be. I do think owning up to one's mistakes is the most important thing. But if a person makes the same mistake consistently, well, that's another story! There is no excuse for stupidity.

True dat! Once is learning -over and over is just not making best use of the old noodle. So, let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?(cheerleader, Goth, nerd, jock , loner etc.)

CYN: I was a studious loner. I liked to say I drifted among the crowds but that's probably because nobody wanted to hang out with me. Maybe because I tell secrets all the time.

I refuse to believe no one wanted to  hang with you.  Nah uh, can't make me. I refuse to believe. *hands over my ears* Shy. Yes. I get that. I like that you were studious. I forgot to do that in high school. Ooops. All right, describe your fave teen outfit.

My favorite outfit I wore as a teen was my purple miniskirt and my high black boots!

See how could no one like you if you were wearing a PURPLE miniskirt and high black boots. A studious cool dresser. Boys were secretly in love with you and girls wanted to be your friend but you didn't know it! I am in awe! All right, last question, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self

CYN: I probably wouldn't have spent so much time on my appearance. I swear, I spent HOURS getting ready for school and fretting if one hair was out of place. There are so many other, more worthwhile things I could have done with that time.

I was terrible at doing hair. I still am actually. I would have tried to be more studious too. Like you.  And worn shorter skirts when they actually would have looked good on me! (in my high school years it was jeans/cords 24/7)

Thanks so much for coming by Cyn. Oh and CONGRATS for STARSTRUCK appearing in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY!! How cool is that?!

If I Tell- Win a Copy of I'M NOT HER and MORE

I have a couple of copies of I'M NOT HER that are waiting to be sent out to a contest winner. Would you like it to be you?? Well read on. It's so easy it might even be illegal in some States. But I live in Canada. So I'm totally hiding behind that border.

Plus! I will send you a copy of IF I TELL when it comes out.  Yes I will. I promise! Which is not that far off my pretties. 32 DAYS!!!

August is almost done. School has almost started. Can we scream YES as a group. YESSSSS! Oops. Got carried away with my back to school excitement. Hee. I love Superson yes I do, but I also LOVE SCHOOL. All day writing time. House quiet. All Mine. Mine Mine Mine.

Anyhow, IF I TELL comes out October 1st. To celebrate good times "oh yeah", so two lucky winners will be shipped a signed copy of I'M NOT HER and a future copy of IF I TELL.

All you have to do is comment on this here blog. Follow me too if you're not following already. And if you are so inclined, tell me why telling me a secret you're holding is not a good idea.  Like the secret about the surprise party that's coming up for your best friend. Or the secret of what you're buying your sig other for CHRISTMAS ( I admit I plan ahead when it comes to Christmas shopping). Or a really juicy secret about boys and girls and stuff like that.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME YOUR SECRETS (even though I totally want to know) I've learned from trying. Most of you are pretty good at this secret stuff. Rats I say. Rats.

So. Leave a comment. Or retweet me on Twitter. Or add my countdown widget to your blog for IF I TELL--but let me know-- and you're in. Like skin. Or flin. Or the mailing bin.


I'll do a random pick with help from the random number picker thingy on the computer .Really. It exists. Click here! Each entry will get a number. The generator will speak! So easy!

Happy almost school's back! Off to the Zoo with the boy. 
Oh. Almost FORGOT. You have until THURSDAY! The first day of school. Contest closes midnight September 1. I'll do the draw on September 2!

IF I TELL JOY PREBLE- Struggling with Secrets!

Today we're going to snoop inside the mind of  chat with JOY PREBLE!  Joy is a lovely author I've actually met in person!  She is wonderful!  We share the same publisher and editor now, so it's kind of like being related. Only not really.

I LOVED Joy's first two books and can't wait for the third!

Joy’s debut young adult novel, DREAMING ANASTASIA, a contemporary fantasy retelling of the disappearance of Anastasia Romanov, released in September, 2009, from Sourcebooks, and the sequel, Haunted is out now, too. The third of the trilogy is slated for 2012.

 

So Let's get to the gritty stuff. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

I am actually terrible at keeping secrets, which is not to say that I don’t keep them. It’s just that it is a huge struggle – sometimes because I’m so excited about something, like a gift I bought you and I really want to keep it a surprise but then it just slips out. Sometimes it’s because I feel the weight of the confidence that’s been given to me; I worry that this is something that shouldn’t be kept a secret, so I keep my mouth shut but I angst over it… let’s just say that the CIA won’t be hiring me as a spy any time soon.

That makes total sense to me, the excited oh, I have something to tell you. I HATE having to keep surprise parties a secret. I'm always terrified I'll spill!!! And the angsty secrets. Yes. Those are hard too. Man. Secrets are TOUGH! So, what about forgiveness. Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something
you could never forgive a friend for?

JOY: I am big on forgiving. You won’t find me holding grudges very often, either. If a true friend betrayed me in some way, that might be hard to forgive.


Somehow this doesn't surprise me about you. Because you are so nice. Yes. I said it. I called you nice! Not that it was a secret, and if it was, well. It's not now. Wait. I'm confusing myself so let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

JOY: Gotta go with the nerds – grade nerds, orchestra nerds, sci-fi fan fiction writer nerds… Geeks forever!

Nerds rule, yes?  So describe your fave *nerd teen outfit. * hee hee. Teasing.*

JOY: Jeans and sweater (shirt and hoodie) and boots – the clunkier and heavier the better. Or skirt, sweater, tights and clunky boots.

Ah yes. The clunky boots.  Todays teens are going to look back fondly on totally different footwear.  Although I had pink and yellow Converse runners and I see some teens rocking those today. And clunky boots come to think of it. Ah. What do I know?  Okay. Lastly, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

JOY:  I would chase after more boys rather than having silent crushes! I would have told myself not to be afraid of speaking my mind.

Um. YES. I was queen of the silent crushes. I think I would also tell myself to invest heavily in Mircrosoft. Instead of spending all my money on clothes.  Oh. If only we could go back!

 

Joy Preble grew up in Chicago, Illinois and now lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where she has learned to use the phrase “y’all” without any hint of irony and developed a serious appreciation for country music and Friday night Texas high school football. A former high school teacher, Joy earned a degree in English from Northwestern and is married to the guy she met her first week in college when she mistakenly slammed a volleyball into his stomach rather than over the net. Want to know more about Joy? Head to her website at http://www.joypreble.com

Discussion Guides for I'm Not Her and If I Tell!

That is what I am working on this week. Discussion guides. These are actually pretty fun to do--coming up with thoughtful questions about my own books and characters is kind of cool. The thought of teens sitting in groups discussing my books is so amazingly thrilling I kind of want to giggle out loud just imagining it. How incredibly awesome. Please. If anyone has a book club or a discussion about either book, please let me know! I would do a phone in or a Skype in appearance. Honestly I would!

If you are so inclined to want said DISCUSSION GUIDES for I'M NOT HER or IF I TELL they will be available for downloading on my website very, very soon. I know you wait with baited breath. Yes?

The other thing I'm working on is doing video clips about the books. Um. I kind of suck at it. Yeah. I do.

It took me about 300 hours to figure out how to actually get the video off the camera and onto my computer. Which involved borrowing my brother in law's Mac. Downloading the video straight to the Mac. Realizing the MAC movie maker thingy was too hard for me to figure out edits and cuts, so then I emailed the file to myself on his computer and copied it to my own PC and on and on until hours and hours had passed and I finally got to the point where I video taped, downloaded to Mac and then uploaded to a hard drive thingy and then downloaded to PC and then used the Windows Movie Maker to download it to my lovely and patient publicist using YOU TUBE because I couldn't figure out how to zip it so I could email it.  Am I showing my age or WHAT????

Next time I'm hiring a teenager.