By this time next week I will be back to school, ending one very short, but restful summer. But I don’t want to talk about that. Quit bringing it up. Rude.

Don’t forget, if you want to get in the drawing for books 1-4 of Shelley Adina’s All About Us YA series, just go HERE to read the contest instructions. You have until Thursday night to enter. Winner will be announced Friday!

You can now read not just the prologue, but also the first chapter of Just Between You and Me, which hits shelves the first week of September.

Did you hear that Paula has announced she will not be back to American Idol? This makes me sad. I know she’s…um, different. And when I say different, I mean often incoherent, a weird clapper, and glassy eyed. But you have to admit, she was so much more “with it” this past season. And I think her unpredictability (Will she be drunk? Did she chug NyQuil? Did she have a little Xanax coctail? Is that her real hair? If she wasn’t leaning on Simon, would she fall over?)  is a draw to the show. It keeps things interesting. I think she provides a nice, if not buzzed, contrast to Cowell. I’m thinking about writing my Congressman. The one who calls my house and leaves nice, personal prerecorded messages.

Someone asked me yesterday about where the title came from for Just Between You and Me. The name came from page 72 of a book I have called “Book Titles That Will Guarantee You a Pulitzer.”  But sometimes we don’t pick our own titles. And while I’ve had good luck myself, I would like to hire out whoever came up with the titles for Pregnesia. Or Covert Cootchie Coo.  Pregnesia? Is it just me or is her preggo stomach like 100 miles from her chest? I wonder if this is marketing at play. Like “Let’s come up with the worst title ever and maybe people will buy it to see if the book contents are equally as ridiculous.” Because let me tell you, if I was in Barnes and Noble and saw Covert Cootchie Coo, I would be sorely tempted to pick it up. If no one was looking. And I’d had at least three double shot frappachinos. And I had taken some of Paula’s “vitamins.”

I loved the movie Iron Man. Now I know where they got their inspiration.

Am I the only one who thinks that thing looks like it isn’t quite ready for prime time? And notice none of the men in the video were smiling. Probably because they had just peed their pants.

The new edition of Christian Fiction Online Magazine is up. You can read it HERE. Author Jill Williamson gives us a nice shoutout in “All About YA.“  I love to read her YA column every month and had NO IDEA that was going to be in there. It’s very weird to read about yourself. But nice. And clearly she got my $100.00 check I sent last month “just because.”

I’m loving your answers to the question “What’s the best book you’ve read in 2009.” You guys have great taste in books. Some of them I haven’t read, and I’m gonna have to make a list. Awesome recommendations. Don’t you love talking books? A book I’ve read recently is by new YA author Stephanie Morrill. She was kind enough to send me her debut novel Me, Just Different. Girls, you will like this book.  It’s about Skylar Hoyt, a girl who is soo popular and quite the boy magnet. (What? Is this my biography? Did I sign off on this?)  So even though I couldn’t relate to that aspect of the book, teen girls will like Skylar’s story. She is a girl who is seemingly perfect on the outside (did I mention she’s exotically beautiful as well?) but within the walls of her home, things are falling apart. And there’s one night at a party Skylar cannot forget. Not to mention, there’s a love triangle! How can you resist a love triangle? I know I can’t. This is the first book in a series and is getting some great reviews.

Another book that I can recommend is Robert Liparulo’s Timescape. It’s also a YA (young adult). I wanted to read it and give it a review, but…um, there’s this page in the opening of the book that tells you you have to have read the previous books in the series before proceeding. And it’s right. I couldn’t get very far. But I read enough to see it was SO fast paced and suspenseful. I loved that. And it starts with a bang. Like immediately in the book you’re thrown into action. You can read a synopsis and see a link to a sample chapter below my signature. And also check out the link for a contest for Robert’s books. You might need them if you’re gonna pick up Timescape.

So I have this drawer in my kitchen I call the “Receipt, Owner Manual, and County Fair Pen” drawer. Every once in a while I have to empty it all out and throw away pretty much all of it. I mean, I keep the owner’s manuals for appearance’s sake, but Lord knows I’ve never actually read one. (Actually this weekend I bought a new weed eater, and putting it together involved reading one whole page of instructions. I was like, “Ohhhhhh. It’s so hard. I need to recline on a chaise. Do I have one of those? No? Okay, I’ll just eat a Snickers instead.”)  I should’ve taken a picture of myself reading directions. Anyway, so I  had the drawer in the floor of my office, and Miller, Kitty Pukes-A-Lot, who has pretty much divorced himself from me in the last year and only comes out to meow at the door or eat kibbles…decides to make an appearance. Of all times.

“I personally like owner’s manuals. Quite comfortable in fact.”

And that ended my cleaning frenzy. The drawer is still in the floor. And the cat is back to completely ignoring me.

So have a great rest of the week.  Don’t get pregnesia!

JEN

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Timescape
Thomas Nelson (July 14, 2009)
by
Robert Liparulo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. His first novel, Comes a Horseman, released to critical acclaim. Each of his subsequent thrillers—Germ, Deadfall, and Deadlock—secured his place as one of today’s most popular and daring thriller writers.

He is known for investing deep research and chillingly accurate predictions of near-future scenarios into his stories. In fact, his thorough, journalistic approach to research has resulted in his becoming an expert on the various topics he explores in his fiction, and he has appeared on such media outlets as CNN and ABC Radio.

Liparulo’s visual style of writing has caught the eye of Hollywood producers. Currently, three of his novels for adults are in various stages of development for the big screen: the film rights to Comes A Horseman. were purchased by the producer of Tom Clancy’s movies; and Liparulo is penning the screenplays for GERM and Deadfall
for two top producers. He is also working with the director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) on a political thriller. Novelist Michael Palmer calls Deadfall “a brilliantly crafted thriller.” March 31st marked the publication of Deadfall’s follow-up, Deadlock, which novelist Gayle Lynds calls, “best of high-octane suspense.”

Liparulo’s bestselling young adult series, Dreamhouse Kings, debuted last year with House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods. Book three, Gatekeepers, released in January, and number four, Timescape, in July. The series has garnered praise from readers, both young and old, as well as attracting famous fans who themselves know the genre inside and out. Of the series, Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine says, “I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?”

With the next two Dreamhouse books “in the can,” he is currently working on his next thriller, which for the first time injects supernatural elements into his brand of gun-blazing storytelling. The story is so compelling, two Hollywood studios are already in talks to acquire it—despite its publication date being more than a year away. After that comes a trilogy of novels, based on his acclaimed short story, which appeared in James Patterson’s Thriller anthology. New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry calls Liparulo’s writing “Inventive, suspenseful, and highly entertaining . . . Robert Liparulo is a storyteller, pure and simple.” He lives with his family in Colorado.

ABOUT THE BOOK

David, Xander, Dad, and Keal have discovered a terrible secret. Now, finding Mom is only a small part of their mission. And time is running out. Using the portals to build an empire, Taksidian wants the house for himself, and there’s nothing he won’t do to get the family out. The consequences of his meddling reach far beyond the family–to the future of the world itself. The Kings know their survival depends on stopping the bloodthirsty assassin. If only they can find his weakness in time.

Most startling of all is their ability to change the path of history. But will their tinkering in time reunite the family and save the future . . . or set mankind on an irreversible course of destruction?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Timescape, go HERE

Enter the contest to win this book package by clicking on the image!!!

2 comments

Let us do a giveaway, shall we? Remember the YA book Who Made You a Princess by Shelley Adina we gave away a few weeks ago? You really need the three earlier books in the series to best follow along. This week, thanks to Faith Words, I’m giving away books one through four of the It’s All About Us series. You can read about the series HERE. To enter the drawing for one set of the series, just tell me the best book you’ve read in the last six months. And empty suckuppage will not get your name drawn, so choose your books carefully…  Winner will be drawn Thursday evening some time after dinner and dessert no. 1 but before dessert no. 2. I’ll announce the lucky reader on Friday’s blog. So tell us a good read and why you liked it.

I’ve already told you my favorite read of the last six months. That would definitely be The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It has the best characters. I STILL think about them. It’s a light read, but yet it’s not. It’s about the power of love, of books (which sounds lame and uninteresting, but it’s so amazingly not lame/uninteresting in this book), and the bonds of friendship. If I had written a book this creatively brilliant, I would probably be so proud I’d start referring to myself in third person and surrounding myself with an entourage of personal assistants who get paid to bring me mochas and remind me how clever I am and tell me on the hour that I don’t  have muffin tops. I KNOW this book will be a movie, so read it before it’s the next big deal.  (Dear God, please don’t let the producer, screen writer, or director of Twilight even touch this script. Thank you and amen.)

So with all popularity of zombies lately in movies, games, book, etc, I have a new appreciation for the life of zombies myself. I am pretty sure I’m close to morphing into one. Every summer my sleep schedule gets off. And by off, I mean nonexistent. I usually start staying up late reading and before you know it, I’m not turning out the light ’til like 2 am or so. And then it’s like my brain gets all confused (not hard to do), and I can’t go to sleep at all. And it’s always right about the time I’m weeks away from school and needing to put myself back on my “I have to go to work and look presentable in the morning” sleep schedule. Two nights ago, I was awake ’til 3-ish. So last night, I thought, I’ll go to bed early and get back on track. Um yeah. Hello 5 am. I went to sleep at FIVE FREAKIN’ AM!!! And it’s not like I’m up getting things done or throwing the puking cat and myself  a party. I’m just there. In a state of “I’m not sleeping and I’m mad at the world because of it.” Have you ever microwaved eggs? Yeah, that’s my disposition right now. But I have to find my happy today because tomorrow I’m going to Oklahoma to see Wicked, the best musical in the entire universe.

I want to be in a good mood for tomorrow. And I also want to be able to stay awake.

I got an email from my friend Sheila with the subject line: “It’s YOU, isn’t IT????!!!!”  I opened it to find this link.

I opened this story on Lindsey Lohan going to blonde, and all I could see was the shoes. It’s like prison. For your feet.

We’ve all seen the fun wedding entrance that’s taken the e-world by storm. Well, it was only a matter of time before someone built on it. This clip is rated B for Bloomers…

I love the ending so much better than the original. The slow-mo is FABULOUS.

Have you all seen the dog YouTube yet? Apparenty these people could not figure out who was getting in their pool. So they set up a camera.

That made me laugh out loud. I had to watch it a few times. In a row. At 3:30-ish.

That is one smart dog. But I don’t know if it’s got anything on this cat.

I went to a college that had a bus system, and in five years, I never figured it out. This cat is like the transit Einstein or something.

Do you ever feel a little awkward in church? Like you just don’t quite fit in? (Maybe because you’re like me and just trying to find a sweats-loving congregation…) Well, here’s a good checklist for making sure you blend in.

Thanks to Rhonda for THIS LINK, where someone has wayyyy much more time than I do this summer. Or maybe she’s been up during informercial and rated R commercial hours too. Did that gross anyone else out? My cat would not even be fazed. He’d just barf like usual and then look at me with cute blue eyes that say, “I’m a little mentally retarded. It’s not my fault.”  And then I’d start yelling.

Someone else with much time on their hands came up with this. Probably in an attempt not to buy a Bumpit and ShamWow at 2 a.m.

Only someone who grew up in the 80s/early 90s could appreciate that. And we thought technology couldn’t get any better than a Nintendo…

One of my BFF’s just got engaged last week, and in my advanced years, I will once again be donning a bridesmaid’s dress. And I am gonna get this butt in shape. Jillian Michaels and I are going to hang out until I feel like she is a new BFF. (Or I throw her DVDs straight through the TV.) But how do you know when you’ve gone too far with the workouts? When your arms look like this picture. (Warning: please remove small children from the room as images seen are disturbing and explicit…and veiny.) Click HERE to see pic.

I get concert announcements all the time in my Inbox. I like to stay on top of those sorts of things. I got one this week and just by reading the subject line, I knew somehow I would not only NOT be going, but I wouldn’t even be opening the email.  Subject: Order Tickets In Advance for Star Wars Concert.

Finally, I leave you with this link that reader Dani sent me. I saved it for last because once you go there…you’ll never come back here. It was stayed me in many an awake hour these past few days. Or maybe it IS why I was awake… Check  IT OUT. Dani, sending me that link was the best present a girl could get. I LOVE IT with all my heart, soul, and being. It’s the Ben and Jerry’s of web pages.

Have a great week and don’t forget to tell us your latest fave read.  And a big happy birthday to my friend Sal! (Frances’s station wagon was named after her in the Katie Parker series)

See you all Wednesday!

JEN

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