Archive for May, 2010
May 28th, 2010
Welcome to Day 5 of the Egmont debut tour! I’m delighted to be joining my fellow Egmont debut authors Alex Bracken, Chelsea Campbell, Bree Despain, Lindsay Eland, and Kristina McBride for a fun interview series (with giveaways!). Check out the individual posts to see what goodies we’re giving away periodically throughout the week. 
So please join me in welcoming my final guest, the hilarious and fabulously cool…
Chelsea Campbell!
Welcome, Chels!
The Gal
Name:
Chelsea M. Campbell
Short Bio:
Chelsea Campbell grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot. And then rains some more. She finished her first novel when she was twelve, sent it out, and promptly got rejected. Since then she’s written many more novels, earned a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, become an obsessive knitter and fiber artist, and started a collection of glass grapes. As a kid, Chelsea read lots of adult books, but now that she’s an adult herself (at least according to her driver’s license), she loves books for kids and teens. Besides writing, studying ancient languages, and collecting useless objects, Chelsea is a pop culture fangirl at heart and can often be found rewatching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, leveling up in World of Warcraft, or spending way too much time on Livejournal and Facebook.
The Book
The Rise of Renegade X
**On shelves now**
Damien Locke knows his destiny–attending the university for supervillains and becoming Golden City’s next professional evil genius. But when Damien discovers he’s the product of his supervillain mother’s one-night stand with–of all people–a superhero, his best-laid plans are ruined as he’s forced to live with his superhero family.
Going to extreme lengths (and heights), The Rise of Renegade X chronicles one boy’s struggles with the villainous and heroic pitfalls of growing up.
The Egmont Debut Tour
1. THE UNEXPECTED: What is the one thing people would be most surprised to learn about you?
I can bend my thumbs back so they’re flat!
(Note from Kay: Owwww!)
2. ALL-TIME MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS: Which book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
As a kid, probably The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I used to make my mom read that to me SO many times. I’ve seen the old BBC version a million times and the cartoon version. (I was so excited for the movie that came out a few years ago–I’d get all teared up every time there was a commercial–and then I was really disappointed with it. It was an okay movie, but it wasn’t The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.) I can’t say exactly how it’s impacted me, but quotes from it run through my head a lot, and it’s just one of those things from childhood that colors how I think and is a big part of my experience database to draw from.
3. THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t go to community college!
Thanks for the fun interview, Chels!
Here’s where I’ll be sharing some fun stuff this week:
Monday – Chelsea Campbell‘s blog
Tuesday – Alex Bracken‘s blog
Wednesday – Kristina McBride‘s blog
Thursday – Lindsay Eland‘s blog
Friday – Bree Despain‘s blog
(NOTE: I’ve got giveaways going over on four of those blogs!)
Giveaway Time!
In honor of Chelsea’s feature, she is graciously giving away RRX swag. (US/Canada only)
To celebrate the coolness that is THE RISE OF RENEGADE X, comment below with your idea of the coolest superhero you can think of. It can be a well-known superhero or one you made up yourself. Winner to be announced here next week! Good luck!
May 27th, 2010
Welcome to Day 4 of the Egmont debut tour! I’m delighted to be joining my fellow Egmont debut authors Alex Bracken, Chelsea Campbell, Bree Despain, Lindsay Eland, and Kristina McBride for a fun interview series (with giveaways!). Check out the individual posts to see what goodies we’re giving away periodically throughout the week.
So please join me in welcoming the awesome and talented…
Alexandra Bracken!
Welcome, Alex!
The Gal
Name:
Alexandra Bracken
Short Bio:
Alexandra Bracken wrote Brightly Woven as a birthday present for a friend, and the story grew and flourished during a year of unpredictable, wild weather. A native of Arizona, she is a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, where she majored in History and English. She now lives in New York City.
The Book
The Dark Divine
**On shelves now**
Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.
In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.
Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.
(PS from Kay: I just read this and it ROCKS!)
The Egmont Debut Tour
1. THE UNEXPECTED: What is the one thing people would be most surprised to learn about you?
Probably that I swear like a sailor. Really, it’s an art form. My mom always jokes that my super power is my ability to fall asleep anywhere (in cars, on trains, while getting my hair cut…), but crafting the perfect cuss for every situation? Priceless. 
2. ALL-TIME MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS: Which book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
Growing up, I was all about Roald Dahl. He made me want to be a writer, more than any other author I came across. My absolute favorite was MATILDA… because, really, who didn’t dream of being especially gifted as a kid? In the last year, I would have to say THE HUNGER GAMES, if only because it so much about plotting and pacing. Talk about compulsively readable!
(Another vote for MATILDA!)
3. THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Lighten up! In high school, I was so focused on school that I think I missed out on a lot of the fun I should have been having. Life is too short!
Thanks for the fun interview, Alex!
Here’s where I’ll be sharing some fun stuff this week:
Monday – Chelsea Campbell‘s blog
Tuesday – Alex Bracken‘s blog
Wednesday – Kristina McBride‘s blog
Thursday – Lindsay Eland‘s blog
Friday – Bree Despain‘s blog
(NOTE: I’ve got giveaways going over on four of those blogs!)
May 26th, 2010
Welcome to Day 3 of the Egmont debut tour! I’m delighted to be joining my fellow Egmont debut authors Alex Bracken, Chelsea Campbell, Bree Despain, Lindsay Eland, and Kristina McBride for a fun interview series (with giveaways!). Check out the individual posts to see what goodies we’re giving away periodically throughout the week.
So please join me in welcoming the newest Egmont debut author (her book just hit shelves yesterday!!)…
Kristina McBride!
Welcome, Kristina!
The Gal
Name:
Kristina McBride
Short Bio:
Kristina McBride, a former high-school English teacher and yearbook advisor, wrote The Tension of Opposites in response to the safe return of a child who was kidnapped while riding his bike to a friend’s house. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two young children. This is her first novel. Visit her online at www.kristinamcbride.com
The Book
The Tension of Opposites
**On shelves now**
What happens when your best friend is kidnapped – and returns home two years later?
It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.
For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?
And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.
A haunting psychological thriller taken straight from the headlines, The Tension of Opposites is a striking debut that explores the emotional aftermath of a kidnapping on the victim, and on the people she left behind.
The Egmont Debut Tour
1. THE UNEXPECTED: What is the one thing people would be most surprised to learn about you?
I climbed a mountain when I was in my early 20’s. Not an Everest type of mountain that requires all the extra, fancy gear, but a smaller, more forgiving mountain named Mount Le Conte, which is located in Tennessee in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The journey was hard, and long, and ended with me listening to mice crawl around the floor of the three-walled shelter where I spent the night in a sleeping bag. But that’s not the crazy part. Soon after we arrived at camp, I found myself very glad for the chain-link fence serving as the fourth wall of the shelter, separating me from the wilderness. Several black bears arrived while a group of us were cooking dinner. The bears just stood around and sniffed the air as they checked us out, they didn’t roar or fling frothy saliva all over the place, but I was shaking like crazy. It’s quite different to see a bear in the wild!
2. ALL-TIME MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS: Which book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
First, I must say that as a child, I read everything I could get my hands on. From the V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic series, to anything by Christopher Pike. I loved creepy books! But I have to say that the books that had the greatest impact on me were the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series, and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Those books made me feel so many different emotions, and I never forgot them.
3. THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?
If you’re dating someone, give the relationship the 90/10 test. The rule of relationships: You must be having fun at least 90% of the time. If you’re not – Dump Him. It doesn’t matter who he is, what he says, or how much you think he means to you. Once you stop having fun, laughing, and feeling good about yourself when you’re spending time with him, end things as fast as you can. In fact, this test is so important you should apply it to ALL relationships in your life. You’ll be better off, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first. Trust. Me.
Thanks for the fun interview, Kristina, and happy release week!!!
Here’s where I’ll be sharing some fun stuff this week:
Monday – Chelsea Campbell‘s blog
Tuesday – Alex Bracken‘s blog
Wednesday – Kristina McBride‘s blog
Thursday – Lindsay Eland‘s blog
Friday – Bree Despain‘s blog
(NOTE: I’ve got giveaways going over on four of those blogs!)
May 25th, 2010
Welcome to Day 2 of the Egmont debut tour! I’m delighted to be joining my fellow Egmont debut authors Alex Bracken, Chelsea Campbell, Bree Despain, Lindsay Eland, and Kristina McBride for a fun interview series (with giveaways!). Check out the individual posts to see what goodies we’re giving away periodically throughout the week.
So please join me in welcoming the charming and lovely…
Lindsay Eland!
Welcome, Linds!
The Gal
Name:
Lindsay Eland
Short Bio:
Lindsay Eland lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, their four kids, one dog, three rats, and the various other foxes, bears, and elk that venture into their yard.
The Book
Scones and Sensibility
**On shelves now**
Overly-romantic and overly-dramatic 12-year-old, Polly Madassa, decides to matchmake for the people in her small beach town…whether they want to be or not.
The Egmont Debut Tour
1. THE UNEXPECTED: What is the one thing people would be most surprised to learn about you?
I’m so double-jointed in my arms that growing up I was asked numerous times if I had broken my arm when I raised my arm in class. I also can raise both eyebrows and am known to whistle a whole awful lot.
2. ALL-TIME MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS: Which book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
I would have to say that it’s MATILDA by Roald Dahl…ahh, how I love that book. The clever wit, the over-the-top characters…it’s magic!
3. THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t wear that dracula-looking prom dress…it won’t look beautiful in another ten years, don’t try and grow your hair out cause, let’s face it, it’s just better short, hug your family more, and never lose hope.
Thanks for the fun interview, Linds!
Here’s where I’ll be sharing some fun stuff this week:
Monday – Chelsea Campbell‘s blog
Tuesday – Alex Bracken‘s blog
Wednesday – Kristina McBride‘s blog
Thursday – Lindsay Eland‘s blog
Friday – Bree Despain‘s blog
(NOTE: I’ve got giveaways going over on four of those blogs!)
Giveaway Time!
In honor of Lindsay’s feature, she is graciously giving away bookmarks and a vintage lace handkerchief (which I’m positive Polly Madassa would LOVE) to one lucky commenter on today’s blog. (US/Canada only)
To celebrate the yummy bakery setting of SCONES AND SENSIBILITY, comment below with your favorite baked good and why you love it. (Mine is either pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, red velvet cupcakes, or boston creme donuts. It’s kind of a three-way tie. They all have that sweet rich goodness that’s always a special treat!)
Winner to be announced here next week! Good luck!
May 24th, 2010
First off, congratulations to Andye (aka Reading Teen) for winning the High School Flashback Tour prize pack on the blog last week! )
UPDATE: Oops! Christy and I randomly selected the same winner. ZOIKES. Thanks to Andye for letting me know! (I’m sending you an extra surprise as a thank you for the heads up!) In fairness, I’m going to randomly select a new winner for the giveaway here. Congratulations to… Samantha Leanne! Contact me here with your mailing address to receive your prizes.
Second, welcome to the Egmont debut tour! It’s week 2 of author tours and I’m delighted to be joining my fellow Egmont debut authors Alex Bracken, Chelsea Campbell, Bree Despain, Lindsay Eland, and Kristina McBride for a fun interview series (with giveaways!). Check out the individual posts to see what goodies we’re giving away periodically throughout the week.
So please join me in welcoming the wonderful, smart, and wickedly funny…
Bree Despain!
Welcome, Bree!
The Gal
Name:
Bree Despain
Short Bio:
Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo.
The Book
The Dark Divine
**On shelves now**
A prodigal son
A dangerous love
A deadly secret . . .
I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kicked the gravel a couple of times and worked up my courage again. “Tell me . . . I mean . . . why did you come back? Why now, after all this time?”
The Egmont Debut Tour
1. THE UNEXPECTED: What is the one thing people would be most surprised to learn about you?
I once went to a royal ball in an Austrian palace.
2. ALL-TIME MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS: Which book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
I loved the book JACKAROO by Cynthia Voigt when I read it in middle school. It was full of adventure, had a strong heroine, and an interesting love story. It’s definitely one of the books that made me want to write my own novels.
3. THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?
I’d tell myself to stop trying to be friends with mean people and then point my teen self in the direction of the kids in my drama class who ended up becoming some of the best friends I’ve ever had. Oh, and I’d also point out the hot brooding guy in the back of the drama room who ended up becoming my wonderful husband.
Thanks for the fun interview, Bree!
Here’s where I’ll be sharing some fun stuff this week:
Monday – Chelsea Campbell‘s blog
Tuesday – Alex Bracken‘s blog
Wednesday – Kristina McBride‘s blog
Thursday – Lindsay Eland‘s blog
Friday – Bree Despain‘s blog
(NOTE: I’ve got giveaways going over on four of those blogs!)
Giveaway Time!
In honor of Bree’s feature, she is graciously giving away a cool bottle of TDD nail polish to one lucky commenter on today’s blog. (US/Canada only)
To celebrate the romance of THE DARK DIVINE, comment below with your idea of the perfect romantic date. Winner to be announced here next week! Good luck!
May 23rd, 2010
Quick reminder… keep entering for your chance to win the High School Flashback Tour prize pack! Winner to be announced tomorrow.
And now… it’s GCC time! Today, I’m delighted to bring you the fabulous RITA nominee…
Jennifer Echols
Welcome, Jenn!
The Girlfriend
Name:
Jennifer Echols
Short Bio:
Jennifer Echols grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama–a setting that has inspired many of her books. Always interested in creative writing, she finished her first (and still unpublished) novel soon after graduating with a degree in English from Auburn University at age 20. She worked as an editor for newspapers, a writer for business publications, and a writing instructor for three major universities, completed a master’s degree in English, and finished the coursework for a PhD in genre studies before selling a book. Since then, she has written many young adult novels for Simon & Schuster, including Major Crush, which won the National Reader’s Choice Award, and Going Too Far, which is a finalist in the 2010 RITA, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best. Her next novel, Forget You, will be released on July 20. Currently she works as a copyeditor and lives in Birmingham with her husband and son. Please visit her online at jennifer-echols.com.
The Book
Endless Summer
May 25, 2010
Simon Pulse
(Note from Kay: I LOVED The Boys Next Door!)
The Boys Next Door and the sequel, Endless Summer, in one volume!
Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.
Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends–including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she’s always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen–not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.
Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess?
Up Close and Personal
1. PURSUING YOUR DREAMS: Everyone has the ability to be extraordinary, they just have to embrace what makes them unique and special and pursue their dreams with passion and confidence! Was being a published author a dream of yours? If so, how does it feel to have achieved your dream?
It was a dream of mine for years, I worked very hard to achieve it, and I am thankful every day. I honestly believe it’s important to remember what life was like before, because it gives me a very different perspective. I never take this career for granted.
2. CHANGING YOUR WORLD: Changing the world doesn’t have to mean finding a cure for cancer or creating lasting world peace (though it definitely can!). It just means finding a way that you can make the world a little better off for having lived here, whether it’s making a difference to one person or a million, to the earth, to animals… whatever is important to you. What is one way you would personally like to make the world a better place?
This may seem small, but I am still very proud that I was the first female drum major of my high school marching band. Since then, girls and boys have both been drum majors at my high school. I’m sure it never occurs to them that there was a time when this position was not open to girls, and I think that’s terrific.
3. GRATITUDE: Gratitude is a huge part of the You 2.0 life. Taking a moment to count our blessings is the best way to remember what’s truly important (especially when life is hectic and crazy!). What are you grateful for?
So many things: my career, my friends, my family, our health. The main character of the book I’m writing now is an optimist—and I’m not!—so I’ve been reading a lot of books on optimism. They all agree that the best way to be happier in life is to see the glass as half full and to take time every day to be grateful for what you have.
Author Fun!
4. SECRET SQUEE MOMENT: What is the coolest thing that’s happened to you since becoming a published author?
My novel Going Too Far is a finalist in the RITA, with a huge ceremony at a national conference in Florida in July. I can’t wait!
(Yay, Jenn!!!!!!!)
5. ALL-TIME MOST MEMORABLE BOOK: What book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
The Beginning Place is a wonderful fantasy coming-of-age novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. If fantasy isn’t your thing…it isn’t mine, either, but this exquisitely written book is worth it.
6. THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Pluck your eyebrows. I was afraid to do this after reading a YA novel by Paula Danziger called The Pistachio Prescription, in which a girl plucks her eyebrows for the first time and goes way overboard…but trust me, teen self, some moderate tweezing would do a world of good.
Thanks to Jenn for a terrific interview. And be sure to pick up your copy of Endless Summer when it hits shelves on Tuesday!
May 21st, 2010
Welcome to Day 5 of the High School Flashback Tour! It’s Friday, and you know what that means… SWAG!!!
Today on each of our blogs, we’ll be offering up a prize pack filled with all five of these fabulous goodies:
Five blogs, five goodie packs to win. Be sure to comment on everyone’s blog today!
To win the giveaway here, comment below with:
a) The most memorable thing you learned about Christina, Christy, Jen or Kim on my blog this week (+1 entry)
and/or
b) The most memorable thing you learned about me in my interviews here, here, here and here. (+1 entry)
The winner will be announced on Monday. Good luck and happy reading!
May 20th, 2010
Welcome to Day 4 of the High School Flashback Tour! This Friday on each of our blogs, we’ll be offering up a prize pack filled with these fabulous goodies:
Five blogs, five goodie packs to win. Can you believe tomorrow is Swag Day? Woohoo!
So please join me in welcoming Superwoman, aka…
Jen Nadol!
Welcome, Jen!
The Gal
Name:
Jen Nadol
Short Bio:
Jen grew up in Reading, PA and has lived in Washington DC, Boston, NYC and now, in a 150 year-old farmhouse in Westchester County, NY with her husband and three young sons.
The Book
The Mark
**On shelves now**
(I loved this book – couldn’t stop thinking about it for days!)
When sixteen-year-old Cassie Renfield realizes the glow she’s always seen around certain people means death is imminent, she struggles to understand her “gift”. How does it work? Why is she the only one who sees it? Most importantly, if you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?
The High School Flashback Tour
1. What one thing that you did in high school do you now look back on and go “Seriously? What was I thinking???”?
Wearing a prom dress inside out with a jean jacket and combat boots? Most of the guys I crushed on? Coloring my eyebrows dark brown because I thought it looked good? (it didn’t – see photo) I did a bunch of “seriously?” stuff, but there’s actually very little I’d change – no harm, no foul, you know? I guess the one thing I might is ditching an invitation to a selective summer art program so I could try out for the Seventeen cover model contest. That was just stupid.
2. What song on the radio automatically makes you feel like a teenager again (and what memory does it bring to mind)?
Oh there are a bunch, but let’s go with Strange Love by Depeche Mode or Fire Woman by The Cult. My friends and I went to teen night at a local club every Sunday. It was dark and alternative, we smoked a lot, danced a lot. They always played those songs.
3. If you could go back and give your high school self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t be such an idiot in college.
Thanks for the flashback, Jen! This week has been such a blast. Be sure to tune in here tomorrow for the big swag giveaway! I’m over at Kimberly Derting‘s today making big ol’ grandma sunglasses look gooood. (Not so much.)
Here’s where I’m spilling my guts this week:
Monday – Jen Nadol‘s blog
Tuesday – Christy Raedeke‘s blog
Wednesday – Christina Diaz Gonzalez‘s blog
Thursday – Kimberly Derting‘s blog
Friday – I’ll be here hosting my goodie pack giveaway!
May 19th, 2010
Welcome to Day 3 of the High School Flashback Tour! This Friday on each of our blogs, we’ll be offering up a prize pack filled with these fabulous goodies:
Five blogs, five goodie packs to win. Do you love swag? (We do!)
So please join me in welcoming the uber hilarious…
Christy Raedeke!
Welcome, Christy!
The Gal
Name:
Christy Raedeke
Short Bio:
Christy Raedeke writes from her tiny home office in Southern Oregon. She is inspired by her two quirky children and her hilarious (and long-suffering) husband.
The Book
Prophecy of Days
**On shelves now**
(It’s on my TBR shelf too!)
When Caity Mac Fireland accompanies her parents to an isle off the coast of Scotland, she’s not expecting to find a Mayan relic. Guided by a motley crew of advisors, Caity uncovers an incredible secret that an elite group of power-brokers will stop at nothing to control.
The High School Flashback Tour
1. What one thing that you did in high school do you now look back on and go “Seriously? What was I thinking???”?
Um, I believe that would be wearing my dad’s golf sweaters BACKWARDS. He had this navy one with gold buttons (a la 1983) and I wore it so the V and the shiny gold buttons were in the back. Like, Surprise! You thought this was just another plain navy sweater until I turned around! It was an abomination, really.
This was my Senior picture. I did one with the requisite pearls and black v-collar thing, but then I REALLY wanted one in my favorite nautical shirt. With puffy sleeves. Think that will ever be fashionable again? Perhaps not. Oh, and I spent a lot of time getting my sausage curls just right.
2. What song on the radio automatically makes you feel like a teenager again (and what memory does it bring to mind)?
Tainted Love by Soft Cell or anything by Erasure. That’s the music I hope will come on when I’m alone in the car so I can sing at the top of my lungs without judgment from my husband and kids.
3. If you could go back and give your high school self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Can it be two? 1) Never wear a golf sweater backwards and 2) Don’t try to rush into adulthood – enjoy being young!
Thanks for the fun flashback, Christy! The “Surprise!” line almost made me spit tea on my screen from laughing. Tune in here tomorrow for the next installment and hear Jen Nadol’s advice on when to color your eyebrows. (There is a photo as documentation. I’m just sayin’.)
I’m over at Christina‘s today talking about shaving cream fights in the high school parking lot. (Disclaimer: That picture may not be used for blackmail. Thank you.)
Here’s where I’m spilling my guts this week:
Monday – Jen Nadol‘s blog
Tuesday – Christy Raedeke‘s blog
Wednesday – Christina Diaz Gonzalez‘s blog
Thursday – Kimberly Derting‘s blog
Friday – I’ll be here hosting my goodie pack giveaway!
May 18th, 2010
Welcome to Day 2 of the High School Flashback Tour! A quick reminder… this Friday on each of our blogs, we’ll be offering up a prize pack filled with these fabulous goodies:
Five blogs, five goodie packs to win. It’s a tidal wave of goodness!
So please join me in welcoming brand new author (and Indie Next Pick Top 10 – Woohoo!!)…
Christina Diaz Gonzalez!
Welcome, Christina!
The Gal
Name:
Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Short Bio:
Christina Diaz Gonzalez was born in a small Southern town, but moved to the big city of Miami when she was in high school. In high school she was a Majorette and had the silly nickname of Moose (the football coach gave it to her because she was small and the exact opposite of what people thought someone named Moose should look like). You can read more about Christina on her website: www.christinagonzalez.com
The Book
The Red Umbrella
**On shelves now**
(I LOVE this book!!! I hugged it when I was done reading!)
In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched.
As the revolution’s impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía’s parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States —on their own.
Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl?
The High School Flashback Tour
1. What one thing that you did in high school do you now look back on and go “Seriously? What was I thinking???”?
I remember wearing two and three socks at a time. Seriously. I would match my slouch socks to my outfit so if I was wearing something red and blue, I’d wear red socks, layered with a blue sock on top and then a white sock to go with the white Keds I’d wear. With so many socks my Keds must have been a full size bigger than they needed to be!
2. What song on the radio automatically makes you feel like a teenager again (and what memory does it bring to mind)?
So many songs bring back high school memories. The song “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” by Wang Chung reminds me of Grad Nite in Disney (an entire night with your graduating class at Disney after the park closes —lots of fun) because the group was there in concert. I also had the song “Situation” by Yaz memorized because I was part of the majorette squad and we had a dance routine to it (we were more dancers than high-spinning baton twirlers). I’ve heard that whatever song was #1 on your 18th birthday is supposed to say something about you…my song (which also reminds me of high school is “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2. I take this to mean that I never fully settle, that I’m always striving to do more.
3. If you could go back and give your high school self one piece of advice, what would it be?
My advice would be to relax and enjoy the ride. High school only comes once and it’s gone before you know it. I think that’s pretty good advice at any point in your life…maybe I should listen to myself sometimes!
Thanks for the fun flashback, Christina! Tune in here tomorrow for the next installment and learn why Christy Raedeke is all about sweater surprises! (And yes, I had my days mixed up yesterday. Christy is coming tomorrow.) I’m over at Christy‘s today talking about the woes of my first car. Puddles here, puddles there…
Here’s where I’m spilling my guts this week:
Monday – Jen Nadol‘s blog
Tuesday – Christy Raedeke‘s blog
Wednesday – Christina Diaz Gonzalez‘s blog
Thursday – Kimberly Derting‘s blog
Friday – I’ll be here hosting my goodie pack giveaway!
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