A GOLDEN Giveaway, Upcoming Events, and Tour News!

Apparently, we’ve already come to the end of March, which is CRAZY to me. I feel like it was January, and I blinked, and now we’re here!  In any case, the fact that it’s March means that GOLDEN will be out in less than two months, which means I’ve got LOTS of fun stuff coming up that I wanted to share with you! 

GOODREADS ARC Giveaway!

First off, starting today and going through April 9^th, you can enter to win 1of 75 ARCs of GOLDEN over on Goodreads!

And, if you’re so inclined, you can share the good news by tweeting about it or sharing it on Facebook: 

Wanna win an ARC of GOLDEN by Jessi Kirby? Enter here:

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/48215-golden

Upcoming Events and Appearances

As spring and festival season get underway, I’m happy to announce I’ll be appearing at:

 LiteraryOrange 2013

Saturday April 6^th 
Irvine Marriot
Panel: Young Adult-The Awesome Age, with Josephine Angelini, Cecil Castellucci, and Sarah J. Mass

LA TimesFestival of Books

Saturday April 20^th
USC Campus
Signing in the Simon & Schuster/Once Upon A Time Booth at 1pm

 

Summer Lovin Part II Book Tour!!!

And now, the thing I’m MOST excited about—I will once again be heading out on tour in May, but it won’t be alone.  I’ll be joining Kimberly Derting, Morgan Matson, Shannon Messenger, Sarah Ockler, and Suzanne Young!!! I could not be more excited about being a part of what promises to be an awesome group tour of writers I have so much admiration for!

I will post specific details just as soon as I have them, but in the meantime I can tell you we’ll be touring from May 15^th to May 22^nd, and we’ll be visiting stores in LA, Seattle, and Phoenix.

 

Whew. So there it is, an update on things that are happening SOON!

GCC Presents...Melissa Walker and SMALL TOWN SINNERS!

The Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit is a web ring of YA authors which I’ve recently had the great honor to join. Check these posts for the latest releases!

Happy Sunday!  This week I am so excited to feature Melissa Walker and her fabuous contemp, SMALL TOWN SINNERS, which is out in paperback this week.

 

Does falling in love mean falling out of faith?

“Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion."

Melissa Walker is a writer who has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. All in the name of journalism, she has spent 24 hours with male models and attended an elite finishing school for girls in New Zealand, among other hardships.
She co-founded I Heart Daily with fellow ex-ELLEgirl Anne Ichikawa in 2009. It’s a daily newsletter about likable stuff.
Melissa lives in Brooklyn and has a BA in English from Vassar College. She would tell you her SAT scores too, but, you know, the math part was hard.

 She loves meeting teenagers, and is game to speak at your library or school about writing, books, fashion, magazines or pop culture (but, you know, in a smart way).


Before we get to the GCC interview, Melissa has a special behind-the-scenes peek at Dean, one of SMALL TOWN SINNERS main characters:

Melissa: Before I write the book, I do little interviews with some characters. That information almost never makes it into the manuscript, but I like having it. Here's a tiny bit from Dean, one of main character Lacey Anne's best friends:

What makes you mad?

This town. My own anger. Hypocrisy.

What makes you happy?

Lacey and Starla Joy, almost exclusively. They are the only ones who get me.

Favorite childhood memory?

All of it. Back when you could play with kids just because you were the same age and in the same spot. That started breaking up early, but it wasn’t really until middle school when everyone else got tall and I got wide that people stopped looking at me. I mean, people like Hunter Patterson, who broke his arm when he fell off my porch playing pirate ship. Does he just not remember that? It’s like I have a disease, or worse, like I’m invisible.

 

AND, as an added bonus, Melissa is running a huge book giveaway over on her blog. Check it out here to enter!

And now for a few hard-hitting questions...
1. Do you have a pre-game writing warm-up? Something you do before you write to help get you in the right frame of mind?

I love to have a large iced coffee with cream and sugar, so that it basically tastes like melted ice cream. With that by my side, I'm good to go.

2. Is there a time of day you like to write best?

In the morning. If I don't do it early, the day gets away from me, sacrificed to the gods of reality TV, snacking and twitter-feed-reading.

3. Where do you write most often? Do you have a picture you wouldn’t mind sharing of your writing space?

I write in various coffee shops all over Brooklyn these days. I'll attach a pic of one of my favorite windows in Manhattan, though, Housing Works!

4. What things do you always have on hand when writing?

Special pens, notepads, snacks…The above mentioned iced coffee and my laptop area all I need!

5. How do you stay focused when writing?

I don't. I find that if I look up, eavesdrop on a conversation, stare out a window, talk to someone next to me... that helps. What doesn't help is getting online and checking fb/twitter/email. I try to avoid that (unsuccessfully, usually).

6. What is your worst writing distraction/procrastination tool?

The internets. Totally. Sometimes I even go to a spot with no wifi to help me focus.

7. Describe your perfect writing day:

Coffee and a sit-down by 9:15am. Done writing 1000 words by 11am and ready to play with my daughter! (This very, very rarely happens... usually I'm plunking along until at least 2pm to get 1000 good words.)

Thank you so much for stopping by Melissa, and I hope there are many perfect writing days in your future!

 

For more about Melissa and her books, visit her website at www.melissawalker.com or follow her on Twitter here

 



A GOLDEN Giveaway!

Happy Holidays!

 

Christmas is near, and we all know that one of the greatest pleasures of the season is to give.  It's been quite a while since I've given anything away here on ye old blog, and I just so happen to have one of these hanging around.  Though I thought it looked pretty, it's not actually not on my tree.  Husband and kiddos vetoed that idea, which means I'll be giving it away to one lucky winner out there.  

 

 

It's a jacket proof for the hardcover of GOLDEN, and boy is it beautiful and shiny.  I actually had to turn the flash off to get a good shot because the light reflects off the foil just like the sunburst in the photo.

 

  I've signed it and handwritten my own GOLDEN playlist on the inside, and I would love to give it away along with...

 

A Special, bound-manuscript edition of GOLDEN

 

(The official ARCs will be out in January, so you can think of this as an advanced Advance Reader Copy)

 

We gave these away at NCTE in Las Vegas last month, and I have one extra that will go to one winner, along with the jacket proof.

 

All you have to do for a chance to win is:

 

Leave a comment here 

 

If you'd like to gather some extra entries, you can do so by:

 

Tweeting the giveaway (+1)

 

Sharing it on Facebook (+1)

 

Including a link to the giveaway on your blog (+1)

 

Please leave your entry total and the links in your comment.  I'm willing to work on the honor system if you are. 

 

This giveaway will stay open until 12pm PST on December 23rd, and I will post the winner bright and early on Christmas Eve. 

 

 

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and enjoying the holiday season,

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

xoxo,

 

Jessi

 

 

 

 

 

GCC Presents...Eileen Cook and THE ALMOST TRUTH

The Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit is a web ring of YA authors which I’ve recently had the great honor to join. Check these posts for the latest releases!
It's been a while since the last GCC post, and today I'm so happy to welcome Eileen Cook to the blog to talk about writing and her latest release, THE ALMOST TRUTH, which was released on December 4th.

 

From the author of Unraveling Isobel and The Education of Hailey Kendrick, a smart, romantic novel about a teenage con artist who might be in over her head.

Sadie can’t wait to get away from her backwards small town, her delusional mom, her jailbird dad, and the tiny trailer where she was raised…even though leaving those things behind also means leaving Brendan. Sadie wants a better life, and she has been working steadily toward it, one con at a time.

 But when Sadie’s mother wipes out Sadie’s savings, her escape plan is suddenly gone. She needs to come up with a lot of cash—and fast—or she’ll be stuck in this town forever.

 With Brendan’s help, she devises a plan—the ultimate con—to get the money. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own hoax…and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her future at stake and her heart on the line, suddenly it seems like she has a lot more than just money to lose....

 

Praise for Eileen Cook’s books

".. enormously appealing and great company throughout this breezy read.....the highest quality—like a gourmet truffle. Cook has whipped up a real treat." - Kirkus Starred Review

 "Thrilling and creepy, super sexy, and so very hilarious." - Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the Wake trilogy

 "Sassy and sly and sweet all at the same time, this book made me laugh out loud." - Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Airhead

 

About Eileen Cook   

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in eight different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.  Her previous release, Unraveling Isobel came out in Jan 2012.

 

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

 

And now for some in-depth, hard-hitting writing questions...

 

Do you have a pre-game writing warm-up? Something you do before you write to help get you in the right frame of mind?
I’m a complete tea junkie. I almost always make a cup before sitting down to write. My favorites are from David’s Teas. (www.davidstea.com) They are beyond tasty.

 Is there a time of day you like to write best?

I want to be one of those people who wakes up early and writes like crazy, but mornings are not my time. I tend to get the best writing done in the afternoon.

 Where do you write most often? Do you have a picture you wouldn’t mind sharing of your writing space?
I have an office that is the old sun porch off of our house. I write either there or on the sofa in our living room. If I spend too long in my office my dogs whine because they want to sit on the sofa with me. They want me to believe that it’s because they love me, but I think the truth is that I am their giant hot water bottle. They love me for heat.

 

 What things do you always have on hand when writing? Special pens, notepads, snacks…
A cup of a tea, my Mac Airbook and my dogs. I am an office supply junkie so I love any excuse to buy pens, Post it Notes, or those Moleskin blank notebooks.

 How do you stay focused when writing?
For me I need to get started. Once I start writing I feel as if I fall into the story and it seems easy to keep going (and difficult to remember things like making dinner or walking the dog). If I haven’t begun writing for the day I seem to be able to come up with a million excuses of why I can’t.

 What is your worst writing distraction/procrastination tool?
The Internet. I am constantly amazed at my ability to spend huge amounts of time looking at cute dog and kitten pictures. My current favorite is Dog Shaming. www.dogshaming.com

 Describe your perfect writing day:
The perfect writing day would mean writing in a house near the ocean. There’s something about water that I love. I’d write during the day without a single beating my head on the desk moment, and spend the evening reading by the fire.


Eileen, thank you so much for stopping by!  And I think you need to come visit me one day. :)

 

 

It's Friday--And I Have Five Things!

Oh, it's been a looonnng time since I've blogged.  But I finally got the itch,and I finally had a few spare minutes, and so here we are, checking in with Five on Friday. Happy day--for multiple reasons!



1. Those who are close to me know, and you may have guessed by my Tweets, that this school year I had the opportunity to go back to my middle school librarian job after two years away.  This was/is a job that is near and dear to my heart, so I snapped up the chance.  And then I freaked out.  While I love the job itself, trying to balance it with writing and deadlines and family had been a rough road, I'm not gonna lie.  In the last couple of months, I've had those "What was I thinking???" moments on multiple occasions.  I've also had those crushing "I cannot possibly do this" moments more than once.  But the good news is that today is the last day of the first quarter...and somehow... I've made it. AND...

2.  Last week I finally got the greenlight for the next book, GOLDEN, to go to copyedits!!!! Which means it's 99% finished--which means I am 99% relieved. Oh, this book. I don't even know where to begin with it, except that it was a book I was a little intimidated to write from the very beginning, one that gave me a run for my money in the process, and now is one that I am very proud of (but, honestly, a little bit nervous about still, too).  I think this is a good thing, the nervousness.  That it means something. This is a book that I lost sleep over, did not share with any of my usual readers, and second-guessed just about every line I wrote.  I think that means that it's close to my heart.  And important to me.  And, fingers crossed, it will be close to yours too when it comes out in May!



3. Having finished GOLDEN, I've found myself in that strange place that feels a little bit like a vacation for the writing brain, which is SO nice, but it's one that leads to restlessness pretty quick, which means I'm getting ready to dive back into writing a whole new story.  It's a strange thing.  I've got the outline for it, and the synopsis. I've even got 16 pages that I wrote way back in July.  But at this point, it all feels foreign. The characters seem like strangers. I don't know how they sound yet, or what they fear or love most.  This is the best and worst thing about writing, this beginning again. On the one hand, I've got a clean slate, and on the other hand, that clean slate? Well, clean is another word for blank. Empty.  And filling it in is a big job, so I'm building myself up to it because I know that once I start, and truly commit to a story, I'm a goner.  I will stop sleeping, and start grinding my teeth, and become used to this whole new thing occupying my mind and taking over my life.  It takes some working up to, but I think I'm ready.  Just about.

4.  TV--I am not a huge watcher of it.  In fact, Monday through Thursday, I don't watch any. My husband works those nights, and after my kids are tucked in, I take the opportunity to read or answer emails, or generally just chill. But Friday nights, we stay up late and catch up on them all.  We've pared it down to a select few--SUPERNATURAL, VAMPIRE DIARIES, and now NASHVILLE. Oh, NASHVILLE.  Can I just say right now that Connie Britton is one of my favorite actresses of all time? And Hayden Panitierre, though I want to hate her character like we're supposed to, I also feel a little bit sorry for this little girl lost (like we're supposed to). And I have a feeling that Connie Britton's character will too, though it may pain her to do so.  Like FNL, this is one of those extremely well-written, true shows that grabs you right by the heart from the very beginning. If you haven't watched it, do.  You'll totally thank me.



5.  And finally--I cannot let this week go by without a shout out to Taylor Swift and her beautiful new album, RED, which is poised to sell a million this week!  The girl is magical.  And such a writer. If you know me, you know I am an unabashed fan, as is my my 6 year old daughter.  Not only did I have a special package pre-ordered for her, but I bought it on iTunes as soon as it was available so I could listen to it on the way to and from work.  There is nothing more exciting than hearing an artist's newest album, and with this one, Taylor does not disappoint. RED shows her growth as a woman and a songwriter, and since Monday, my commute to and from work has been devoted time to listen, appreciate, and try to figure out which guys the songs were written about.  Any insight on this would be extremely helpful, as I am totally out of the loop.

 

 

So there it is.  An actual blog post.  I promise I'm going to try and keep up with them, at least weekly.  Or maybe monthly is more realistic. In the meantime, I wish you all the lovliest of weekends!

 

xoxo,

 

Jessi



GOLDEN Has a Cover!!!

I've been waiting a LONG, LONG time for this.  I got the okay to share the cover for GOLDEN, (which will be out in May of next year), a while ago, but I've held onto it because it didn't feel quite right to share it until I finished my revisions--at least the first round, anyway.

I am SO happy to say that I've got that first round under my belt and am finally starting to get that  nervous-excited-almost-there feeling that comes along with the realization that soon enough, the story I've worked on and fretted over for so long will indeed make it to be a real book, on the shelves in a real book store. 

And....thanks to Lizzy Bromley and the design team at Simon & Schuster, it'll look like this!!!

 

 



I have loved each of my covers, but this one may be my most favorite yet.  From the light, to the sketches, to the Robert Frost tagline, I couldn't be any happier.  I think it fits the story just perfectly!  

 

GOLDEN is part love story, part mystery, and all about taking chances and making choices.  Here is the super official flap copy:

 

Seventeen -year-old Parker Frost may be a distant relative of Robert Frost, but she has never taken the road less traveled.  Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she's about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules.  So when fate drops a mystery in her lap--one that might be the key to uncovering the truth behind a town tragedy, she decides to take a chance.

 

So it's out there now!  And official!  Which means I should get back to revising...

 

Hope you guys like this one as much as I do!

 

 

 



  

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Presents... Elise Allen

The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit is a web ring of YA authors which I've recently had the great honor to join. Check these posts for the latest releases!
This week, I'm so excited to be emerging from my revision cave to celebrate Elise Allen and her newest novel, POPULAZZI, which just came out in paperback. Check it out!

WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you had the chance to erase your past and reinvent yourself as the person you’ve always wanted to be? Would you grab it? Would you stick with it, no matter what the consequences?

Cara Leonard always wished she could be one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and never at a loss for the perfect thing to say. One of the Populazzi.

It always seemed impossible… but now could be her chance.

When Cara moves to a new school just before junior year, her best friend urges her to seize the opportunity and change her life… with the help of The Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms herself into the perfect girlfriend for guys higher and higher on the Popularity Tower, she can reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi, the most popular girl in school.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment — a straight climb up — but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

Praise for Populazzi:

"In her first solo novel, Allen offers a smart mix of hilarity and tragedy in this Macbeth–meets–

Mean Girls tale.” -- Publisher's Weekly

"The story unflinchingly depicts the dark and dangerous side of high-school popularity, making it a captivating read."—Kirkus Reviews
Named a "Great Summer Beach Read" by Shape Magazine
One of Justine Magazine's "Chick Lit Picks"

Named one of the "Top Hits of the Summer" by Girl's Life Magazine


About Elise:

After starting her career in television, ELISE ALLEN has emerged as a vibrant new voice in teen fiction. She is the co-author of Hilary Duff's New York Times Bestseller Elixir, as well as its sequels, Devoted and True. She received an Emmy nomination for her work on the PBS show Dinosaur Train, and fulfilled a lifelong dream when she wrote for the Muppets. She lives in Los Angeles, where she indulges her inexplicable desire to run marathons. Visit her at www.eliseallen.

com, or on Twitter @EliseLAllen.

And now, for my favorite part...Elise's writing life:


Is there a time of day you like to write best? 
 

Not really; I’m pretty adaptable. I can write just about anytime or anywhere… with the exception of on a plane. I hate writing on a plane. I find it nearly impossible.

Where do you write most often? Do you have a picture you wouldn’t mind sharing of your writing space?

Most often I write at a coffee shop, usually Panera or Muddhouse Coffee, usually after some form of exercise that leaves me gross and sweaty. I don’t have a picture handy of either place, but I do have a link to one of my earliest blog posts that was all about why I don’t take pictures of my natural writing habitat. You can check it out here: http://eliseallen.com/2010/bookscoop/whos-th-crazy-lady-in-the-corner/

What things do you always have on hand when writing? Special pens, notepads, snacks…

There’s no real “always” with me, since I’m very not precious about my writing rituals. Most often though, I have headphones, music (ideally Pandora), and Quest Bars, sliced apples, and baby carrots.

And of course my laptop. I can’t read my own handwriting, so a computer’s a must.

How do you stay focused when writing?

Hmmm… got any pointers? Music helps. It drowns out the distractions. Also being away from home helps a lot. I have a zillion things I need to do at any given moment at home (right now my head is spinning with them), so vacating the premises is often vital for me.

What is your worst writing distraction/procrastination tool?

Oh god, the internet, absolutely. Facebook and Twitter are ridiculous time sucks if I let them take too much time. I’m also not allowed to play video games because I become obsessed. In college I played Tetris and Risk for hours on end; in my 20’s it was Spider Solitaire; more recently Bejeweled is the greatest danger on the planet. What they have in common is that they’re mindless (computer Risk doesn’t have the strategy of real Risk), so I use them like pacifiers... but there’s a reason kids are weaned from pacifiers. The one game I do allow myself is the NYTimes Crossword puzzle. I get it on the computer, and do one puzzle a day, except when there’s a Sunday Acrostic, which I always fit in as well.

 Describe your perfect writing day:

I wake up early, get outside, and go for a long run at the beach with a friend – not so long that it eats up the day, but long enough that I feel like I’ve accomplished something. Let’s say 13 miles. Then I change into something loose and cozy, drive to the Panera in Encino, (which I just discovered and is my new favorite Panera because it’s not overly crowded and has lots of electrical outlets), curl into a booth with a big cup of coffee, and have one of those glorious writing days where everything flows and time flies, and I finish up completely excited and energized because I’ve been in the zone.

Days like that are rare. Often I’ll get pieces of the perfect writing day, but it’s not often that everything comes together.

Thanks so much for the questions, Jessi! I really appreciate you having me on the blog!

Thank YOU, Elise! And I'm sure readers will thank you too for this fab giveaway!

"To thank everyone for their support with the paperback launch, I'm doing a giveaway on my blog where commenters can win a pack of five books -- Populazzi plus books from the four authors who blurbed it (including the marvelous Girlfriend Eileen Cook!). Here's a link to that:" http://eliseallen.

com/2012/
bookscoop/populazzi-paperback-prize-a-palooza/