What’s on my iPod: Some Nights by Fun.

What I’m reading: The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The last person I followed on Twitter: @WearMarcoPolo

1. Kathleen Shoop Launches ‘After The Fog’  

Congratulations to Kathleen Shoop, a bestselling Kindle author for the launch of her new book this week, “After The Fog.”  The main character in her book is Rose Pavlesic, a community nurse.  Since the launch is in conjunction with National Nurses Week, Kathleen is doing a tribute to nurses with a health and wellness basket giveaway.

The basket has numerous goodies including a $100 Whole Foods gift card.  When you purchase Kathleen’s new book and forward your receipt to contests@sparkpointstudio.com, you are automatically entered to win the basket!  For more details about the contest be sure to take a look at Kathleen’s blog.

Buzz about “After The Fog” has already begun!  Check out Bags, Books & Bon Jovi for a vintage, 1940s guest post from Kathleen!

MORE ABOUT AFTER THE FOG:

For every woman who thinks she left her past behind…  In the steel mill town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 “killing smog,” headstrong nurse Rose Pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Controlling and demanding, she’s created a life that reflects everything she missed growing up as an orphan. She’s managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from her loving husband, dutiful children, and their extended, complicated family.

When astagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose’s nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she nevercould have fathomed. Consequences from her past collide with her present life,making her once clear decisions as gray as the suffocating smog. As the pressure mounts, Rose finds she’s not the only one harboring lies. When the deadly fog finally clears, the loss of trust and faith leaves the Pavlesic family—and the whole town—splintered and shocked. With her new perspective, can Rose finally forgive herself and let her family’s healing begin?

MORE ABOUT KATHLEEN:

Kathleen Shoop is a Language Arts Coach with a PhD in Reading Education whose work has appeared in The Tribune Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent Magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. The Last Letter is her debut novel.

2.  Moms Praise ‘Girl Unmoored’

With Mother’s Day this weekend, we want to thank the moms who have reviewed “Girl Unmoored”-showing the cross-over appeal of this amazing YA novel.

Jennifer’s novel was reviewed by Booking Mama.  “I know I’m a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, but GIRL UNMOORED knocked my socks off! I was drawn into Apron’s story from the get-go and I immediately fell in love with her. Life was so unfair to this child and my heart broke for her over and over again; but I sensed that she was a survivor and I just knew that she was a special girl. And what a special girl she was!”  Be sure to take a look at the rest of the spectacular review from Booking Mama.

“Girl Unmoored” was also reviewed by 5 Minutes for Mom.  “Apron’s story is told with a heartfelt honest voice, a child on the verge of adolescence with an innocent and nonjudgmental perspective who simply wants to find goodness and love in the world.”  Check out the rest of 5 Minutes for Mom‘s review.

In other “Girl Unmoored” news, we want to congratulate Jennifer Gooch Hummer  for winning the Gold Medal in the Young Adult category from the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!  Also, the San Francisco Book Festival awarded “Girl Unmoored” Best Teenage Fiction!

3.  David Grossman is Featured On EmployersWeb.com

David’s article  “If You Can’t NOT Communicate, You Might As Well Get Good At It” appears on Employersweb.com’s homepage and is the first in a series of monthly articles he will post for their 70,000+ subscribers.  Employersweb.com is a leading business web portal dedicated to providing real health, benefits, compensation, work-life, recognition, and career development solutions.

MORE ABOUT DAVID:

David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, is one of America’s foremost authorities on communication and leadership, and a sought-after speaker and advisor to Fortune 500 leaders. A two-time author, David is CEO of The Grossman Group (www.yourthoughtpartner.com), an award-winning Chicago-based strategic leadership development and internal communication consultancy; clients include: Accor, AOL, GlaxoSmithKline, HTC, and McDonald’s.

4.   Paperback Launch of ‘The Arrivals’

Congratulations to Meg Mitchell Moore for the paperback launch of “The Arrivals.”  The launch could not have come at a better time since it is the perfect summer beach read!

Meg’s latest book, “So Far Away,” just received an impressive review from Jenn’s Bookshelves.  “Moore has so eloquently brought together the lives of three different women who, despite being at different points in their life, still feel a similar pain.  I became so invested in the stories of these three women that I couldn’t bear to tear myself away from this book. Their stories are captivating, I wanted so much more for each of them.”  Be sure to take a look at the rest of the review.

MORE ABOUT THE ARRIVALS:

It’s early summer when Ginny and William’s peaceful life in Burlington, Vermont, comes to an abrupt halt. First, their daughter Lillian arrives, two children in tow, to escape her crumbling marriage. Next, their son Stephen and his pregnant wife Jane show up for a weekend visit, which extends indefinitely.  When their youngest daughter Rachel appears, fleeing her difficult life in New York, Ginny and William find themselves consumed again by the chaos of parenthood—only this time around, their children are facing adult problems.  By summer’s end, the family gains new ideas of loyalty and responsibility, exposing the challenges of surviving the modern family. And the old adage, once a parent, always a parent, has never rung so true.

Meg Mitchell Moore is the author of The Arrivals and the forthcoming So Far Away. She worked for several years as a journalist. Her work has been published in Yankee, Continental, Women’s Health, Advertising Ageand many other business and consumer magazines. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and their three children.

5.  Auryn Inc. Wins Ippy Award