SUMMER!! GIVEAWAYS!! BOOKITCON!!

It's SUMMER!!!

You're probably like, um, yes, Robin, it's been summer for close to a month now...where have you been?!

DRAFTING!!! (she says with a twitchy, maniacal grin)  First-drafting to be exact.  Not my favorite part of the writing process but a necessary part.

Which basically means I hardly pick up my head to realize what day it is, let alone that it's halfway through my favorite month and/or if I'm wearing something that's appropriate to be seen out in public.

Yes, July is my favorite for reasons.

Summer
Beach
Lemonade
Boardwalks
Birthdays
Barbecues
FLIP-FLOPS
Sun
Swimming
Sharks 

But the good news is I'm done!!  Time to goof off for a bit!! YASS!!

In honor of my favorite month, I'm doing two, YES TWO, Goodreads Giveaways!  One for a paperback copy of THE PROMISE OF AMAZING and one for a hard cover of its companion novel THE SECRETS OF ATTRACTION.  For the next week I'm going to be running fun posts that highlight both books! Playlists, casting, deleted scenes, etc.  Stop by and check it out!

Also you could win THE SECRETS OF ATTRACTION and some more fab YAs in this #QuietYA giveaway!!  


Where I'll be in August

Live in NJ?  Love books?  Then BOOKITCON is for YOU!!  There are some amazing authors attending this book event (I will be fangirling too!) and even if you can't attend you have the opportunity to order some signed/personalized copies through the Bookitcon website until JULY 24th!!!  Tickets start at $15.00.  And keep an eye on twitter: Bookitcon organizer Nori (@ReadWriteLove28) is going to run a Twitter Q&A with some of the participating authors on JULY 22nd!!!

Here's some info, but check the BOOKITCON website for the most up to date details and of course to buy tickets!!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

It’s fall, and I suppose about time for a new blog post, lest you think I’ve been stuck in post-revision la-la land for months. 

I haven’t.

Shortly after my last post, another round of revisions landed in my inbox.  This was a tough batch (I had to completely rethink a part of the story) but revision has become my favorite part of the writing process because I get to play.  I’m so happy with it!  And now I can share the title of book two with you:

The Secrets of Attraction

Add it on Goodreads!

This is a companion novel for The Promise of Amazing – which means (for me at least) it’s an entirely different story, set in the same place, with some old characters and some new ones too! This is Madison’s story – so much fun writing from her perspective!!  

Wait until you see the cover - it’s very swoony.  (Soon!!)

All work and no play…well, you know how it goes, so after I finished with my last round of revisions AND copy edits, I had time for some travels.

I love Downton Abbey and had the chance to see the “Costumes of Downton Abbey” exhibit at Winterthur Gardens in Delaware, which is an absolutely gorgeous place to visit! (even without the costumes)

 Lady Sybil's fashion forward harem pants! 

I also had time for the beach (Cape May, NJ)!

Met up with some One Four KidLit pals in Orlando, FL!!

(l - r, the FABULOUS Vivi Barnes, Erica Cameron, Julie Murphy, Me and Christina Farley)

 More time for the beach. (Wrightsville Beach, NC)

And a visit to Wilmington, NC where I kept my eyes peeled for Tom Mison but instead of Ichabod Crane.... 

...I found this:

 (Wren was here!)

I also had the chance to participate in Novel Fashion Week, run by Kindred Dreamheart, which was a blast.  Here’s the daytime and evening looks I came up with to match the cover of The Promise of Amazing! (Hope they would get Tim Gunn's approval!!)

All in all, I had a pretty productive and fun summer.  Now, bring on all things pumpkin!!