Fivers

Thank you so much, C.LeeMcKenzie, author and blogger extraordinaire over at The Write Game blog, for passing on positive vibes with the following awards. Look for her new middle grade novel, Alligators Overhead.

The task for this award is to name your five favorite books. I can't, I just can't. It's like picking a favorite child. 

I'm an audiobook nut, so I'll pick five YA audiobooks that kept the ear buds firmly planted in my noggin.

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

3. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

4. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Chaos Walking Trilogy: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Don't you just love anything with the word fabulous in it?

Fabulous Moments:

1. Applauding as my daughter graduated with a BA in English from UC Irvine - Yes, another writer has entered the ranks

2. Watching my son on stage - so talented

3. Sitting on the beach from sunset until the stars come out

4. The first day I meet a new class of fifth graders

5. Reconnecting with a friend I thought I'd never see again

Five Things I Love:

1. Writing by the fire, wearing fuzzy socks

2. Snuggling with all three cats at once

3. Road trips

4. A story that moves me to tears

5. Watching my students sneak-read a book they can't put down in class 

Five Things I Dislike:

1. Dream stealers

2. Meaness

3. Joss Whedon killing off characters I love

4. Narrow, inflexible minds

5. Double dippers at a party

I'm going off book here for passing on these awards. Instead of naming names, I award anyone who:

1. Listens to audiobooks

2. Has met one of their favorite authors in person

3. Married their childhood sweetheart

4. Has a child who is pursuing a life in the arts

5. Is going to Comic Con in San Diego this month

Please let us know as you pick up an award so we can click your link and visit your blog.

I'd can't wait to hear your stories.


Giveaway over at Journeys of Wonder this week.

And the Beauty Queen is...

...Vicki Tremper

Congratulations to a gal who swears in French while she's doing the Argentine tango. Does it get better than that? I don't think so.

Vicki - Prepare to laugh until your stomach cramps.

Celebrating BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray

Here goes my very first blog contest, and I’m totally nervous. Does my hair look OK? Is there anything in my teeth? Does my butt look big in this post? I need to be pretty.

Welcome to the BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray CELEBRATION/EXTRAVAGANZA…

I am an audiobook nut, especially when the author is the one reading the story. BEAUTY QUEENS is hands down my best ride through an audiobook EVER! I was laughing so hard at Libba Bray’s narration that I got lost in Fresno for over an hour on my way back from Yosemite. This hilarious story is well worth the mileage and confusion.

Libba’s performance is one of a kind and takes this brilliant comedic romp to a whole new level. At the SCBWI-LA conference I had the privilege of meeting Libba, and she graciously 

re-enacted a few lines from my favorite character in the book, Tiara. That memory is now my happy place.

BEAUTY QUEENS is more than a snort-laugh inducing treat. It also shares the journey of the girls as they discover who they truly are. Great message for our teens. Thank you Libba for this story that is sparkly gold with a chocolate center.

Laugh with me if you will by watching this BEAUTY QUEENS VIDEO starring Libba Bray herself.

THE CONTEST

 Pretty Prize – A copy of BEAUTY QUEENS autographed by Libba Bray.

*Throws Confetti, blows a bugle, and marches around the room with a baton*

Many of the contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant share a Fun Fact page with us in the book. Here’s mine:

Name: Leslie S. Rose

State: The voices tell me I’m normal.

Age: Old enough to be stalked by AARP.

Height: 2 inches shorter than my dream of 5’6”

Weight: In pounds or stones?

Hair: What day is it? Okay, blonde.

Eyes: The paint chip from Home Depot says cinder block blue - so pretty

Best Feature: My Star Wars memorabilia collection

Fun Facts About Me

• ·      I have a titanium hip, but magnets don’t stick to me so what's the point in having it?
• ·      I used to be able to do a back bend, grab my ankles and walk. If only the Corporation had invented Cirque du Soleil back then.
• ·      Once a Shetland pony bit me.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN

Leave a comment below telling all of us a Fun Fact about you. Comments must be in by midnight EST on Monday, October 24th. The winner will be drawn at random and announced starting October 25th on each of the celebrating blogs. Don't forget to leave your email. My apology to the international blogging community, but this is a US only contest.

KEEP PARTYING

Go to the BEAUTY QUEENS posts on the blog links of my awesome (and pretty) writing buds below to share more fun facts and earn two more chances to win our fabulous prize. You can earn an entry for your comment on each of the three celebrating blogs.

Lisa Gail Green         Julie Musil

     

Stay pretty.

Audible. com on BEAUTY QUEENS:

The 50 contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?