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Greetings, fellow tweeps! I'll be doing a Twitter Q&A tomorrow, April 28, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Random tweeters will be selected to win ARCs of So Much Closer. All questions and questioners are welcome! To join the Q&A:

1. Be following me on Twitter - I'm susanecolasanti.

2. Ask your question between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with the hashtag #SoMuchCloser.

3. Random tweeters will be selected to win signed ARCs of So Much Closer.

A few other quick things going on...

Want to win a copy of Something Like Fate in paperback? My friend Melissa Walker is hosting a giveaway with her Cover Story.

I've already received so many awesome entries for my Fourth Annual Ginormous Contest! It's going to be really hard to select three winners. You guys are amazing.

Did you get my newsletter today? If not, you can read it here.

Finally, I'm stoked to share the Polish cover of When It Happens with you. The title is When the Time Comes. My friend Anton told me that in Russian the title would be Hoping for the Right Hour. It kind of looks like a vampire novel, but I love it anyway. So dramatic!



And here's the German cover of Waiting for You. I love that my German publisher is using the same flowers and happy clouds on all the covers.



Well, it's volunteer work time. Last week I got to clean and totally organize my client's desk. Cleaning and organizing people's desks is so fun for me I can't even tell you. Today I get to untangle a bunch of cords and then sort them with those color coding grippy things. Which, seriously, is so relaxing. I get very bothered when people have big, tangled bunches of wires showing. All wires should be hidden, IMHO. And even though I have a ton of work to do before my book tour starts next week, it's been warm and sunny here in New York. That's helping me keep it Zen. I even busted out my new flip-flops yesterday. Which means one thing - spring is officially here to stay. Yay!

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Dude, I'm stressing out. First of all, I banged my head on the glass shelf in my bathroom. It didn't really hurt. But I have this thing where every time I bang my head, I'm convinced that it will result in a massive brain injury and I'll be dead within the next three hours. Could I maybe just calm that down? Not yet.

Regular readers of this blog know that I try to keep it Zen as much as possible. I enjoy minimizing stress. But I'm about to submit the manuscript of my new book (not So Much Closer, which was finalized last summer - I'm talking about my next book). Whenever I get to this point in the writing process, all attempts at a Zen lifestyle pretty much go out the window. I never know if a book is any good until my editors tell me it is. So I will try not to worry (about the book and head injuries and everything else) and keep it in the Now.

A few quick things to share with you:

The Book Queens interviewed me about transitions, writer's block, and advice for aspiring writers. Thanks, ladies!

The More You Read, The More You Will Know! posted this early review of So Much Closer. I know that some of you have gotten ARCs through Library Thing or at ALA and I'm psyched for your feedback.

In foreign edition news, I'm thrilled to report that both Something Like Fate and Take Me There are being translated into Spanish!

Waiting for You was published in Turkey last July, which I think is crazy cool. I mean, Turkish? Wild. Usually foreign edition covers are way different than the American ones. So I was surprised to see that the Turkish cover of Waiting for You looked really familiar.



It's also common for book titles to be changed. I had no idea what this one meant, but luckily my friend Umit is from Turkey. He told me that the title is When Are You Coming? Which really is the main question when the waiting becomes excrutiating, isn't it?

Okay, back to polishing this manuscript. And trying to keep it Zen. I hope your weekend is a peaceful one!

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Finding your way around my neighborhood can be challenging.



The Village is a super cute area. One thing that makes it so unique is the street orientation. Most of Manhattan is on a numbered grid system, which makes it easy to navigate. But once you get down here, streets zigzag and curve and lots of them are only one block long. And most of the streets have names instead of numbers, which makes them hard to find. Tourists often ask me for directions. Like the other day when some tourists asked me how to get to a certain lacking cupcake shop. Naturally, I directed them to the far superior Crumbs. Their Cupcake of the Week was the Big Apple. Which I of course needed to try.



Even better than an apple cupcake (which was actually vanilla with chocolate buttercream filling)? A visit to the Apple Store, aka Shiny Happy Apple World. I was there a few weeks ago, trying to decide between getting an iPod touch and an iPad. I was like 90% sure I'd leave with one or the other. I decided to go with the iPod touch, but something made me wait. I even asked, "Do you know when the new ones are coming out?" They never know. I know they never know but I always ask anyway. It's funny how we're so used to the newer and better models blowing away the old ones that we've become reluctant to get anything right now. But dude, I am SO happy that I waited. The new iPod touch is amazing! I returned to Shiny Happy Apple World yesterday to get mine. The cameras! FaceTime! The incredible resolution! I think it's safe to say that I'll be obsessing over it for a while.

Which doesn't mean that I won't make time for new adventures in Netflix. I'm currently into Fringe. I loved the first season. And not just because Joshua Jackson is in it and I'm still missing Pacey Witter so much that sometimes I forget he's a fictional character and I sit around wondering how he's doing and if he and Joey are still together. Fringe is excellent on many other levels. It appeals to my scientist side, has really good writing, and is funny when you least expect it to be. Recommended, yo.

On an entirely unrelated note, there are two reviews of Waiting for You that I keep meaning to link to. Open Mind, Insert Book's review is touching. And Fluttering Butterflies says that the whole book made her feel relaxed and content.  Nice.

No matter what you're obsessing over this weekend, I hope you have a good one!

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The waiting is over. Waiting for You is out in paperback today! My author copies arrived last week, complete with strict on-sale date packaging:



Way more books than I can fit in my apartment can only mean one thing. It's time for a contest to give some away! Two winners will be selected. First prize is Waiting for You plus your choice of either When It Happens or Take Me There. The runner-up will receive a copy of Waiting for You. All books will be signed to whomever you'd like.

SInce National TV Turnoff Week is April 19-25, I've decided to connect this very important annual event with my contest. The idea of National TV Turnoff Week is to spend that time watching absolutely no TV. If that seems impossible, just try it. You'll be amazed at how much extra time you have every single day. To enter the contest, leave a comment telling me three things you will do that week instead of watching TV. If not watching TV for a week turns out to be impossible for you, your goal can be to watch less TV. Even watching one hour less a day can make a huge difference. That thing you keep promising yourself you'll start doing to improve your life? This is a great time to start!

Waiting for You Contest rules:

1. Enter by leaving a comment here telling me three things you will do instead of watching TV during National TV Turnoff Week.

2. Include your first name and email address with your comment.

3. Entries must be received by 11:11 pm on Sunday, April 18.

4. This contest is only open to US residents. However, if you live abroad and have a contact in the States who can receive the prize for you, it can be sent to their address.

5. Your entry will be counted twice if you link to this contest on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or other site (leave that link with your comment).

Let's get this party started. I can't wait to hear your plans!

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...Waiting for You comes out in paperback!



Check back here tomorrow for my paperback release contest, where you can win a copy of the book (and my other books, too).

Until then, here's an interview with me at TRT Book Club and another at Reading or Breathing. I think the contest to win books over at TRT has closed, but I wanted to link to the interview again because Jen always does such a good job of asking fun, original questions.

There are also some new reviews of Something Like Fate out. Here's a short review at Random Buzz and a longer one at Once Upon a Book Blog. Robby did an excellent job of describing much of the book's plot, so please be aware that his review contains spoilers. Thanks for the comprehensive review, Robby!

See you tomorrow for contest time...

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By now you all know that I scored a front row center seat to see John Mayer at Madison Square Garden. I blogged about it last week and have pretty much been renting a billboard about it ever since. I'd been hoping for that ultimate seat to see John for years, so this really was a dream come true.

A few months ago, I gave his manager a copy of Waiting for You, in which my girl Marisa believes that the answers to all of life's problems can be found in John Mayer's music. I was hoping that his manager would give me a prime ticket to the show. That didn't happen. Near the end of the letter I included with the book for John, I wrote:

"I'll be focusing much positive energy on procuring a front-row seat to your upcoming Madison Square Garden show."

The Universe said:



At previous concerts, the closest I'd ever gotten was second row side. Which seems like it should be really close, considering that there are like 20,000 worse seats. But I'd always get some wingnut directly in front of me who wasn't even a fan, checking their email while John sang something like "Stop This Train." Clueless about what they were hearing while I sang every word. Blocking my camera every time I wanted to take a photo.

Karma said:



Welcome to the life of a hardcore fan. It can be stressful at times. Like when I'm all set up at 9:59 for that 10:00 pre-sale, finger poised over the mouse, ready to click the second 10:00 strikes, just hoping that Ticketmaster will be kind. And then, of course, being disappointed with the selection of seats that aren't even on the floor. But after many more hours of research and perseverance, I was the one thanking the Universe from Floor Section 2, Row A, Seat 4.

The view:



I cannot even tell you how incredible it was not to have anyone in front of me besides John. I jumped around as much as I wanted without worrying about accidentally smacking someone on the head, like I did three years ago when John was playing "Gravity" and I swung my arm up at the "Stay the hell away from me" part. Not that the person in front of me knew what he was singing. But violence is never the answer.

The answer:



Being that close meant I could actually connect with John. I spazzed when he started playing "Bigger Than My Body" because I freaking love that song. John was totally singing right at me during the "Someday I'll fly/Someday I'll soar/Someday I'll be/so damn much more" part because I'm pretty sure I was the only one up there who was that hardcore. He looked happy that someone appreciated his message.

I call that night the Universe Special. Not only did I have that Dream Is Reality seat, not only did John play so many of my faves, not only did I get to sit next to the girl I was battling it out in the auction with for those charity seats (hi, Caryl!), not only did I get to connect with John, but every single minute of that night felt just as amazing as I'd imagined it would. Actual experiences rarely live up to my ridiculously high expectations. This one absolutely did.

It felt like:



I left with a happy heart and inspired soul. It's a kind of energy I'll rely on for years. It was the ultimate celebration of what makes me feel alive. And that makes the experience priceless.

Of course I went back the next night. I was in the 8th row that time and it was a very different experience. I got to share it all with a friend, which meant a lot to me. And I was far away enough to see the screens and effects, which were really cool. You can se

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Recently, I posted my new paperback cover designs. Now I can share the spine art with you, which I'm really excited about. By the time Something Like Fate is released on May 18, all four of my books will have a matching look on the shelves. Each spine has pretty watercolor stripes that reflect the color scheme of the covers:



The new editions of When It Happens and Take Me There should be out around March. I can't wait to see them in bookstores!

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Exciting news: My paperback covers have a fresh new look! The main images are the same, but the covers have new fonts, tag lines, and embossing! I am so excited to see these on the shelves. They should look gorgeous because the spines all have a new look, too - these sweet watercolor stripes. Although the new editions won't be out for a few months, I just had to share them with you. If you see these When It Happens or Take Me There covers out in the world and are inspired to document them for me, that would rock.

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It seems to be July. How did that happen? I don't know if it's been the incessant cloudy, rainy weather or what, but it totally doesn't feel like summer at all. Well, hey, here we are, so welcome! If you're on summer vacay, I hope you're having a blast so far. The thing I always loved most about summer vacay was the possibility of returning to school as this whole other person. Where you could show up on the first day and be the person you'd always wanted to be, and everyone would just accept the new you for who you are. Not like that ever happened. But the possibility that it could happen was exciting anyway.

Here are some things that are happening for real.

Juiciliciousss Reviews reviewed Waiting for You. I'm not sure why it took me so long to discover this site because it's really impressive. Stephanie has reviewed so many incredible books and she interviews the authors we love. Definitely one to check out. Also, Blogging YA posted a non-review of Waiting for You. I kind of think it turned out to be a review in disguise.

Over at Teenreads, I'm honored to be the latest guest blogger. Since a lot of people I know (including myself) struggle with living in the Now, I decided to write about why the Now is so important.

In Netflix news, I've started watching Gossip Girl. It's better than I expected. Of course I like Dan Humphrey the best because he's all - okay, you know what? I really can't discuss anything further about this show until I clear up a burning question. So can I just ask - are Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly the same person?



Seriously! What is up with them?! Are Leighton and Minka sisters and no one told me? Or is this some kind of conspiracy? Another thing is that Vanessa has a Cameron Diaz thing going on. But one burning question at a time. Any information regarding this matter is greatly appreciated.

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I'm still buzzing from my High Line experience last night. It was even more amazing than I was expecting! I'll be posting pics later this week.

Some links:

Teens Writing for Teens interviewed me about fear, inspiration, and advice. I just found this awesome site, which was totally created by teens. If you're a teen writer looking for advice, check them out.

Nisha and LIbrary Lounge Lizard recently reviewed Waiting for You.

The Wall Street Journal posted an article about darker YA fiction.

Even though I write back to all of my reader email, I just want to say thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts about Waiting for You. I've heard from a lot of readers who can relate to Marisa's struggle to feel normal, both readers who are dealing with an anxiety disorder or depression and readers who see parts of Marisa's story in their own lives. Your kind words mean more to me than you'll ever know.

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Congrats to the three winners of my Floor Display Contest!

Renee took first place with her super creative entry:



Love the When It Happens theme. Surprisingly, she was the only one who busted out the Photoshop. I could seriously play around on Photoshop for days. So fun! Renee won copies of all three of my books.

This pic scored a second-place win for Marjon:



Note the waiting mode of both the friendly neighbors in the pic and of the book itself. Putting sunglasses and the scarf on Waiting for You made the book like it was relaxing in a tropical climate, just as Marisa sometimes envisions. Nice one!

Paula won a copy of Take Me There:



You might not see the creative aspect of this photo. Here's the premise. Paula was one of my good friends in high school. I haven't seen her since then. A few months ago, we reconnected on Facebook and she found out that I'm an author. So this photo, with my friend from high school in front of the magazines we used to read and cut things out of to make collages, next to my floor display which is a reality we could only dream about back then, blows my mind on several levels. This photo is a holistic experience. It's a statement that dreams do become reality. Anything is possible. Remembering how difficult my life was back then, I'm here to tell you this: If I can be the architect of my own destiny, so can you.

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I'm thrilled to announce the winners of the Living In the Now Contest! kd2188 won Waiting for You and Rachel won Take Me There. Winners, please send your names and addresses to me at friendly.neighbor [at] hotmail.com so I can get your prizes right out to you.

Some things regarding my ginormous Floor Display Contest. Not all Barnes & Noble locations have the displays up, so you can take your photo with just my books instead. Your photo can be taken with one or more of the books at home, but Waiting for You has to be included since that's what we're celebrating. Also, I've been hearing from booksellers across the country and it sounds like some displays just got put up. Therefore, I'm extending the contest deadline to Friday, June 5. The most creative photo wins signed copies of all three of my books! Here's how to enter.

Yay for Teenreads! They totally reviewed Waiting for You and also interviewed me. Find out how I (try to) balance writing with online time, why I love writing about soul mates, and why I have no worries about including pop culture references in my books.

I will be at an exciting event coming up this week here in New York. It's the NYC Teen Author Carnival! The fun will go down this Thursday, May 28, from 4:00 to 6:00 at the New York Public Library at 6th Avenue and 10th Street. Check out the list of attending authors, get the link to watch the event live, or RSVP if you'll be in the nabe - it's free. I'll be bringing some games, so come on by if you want to play!

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Are you entering my ginormous Floor Display Contest? I hope so! I've extended the entry deadline to May 30. Also, if your local B&N doesn't have the floor display up, you can take your photo with my book(s) in a bookstore or at home. Whichever place will allow you to be your most creative self!

Some awesome teens got together and created a special upcoming event here in New York. It's the NYC Teen Author Carnival! The fun will go down on Thursday, May 28, from 4:00 to 6:00 at the New York Public Library Jefferson Market Branch, located at 6th Avenue and 10th Street. Check out the event site for a list of attending authors and a link to watch it live if you can't be there in person. I hear there won't be bumper cars or cotton candy, but I'll be bringing Chinese Checkers and Set (cool logic card game I can show you) if you feel like some game time.

Two new reviews of Waiting for You are out: one at The Book Obsession and another at Y.A. New York.

You have two more days to enter my Living In the Now contest. From the comments I've received so far, it sounds like most of us use reading or chocolate to feel better when we're sad. I know they work for me. Also, our Soul Mates Contest is accepting entries all month. I love hearing about your most adored soul mates.

Okay, my flip-flops have been taunting me for weeks, but today it's already 80 and sunny. I'm out.

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When people ask me what kinds of books I write, I tell them that I write novels for teens. When they ask what kind of novels, I usually say that I write about soul mates. Soul mates have been at the heart of every one of my books. So technically I write romance, but I would never describe my books that way. Language is an interesting thing. A word that has a negative connotation to me could be totally positive to you. But to me, the term "romance novel" smacks of a helpless girl clinging to a shirtless boy with way too many muscles. I can't get past the cheese factor enough to describe my novels that way. Maybe I need to replace my old word association with an updated one.

Which brings me to the issue of chick lit. What is it? Does it have a negative or positive connotation?

Here's the Kirkus review of Waiting for You:

Kirkus, 5/15

Marisa spent freshman year grappling with anxiety disorder and depression. Now the amateur photographer is heading into sophomore year with some coping skills and waiting for love to find her. While her best friend is IMing older guys and her once-“normal” parents are separated, Marisa thinks she’s finally found romance with popular Derek, her first boyfriend. Why, then, would she rather hang out and discuss her problems, especially her relapsing depression, with her “totally geeked out” chemistry partner, Nash? Maybe while Marisa’s been waiting for love, it’s been in front of her all along. The story isn’t new, but Colasanti keeps it fresh by speaking to teens in their own language. Marisa’s realistic, first-person narration ably captures the importance of typical adolescent problems. The author also offers a hint of mystery (although readers will soon figure it out) with a late-night radio show featuring Dirty Dirk, an anonymous student who reaches out to Marisa. Chick lit for girls who think. (Fiction. YA)

Now, I totally appreciate a good review, and this one seems okay. It's just...um, I wasn't aware that I write chick lit. I'm assuming "Chick lit for girls who think" is a good thing. If we're going by the definition of chick lit recently mentioned in The New York Times, "fiction by and for women," then I guess I write it. But if that's all there is to the definition, then why do so many people perceive chick lit as fluff? It's true that I write about love, but every one of my books deals with serious issues. Some of these include physical abuse, sexual abuse, death, neglect, divorce, infidelity, and depression. Does chick lit define books dealing with serious issues? Or does it imply a light, fun read?

How do you define chick lit?

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The thing about living in a 400-square-foot apartment is that you can' t have as many bookshelves as you'd like. I have all these:



but, like, zero shelf space. So I'm having yet another contest to win them! This will be the final contest to celebrate the Waiting for You release, which was last week.

Before I explain the new contest, let's review the existing ones:

• Soul Mates Contest - this is a joint contest with Melissa Walker. To enter, watch our video and then tell us your favorite TV or movie soul mates. Ends June 1.

• Floor Display Contest - take a photo of you with the Waiting for You floor display, out now in Barnes & Noble stores. The most creative photo wins. Note: I've extended the rules to also include photos of you with just my books because not all B&N locations put up floor displays. Ends May 30.

• Blog tour contests - I've compiled a list of my May blog tour stops on the Waiting for You page of my website. Each site offered a chance to win a signed copy of Waiting for You. Some of the contests are still open.

And now...this week's contest! I'm calling it the Living In the Now Contest. In Waiting for You, Marisa struggles with living in the Now. It's hard for her because she has an anxiety disorder. She's constantly worrying about stupid things she said and what people think and a bunch of other stuff that prevents her from being present in the moment. So I want to know what you do to enjoy the Now. What things usually make you feel better when you're sad? When I'm feeling sad, I watch The Office or put on some John Mayer and that fixes me right up. What about you?

To enter: Leave a comment here, telling me your best Living In the Now feel-better strategy. I will select two winners. First prize is a signed copy of Waiting for You. Second prize is a signed copy of Take Me There. You have until 11:11 p.m. on Saturday, May 23 to enter. Good luck!

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Book Release Day was super fun! I woke up with that exciting special event feeling. To celebrate, I visited Barnes & Noble and signed some books. More on that later. But first...

Yesterday was Day 10 of my blog tour. The Compulsive Reader asked me three summer-related questions to wrap up the tour. Thanks to everyone who hosted me. It was a total blast!

I'm psyched that several readers have already finished Waiting for You and took the time to write to me. When your new book comes out, you have no idea if it sucks or not until people tell you what's up. So please keep the feedback coming! More reviews are being posted, including this one on S. Krishna's Books.

Waiting for You wasn't the only book released yesterday. It was also the pub day of Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key paperback edition! I was all impressed that my floor display got to reside next to hers:



The tag line on mine said, "First love. Complicated love. True love." And Sarah's said, "Relationships. Romance. Real life." No, we didn't write those. The friendly neighbors at B&N whipped those up. Sarah's display was really pretty. Her paperback covers are the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen. Something about the way the hues, fonts, and images work together to completely reflect the tone of her books is so impressive. Congrats on another outstanding achievement, Sarah!

I'm not sure how long the floor displays will be up, so if you're interested in my Floor Display Contest (which requires a photo of you with my floor display), I recommend visiting your local B&N soon. First prize is signed copies of all three books. I'm not only having this contest to give away books, but I'd love to assemble a collage of you guys showing off your creative skills. That would be freaking awesome! Looking forward to your entries...

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Book release day! Book release day!

Yay yay yay yay yay!

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The waiting is almost over. Waiting for You will be released this Thursday, May 14. Actually, I've heard from some readers who've already read it! Libraries and Borders got this party started early. Now all we need is cake.

I am immensely honored to be the first author reviewed at a shiny new book blog! Alley of Books reviewed Waiting for You and made my heart happy. When I write a book, I want my readers to feel like they've completed (or are just beginning) a journey by the time they finish the last page. That's exactly what Mitali described at the end of her review:

"I didn’t expect tears. Nor did I expect to have this sense of calm come over me. A peace I’ve never felt before. Like something inside of me understood that it was ok to wait. It was ok to not have someone, there was always tomorrow. I had heard ‘Love blossoms from friendships’. Yesterday I was a dreamer. Today I am a believer."

How sweet is that? Thanks for the awesome review, Mitali!

Today is the first day of my biggest contest to win signed copies of Waiting for You, Take Me There, and When It Happens. It's the Floor Display Contest! In case you haven't noticed floor displays in bookstores before, they're these cardboard risers that display an author's books on mini shelves, kind of like a book tower. Barnes & Noble stores and some indie bookstores will be putting up the Waiting for You floor displays this week, which will feature all three of my books. Here in New York, I think the floor displays are going up tomorrow. They should all be up by Thursday. The displays will be up for varying lengths of time, which is part of your challenge.

To enter the contest: Take a picture of you with the floor display. The most creative picture wins. You may use Photoshop, other photo enhancement, props, costumes, lighting effects, etc. Email your picture to me at friendly.neighbor [at] hotmail.com. Include your full name, mailing address, and email with your entry. All personal information will be kept confidential, of course. You have until 11:11 p.m. on Saturday, May 23 to enter.

Prizes: Three winners will be selected. The first prize winner will receive signed copies of all three books. Second prize is Waiting for You and your choice of either Take Me There or When It Happens. Third prize is Take Me There.

This contest is open to US residents only. Looking for an international contest? Check out my Soul Mates Contest with Melissa Walker.

I can't wait to be dazzled by your creativity. Show me what you can do!

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80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs (a coalition to discuss the issues surrounding the growing unemployment rate among young people. Plus, more on how teens are competing with laid-off adults for summer jobs) (USA Today) - New Kindle DX will... Read the rest of this post

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May 1 = May Day = my birthday = gifts for you! It's time to give back to all of you as my way of saying thank you for this life. So I'm starting my second contest today. The wonderful Melissa Walker and I have teamed up to present you with our Soul Mates Contest. Her new book, Lovestruck Summer, comes out this month along with Waiting for You. You can win signed copies of both books!

Melissa created this video of us, in which we discuss the contest prizes, the rules, and a bit about the things we like. I cannot take any credit for this video. Melissa filmed everything, then did all of the editing and text - I love her cute comments! She even added an outtakes section. Thanks for creating this sweet video, Melissa!

Here's how the Soul Mates Contest works. (Note: You might have to use your headphones if you're like me and are always meaning to stop by Shiny Happy Apple World for those gorgeous speakers, but somehow have not gone yet):


To enter the contest:

1. Leave a comment here to win Melissa's books and gift bag or leave a comment over at Melissa's blog to win my books and John Mayer stuff. In your comment, tell us about your favorite TV or movie soul mates who should be together but aren't. If they eventually get together, that's cool, just tell us about the time they weren't and you were like, "Ring ring! Clue phone!"

2. Your entry will count twice if you post this video on your blog, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. Leave the link in your comment.

3. You have until June 1 to enter.

Hey, it's Day One of my blog tour! Check out my interview with Taylor over at For the Love of Books.

May Day is also Buy Indie Day, so show your support of indie bookstores by visiting your local indie today.

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Some author videos promoting the May 14 release of Waiting for You are out. I definitely haven't overcome my voice phobia, but I did put it aside long enough to watch these. I'd feel better about them if my voice didn't sound so weird out there in the world. It sounds okay in my head.

Here's one about soul mates that Penguin's using on its sites. Note: When I'm talking about the boy who inspired the character of Tobey in When It Happens and my mortifying junior prom picture is shown, that's not him. But it's the only photo with a boy I have from high school that I can actually look at.


The Amazon video discusses how I came up with the title for Waiting for You. In the Barnes & Noble video, I talk about creating your ideal life.

All of these videos were filmed and created by the wonderful Lauren Saffa. She is just so sweet and easy to work with you can't even believe it. It's not easy to tell a story in around three minutes. Lauren totally nailed it with her outstanding talent.

There's so much to tell you with all of this book release excitement, so I'll be blogging pretty much every day for the next few weeks. See you tomorrow!

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This weekend was all about the summer breeze. I really wanted to borrow a kite to fly, but I didn't get a chance to spend as much time outside as I wanted because I'm on deadline. Having all the windows open so the summer breeze flowed in and listening to the mourning doves and deciding which flip-flops to wear later was happy times, so it's all good.

Melissa Walker, author and journalist and Readergirl and like a zillion other things because she's multitalented like that, has posted a Cover Story of Waiting for You. Well, it was supposed to be about Waiting for You, but it also looked at Take Me There since that cover went through some changes. I love how Melissa gets the whole Dawson's Creek aesthetic of the cover. I was trying to capture that feeling in the story, so I'm stoked that she picked up on that. Stay tuned for a special treat with Melissa coming up this Friday!

Today's special treat for you is my first contest in a series of four. Joining me for the He Was There All Along Contest is author Elizabeth Scott! I know you love her. I totally scored her latest book, Something, Maybe, and got Elizabeth to sign it for you. You can win it by commenting here. You can also win a signed copy of Waiting for You by commenting over at Elizabeth's blog because this is a joint contest!

Here's how to enter: Tell me (or both of us) about a boy you wished you would find, then realized that you already knew him. He was there all along! This is a theme that Something, Maybe and Waiting for You share, and we'd love to hear your own stories. If this kind of thing never happened to you but it happened to a friend, you can tell us about it instead. Or you can tell us about the boy you've been waiting for, even if you haven't found him yet.

The contest ends at midnight this Sunday, May 3. Sorry, it's only open to US residents. I will pick a winner at random to win Elizabeth's book. She will pick a winner at random to win my book. So definitely enter to win both books! And yes, you may leave the same comment at both blogs. Or maybe you are very lucky and two boys have been there all along...

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As if I wasn't stoked enough about Waiting for You coming out on May 14, the friendly neighbors at Penguin have put together a Susane Sampler to get the party started. Woot! The sampler has a few chapters from all three of my books. So if you'd like a Waiting for You sneak peek or want to read a bit from When It Happens or Take Me There, you can check it out at Scribd.

Read on.

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The first book blogger review of Waiting for You is out! Here's what the Compulsive Reader thought about it.

Dedicated readers of this blog know that I like to keep it old school. This proclivity applies to handwriting. Spending way more hours in front of the computer and less time writing on actual paper has disturbing consequences. I've noticed that my m's are, alarmingly, all scrunched. It's a sudden change that I'm consciously working on reversing every day. Kitty Burns Florey explores the lost art of penmanship in Script & Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting. When's the last time you saw someone write in script (besides signatures)? I don't even think kids learn it in elementary school anymore. I worry for script. It may become the next duckbilled platypus.

But today, I'm doing a happy dance. In less than a month from now, it will be spring. I even heard a mourning dove the other day. There are green spaces in sunshine waiting for you at the end of the windchill factor. Cheers.

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I've submitted the manuscript of my fourth book, Something Like Fate, and am anticipating my editorial letter. Which means that I'm officially on book five. This is the first time since writing When It Happens that I'm starting a book totally fresh. While I was writing my past three books, I wrote notes on the next ones. By the time I started a new book, I already knew the characters and most subplots and even what some scenes would look like. Not this time. I don't even know my characters' names yet. The only thing I know is the main plot. So this should be an exciting ride.

Actually, this is my first day working on book five. For the past two weeks, I've immersed myself in Dreamweaver and Photoshop to learn how to do my own website designing. Carrie Bishop of Identity Web and Photo did a fantastic job designing my website. I highly recommend her for your website needs. She's an extra friendly neighbor and offers reasonable rates. I wanted to take over the designing and try some new things, plus be able to update as news becomes available. So I invested in the software, got a few books, and went into hiding. Now I'm happy to announce that my 14-hour days are over and my changes are finally done (oh, and I didn't blow up the entire site, which I was majorly paranoid about).

I would absolutely love your feedback on my website! Is anything essential missing? What else would you like me to include? Do you have any questions for the Q&A page that aren't included? Anything on my bio page that should be there but isn't? Your thoughts are very much appreciated. Also, I've included some info about Waiting for You and posted a short excerpt (just what's on the back cover for now).

Okay, time to come up with some new character names...

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