Tenners Library Giveaway

ATTENTION LIBRARIANS!!! 
To celebrate the end of our debut year, The Tenners will be holding a special giveaway just for librarians. One public or school library will be selected to receive a set of 54 books by 2010 MG and YA debut authors.

 

How do you enter this massive giveaway? So easy. All you have to do is capture one of our books in the wild.* Take a photo of yourself, another librarian, a patron, or even an adorable library pet posing with one of our 2010 debut novels. Send it to us at 2010debuts@gmail.com from your institutional email address. Tell us your name, your library's name and mailing address, and who's in the picture. 

 

Again, only librarians are eligible for this giveaway. Not a librarian? Encourage your friendly neighborhood librarian to enter! The contest will be open until February 15th and the lucky winning library will be chosen and announced on February 16th. Until then, we'll be periodically posting your pictures. 

 

The Tenners would like to thank you all SO VERY MUCH for your support this year. It's been an amazing adventure and we're looking forward to sharing more books with you in 2011 and beyond.

 

 

Books included in the giveaway are:

 

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Change of Heart by Shari Maurer

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson

Dirty Little Secrets by Cynthia Jaynes Omololu

Eighth-Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount-White

The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston

Freefall by Mindi Scott

The Ghost & The Goth by Stacey Kade

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Hush, Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Inconvenient by Margaret Gelbwasser

Iron King and Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Kids vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout

Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz by Laura Toffler-Corrie

The Line by Teri Hall

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Magic Under Glass by Jackie Dolamore

The Mark by Jen Nadol

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Nice & Mean by Jessica Leader

Other by Karen Kincy

Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

Prophecy of Days by Christy Raedeke

The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez

The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

Sea by Heidi Kling

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes

Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson

 

 

 

*No purchase necessary, so posing with a photo or artistic interpretation of a book's cover is just fine too.

Blog: I'm going to do the Off the Shelf Challenge!

There are tons of reading challenges starting up for the new year.  I've never taken part in one before, but I found the review-optional Off the Shelf Challenge and decided that this one is definitely for me! 

Basically, this is a challenge to try to get your to-be-read pile under control by reading some of the books that you already have in your possession.

Here's what I will read in 2011 for this challenge:

 1.  Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
 2.  The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
 3.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
 4.  Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
 5.  Among the Ghosts by Amber Benson
 6.  Milo by Alan Silberberg
 7.  Beautiful by Amy Reed
 8.  Crash into Me by Albert Borris
 9.  Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
10. Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols
11.  WTF by Peter Lerangis
12. Take Me There by Carolee Dean
13.  Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
14.  Building Blocks by Cynthia Voigt
15.  The Lover by Marguerite Duras (Weird. This has been on my shelf for over a decade. I just watched the movie recently.)

Since my list contains fifteen books, I am in the "Trying" level of the Challenge.  Looking forward to it!

Blog: List Friday: Commercials that Have Stuck with Me.

Remember, like, eight Fridays ago when I said, "I'm not going to do Friday four or five anymore.  I'm going to do List Friday so that my lists can have as many items as I want!" and then I made one or two Friday lists and stopped doing List Friday?  Well, I'm making another attempt today!

Commercials that Have Stuck with Me

1.  Morgan Freeman's narration of the emotional Visa advertisements during the last summer Olympics just about killed me on a regular basis.  I cried every time I watched the Derek Redmond commercial.  I cried while thinking about the Derek Redmond commercial.  I cried when I told people about the Derek Redmond commercial.  And just now while collecting the embed code from YouTube, I watched it and cried some more.

2.  I'm a vegetarian.  The only things I order at Jack in the Box are chocolate milkshakes and mozzarella sticks.  Still, Jack's irreverent meat-loving in the commercials cracks me up for some reason.  I especially love this one where Jack's son reads an essay about how he wants to become a vegetarian when he grows up.

3.  The PSA about how Parents Who Use Drugs Have Children Who Use Drugs is pretty much my favorite commercial ever.  I've never really understood the dad's behavior, and when I was a kid, he actually kind of freaked me out.  But the son's frustrated comeback?  AWESOME.  I use this phrase all the time in my real life.

Husband:  Why did you open the mail and leave it all over the table?
Me:  I learned it by watching YOU!!!!

What are some of the commercials out there that have stuck with you?

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Margie Gelbwasser

A few weeks ago, I read Margie Gelbwasser's debut novel, INCONVENIENT.  I really enjoyed it!  I'm not Russian or Jewish, so I loved getting to learn more about those cultures.  I also found Alyssa to be a wonderful, relatable, and real protagonist.  If you like contemporary YA stories with emotional character journeys, I definitely recommend that you check out INCONVENIENT!

Here's my Magic 8 interview with Margie:

Margie Gelbwasser is the author of INCONVENIENT, a YA novel that was released by Flux on November 1, 2010.

In fifteen-year-old Alyssa Bondar’s Russian-Jewish culture, having a few drinks is as traditional as blinchiki and piroshki. So when her mom’s midday cocktails turn into an all-day happy hour, it seems like Alyssa’s the only one who notices—or cares. Her dad is steeped in the nightly news—and denial—and her best friend Lana is too busy trashing their shared Russian heritage so she can be popular.

Alyssa would rather focus on cross-country meets and her first kiss with her running partner, Keith, but someone has to clean up her mom’s mess. But who will be there to catch Alyssa when her mom’s next fall off the wagon threatens to drag her down, too?

1. At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

I always wanted to be a writer. That was my dream. But in my family of science people (my dad is an engineer, my mom is a chemist, my sis a doctor), I think writing wasn't thought of as a career. My parents thought I was talented in it, but I guess no one thought you could have this as a job, including me. So since I was 4 I wanted to be a doctor. By 18, I realized math and science weren't my strong suit, so I went to school to major in English and Education (so I guess Teacher is the answer to age 18). By 28, I was making the transition of leaving  teaching and pursuing writing as a career.

2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

I played clarinet from 5th grade to 12th so let's go with band geek, but I really wanted to be a cheerleader.

3. What are some of your superstitions and/or phobias?

I am really scared of mice and rats, not the cute ones behind cages in pet stores that keep busy sleeping and running on their wheels. I'm talking about the ones that you see on the streets or those that sneak into your house in the winter. DO NOT LIKE THEM. I'm also scared of heights.

4. Without giving away too much from your book, which character or scene are you  the most pleased about having created, and why?

One of my favorite characters in the book is Lana, Alyssa's best friend. I don't agree with how she behaves but she was so fun for me to write and I just love how she evolved from being totally mean in the first draft to more three dimensional in the final version. As for scenes, I really love the first kiss between Alyssa and Keith. I like the thoughts going through her head, how he acts, their banter. That scene just
makes me swoon. Another scene I like a lot is the barn party because you see a different side of Alyssa and her struggles.

5. Was there any certain music that inspired you while you were writing this book, or is there a song that could serve as your protagonist’s theme song?

I know I'm in the minority, but music doesn't fuel my writing. I love music. I love dancing to music, and I have favorite songs and artists. In fact, once the book is written, I often hear a song and think this would work so well in X scene in my book. But the whole playlist thing? I think the idea is terrific but I just don't think of my stories in that way as I write. Or, maybe, I'm just too lazy to create one (I tried an got up to two songs. They take A LOT of work!). I do, however, envision my books as movies and have ideas how all the scenes will play out and who would play the characters. For example, my ideal actor for Keith would be Chris Olivero (Declan McDonough from Kyle XY).

6. What’s up next for you as a writer?

I am working on a YA called THE AIR I BREATHE which I'm excited about. It's told in multiple POVs and it's dark and edgy. It will be out by Flux in November 2011. I'm also revising an MG—aimed at boys in 4th -6th grade—for my agent.

7. And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

Hmm...tough one, but I'm going with Beatles. Their songs were so thought-provoking and you got a choice of 4 dudes, not just one!

8. Okay, your turn. Do you have a question you’d like me to ask my Magic 8-Ball on your behalf? (I’m telling you, this thing is scarily accurate! Well, except for when it’s lying.)

Um, OK. Will INCONVENIENT become a major blockbuster with Jennifer Aniston playing the role of the mother? I love her!

Oops.  I forgot to tell you that my Magic 8-Ball is also a total jerkwad that seems to enjoy CRUSHING DREAMS.  Anyway, thank you so much, Margie!  :-D

Thanks so much for having me, Mindi!

CONTEST! Spread the Word about Freefall by Mindi Scott.

Hey, everyone!  Look what I have! 

Why, yes, that is yarn in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin colors!  What does this mean for YOU?  Well . . .

Spread the Word Contest - Freefall by Mindi Scott

Do you want to win cool prizes for you and a friend? Enter this contest and help spread the word about FREEFALL! 

TWO winners will receive the following:

1.  A scarf knitted just for you by me in the colors of your house at Hogwarts!  (Because it's cold and I have Harry Potter on the brain right now. You can take a quiz here if you don't know which house you'd be sorted into.)

2.  A signed and personalized copy of FREEFALL mailed to you*.  (If you already have your own copy, you may choose from a list of other paperback contemporary titles instead.)

3.  A signed and personalized copy of FREEFALL mailed to your friend*.

For one chance to win, simply fill out this form.  There is room for extra entries on the form if you blog about this contest and include the link.   Those who have read and reviewed FREEFALL prior to entering will have the opportunity for the most entries. (Reviews do not have to be positive; just honest.) I very much appreciate you reading my book and taking the time to tell others about it!  

You can also get one additional entry per day by Tweeting:  "Spread the Word about Freefall by @mindi_scott - RT to enter! http://bit.ly/eYaJ0d"
 
Winner #1 U.S. and Canada only.  Winner #2 International*.  Ends at midnight PST on December 23, 2010.  Good luck and thanks for helping me spread the word! ♥

*If the winner and friend in the International contest are outside the U.S. and Canada, the book prizes will be shipped via Book Depository and will not be signed and personalized.  Not out of meanness; I've just spent hundreds on shipping costs this year!  :-)