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I'm participating in a booksigning this Sunday at the LoneTree Barnes and Noble to benefit Pikes Peak Writers, and I'd love for you to stop by between 3:00-5:00 PM!

Pikes Peak Writers is a national nonprofit that helps writers learn, connect and grow through workshops, resources, contests, scholarships, and one of the best writer's conferences in the country. Membership in PPW is now completely free, as are many of their programs. To help PPW continue in their support of writers, Barnes & Noble is hosting this benefit bookfair and signing. If you shop at B&N --in a store or online-- during the benefit period, a portion of what you spend goes to PPW. It costs you nothing extra, and you can even use your B&N member discount. I hope you'll join me at the signing, but if you can't make it I invite you to shop BN.com/bookfairs between November 12th and 17th, and reference bookfair number #10553048.

For more info about this bookfair and the list of 30+ authors who will be signing at five Colorado Barnes & Noble locations, please visit here.



I'll be signing Sleepless, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and The Girl Who Was On Fire. Hope to see you there!

We hope everyone had a fabulous 4th filled with fun, friends, and fireworks. I think I ate an entire plate of my friend's baked zucchini last night, so I've already exceeded my caloric intake for the week and it's only Tuesday. Anyway, we will be taking some brief breaks for the remainder of the summer, but will stagger them so the blog isn't empty...because we're cool like that.

Since my kiddos have less than a month before the school year starts, I'll be taking a break from now through the beginning of August, but I'll still post book recommendations (I'm reading an awesome one right now). Valerie is taking a break for a much cooler reason...she's going overseas for an entire month! She'll be out for the month of August, and will have some cool pics to post when she gets back. Lacey is still figuring out her schedule and will let you know about her break.

We'll all be back before you know it, and we hope you all have an amazing rest of your summer!

I'm working on revisions for Hollyweird and I'm trying to work out a sticky plot point, but I haven't come up with the perfect thing yet. I know eventually I'll be zapped with an "Aha!" moment, but I hope it hurries up. LOL. I don't like feeling stuck. In the meantime I'm doing research and looking for inspiration everywhere. I want to nail this ending!

This weekend I'm going to the Colorado Teen Lit Conference and I'm really looking forward to it. I get to visit with some authors I only get to see at these events (Lauren Myracle, Todd Mitchell, Amy Kathleen Ryan) and I'm looking forward to meeting new authors Amy Efaw and Becca Fitzgerald (who I've only spoken to on email). 

I'm also really excited to FINALLY meet Ellen Hopkins. We had stories together in the anthology Breaking Up Is Hard To Do and I have an essay in the anthology about her work, Flirtin' with the Monster. Ellen and I have talked on email, and both Lynda and Nic have met her, but I've yet to have that pleasure. 

Even more fun will be having two of my creative writing club teens attend with me. :) I know the Kels(e)ys are going to have a blast! 

This conference is always a favorite of mine. And this year the weather is supposed to be much nicer than last year so attendance should be higher.  

Can't wait!

I'll be giving a writing workshop called Tapping into Your Inner Teen at the Author Fest of the Rockies on Friday, Oct. 2. This YA workshop is at 3:30. I'd love to see you there. This looks to be a really exciting week long event put on by the Manitou Springs Public Library. I only wish I could do more! Next year I'll know to take off work. Anyhow, check out all the guest speakers and fun programs.

The adorable Nisha Sharma was kind enough to interview me on her blog. I hope you'll stop by and check it out. Warning: I was under the influence of Percocet so any errors can be attributed to post-sinus surgery meds. :)

Tomorrow is May 5th, which is turning out to be a significant date for me. Last year on that date Breaking Up is Hard to Do was released. I completely adore this anthology! One, because I had an absolute blast writing Don't Mind Me and two, because I got to put this book together with Lynda Sandoval, Niki Burnham and Ellen Hopkins. If you haven't checked out our fun, funny and empowering stories of overcoming break-ups, I hope you will.

Strangely, but very cooly, I have another book coming out with Niki and Ellen. Flirtin' with the Monster officially hits shelves tomorrow. If you're a big fan of Ellen--and who isn't?--you'll want to nab a copy of this book. Here's the deets:

Where is the line between truth and fiction?

Why do love and addiction so often go hand in hand?

What does the real “Kristina” think about the way her story is told in Crank and Glass?

Crank and Glass have always been more than just stories. Join their author Ellen Hopkins and a host of other writers as they delve deep into Kristina’s story, from the straight truth on the physical effects of methamphetamine addiction to the psychological consequences of keeping secrets (and how Hopkins’ books have encouraged so many teens to reveal theirs). [<-- The secrets essay is mine.]

With an essay by Ellen’s real-life daughter (the basis for the character of “Kristina”) that tells her version of the events that inspired the books—along with perspectives from “Scott,” “Jake,” and 11-year-old “Hunter,” the baby from Crank—Flirtin’ with the Monster is a compelling journey through the complexities of Hopkins’ beloved bestselling works.

You can read an excerpt here and enter to win a copy, along with Crank and Glass, here.

Anybody rememer those cute comics? Anyhow, I was tagged by Angela (Library Girl Reads) for this 6 Things That Make You Happy Meme.

 
6 Things that make Me Happy

1. My Family
2. Coffee
3. Good Books
4. Nephew's laugh
5. Sunshine
6. Book contracts

Here are the Rules for this meme: Link to the person who tagged you. Post six things that make you happy along with these rules. Then tag six others (letting them know, of course). Let the person who tagged you know when your entry is complete.

Tagged: pamelalibrarian , brookesbooks , deenaml , kathrynsmith , debbierfischer , nikiburnham 

Ever since I was little I’ve had a thing for series. I fall so in love with characters that I hate the idea of never seeing them again and series allow me to continue visiting with these people who’ve become real to me and to watch them grow. At my library it’s practically impossible to find the first book in a series on the shelf. Either it’s checked out or it’s been stolen (sad but true). As I’ve mentioned, I’m working on a sequel to Sleepless and I’d love nothing more than to develop Trinity as a super-sleuth/dream warrior. With that hope in mind, I’m offering a contest with the first books in some of my favorite YA series.

Marked – House of Night Series – P.C. and Kristin Cast
Prom Dates from Hell – Maggie Quinn Series – Rosemary Clement Moore
Dead is the New Black – Nightshade series - Marlene Perez

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To enter please leave a comment telling me why you like (or don’t like) series and what your favorite series is. The close of this contest is midnight on February 13, 2009. A random drawing will determine the winner on Valentine’s Day. If you’d like to earn an extra entry, please spread the word about my contest. Send me a link to the buzz you’ve posted on your blog or website and I’ll give you another spot in the pot. Good luck!   

Wow! This month has been a whirlwind of crazy-making fun. My children are now 14 and 11. (Impossible!)  And Christmas was blessed and boisterous. Here's my fave gifts:



My hubby bought me a crackberry! You practically need a degree to operate it, but now that I'm getting the hang of it I LOVE IT! A lot.


Betsey Johnson Cha Cha Cheetah tote. I bought it with money from my dad and G'ma. I'm not so sure what G'ma would think, but I say it's purrrty.



My mom got these for me and I'm crazy about them. I blame brookesbooks  for my Ed Hardy adoration. She introduced me to him in San Fran.



Okay, okay. Technically this is my son's xmas present, but I've learned that I'm pretty good on the drums! Anyone else rockin' out? What were your favorite gifts?

I have so much to be grateful for this year. One of the things I'm most thankful for is the wonderful letters I've gotten from readers and reviewers. You've been the greatest gift to me this year. To thank you I'm holding this contest and all you have to do is tell me what you'd like to see me write next. :)

It doesn't matter if it's a project you've heard me talk about before, or if it's just something as a reader you'd like to see more of, I just thought it would be fun to hear your ideas. So tell me what you'd like to see next in the comments section and if you link this post somewhere and let me know I'll put you in for a second entry. The winner will be chosen on Black Friday (Nov. 28) and will receive: 

1 Hardcover of Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

1 Hardcover of Pretty, Little Liars by Sara Shepard 

1 Hardcover of Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer

1 Hardcover of Undone by Brooke Taylor

1 Autographed paperback of Sleepless

1 Autographed paperback of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

1 tote bag from my very own library district

and, finally, 1 woven dream catcher bracelet.

So, what are you waiting for? What would you like to see me publish next?

This month has been a difficult one. I'll spare you the details, but today I'm trying to regroup and find some new focus and motivation. I'm revisiting my notes from this summer's RWA and there's so many good nuggets here that I thought I'd post them.

Gail Blanke--

Living small, doesn't serve the universe.

Let go! Don't hold onto things.

Never wait for the courage. You may wait a lifetime.

Create with new eyes and ears.

The world belongs to the one who stands out.

You are powerful beyond measure.

Dreams and nightmares must be fed to live. Feed the dreams, not the nightmares.

Eric Maisel--

Quit negative self talk!

Ideas come to a quiet mind.


I'm going to work on all of these.... Read the rest of this post

According to my fancy schmancy random number generator the lucky winner of the authentic navajo dream catcher is

pixie6690!

Thanks to all of you who entered. Look for an upcoming November contest soon. :)

I have a Halloween blog posted on HarperTeen where I share my fave things about this spooktacular holiday and show off my make-up magic. I hope you'll check it out, let me know what you think about my special f/x skillz and let me know what your fave thing about Halloween is!

I just got the most gorgeous, genuine Navajo dream catcher! It's 4 inches wide and hand-wrapped in real buckskin with duck feathers and horse hair. The artistry is beautiful and the dream catcher comes with the artist's bio. I'm giving this away Nov. 1. To enter this contest -- and insure you have sweet dreams :) -- please answer the following questions and email me at terriclarkbooks at aol dot com with Sleepless Contest in the subject line. 

Please do NOT post the answers in the comment section or they will be removed.

If you haven't read Sleepless yet, you can find the answers in the special sneak peek at http://browseinside.harpercollinschildrens.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061375965.

Answer all the questions correctly and your name will go in a drawing. The winner will be picked using a random number generator.

Please feel free to post this contest info on your blogs or sites! If you do post it somewhere, and send me the link, I'll give you an extra entry. Good luck!

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1. What does Coral encourage Trinity to go buy?

2. Who did Kiri say Trinity Michael's looked like? And what band is she from?

3. Who did Trinity bemoan she didn't have lusty fantasies about?

4. When Dan first met Trin what did he call his own dad?

5. What tool is used for bloodletting?

6. What are UM's colors?

7. When Trinity's mom tells her she might outgrow her dreamwalking she scoffs at the idea and say they're not like ____ or ____.  (Fill in the blanks)

8. What is Trinity's IM screename?

9. After her conversation with Coral, Trinity reads a new sci-fi novel right before she falls asleep. Who was the author? 

10. What do the switching channels on Trinity's TV say to her?

Yay! This morning went really well. I ended up getting there early because I overestimated how much rush hour traffic there would be, but the teacher introduced me right away and off I went. Mostly I just spoke about what inspired Sleepless--a Denver Post article on violent criminals pretending to be insane and dreams. The kids really responded to the archaic psychological "cures" I told them about and to the different kinds of dreams we have. Then I opened it up to the class for questions. They were awesome! I don't think there was ever any "dead air" and I ended up speaking for close to an hour and a half. I really enjoyed the kids and Ms. Crespin. (We've totally bonded over Supernatural!) It was a great first experience and I'd happily do it again. I hope I hear from some of the kids, they were asking how they could reach me. :)  

I have my first school visit on Tuesday. I'm speaking to approx. 30-35 juniors and seniors for a contemp lit class. The teacher said they're  mostly interested in hearing about the publishing process and my journey as a writer. I have an HOUR to fill. That seems so long. LOL. Anyhow, for those of you who've done school visits I'd love to hear about your experiences. Please share tips and advice. I'm scared of boring them to death. Thanks!

Book Chic, the coolest guy in the blogosphere, has been kind enough to host me this week as the Fresh New Voice of YA where I blogged about dreams, gave an interview and discussed upcoming projects. Lastly, he gave Sleepless a glowing review that made me giddy. Together we're giving away an autographed copy of Sleepless and a dream catcher necklace, so stop on by and show him some love. :)

Tomorrow my wonderful library is having an author reception for me from 2-3 pm to celebrate the release of SLEEPLESS. I don't know how many of you are Coloradoans, but I'd love to see you!

Smoky Hill Library, 5430 S. Biscay Cir., Centennial. For more info click here.

Today is my last day as the launch author over at the class of 2k8. If you haven't had a chance to stop by, please do. In addition to an interview with me, I've discussed dream interpretation, listed my Top Ten Teen Books and today I interviewed my heroine, Trinity Michaels, and unveiled my killer trailer for Sleepless. Check it out! 

NOTE: There is a small error in the video that will be corrected. It's far better for Rafe to exact his revenge rather than extract it. ;)

We hope you've enjoyed meeting Terri Clark and learning more about her YA thriller, SLEEPLESS. Remember, the official release date is September 2, so if you don't see it on store shelves yet you will soon. Closing out her week, Terri interviews press shy teen Trinity Michaels.

Terri: Hi Trinity. I understand you don’t like to give interviews so I appreciate your willingness to speak with me.

Trinity: Yeah, well, ever since that newsreporter outed me as a psychic I’ve been hounded by every Tom, Dick and Nutcase. I hate the freakin’ nazi-razzi.


Terri: Yes, well, I’m certainly not a paparazzo, but I would like to ask you a little bit about your ability. You’ve been dubbed--

Trinity: Dream girl. How lame is that? If they’re going to give me a super hero moniker couldn’t they come up with something cooler?

Terri: Like what?

Trinity: Nevermind. I’m no super hero anyway. All this dream drama is too much.

Terri: Drama? That seems a bit of an understatement. Isn’t the killer, Rafe Stevens, after you?

Trinity: When I wake and when I sleep. Too bad I can’t purge this stupid “power.”

Terri: Why would you want to do that? Do you know how many people would love to peek into another person’s mind?

Trinity: A crapload, I’m sure. But they’d change their mind pretty dang quick if they saw the same twisted things I see. I don’t have normal dreams. People come to me in my sleep and confess their deepest, darkest secrets. I see the worst of humanity and I don’t want to take on the responsibility of other people’s problems.

Terri: Like your childhood friend, Timmy—

Trinity: How the heck do you know about him? Interview done!

Terri: Wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry. Touchy topic. Let me ask you one more thing.

Trinity: (silence)

Terri: You know that old wives tale? The one that says if you die in your dreams, you’ll die for real? Do you believe that?

Trinity: I didn’t use to, but why else would I be SLEEPLESS?

We're betting you might be interested in losing some sleep yourself now. To further entice you we're thrilled to debut Terri's book trailer of SLEEPLESS.

Today Terri's going to psyche us out with a little dream interpretation. You may think twice next time you're ready to hit the sack.

In SLEEPLESS I explore the world of dreams. It’s a fascinating topic. Psychologists think our dreams are a way of rehashing a day’s events and sometimes problem solving. In other words, whatever is bugging us is apt to show up in our dreams in one form or another. Whole books and websites are dedicated to interpreting your dreams.

For instance, according to this cool online dream dictionary having your teeth fall out in your dream “forewarns that your health and/or business are in jeopardy. You may have uttered some false or foul words and those words are coming back to haunt you.”

And did you know that snakes symbolize fear, worry and sexuality? On the other hand, if you sneeze in your dreams that means a life of “ease and joy.”

When I was in high school I had this reoccurring dream where I was in this massive mall, riding up in an escalator with clear glass sides, but the escalator was filled with water up to the black rubber railing on the side. Hmm… a little research…let’s see…a mall means I was trying to make a favorable impression on someone, moving up an escalator means I was addressing emotional issues and clear water means I was in tune with my spirituality. Translation: I was trying desperately to overcome my shyness to get a boy’s attention. Wow! That really works.

Seriously though, dreams really are reflections of who we are and what we’re going through. If you think about it you’ll probably notice when you’re stressed or worried you have some kind of reoccurring dream or theme that shows up in your sleeping brain.

Want to know what terrorizes me in the night? What my reoccurring stress dream is lately? Numbers! (Confession: I hate math and numbers and calculations stress me out.) So what did the dream dictionary say? Numbers indicates unsettled or dissatisfied conditions in business. Hmm. Think that means I’m worried about my first book coming out? That’s certainly my interpretation.

When I asked my agent what her reoccurring stress dream was she said, “Going to my mother’s house.”

So, tell me, what do you dream about?

Tune back tomorrow when Terri shares her ten fave teen books.

This is starting off as a good week. I just received a 5 star review from TeensReadToo that I'm really excited about. 

"SLEEPLESS is not your everyday piece of fluff.  Those picking up SLEEPLESS thinking it’s a typical teen summer romance will be quite surprised.  I know I was!  SLEEPLESS may just keep you up all night trying to avoid your dreams!"

And that's just the opening paragraph! It's not even the really good part. You can read the whole review here. 

Even cooler, this is my launch week over at the class of 2k8. I hope you'll check it out and say "hi!"

 

Please help us welcome Terri Clark. Her para-romantic thriller, Sleepless, officially releases September 2, but rumors say it may show up on shelves as early as this week. Keep your eyes peeled for those pink PJs!

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Michaels has the ability to dream walk. It's a power she doesn't want, but it forever alters her life when she's unable to find an abducted teen before she's killed. While Trinity does help police capture the killer, Rafe Stevens, her involvement makes her his next target. Stevens pleads insanity and his convincing performance, aided by his despicable attorney, get him sentenced to a mental institute where a diabolical physician experiments on him. Now Rafe's escaped the sanitarium and he's after Trinity. Like her, he now has a special ability, one that allows him to stalk Trinity through her dreams. If he kills her in her sleep, she'll die for real. To survive she must find him first and the only person willing to help her is Dan Devlin, disillusioned son of the shady lawyer who knowingly aided Rafe in getting away with murder. Can she trust Dan with her safety, not to mention her heart?

"The action is just as fast-paced and heart-pounding as any adult thriller you will encounter. I hadn’t expected to have SLEEPLESS be such a pulse-pounding read, which was a really pleasant surprise... Now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep easily tonight!" TeensReadToo