Winners!

So sorry for the long wait. I've been super busy with all sorts of stuff so finding the time to pick a winner for even one contest was a little difficult. But hey think of it as a belated Christmas present.

Unless it has a star by your name (Which means I already have your address) I need you to email me with your mailing address. You have until February 2nd to get back to me or I will pick a new winner.

We'll start with the 3 winners for
Lonely Heart's Club
1.Brooke C. *
2.Robert Auld *
3.Berenice *

Laura Wiess's contest
(Please with your address include your list of your choice of books in order from best to least favorite)
1.Alexa
2.Briana
3. Raelena

Linda Gerber's Contest
1. Elie

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker Contest
1. Jessica

Reba by Madison Scott
1. Morgan
2. Kelsey

Saundra Mitchell Signed Bookmarks
1.Leslie
2.Ashley
3.Briana
4.Megan
5.Alexa
6.Kirthi

Signed Copy of Ballads of Suburbia
1.BrookeReviews

There will be more contests winners announced soon so keep your eyes out.
And if you were one of these lucky winners today please email me soon

Thanks

Jill

A Visit from Claire Voyante

Greetings and salutations, book lovers! I’m Claire Voyante, the main character of Dream Life, Lauren Mechling’s rip-roaring detective novel (and no, it is not immodest to say that about a book you didn’t write but in which you star—I checked in one of my grandmother Kiki’s etiquette books).

Dream Life is all about what happened after I found out my best friend Becca had just joined a super-exclusive, centuries-old secret society called the Blue Moons. I figured out how to wiggle my way into the club, and, of course, much drama ensued. I warmly invite you to check Dream Life out—it’s available at select bookstores or an Internet site near you.

When Dream Girl, the first book in the series, came out, my creator Lauren fielded questions from bloggers and journalists. Lauren is currently underground working on a secret project so I offered to step in and relief pitch. I’m taking a page from Ann Landers's book and writing an advice column. The questions came from fans of the series. The answers came from the heart.

(Warning: I don't have a degree in psychotherapy--use at your own risk!)

Dear Claire,There’s a guy at school who I like. I think he likes me too—whenever we make eye contact in the hall, he smiles. But the other day when I walked up to him to say a totally innocent “hi,” he looked freaked out and turned away. I thought guys liked girls who were confident and friendly. Am I wrong?

Yours,
Natalie Who Doesn’t Appreciate Getting The Stinkeye

Dear NWDAGTS,

Are you sure he gave you the stinkeye? Is it possible he's just a spazz and did an about-face because he couldn't deal? Maybe he's allergic to close contact with girls. Or maybe he had to turn away before a cute thing like you noticed that he was wearing that embarrassing sweatshirt his aunt bought him at Sea World.

You look unconvinced.

Okay. . . maybe he didn't like the way you smell. I'm not implying that you smell bad--I'm sure you're lovely, a walking hyacinth farm. Still, there's no accounting for taste. What's sweet to your nose might be stinky to his. Perfume can be so predictable. Why don't you buy a variety of air fresheners--try a piney scent, a fresh breeze, and maybe some nasty-smelling apricot one—and alternate day by day. I bet one of them will pull him in like a moth to a flame.

L'amour toujours!

Claire

_______________________________________________

thanks for sharing your lovely wisdom with us Claire! Be sure to check out Lauren Mechling's Book with more of Claire's poignant words on sale now!

Here's an amazingly well done book trailer to persuade you more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpCp9cX6ffI

My Boyfriends' Dogs Review

Title: My Boyfriends' Dogs

Author: Dandi Daley Mackall
Release Date: February 4, 2010

Summary (from Amazon):

If only boys were more like dogs.
On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley finds refuge in an after-hours diner. Bailey, a girl with three dogs in tow, wearing a soaking-wet prom dress, obviously has a story to tell. See, she wants what every girl wants from her boyfriend: enthusiasm, loyalty, and unconditional love. And Bailey is always falling in love—with boys, and with their dogs. And each of her dogs came from a relationship that didn’t quite work out. But don’t worry: in this fun, clean romance, true love is never far away—it just waits until you stop looking for it.

Rating:
Character Development: 8/10pts
Originality: 10/10pts
Plot/Story Line: 8/10pts
Ending: 9/10pts
Voice: 8/10pts
Recommendation: 9/10pts
Total Score: 52/60

Grade: A

Age Appropriate Rating:
Cussing: 2/10
Drugs, alcohol, etc.: 2/10
Sexual Content: 4/10

Violence/Disturbing Images: 0/10

Written Review:

I went into My Boyfriends' Dogs thinking it would be a whole lot of fluff. I was pleasantly surprised to find characters that I could easily relate to and not just one fabulous story of teenage love but 3 intertwined ever so perfectly.

Because the stories took place throughout all of Bailey’s high school and they were told through her retelling them to strangers it was easy to see her development after each failed love; How she's grown from it and what's she learned, etcetera. We really got to know who Bailey was just as the 3 strangers at the diner were getting to know her too. And Bailey is the kind of character you can't help but love even if you don't love dogs. I hate to admit it but I'm really not a dog person-at all-but I still found myself thoroughly enjoying Bailey's story. And though her love for her pets was the center of the story--It's what gets her caught up in the 3 relationships and what also gets her out--Bailey's want for a perfect boyfriend (And the roadblocks that paved the way) was where the real story was.

The whole book made me smile. Not through all of it of course. There were some very very very sad parts too. Ones where I felt like crying and just wanted to reach through the pages and give Bailey a hug and tell her everything would work out. And there were parts that made me want to scream at the guy for making her feel that bad. But Bailey's personality shines through the pages making her easy to sympathize with and feel for.

The ending was very sweet and adorable and a tad bit predictable but that didn't make this novel any less enjoyable. Actually, I think the ending is one of the very things that made it so enjoyable. Everything I thought didn't make perfect sense throughout the book came together perfectly at the end.

This story immediately got me interested and kept my interest until the very end. It's a very "feel good" kind of book even if it is about 3 “not so happily ever after” kind of stories.

I don’t know what else to say about this novel except that it was fresh, fun, and lighthearted with a lovable main character who you can easily sympathize with as she stumbles her way through love.

With lovable characters and great personality, Mackall delivers a fresh story of finding out what it means to be in love versus being in lust, of realizing that sometimes what you see really is what you get, of finding out what you need versus what you want, and of realizing that dogs are the most loyal companions of all and sometimes you just need to run away in a soaking wet prom dress with them to realize that everything will work out in the end.

Thanks.

Jill

The Lonely Hearts Club awesome Twitter Party!

Join Lonely Hearts Club author Elizabeth Eulberg and Amy of MyFriendAmy for a Twitter party Wednesday, January 20, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. EST!

Be sure to follow Elizabeth @ElizEulberg and Amy @MyFriendAmy before the party!

Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party! Anyone who tweets during this hour using #LonelyHeartsClub is entered to win a limited edition Lonely Hearts Club t-shirt!

Watch for questions from @MyFriendAmy and win awesome prizes including an iPod shuffle, $50 iTunes gift card or $25 VISA gift card!

To join the party, you can use our official party tweetgrid or just search #LonelyHeartsClub on Twitter. Ask Elizabeth questions or chat with other partygoers about how excited you are to read LHC—just use the tag #LonelyHeartsClub in all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.) Please don’t post any spoilers and don’t forget to pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:30pm EST.

Happy 1 Year Blogoversary

Hello All!

Today is my one year blogoversary and I just have to tell all of you.....

Your lovely support and comments brighten my day. I was looking at my first review and am very surprised some of you have stayed with me through it all! I think I have become much more consistent with reviews and posts now and hope to stay that way.

And though my first review was embarrasing, my first disagreeing comment about a review killed me. I totally thought I had messed up this whole blogging thing completly until I realized that even though, yes, I was a little too lenient on that book, opinions are supposed to vary! Yes, I was that naive and that much of a people pleaser.

That incident led to THIS rant about how hard it is sometimes to critize the faults in books without feeling awful. And even though I still feel that's true, it's a lot easier now for me to post about.

Soon I reviewed my first actual review copy of a book, and then came my first award, and then my first interview, and then came my first truly negative review. And my first IMM, first contest, first book trailer, first "Birthday Month", First time to have someone email me for advice on this crazy thing called book blogging, and First time to host a gigantic month of fantabulous giveaways and authors otherwise known as The 25 Guests of Christmas (which I hope to make an annual thing, by the way).

I know there are many more "Firsts" to have and they all happened because of the lovely support from all of y'all so thank you from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful year of blogging and a wonderful year of "firsts".

Jill

No School,

Only in Texas do you get out of school because it's too cold. No snow. No rain. Just cold.

But I'm not complaining....

So happy Cold Day everyone!

Wishing you a marvelous winter,

Jill

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING! WINNERS SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

Jill

Hey guys!

Are you ready for another contest to start off the new year???

Fill out the form below to win one of 3 copies of THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg

Contest Info:

· This giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.)

· Only open to those 13 or older for safety reasons

· Starts January 4^th

· Ends January 18^th

· 3 winners

· +2 follower

· +2 link to the contest

· +1 for entering

***I am now asking for a mailing address to make hosting contests easier. Because of this you must be 13 or older to enter. Please be honest about your age. Thank you.***

Want to know more about this lovely book? Find out more below!

Can’t see the video? Check it out HERE instead

AUTHOR’S WEBSITE

http://www.elizabetheulberg.com

BOOK OVERVIEW

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating, so she vows: No more. She’s had one too many bad dates, and has been hurt by one too many bad boys. It’s a personal choice…and soon everybody wants to know about it. It seems that Penny’s not the only girl who’s tired of the way girls change themselves (most of the time for the worse) in order to get their guys…or the way their guys don’t really care about them. Girls are soon thronging to The Lonely Hearts Club (named after Sgt. Pepper’s band), and Penny finds herself near legendary for her non-dating ways – which is too bad, since the leader of The Lonely Hearts Club has found a certain boy she can’t help but like…

++++

Updates and cool stuff

I've been asked to share some exciting happenings going on at Penguin

We’re hitting the ground running with all sorts of fun stuff for spring, starting with a live online chat with Richelle Mead, author of the New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series. The chat will be taking place on Thursday, January 7th in our Publisher’s Office Watercooler at 8:00 PM EASTERN time. Here’s the link (you can even sign up for a reminder if you think you’ll forget!):

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishersoffice/subcontent/watercooler.html

There’s also a really cool Incarceron widget!

You can get it here:

http://www.widgets.clearspring.com/c/widget.bs?wid=4b2be04fb39ace0b

Also if you have entered a contest for the 25 Guests of Christmas the results are coming soon. I promise. So stay tuned for that.

Thanks so much and be sure to check out all the great Penguin books coming out this new year!

Jill

All Unquiet Things Review

Title: All Unquiet Things
Author: Anna Jarzab
Release Date: January 12, 2010


Summary (from www.barnesandnoble.com ):

Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.

Rating:
Character Development: 10/10pts
Originality: 9/10pts
Plot/Story Line: 8/10pts
Ending: 10/10pts
Voice: 10/10pts
Recommendation: 10/10pts
Total Score: 57/60
Grade: A+

Age Appropriate Rating:
Cussing: 6/10
Drugs, alcohol, etc.: 10/10
Sexual Content: 6/10
Violence/Disturbing Images: 7/10

Written Review:

In a sea of fantasy and paranormal YA novels, something this genuine and gripping was very refreshing to read which made me absolutely adore All Unquiet Things. 

The mystery was great.  I wanted to find out Carly’s killer just as much as Audrey and Neily did and the twist at the end shocked me 100%. I never suspected the culprit at all. The ending was unpredictable, unbelievable, and made sure to leave no loose strings. All the clues matched up and finally made perfect sense. And though the pace starts out slow, after only a few chapters it picks up and by the end your heart is racing as everything clicks into place.

Tons of suspense, perfectly placed clues, and multiple suspects got me hooked almost immediately.  I stayed up multiple nights in a row trying to unravel the clues along with Audrey and Neily.  Plus the many twists and turns kept you second guessing yourself throughout the whole novel

I liked the double narratives. And though sometimes I got Audrey and Neily’s voices confused, the different perspectives as they both delve deeper into solving the murder, while also coming to terms with how it has affected them, greatly helped develop them as characters and lets Carly develop as well.

I am in awe at the hard work, passion, and dedication Anna Jarzab must have had to create this eloquent novel.  The wonderful prose and strong, authentic characters only enhanced the intriguing plot that made this novel so wonderful. The characters were Jarzab’s real strong point.  Their wide range of emotions made them all the more real.

Overall, All Unquiet Things is a thrilling mystery that flows together flawlessly as it takes the reader on an unpredictable journey to solve an intense case of drugs, scandal, and the brutal murder of Carly Ribelli.  It’s not only a story of seeking out the truth but also of learning to accept what you cannot change.
In one heartbreaking, suspenseful story and with more depth than most YA novels, Anna Jarzab weaves a complex story of murder, mystery, and the lengths one will go to cover it all up.
I strongly encourage everyone to read this book when it releases on January 12 of 2010.

Thanks
Jill

The end of 25GoC and the beginning of a fabulous new year!!! By: Laura Wiess

Happy holidays! From Laura Wiess

 This week between Christmas Day and New Year's has always been a delightfully strange, introspective, sometimes chaotic, sometimes serene, Quick! Find-a-New-Year's-outfit, and No, spend the day relaxing in your pajamas time.

 I love it.

 I love the refrigerator crammed with leftover holiday food, hanging out with friends and family, the rummaging through the gifts now unwrapped and piled under the tree, the snow, the fireplace, the peace, the craziness and the laughter.

 Most of all, though, I love the tradition of looking back over the year at where I've been and what I've done, at the light and the dark moments, the times I could have handled things better and the times when I did better than I ever thought I could, the laughter and unexpected joy, the lessons learned, opportunities missed and the ones caught hold of, and celebrated.

 This week - the end of the old and the start of the new - fills me with hope and excitement, and makes me grateful for the chance to begin again, fresh.

 And so I wonder...what do I want to do, be, give, get and experience next? The sky's the limit, right? And even if I don't make half of it, who knows what great adventures I'll have along the way, as long as I can keep my mind open and don't let anybody (including myself) shut me down before I even try.

 This is a time of Endless Possibilities. A week of dreaming dreams for the New Year, and then revving up to try and make them come true.

 Let's do it. Let's try. Let's see what comes next.

 I mean seriously...why not?

 Hope your Christmas is grand, your week beautiful, and 2010 a year of dreams come true!

 ***********************************************************************