I’m excited to be touring Kristina Springer and her book My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours

Seventh grade was supposed to be fun, but Tori is having major drama with her BFF, Sienna. Sienna changed a lot over the summer—on the first day of school she’s tan, confident, and full of stories about her new dreamy boyfriend. Tori knows that she’s totally making this guy up. So Tori invents her own fake boyfriend, who is better than Sienna’s in every way. Things are going great—unless you count the whole lying-to-your-best-friend thing—until everyone insists Tori and Sienna bring their boyfriends to the back-to-school dance.

And now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
I had my own fake boyfriend in 7th grade.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I’ve always liked to read young adult books and my writing voice tends to be middle grade and young adult.

What is your writing process like?
I write whenever I can squeeze in time—usually a couple of hours a night a couple of times a week.

What are you working on now?
Edits on my Fall 2011 book tentatively titled Pumpkin Princess.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Take care of my four little ones, hang out with friends, read, exercise.

Who do you like to read?
Chick lit– books like Sophie Kinsella’s and Meg Cabot.

Author Bio

Kristina Springer is the author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS and the forthcoming PUMPKIN PRINCESS (fall 2011). She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides outside of Chicago with her husband and children. Visit her at www.KristinaSpringer.com.

Online
Web-site: www.KristinaSpringer.com
Blogs: KristinaSpringer.blogspot.com, author2author.blogspot.com
Other: @TinaSpringer on twitter, facebook.com/KristinaSpringer

To help celebrate the release of Forbidden, Christina Phillips’s debut Roman/Druid Ancient Historical Romance from Berkley Heat, she’s holding a launch party with lots of amazing authors and fabulous giveaways! In addition, Christina’s giving away a signed copy of Forbidden to one lucky person who helps spread the love. All you have to do is mention the party (you can copy and paste this blurb), being held from 1st to 6th September at http://christinaphillips.blogspot.com. You can Tweet about it, blog, Facebook, MySpace or anything! And then drop her an email at ChristinapPh @ gmail dot com (no spaces) to let her know. Please put Forbidden Launch Party (or something similar) in the subject line. The winner will be drawn for that on Monday 6th September.

We laughed and laughed all through the weekend, in fact it started in the taxi on our way there. The taxi driver asked where we were heading and we said to a romance writers conference…. big mistake!!! He then handed us something he’d written, complete with pen, and asked us to look at it. Luckily for me I can’t read in a car because it makes me feel sick. So, Amanda took charge. After assuring him several times that it was very well written, and that no it didn’t need any more emotion (it turns out it was a sermon he was giving about the composer Hayden and his religious beliefs) he allowed us to pass it back to him. But then, having discovered that Amanda’s husband is a composer decided us regale us with his version of Ave Maria (hummed!!).

The conference was so slick, the workshops amazing and getting the chance to meet all the people I’d only known online was awesome. And of course catching up with people I already know, and love, was fab too.

So here are my some of my photos:

Amanda and Christina (my fab CPs) also known as the Tiara Girls, or as we’ve now decided to rename ourselves the Tiara Mafia…. which we thinks sounds more kickass!!!!

Me by the Sydney Opera House, it was awesome!

The Tiara Mafia at the cocktail party

Cocktail party: I can’t remember the name of the person on the left, sorry, who we met; Amanda, Christina, Giovanna, Kris, Trish Morey.

Me, Emily Gee/May, Amanda at the cocktail party – Emily is trying on the Tiara for size.

It was fantastic to meet Vanessa Barneveld again and she came out to dinner with us on the Sunday.

At our YA workshop: me, Amanda and the fabulous Robyn Grady who introduced us, and lived to tell the tale!!

Emily and Barb enjoying drinks in our room before the awards dinner!!!

That’s it for photos, I wish I’d taken more. I can’t believe I don’t have any of the fabulous Rachel (soon to be neighbor), Amy, Allison Rushby, Anna Campbell, Maxine Sullivan, Kerri Lane, Louise, Nalini……. I could go on forever.

Next year I’ll try better!

I’m looking forward to giving our YA workshop…. we’re going to have another run through this morning…. it’s a good job run throughs and the actual thing bear no resemblance to one another because they’re usually very bad and we giggle a lot!!!

Will pack this afternoon, last minute washing is hanging up drying and must remember to leave instructions for the motel…. I’ll worry about that when I get back, I’m sure it will all be fine… and as I said to my husband: don’t worry I’m only a phone call away – and of course my phone will be turned off during workshops (which is pretty much all the time!!!)

Hope you all have a good week. I will be posting lots of pics on my return… providing this time I remember the memory card!!

I haven’t started packing yet but my suitcase is open beside the bed and I’m dropping things in there, or near there as I remember…. most importantly our three Tiaras. Because what is a Tiara Girl without her Tiara. The Tiara Girls are Amanda Ashby, Christina Phillips and me. We’ve been crit partners and best friends for years and it’s only once a year (though we’re planning for more when Amanda and I move to Australia) that we can all get together. And this year we have so much to celebrate, not least Christina’s debut book is just about to launch!!

I’m trying frantically to get as much written of my new book as possible before we go, well at least 50 pages so I can whizz it by my agent to see what she things. Yet again, I’m writing edgy near the knuckle stuff… which seems to be what suits me best.

Anyway, have a great week, I will try and post again before I go away, but with my track record I wouldn’t bet on it.

After conference there will be lots of photos and goss.

Anyway, I managed to remember and got in here to blog.

Not a lot has happened, apart from yesterday Amanda and I spent the day preparing for our YA workshop at the Australian conference in 2 weeks and six days. And also creating a very pretty raffle prize (which, seeing as neither of us are creative, was a huge achievement in itself). I’m so looking forward to going…. I’ve never been to Sydney before and can’t wait to see the sights. And of course hearing Deb Dixon on Goal, Motivation and Conflict is going to be the most awesome experience ever. It’s an area that I think I understand until one of my CPs points something out and I realise that maybe I don’t!

Talking of CPs at the moment we’re on a writing 1k a day stint,  and for every time a person misses the target that means they have to buy the other two a drink at conference…. now I know we’ll be doing that anyway but it still seems to be a great incentive. And I’m in charge of recording our progress…. I have my sheet of paper and tick off each day when each person meets their word count. I have the added pressure of having to get my words done before Masterchef…. a new series has started (Australian version) and I LOVE it!!!

Not as much as Glee though, which annoyingly is finishing next week, as are so many of my favorite TV series. Luckily, I got the first two series of Bing Bang Theory for my birthday so I’ve been filling up on those, it has to be the funniest program on TV.

Okay, I’m off to start on my 1k words for today…. as well as the usual motel work which needs doing…. wish me luck!!!!

Other exciting news, I’ve just signed with the awesome Amy Tipton of Signature Literary Agency, and already my book is out on submission.

Getting really excited because it’s only 5 weeks until we go to the RWAus conference in Sydney. I’ve never been to Sydney before and we’ve scheduled in a little sight-seeing time….. can’t wait to see the Opera House. And also really excited about doing the Deb Dixon workshop on Goal, Motivation and Conflict. And then there’s the matter of our workshop….. we’ve prepared some slides (because the conference organisers needed them for the conference packs) but other than that we haven’t done any more preparation….. nor have we bought the chocolate (which is most important). We’ve found the promise of sweets (candy/lollies) works well when enticing people to attend…..

Hope you all have a great weekend…. I’m hanging out for some sunshine, we’ve had way too much rain and cloud recently.

I’m excited to be touring Jenny O’Connell and her two books Local Girls and Rich Boys

There are two kinds of people on the island— those who leave at summer’s end… and those who are left behind.

Bestselling author Jenny O’Connell presents a sizzling series for summer. Her first two Island Summer novels, LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS highlight the lives of the summering visitors, the year-round locals living in the beach towns of Martha’s Vineyard, and the fireworks that explode when they combine for three steamy months.
In LOCAL GIRLS, friendships are in danger of ending with the summer. Kendra and Mona are best friends, local girls who spend their summers catering to rich tourists and the rest of the year chafing against small-town life. Then Mona’s mom marries one of the island’s rich summer visitors, and Mona joins the world of the Boston elite, leaving Kendra and Martha’s Vineyard behind. When Mona returns the following summer, everything is different.

Unlike his sister, Mona’s twin brother Henry hasn’t changed. He’s spending his summer the way he always has: with long, quiet hours fishing. Early mornings before work become special for Kendra as she starts sharing them with Henry, hoping he can help her figure Mona out. Then Kendra hatches a plan to prove she’s Mona’s one true friend: uncover the identity of the twins’ birth father, a question that has always obsessed Mona. And so she begins to unravel the seventeen-year-old mystery of the summer boy who charmed Mona’s mother. But it may prove to be a puzzle better left unsolved–as what she is about to discover will change their lives forever…
In RICH BOYS, Winnie jumps at the chance to babysit for a wealthy summer family and earn some extra money—but soon learns that life in the Barclay’s beautiful vacation home isn’t as perfect as it appears. And what was supposed to be a carefree summer quickly becomes more complicated than she ever thought possible.

Learn how you can win an Island Summer t-shirt – just in time for the beach. Go to http://jennyoconnell.blogspot.com and enter to win today! And learn more about LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS at www.jennyoconnell.com.

Bio
Jenny O’Connell received her BA from Smith College and her MBA from the University of Chicago. The author of PLAN B and THE BOOK OF LUKE, she lives outside of Boston with her family.

Before I start I’d just like a little moan…. actually a big one……… THE WEATHER!!! Okay, I know it’s winter, but really we might as well be back in the UK it’s been so freakin’ cold. I swear the other morning it was negative 4 or something. And yes at times it does get very nice during the day and we have blue sky and sun but even so. And as soon as the sun goes in the temperature drops about 10 degrees. Still, only a year to go before we move to Australia and the Sunshine Coast…. omg I’m counting the days.

Okay, back to me………………… I’ve been really busy finishing off my latest manuscript, which is much more edgy and gritty than my other stuff, but I loved writing it so much. As long as there’s no blood. I can’t do or read anything with blood in it…. which means most of the Vampire books have passed me by, with the exception of House of Night series and the first Twilight book.  Anyway, so I’m now working on a new idea, just as edgy and gritty and again I think from a boy point of view.

What else……………. well, it’s only 7 weeks to the Australian conference, which reminds me Amanda and I need to get our workshop prepared. We’re doing one on YA which will be fun, and of course there will be lots of chocolate and candy to go round………. a YA workshop isn’t a YA workshop without it.  I’m trying not think of the 10lbs I want to lose in the interim.

And another exciting thing about conference is it’s just before the publication of our CP Christina Phillips debut book, which is awesome. Last year at the NZ conference when we last saw Christina she’d just signed with her agent and her book was out on submission, since then she sold a two book deal and now it’s coming out………….. I’m just wondering now if she had sold by conference, my bad memory is legendary so I’ll wait to be corrected!!

I think that’s about it.

Have a great weekend!

This is the tour I’ve been hanging out for, my very good friend, the hugely talented, fabulous Wendy Toliver. I was lucky enough to read Lifted before it was published and I know you’re all going to love it. And the cover is amazing, I have serious cover envy!!

So………

Being Bad Never Felt So Good.

Poppy Browne had never stolen anything in her life before moving to Pleasant Acres, Texas and meeting Mary Jane and Whitney. But when Poppy walks out of the mall with her two new friends and her first pair of stolen jeans, she’s hooked.

Before long, Poppy is lifting whenever she gets the urge—it’s never about the merchandise, it’s always about the thrill. But when her secret gets out, the girls in Poppy’s clique turn on one another. As she watches her life collapse around her, Poppy must decide where her loyalties lie … and how far she’ll go to protect herself.

Check out the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX6goy2sAwc

And now for my usual questions:
What inspired the plot for your book?
I was watching a show on TV about how shoplifting is a huge problem, especially with teens, and thought it would make an interesting topic for a book. Most people have either shoplifted themselves, have been tempted to try it, or know someone who has, so I think it’s something we can all relate to.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
My first attempt at writing a book was in the chick lit genre. That manuscript never sold but it did get me some valuable feedback from editors. More than one mentioned that my voice is “young and fun” and that I might be suited to write YA. Sure enough, my first attempt at writing for teens (The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren) was successful and I was hooked!

What is your writing process like?
Since I have three little boys who are always getting into things I have to write whenever I can squeeze out the time. I write on a laptop most of the time (though I sometimes do jot things down on napkins or scraps of paper). I self-edit along the way, which sometimes bogs me down but I can’t seem to go on if something isn’t quite right. I tend to walk around in a daze, thinking about my stories so that when I do get a minute to sit down, I can type it out and make the most of the time.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a paranormal YA at the moment, with a few other projects on the sidelines.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I try to catch up on housework, play, and sleep. For fun, I like to wakeboard in the summer and snowboard in the winter, and I’m always up for a hike or long walk.

Who do you like to read?
I read a variety of authors. Right now, I’m reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and enjoying it.

What People Are Saying About Lifted
“Smart, deftly written, and extremely well-observed, Wendy Toliver’s Lifted is so realistic and moving I felt like I was transported right inside Poppy’s world, watching as she struggled to navigate her way through a school where appearances are deceiving and no one is quite what they seem. A hard to put down, compelling read!”
Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times Best Selling author of The Immortals series

“Lifted is the story of an imperfect heroine seeking her place not only in school, but in life. Its exploration of the amount of truth behind social and religious stereotypes escalates into a double-dog dare to believe them. A haunting morality tale that will leave you questioning just what it means to be “good.”
Aprilynne Pike, author of the #1 New York Times Best-Selling novel Wings

“Lifted by Wendy Toliver is an amazing, compelling read, filled with all the realness of being in high school, from humor to love to angst. I haven’t met a character so well developed as Poppy since reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. At times heartbreaking, at others uplifting, Lifted is a book that I absolutely loved.”
James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner and the13th Reality series

VOYA
Poor Poppy Browne! Her mother, an attractive but uptight college professor, has moved her from hip Colorado to bucolic Pleasant Acres, Texas, saying that she is doing it for Poppy’s benefit. Even worse, she has to make a go of it in a conservative Baptist school. Calvary High, though, proves to be a much more interesting place than Poppy had imagined. Initially, it is all a bit straight-laced and humdrum, but when she makes friends with popular Mary Jane and Whitney, her life becomes more intriguing. The two girls, top students and role models, prove to be accomplished shoplifters. When they introduce Poppy to their pastime, she is instantly hooked—and it is not the merchandise—it is the thrill of the chase, the charge of getting away with something. Then, one of her friends informs on her, and as her world comes crashing down, Poppy has to figure out what her values really are. The writing and characterization are both decent, with enough contemporary slang and topical references for teens to relate. Plot driven, yes, indeed; but in the category of light read, this rates well on the girl interest scale. A strictly additional purchase, this is excellent beach reading for those seeking mean girl-fare with a soupcon of romance. Reviewer: Ann Welton

Booklist
Especially well drawn is Poppy’s crush, a quirky, sincere minister’s son, who—as Poppy’s world spins out of control—comforts her with unconditional support: “We all make mistakes. It says so in the Bible, so it’s gotta be true.” Will appeal to all teens interested in wayward behavior. Reviewer: Karen Cruze

Contest
Wendy is running a contest on her website, www.wendytoliver.com, the entire month of June. Simply click on the “contact” button and send her a message including the word “contest,” your name, and your U.S. mailing address. (If you’re under the age of 14, please get permission from your parents/guardians first.) She will be giving away gift cards to Border’s, signed copies of Lifted, as well as other fun prizes. One entry per person, please.

Bio
Born in Texas, raised in Colorado, and now living in Utah, Wendy Toliver has successfully eliminated “y’all” from her vocabulary. However, she still managed to marry a pickup man. They have three young sons and an assortment of furry, scaly, and slimy pets. She is the author of three novels for teens: The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Miss Match, and Lifted.

Online
Web-site: www.wendytoliver.com
Blogs: www.teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com, www.booksboysbuzz.com, www.pulserocom.com
Other: www.facebook.com/wendy.toliver, www.twitter.com/wendytoliver, www.myspace.com/roxytoliver, http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Wendy-Toliver/44777487