January 20, 2011

First let me note, Bonanza was/is the name of my high school. Isn’t that a fab name? I love any school that implants an old western theme song in your head all day. dun de de dun de de dun Bonanza! (I’ve never seen the show. I don’t know the rest of the song. And I had to google the de de dun part)
So my next book, SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD, releases March 1. Which is two weeks shy of when PRINCESS FOR HIRE released last year. And The Angst has begun. I’m hammering out a draft of PRINCESS FOR HIRE 3 (last year was book 2, which is blessedly done) while gearing up to release what I kind of consider a second debut since this book is in a whole other genre. But this time, I don’t have a new baby and I’m a little more Zen about the whole publication thing. I’m by no means a veteran, or even seasoned, but I haven’t been on goodreads twenty times today.
Only two.
Fun tradition I started last year that I’d like to keep going is a bookmark giveaway. The rules are simple.
You let me give you bookmarks. And then I giveaway a book.
No asterik. No catch*. All you have to do is email your address to (contact at lindsey leavitt dot com) and five, free signed bookmarks will be yours. Of those who email me, one name will be selected for a free advanced copy of SGH. Read it before your friends and rub it in. Or share. Yes, kindness is best.

(Hardcover arrived. I cried. Youngest daughter ate toast. And oldest daughter rolled her eyes and said, “So what. It’s not even pink.”
Leavitt home=tough crowd.)

*Oh wait. There is a *. These lovely page holders aren’t ONLY yours. Part of the deal is that you spread those bookmarks around. Keep one for yourself, and donate the rest to your school, library, book club, blog readers, soccer team, babysitter, er… pool man. Whatevs. So much of selling a book is cover recognition, and people are a lot more likely to buy my book next time they’re at the store if they think “Oh, hey, that’s that Head Book.”
So you get bookmarks. Word of SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD is spread. And we all win. Dun dede dun BONANZA!!!
Open to US residents only. Ends… I don’t know. End of month. Or soon. So hurry.

November 24, 2010

I don’t know Bridget Zinn, but I would like to. I’ve read her blog for over a year and she is an amazing person and writer. She is also battling stage IV colon cancer and needs help because not only does cancer suck, but it’s expensive too.

There’s an auction going on right now on her behalf– “Bridget Kicks Cancer: Season of Love and Hope”. It runs from November 22nd to December 4th.

I thought for a bit what I should donate, and finally came up with two items. The first item up for bid is something I’ve never done before, but I figured fans of P4H might be interested in this stuff…

if you want to be one of the very first people to read THE ROYAL TREATMENT, there’s a way to get a sneak peak and help a great cause.  I’ve donated a signed advanced reader copy (meaning not the final, but if you want that, I’ll throw it in once I have it) of THE ROYAL TREATMENT, along with a signed PRINCESS FOR HIRE, and best of all?

YOU CAN NAME A CHARACTER IN THE THIRD BOOK.

Within reason. Prince Gsdfioewrthlsd doesn’t sound too catchy.

I’m also giving away an ARC of Sean Griswold’s Head (which my editor told me today is the love of her life , and she has incredible taste so you should probably join the club) so no matter if your tween/tween, there’s something there for you. The full auction link is here.  I’m eyeing a couple of things myself, like a signed copy of one of my fav books–ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS– and this create bracelet.

If they ask you for a password, use this

login: bridgetkicks

Password: Cancer

Happy Bidding!!!

November 2, 2010

I was digging through my kid’s Halloween stash today when I realized that candy meant Halloween is over. Which means it’s November, soon to be followed by December, January, the oh so short month of February, and then… boom. March 1, the release date for SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD. It’s only 4 months away! Since I can’t shower you all with Halloween candy (and you probably have your own to devour), I’m celebrating by offering a rare treat.

An advanced reader copy (ARC) of SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD.

Have you heard of goodreads? It’s a fun site where you and your friends can talk about what you’re reading. It has a star system, which isn’t my favorite thing in the world (because you are often comparing two very different books with the same system), but it provides a forum for literary discussion, and I’m all for that.

August 31, 2010

Last spring, I spoke to my friend Lisa Schroeder about the Market, a scary word referencing what’s selling, what isn’t, who bought what and what trend is hot. Basically, all the stuff writers try to push away as we Create that later comes back to give us The Angst. We concluded that there should be a group for contemporary writers. Contemporary–you know, real things happening to real kids in real life. We both write in other genres (and I love me some princess power), but it seemed to us that contemporary fiction wasn’t getting the love it deserved. So we brainstormed some authors and Lisa took off. Lisa is an astounding organizer and a wonderful leader, and it is through her efforts that The Contemps (www.thecontemps.com) was formed.

The group includes 21 YA authors with books coming out from Sept 2010-August 2011. Our mission is simple–to spotlight contemporary fiction for young adults through blog posts, author events, and (over)sharing from our teen years. We have fun things planned all year long, including a contest going on NOW through November 15, 2010.
Read 18 of our 21 books and enter to win ALL 21 BOOKS. Visit the Get Involved page for more information

July 25, 2010

I will be chatting with the Mundie Moms (http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/) on Tuesday, July 27 at 6P/9E. I’ll answer questions about P4H, and even give some clues about PRINCESS FOR HIRE 2. So please stop by!