Books, Boys, Buzz...

I'm going to Disney World!!!

2011-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really. But my family was lucky enough to go to Disney two summers in a row. The summer of 2009 was the first and most magical year. My boys were four and just turning six. It truly made for some incredible summer memories to see the looks on their faces as they saw Mickey, Minnie and the gang.
If you have been to Walt Disney World you already know that it isn't just a place where you show up with no game plan. I had bought a giant travel book full of insider info and had been post-it note scarring it for months. Armed with personalized maps of the parks and extremely detailed agendas, I successfully micro-managed my family around the parks. I had our timing down to the second so that we could squeeze every last drop of family fun out of our seven days.

What I didn't anticipate (stupidly) was how amazed the boys would be every time we saw one of the characters in full costume. Picture me meeting Ryan Gosling and you might be able to imagine the excitement the kids had when they saw Mickey for the first time in person. Luckily I was smart enough to buy the biggest memory card I could find so I can always relive those magical moments.

By the time we went back the next year some of the magic had already faded. They were still excited to see the characters but my oldest whispered in my ear that it was just a person dressed up in a suit. I was so sad to see that he was growing up so fast, in part to things he heard at school from kids with older siblings. I was proud of him that he didn't want to ruin the magic for his younger brother but I wanted to keep him innocent and believing in Mickey Mouse forever. Okay, that sounds a bit nutty, but it was the first time I realized how fast he was growing up. Then he motioned for me to put my ear back down to his mouth and he whispered, "The REAL Mickey Mouse is WAY too busy to hang out here every day." My heart nearly exploded with joy that the magic would indeed live on for a little bit longer.

Do you have a favorite summer vacation memory?

xo,

Stephanie

www.stephaniehale.com

A Favorite Summer Moment

2011-09-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Many memories will return to me when I think back on this past summer, but there’s one moment that defined the whole season, and went on to impact the lives of many others, as well...

My daughter had just returned home from college, and was unpacking. She was telling me how she and some friends had gone crazy for The Hunger Game series, and handed me the first book. I went to put it on her shelf--when I realized she was giving it to me to read.

Now while we are like mother/like daughter when it comes to a passion for reading, she’s all about sci-fi/futuristic/world-building stories, while I lean heavily toward realistic contemporaries. While we have periodically had overlaps in books we’d enjoyed, for the most part, we do not fall deeply in love with the same ones.

She must have read my face because she said, “Read the first 30 pages. If you don’t like it, give it back, no problem. But try it.”

I warily curled up with it, probably with one eyebrow suspiciously cocked...but then, something happened. Way before page 30, I got involved. Soon I became breathlessly hooked. As a reader and a writer. In fact, when I wasn’t reading it, I was following my daughter around the house to discuss it. And talking about it to anyone who would listen. (Sans spoilers, of course!)

As soon as moved onto book two, my son picked up grabbed the first one. He fell for it just as deeply, and talked it up to his friends who then wanted to read it...and on and on...

As of this writing, I can't begin to tell you how many people have read our three copies, or whose hands they are actually in. (But people, I need them back because my husband wants to read the series, too!)

So I think it’s fair to say that in my little slice of the world, it was a summer of The Hunger Games. And next March 23, you can bet a lot of people in my life will be lining up for the movie!

So tell me...has a book or series made a major impact in your life at some point, too?

Tina

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

Goodbye to Summer!

2011-09-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

As it's been in the 90s home in Utah and at the time this posts I'll be coming back from my cousin's wedding in Dallas, Texas, which has made the news for having the longest stretch of over 100 degree days, it's hard to believe that it's actually September. But it is! And all this week, the Buzz Girls are going to be sharing their summer highlights.

As I posted in August, CLICK HERE, this was the Summer of Reunions for me. A family reunion, two high school reunions (my husband and I graduated from our respective high schools the same year), and a work reunion for the advertising agency where I used to work. All were very fun and as reunions have a way of doing, they gave me an occasion to reminisce and remember my roots. All in all, I can honestly say I've had some pretty darn amazing people in my life and I couldn't be more thankful for their support and love.

Some of my favorite moments of the summer include:

hanging with my almost two-year old nephew, who lives in Denver
witnessing the kids in my writing camps become better writers in just two weeks
boating in Pineview Reservoir (I only got to use my new wakeboard once, though, because I injured my back in May)
getting to meet talented authors Lara Zielin, Sheila Nielson, and Sarah Ockler
appetizers on a rooftop terrace overlooking downtown Denver with my husband, brother, sister-in-law, best girl friend from high school, and best guy friend from college
my youngest son's 5th birthday party which started 4 hours early and ended 5 hours late
rescuing Miller the Duck off the highway in Ogden Canyon (he's doing GREAT in his new home, by the way) CLICK HERE if you missed that story.

Though it's been a fabulous summer, I'm really looking forward to the fall. Now that my back is doing much better and I'm finally able to tie my own shoes, I'm going to start practicing yoga again real soon, and I'm excited to get back to work on a new YA book proposal. I've also been asked to be a writer in residence, along with the mega-talented Sydney Salter, at an alternative high school, which is a great honor.

Enough about me! What about you? What are some of the highlights of your summer and is it just me, or are you looking forward to fall, too?

Summer's Nearly Over...

2011-09-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Starting this Sunday, we're back to fresh, daily content, and kicking off with us all sharing a favorite summer moment! Be sure to join back in the fun!

Quick Reader Poll!

2011-08-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lately I've found myself curious about reading formats...hardcover versus paperback versus digital versus audio. All of which I embrace! I find myself watching people in airports and coffee shops, reading dialogues here on the internet, and taking mental notes.

My secondary interest is WHERE the book came from. An on-line store? A brick-and-mortar store? A library? A friend? A gift? Other?

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So I thought it might be fun for us take a quick poll through our comments. Feel free to list the name of the book you are reading and the author, if you want, but specifically tell us:

--the book's format

and

--how/where you got it!

I will go first...read down in the comments!

Saying Goodbye to Summer

2011-08-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so technically summer is still here for a few weeks (although I must confess to loving Seattle-esque summers way more than those in Oklahoma, Houston, and Vegas--it's more like spring) but I can sense it winding down. The air will get crisper, the rain will come (maybe?), and I'll soon be cuddling with a good book and watching as the leaves fall.

Fall is probably my favorite time of the year, but I think I'll actually miss summer this year. Some of the fun things I've done this summer include:

driving from Oklahoma to Seattle and sleeping in National Parks
going sailing for the first time
traveling to New York, Washington DC, Houston, and Las Vegas
finally (!!!) moving to Seattle
going to outdoor concerts with Heather Bee and friend Liz Gallagher
walking Daisy around Capitol Hill

So, what (if anything) will you miss about summer?

Hugs,
TLC

4 Bees Buzzing

2011-08-16T13:22:00.001-07:00

It's not often that we get a bunch of Buzz Girl Bees together, but thanks to a lovely invitation bestowed upon my daughter and me by Dona, four of us found ourselves together this past weekend in her Seattle area home. Here's me, Dona, Heather and Tera:

Dona served tea and a table full of goodies. Here we are, checking it all out before the first doorbell:

While all the food was yummy, from moment one, my eyes were on the cupcakes! Check out the careful and creative designs, made with a rich butter cream frosting:

Believe me when I say, I got my fair share!

Anyway, the tea was not only a lot of fun, but a good networking and brainstorming event where we got to discuss books we've been reading, and our current works-in-progress. In fact, I wrote down notes afterwards on comments made about my current book that I know will help me in its execution.

We think it's possible we won't get a substantial number of Buzz Girls together again until the national Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim, California next July--but who knows? We'll keep spirits high and fingers crossed!

And thanks again to Dona for being the hostess with the mostest!

Tina

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

The Summer of Reunions

2011-08-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Based on my own summer and lots of people I've talked to, this has been the Summer of Reunions. Mine started off with a family reunion (Photo 1). My grandma, Mama Billie (pictured in the pink shirt), rented out an entire B&B a few miles from my house and filled it with about 35 of us from UT, TX, FL, CO, and NM for a whole week.

Next came a reunion for my ad agency (Photo 2). When I first moved to Utah, I worked for the most incredible high tech advertising agency ev-ah! It was called DSW and had headquarters in Salt Lake City as well as San Francisco. Well, unfortunately, all great things must end and soon after I quit to stay home with my son and freelance, the entire company went under. But many of us kept in touch and we had a reunion at the fast food restaurant right across the street from where the agency used to be located. (Which is, as an interesting tidbit you can use to sound smart, the parking lot that was hit by the only tornado to ever hit Utah.)

Then came my husband's high school reunion, which was held at a restaurant only a couple of miles from my home (Photo 3).

And last but not least, my own high school reunion, which was just on the south side of Denver (Photos 4 and 5). It was so great to see my high school friends again and of course with that came remembering what it was like back then. Kind of scary, really. :) Anyway, this has been a whirlwind of a summer and though I'd like the warm weather to continue for quite a while more, I have to say I'm looking forward to the more regimented schedule that comes with the fall.

How about you? Any reunions to speak of? Do you go to yours?

Summer Scents

2011-08-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the summer, I read an autobiography about a woman who lost her sense of scent, and how profoundly it effected her. Since then, I've been paying more attention to--and appreciating--the aromas in my everyday world, especially right now, those associated with summer.

For me, the number one scent of summer, going all the way back to my earliest? Chlorine!

Followed by the sun tanning lotion that I used as a kid--no, not sunblock, back then we were TRYING to burn!

On a more recent note, this scent makes me think of the beach in Italy:

Vendors carry around peeled chunks in ice chests calling out, "Coca Bella!" which I imagine to mean "Pretty Coconut!" In any case, I'm a total goner for it whenever I'm there, so it has a strong summer association for me now.

How about you? What scents make you think of summer, either now or all year long?

Tina

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

YA Scavenger Hunt on August 1st!

2011-07-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

Hugs,

Heather

Reunion Times Four

2011-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Ahh, summertime. Impromptu barbecues, chilled watermelon, homemade ice cream, tank tops, flip-flops, belly-flops, and, for many of us, reunions.

Last week, the little town of Eden, Utah experienced an enormous spike in population as 30 of Mama Billie's (sitting pretty amongst her grandchildren and great grandchildren) relatives from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida and Utah checked into the Snowberry Inn. An iced keg of rootbeer from Rooster's Brewery graced the kitchen, providing refreshment in-between shopping trips, hikes, boating expeditions, wildlife safaris, target shooting, hot tubbing, alpine sliding, the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo, a tour of Model Linen, and games of volleyball, wiffleball, horseshoes, and cards. It was the 2nd Annual Eden, Utah Gray Family Reunion. And it was fun, fun, fun!!!

But I'm exhausted.

When my husband and I got up at 5 Sunday morning to take my sister and Mama Billie to the airport, we thought we'd have a couple of days to catch our breath before Mom, my 3 boys, and I drive to Colorado for my 20 year high school reunion. But then my uncle, aunt and their 3 teenagers called after their whirlwind trip to Yellowstone to say they're staying at our house for a couple of nights before heading back to Dallas. So! I popped a couple of elk roasts in the Crock-Pot and made a fresh batch of iced tea. The good thing is, I'm not the only one who's exhausted so while some of them went to Costco to get family reunion photos developed, the rest of us are hanging out at home, watching The Simpsons Movie.

Still. I'm exhausted. And I've got three more reunions (one for my advertising agency, one for my husband's high school, and one for my high school) to go!

Anyone else having a big reunion (or two or three) this summer? My friends just had one in Durango, CO with 100 family members! Holy cow! Steph, don't you have your 20 year high school reunion this summer, too? Or has it already happened?

The Winchester Mystery House

2011-07-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Buzz Girls have gone on a relaxed schedule for the summer, giving us all more time to write and read and just...hang out. So I thought I'd pop in to mention one of the more unusual things I have done with my summer so far...

Last weekend I was in San Jose, California, and at the advice of a friend, visited the Winchester Mystery House, a seriously odd and fascinating mansion that was under 24/7 construction for 38 years.

Purchased by Winchester gun magnate widow Sarah Winchester in 1884, she paid for round-the-clock renovations and add-ons until her death in 1922. She had been told my a psychic that a curse was on her family from all the lives that had been lost to Winchester guns, and that only way to be safe (and possibly live forever) was the continuous building of what turned out to be a somewhat crooked and very confusing (though lovely) house!

Before the 1906 earthquake, it had boasted 7 stories, but these days, it's 4 stories high with 160 rooms. But it's the rooms themselves that are so odd and one merely fold into the next, with doors and staircases that lead nowhere. One door opens to the second floor air! One of the first things the tour guide tells you as you embark on the one hour tour is that if you need to leave, he'll have to walkie-talkie to get you a escort out, otherwise, you'd never find your way!

Here is a staircase that leads you into a roof:

I ended up calling it "Hearst Castle meets Ripley's Believe It or Not!"

Although this was not mentioned in the tour, I have since heard this house was the setting for the 2002 Stephen King movie, "Rose Red," and I know of at least TV program on the house, claiming that it is haunted to this day.

And yes, I did immediately send our resident Ghost Huntress, Marley Gibson, a message to ask if she'd been there. She said no--not yet, but it was definitely on her to-do list!

I thought I'd share the details with our readers here, to see if any of you have visited, or to possibly put on your to-do list for an interesting sightseeing adventure!

Tina

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

The Fiery Pits of Prom Hell

2011-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

I recently got involved in a pretty sizeable clean-up project in our house, and discovered all kinds of “hidden treasures.” Including a copy of PROM NIGHTS FROM HELL, a paranormal short story collection by five young adult authors, Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, and Lauren Myracle. Glancing at the back cover (“Worried that prom is gonna bite?”), I realized despite my good intentions, I had never actually read it.

That error is no more! I spent the past couple days in the fiery pits of prom hell, and enjoyed every moment. In particular, this book gave me a first introduction to the sharp, funny Michele Jaffe, who contributed the short story, “Kiss and Tell.” I loved it and will be definitely be looking for more from her!

So how about you? Is summer a good time for you to catch up on books you’ve been meaning to read, too?

Tina

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

The final countdown...

2011-07-06T00:46:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful, firework-filled Fourth of July! My fiance, his boys, and I are in Florida awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. Not just any launch, but the final one. Not just the final one for Atlantis, but the final launch for the entire program.

After thirty years and over 135 launches, America's space shuttle program will come to an end. Atlantis is scheduled to lift off for the last time on Friday morning, July 8th at 11:26 a.m. And we're here to see it!

Officials here at Cape Canaveral are expecting a million people to pour into the neighboring towns to watch Atlantis soar into the sky one last time. We've already staked out our viewing location--12 miles away--and plan to get there wicked early to set up our lawn chairs, cooler of ice water, still cameras, and video recorders. If you've got deep pockets, you can pay for a ticket to watch the launch from the causeway--about 5 miles away. If you're one of the lucky ones who won tickets, you can view the launch from the area with the astronaut's families--3 miles away. This is the closest you can get to the orbiter.

The Crew of Atlantis

...or so we thought.

Patrick and I were at the Canaveral National Seashore to swim and hang out when we noticed something toward the end of Playalinda Beach. We walked and walked and walked...probably for a mile...until we reached a security fence protruding into the ocean. A man in a guard tower held up his hand to keep us from getting closer. But we were allowed to stand there with others and stare in awe...Atlantis in all of her glory sitting on Launch Pad 39A only ONE MILE away!

Truly a moment to cherish!

Have you ever seen a shuttle launch? It's got to be a magical experience...which we'll find out soon. We'll see if the weather holds off and Atlantis and her crew speed away on Friday morning! Keep your fingers crossed!

Godspeed the crew of Atlantis!

Happy July 4th

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July from the Buzz Girls!

Wishing all of our readers a safe and happy holiday!

Meet Miller the Mallard

2011-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you might have already seen this photo but as we're heading into the 4th of July I thought it would be fun to post the story behind this picture here on the blog.

Meet Miller the Mallard. We were driving up the Ogden Canyon and suddenly, my husband and I both saw this little guy waddling alongside the 2-lane highway all by his lonesome. On one side of him was the highway and the other a cement barrier to keep cars from falling into the Ogden River, which is at a record high thanks to all our snowfall this past winter. This is a very dangerous, narrow, winding canyon and biking and walking along it is frowned upon. But I couldn't let my husband, Matt, just drive by so I talked him into stopping. Matt found a place to pull over (wide enough spots are few and far between) and he drove up and down to try and protect me when I was on the narrowest of stretches. (I was wearing very high heels because we'd just come home from a party and I still have a blister but it was worth it.) When I found the duckling, who my husband later told me was on his back with his little legs and huge feet up in the air on one of his drive-bys), he was soaking wet. I thought about just putting him on the other side of the cement barrier but there was a huge drop to the river. So I decided I'd take him to the truck, where my husband and three sons were eagerly waiting to see him. While we were debating what to do with him, Miller, my oldest, mentioned that his friends in the near-by town of Huntsville live right on the lake and have a bunch of ducks that they feed and take care of. So we thought it would be worth a try. The dad and his sons were all out on the front lawn playing football when we pulled up. We could tell right away they knew what to do with the little guy; they had a place for him, food he could eat, and a wonderful yard in which to grow stronger. They named him Miller, after my son, and invited us to come and visit anytime.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July, American friends!

Fins Are Forever Release Day!

2011-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fins Are Forever officially releases today! Lily is off on another adventure, with Quince, Shannen, Peri, and all the gang along for the ride.

If you spy it in a bookstore, let me know. I love hearing about sightings in the wild.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Where in the world are the Buzz Girls???

2011-06-27T05:03:00.000-07:00

New York City?

Seattle?

Las Vegas?

Answer: All of the above. It's officially summer which means the Buzz Girls are flying off in a million different directions. Some of us are moving cross-country, some of us are jet-setting to NYC for RWA Nationals, and one of us is busy zigzagging the country while planning her fall wedding, and all of us are kicking back with our favorite book this summer when we get the chance.

Summer means relaxation and that is going to be true for our blog as well. We haven't abandoned you, so don't despair. But our postings are going to be a bit more lax and random through the summer. Should you find yourself missing us too much, I would suggest picking up all our backlist titles and heading for a hammock. We hope you have an amazing summer filled with amazing books!!!

The Bee's

Fins Are Forever Week Winners!

2011-06-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

Fins Are Forever week is done (here on the Buzz blog anyway, it continues this coming week in real life) and that means WINNERS! The three sets of Fins books go to:

(To avoid confusion, please click on the link to see if it's your profile.) Send your mailing info to tlc at teralynnchilds dot com and I'll get the prizes in the mail as soon as I get my copies and get done traveling.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Mermaid Stephanie here...

2011-06-24T04:17:00.000-07:00

This week the Bee's are celebrating the June 28th release of Fins Are Forever. Tera is giving away 3 awesome prize packs including a paperback copy of Forgive My Fins (even if you already own the hardcover, this one has extras in the back that you don't have so you are gonna want it) and a hardcover copy of Fins Are Forever. So don't forget to comment every day for more chances to win.
We are talking about water memories this week. I, like Tera, have been obsessed with mermaids since I learned to swim. I loved the water so much that I couldn't think of anything cooler than living in the water full-time. I can remember submerging myself in the bathtub and trying to hold my breath as long as I could only to be disappointed when I had to burst out for a breath. I couldn't believe that I was just a lowly human with legs instead of scales.

One Christmas my family traveled with my grandparents to Florida. While browsing the glossy travel attraction brochures in the hotel lobby, I spotted one that made my heart stop. The cover showed REAL, LIVE mermaids. The place was called Weeki Wachee. I begged my parents to take me but I'm pretty sure they groaned deeply at my infatuation with what must have seemed like a kitschy tourist trap to them. But my grandpa swooped in and drove us the extra hundred miles to see my mermaids.
Weeki Wachee did not disappoint. If I was smitten with mermaids before I went, I was absolutely head over heels once I left. I remember watching the mermaids swim and even though they would occasionally pause to take a covert hit off a hidden oxygen tube, I didn't care. They were absolutely real to me. A few years ago, Weeki Wachee was in danger of closing, but since then it has been made a state park. They have added play areas and even some water rides since I have been there. They even have mermaid camp for little girls. I love the fact that a place that opened in 1946 is still entertaining families today.
I really hope to go back someday and share the magic of mermaids with my kids. Since I can't get to Florida right now I'm going to spend next week with Lily and Quince in Fins are Forever. Have you ever been mesmerized by a cheesy roadside attraction? Don't forget to comment for your chance to win a prize pack.

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Mermaids, ahoy!

2011-06-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

This week we're celebrating Buzz girl Tera Lynn Child's upcoming release of Fins Are Forever! Next week you'll be able to get your flippers on a copy of Fins, and find out what happens next in the story of Lily and Quince.

I'm really excited to be heading to NYC for the RWA conference with Tera next week. On Tuesday, Tera's release day, RWA will be holding their giant Literacy signing. What a great way to kick off the sequel to Forgive My Fins. If you're in NYC, you should swim on by. And, if you're not in NYC, you should (of course) float over to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Fins are Forever. The paperback of Forgive My Fins is out that same day, in case you haven't yet read the first installment of the undersea saga.

Since we're writing about our favorite water memories this week -- I'll just post a picture of a recent one: Tera and me on my friend Ryan's boat. This is on Lake Union, where every Tuesday, crazy sailboat skippers (like Ryan) race and then raft up to socialize. It's super fun, and though our crew doesn't usually win or even finish near the top, we have a great time on the water. As you can see, the weather was cold and windy for this sail!

GIVEAWAY: Each day this week, you can post a comment to enter the drawing to win one of three sets of Tera's Fins Books.

Today's question:

If you were a mermaid, what would your name be?

(Example: mine would be Penelope Seaflower.)

Good luck! Winners will be drawn and posted on Sunday.

Hugs,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

The Clearing - 2011 RITA Award finalist, Best Young Adult Romance

A Natural Wonder!

2011-06-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

So excited to be celebrating the release of Tera's new book, Fins Are Forever. I do apologize that my crazy travel schedule kept me from posting last week on Heather's good news...so a belated "whoohoo!" to Heather, as well.

We're talking about memories that involve water...and I created one just last week. And boy, was it a wonder. One of the wonders of the world, in fact: Niagara Falls.

My fiance, Patrick Burns, and I have his two boys with us this summer and we're always looking for things to do to keep them entertained. Well, we were scheduled for a conference in Illinois one weekend and Auburn, New York the next week, so we took the time to drive to Niagara Falls and take in the spendor and beauty of the natural wonder.

This was my fourth visit, but it never fails to take my breath away. This time was especially memorable because we had the kidlets with us and they had never been there. Also, I have always wanted to ride on the Maid of the Mist, the boat that takes you literally right up underneath the horseshoe falls. We did it! We were on the front of the boat and got completely soaked, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

And, you can't take a bad picture of the Falls. The sheer power and beauty of it is overwhelming. It was an extraordinary day--albeit, a wet one--and following a warm cup of tea and reminiscing already, I know it was a day to remember for all of us. A real "family" moment...and that's what counts.

Have you been to Niagara Falls? What did you think? Share your thoughts and memories. Remember, three lucky commenters this week will win a Fins pack from Tera Lynn Childs. Click HERE for all the exciting details. And congrat's, TLC! You are truly blessed by the cover gods! LOL!!

Hugs,
Marley = )

www.marleygibson.com
www.ghosthuntress.com

The next installment of the popular Ghost Huntress series
is out and everything's not as it seems...
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY

My Favorite Waterfall

2011-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week we're celebrating the release of Fins Are Forever, the highly anticipated sequel to Tera Lynn Child's Forgive My Fins. Its official book birthday is one week from today! Yay!

And to help celebrate this momentous occasion, we're talking about our favorite water memories.

There are three ways to get to my house, but we usually take a road that goes up Ogden Canyon, and in this canyon is a waterfall. It's one that can be turned off and on, so on any given day it might be going full blast or just a trickle, and in the winter it is usually frozen (so pretty!). People stop and take photos, get engaged, etc. in front of this lovely feature. What I love most is how excited my boys get to see it each time we pass. They make bets on how much it's turned on and through the years it's become a tradition.

I've been to Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Alaska--all famous for their waterfalls. And yes, those are spectacular. But this one will always mean the most to me because it reminds me of home.

What is your favorite water feature, either natural or man-made? Please do share! Three lucky commenters this week will win a Fins pack from Tera Lynn Childs. Click HERE for all the exciting details. And congrat's, TLC! I can't wait to read Fins Are Forever!

Island Girl!

2011-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the release of Fins are Forever by our own Tera Lynn Childs, we are talking this week about favorite water memories.

Mine goes back more than ten years, to a vacation in the Bahamas. While the resort beachfront and water slide pool were a big hit with me, my husband and our kids, what was most memorable was our day trip to Blue Lagoon Island, which offers tranquil beaches, opportunities to play with dolphins and swim in a lagoon.

We came and went by ferry, with the outbound trip being mostly about sightseeing. The return voyage featured dancing to a reggae band and a limbo contest, both of which I enthusiastically joined in (and yes, somewhere in our family archives, there is a video).

On the island, we opted out of the dolphin encounter (saving it for next time), but took full opportunity of the paddle boats, hammocks, beachcoming, and simply relaxing in the soft sand of shallow lagoon. Heavenly!

So while a case could be made that this island is touristy and commercial, I’d still say if any of you find yourselves in Nassau, add this to your itinerary. And what better book to read as you lay about in paradise than one about a mermaid?

To be entered in our weeklong contest here at the Buzz Girls Blog, name a favorite water spot you visited (ocean, lake, river, pool). Three lucky people will chosen from the week's long comments to each win a “Fin Set,” (Forgive My Fins paperback, with cool extras in the back, and Fins Are Forever hardcover). Good luck!

Tina

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

It's (Practically) Fins Are Forever Week!

2011-06-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Fins Are Forever, the sequel to my mermaid book Forgive My Fins, comes out a week from Tuesday! *confetti and vegan cupcakes* To celebrate here on the Buzz blog we're talking about favorite water memories all week AND I'm giving away Fins sets (Forgive My Fins paperback, with cool extras in the back, and Fins Are Forever hardcover) to three lucky commenters.

Tune in all week to read Buzz girl water memories and comment on each post for extra chances to win! Feel free to share your own favorite water memory below for your first entry. Check back next Sunday to find out if you've won.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Winner: The Clearing Farmhouse Prize Pack

2011-06-19T09:15:00.002-07:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the celebration week for The Clearing's RITA Award nomination!

We picked a winner at random for the Farmhouse Prize Pack, which includes a signed copy of the book and some fun treasures.

And the winner is:

"donnas" who commented on Tera's Tuesday post. I'll email you to get your snail mail address this week.

Hugs,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com

My most influential elders...

2011-06-18T20:51:00.001-07:00

This week we're celebrating the lovely Heather Davis' RITA nomination (and probable win) of THE CLEARING. For those of you who have not been following along, THE CLEARING is the wonderful love story of star-crossed teenagers Amy and Henry who are hopelessly in love, but cannot be together. Why not? Grab yourself a copy and find out!

We are discussing elders who have influenced us in positive way. In THE CLEARING, Amy's great-aunt is a wonderful shoulder for her to cry on during a big transformational point in her life.

The elder who has influenced me the most have been my maternal grandmother. I have no picture to share right now (all of my pics are in Michigan), but she was a truly lovely woman who loved luxury, to have fun and above all, her family. I like to think I'm just like her... :)

Please leave comments about influential elders from your own life to be entered into the contest!

--Dona

And the Rita goes to....

2011-06-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

Heather Davis for The Clearing!!! That's what I hope is said on that hotel stage in NYC in just a few short weeks. Even though I won't be able to cheer Heather on in person I will be rooting for her and refreshing the results every ten seconds until the winner is finally posted.

This week we are talking about elders who have inspired us. My grandmother, Patty, has always been one of the most special people in my life. I spent a lot of time with her when I was little. She is one of the one imaginative people I have ever met. Our days were filled with taking care of my dolls, racing down her stairs on pillows, playing board games, learning to tie my shoes, playing restaurant (we had tuna fish sandwiches and lemonade every single day because it is all I would eat). The most vivid memory I have is sitting on her back porch on a hot summer day making my first book. (My grandma is very camera shy so this isn't us, but it looks exactly like how we would have spent a day together.)

I think it was some kind of comic book, which seems weird to me now, but I can remembering grandma encouraging me to go around and sell copies to the neighbors. She swore it was that good. I never had the courage, but her faith in me stuck deep in my heart and helped years later when I started receiving rejection letters on my novels.

My grandma hasn't had it easy. My grandpa died very suddenly at a young age. Her oldest child managed to get control of almost all her money and gambled it away. She has also battled mental illness for most of her life. But you wouldn't know any of this from the smile she always shows the world. I know that without my grandma I wouldn't be the woman I am today.

At 79, my grandma is making new memories with my children. I know how lucky I am that my children are getting so much time with a great-grandparent and we try not to waste a second of it.

Is there a game or tradition you had with your grandparent? Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for Heather's prize pack!!

xo,
Stephanie
www.stephaniehale.com

Perfect Love

2011-06-16T06:17:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

A Moravian Moment

2011-06-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Confessions of a Confession Writer

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of its RITA® nomination, we are celebrating The Clearing by our own Heather Davis this week, with stories of elders who inspired us, with The Clearly Farmhouse Prize Pack (details listed in yesterday’s post) going to one lucky commenter!

I am delighted to talk about my maternal grandmother. She lived all of her 71 years in Moline, Illinois, and was lucky in love twice, first marrying a railroad worker (with whom she had two daughters--my aunt and my mother), and years later, following his death, a grocery store owner, a widower with four sons. Here she is around the time of her second wedding:

In her last years, she visited us in New York several times, bringing with her a stack of her favorite magazines. By 12 years-old, I was already reading my mother’s magazines like McCall’s and Ladies Home Journal. My eyes always went to the fiction, especially anything to do with romance, so when I got a look at what my grandmother was reading, I knew I'd hit pay dirt.

They were called Confession magazines, and while the titles were often sensational, the actual stories were mostly about love and self-discovery. Here’s a photo of a cover from back-when:

My mother did not approve of me reading these magazines, but my grandmother, bless her heart, slipped them to me secretly. I remember reading one issue in a walk-in closet with a flashlight!

Some years later, sadly, my grandmother passed away, and I went to Moline to help with the closing of her house. There I found a mountain of Confession magazines, which I poured over during the visit, and crammed into every available space in our suitcases. By then, my mother had given up keeping me from reading them. I was older, and I think she rather liked that her mother and her daughter had had this common obsession.

Little did any of us know that this would just be the beginning for me and Confession magazines. Because after college, looking to break into publishing, I decided to try my hand at writing them. I sold the second one I submitted, and at last count, I had about 80 publications to my name, many about first teen loves. Here’s a cover that features two stories I wrote: “Secret Love at a Summer Carnival” and “I Saved My Kisses for My Boyfriend’s Roommate.”

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my grandmother for a) passing on the romance reading gene, and b) bypassing her daughter’s disapproval to feed my romance need and set me on track for the lifetime career that I love!

To be entered in the contest for The Clearing Farmhouse Prize Pack, please tell me the name of a magazine from around your house--or a friend’s or neighbor’s house--when you were a kid! And remember to check back on Sunday, June 19th to learn the winner!

Tina

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

The Clearing Giveaway Week!

2011-06-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

So, how about the giveaway?

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

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

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

Today's question:

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

Good luck!

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

Things that make you go Ha!

2011-06-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

Most of the year I set my DVR for my favorite shows so that I can fast forward through all those pesky commercials. But now that most of my favorites have wrapped up I find myself aimlessly floating through the channels trying to find something interesting to watch.

I almost forget how incredibly funny some of the commercials can be. This one is my absolute favorite because it really resonates with me. For me, everything IS better on vacation. Even a FOUR dollar coke!

I'm also a big fan of the new Sonic commercials, especially the vampire one. I'm in awe of the writers of these commercials and their ability to produce such big laughs in mere seconds.

What is your all time favorite commercial?

xo,
Stephanie
www.stephaniehale.com

Summer Means Getting Out of the City

2011-06-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

It’s almost summer! Though the weather may not be quite summery here in Seattle, it’s a heat wave in parts of the country. I'm not quite ready for it, but June is here...

The start of summer makes me think of going to summer camp, learning to canoe, make braided bracelets, sing campfire songs, and luxuriate in the clean air of the forests in our area. My family loved to go camping together, even if it was just setting up a tent in the backyard.

Here, in the Northwest, it’s easy for most people to get outside and enjoy nature, but that's not the case in some places.

A friend told me about the The Fresh Air Fund, an organization that helps kids in NYC experience the joy of nature.

For over a hundred years, The Fresh Air Fund has provided New York City’s neediest children with free summer adventures in the country with volunteer host families. For these kids, the chance to experience the summer fun we might take for granted is a life changing opportunity.

Right now, The Fresh Air Fund is seeking 1200 host families for the summer in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. It’s a two week experience, but the positive effects on the guest children (and your family) can last a lifetime.

If you think your family, or a family you know, might be interested in volunteering (or donating to help with transportation and other costs) check out the Fresh Air Fund’s website. Please let other peeps in the Northeast know about the search for volunteer families, too!

I just can’t imagine a summer without hiking, barbecues, swimming in the lake, and being able to see more green than concrete. I love that this organization is bringing kids out of the city, for a beautiful summer experience...

If you had a guest of The Fresh Air Fund in your home, what would be the first activity you'd share?

I think I would take my guest out on the lake in a kayak...

Hugs,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Sometimes by Moonlight: A Novella - eBook
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2011 RITA Finalist Best YA Romance
Wherever You Go - Harcourt, Nov. 2011

Buzz Girl In The Wild

2011-06-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the posting delay today, but I'm on my way to Seattle and this:

And this:

Are a little more enticing than writing blog posts. :) Tune in next week when I'll be helping Buzz Girl Heather celebrate a very special honor.

Hugs,
TLC

Who's Hot???

2011-06-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago, I asked our readers to weigh in on hot male celebrities who appealed to YA readers. It was for a book I was writing, and I got almost 30 comments, with the top choice being Chace Crawford.

So I thought this might be a great time to put out the call again, get an update. Not only because I can always use this information for my books, but because, well, it's fun to talk about!

So I am going to add a name I think is a top contender: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

So now it's your turn, what say YOU?

Tina

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

Speaking of new TV Shows...

2011-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

You may not remember this, but not counting PBS, there used to be only three main networks -- ABC, NBC, and CBS. Those networks had kind of a set schedule season for TV shows. New series premiered in the fall (always with a splashy fall preview show) and then the summer was filled with re-runs and other stuff. TV was pretty lame back in the day.

Then came MTV and other cable networks. TV got better!

And then, FOX came on the free TV scene and things totally changed. There were more choices. And then, FOX and other new networks, cable and free, started to premiere their own series when they wanted.

Now, many years later, we get to see new shows almost year-round...

Bravo always seems to be cooking up great new reality shows (and franchises of successful shows) and of course AMC has MadMen and other great shows coming and going.

But here's what I'm really excited about -- MTV is going to have a werewolf show!

Teen Wolf premieres this Sunday, June 5th. It looks like a pretty serious werewolf drama -- nothing like the Michael J. Fox comedy from the 1980s.

Tyler Posey is the star.... he's super cute, even with his moonlight eyes.

Are you guys going to watch it, too?
If not, what other new shows are you going crazy for?

Ahooooooh!

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

Sometimes by Moonlight: A Novella - Just Released!
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2011 RITA finalist
Wherever You Go - Harcourt November 2011

Bravo's New Show: Platinum Hit

2011-05-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last night Bravo TV premiered the first episode of their new show Platinum Hit. It is a Top Chef/Project Runway-like competition for singer-songwriters. Jewel is the host and former American Idol judge Kara Dioguardi is the head judge. Here's the official season preview:

What I loved most about the first episode (and what I think I'll love most about the series) is that it's almost like a writing competition. Watching the songwriters create their lyrics, their hooks, their melodies, is almost like watching the writing process. I think it's as close to a So You Think You Can Write show as we'll get on television.

And a couple of the first episode songs were just amazing. Ah. Maze. Ing. I'm in awe of the process of putting words to music (my musical intelligence is definitely a weakness) and I hope the season lives up to the first show.

Did you watch Platinum Hit? What'd you think?

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Graduation Week Winner

2011-05-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, my post today will be to announce the Graduation Week Winner! But first, let me say how much I loved seeing the Buzz Girl high school graduation pictures and hearing memories and thoughts from those days.

The winner of the $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate is:

1110CG!

So, 1110CG, if you will kindly contact me at admin@tinaferraro.com, we'll get that gift card on its way to you!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Tina

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

Libraries Lacking Personal Interaction

2011-05-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Quick note: As we wrap up our week of celebrating high school graduations, Tina will announce the winner of the $25 Amazon.com gift card tomorrow. Thanks to everybody who commented and good luck!

A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a panelist during the Utah Library Association annual conference. Here I am afterwards, dining at Rooster's in Layton with YA authors (left to right) Lara Zielin, Adam Selzer, moi, Sheila A. Nielson, and Emily Wing Smith. From what I could tell, the librarians and their colleagues were there to bond, inspire, educate, share, and improve. As a huge fan of libraries, I was honored to be included.

My local library, which is about 10 minutes away from my house, is in danger of closing. If it does, our closest library is about 30 minutes away. Why is it in danger? Reportedly, not enough people are coming in to check out materials. It has lots of wonderful programs, especially for children, but since the elementary school is no longer located right next door to it, it's seen a decline in participants. I admit I don't take my kids to as many activities now that it's not quite as convenient to get them there after school. However, I do take them there once every or every-other week and we all check out books.

Going to the ULA conference made me see that librarians really do enjoy their jobs and want to promote reading. But here's my thoughts on that. When I go to my local library, there isn't any interaction with librarians. I go to the computer to look up the book I want (not a very user friendly program, but I won't get into that now), locate it on the shelf, and then check it out at a self-checkout station. (Even if there's a librarian doing something at the desk, she'll shoo me over to the self-checkout station.) Sometimes I never lay eyes on a librarian, and if I do, they're usually in the back room. I'm not saying they're not working; it's just that they're not interacting with the people. Sometimes I try to strike up a conversation with a librarian, but I get the feeling that I'm bothering him or her. I've been going to this library regularly for over 8 years and I only know one librarian's name. She was a real gem and I miss her. (She moved to another library years ago.)

I remember being so excited to go to the library as a child. Why? Because the librarians would help me find books, and then suggest other books, and when I came back, they'd ask how I liked the books. It was like my own little personal book club, and their passion for reading was contagious. In a world where technology has all but erased person-to-person interactions, I wish we could recapture that wonderful, magical feeling of knowing just beyond the library's doors is endless shelves of books as well as a helpful, encouraging, knowledgeable librarian who is glad to see us.

Would librarians giving library-goers personal interaction change the world? Maybe! After all, it changed my world when I was a child! Now I'll hop off my soapbox and see what you think. Is your library all computers and self-checkout stands? Or do you get a personal touch? Do you go to the library or find you have no need now that we have the internet? Do you like having a librarian help you, or would you rather do it yourself? Tell me! :)

Oh the Places You Will Go....

2011-05-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 29, 2011 will mark the twentieth anniversary of my high school graduation. TWENTY years!!!! I've changed so much since that day I strolled across the stage to get my well-earned diploma. I've achieved most of the things I had planned for myself and even some things I never would have thought possible.

(My friend and college roommate on our HS graduation day!)

There were some huge roadblocks along the way. And sometimes things didn't turn out at all the way I had planned. But the good thing about life is that sometimes something even better is just around the corner waiting for you.

My best advice to any new graduate is to dream BIG. You are usually the only obstacle standing in your way. If you can envision it and you work really hard, chances are you are going to achieve anything you put your mind to.

(This silly girl never would have dreamed she could be an author.)

Whether you come from a tiny graduating class or a huge one. A big city or a farm town. Whether you move away or stay right where you are. You are the only one who can measure the success of your life. Good luck graduates even though I know you will all make your own luck.

Don't forget to comment for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!!!

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Decisions, Decisions... for the Graduate

2011-05-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

We’re celebrating graduations this week on the Buzz Blog. To do my part, I'm posting a few photos from senior year, including my prom pic with my best guy friend back then, Michael -- what a cutie!

For me, senior year was a little weird. All of my best friends were a year or two ahead of me in school, so after they left, it was time to make new friends. I spent the year hanging out with my peeps from my drama and art classes, or the kids (like Michael) I worked with at the local fast-food joint. Yes, I was a drive-thru queen that year.

It wasn’t a bad job. The people (mostly from other high schools) were fun, and it was only embarrassing when the kids who didn’t have to have after school jobs came into the place or whizzed through the drive-thru. It was great to have a little spending money and to get some work experience, even if it was handing paper bags of greasy food out a little window.

I could tell you so many stories about the shenanigans that went on there -- The grill boys who blasted the song “Hell’s Bells” after closing to annoy the very conservative manager. The night some guy said lewd things into the drive-thru speaker to the girl taking orders, making the high school football star that worked with us so mad he nearly crawled out the delivery window to rip the creep's face off. The day an ex-boyfriend who’d unceremoniously ditched me rolled through on his Vespa to pick up a burger.

It was a YA novel in action all around me.

Anyway, when graduation rolled around, I set my sights on going to the local liberal arts college. My dad was a single parent who owned his house, so financial aid was really limited for us. I basically chose a school we could afford. I had finished in the top ten percent of my class, was a National Merit Letter of Commendation winner, and got a partial scholarship based on my art skills and plans to major in film, but somehow though, when I learned that the boy who was right behind me in the class rankings was going to Dartmouth, I questioned why I hadn’t applied to any Ivy League schools -- that maybe I’d set my sights too low.

Through that summer, I thought a lot about the purpose of college, about wanting to learn in a focused and collaborative way. My chosen school, The Evergreen State College, seemed like it was the right choice after all. I realized it didn’t matter what anyone else was doing -- it only mattered what was right for me. (Good realization, kid!)

When I arrived at Evergreen in the fall and took my first drawing, photography, and creative writing classes, I felt at home. And later, when I started my film courses, I really dug in. By the time I graduated college, I knew one thing for sure -- I was born to be an artist and to tell stories. I have Evergreen to thank for that.

It’s a very weird time, high school graduation. You have to make some choices based on a future you may or may not have. You’re pointing your little boat out into the waters with only a little lighthouse of a possible career to guide you. By the time you make it to the other shore, you may find it’s not what you thought it would be, that you’ve grown and changed as you navigated the currents. It’s terrifying and exhilarating, and only the very beginning of your journey.

I would love to know if you had any moments of doubt about the school you chose (or are choosing now). How did you pick the right one for you? Were you influenced by friends or family members who wanted you to go somewhere?

Remember, if you comment on any of our posts this week, you’ll be eligible to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Tina will draw the winner this weekend...

Congrats to all the grads and their families!

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Wherever You Go - Harcourt November 2011
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen
Sometimes by Moonlight: A Novella - ebook original June 2011

Hats off to the Class of 2011!

2011-05-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all of the graduates in the Class of 2011! I bet you thought you'd never get here. Hats off to you for your accomplishment and best wishes in your future endeavors where ever they may lead you.

I remember being in middle school and counting ahead to the year when I would graduate. It seemed so far in the future. Now, I look back and it seems so far in the past. Why, when I graduated in 1885...errrr, I mean 1985, the members of the class of 2011 weren't even a twinkle in their parents' eyes.

Even though Tera already posted a link to old photos of me, I'll go ahead and toss some up.

Here I am last year when I visited "the hill," where Pike Liberal Art School sits in Troy, Alabama. The campus has changed quite a bit, but there was still the same familiar feel on the soil that I walked for twelve years.

Here's my senior portrait. Keep in mind, this was back in the days when thick eyebrows and girl mullets were the fashion. LOL!

I had twenty-eight (28) people in my senior class. We were a really tight-knit group through our years together from first grade until twelth. It seemed as if our world would end being "busted up," but so many people have gone on to wonderful lives. Careers that include, the military, lawyer, policeman, several school teachers, nurses, and even a district judge! Then there's little old me...the published author. Who'd a thunk it? LOL!

Here's our senior portfolio. I'm on the top line because I was a class officer. This is hanging in the hallway at my alma mater, along with all of the other classes. (Check out the big hair on everyone!) Sadly, there's a prayer hand notation on one of my classmates who passed away.

Actually, when I left high school for The University of Alabama, I had planned on getting a degree in psychology and then going forward into medical school. That all changed after my freshman year at Bama when I my creative juices took over in my communication and writing classes and I longed to go into marketing/advertising/public relations. Now *that's* a switch!

That's the great thing about this time in your life. You can change your mind. You can try on dreams and ideas and see what fit. The only thing that matters is that you discover who you are...and who you want to be...and don't let anyone or anything hold you back from your dream, whatever it may be.

So...congrats to the class of 2011! I wish you success and happiness!

Hugs,
Marley = )

High School TLC

2011-05-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

My senior picture.

This week we're celebrating high school seniors and graduation. High school graduation feels like forever ago, and I've done so many crazy things since then. On the day of my graduation, I planned to go to Columbia University in New York City to study architecture and eventually become a world famous architect like Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, or Robert A.M. Stern. But plans change. Here's what really happened:

Went to Columbia, University of Colorado, back to Columbia, SHSU, and Tufts. Lived in New York, Colorado, Missouri, Texas, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Wanted to become a lawyer, architect, environmental biologist, actress, muralist, scenic artist, teacher, professor and finally writer.

My graduation picture.

I often wonder what my friends have done since high school. I'm not in touch with most of them, but every so often I hear from one. Sometimes I try to track someone down on Facebook or something. I know my best friend is married with babies. Many of my friends are still in or around the town where we went to high school.

I always had bigger plans than my friends. I wanted to go farther away, do more exciting things, be a bigger name in the end. Maybe it's because I grew up moving around the country, so big changes didn't scare me. They still don't, obviously, since I'm about to move across the country again. (Seattle here I come!)

I've always been a planner, but I've also always been willing to let me plans change. And I'm definitely happy with how my plans are working out so far.

So, what are/were your plans when you graduate(d) from high school? Big or small? Close to home or far away? Did you/are you/will you accomplish them?

Hugs,
TLC

PS. If you want to see more embarrassing high school pictures, check out my post from High School Week back in 2008. Tina, Marley, Steph, Heather, Dona (sort of) and ex-Buzz Girl Simone shared, too.

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

High School Regrets

2011-05-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Happy graduation to all the high school graduates out there! As Tina mentioned yesterday, to help celebrate we will be highlighting a few things about our high school years. Should be fun! Plus, comment each day for chances to win the $25 Amazon.com gift card Tina is giving away!

This is me when I graduated high school. Sorry it's blurry. Anyway, I think one thing we can see from all these high school photos, regardless of how fuzzy they are, is that I had bad hair. I'm not sure if this is just the way it is, kind of like how no matter how hard we try to choose bridesmaid dresses that are actually pretty and can be worn again someday (yeah, right), or if it's just me. I slept in curlers or braids to give my straight hair more volume and oh, man, those bangs! Straight across and puffy, not a good look! Additionally, I sometimes wore a bow in my hair when I played sports (don't even get my husband started on that one).

In the next photo, you'll see the front of my alma mater, Araphahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado. I'm here with my friend, Amy, showing our school spirit. Yep, big hair. And I chose to share the (bottom) photo of us in our fancy dresses (big hair again) because prom is another huge highlight of the high school years. However, since I didn't have a boyfriend, my girl friends and I would grab a few guys from other schools and go in a big group. At the time, I was sad no one asked me, but now, I realize going with friends might've been more fun anyhow. So while I regret my high school hair-styling choices, I don't regret going to dances with friends.

Now it's your turn! (And don't be shy; there's $25 up for grabs!) If you've already graduated high school, is there something that at the time you were happy about but now you regret (like your hair) or something you regretted back then but now are happy about (like going to dances with friends instead of a boyfriend)? If you're still in high school, what about your junior high years?

It's Senior Yearbook Photo Week!

2011-05-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Buzz Girls are going to be digging deep into our yearbooks, drawers and pasts for our senior yearbook pictures this week, in celebration of high school graduations going on all across the land.

With a husky laugh and a roll of my eyes, I offer up mine:

This was scanned out of my yearbook, for a reason. If you were to look at the yearbook itself, you’d notice something pretty funny. My head is significantly bigger than anyone else’s. This is pretty odd, considering all the photos were taken on our auditorium stage, with the camera and the stool in fixed position. So how is it, in a class of over 500, I am the only one with the “big head?” It’s because someone decided to enlarge my photo to crop off my little bit of cleavage...

Too funny, huh?

Anyway, in celebration of high school graduations--and the fact that my son is among those about to receive a diploma--I am offering a $25 Amazon gift card to one random commenter this week. You can enter as often as you want, and the winner will be announced in my blog post next Monday, Memorial Day, May 30th.

Let’s start the comments/contest entries off with this question: do you like YOUR high school graduation picture? (I think you can tell I’m not real fond of mine!)

Tina

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

On my soapbox...

2011-05-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

I was so sad to hear the news last month that two soap operas that I used to love are being canceled. I'm sure you've already heard but All my Children is ending in September and One Life to Live will follow in January.

I have to admit that I haven't exactly followed the shows for quite a few years and it didn't really come as a huge shock. I'm sure that both of these soaps have a mostly female demographic, even though I bet a bunch of guys watch and just don't admit it. And let's face it, we women rarely have time to sit around and watch soaps anymore. But the news still felt like yet another cultural icon that technology has stolen from us. Dramatic, much? Sorry, I was channeling my inner soap diva there for a second.

Did you know that some of today's most famous movie stars started out on soap operas? David Hasselhoff (okay, I know Hoff isn't a major star but I can't help it, I love the guy), Jason Biggs, Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei, and tons more. My favorite soap star to big screen in Josh Duhamel. He used to play Leo on All my Children and I adored him. So hot!

Cameron Mathison and Rebecca Buddig are two of my favorite stars still on All my Children. I'm hoping that they both find jobs doing what they love.

And who can forget Susan Lucci? She has played the character we all love to hate, Erica Kane, since the shows inception in 1970. I'm sure that the writers have some very dramatic endings planned and I, for one, will be watching!

Will you be sad to see soaps phased off television? Who is your favorite soap character of all time?

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Here We Trend Again...

2011-05-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

I got an email advertisement from Publisher’s Weekly the other day for Ashes, a dystopian YA which debuts this fall. It seems there are still publishers wanting to put out books in that sub-genre, which surprises me since I think this push will be coming to an end. Then again, with the long lead time of print books, this novel has, of course, been in the works for a while.

Agent Mandy Hubbard blogged a recap of her meetings in NY with acquiring editors and apparently, there were a few places still hoping to put out a YA dystopian novel before the wave ends.

So what’s next?

Well, as USA Today predicted last week, mermaid stories are on the rise. And it’s worth noting that our own Tera Lynn Childs was at the forefront of that trend, and before that she was writing about Greek mythology, another trend that’s cresting. I think she must have a crystal ball. Tera, 'fess up!

But really, it’s just amazing how the Collective Unconscious seems to work in the publishing world. A few really great books on a unique subject get other people thinking and writing and then a new wave is born, I guess.

Mandy wrote that what editors hoped would be big (though they couldn't say it would be for sure) was more realistic fiction -- so you can imagine that I smiled at that one. Just the other day I saw a table at my local Barnes & Noble that was marked “For Sarah Dessen fans” and featured books by Justina Chen, Sarah Ockler, and others. I imagined that my books, though they have a supernatural element, could be on that table someday...

The main thing I know about trends and predictions and buzz is that nobody knows anything for real. A great book, no matter the subject, is going to find a home. And with the growing sales of e-books, authors have the ability to put those books out there on their own now, too.

I think readers are smart, especially YA readers. They can smell b.s. They want real characters and compelling stories. They want to be entertained. They want to feel something.

That is the trend to watch. The trend to write to.

What do you guys think? Are you over dystopian fiction? Are mermaids going to make an even larger impact this year? Have you read any vampire books recently?

Hugs,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com

The Clearing - 2011 Rita Finalist Best YA Romance
Wherever You Go - Harcourt, November 2011
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

Signs that Summer is Almost Here

2011-05-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

I look at the calendar and it tells me it's the middle of May. The middle of May? Seriously? Another school year is wrapping up, television shows are having their finales, and summer is just around the corner...literally.

Here are some signs that summer is almost here:

People Tweeting about the prom: So many friends of mine have been posting about getting their son or daughter ready for the prom. Amazing how the girls love the shopping, picking out their dress, how they'll wear their hair and makeup, and the boys just complain that they have to stop playing video games long enough to take a shower and get ready. LOL!!

School's Out: There's no better feeling than the last school bell ringing to signify the end of a school year and the start of summer vacation. I remember that faithful bus ride home every year where people would celebrate by shaking up Coke cans and spraying them on each other. No one got off the bus dry. (I'm sure that's not permitted theses days.)

Picking up the boys at the airport: With the end of school, that means my fiance's son's will be joining us on the RV until they go back to school in August. They're flying up to Baltimore from Atlanta where we'll spend a few days in Gettysburg, then up to Boston, and then to Illinois and upstate New York for events and then down to Florida. We're planning on catching the VERY LAST launch ever of the space shuttle program.

Memorial Day: The official opening of summer! The campground is full of people with their grills and lawn chairs already set out. The pool will be open soon and hopefully, the sun will grace the east coast with its presence.

Good books to read: Well, my fifth GHOST HUNTRESS book, THE DISCOVERY, just came out and it would make excellent beach reading. So would any of the books from the Buzz Girls. Get them online, at the bookstore, or from us directly. Or, try downloading a digital copy for your eReader. Whatever the case, enjoy escaping into the story as you soak up the sun.

So what are some signs for you that summer is on the way?

Hugs,
Marley = )

Stranded in Texas

2011-05-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

As much as I love my car, sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth. Like now. Last week I put in $1000 to make it trip-ready for my tour travel to Texas this month and then for the long drive next month. That $1000 included replacing the rear brake pads and rotors (what the brakes grip onto to stop your car).

All through the drive to Austin and San Antonio last weekend, I worried that there was something wrong with my engine, that it was working too hard for the highway driving I was doing. Plus, every time I stopped and got out of the car it stank of melted brake rubber. I thought it was just new brake pads smell.

Fast forward to Sunday night when I get to Rosemary Clement-Moore's house in Fort Worth. We decided to go out to dinner because it was late and I was starved. I put my foot on the brake before putting the car in gear and the pedal whooshed straight to the floor. I pulled out and drove a few feet and tested the brakes, which didn't grab until the pedal was all the way to the floor. When I pulled back to the curb, shut off the car and called my dad, I played with the brake pedal again and it built up so much pressure that it wouldn't move at all.

B2 Goes For A Ride

Suffice it to say that the next morning a tow truck came and took my car away to a branch of the repair shop that had done the work up in Oklahoma. Although they tried to argue the situation and make me pay for some of the additional repairs on the parts they "fixed" they are (hopefully--I'm writing this the night before) fixing my car this morning and bringing it back to me with no money out of my pocket. Fingers crossed.

What irritates me about this situation is not only did their repair cause a new problem and they tried to deny that, to blame it on my older car, but I worry about additional wear on the brand new rotors and on my engine because it had to work extra hard the whole trip. Not to mention the extra gas consumed.

Sigh. I hope this all works out and my car makes it back to Dallas next weekend and then to the west coast, but I'd sure appreciate and nice windfall of cash from the universe so I can buy a shiny new car with a shiny new warranty.

Have you ever had a horrible car breakdown story? Or an awful experience with an untrustworthy mechanic? Please share and make me feel not so alone in my car troubles.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Twitter Talk

2011-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I joined Twitter a couple months ago, and have been making attempts to post and follow others’ posts.

But what was confusing me was these conversations that seemed to be going back and forth between people. While I “got” that they were directing comments to each other with the @ sign, what boggled my mind was how they caught them all? Didn’t things get past them?

That’s when I found out about something called @Mentions. When someone directs a comment at you, it’s stored in a separate place. (I’ll bet you already knew that!) I went there and found a slew of people who’d asked me questions or directed comments at me. Yikes! I went into catch-up mode, and I think I’m good now.

So thought I’d throw it out to the online world to educate me in anything else “fancy” at Twitter that I might be missing.

And please feel free to join me there. I’m am known as:

PromMom3

(Apparently, the Tina Ferraros of the world beat me to Twitter, and I could not get any variation of my name.)

Tina

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

In Memory of a Dear Friend

2011-05-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I'm not going to have internet access on Sunday, I'm scheduling this post ahead of time. So for me, today is Friday, May 13.

I woke up this morning not feeling like myself. Something felt off, or maybe something was missing. Anyway, I went along with my morning routine of getting kids ready for school and driving 6 4 year-olds (yes, 6!) to preschool. Then I emailed a dear friend of mine, Kristen Harmel, who I've known online and through her books since 2007. I finally got to meet her face-to-face (or maybe her-face-to-my-chin because she's adorably teensy) at RWA Nationals in Orlando (where she lives) last summer.

Kristin and I met in an unusual way. It was because an ambitious, quirky, bright, beautiful, gracious, book-loving (I could go on and on) fifteen year-old, Anna, thought we needed to know each other. She introduced the two of us via MySpace and sent us signed books of each other's. Anna wasn't your typical fifteen year-old. She couldn't speak (no voice), but she made up for it by writing beautiful, tragic, magical poetry. She loved to read and review books. And whenever one of Kristin's or my books came out, she made a huge deal out of it, sending party favors, buying and mailing it to all of her friends, and priding herself in being one of the very first to review it online. I'll never forget the day she volunteered to be my assistant. She had business cards made and everything! If you're a blogger, you might remember her contacting you to see if you wanted to review Lifted. I can't even imagine how long that must have taken her, because her hands were very shaky and she had a hard time typing.

You see, Anna was very sick. In fact, she was told she wouldn't live past the age of 15. Anna proved those doctors wrong. She lived twelve days past her 19th birthday. Which is miraculous, is it not? As her sister put it, Anna rejoiced every morning she was still here with us.

Two days before Anna died, she wrote this poem:

I dream that the world will know my name.
Don't tell me if I'm dying
'cause I don't want to know,
If I can't see the sun
maybe I should go.

As soon as we heard Anna had passed away, Kristin and I talked on the phone. Anna was such an important part of both of our lives (I know she touched Tina's and Marley's lives as well, to name a couple you might know) and what's more, my inbox and Facebook messages are filling up with stories about Anna and how she brought people together. Would Kristin Harmel and I have met had Anna not insisted? Possibly. But as Kristin put it, "What a lovely gift that was, from her to us. Now, she'll always be alive in our friendship."

In loving memory of Anna Haze, May 1, 1992-May 13, 2011. xoxo

Naming Characters

2011-05-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

I get emails a lot asking me where I come up with the names for my characters. Is there a specific formula or a particular way to do it? Absolutely not! LOL! Most of the time, I come up with my character names in the most peculiar ways. You want to make sure that your characters' names fit their role in the story...as well as fitting the overall theme of the story.

Here are some tips for naming characters:

1. Choose something that mirror's your character's personality. If your character is a science geek (like Celia Nichols in GHOST HUNTRESS), give them a name that fits their interests. My first manuscript was about a naive twenty-something working her first job in the tech industry, traveling to tradeshows, and unfortunately giving away a company trade secret. Her name was Vanessa Virtue. It was perfect for her. Could you imagine Thor with any other name? If he was Irving, it just wouldn't work.

2. The character's name should be pronouncable and easy for the reader to understand. Think of how the name sounds if you say it out loud. Is there a harmony or a ring to it? Avoid names that no one knows how to say. I respect all of the urban fantasy out there these days, but some of the names are just...unrecognizable. Being creative with a name is great, but not if you reader has no clue how to say it in their head.

3. Make sure the character's name fits the time period. You wouldn't want to write a contemporary YA and name the heroine...Ethel. (My grandma was Ethel...so apologies if I offend anyone.) If you're writing steampunk or historical YA, make sure to use names from the time period. I don't think anyone back then would be named Brittney. LOL!

4. Use the names of people you know...friends, family, colleagues. When I first sold my SORORITY 101 series, all of the guys at my sales office wanted to be in the book. So I put them in as random fraternity guys, teachers, and fellow students. I carried this tradition on with my GHOST HUNTRESS books. The character of Rebecca is one of my best friends (see below.) She's not a goth chick at all, so she loves reading her "alter ego." Be careful with this technique as you don't want to make anyone look bad or make the character reflect something you can get sued over. Always get the person's permission to use their name. Funny enough, the name Kendall Moorehead, the heroine of the GHOST HUNTRESS series came from an offensive lineman that played for the University of Alabama when I was in school. I always loved the name and wanted to use it. So I did.

5. Obituaries are a great place to find unique and personality-filled names. Now, before you throw rotten tomatoes at me, a LOT of authors do this. It's a tribute to the person in that their name carries on and, you can read a lot of about who they were in their obituary, and pay tribute to their life.

6. There are numerous online sources you can use for naming characters. If you're writing about someone that was born in a particular year, why not visit the Social Security website that ranks the popular names by year. Or, you can use any "name your baby" website. There are also name generator websites you can use, as well. Use a surname generator for your family's history or ethnicity or country of origin. Be creative and search to find that perfect name you're searching for.

7. Avoid using names in your story that are similar to other characters names. Look at the letters the names are starting with. Are you using a lot of "C" names? (Charles, Cathy, Christina, Callie) Mix it up a little bit. This makes it easier for the reader to keep up, especially when there are a lot of characters.

What are some memorable character names that you've come across in your reading?

Hugs,
Marley = )

Essential Revision Supplies

2011-05-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of my first past revision for the second book in the Sweet Venom trilogy, which is due in to my editor June 1st. Although my writing and revising process tends to change from book to book, there are a few essential supplies I must have in order to get through it.

1. Sticky Notes — I use these, in various colors (sometimes color-coded by type of comment, sometimes by character, like in Sweet Venom) to: mark my daily page goal, flag the first pages of chapters, and to add large sections (a sentence or more) to the manuscript. Right now, I'm using green ones for Grace's notes, orange ones for Gretchen's, and pink ones for Greer's.

2. Highlighters — These are mostly for fun. I'll either highlight the chapter title (color-coded to which girl's POV I'll be in for that chapter), use them to mark up my countdown calendar (green for writing days, orange for revising, pink for days off when I can get life stuff done), or just to pretty up pages of notes in my book notebook.

3. Pen and Pencil — These are for the real work. For marking directly on the manuscript page, I use a mechanical pencil (Pentel in .9mm lead, if you want to be specific) so that I can erase and rewrite (over and over again) as I'm trying to get the line just perfect. For longer additions on the sticky notes, I use a pen (Uniball Vision Elite in micro) so it doesn't smear when I smooth the sticky note into place.

4. Manuscript — I feel like an eco-fraud every time I get my manuscript printed out for my revision pass. But I have discovered that my brain just does not process revisions in the same way on the screen as I do on the printed page. And I do get the manuscript printed on recycled paper, to offset the waste. I contain the manuscript in a big white 3-ring binder with a cover page that has the working title of the book.

So that's what I need to get through my revision process. Do you have any special supplies that you absolutely must have can't live without while you're writing/revising/doing homework?

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Mirror, Mirror

2011-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying that goes, “The mirror never lies.” In other words, you can think you look a certain way, can want it or wish it, but when you gaze into a mirror, you see the truth.

But do you really?

For the past 10 years, I’ve been a regular shopper at a women’s clothing chain near my house. I can always find something on their racks that I like, and when I model it in front of their mirror (situated outside the dressing room for all patrons to use), I usually get a shot of confidence, too...

Somehow the outfit makes me look sleeker...longer even...and maybe even a little royal. Like all I’d need is a big, silly hat and I could be taken for Kate Middleton’s American aunt.

But inevitably, back home, that magic is gone. Of course, I still like the clothing or I wouldn’t keep shopping there. But I know why I never got my royal invite.

I have cheerfully asked the sales staff if they realize their customers are looking into a Skinny Mirror, and their faces have gotten very tight. Apparently these are not words that earn you calls to special sales or discount coupons. But...whatever, right?

Then last month, I was on an airplane and popped into the bathroom. Only to immediately discover, with a glance in the mirror, that I’d suddenly grown a good two inches and dropped about ten pounds. Which definitely amused me, and drove home my belief that Skinny Mirrors exist.

Later I did some on-line research and found out that, quite simply, no two mirrors are the same, and if you were to visit a store specializing in mirrors, you could easily find them that distort in all directions.

So I stand by my statement that my local clothing store is using a Skinny Mirror. (And wonder if they have a higher-than-usual product return rate to “reflect” this?) Although I do think in the airline’s case, it was a fluke.

Have you ever come upon a Skinny Mirror? Any thoughts on all of this?

Tina

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

Discovery Week Winner!

2011-05-08T18:32:00.001-07:00

Since Marley is on the road today, I'm stepping up to announce the winner of her Discovery prize pack. Chosen from 58 comments by a random number generator, it is:

donnas

Donnas, please send your contact information to this address: marley_gibson AT yahoo dot com.

Congratulations, and thanks to all who entered!

Closing out Discovery Week!

2011-05-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

We here at Books Boys Buzz have been celebrating the gorgeous and giving Marley Gibson's THE DISCOVERY all week. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about all the things we've enjoyed discovering lately and had a chance to enter our great contest!

What have I discovered lately that I love?

White Coffee - Has anyone heard of this? White coffee is basically coffee beans that are *very* lightly roasted to preserve most of the caffeine and not introduce too much acidity. The resulting coffee that's brewed is sweet, milky and amazingly good. This is the best thing for those "desserty" coffee drinks like mochas or caramel macchiatos. There's a li'l drive through near my place that makes this and is my new favorite way to start my day!

Early mornings - the aformentioned helps me get up and at 'em in a hurry! But seriously, now that spring is (kind of) here in the Pacific Northwest, I find myself waking up at 5 am every morning--no alarm needed! I love having those wee early hours of the day to myself to get some writing in, playing with the cat and just relaxing time. Yay for secret hours in a day!

Asos.com - this lovely British website has wonderful cutting edge fashion from across the pond at some reasonable prices! If you haven't seen it yet, definitely check it out!

Have a lovely weekend, darling readers! Please leave comments to enter Marley's contest and make sure to grab a copy of the wonderful THE DISCOVERY today!

--Dona

Discovering a little bit of joy everyday

2011-05-06T04:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Marley on the release of the FIFTH (can you believe it?) book in her Ghost Huntress series. The Discovery is available now so make sure you get yourself a copy! You also have a chance to win an autographed copy along with many other great prizes just by commenting below.
I have the bad habit of going straight to Yahoo! the minute I turn on my computer every day. It took me a while to realize how all this instant access to news was affecting my mood. While not all bad, I would say at least seventy-five percent isn't exactly cheerful fodder for my day. I decided that I needed some websites to visit each day that would make me happy. I've discovered two that I love.

The first is called Jim's Pancakes. It isn't updated daily but is definitely worth waiting for. This creative dad spends his mornings making the most awesome pancake creations for his adorable children. It makes me insanely happy when Jim posts his brilliant new flapjack art! See for yourself at http://www.jimspancakes.com/.

My second favorite website is http://www.whenparentstext.com/. This site has some absolute gems that make my sides hurt from laughing so hard. My mom has not ventured into texting yet and I can only imagine what her texts would look like if she did. Some of them are also really sweet. Enjoy.

Don't forget Marley is giving away several great prizes like a signed copy of her new book, two beautiful bracelets, a dousing pendulum, and an incense burner. All you have to do is comment on each blog post this week. Tell me what website always makes you smile.

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

A Continued Celebration of GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY

2011-05-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to be celebrating the release of Marley Gibson's Ghost Huntress: The Discovery this week, and in doing so, each of the Buzz Girls is writing about discoveries. As for me, I like discovering new things about where I live: new things to do, new sights to see, new people to meet. I have a good friend named Meredith who lives in AZ but has a second home about 10 minutes away from where I live, here in UT. So every time she's here, we go to fun places for dinner, hit the lake in the summer or go skiing in the winter. As you can see in the photo, we accidentally showed up at Snowbasin with the same ski clothes. (People wondered if we were on the Swiss Ski Team!) She likes to go snow mobiling, but as you can read HERE I am banned from that particular sport so I have yet to join her. I really love it when she's in town because I get to vacation right here at home!

This summer marks the second time my family is having a big reunion in my town. We rent out a B&B and in addition to boating, hiking, biking, and fishing, we go to a petting farm and a crazy store called Smith & Edward's (where we took this photo), explore the a couple of hot pots at the base of the canyon, dip our toes in the Great Salt Lake, and do other random/silly/cool things together. I'm really excited to discover new things to do when they're all here come July.

For a chance to win Marley's fabulous prize package: a signed copy of THE DISCOVERY (Yay!), a dowsing pendulum, incense and an incense burner, and two awesome bracelets, leave a comment telling something you've discovered about where you live.

Good luck!

DISCOVERING New Vegan Recipes

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hooray! It's another release week celebration here on the Buzz blog. Five cheers for Marley on the release of the fifth book in the Ghost Huntress series, The Discovery. As part of our week long celebration, we're talking about discoveries.

Since I became vegan more than a year ago (wow, has it been that long?) I've had to cook a lot more of my own food that I used to. Vegan options aren't always plentiful or tasty. So I'm always on the lookout for great new recipes. I have a few key sources for trustworthy ones.

blogs like Chef Chloe, Healthy. Happy. Life., and vegalicious
books like Appetite for Reduction, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and Veganomicon
sites like Allrecipes, Epicurious, PETA, VegWeb

Do you cook a lot or are you more of an eat out kind of person? Would you rather drive through, sit down, or stir up something on the stovetop? If you have a great source for recipes (vegan or otherwise) please share.

Marley's giving away a very cool prize pack this week. Comment on my post (and every post this week) to enter.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

DISCOVERING New Favorite Authors

2011-05-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

We are talking about discoveries this week, in celebration of the fifth book in Marley Gibson’s wonderful Ghost Huntress series, The Discovery.

Here she is, with a handful of her books!

Seeing Marley with her books, and thinking about discoveries, made me reflect on some wonderful moments with my kids when they discovered favorite new authors. Authors such as J. K. Rowling, Gordon Korman, John Green, Stephenie Meyer and Gary Paul. What a joy it was to know I was passing along my love of reading, and have them, in turn, share their new favorite authors with me!

In celebration of Marley’s release, she is hosting a week-long giveaway of an awesome gift pack which includes a signed copy of THE DISCOVERY, a dowsing pendulum, incense, an incense burner, a hematite and jade bracelet, and a homemade "I <3 Ghost Hunting" bracelet.

To be entered, simply leave a comment here, telling us the name of a favorite author you have discovered!

Congrats to Marley on her release, and good luck to all who enter this giveaway!

Tina

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

It's Release Week!

2011-05-01T22:14:00.001-07:00

Please forgive the late post. I've been traveling today and then at a friend's wedding. Just now getting to post an awesome announcement and giveaway for the week.

Today is release day for my new book, GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY! This is the fifth book in the series and I'm so excited about it! Kendall and her friends are back for more adventure and mystery. After some time off, Kendall’s ready to begin ghost hunting again. But her life is still in flux. She misses Patrick, her new love. She needs to find a photographer to replace Taylor. Plus, she may have discovered who her real father is, but to be sure, she has to convince his family she’s not a fake. And then there’s a certain doll that seems to be out to get her and her friends. A doll? How could that be? Unless, perhaps, it’s not just a doll. Maybe it’s a vessel containing the soul of a man so evil in life, not even death could stop his reign of terror. This could be Kendall’s most terrifying and deadliest encounter yet.

And to celebrate release week, I'm giving away an awesome gift pack including...a signed copy of THE DISCOVERY, a dowsing pendulum, incense, an incense burner, a hematite and jade bracelet, and a homemade "I <3 Ghost Hunting" bracelet.

To be entered in the week-long celebration giveaway, just leave your name in the comment trail letting us know about a discovery you have made in your life. Join us all this week for the celebration!

Hugs,
Marley = )

Book Oopsies and a Winner

2011-04-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about blips in our booksignings this week. Fortunately, I've had a good run with my signings, but I do have two stories to share.

First off, when my SORORITY 101 series debuted, I had a launch party in Boston with all of my work friends, a ton of writer friends, my agent, my sister, brother, nieces, and cousins. It was a huge blowout and I was hot, sweaty, nervous wreck. As I gave my speech toward the end of the night, I looked around the room to thank certain people. When I saw the person's face, I thanked them, and proceeded around the room. However, I pulled a Hilary Swank. I forgot to thank my then husband! It wasn't totally my fault because he was standing behind a pillar and I couldn't see him. I did correct the mistake, but I was horrendously embarassed!

The other oopsies was when my book THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL was released, my co-authors (my now fiance, Patrick Burns, and Dave Schrader) and I were having our launch party at Dave's Darkness Radio event at the Queen Mary. Only problem was, the books arrived a week after the event. Talk about egg on the face! We had 200 people there who wanted to buy our books. So, our amazing publisher got the attendee list and addresses and mailed them all a FREE copy of it. That was incredibly generous!

Let's hope neither of those things happen again!

Last week, I put up a giveaway for C.C. Hunter's BORN AT MIDNIGHT...and the winner is...

*****TEPEE*****

Please e-mail me offline with your name and address at marley_gibson AT yahoo dot com. Congrats!

Next week...the launch of my new book GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY!

Hugs,
Marley = )

Near-Fiascoes in Book Event World

2011-04-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Shannon Hale's Mortification Monday (thanks Wendy!) this week some of the Buzz Girls are sharing book event fiascoes with the world. Now, hopefully I'm not jinxing myself (*throws salt over shoulder*) but I've never had a true book event fiasco. I've had some near misses, though, so I'll dish on those...

For my debut launch party at Houston's Blue Willow Bookshop, my parents were planning on flying down from Oklahoma City to join the party. It was their only child's first book and they wanted to be there to celebrate. They packed their overnight bag, went to the airport, and... realized that they had misread the landing time as the departure time. They had missed their flight! Luckily, they caught the next one (it's only a hour long flight, thank goodness) and, despite cutting it quite close, made it just in time!

My next signing was at Katy Budget Books, also in Houston. Unfortunately, that was the time when my mother was in the hospital and I was up in Oklahoma City to be with her and my dad. She was still in the hospital, but stable, and I didn't want to flake out on the booksigning. So I bought a ticket down and back on the same day, leaving myself plenty of time to get to the signing. Three hours extra, in fact. Guess how late my plane took off? Yep, three hours! I made it, though... barely. However, it was summer vacation, and apparently everyone who had been in the store the week before had been buying books for their trips because, literally, two people showed up. And I knew one of them. It was a very emotionally draining day, but meeting the one fan who came in already having read my book and asking me to sign the cover with silver marker, to take pictures with her for her blog, that made it all worthwhile.

All of my other events have been pretty smooth (*knocks on wood*) with only the typical no-one-shows-up dramas and do-I-have-to-read-pages worries. If those are the worst things that ever happen in my booksigning career, then I'll county myself lucky. (*goes in search of four-leaf clovers*)

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com

Book Event Fiascos

2011-04-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love book events, whether I'm The Author, an author, or a fan of the author. And when these events run smoothly for everybody involved, great. Unfortunately, glitches are inevitable, and I've had my share.

As you might know, RWA (Romance Writers of America) holds its national conference every summer. Last year, it took place in Orlando, FL. Since it was the summer Lifted came out, I was especially excited because I was eligible to sign at the gigantic book event that takes place the night before the conference. Authors, writers, and readers flood into a ballroom in hopes to get books signed by Meg Cabot, Nora Roberts, and Wendy Toliver.

Ha! But really, I happen to have family and friends in Orlando, and they sweet-talked (bribed?) all their friends into coming. So I was expecting a fairly sizable crowd, if only to brush by me and grab a free bookmark. Brandishing my "Yes I'm supposed to be here" pass, I strolled through the rows and rows of authors (nicer to stalk this way than in the bathrooms).

When I found my name tent, I just stood there, dumbstruck. No books. As I tried to process the horrible truth that my books had not made it, people voiced their condolences and I tried to smile and pretend like it was no big deal that bunches of people were coming to see me, and that I'd booked a red eye flight and paid for an extra night at the hotel so I could be there on time. Then Marley and Tina had a fabulous idea: Write "Sold Out" on my name tent and just smile and hand out bookmarks. Sure enough, it drummed up some interest and even though I'd gotten a hold of my "fans" and told them not to come, I had a wonderful time meeting readers and other writers. The rest of the conference was perfect, from visiting Harry Potter at Universal with my fabulous agent Christina Hogrebe to hobnobbing with the Buzz Girls in our Awards Night finery (photo: left to right Tina, Marley, me, Tera).

If you're an author, have you ever had a book event glitch? Here's a link to Shannon Hale's stories, and click here for James Dashner's.

What I'm reading: The Book Thief (still, because I'm spending so much time on my proposal)

Springtime

2011-04-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

Here in the Midwest we've been teased with a few beautiful seventy-degree days over the last month only to plunge back into the thirties before we even had time to break out our shorts. Tulips bloom giving me hope that spring is indeed on it's way even if it doesn't arrive when the calendar says it should.

My favorite sign that spring is finally here is finding a robin's nest in my front tree. We have lived here for eleven years and every single spring there is a nest built on the same branch. I kept waiting and waiting this year trying to spot a momma robin building a nest. But no nest.

We've had some pretty severe thunderstorms lately so I figured it was for the best because the nest would have been blown out of the tree anyway. But I was still bummed that I wouldn't be able to look out every day and see eventually see tiny mouths opened wide while momma robin dropped regurgitated worm into them. Okay, it sounds gross, but it really is something to see.

I decided to console myself by breaking out the new set of pots and pans I bought myself. Yeah, I know, my life is super exciting. So I was washing out the pans and gazing out into the backyard when a robin flew by the window. I leaned over to see where the obviously pregnant robin was headed only to be surprised to see a giant nest built on our privacy fence. I nearly leaped for joy. I can practically gaze into the nest from my window and this way my kids can see everything without the fear that they might accidentally touch the nest. So even though my furnace is kicking on at the moment, I'm still going to dig my shorts out!

What is your favorite part of spring?

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Travel Ahead!

2011-04-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Buzz blog readers --

I'll be in Italy next week! O.M.G.

Though I've been planning the trip for a long time (and have been learning Italian since September) I can't believe the time is finally here.

I haven't traveled this far on my own before, so it should be an interesting adventure. And, I haven't been to Europe since I was in college and never to Italy for real, so I'm very excited. So far, my plans are pretty simple: See some art. See some ruins. Write. Eat gelato in massive quantities.

I've always wanted to go to Italy, so I'm really happy that I'm making the dream come true. Going on my own feels a little intimidating, but the prospect of putting it off until a friend or significant other could come with me feels like wasting time. And so, I go into the unknown -- to enjoy myself, to use my questionable language skills, to learn more about the world, to meet people and soak in some life.

I'll try to put up a post from the road, but if I somehow don't, I'll give you a full Buzz blog recap when I return.

Is there somewhere special in the world you want to visit someday? Where would you like to travel and why? And, any last travel tips for me?

A presto,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
The Clearing - 2011 Rita Finalist - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Wherever You Go - November 2011 Harcourt
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

Happy Happy...a winner...and another giveaway!

2011-04-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

To all of our Buzz fans, I want to wish you a Happy Passover and Happy Easter! Wow...is spring really upon us? I sure do hope so. We've been in Gettysburg for the last month...or as I call it, Wettysburg. I know April showers bring May flowers...those need to be some pretty stupendous flowers! LOL!

Some good news to share is the WINNER of my Meg Cabot book giveaway. A copy of AVALON HIGH CORONATION goes to...

************1110cg************

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

Now...to this week's giveaway. (Isn't this fun?) I'm giving away a copy of my fellow St. Martin's Press author, C. C. Hunter's book BORN AT MIDNIGHT. The cover is reallllly dark and cool.

To enter the book giveaway, please leave a comment letting us know what you and yours are planning for the Passover/Easter holidays. Anything yummy to eat? Family traditions?

Hugs,
Marley = )

www.marleygibson.com
www.ghosthuntress.com

The next installment of the popular Ghost Huntress series
Coming May 2nd! Everything's not as it seems...
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY

Home at Last!

2011-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

After a twelve day sojourn that took me from Oklahoma to Los Angeles to Houston to Austin to Houston and finally back to Oklahoma, I am finally home in Poketown (aka Stillwater, OK). This is just my temporary home, of course, because I am working on getting to Seattle this summer, but my bed and my puppy were waiting for me, so home it is.

One of the things I love most about conferences and conventions (besides meeting fabulous fans and readers and bloggers and librarians) is getting to hang out with other writers. This always energizes me, recharges my writerly batteries and I come home eager to write-write-write.

This is an especially good thing right now because I have a book due, like, yesterday. (Okay, June 1st, but it feels really really close.) And, while I won't admit my current page count (it's pretty small) or how much I plan to write in the next two weeks (it's a lot) I will say that I'm going to be nose-to-the-grindstone to get Sweet Venom 2 done early enough to revise it before sending it off to my editor by deadline.

Before I left on my big trip I ordered a new Alphasmart. My old one had been my dear companion for many years, but the keys started getting sticky (even after I took them all off and cleaned off the sub-key gunk) and it hurt my wrists to type on it for very long. So my shiny new, non-sticky-keyed Alphie is charged and ready to go. I'm charged and ready to go. Operation: Write That Book is about to begin. (Sophie Jordan and I are going to do daily #deadlinedash check-ins on Twitter, if you want to follow our progress.)

With all the book inspiration I've accumulated in the last two weeks, I'm ready. Wish me luck!

Hugs,
TLC

Announcing The Winner...

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I announced a giveaway of a copy of Meg Cabot's RANSOM MY HEART, in celebration of the good times had at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. And that winner is...

RENEE G!

So Renee, please e-mail me at admin@tinaferraro.com and I'll get that book in the mail to you!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Tina

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

Battle of the Bands

2011-04-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

When I saw that a Battle of the Bands was happening in nearby Ogden, Utah, I jumped at the chance to take a car full of young, impressionable boys. What I found was so much cooler than what I expected. For one, the uber talented Craig Bielik was emceeing. Also, there was food: pizza, breadsticks, popcorn, and Chick-fil-A--always a plus. Tables were set up where local businesses had give-aways and drawings. One of the boys I brought won a $10 gift card to use at Newgae Mall, and we also won free bumper card rides, eyebrow waxes, hair cuts, etc. We all (except my youngest) had brightly colored hair extensions put in by Cherry Bomb Salon. Not only did we get to eat and look like rock stars, we got to listen to bands representing 13 Ogden-area high schools.

Most of the bands were what I'd call hard(er) rock, as well as old school metal, blues, pop, and punk. I have to admit I had to leave early, so I missed the last few bands, including the winner, Roy High's Mermaid Baby (surf-rock), but if what I heard is indicative of our future music, then we have a lot to look forward to!

This video shows Tribe, the band representing Weber High School of Pleasant View, Utah.

Have you ever been to or competed in a Battle of the Bands? If not, you should definitely consider it. It's a lot of fun and it's a great way to show support for local talent.

Rock the Drop - YA Lit Day!

2011-04-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's April 14th -- and that means it's time for YA authors and readers to hit the streets and leave a favorite teen book for a lucky reader to find.

It's a really fun thing happening all over the country (and maybe in other parts of the world?) today. Many authors and fans will be tweeting and blogging about their drop. You can get more deets about the mission over at -- Readergirlz.

Have any of you "Rocked the Drop" today?

Or -- better yet -- have any of you found one of the dropped books?

Hugs,

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

Buzz Girl Love

2011-04-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

It was so awesome hanging out with the Buzz Girls in Los Angeles at the RT Convention. As others have said Teen Day rocked the house. We had a fabulous booksigning, then a party where teens, their friends and parents, joined over twenty YA authors for free books, pictures, and signatures. It was amazing to see the smiles on the girls' faces when they delved into their goodie bags of books to see favorite authors and new ones to enjoy.

(Heather, me, Simone, Dona, and Tina in front)

It was also fun to hang with former Buzz Girl, Simone Elkeles, who is now a big time USA Today and New York Times bestseller. But she's still Simone...and her fans love her. She's a blast to hang out with and we miss her smiling typeface around here.

(Tina and me with Simone)

Tina and I had a fabulous dinner with her. Here's a pic of my filet and shrimp....mmm....you know me and my foodie-ness!

I, too, got a huge stash of books. Even accidentally packed "The Teachings of Budha" book that was in the hotel room. Oopsies! There were so many books around...who knew? There are just so many cool reads coming out this year (including GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY in 18 days!) that it's hard to keep up with everything.

(My fur baby, Boo, modeling my stash.)

So, I'm going to give away my copy of Meg Cabot's graphic novel, AVALON HIGH-CORONATION. Just leave a comment in the trail here about books you're looking forward to this year and I'll pick a winner and announce next week.

Hugs,
Marley = )

http://www.marleygibson.com/
http://www.ghosthuntress.com/

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

Buzz Girl Party in LA

2011-04-11T19:31:00.001-07:00

As you might have noticed, a few of the Buzz girls descended on L.A. this week. I'm still on the road, so I'll have to rely on the others to share full details, but suffice it to say (is that an insanely lame phrase?) we had a great time.

My first unofficial conference event was a big YA author party at the home of Melissa de la Cruz. It was all out and just a wonderful time. Here's the one Buzz girl pic I have here on my phone:

This was before Marley showed up. I have to say that Teen Day far exceeded my expectations and it was great to meet so many awesome teen readers. If it's going to be that great again next year, I just might have to make the trip to Chicago.

Hugs,
TLC

http://www.teralynnchilds.com
http://twitter.com/teralynnchilds

Back from RT (and book giveaway!)

2011-04-11T06:46:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, Heather posted pictures and an update on the fun that the five of us Buzz Girls were having at the Romantic Times Booksellers Convention!

Here's one more picture, of our Marley Gibson with Knight Agency super-agent, Elaine Spencer (who just happens to represent both Dona Sarkar and me):

Saturday was TEEN DAY! Hundreds of teens and their adult companions joined the 1,000 or so readers already in attendance in a mega-signing that featured a football sized room full of romance authors. The Young Adult authors got their own row, making it fun for the readers and authors alike. (For instance, the alphabet being what it is, I got to sit between Simone Elkeles and Marley Gibson!)

Later came talks from YA authors, book readings, face-to-face chats, and finally, a teen party with a mega book giveaway. Great fun!

The one thing I felt I missed was something called Mr. Romance, where male cover models vied for that coveted title, because it conflicted with my author schedule. However, never one to let things totally pass me by, I did get to spend time with this hottie:

And on that silly note, please tell us in the comments the name of the super-hero that you'd like to meet, and be entered to win a copy of RANSOM MY HEART by Meg Cabot! The winner will be announced next Monday!

Good luck!

Tina

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

RT Convention Update

2011-04-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Five of the Buzz Girls are loose in LA -- oops, that sounds bad! But we really are at the RT convention, sponsored by RT Booklovers Magazine. The event culminates with a massive Teen Day event on Saturday!

Here I am with Dona, decked out for Melissa de la Cruz's awesome dinner party for YA authors at her home here in LA. Not only does fabulous Melissa have a to-die-for home, but she's also got the cutest husband and kids ever.

And, the guest list was extraordinary! From Melissa Marr (hard-working organizer of the RT-Con Teen Day Event on Saturday) to Alyson Noel and Carrie Ryan, there were interesting YA authors filling ever square foot. We ate, drank, and wrapped ourselves (ok, I did) in cozy blankets, hanging out on her deck until well past dark.

Here is Buzz Girl Tera with Sophie Jordan (Firelight) and debut author Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed).

It was fun to hear about all the new books coming out, and to talk about the state of the industry in general.

Here are Marley and Dona with the aforementioned YA goddess Alyson Noel, who is not only a great writer, but is also super sweet.

Here are Tina and Dona, I think right after the red velvet cake and chocolate mousse cups arrived. See those satisfied smiles? The food was really, really yummy!

But, around one AM we were hungry again, so we went up to Marley and Tina's room to order in some snacks.

Marley's holding up the fruit, but we really ate turkey burger and grilled cheese. All this writer talk makes us hungry, obviously!

Although we're missing our bee sisters Wendy and Steph a ton, we're having a great time so far.

Hugs,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com

Winner + RT or Bust!

2011-04-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, I offered up an advanced copy of the next GHOST HUNTRESS book, THE DISCOVERY. And the winner is...

Amanda Mora!

Congrats Amanda! Please e-mail me at marley_gibson AT yahoo dot com with your contact information so I can get it in the mail to you.

A really cool thing...I'm blogging from 35,000 feet. Thanks to a nice $5 connection from Southwest, I'm able to wave down at you from the friendly skies as I'm headed out to Los Angeles for the RT Booklovers Conference. I'm really excited to see fellow Buzz girls, Tina, Tera, Heather, and Dona, and our former Buzz girl, Simone Elkeles and so many others. My agent, Deidre Knight, and I are doing a panel on how agents sell film rights to books. I'm participating in CLUB RT, giving away a fun ghost hunting basket, and, of course, I'll be participating in Teen Day!

As Tina and Tera mentioned in their posts, I'll be among the teen authors appearing at Teen Day at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention on Saturday. Something cool is the teen authors will have their own rows, all together, for easy access. Then all of the YA gang will move into various activities like meets-and-greets, interesting talks, author readings, one-on-one "speed dates," and then all followed by a teen party. This is my first RT conference and I can't wait!

Come by and say hello!

Hugs, Marley = )

www.marleygibson.com www.ghosthuntress.com Ghosts don't come out only at Halloween! THE DISCOVERY, available May 2nd!

Heading to Cali

2011-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

By this time tomorrow (early, early, early) I'll be on my way to Los Angeles for the RT Booklovers Convention. I have to admit that I have an ulterior motive for going to this event. Sure, I'm exciting by all the fabulous teen stuff happening on Saturday--I love any chance to meet teens and readers!

photo by Kansas Sebastian

But I'm also suffering from SoCal withdrawal. I haven't been to southern California in a few years and I'm missing a lot of things.

Air that smells like tropical flowers
Sun and sand and beautiful weather
Sea breeze
Art deco architecture
Convertibles (I'm renting one!)
Shopping, shopping, shopping
Amazing sushi (vegan please)
Star spotting
Drinks from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Fun, laid-back, hip vibe

There are also quite a few quintessentially LA things that I've never done, and maybe I can check a few of them off my list during this trip.

Griffith Park Observatory
Hollywood Bowl
Santa Monica Pier
La Brea Tar Pits
LACMA
Queen Mary
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Union Station
Huntington Library

And if I have time to visit the Getty again I will totally make the effort. It's an amazing collection and an amazing building.

Have you ever been to Los Angeles? If so, what were your favorite things to see and do? If not, then what do you dream of seeing or doing in LA?

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com

Winner + Teen Day Reminder!

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

Last Monday we chatted about “what comes next after high school?” and as promised, I am announcing the winner of a signed copy of my book, HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE, which deals which such issues. The winner is:

GIRLS COOKING GAMES

So Girls Cooking Games, please e-mail me at admin@tinaferraro.com with your contact information so I can get it in the mail to you.

And a reminder to all of our readers that Tera Lynn Childs, Heather Davis, Marley Gibson, Dona Sarkar-Mishra and I will be among the teen authors appearing at Teen Day at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention next Saturday in Los Angeles. The day starts with a huge book fair where readers can meet with scores of romance authors. The teen authors will have their own rows, all together, for easy access. Then all of the YA gang will move into various activities like meets-and-greets, interesting talks, author readings, one-on-one "speed dates," and then all followed by a teen party. We hope to see lots of you there!

Tina

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

Warning: You Are Now Leaving Your Comfort Zone

2011-04-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit of an insomniac lately and for some strange reason, last night I kept thinking about something I did back in high school, something that comes back to haunt me every now and then. I took piano lessons for 10 years. Though I mainly played at home with only my immediate family within hearing range, I occasionally played at my church, for school talent shows, at recitals, or at family get-togethers.

One day, my high school concert choir teacher (who, while a great teacher, was notorious for being cranky) asked for a volunteer pianist to play the the national anthem for the finale of our spring concert, which included every choir in the whole school. No one volunteered. ("Buehler? ... Buehler?") It was a very fancy version of the song, and I could tell by looking at the music that it would be a challenge at my playing level; besides, I'd never accompanied a choir. However, as someone who is always willing to dangle outside of my comfort zone, I raised my hand. The teacher looked a little less grumpy. That very afternoon, I put my fingers to the ivories and practiced, practiced, practiced. I was determined to do my school proud.

The choir practiced a few times with me on the piano, and I don't recall it being bad or anything. The teacher spent a lot of time on the choir part and barely said a word to me. Then, the night before the big concert, the pendulum swung, and suddenly, it was ALL about me. The more the teacher yelled, the worse I shook; and as anyone who's played the piano knows, shaking fingers equals even more mistakes. I was trying my damnedest not to cry in front of (what I'm guessing was about 150 of) my fellow students. Suddenly, all that practicing and any modicum of talent I might or might not have possessed flew out the window. The teacher turned her wrath on the choirs and they stared at me like abused children. I don't think they were mad at me the way she was; I think they felt sorry for me. But either way, the rehearsal was a complete disaster--because of me.

As soon as everybody filed out, tails tucked between legs, the teacher came over to have a talk with me. I was lucky I hadn't cried in front of everyone, but as soon as it was just the two of us, I couldn't hold back my tears. The teacher was speechless, which I guess was better than yelling. In place of wrath, I detected sadness in her eyes. Maybe a little bit of fear, too. Because while she wasn' t known for being a sweetheart; when it came to concerts, she did put on a helluva show. And would I be able to accompany the most important song of the entire concert tomorrow night? I said something like, "The funny thing is, I had no idea until tonight that I'm so terrible. If I'd known, I never would've volunteered." Or maybe I didn't say it, but I was definitely thinking it. I stood up, gathered my music, and left.

So what happened the next night, at the big concert? Well, my song was the finale so I had to sing all the other songs with a terrible case of nerves. Then, I took a deep breath, stretched out my fingers, and played. I'd like to say I played my heart out, as I'd envisioned doing all those hours of practicing, but if I remember correctly, I just played well enough to get the choirs through the song. I got through it. No fireworks, no big hug and "I knew you could do it!" from my teacher or any of the choirs. Just the relief of getting the whole ordeal behind me and the gratefulness that tomorrow is another day.

I know the right thing to say is even though it was painful at the time, I'm glad I had that experience--that it's made me a better person or whatever. But if I'm being completely honest, if I could go back in time, I never wouldn't raised my hand in choir class that day. To this day, I get a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I think of it. It totally wasn't worth it.

Have you ever done something out of your comfort zone that you wish you hadn't?

There's a new man in my life...

2011-03-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

I've been back and forth about wanting an e-reader for quite some time now. When I finally decided to break down and get one, I couldn't decide which one I wanted. I leaned toward the Kindle for a long time and was just about to purchase one when I found out it wasn't backlit. So I finally went with the Nook Color.

OMG, it is amazing. I am so in love and I know that I haven't discovered even half of it's features yet. I love that I can give it to my youngest son and it will actually read a book to him. I broke it in by ordering the latest Kristan Higgins novel, My One and Only. Normally I would have had to wait a few days to get my hands on her new book because we don't have any big bookstores around me. But within seconds on release day, I had it downloaded to my beautiful Nook.

Ah, I'm in love. I know we've talked about e-readers before but they have really exploded over the last few months. Have you purchased one yet? Feel free to share any Nook tips with me!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Rita, Purina, and Romantic Times

2011-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

Hugs,
Marley = )

www.marleygibson.com
www.ghosthuntress.com

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

After High School: What Comes Next? (giveaway)

2011-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

In my book, How to Hook a Hottie, 17 year-old Kate DelVecchio has very different plans for her post-high-school future than her parents...and part of the story deals with how she’s going to get around them to make her life happen her way.

That storyline came to me partly because two of my kids were nearing the end of high school at the time, and I was watching them and their friends weighing options. Because clearly, it’s a stressful time, with many factors needing to be weighed carefully, especially if you’re not entirely certain what your life’s plan is.

Four year college...community college...straight to work...trade/tech school...military...”gap year”...and more!

So as we near April 1st of this year (the date by which most four year colleges will reply), my youngest son and his friends will be addressing these questions AND answers, deciding who is going where and who is doing what and how.

Exciting times. Kind of nerve-racking, too.

How about you? Are you or anyone in your life in post-high-school flux? Or do you remember this time in your life and the choices you did or did not make?

Please share with us. And next Monday, I’ll give away a signed copy of HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE to one commenter!

Tina

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

YA Romances, How We Adore Thee

2011-03-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Guess who's nominated for a Rita?

2011-03-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's our hometown girl HEATHER DAVIS for her fantastic second published novel THE CLEARING!

For those of you who don't know, a RITA is like a Golden Globe or an Oscar for the romance/women's fiction world. This year Heather is nominated in the best YA catagory for this poignant story of star-crossed lovers. If you haven't read THE CLEARING yet, get thee to your nearest independent bookstore and get your hands on it NOW. This will be the next big NYT bestseller and don't you want to be the one who has an "early" copy?

Neededless to say, this is a HUGE achivement and all of the Buzz Girls (in person and in spirit) are going to be at the Romance Writers of America conference in NYC to cheer her on this summer!

I've known Heather for almost 10 years now. When I first moved to Seattle and joined the writing chapter, Heather was one of the very first people to make me feel at home. Five years later, this lovely lady and I became critique partners and close friends and from there....miracles! We both both agents shortly after and within months of each other SOLD our first books! Heather has always been my writing lucky charm, an inspiration, a mentor and a very, very good friend.

Since that first sale, Heather's career has really taken off and with two books out and a third on the way, Heather is unstoppable! Please join me in congratulating Heather on behalf of all us Buzz Girls.

CONGRATS honey! We are so proud of you!

Check out all the details of Heather's RITA nomiated book, THE CLEARING at her website: http://heatherdavisbooks.wordpress.com. We Buzz Girls are going to continue this big celebration with a WHOLE WEEK dedicated to THE CLEARING with fun and prizes so keep checking back here for details!

Have a wonderful weekend!

--Dona

Weekend Reading!

2011-03-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

My new proposal is finally done and handed over to my super agent, so to celebrate, I allowed myself a giant weekend of reading for pleasure.

After having it gaze longingly at me from the to-be-read pile, The Sweet Far Thing finally made it into my hands.

For me, if I'm going to read an 800+ page book, I need solid blocks of reading time. That's why, this book, which I purchased in hardcover when it first came out (a long while ago!) has been languishing. Also, it's the third book of a trilogy, so it's hard for me to let the series go. Maybe that accounts for the delay, too...

As I hoped, it was an awesome read and a great wrap up to Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series. I highly recommend it.

So, I'm curious --

How many of you will wait to start a bigger book like I did? Do you save books for a big reading weekend, or do you nibble away over weeks and weeks? What is next in your stack for a pleasure reading weekend?

Hugs,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Wherever You Go - Harcourt November 2011
The Clearing - HMH
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

Spring Storms: Hot or Not?

2011-03-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

The weather is changing here in Oklahoma (finally!) and signs of Spring are all around. Grass is growing, flowers are blooming, and storms are brewing. I have to admit ... I love storms. I hate the destruction that sometimes come with them (tornadoes and hurricanes for example) but I adore a good thunderstorm.

I can practically smell the ozone in this pic by -Qualsiasi.

On a stormy night I'll open the window in my room and lie there in the dark listening to wind, thunder, and rain pinging against the window. Ironically, storms make me feel peaceful. If I could sleep outside in a storm (without floating away or getting toasted by lightning) I would.

And as much as I love storms, I love the day after almost as much. The skies are a clearer blue than usual, the air is fresh, and the natural world comes to life with signing birds and frolicking wildlife.

What about you? Do you love a good symphony or thunder and lightning? Or do you hide under your blankets and hope it passes by quickly?

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-03-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we turned our clocks ahead an hour, and this one denotes the official first day of spring!

Students and teachers are either on their way back from spring breaks, kicking them off, and eagerly anticipating them...and Passover and Easter are getting steadily closer.

In Los Angeles, we are “celebrating” with an extended rainstorm, and up in our ski areas, it’s snow/snow/snow. How are you marking the news that spring has sprung? With a break from school, planting a garden, maybe working out a little toward your summer swimsuit?

Tina

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

Bigfoot anyone?

2011-03-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I trashed my kitchen and bathroom. No, I didn't have too much green beer. I wanted my boys to think that a naughty little leprechaun broke in. It worked. Never in a million years did they suspect that the same grouchy mommy who nags them for spitting toothpaste all over the bathroom mirror would use an entire tube of it making four leaf clovers on the counter. I also knocked over chairs and sprinkled green crinkle grass all over the kitchen table and ceiling fan. Of course I left some gold coins (chocolate flavored, of course) and some green Hershey kisses that I called leprechaun turds. They freaked out. They've come to expect Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, but we had never had a visit from a naughty leprechaun before.

(I love those 'I exist' support group commercials that Diet Dr. Pepper has)

I figure I only have a few more years of them suspending belief before the questions start creeping in. Remember when you believed in fairy dust? Is there anything that you still believe in, like aliens, or Bigfoot?

For me, it's the Loch Ness Monster. I've always been fascinated by Nessie. I still think that somewhere in that loch in Scotland, she successfully avoids sonars and doesn't peek her head up quite as much as she used to. I've always felt that she was a kind animal. Like a cross between a brontosaurus and a Beluga whale. She would never capsize a boat or eat an unsuspecting swimmer. I even suspect that she probably saved a few children from drowning before the first picture of her surfaced.

Okay, so who do you still believe in? And don't even think about telling me that you don't still make a wish anytime the clock says 11:11! :)

xo,
Stephanie
www.stephaniehale.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Are you wearing green today?

I am, and I promise it's not just underwear. (That old trick never works, btw.) Yes, I'm wearing green because I love St. Patrick’s Day!

Part of my love for it has to do with the food. Even though I don’t eat beef, I’ll still make cabbage, potatoes, and carrots with some chicken, and of course, the soda bread. Every year I debate whether or not to stir in some raisins (an American addition). The raisins usually win.

This year, I’ve been looking around today for a lower fat soda bread to replace my family one (which includes butter and eggs) and I saw a ton of varieties to try. There was even a vegan recipe for soda bread at www.lowfatvegancooking.com, TLC! On another site, I did find one that has no butter or eggs, but includes traditional buttermilk, so I may try that one tonight.

I know I write about food a lot. I think it’s because my dad is such an amazing cook. He showed his love for us through cooking and passed on his knowledge in small, non-judgmental doses. He let us follow recipes, innovate some our own, and always was there with a hint or two when you needed it. (Like, there's no need to add lemon juice to a red sauce.) I’m sure he’ll be making some soda bread tonight.

My interest in cooking really began when I was a teen, so it seemed natural to give the protagonist in my fall book, Wherever You Go, the same love. Throughout the book Holly makes things like meatballs, marinara, brownies, cupcakes, stew, lasagna, and baked chicken for her little sister and grandpa. Maybe I’ll need to have a recipe page on my website when the book comes out in November.

So, are you cooking Irish food or going out for something yummy to celebrate the wearing o’ the green tonight? I would love to hear what’s on the menu for your St. Paddy’s celebration.

Enjoy the day!

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

Save Us Spartacus

2011-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Part of me really wants to post something about the disaster in Japan today, but I think it's still too raw (and continuing and uncertain) for me to write about yet. So instead I'll take my cue from Tina (one of my favorite things to do here on the Buzz blog) I'm going to talk about a favorite premium cable TV show.

SPARTACUS

Σπάρτακο

I blame Sophie Jordan for my introduction to Spartacus. (And True Blood for that matter—curse her and her irresistible premium cable channels!)

The tag line for season one was Blood and Sand and boy is that fitting. I have never seen a bloodier show. It's almost B-movie horror flick epic proportions of blood, but there is something magical about the cinematography that turns it into more of an artistic effect than a gory mess.

It is the amazingly emotional story of a Thracian soldier who, betrayed by Rome, is sold into slavery and becomes a gladiator. His wife is also taken and he is driven to win by the desire to earn his freedom and find her. The title character is played by Andy Whitfield. (Yum, yum. Yum, yum-yum, yum.)

And he's Welsh, to boot!

(Sadly, Andy had to bow out of the series to undergo treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Think good thoughts for this sexy, talented man.)

If you're looking for a show that appeals to guys (action and intrigue and—since this is premium cable—plenty of ladies without their clothes) and girls (hot sweaty warrior guys, 'nuff said) that has both wonderful stories and strong emotional journeys, and you're not afraid of a little (a whole freakin' lot of) blood, the definitely give Spartacus a try. It's available instantly via Netflix.

Now excuse me while I go catch up on season two, Gods of the Arena.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com

True Blood: Better Late Than Never!

2011-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of author Charlaine Harris for many years, starting with a couple southern mysteries she wrote in the 1980's (Sweet and Deadly, A Secret Rage), and going through her cozy series. But I stopped short at Sookie Stackhouse because as a general rule, vampire stories are just not my thing.

Of course, I’d heard all the raves about the HBO program based on the series, True Blood. And recently I caught a little and decided to start back at Season 1, Episode 1 and give it a go...

And wow, hot stuff and great plot twists and lotza drama. But I will admit that I put a sofa cushion over my face when it starts getting all bloody...

I might have to get the whole book series now, too.

Who else is watching True Blood?

Tina

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

"What are the Buzz Girls Up To" Giveaway Winner!

2011-03-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Thanks to everybody for commenting last week. I had a blast learning more about my Buzz Girl sisters and I hope you did too!

We had about 40 entries this week for the lovely green jewelry bracelets and earrings.

The winner is ....

COLETTE!

Congrat's, Colette! Please email me via my web-site www.wendytoliver.com with your full name and mailing address and if I get it in time I'll mail it on Monday before I head to Kauai!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!

The Busy and Enigmatic Tina Ferraro!

2011-03-12T11:08:00.001-08:00

Last and definitely saving the best for last....let's catch up with our girl Saturday...the lovely, the brilliant...TINA FERRARO! Tina is one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met and I am so proud to call her my blog-sister!

If you haven't read any of Miss Tina's books, get thee to her website stat!

Now, here is Tina in her own words:

How was the holiday season? Did anything surprising happen to you?

I had a great holiday season, including a few days in a condo with my family at a ski resort! I stopped skiing when I was a teen--it just didn't appeal to me--but I had quality "quiet time" while they were on the slopes, and enjoyed the movie and games nights.

What are you most looking forward to in 2011?

The Romantic Times conference Los Angeles in April. Especially Saturday, April 9th, which is Teen Day!

In my personal life, all three of my kids will be away-at-college come fall, so that means from now on, for months at a time, at least, my husband and I will have an "empty nest." I expect to do a lot of writing! And while I will always miss my kids, I am treasuring this next phase of their lives and so proud of the roads they are taking.

Here is Tina looking quite at home in a dorm!

What book are you currently reading?

I have spent the past several months reading all books by adult romance author, Kristan Higgins. I chatted with her a couple times at the Romance Writers of America conference last year, as we were both RITA finalists, and later found one of her books in my "goodie" bag. From the first page, I was hooked, and have not only bought them all, but talked her up to all my friends, too.

While Kristan Higgins is not a young adult author, her stories are sweet, funny and touching, and I could see them appealing to certain teens, as well.

What exciting book news do you have to share with your readers?

Well, I have a novel being shopped right now called HALF-LIFE. Its a teen angel story with the surviving twin facing some dangerous issues, with help from the twin who passed away long, long ago.

And I am putting the final touches on a second book that?s still kind of hush-hush, but I can leak these items: hot surfer dude, a truly crazy crush, and truth behind the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger...

Well, there you have it! For those of you who have read Tina's books, please comment on this post with your favorite book and/or character. For those you haven't, tell us what you're reading now!

Post for a chance to win the lovely jewelry!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dona

What's new with Wendy?!?

2011-03-11T04:23:00.000-08:00

(Isn't she adorable?)

As most of you loyal bee followers probably already know, Wendy is the author of The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Miss Match, and Lifted. She is also a super mom (it's true, she held on to her four-year-old with superhuman strength earlier this year as he dangled from a ski lift), a devoted wife, animal lover, and just generally a swell gal.

Since Wendy lives in Utah, and I live in Illinois, we just don't get to see each other as often as I would like. But I sent her a list of questions so that we could all get caught up on what is going on in her life.

Steph: What's new on the writing front? Can you give us any teasers on new novels?

Wendy: Well, I'm still in the very early stages of a new book idea (writing a proposal) so nothing really to share at this point. I do love this idea though; it's a bit paranormal and I tell it in dual POV, male and female.

Translation: She isn't going to jinx it by spilling the beans. You'll just have to wait until it's out in bookstores. It'll be worth it. :)

Steph: Are you attending any conferences this year?

Wendy: I am not sure as of now. This is getting to be a very busy year already with reunions left and right. I hope to make it to RWA Nationals in NYC this summer and would love to go to some smaller ones if opportunity knocks.

Steph: Anything new in your personal life that you want to share?

Wendy: My husband and I are going on a vacation to Kauai this month and I've very excited. I've never been to that island and I'm hoping to get lots of good snorkeling and hiking in.

(I'm soooo jealous!)

Steph: What keeps you motivated to write?

Wendy: Kind of like exercise and eating healthy, it just makes me feel better about myself when I take time to write a little every day. Also, my kids like it when I'm writing because I let them get away with more. Haha.

Steph:Do you "reward" yourself for meeting writing goals, and if so, what are your rewards?

Wendy: Oh yes, I'm all about rewards. Here are some I particularly like: reading a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, eating something yummy and chocolatey, going out on a girls' night, watching a movie, and hitting the slopes.

Steph: What's the best book you've read in the last few months? Any books you are looking forward to reading?

Wendy: I look forward to reading The Book Thief, which I asked for for my birthday (Wendy FINALLY turned 21 on March 3), and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, which my son is reading now, and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Some good books I've read lately include: Peeps by Scott Westerfeld, Lifted (twin title!) by Hilary Freeman, Matched by Allie Condie, and The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams.

Steph: What author would you go completely fan girl over?

Wendy: Judy Blume! (ah, wouldn't we all???)

It sounds like Wendy is as fabulous as usual and I don't know about you but I can't wait to read her future novels. Thanks for playing along, Wendy. And let me know if you need help carrying your bags to Kauai next month. :) For more info on Wendy and her books, visit her website. http://www.wendytoliver.com/ Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win the fabulous jewelry!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Catching Up with Tera Lynn Childs

2011-03-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

You have to swim pretty darn fast to catch up with Buzz girl Tera Lynn Childs.

Not only is her successful mermaid book spawning a sequel this June, but Tera's also taking on the mythological demon busting business with a brand new series featuring kick-butt teen heroines.

How she manages to be this productive and still have a life is a complete mystery - but her readers are definitely reaping the benefits!

Continuing our "What's New" feature on the buzz blog, here's my interview with wonder woman/author TLC.

Tell us -- what are you working on?

I just finished up the "Anglicanisation" process for the UK edition of Forgive My Fins, which comes out this summer, and I'm excited to announce that my UK publisher just bought the rights to publish the sequel, Fins Are Forever, too.

On my desk right now are the final page proofs for Sweet Venom, my last chance to look at the book before it goes into print--eep! Then, at some point soon, I have to start writing the second book in the Medusa girls trilogy, which is due June 1st. I have the synopsis done and I know where the story has to go... it's just a little daunting to dive into a "middle" book. I'm also working (as always) on a couple of secret projects that may or may not come to fruition in the near future.

What's coming up in 2011?

Bookwise this is my biggest year yet. I have Fins Are Forever coming out at the end of June and, just like with Goddess Boot Camp, I'm nervous about sending a sequel into the world. My fingers are crossed though and early responses are super-positive.

Then in the Fall I have two projects coming out. First, in September, is my story "When Magic Sleeps" in an anthology called Wicked Pretty Things about dark faeries and the mortals who love them. Then October 4th is the release date for Sweet Venom, the first in a trilogy about triplet descendants of Medusa who reunite and learn it's their destiny to hunt mythological monsters that ordinary humans can't see. I have never been so excited about a book and I think it's my best yet.

What about upcoming travels this year? Where can readers meet you?

Besides my impending move to Seattle (soon, very soon) I have a bunch of professional travel lined up this year. First up is the RT Booklovers Convention in LA the first weekend in April. I heart booklovers and I heart LA so this is a double-win, plus there is a huge Teen Day this year and I'll get to hang with some Bees, too.

Then I'm heading back to Texas for the Texas Library Association conference, where Forgive My Fins is nominated to the Lone Star Reading List. This summer will include a trip to visit the parents in Vegas and the Romance Writers of America conference in New York, followed by another trip to Texas to do Fins Are Forever signings in Houston. There's more travel coming up in the Fall, but that's only sorta semi-public and not fully finalized, so let's just say that I think I'll be visiting the Midwest come October.... I think that's everything!

That's a lot! I'm tired just reading about everything you've got going on, Tera. Thanks for the interview!

And now, readers, do you have any questions for Tera? Post them in comments!!

Remember, all this week you can comment for a chance to win a lovely bracelet and earring set that Buzz Girl Wendy found at her local boutique, Chic Style.

It's green, perfect for St. Patrick's Day! Comment or submit questions every day for more chances to win.

Good luck!

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com

What's new with Steph?

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm loving this week...catching up on news from all the Buzz Girls! And we've got an incredible giveaway! Keep reading for more deets.

It was awesome to chat with Stephanie on what's been going on in her world.

Hey Steph! How has 2011 been treating you so far?

STEPHANIE: I can't believe it is already March and almost time for the RWA Rita finalists to be announced already. I don't know where the year has gone!!

I know! Time flies... So, tell our readers what you're currently working on?

STEPHANIE: I'm currently working away on a new YA novel. I wish I could tell the readers more but I'm very superstitious about discussing new works. Hopefully someday soon I'll be able to announce a new sale and tell you all about it. I'm extremely lucky with have our own Tina Ferraro as a critique partner and she has helped me so much!

That's great...and we've got our fingers crossed on a new sale soon! So tell us...do you have any upcoming events or signings where people can catch you?

STEPHANIE: I had really hoped to be in NYC for RWA Nationals this year, but I don't think it is going to work out. Unless I win the lottery, then I'm totally there. Ha. I hope to be in LA with the Buzz Girls at RT in spirit though and I expect pictures of hot guys.

Yeah, I'm a little worried about RT as a first-timer. Don't know what to expect! LOL! Can you tell us what inspires you as an author?

STEPHANIE: If I'm having a day when I think my writing isn't good, or just feeling down about things, I like to re-read fan emails. It is an amazing feeling to know that you have kept people up turning pages when they should have been sleeping. Or that someone got something positive from your writing that you didn't even originally intend. These are the things that inspire me.

That is so true! In this digital and automatic age, it's so easy for authors to connect with their fans...and their appreciation and e-mails really DO make a difference and keep us going.

Thanks for sharing what's up with you! And if you haven't already read Steph's books, what are you waiting for? Check her out at http://www.stephaniehale.com/.

Now...to enter our contest to win the fabulous jewelry, please leave a comment or question for Stephanie.

Thanks again, Steph!!!

Hugs,
Marley = )
www.marleygibson.com
www.ghosthuntress.com

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

What's New With Heather

2011-03-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

What are you working on?

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

What’s coming up in 2011?

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

What about upcoming travels?

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

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

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

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

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com

What's New With Marley?

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's my pleasure to chat about Marley Gibson today, to bring everyone up-to-speed on her exciting adventures! (And be sure to check the deets on the week-long giveaway at this post's end.)

Hey, Marley, could you please tell us about the young adult novel you just finished, RADIATE?

Marley: It's set to come out in the Spring of 2012 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It's a fictionalized version of what I went through as a teenage cheerleader with cancer. I had to update the story (since mine happened in 1982) and add a lot of drama, but it was an amazing experience. My editor loved it and said she cried ten times in the first one hundred pages. I think it can be a really powerful book for teenagers who are going through--not just cancer--any challenge in their life.

Remind us what’s hitting the shelves next?

Marley: In May is the fifth book in the GHOST HUNTRESS series called THE DISCOVERY. I had a blast with this book, adding a lot of experiences from my own investigations and research and also weaving in a bit more of the danger and creepy factors. I hope readers enjoy the layered mystery.

I know everyone would love to hear about your life, which is anything BUT ordinary!

Marley: Life is crazy...but in a good way. My fiancé, Patrick Burns, and I turned our rig west back in November, following the path of old Route 66 to California. We've seen so many amazing things during our time on the west coast: Pacific Ocean, Sierra Nevadas, Pacific Dunes, Napa and Sonoma wine country, Santa Barbara wine country, Corondado Island, the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, Las Vegas...wow...and that was just on the way out. We're heading east today and plan on hitting White Sands, New Mexico, San Antonio, Texas, New Orleans, and visits to see my parents and Patrick's boys.

However, the most amazing part of our four month "wintering" was adopting two orphaned shelter kitties named Madison and Boo. They are now our constant travel companions and every day they amaze us.

Too cute! And thanks for these updates, Marley! And looking forward to being your roommate at the Romantic Times conference in Los Angeles next month...

Now about this week's giveaway. Yesterday Wendy posted a beautiful necklace set--just in time for St. Paddy's day. Comments all week work as entries. So leave a question or comment for Marley today to be entered, and be sure to return next Sunday learn the winner's name!

Tina

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

What's New With Dona? (PRIZE WEEK!)

2011-03-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

This is an exciting week here at the Books Boys Buzz blog. Not only will you find out what's going on with each of us, you can comment for a chance to win a lovely bracelet and earring set that I found at my local boutique, Chic Style. As you can see, it's green, perfect for St. Patrick's Day! Comment every day for more chances to win.

Here's What's New With the Beautiful & Talented Dona Sarkar

How was the holiday season? Did anything surprising happen to you?

This was the best holiday season ever! I had surprise Christmas Eve guests! My friends from California suddenly called on Dec. 23rd and asked if they could come up and spend the holidays with us. I was so happy to have them here because we'd had a very quiet Christmas planned. We loved having a full house and a fun holiday meal. My husband made lamb-chops and mint jelly. I made stuffing and mashed potatoes ... we had leftovers!

What are you most looking forward to in 2011?

I am really looking forward to all my upcoming traveling this spring and summer. The RT (Romantic Times) conference will be going on in LA in April. I will also be going to Michigan (Mackinaw Island) for my sister's wedding. I am the maid-of-honor so I better practice my toast! This is my first time being in a bridal party so I am excited to wewar a matching dress and throw a bachelorette party!

What book are you currently reading?

I am reading adult mystery THE EDGE by Jeffrey Deaver to break things up a bit.

What exciting book news do you have to share with your readers?

Well, HOW TO SALSA is STILL on the best-seller list in India ... it's in every major chain bookstore there and sometimes still in the front table/display case. This is hands-down the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.

I've also been invited to speak to a sorority on March 14th at the University of Michigan about my writing and chosen topics. So, all in all, a great year so far!

Wow, I'll say! Congratulations, Dona, and we look forward to seeing what other exciting things happen this year.

Do you have any questions for Dona? Leave a comment to be entered in this week's prize drawing. A week from today (Sunday, March 13) we will draw and announce the winner. Given that I have the winner's address in time, I'll mail the jewelry on Monday so the winner can have it in time for St. Patty's Day. Good luck!