Today we have a book winner and a new contest. And a million other random things.

First of all, thanks so much to Natalie Lloyd for dropping by the blog in my absence. See what I mean–she’s a lot of fun. And speaking of Lloyd and crazy fun, Missa is the winner of Natalie’s book Paperdoll. Missa just email me from the contact me page and gimme yo mailing addy, and Natalie will get that book to you! I have a feeling she’s better at getting to the post office than someone else I know…

Here’s a fun dilemma. We would like your feedback on the cover for the next A Charmed Life book, I’m So Sure.

Here’s a quick blurb:

First, her family is chosen for a reality TV show, then she’s forced to get a part-time job at a feminine hygiene plant. Bella tries to press STOP before she totally loses her cool.

Bella Kirkwood is finally situated in her new hometown, but she’s not ready for the whirlwind of randomness that takes place next. When her stepdad enters a new wrestling reality show, Bella is pulled along for the ride as her life goes on display for all the world to see. When the cameras roll, Bella must solve a prom-queen mystery, deal with her returning ex-boyfriend, and keep her cool as she works alongside the hot but irritating newspaper editor Luke Sullivan.

Who needs TV when you’re living the charmed life?

Just to refresh, here’s the cover of So Not Happening, so you can compare the two. We don’t want them to look like they’re not related, but they don’t have to be identical twins either.

So what do you think of the cover for I’m So Sure? Would the cover make you pick it up? The cow–thumbs up or thumbs down? Let me know what you truly, honestly, totally think and…you’ll be in the running for for our next book giveaway!!! To win a copy of the YA book Breaking Up is Hard to Do, just leave a comment telling us what the sight of the new book cover does for you. I’ll talk more about the Breaking Up book later in the post.

And here’s another freebie book opportunity! Sarah at “I Think Therefore I Blog” interviewed me and is giving away So Not Happening.  Sarah is a cool girl who is funny and also a good writer! Her blog is fun to check out, and her interview questions? Honestly, the best I’ve ever had. It was a fun Q & A, and it was a great opportunity to talk about some stuff that was truly on my mind. (Like setting the record straight on my Bella and Twilight’s Bella.) You can read the interview and get your name in the hat for the book HERE. Act quickly–the contest is over soon.

Speaking of Sarah, she has a funny YouTube clip on her blog that I had found as well! Are you ready for T-Swizzle?

Here’s another song I’m digging lately. Video not so hot–but the song is too catchy.

Is that not weirdly awesome?

Have you seen Buffy versus Edward? It’s a bit long (boring), but I love the girl power concept AND I strongly recommend minute 3:52 if you’ve seen the movie. Buffy is no doormat and does not let creepy vamp boys just watch her sleep. I like that message because I also take a strong stand against girls letting creepy vamp boys watch them sleep. Just say no. With a pointy stake.

I saw The Proposal last night. I liked it a lot. Didn’t love it–it seemed to be missing about 20 minutes of story to be perfect and not rushed, but still, it was good. And there were a few parts, I was laughing so hard, I got embarrassed. I’m talking laughed ’til I couldn’t breathe. They were the inappropriate parts, of course. But Ryan Reynolds–that guy is a genius at comedy and timing. Seriously. He MADE the movie. He’s come a long way from Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. And that place he’s come to? The land of amazingness.

Speaking of movies, another RomCom I liked was New in Town. I got to see it again on my flight to Ireland. I LOVE Siobhan Fallon, who is an awesome character actress and plays Blanche Gunderson. I also love this interview with her where she applauds the producers of the movie for doing a film with faith-filled characters who aren’t total morons. Now I just like her even more.

I recently read Breaking Up Is Hard to Do by Annie Dayton and May Vanderbilt, who are fairly new to the YA world. I was impressed with the book. Cute cover. Real characters. They talk like teens, which I appreciated. I had a few favorite (not exact) lines:

1. “They live their lives in the spaces between chaos and crisis.”

2. “Just look at how many famines and wars have been stopped by people taking a little time out of their day to sit around and talk about their feelings. I’ve absolutely lost count .”

3. (On whether or not a fish is a guy or girl) “He really looks like a guy. The fish swims to the far side of the bag and ignores me. Okay, he’s definitely a dude.”

A cute book worth checking out. If you’re interested, you can hear an interview with the authors HERE. You can also read the synopsis and sample chapter below my sign-off. And of course if you give me some much needed feedback on the book cover, you might possibly get your own copy of Breaking Up is Hard to Do. I’m looking forward to hearing your opinions. And by the way, please don’t compare the cover of I’m So Sure to THIS BOOK because we will never achieve that level of greatness. That’s like a Rembrandt of a cover. A Monet.

Crazy random pictures (there might be a crack shot), more about my trip (men in kilts?), and more book giveaways coming soon. Stay tuned.

Glad to be back home and thanks so much for keeping the blog comments going. I loved reading them when I got back. I don’t care what your mothers say about you, you guys the best.

JEN

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
FaithWords (April 16, 2009)
by
Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

ANNE DAYTON graduated from Princeton University and is earning her master’s degree in English literature at New York University. She works for a New York publishing company and lives in Brooklyn.

MAY VANDERBILT graduated from Baylor University and went on to earn a master’s degree in fiction from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in San Francisco, where she writes about food, fashion, and nightlife in the Bay Area.

Together, the two women are the authors of Miracle Girls

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ana, Christine, Riley, and Zoe have grown closer than ever over the past few months, but summer is over and it’s time to put their friendship to the test.
It’s been a little over a year since Christine Lee’s mom passed away in a tragic car accident. Now her dad is engaged to Candace–”The Bimbo”–and Christine couldn’t be less thrilled. When her attitude starts to take a toll on her schoolwork, the administration forces her to attend counseling sessions. At least she gets to skip gym class!
But with her father’s wedding inching closer, Christine is growing even more bitter. To make matters worse, the Miracle Girls are beginning to drift apart. Christine’s anger and the pressures of high school threaten to break the girls up when they need each other the most. Will they find a way to join together to help Christine come to terms with her mother’s death . . . and her father’s remarriage?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, go HERE