What’s on my iPod: “La Vie En Rose” by Edith Piaf
What I’m reading: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
The last person I followed on Twitter: @nytimes
1. GIRL UNMOORED contest still on fire!
GIRL UNMOORED by Jennifer Gooch Hummer is making so much buzz! Between the contest and official launch, the novel is on fire! The contest open for everyone is already a hit among Hummer and BookSparks fans!
Here’s the Totally Awesome Deal:
Now through April 6th, when you comment about Girl Unmoored on my blog you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a tote bag stuffed with gifts that blend the hottest 2012 e-reader with totally rad ’80s memorabilia and more! And if you purchase the book (print or e-book) and forward your receipt confirmation to contests@sparkpointstudio.com, your name will be entered to win 10 TIMES! That’s 11 chances to win the following awesome prizes:
- A Kindle Fire, just in time for spring break lounging!
- DVDs of Best Of 80s movies to celebrate the year of Girl Unmoored, 1985
- Copies of my Top 5 YA books: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb; Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty; and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- A gift card to 1-800 Flowers in honor of Apron’s summer job at Mike and Chad’s flower shop, Scent Appeal
The winner will be notified and announced the week of April 23rd. Bonus Fortuna!
Want to know what GIRL UNMOORED is totally about? Here are some more deets on the novel:
Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. It’s 1985 and her mom has passed away, her evil stepmother is pregnant, and her best friend has traded her in for a newer model. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike (no one should look that much like Jesus unless they can perform a miracle or two), but suddenly he’s everywhere. Until one day, she’s stuck in church with him—of all places. And then something happens; Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift.
Mike and his grumpy boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, coming of age becomes almost too much bear. She’s forced to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means and who is paying too much for it.
Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You, comments, “Love, loss, and the coming of age of one remarkable girl blaze through this haunting debut like a shooting star you’d wish upon. It’s tough and tender, funny and smart, and it frankly took my breath away. I loved it.”
2. Founder Crystal Patriarche on Writer Unboxed
Our fabulous and fierce BookSparksPR founder and publicist Crystal Patriarche stopped by Writer Unboxed to share some PR, book publicity and Goodreads wisdom with readers. Here is a highlight of Crystal’s advice:
I can say for sure that I’ve gotten to know people via social media – authors who I’ve come across on social media and online who I admire their interests and style, their integrity and causes, how they treat and value their readers and colleagues, the things that inspire them and they share, the books they read and gravitate toward – and that can make me decide to buy a book, to follow them, to pay attention to what they are doing, to be invested for their next book, to add them to the list of authors whose books I will always buy. If I like them and what they represent. And vice versa, I’ve come across some authors and people online, authors who have found me through clients and Facebook or my website, who are abrassive and exude qualities that, after getting to “know” them, completely turn me off. That’s how powerful social media and online tools can be. I’ve never even met this person but I will never buy those books or waste time on that person again – that’s kind of crazy, but it’s the nature of social media and how emotionally invested we can get – even online.
Lately, I’ve fielded several author inquires about Goodreads – another trendy social media tool, this time specifically for authors. I get asked, is it useful? Is there a way to use it for book promotion? How? Here are my thoughts about Goodreads, how to use it effectively. How it can be part of the overall online story you’re telling, along with all the other social media platforms. Part of your overall genuine publicity that happens even when you’re not trying to make it about publicity.
3. Jennifer Gooch Hummer on Unbashedly Bookish!
Author of the hour and author GIRL UNMOORED Jennifer Gooch Hummer stopped by the Barnes and Noble blog Unbashedly Bookish for a great Q&A – we officially know this wonderful author a little better than we did before. Below is a highlight of the interview and be sure to check out the rest here!
LS: If you could see one person, alive or dead, reading your book, who would it be?
JGH: Actually, I would love to see my future grandchildren reading my book…. a long, long time from now. My kids are still too young to have boyfriends! But I’d love to see Girl Unmoored stand the test of time.
LS: What’s the best compliment you’ve received about your book?
JGH: The best compliment is: “I read Girl Unmoored twice, and it was even better the second time.”
LS: What book are you reading now? What’s the next book you plan to read?
JGH: When I am in the middle of writing a book, I don’t usually read any fiction. I don’t want someone else’s storyline showing up in mine, even subconsciously. So I read mostly memoirs.Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson was the last book I read. I’m keeping my eye out for another incredible biography or autobiography.
More about GIRL UNMOORED
Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. It’s 1985 and her mom has passed away, her evil stepmother is pregnant, and her best friend has traded her in for a newer model. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike (no one should look that much like Jesus unless they can perform a miracle or two), but suddenly he’s everywhere. Until one day, she’s stuck in church with him—of all places. And then something happens; Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift.
Mike and his grumpy boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, coming of age becomes almost too much bear. She’s forced to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means and who is paying too much for it.
Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You, comments, “Love, loss, and the coming of age of one remarkable girl blaze through this haunting debut like a shooting star you’d wish upon. It’s tough and tender, funny and smart, and it frankly took my breath away. I loved it.”
4. SO FAR AWAY on Library Journal Reviews A great deal of the buzz of PLA was about books—be it Nancy Pearl’s sold-out lunch to launch her new “Booklust Rediscoveries” series, Joyce Saricks’s book-networking challenge, or programs on what happens in libraries when leaders are readers. The power behind all three, and the bevy of other book-related programming at PLA, is, of course, the thrill of what one’s next book might be.
To that end, I asked some of the bigger publishing houses to share what was hot in their booths—what they were talking about and what readers were asking about. They could pick only four books each, no easy task. A few are out now or will be shortly, but the rest will be published during late spring and early summer. Happy reading!
Hachette Book Group
- Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson (Twelve)
- So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore (Regan Arthur Bks.)
- An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi (Little, Brown)
- You Came Back by Christopher Coake (Grand Central)
5. Umesh Shukla of AURYN INC featured by Media Bistro!
Umesh Shukla – founder of AURYN INC – was featured as one of five Children’s Book Apps Publishers to Watch in Media Bistro! Very exciting time for these pioneering digital publishers. Here is a highlight from the feature:
Umesh Shukla, Founder of Auryn. A graduate of Walt Disney Feature Animation and DreamWorks Feature Animation, Shukla is an animator and designer that founded Auryn, a company that makes interactive apps with understated drawings such as Teddy’s Day, Teddy’s Night and Shadow of the Elves.
More on AURYN INC
Auryn is a premiere digital publisher focused on creating award-winning interactive children’s stories for the iPad and other tablet devices. We collaborate with authors, illustrators and publishers to turn their stories into educational, engaging and entertaining experiences. Auyrn’s patented technology (Aurynization) brings any illustration style to life through animation and interactivity. Kirkus Reviews, Fast Company, NPR, PadGadget and Animation Magazine all herald Auryn as a leader in creating sophisticated and immersive “app” experiences.
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