Book Signing Opportunity for Authors

If you are a Utah author, or you're going to be in Utah Jan 6-7 or if you know a Utah author who might be interested:

I have recently found a boutique being held at the South Towne Expo Center in conjunction with the home show on January 6 & 7. They will rent an 8'x10' booth for $225 for both days of the show. The boutique is from 11am-10pm on Friday and from 10am-10pm on Saturday. If enough authors are interested to make it feasible, I thought it would be a good opportunity to do a multi-author book signing. I think it would probably require 8-10 authors interested for it to be financially worth it. ($28/pp with 8, $25/pp with 9, $22.50/pp with 10).

If you are at all interested, let me know ASAP. In an 8x10 area we can probably have 4-5 authors at a time. I thought we could do it similar to this:

Friday from 11-4:30 (4-5 authors) and from 4:30-10 (4-5 authors)
Saturday from 10-4 (4-5 authors) and from 4-10 (4-5 authors)

Each author would come twice, once on each day. For example, I would prefer Friday's day slot, but Saturday's evening slot. So you don't necessarily have to take both days or evenings. Make sense?

I would be willing to go set up tables with tablecloths, though you'd have to bring your own books, bookmarkers, posters, etc. Keep in mind the limited space when planning what to bring.

If you know of any other authors who might be interested, send a link to this post to them. I think we'd probably have to sign up for a booth by this coming weekend. I do know the homeshow is huge, and last year this boutique got quite a bit of traffic.

Anyone interested, email me at geekgirl@comcast.net

UPDATE

Here's who we have scheduled so far, and their times:

Friday 11-4:30: Karey White, Keary Taylor, Cindy C Bennett, Heather Frost
Friday 4:30-10: Keary Taylor, Anna del C Dye, Stephanie Worlton, Jill Vanderwood
Saturday 10-4: Jewel Adams, Mandi Slack, Sherri Mills, Stephanie Worlton, Tres Hatch
Saturday 1:30-5:30 Anna del C Dye Heather Frost
Saturday 4-10: Jewel Adams, Karey White, Mandi Slack, Cindy C Bennett, Sherri Mills, Shannen Crane Camp

My Gift to You!

Merry Christmas!

In celebration of my favorite holiday, and in the spirit of giving that I hope we all have this time of year, I'd like to give you a gift.

You can download a free copy of my newest release Immortal Mine on Smashwords. Just use code FA56K from now until midnight, December 26 to reduce the price to FREE. That gives you all of Christmas day and the day following to download your copy on your new (or old) Kindle, Nook, or any other reader. You can even download it just to your computer.

Find it here: Smashwords

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas with family and friends! Enjoy!

Top Christmas Music & Movies... According to Me!

As promised yesterday, today I give you  my top Christmas songs and movies (in no particular order). I'd love to hear yours in your comments. So, without further ado...

Songs:

1. O Holy Night

This has long been my very favorite Christmas carol, even more so as sung by Josh Groben. Though I enjoy the soaring melody, it's the heartfelt gratitude for the birth of Jesus that touches me so much.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Who doesn't love this cheerful song? Especially when it's about the underdog rising to the top to be the savior of the day.

3. Mary Did You Know

Fav version sung by Donny Osmond. Fantastic song wondering just how much did the mother of this little baby know about what he was destined for. Don't all new mom's wonder about their new baby's destiny?

4. Blue Christmas

As sung by Elvis. I think because it pulls me so strongly back to my childhood (raised by an Elvis fan).

5. Do You Hear What I Hear?

I'm not really sure why I love this one so much, other than I love it when I can sing along with the whole thing and not mess up once on whether it's "do you hear" "do you see" or "do you know".

6. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Yeah, sick, I know. But it makes me laugh every time anyway.

7. In Excelsis Deo

If one can sing the whole "gloria" part without needing a breath, that's pretty impressive. This is an earnest, joyful song.

8. Joy to the World

Uplifting and joyous. Who can sing this in a depressed manner? I'd guess no one.

9. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Who can resist a song by Tony the Tiger ("They're grrreat!") aka Thurl Ravenscroft? I don't believe this can be done as well by anyone else.

10. Silent Night

This is the ultimate Christmas song, encompassing the reason for the season, and the sacredness of it.

11. What Child is This?

Again, a song that reminds us of why we celebrate this particular holiday.



Movies:

1. Elf

I adore this movie! Will Ferrell is earnest and charming as the displaced elf, James Caan is superb as the reluctant "new" dad, and Zooey Deschanel is sweetly cynical. Not to mention Bob Newhart as the undersized foster dad. "Angry elf" anyone? Best. Scene. Ever. Completely quotable movie.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

For the same reasons the song is on my list above.

3. A Christmas Story

This movie never gets old. Finally, proof that ignoring your mom's advice just might take an eye out. Tongue stuck to the pole: classic. The leg lamp: coveted. Pink bunny suit: gut-bustingly funny. Santa's elves dropping kids down the slide: horrifying - and yet funny at the same time. Fah-rah-rah-rah-rah: speaks for itself.

4. Frosty the Snowman

Should be creepy, a snowman who comes to life and takes a little girl on a trip without informing her parents, but instead it's charming and heartbreaking.

5. Home Alone

What parent isn't terrified by the idea of forgetting a child somewhere? And then to top it off, said child is harassed by thugs. Good thing he's clever with a streak of cruelty to keep him safe.

6. The Santa Clause

For those of you who have ever wondered what happens when the old guy gets, well, old. Who takes over? Tim Allen, of course.

7. The Shop Around the Corner

Inspiration for You've Got Mail, this classic 1940 movie pairs James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan as the irresistible pair who hate/love one another.

8. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

There isn't anything about this movie that isn't completely hilarious, from the wrapped cat to the over-decorated house to Eddie and his horrible children and RV.

9. It's a Wonderful Life

Don't we all have days when we need to be reminded about how important we are to those in our lives?

10. The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppets + Scrooge = perfection.

11. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I am somewhat fond of the Jim Carrey version, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original, cartoon version straight from Dr. Seuss' book.

12. Mr. Krueger's Christmas

If you haven't seen this holiday gem, immediately hunt it down and watch it. I'm not kidding. Do it right now. James Stewart will break your heart, and completely open your eyes to those around you. Stressed about spending the holidays with your family? You won't be after you watch this. You'll be grateful for every last annoying, irritating one of them.

'Tis the Season

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is that for the most part, people are full of good cheer. Of course you're going to run into plenty of Scrooge's, but to me they are eclipsed by the many people who are cheerful, happy, and most of all, giving.

The local food bank gets more donations this time of year than any other, all of the local charities are full with volunteers, and the Angel Tree's are picked clean. Old toys are donated, new toys are donated, coat, hats, gloves, and socks are freely given.

Christmas music is happy music (if you discount the tear-jerking Christmas Shoes song). Santa is jolly, and you can watch countless reruns of Christmas movies. LMN and Lifetime are an endless string of joyfully cheesy Christmas movies. Houses are festively decorated, cookies are baked without guilt. The other day, driving down the street I saw Santa on a motorcycle with Mrs. Santa in the sidecar, happily waving to all they passed in spite of the freezing weather.

Tomorrow I'll post my top Christmas songs and movies. For today, I'm going to send out my wishes that we can all retain the good cheer we have this time is year, and that we will remember to give, not only of things but also of ourselves, all year long. And my wishes for you all to have a very Merry Christmas wherever you are, and that you get to spend the magical day with someone you love.

More Chances to Win!

LDSWBR is running a multi-author book contest Countdown to Christmas. Hop on over to see what you can win, and sign up!

Last Day to Win!

Today is the last day to sign up to win in the Give Books Giveaway Hop!

To enter to win a copy of Geek Girl click here.

To enter to win a copy of Heart on a Chain click here.

To enter to win a copy of Immortal Mine click here.

Good luck to all!

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

I'm honored to be part of the book blog tour for Rachel McClellan's new release Fractured Light. I really loved this book! And I think her cover is just gorgeous. It's scheduled to be released February 8, 2012, but you can pre-order it from Amazon. Below is my official review.

Review of Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Llona isn't your typical teenage girl. She has snow-white hair, pale skin, an abundance of energy when the moon is full, and she can turn lights on and off just by thinking about it. She’s an Aura, a manipulator of light.

Forced to move every couple of years, Llona and her uncle Jake have chosen Bountiful, Utah as their latest hideaway. She’s hiding from the Vyken’s who killed her parents and are now after Llona.

Llona’s only friend is the strange May, who has secrets of her own. That’s why their friendship works so well, a shared understanding of what it truly means to be different. Christian, new at the school and drop-dead gorgeous pursues Llona, much to her frustration. She doesn’t feel she can get involved with anyone when she may have to run at any time—no matter how much she wants to.

Fractured Light follows Llona as her unwanted guardian reveals himself and the Vyken nears, made clear by the suddenly strange and creepy things that begin happening to and around Llona. She must learn to control and manipulate her Light, the gift that she now will have to use as a weapon to survive—well, that and the new fighting skills she’s been taught at the Dojo and by Christian, who wants her to survive and to protect her power that the Vyken craves, and will do anything to get.

McClellan weaves an enticing, supernatural tale of a reluctant heroine born with a gift that sometimes feels as much like a curse. Unexpected twists and turns in the story keep the reader guessing what’s going to happen next to disrupt this teenage girls life. Llona is a hero worth cheering for. Strong, determined, independent, and compassionate, Llona will do anything to protect those she loves, even at the cost of her own life. Fractured Light is a must read for fans of paranormal—or fans of any genre, for that matter. Don’t miss this exciting book from newcomer Rachel McClellan, the new force to be reckoned with in paranormal YA.

Want to find out more about Rachel? Then you'll probably find these links helpful:

Author Blog

Author Website
Author Facebook
Book Page

Publisher Blog

Publisher Facebook

Publisher Twitter

Publisher GoodReads

I highly suggest you get in line to read this book!!

See who else is on the tour here.

Come to the GEEK GIRL Official Launch Party!

It's finally here, the Launch Party for Geek Girl!

Eborn Books at South Towne Mall 12-3 pm
10450 S State St, Sandy, UT

If you live in the SLC area, please come join us. We will be having lots of fun giveaways - every 10 minutes in fact! You can see some of the swag we'll be giving away in the pic to the left. If your name is drawn, the choice is yours. We'll also have delicious cupcakes FREE from Totally Bodacious Cakes. You don't want to miss out on those! While you're out doing your Christmas shopping, stop by and enter, and have a cupcake on us.

Don't live in the SLC area? Don't count yourself out! I'm going to be having a giveaway here on the blog. Anyone who leaves their name and email in the comments below from now until midnight on Saturday will be entered in a drawing to receive your own swag!

If you can't make it on Saturday, I will be at the SLC Costco on Friday night, December 9, from 5-9 pm. 1818 South 300 West, Salt Lake City. Or you can see what other dates I'll be doing signings here.

It's Official! Geek Girl is Released.

Today is the official release date for Geek Girl! Many of you know it's been available in a few places for a few weeks now, but as of today it's official.  Here's where you can get it online:

Amazon (Paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)
Cedar Fort (Paperback & Ebook)
My Website (Signed Paperback)


You can purchase it at Costco (SL and WVC stores) for the reduced price of $9.99
It's also at several of the Barnes & Noble bookstores

If you can't find it at your local book retailer, just ask! They can order it in for you.

Debra Chapoton, my friend and fellow author, hosts me for an interview on her blog today, Edge of Escape, in celebration of the release of Geek Girl. Thanks to Debbie for that!

Fresh Living

I was interviewed by one of the local TV stations, KUTV Channel 2 on their daily show called Fresh Living hosted by Debbie Worthen and Ron Bird. Click here to watch the interview.

Saturday Signing

Come and see me Saturday at Barnes & Noble for Christmas-palooza

Barnes & Noble
10180 S State St, Sandy, Utah
1-4 pm

with these authors:
Wendy Paul
Laura Powell
Melissa Lemon
Heather Frost

Be sure to save next Saturday, December 10 for the official LAUNCH PARTY!
We'll be having drawings every 10 minutes with lots of Giveaways, and a $25 Grand Prize Eborn Books Gift Certificate.
Must be present for the 10 minute drawings, but no need to be there for the Grand Prize drawing (I'll mail that to you)

Give Books Christmas Giveaway Hop

Who doesn't love to receive books for Christmas?

I'm participating in  the Give Books Christmas Giveaway Hop hosted by InkSplasher.

I'm giving away one copy of each of my books: Geek Girl, Heart on a Chain, and Immortal Mine. Just hop on over to each of the book pages to sign up for your entry (don't sign up on this page, you must fill out the forms on each page).

If you live in the US, you have your choice of receiving either a paperback or an ebook from Smashwords or Amazon. If you live outside the US, you will receive an ebook from Smashwords (works on all readers, including your computer).

Enter from now until December 15th.
Here are the links to my giveaways:

Geek Girl

Heart on a Chain

Immortal Mine

Here are the links to other giveaways in the hop:

Black Friday is Here! However,These Blogs are Anything but Black for Geek Girl!

Today is the final day for what has been an amazing book blog tour for Geek Girl. These are the last 3 blogs on the official tour. The may be last, but they are definitely not least! To see all of the blogs who have participated in the tour, I've put a list with their cute blog buttons to the left side of my blog. Go check these bloggers sites who have been kind enough to share their time and blog space with me on this blog tour.

Ali's Bookshelf: Ali says: "Geek girl is an outstanding piece of fiction... While reading this incredible story, I couldn't get enough of the story and the characters so much so that I was so sad when the story ended. I wanted more!" "I (absolutely) adore the plot of this great book." "I love so much about this great book and I could go on and on about the stuff I loved about it..."

Bibliojunkies: (Review and Interview) Natalie says: "...what do I have to say about Trevor Hoffman? All I can say is move over Peeta Mellark! If you know how much I LOVE Peeta, you will be thoroughly shocked to read this." "Another refreshing message in this story is that being loved by a boy doesn’t solve all of life’s problems...Jen has to learn to love herself and not depend on someone else’s feelings about her to determine her self-worth." "It is a great story that I will be recommending it to my YA loving friends – both young and old."

Book & Movie Dimension: Cassandra says: "This is such a bubbly romantic read... there isn't a moment that wont capture your entire attention." "The romance between a geek and goth type isn't the only thing that will stand out... It will slowly build this warm thump, thump, in your heart." "Jen is such a hilarious girl." "The best part though is that (Trevor's) just really, in fact handsome but chooses his geeky nature. Throughout the story, it becomes really easy to fall in love with Trevor." 

I'm Thankful for All the Blogs who have Participated on My Blog Tour.

Today, These Three Get My Love! (And they all have adorable buttons, too.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Ttoria: (Review and excerpt) Viktoria says: "My first reaction to this novel as a whole is ‘Awww’. Hardly an astute reaction, but it is fitting." "It was well-written and one which stirred all my emotions at some point or another." "...evolved into the sweetest, most heart-breaking and romantic tale of forgiveness, acceptance and love."

Mommy Wants to Read: Melissa will be giving you her take on Geek Girl on her blog today! You know you want to read it.

Bee's Knees Reviews: See what Samantha has to say about Geek Girl today.

While You're Waiting for the Turkey to Thaw . . . Go Visit the Blogs on Tour Today!

This Great Perhapsless: (Review and Guest Post) Lydia says: "Geek Girl reminded me so much of high school and was really great aside from the predictable bet plot . . . I was so sucked up in the story I didn't care." "Trevor was completely adorkable that of course it was inevitable that Jen fell for him. I highly reccommend this book to everyone if you like a really good feel good book to snuggle up with."

The Magic Attic: Bree reviews Geek Girl, and allows Cindy to write about her first crush - and has a giveaway to boot.

Living, Laughing, Loving, Reading: Stop by to read Mariah's review of Geek Girl!

Let's See What Terrific Blogs are on Tour Today...

Mudrock and Pink Nail Polish: Mandi says: "Beautifully written, Geek Girl is one of those stories you will fall in love with fast." "The author did a wonderful job engaging readers in Jen's story and psyche immediately. Each character is important and adds dimension to the plot." "I recommend Geek Girl for anyone looking for a clean, really fun, and very well-written story. I loved it!" 

All About Me: (Review and Interview) Pamela says:"The most special thing about this book was how it came alive for me. Jen and Trevor were solid characters that felt very true, and because of that, they leaped off the pages." "Geek Girl is a must read for anyone who loves romance, YA, family-orientated fiction or a damn good read. I’m recommending this to anyone who will listen."

Practical Frugality: "What a fantastic YA book. I also think that women of any age, and social status during their high-school years will enjoy this and be able to relate to the story."

Ink Scratchers: Jade says: "Stop smiling Jade. Stop smiling!. . .  Stop enjoying this book!" "I had awww moments and yay moments and I barely made it through this book without looking at the last page to see how it turned out (I would have if it wasn't my kindle that i was reading it on)." "...when we get to the second half, we hear Jen's story, ...the book takes this whole new direction with sweet moments but also a lot of heartbreak."