tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21448941070572989882024-03-13T14:02:41.090-07:00Rachael Allen WritesRachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-48992753960777485282017-12-19T03:23:00.000-08:002017-12-21T12:40:14.042-08:00#TaxonomyofYALove Giveaway<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Hi there! I
wrote a book called A TAXONOMY OF LOVE about a boy named Spencer who uses
taxonomies to make sense of the world, so I thought I’d explain a little more
about what taxonomies are and why I think they’re so awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Taxonomies
are a way to classify every living thing in the world, from sea monkeys to
honey badgers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="height: 2px; left: 0px; margin-left: 329px; margin-top: 39px; mso-ignore: vglayout; position: absolute; width: 2px; z-index: 2;"><img height="2" src="file://localhost/Users/rachaelallen/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png" v:shapes="Ink_x0020_871" width="2" /></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I’m
a scientist by day, so making the taxonomies was really fun for me. I love the
idea of facts fitting inside of each other like nesting dolls and being able to
see how everything is interconnected. I liked getting to take abstract ideas
and organize them using this system, like “A Taxonomy of Reasons People Leave”
or “A Taxonomy of Almosts.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I think Spencer
is drawn to taxonomy because he feels like, “If I can’t figure out where I fit
in, at least I can figure out where everything else fits.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I thought it
would be really fun to create some YA-related taxonomies and see other people’s
taxonomies, so…giveaway time! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">How to play: Post
your own YA-themed taxonomy on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag
#TaxonomyofYALove by December 31st. They can be as simple or as complicated as
you want (see examples below), and could include your favorite YA book
boyfriends or the 2018 books you’re most excited about or which Harry Potter
ships you cannot abide. I’d love it if you tag me at @rachael_allen (Twitter)
or rachael.stewartallen (Instagram)!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What you win: A
chance at an annotated copy of A TAXONOMY OF LOVE. (You know you want to know
top secret stuff about my mom.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Thanks, y’all! I
can’t wait to see what people come up with!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> xo,
Rachael Allen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Example Taxonomies!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-58555624923411526432016-12-20T05:13:00.000-08:002016-12-20T05:18:13.834-08:00#KidlitForAleppo Final StatsI was feeling pretty powerless when I emailed my friend, Dana Levy, last week. I kept reading stories about Aleppo and feeling so very much like I wanted to do *something* to help, but at same time, I kept wondering, what can one person really do in the face of tragedy that large?<br />
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After some rapid-fire emails back and forth and some even more rapid-fire postings in kidlit spheres around the interwebs, #KidlitForAleppo was a go. Dana explains it all so much more eloquently than I ever could in <a href="http://danaalisonlevy.com/2016/12/17/the-stories-we-dont-want-to-tell-aleppo/">this post</a>. (Side note: Do you see why I'm friends with her?)<br />
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Since then, we've been blown away by the response from this community. We never expected it to grow into anything so large, and it's a testament to how open hearted and passionate all of you are. The final stats for #KidlitForAleppo are:<br />
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100+ authors/editors/agents/kidlit people<br />
150+ donations<br />
$4000+ raised for <a href="https://www.whitehelmets.org/en">The White Helmets</a>, <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/country-region/syria">Doctors Without Borders</a>, <a href="https://www.rescue.org/country/syria">International Rescue Committee</a>, and other organizations doing work on the ground in Aleppo.<br />
<br />
IN TWO DAYS. It's unbelievable, and I know I haven't even captured all the numbers, and they're probably much larger.<br />
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A huge thank you to everyone who offered prizes, donated funds, or took the time to signal boost. Thank you for pushing through that feeling of powerlessness and Doing Something. I can't tell you how grateful Dana and I are. You are all amazing human beings, and we are so proud to be a part of this community.<br />
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I'm going to end with Dana's words because I like them so much.<br />
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<div style="background-color: #d0e1e2; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
The whole “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness thing” — it can feel pointless. After all, one candle doesn’t feel like much. But when everyone lights a candle…</div>
<div style="background-color: #d0e1e2; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
Well. The light gets brighter, that’s all.</div>
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I think the light just got a whole lot brighter.<br />
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<br />Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-43112613964174230292016-10-18T18:09:00.000-07:002016-10-18T18:09:57.697-07:00Ten Characters I'd Name My Car After<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">Top Ten Tuesday - a meme from <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/2016/10/ten-characters-wed-name-our-children-or.html">The Broke and the Bookish</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">This weeks topic is: Ten Characters I'd Name A Child/Dog/Cat/Car/Etc. After</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">I've had my car for a year now, and it still doesn't have a name. So, when I saw that this week's Top Ten Tuesday was YA characters I'd name my [something] after, I was like, yep. We're doing this. The contenders are below. And here's a photo of my car just so you can get a feel for her personality.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">1. Mary Carlson: I just read GEORGIA PEACHES and adored it, and I'm not going to stop talking about it ever. Mary Carlson is the greatest, and her mix of sporty and feminine totally suits my car.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">2. Prim: I don't know that my car is really a "Prim", but doesn't it just sound so dang cute?</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">3. Bellatrix: Because my car is badass. And she might have an evil streak. And Bellatrix is a really cool name.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">4. Blue: Okay, so maybe this one is a little too obvious seeing how my car is, in fact, blue, but whatever, SIMON AND BLUE FOREVER!!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">5. Renesme: I kid!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">6. Cricket: Cricket Bell is my favorite book boyfriend. And bonus: Cricket is a funny play on my car being a "bug". </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">7. Neek-neek: If you know what this is from, you win all the things.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">8. Flare: The invisible cheetah from THE MISADVENTURES OF THE FAMILY FLETCHER and just a great name all around.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">9. Kestrel: BAMF.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">10. If there's something better I haven't thought of, you let me know!</span>Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-80135515521920838442015-12-24T11:41:00.000-08:002015-12-24T11:43:44.420-08:00#30mdare 2015!<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', 돋움, dotum, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1;">
Do you want to write ALL THE WORDS this holiday season? Yes. Yes, you do. And the best way to make that happen is by playing #30mdare (it's basically a word count Christmas miracle).</div>
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<b>How #30mdare Got Started</b></div>
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In 2013, Rebecca Petruck launched a spontaneous writing challenge during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day for a bunch of us from OneFour KidLit, a collective of MG and YA authors whose books debuted in 2014. We “dared” each other and anyone else who wanted to play to write the most words during 30-minute writing sprints with winner choosing the others’ Twitter avatars. And there were some doozies! In five days, fifteen of us wrote a total of 53,000 words. (<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/60586-children-s-authors-dare-one-another-to-write-over-the-holidays.html" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">See the Publishers Weekly article here</a></span><span style="background-color: #666666; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">.)</span></div>
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Last year was even better/stronger/faster with 38 participants, 74, dares, 6 manuscripts completed, and <b>242,296</b> words. Let's just pause for a second to let that number sink in. 242,296. That's a lot of words.</div>
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It would be fantastic to break 100,000 words again and encourage even more participation so writers everywhere can leap into 2016 feeling as energized and inspired as we all did last year. Please spread the word via your blogs, social networks, critique partners, and other friends.</div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">THE DEAL</span></div>
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Official Week: 12/26/15 – 12/30/15, beginning at midnight, ending at midnight ET (for you Night Writers and non-ETs)</div>
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A Dare: Anyone may moderate, but a minimum of three must sprint together.</div>
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Check the #30mdare hashtag on Twitter to check if anyone is about to launch a dare. If not, put the call out that you would like to sprint at X:XX and see if you get any takers.</div>
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I plan to lead several dares a day. Twitter: @rachael_allen. Also keep an eye on Kaye M. @gildedspine, Jaye Robin Brown @JayeRobinBrown, Christina Farley @ChristinaFarley, Pat Esden @patesden, and Elizabeth May @_ElizabethMay in particular, though all will use the #30mdare hashtag, so you should be able to find a dare anytime. And remember you may always lead one yourself!</div>
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Dare! The moderator will call the official Start/Stop of the 30-minute writing sprint, collect the word counts, and declare the winner. The winner will choose an avatar for the others in his/her dare.</div>
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Avatars: Must be “worn” a minimum of 12 hours or until your next dare. Avatars should be funny, embarrassing, or both—but not indecent or otherwise inappropriate for a group of mostly kidlit authors! (You know who you are, stinkers!) </div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">IMPORTANT! Moderators please immediately post your date/time, participants, word counts, and a link to the assigned avatar to the shared spreadsheet! This is ESSENTIAL for those who wish to win fame and the right to crow outrageously on social media. Let’s hit 100,000, dare-junkies!</span></div>
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I'm making the spreadsheet public so that anyone can jump in to moderate a dare and update the spreadsheet info. <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TBhNKeCwZL7xBjfMldKHSbpjQG-XI-Z-WWWKTL5hWX0/edit?usp=sharing">Here is the link for everyone to check stats and add information</a></span>.<br />
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Winners!</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Winners of the following categories will be featured in a #30mdare 2015 wrap up blog post and receive the adoration of the people:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Highest total word count </span><br />
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Highest single-dare word count</span><br />
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Most dares completed</span><br />
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Most dares won</span><br />
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Completed manuscript!</span><br />
Your personal avatar will be photoshopped with a crown to use at will.<br />
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Funniest dare avatar</span> (to be determined by a not impartial panel of judge(s))<br />
Your personal avatar will be photoshopped with a mustache to use at will. (There may be daily or otherwise multiple winners.)<br />
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HONOR SYSTEM: The dares and prizes are for fun, and most of us are proud to wear silly avatars (except that one time because Jaye Robin Brown is Ee-Vill). Nothing we do here is worth building up bad karma! Simply have fun and be inspired.</div>
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Let’s make this a #30mdare Holiday Blitz of Awesome!</div>
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Also - a huge thanks to Rebecca Petruck for A) thinking of this, B) taking the helm on it the past two years, and C) letting me use her blog post and spreadsheet as my templates. She rocks and so does her book STEERING TOWARD NORMAL, and you should totally follow her on Twitter here: @RebeccaPetruck</div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-50170480725091223782015-06-10T14:01:00.001-07:002017-12-01T10:42:58.057-08:00#BFFdraft<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Hi there! I’m a YA author, and I wrote a book about four girls banding together to get revenge on
the football team. (It’s like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants takes on a
football patriarchy! Yay!) Along the way, there’s a girls-against-boys
scavenger hunt and all kinds of shenanigans, but most importantly, these girls
develop a take-on-anything, life-changing kind of friendship.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">My best girl friends are some of the most
important people in my life – they’re brilliant and hilarious and I love them
forever and ever. They’re exactly the kind of people you want in your BFF
circle. And so are the girls in THE REVENGE PLAYBOOK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Which got me thinking…We should totally do a
BFF draft! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">And in case you’re like “Wait. What?” - here’s
how you play:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">On June 16, 2015, use the hashtag #BFFdraft to
talk about who you’d want in your ultimate BFF group. You can pick YA
characters, celebrities, girls who are doing cool stuff to make the world a
better place, girls who are already your besties. Anyone. But it’s not like a
fantasy football draft where once someone gets picked, no one else can have
them. (So, don’t worry. You can all be best friends with Taylor Swift.) You can
also talk about what friendship means to you and what you look for in someone
you #BFFdraft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Then tweet your picks, or post a photo of you
and your BFF on Instagram or Facebook, or a gif of a celebrity pick on Tumblr, all with the
hashtag #BFFdraft. If you have room to add #RevengePlaybook too, that would be wonderful, but if you need those extra characters, I totally get it :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial";">Some examples:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: "arial";">Want to help spread the word?
That would be awesome! Here's a link to Thunderclap (you can pick your social media platform, and Thunderclap will make sure your post goes live the day of the event):</span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><a href="http://sendgrid.thunderclap.it/wf/click?upn=YDBP6RK3mvJEJxxpkIniqJ8mYjKlJSzz64piL8C76kk-3D_WWZL8PjyNM1mddeB428CEvil2xelK-2FI0qpq8RdNL-2Ft15O0puP-2FgChc82CFqDU-2FrFRfqLbTcVNLxMrU09icpkoUsQ1-2FmZpgV8OXIGlYfeeFjmXSmS7s2RqB9VN60assz7a8Yo7R3LDfNAFAMxCQ-2F6TVPQNdzjK5Tb3GANBAW-2Ftn-2BaPwyKhhqNXZt7Eo0uI5XeiOuvlm9r8vTB5fyyZ6hCy8XYXYOwBAoh-2FmDJoCju134-3D" style="color: #c82820; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://thndr.it/1ML4mSM</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: "arial";">Or you can tweet or share the following on June 16, 2015:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;">Who would you</span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BFFdraft"><span style="color: #66b5d2; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;">#</span><span style="color: #0084b4; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;">BFFdraft</span></a></span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;">(YA character, celebrity, girl you already know) to be in your BFF crew?</span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="color: #0084b4;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333339691162px;"><u>http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2015/06/bffdraft.html</u></span></span><span style="color: #292f33;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TheRevengePlaybook"><span style="color: #66b5d2; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;">#</span><span style="color: #0084b4; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 13pt;">RevengePlaybook</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-35944759025152207642015-05-05T15:48:00.000-07:002015-05-05T15:48:01.623-07:00Why I love #yafeministchat<div class="MsoNormal">
There's never really been a name for the type of young adult books I love most. The books with female characters you're dying to be besties with. The ones that make you want to stand up tall because just reading them makes you feel proud to be a woman.</div>
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In my head, I've always called these books "girly YA," but I'm usually afraid to say that out loud, let alone tweet it. I'm scared of the backlash. You know, the "Calling a book girly makes it seem different - less than - other books! Labels like that alienate male readers! They should all be called contemporary! Pink covers are the devil!" backlash.</div>
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And those are excellent points (well, except maybe that bit about the pink covers - I do love a good pink cover), BUT. The books I'm talking about ARE different from a lot of contemporary YA. And they don't even have to be contemporary (A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY by Libba Bray is one of my favorites). So what is it about these books that makes them so special?</div>
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1) Female relationships take the forefront. Girls are shown navigating relationships with their friends, sisters, mothers. </div>
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2) Issues of particular importance to girls feature prominently (beauty, rape, eating disorders, female sexuality and double standards). I'm not saying these issues can't be important to boys too, but they affect girls more forcefully.</div>
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3) There's some element of girls against the establishment, women challenging the status quo.</div>
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<span style="text-indent: -24px;">4) The main character, at some point during her character arc, has an “I am woman. Hear me roar.” moment. A young woman finding her voice for the first time is incredibly powerful, and it's something I love reading about.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -24px;">5) Shenanigans, including but not limited to: sleepovers, </span>séances, singing into hairbrushes, shopping, dancing, makeover montages, pranks, games of never have I ever, pacts (bonus points if said pact is made over
a Cosmo a la SHUT OUT by Kody Keplinger), and just, in general, fun. Because I firmly believe that you can change the world and have fun at the same time.</div>
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This is what I think, and these are the types of books I'm looking for. But I've mostly just fretted over the fact that "girly YA" maybe wasn't the best label, and searched harder for them on Goodreads. And that's precisely the problem with NOT having a label for these books. If you don't acknowledge that they're different - beautifully, wonderfully, life-changingly different, it makes it harder for the people who want and need them to find the books that are going to expand their hearts and change their world views.</div>
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So, to whoever thought of #yafeministchat, THANK YOU. Thank you for giving a name to the books I love. Thank you for providing a forum where I can discuss them with my friends. Because the book recs alone are making my year.</div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-20333188067621729672015-03-18T19:27:00.002-07:002015-03-18T19:27:47.593-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: LIARS, INC. by Paula Stokes<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; line-height: 19px;">I'm super excited for another book by Paula Stokes because THE ART OF LAINEY was so. Much. Fun. Check out the cover and blurb for her next book:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsF_1O116bVSliKpqHcZDqWPImxRgZd8o6eGvabwfNDLyyLgLPoj9anJRtb0cJF7CDod9uHnweDVV6aN2sV9QSICzSBqZl4OaeF6VemAlwh8X0XfzFIC2UFwQutCHdgw6lWjrlRYniVzJX/s1600/liars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsF_1O116bVSliKpqHcZDqWPImxRgZd8o6eGvabwfNDLyyLgLPoj9anJRtb0cJF7CDod9uHnweDVV6aN2sV9QSICzSBqZl4OaeF6VemAlwh8X0XfzFIC2UFwQutCHdgw6lWjrlRYniVzJX/s1600/liars.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.</strong><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you freaking out yet because I am FREAKING OUT. I need this book! The cover is gorgeous, creepy, evocative, and the premise. Love. I get chills every time I read the part about Max hooking Preston up with a cover story and Preston never coming home. So, yeah, I'm going to be devouring this book in approximately 6 days.</span></span></span>Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-83260237642805633622015-03-04T19:31:00.001-08:002015-03-04T19:31:26.804-08:00Waiting on Wednesday: NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED by Hannah Moskowitz<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">There are a lot of reasons I'm excited for this book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1) I love Hannah Moskowitz books like a fat kid loves cake. (My thoughts on <a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/invincible-summer-book-review.html">Invincible Summer</a> and <a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2012/06/zombie-tag-by-hannah-moscowitz.html">Zombie Tag</a>.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">2) So many people who don't normally get to see themselves in books are going to be able to identify with Etta. And I think lots of people can identify with not feeling like we fit exactly. Plus, diversity on the cover, FTW!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">3) I love reading about ballet even though I'm not a ballerina.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">4) I love when people who are very different teach each other things and grow together.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUkiJUWjuRBi0yFuEJTWFSVDj6fnRY1M0KpL0ICMLgUKOL4ftBeriA8FkVp2pCZbbeqXssw4qY0hZfKaUw5T3sqGIaJMu9Q925LnME2oq6_tiHI_nDbJX7XcpVipvqS-xFPSp4jmyvZ9R/s1600/NOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUkiJUWjuRBi0yFuEJTWFSVDj6fnRY1M0KpL0ICMLgUKOL4ftBeriA8FkVp2pCZbbeqXssw4qY0hZfKaUw5T3sqGIaJMu9Q925LnME2oq6_tiHI_nDbJX7XcpVipvqS-xFPSp4jmyvZ9R/s1600/NOS.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">her small Nebraska hometown.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Everywhere she turns, someone feels she's too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The latest powerful, original novel from Hannah Moskowitz is the story about living in and outside communities and stereotypes, and defining your own identity.</span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><i style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
Okay, I just realized NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED came out yesterday, and I'm a dumbass. But also, YAY! That means I can buy it RIGHT. NOW.Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-36254787876684007782015-02-25T16:07:00.000-08:002015-02-25T16:07:06.563-08:00Waiting on Wednesday: WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Aisha SaeedFor today's Waiting on Wednesday post, I'm super excited to share a book by fellow Atlanta YA writer, Aisha Saeed. If you're a local too, you should definitely stop by her launch party Sunday, March 29th, at 7 p.m. at<a href="http://www.littleshopofstories.com/events.php"> Little Shop of Stories</a>! I'll be there with my copy of WRITTEN IN THE STARS!<br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.</span></i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Why I can't wait for this book: I love reading books with rich and gorgeous settings, and I love learning about other parts of the world. Plus, Naila definitely sounds like the kind of girl I want to get to know better!<br />
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-6221381891062555412014-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:002014-10-26T09:36:48.374-07:00YA Contemporary Scavenger Hunt!<div style="color: #db55f9; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Today I get to be part of a YA Contemporary Scavenger Hunt - which is pretty amazing because A) if you know me, you know I love Scavenger Hunts and B) my next book is about girls banding together to beat the football team at their annual scavenger hunt. Thanks Katie and Montana! I also get to host an interview and giveaway with Tiffany Schmidt, which is very exciting because her books sound so freaking good!</span></h4>
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Interview:</div>
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<b>What was your inspiration for writing Send Me A Sign and Bright Before Sunrise?</b></div>
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Both of these novels started with characters. </div>
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With Send Me a Sign I wanted to explore a character who was superstitious and thrown into a situation where her life felt out of her control. So those superstitious beliefs became her coping mechanism. I also wanted to write a story that went against a lot of the cancer tropes that felt very prevalent to me. So I wanted Mia to be very flawed instead of saintly, scared and selfish instead of stoic and sacrificial, a Person with cancer vs. a Cancer Patient.</div>
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Brighton in Bright Before Sunrise developed in reaction to a lot of the Mean Girl/Queen Bee cliches that are so common in literature and film. I wanted to create a female character who was popular <i>not</i> because she was manipulative or cruel, but because of how well she adapted to others’ expectations for her. I wanted to explore a character that’s so busy being a people-pleaser that she’s lost sight of what she wants for herself. </div>
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And I wanted to pair Brighton with someone who would see right through her exterior and challenge her — so that was my inspiration for Jonah, the new boy in school who sees all the different versions of Brighton she presents to different people. He decides this makes her incredibly superficial and fake. Of course, the more he <i>dis</i>likes her, the more determined Brighton is to win him over…</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Oh wow, I love books that take a more careful look at Mean Girls/Queen Bees, so I'll definitely be reading that one! Out of all of your characters, which one do you relate the most to? </span></span></b><br />
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Brighton. Like her, I’m also plagued by an inability to say <i>no</i>. (gah, it’s only two letters, why is it so hard?) And I definitely spend far too much time worrying about being <i>nice</i> or if I’m <i>liked</i>. I’ve never managed to develop that ability to not care. And while writing Bright Before Sunrise didn’t <i>cure</i> me of this, it’s certainly made me much more aware of my Brighton-esque tendencies. I’m a work in progress :)</div>
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But, like Bright, I also truly love helping other people and cherish my relationships with my friends and family (even when they’re driving me nuts!).</div>
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<b>Are there are there any other YA genres that you'd like to eventually write in? </b></div>
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My next novel, HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH (book 1 in the ONCE UPON A CRIME FAMILY series) is a romantic thriller about crime families that traffic human organs. So, while there’s no magic or paranormal elements, it’s a fairy tale reimagining and a thriller, which are both fun new challenges for me.</div>
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After that… who knows :) </div>
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<b>If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would they be?</b></div>
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JK Rowling. </div>
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Jane Austen</div>
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Louisa May Alcott</div>
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<b>What 2015 release (or releases) are you the most excited for right now? </b></div>
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Amy Spalding’s KISSING TED CALLAHAN AND OTHER BOYS</div>
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Courtney Summers’ ALL THE RAGE</div>
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Ally Carter’s WE ALL FALL DOWN</div>
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<b>What advice would you give to aspiring authors? </b></div>
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Read! Write! A LOT. And plan to continue to do both of those things forever. (If this idea isn’t appealing to you, then you probably don’t really want to be an author! — to me it sounds like the Best Thing Ever. It’s <i>‘work’</i>, but also my favorite type of fun.)</div>
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But, it’s also my job, so it’s not all snuggling up with books and coffee. While you’re reading and writing, start educating yourself on publishing too. There are so many great resources on the web — take the time to read through them. Join local (or online) critique groups. Focus on your craft. Challenge yourself. Accept that you’ll hear <i>no</i> more than <i>yes</i>, and that there’s not such thing as a ‘perfect book’ — there’s always, always room for improvement and revision. </div>
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Buckle up and be patient — because publishing is a game of <i>hurry up</i> and lots of waiting. It’s a roller coaster of emotions and luck and chance—it’ll break your heart and make you cry from happiness. It’s the best thing ever—but it’s not easy. And it can’t happen without putting words on a page. So… go start writing and reading. </div>
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<b>What do you like to do when you're not reading or writing? :)</b></div>
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Run</div>
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Bake </div>
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Snuggle down with my Schmidtlets & puggles</div>
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Binge-watch TV shows with St.Matt</div>
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Travel</div>
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Giveaway!</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07803b556/" id="rc-07803b556" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Book Summary: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhngYzo51ZDwbCuAv17XBoWKkIc5RZDw6N08A7czgh8t2BNe-_eVvPfQfiCv38baVR-1PBexlNmwjyim5lNzTrIJfvyi5oUV8DUOw3KHHvl_F5k-nmgzL9T0Ur68UCG7tkV553Jqo-Gj0/s1600/13634097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhngYzo51ZDwbCuAv17XBoWKkIc5RZDw6N08A7czgh8t2BNe-_eVvPfQfiCv38baVR-1PBexlNmwjyim5lNzTrIJfvyi5oUV8DUOw3KHHvl_F5k-nmgzL9T0Ur68UCG7tkV553Jqo-Gj0/s1600/13634097.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a>When <b>Jonah</b> is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him. </div>
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For <b>Brighton</b>, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance. </div>
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Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.? </div>
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One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPGbtr4PUqCnyVk5t3BX5Z_tiuHEBG2Nx_eEHSdgwAnd1zRC_BBiE6N9wY4mAXRtJ185eae4a30kiOghEWmUxi7HRAiKHgUrWFinQ0RGl8D-2EK2h70_xztX0-GYt1mKjfKBBOpk9cicF/s1600/4971410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPGbtr4PUqCnyVk5t3BX5Z_tiuHEBG2Nx_eEHSdgwAnd1zRC_BBiE6N9wY4mAXRtJ185eae4a30kiOghEWmUxi7HRAiKHgUrWFinQ0RGl8D-2EK2h70_xztX0-GYt1mKjfKBBOpk9cicF/s1600/4971410.jpg" /></a>Author Bio:</div>
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Tiffany Schmidt lives in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles. She's not at all superstitious... at least that's what she tells herself every Friday the thirteenth.</div>
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SEND ME A SIGN is her first novel. BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE will follow in Winter, 2014. The ONCE UPON A CRIME FAMILY series begins with HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH in 2015. You can find out more about her and her books at: TiffanySchmidt.com, TiffanySchmidtWrites.Tumblr.com or by following her on Twitter @TiffanySchmidt.</div>
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Other Novels:</div>
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Send Me A Sign, Hold Me Like a Breath (coming 2015)</div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-80870610784018541852014-06-15T18:22:00.000-07:002014-06-15T18:53:33.007-07:0017 FIRST KISSES Launch Party!My launch party for 17 FIRST KISSES was last night at Little Shop of Stories, and it was so much fun! I'm so grateful to everyone who came out and so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends! And to live in an area with such a fantastic local bookstore! <br />
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Here are some photos, courtesy of Ross Laver:</div>
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Zack and I doing a reading together - he read the boy parts for me :)<br />
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A cake with my book cover on it! Does it get any better than that? (Thanks, Mom!)<br />
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Signing books! (This was so surreal!)<br />
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Ansley is practicing for her very own book signing.<br />
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Me and my mom.<br />
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I have no idea what terrifying thing is happening on the other side of the camera.<br />
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Me and my grad school girls.<br />
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Xander loved the reading.<br />
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Mom, Xander, and Micah. (And my sister in the background. I think she looks like the 17FK cover model!)<br />
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Hannah, me, and Dad.<br />
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Ansley chowing down on some cake!<br />
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<i>Days 14 and 15 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-11843621795108662152014-06-13T08:55:00.001-07:002014-06-13T09:10:25.546-07:00First Kiss Friday - 17 FIRST KISSES giveaway!Hi! Today for First Kiss Friday, I want to hear about <i>your</i> first kisses! So, tell me in the comments, link to your blog, or hit me up on Twitter with the abridged version. <b>The first five responders win a signed copy of 17 FIRST KISSES and a lip gloss :)</b><br />
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The kiss can be your very first kiss, your first kiss with your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner, any first kiss you think would be fun to share! I'll be sharing mine with RT Book Reviews on Tuesday, June 17th. And here are some <a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/p/first-kiss-fridays.html">previous First Kiss Fridays</a> to get you started.<br />
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ETA: I don't want people to be discouraged if the contest fills up fast, so the best story will also win a signed copy + lip gloss + something awesome I will think of.<br />
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<i>Open to US and Canada.</i><br />
<i>Day 13 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-63809262455665127482014-06-12T07:16:00.002-07:002014-06-12T07:18:42.997-07:00Interview and First Kiss Story with Susan Hawk!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #741b47;">I'm so excited because today I get to interview my fabulous agent, Susan Hawk! She saw something in my book and helped me revise it until it shined (she sent me a five page revision letter full of great ideas and happy faces - I love her!). And then she sold my book to the amazing Jen Klonsky at HarperTeen. So, basically, she makes all my dreams come true, and if you have an awesome book, you should be querying her right now! </span></b></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;">And if that wasn't enough to keep you reading, Susan is going to tell us a first kiss story (YAY!). And now, on to the interview :)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;">What do you look for in a book?</span><span style="color: #500050;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I want to be moved! There are lots of ways to do that – make me laugh, make me think, make me cry. But no matter the reaction, I want to feel something; I’m looking for books that make an impact on me. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Is there anything you're particularly excited to see at the moment?</span><span style="color: #500050;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">See above.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Just kidding! Other than what I described above, I am especially focused on finding more great YA and middle grade novels right now. Earlier this year, I posted on The Bent Agency blog about what I’m looking for:<a href="http://jennybent.blogspot.com/2014/01/susans-2014-wish-list.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://jennybent.blogspot.com/<wbr></wbr>2014/01/susans-2014-wish-list.<wbr></wbr>html</a>. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">In addition to that list, lately I’ve been craving:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><u></u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">A novel in verse that’s FUNNY<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><u></u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">A YA Joy Luck Club<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><u></u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">A middle grade contemporary with siblings that have a good relationship, that isn’t all about arguing and funny quips<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Oh, I would love to read a YA Joy Luck Club too! Next question - what's the best book you've read recently?</span><span style="color: #222222;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Aside from your new novel you mean? GUYS: you are going to LOVE Rachael's new book -- it's sooooooo good! I don't want to give too much away before it's out, but stay posted!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">If you're looking for something you can read right now, try <i>Grasshopper Jungle</i> by Andrew Smith. I loved the wild mix of things that this book is – romantic and tender, funny, sexual, honest – all that wrapped up in a crazy end of the-world-as-we-know-it adventure. I loved how inventive it is, how clearly this is a book that only one person could have written.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Aw, thanks, Susan! And I've been hearing great things about Grasshopper Jungle. I will definitely be picking that one up. Next - who is your book boyfriend and why?</span></span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I don’t know how many people know this book, but I fell IN LOVE with Peaceable Sherwood from <i>The Sherwood Ring</i> by Elizabeth Marie Pope (who also wrote <i>The Perilous Gard</i>), in high school and am in love with him still. Don’t let the cover of this book scare you off! It’s a total pleasure from start to finish – alternating between present day Peggy, who’s spending the summer at a creepy old family mansion in New York state, and Peggy’s Colonial ancestor Barbara. Barbara visits Peggy as a ghost to tell her the story of her romantic past, and how she fell in love with a young British spy, Peaceable Sherwood, right under the eye of the Revolutionary Army, quartered nearby. Dashing, daring, witty Peaceable! No one can catch him, no one except for Barbara, of course. How could anyone resist?<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I haven't read that one, but Peaceable does sound quite dashing :) (Side note: I love that name!) And now for the last question (and my favorite!) - do you have a first kiss story you can share with us?</span></span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The first time I met H was at a friend’s house. He didn’t live here, was at grad school in Boston and visiting for the weekend. To celebrate his visit, our mutual friend decided that a group of us needed to read a very long novel (exactly what it was escapes me, for reasons that will become clear shortly) out loud to each other, from start to finish, all night long. From the minute I saw H, I couldn’t stop <i>noticing</i> him. Noticing the way he laughed, the way he read, the way his eyes sparkled, the way he sat in a chair! He was mesmerizing. I felt a connection.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">That connection was solidified when we realized, the next morning, that we were the only two to fall asleep before the reading was over.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But the next day he went back to Boston, and I went on with things in NYC. Six months rolled by and my friend mentioned that H was coming back for the summer. By that point, I was putting all my energies into a different guy. Yet everywhere I went, H was there, part of the group – in the park, at the corner bar, backyard party. And every time, we spent most of the night talking to each other. He started calling me and we’d stay on the phone for hours. Finally, he suggested that we go out, just the two of us. Of course, it was the night before he was leaving New York. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Once again we spent the night talking and laughing and I realized how much I didn’t want him to leave the city, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Finally, we had to go. In a burst of nervous anxiety, I bounded to the corner and flagged a cab, thinking that I’d dart away before any awkward handshake goodbye ensued. I threw open the heavy cab door, almost knocking H over, and just as I was about to duck in, he grabbed my hand, pulled me close and kissed me. I can remember the feeling of his lips on mine to this day.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Luckily, his kisses don’t live only in my memory. H and I will be married for twenty years, next September!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #741b47;">Awww, I love this story! I love that she noticed "the way he sat in a chair" and also I think stop-you-before-you-get-in-a-<wbr></wbr>cab kisses are the height of romance :) I hope you guys have as much fun reading this interview as Susan and I had doing it! Thank you so much, Susan!</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><i style="font-family: Times;">Day 12 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Times;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i style="font-family: Times;">.</i></span></div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-4555323941794922112014-06-11T14:45:00.002-07:002014-06-11T14:45:14.400-07:0017 FIRST KISSES Teaser - Claire Meets Luke<div class="Standard" style="text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">17 FIRST KISSES is about a lot of things, and one of those things is the complicated friendship </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">between</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Claire and her best friend, Megan. And then there's Luke - the boy who does the complicating. Here's the scene where Claire meets him for the first time:</span></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
All day at
school I think about the pact I made with Megan. Right up until the last bell
rings and it’s time to go to soccer scrimmage. I weave through packed halls,
past Buck Bronson (Kiss #1), who is shoving some scrawny freshman boy into the
girls' bathroom, and Steven Lippert (Kiss #7), who is picking his nose and
wiping it on the bottom of his tuba case. He’s a complete tool, and I never
would have let him kiss me anyway had I not been under extreme emotional duress
at the time of said kiss.</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
I change clothes
at warp speed because I like being first to the park and having extra warm up
time. I've vowed to make this year different, to make my next kiss count. But
seeing Steven and Buck just reinforces how desperate and impossible my
situation is. I shake my head as I pass the entrance to Salt Lick Park, <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">a Christmas tree farm on my
right, acres and acres of unused fields on my left. </span>I have no idea how
I’m going to pull off my end of the pact.</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
And that's when
I see him. </div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
Bouncing a
soccer ball from foot to foot and looking so perfectly gorgeous, I half expect
to see a halo of light descending over midfield. What can I say? Nothing is
hotter than a boy in soccer gear. I think it’s the shin guards that do it for
me. </div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
He’s wearing
this black, vintage Felix the Cat tee, totally different from the
redneck-prepster look most of the guys at school have. In fact, he doesn’t look
like he’s from around here at all. I start to wonder if I’ve wished him into
existence. Then I realize: A. I’ve stopped walking, and B. I’m staring (in what
is probably a really dorky and obvious way), so I jog over and say hi.</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
“I’m Claire.”</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">The boy kicks his ball into
the air and catches in with one arm. “I’m Luke, uh, Dawson.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He smiles and holds out his
hand. I try to ignore the giddy feeling I get when our palms touch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Are you here for the
scrimmage?” I ask. Maybe he goes to school in the next town over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Nope, just messing around.”
He shifts from foot to foot and flicks his strawberry blond hair out of his
eyes. “Is there a game starting soon? Do I need to clear out?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“No! I mean, it’s fine. It’s
not an official game or anything. The high school girls’ and guys’ teams get
together and play pick up games during the off-season so we don’t get rusty.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“You mean Rutherford High
School?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Uh-huh. There’s just the
one.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Cool. I’m starting at
Rutherford tomorrow.” He tosses the ball into the air and maneuvers under it so
it bounces off his forehead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Oh, yeah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Yeah. Just transferred in
from Miami,” he says, still heading the ball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Score. A new student means
he’s never dated, crushed on, or stalked my best friend. If you made a Venn
diagram of all the hot guys at school and all the guys Megan has dated, you'd
have about three guys left. And speaking of hot guy Venn diagrams, if you made
one with all the hot guys at school and all the guys who are smart, there’d be,
like, four guys who are in that middle overlapping section, two of which I
already kissed in a debacle that earned me the Yoko Ono nickname.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“What year are you?” With my
luck, he’ll be a really tall freshman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“I’m a senior.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Me too. Wow, you had to
switch schools in the middle of your senior year?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He nods, and the ball
bounces off his head at a funny angle. He starts passing it from hand to hand
in circles around his waist, and I can’t help but smile at his inability to
hold still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Yeah, it kind of sucks, but
my dad’s in the military, so I’m used to making friends fast.” He shrugs. “At
least I got to spend middle school in Germany.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“You did? That’s awesome.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I am genuinely impressed.
Our eight stop light town is halfway between Atlanta and Alabama and all the
way redneck. Most of the kids at school have all the culture and ambition of
sea monkeys, so it’s nice to meet someone else who realizes there’s a whole
world out there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“So, do you think it’s cool
if I stay for the scrimmage?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Definitely. It’s not for
another 20 minutes, though. We could play one on one while we wait? First to
five wins?” This guy may be cute, but the true test is how he performs in this
soccer game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He gives me a confident
shrug and tosses me the ball. “Sure. Ladies first.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I don’t like the way he’s
standing there, all cocky and sure of himself, so I set the ball down and give
it a few dainty taps. His stance relaxes, the way it would if you suddenly
realized your opponent was five years old. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">This is going to be too
easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I cut to the left and before
he has time to think “I just got beat by a girl,” I’m past him and I kick a
straight shot to the back of the goal. Too. Easy. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">His eyebrows rise into his hairline. I
know that look. It’s the face people make when they realize how good I am. I
live for that look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Ohhh…” says Luke as I run
to retrieve the ball. “I didn’t realize I was playing with a shark.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I hand him the ball with a
smirk. “Maybe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“It’s cool. I like a girl
who can play.” He winks at me, and I’m momentarily startled by his eyes.
They’re blue and dreamy and everything, but there’s something else, something shuttered,
and that’s the part I find myself strangely drawn to. If my life were one of
those paranormal romances, he would be the guy that turns out to be a
were-manatee or whatever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And because I’m so busy
mooning over said manatee eyes, Luke gains the split second advantage he needs
to get around me and score. Oh, it is on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I have to earn my next
point. With fakes and spin moves and every trick in my arsenal. Luke isn’t cutting
me any slack, and I’m glad. I could never respect a guy who did. Plus, I kind
of like the way he’s all up in my personal space. I finally pysch him out with
a quick Cryuff turn, and my shot just makes it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Then it’s Luke’s turn. He
manages to maneuver around me, and not to be outdone, crosses one leg behind
the other when he kicks the ball into the goal. It is a showy, showy move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">My mouth hangs open.
“Seriously? Did you just Rabona me?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He fixes me with a charming
smile, dimples included. Whew. Any second now, his new guy glow will wear off,
and I’ll realize he has poor dental hygiene and a hunchback, but I’m swooning
over those dimples until then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I fake glare at him. “You
just wait.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I drop the ball and take
off, juking from left to right, wracking my brain for a move that will top his.
Luke’s on me in a second, stealing the ball away. Crap. I should have been more
worried about winning than getting fancy. Crap, crap, crap. I mark him with my
hand against his shoulder, determined to steal the ball back. He makes a tiny
mistake, and I lash out, kicking it away from him. He’ll be on me again, so I
have to hurry. I turn, putting on a burst of speed, my arm flailing behind
me…and I feel something crunch against my elbow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I turn to see that the
something was Luke’s nose. It’s bleeding. Like a faucet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“It’s okay,” he says with
his hand cupped over his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I run over to my bag,
scrambling for something</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">,
anything, to stop the bleeding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">A crumpled receipt, some gum wrappers, a couple
movie tickets. Useless. My hand brushes against something in the side pocket,
but I can’t use that. It would be mortifying. I give my bag a second sweep,
hoping a Kleenex or something will magically appear, but there’s nothing. I
know what I have to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I reach
into the side pocket, cringing as I unwrap it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Luke’s eyes bulge. “Is that what I think it
is?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I don’t have anything else!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And then I wrap one hand around the neck of the
cutest boy I’ve ever met, and shove a tampon up his nose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<i style="line-height: normal;">Day 11 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" style="line-height: normal;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i style="line-height: normal;">.</i></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-57785798337180563442014-06-10T18:35:00.003-07:002014-06-10T18:37:36.208-07:00The Secret Experiment<b>Introduction:</b><br />
I love Pretty Little Liars. A lot. I love the books, I spend way too much time looking at PLL stuff on Tumblr, and my husband and I watch the show together every Tuesday, and he is every bit as much of a rabid fangirl as I am. Also, I have a book coming out soon called 17 FIRST KISSES - it has kind of a lot of kissing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Hypothesis:</b><br />
If I could somehow combine my love of PLL + 17 FIRST KISSES + free books, it would be awesome.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Methods:</b><br />
Step 1: Message my favorite PLL blogs on Tumblr to see if they'd be up for helping me out.<br />
<br />
Step 2: Have a contest where people post a gif of their favorite PLL kiss with the
#17FirstKisses before midnight EST June 10<sup>th</sup> for a chance to win
signed copies of CRUSHED by Sara Shepard and 17 FIRST KISSES by Rachael Allen.<br />
<br />
Step 3: Wait for the awesomeness to ensue.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Results:</b><br />
The amazing PLL bloggers were totally up for helping me out! So, I posted the contest! And then…nothing showed up on the hashtag. Like, not even when I did a couple test posts of my favorite PLL kiss scenes. There is literally nothing under #17FirstKisses even though there should at least be my stuff. I'm not sure why it's not showing up or what I did wrong, and I really hope people didn't post stuff and then think I'm a jerk for not reblogging it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusions:</b><br />
I am maybe too old to use Tumblr properly. At least I got to make friends with my favorite PLL bloggers :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Day 10 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-34490097614329708802014-06-09T18:29:00.001-07:002014-06-09T18:34:51.994-07:0017 FIRST KISSES Teaser - Claire's First First KissIn 17 FIRST KISSES, the present day scenes alternate with scenes showing each of Claire's first kisses. As a teaser, I have Claire's very first first kiss for you. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="page-break-before: always;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Kiss #1<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Standard">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">The Summer Before 2nd Grade<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">My first
kiss was with the most popular guy in school. For most girls, in most towns,
this would be a good thing. Not for me. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Every high
school has that popular boy who is not only an all-American athlete and
devastatingly hot, but also a genuine, nice guy. Well, Buck isn't like that. I
mean, yes, he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> good at sports, and
he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does</i> look like an Abercrombie
model (for a parallel universe Abercrombie that sells rebel flags and jean
shorts), but he's a jerk. He's the guy who still thinks it's funny to tape “I
play with my instrument daily” signs to the backs of the band kids. He's the
guy who tried to crawl through the ceiling Mission-Impossible-style to place a
video camera over the girls' locker room (fortunately, he crashed through the
tiles and landed on a desk in Mrs. Frankowski's history class). He's that guy. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Every time
I see him I ask myself why (Why?!) my first kiss had to be with him. It was the
summer before second grade. I’m with the boys riding our newly
de-training-wheeled bikes, while the other girls play with Megan McQueen's
Barbie Dream House on a blanket in her driveway. Our subdivision is one of the
very first developments in town, the kind with nearly identical houses arranged
neatly between the dogwood trees. We circle the cul-de-sac, sometimes popping
feeble wheelies, sometimes letting go of the handlebars for a hot second. Then
Buck gets the genius idea that we should try to ride down The Hill. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">In
reality, this hill isn't even that steep, but in my 7-year-old eyes, it looms
like Mt. Everest. Many a kid had ridden up The Hill, only to have to turn
around and walk their bike back down in shame when they chickened out. It is
common knowledge that Glenn Baker's big brother broke his leg on The Hill. The
youngest person to ever make it down was a third grader, and a biking prodigy
at that.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">But before
we know it, all five of us are at the top, staring down in petrification at the
meanest stretch of blacktop we had ever seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Who wants
to go first?” Buck waits for one of us to respond. “Nobody?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">My best
friend Sam looks from Buck, to the street, then back again. “I don’t think this
is such a good idea.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Well, we
knew you weren’t going to try it. You wouldn’t make it 10 feet. Chunker,” says
Jimmy, his chest puffed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> want to try it?” asks Sam. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Jimmy’s
chest deflates. “No.” He doesn’t want to look like a wuss in front of Buck, so
he adds, “What about you, Glenn?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“No way.
I’m not doing it. That’s how my brother broke his leg. Mom would kill me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Fine.
I’ll do it.” Buck hikes one leg over his bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“And I’ll
go next,” I say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Jimmy
laughs. “CJ, you can’t do it. You’re a girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“So. I’m
still tougher than you.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Before
Jimmy can reply, Buck kicks off. Our eyes glue themselves to his bike as it
plummets down The Hill. He is going fast. Maybe too fast. I cringe. Just when I
think his bike will skip over the curb and into Mrs. McQueen’s azaleas, he
pulls his handlebars into a turn that sends him careening in the opposite
direction across the blacktop without falling. He’s done it. The four of us
jump up and down and holler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I decide
to push off before Jimmy can start in on me. My bike gathers speed quickly
until the neighborhood whisks by in flashes. My hair whips around against my
face. My heart rate is going off-the-charts crazy, but as long as I don't crash
or pee my pants, this will be a raging success. I can’t let the fear take over,
or I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i> crash. After what seems
like an eternity of freefall, I slingshot around the cul-de-sac and skid to an
ugly stop beside Buck. No crashing. No peeing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You are the coolest girl I know,” Buck
says, which is pretty much the highest compliment you can get from a 7-year-old
boy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I blush
and look at my sneakers, and when I look up again, Buck's face is right in
front of mine. He kisses me. Right on the lips. Right in front of everyone. I
think maybe he is my boyfriend now. I can’t stop smiling. Until I hear it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Ah-woo-woo.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Followed
closely by the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And “Buck
has a giiiirlfriend.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Jimmy runs
towards us leading the insult parade with Glenn at his side. Sam trails behind,
huffing and wheezing, but not yelling anything. The full weight of what Buck
did seems to sink into his brain all at once. The look of glowing admiration on
his face twists into one of discomfort, and then anger.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“She's not
my girlfriend. She's just a stupid girl.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">He grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me. Hard. I
stagger backwards, the heel of one sneaker catching in the spokes of my bike,
which is lying on the ground behind me. My butt hits the road with a thunk, and
the asphalt scrapes all the skin off my elbows. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“You're
not supposed to push girls, doofus,” says Sam, his chubby face red from the run
down The Hill.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“What are
you gonna do about it, lardo?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Sam shakes
his head, then helps me up and pushes my bike back to my house while I walk
alongside him with tears welling in my eyes.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“I hate
Buck,” he says.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I can't
even answer. The mortification of being kissed, teased, and knocked down in a
span of two minutes is just too much for my 7-year-old psyche to handle. Sam
and I clatter downstairs to Mama’s basement studio, where she photographs other
people’s babies for them. She has a knack for making even the ugly ones look
cute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Later,
while my mom applies Neosporin, she explains that sometimes boys are mean to
you because they like you. If I knew then what I know now, I would have called
BS.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="Standard">
<i>Day 9 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-70893116794296214442014-06-08T14:15:00.001-07:002014-06-08T14:20:01.596-07:00Megan's BFF Chocolate Souffle <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For today's Countdown post, Megan and Claire are going to teach you how to make the soufflé Megan makes during the scene where she and Claire begin to become friends:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: Hi, I’m Megan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: And I’m Claire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: Today I’m going to teach
all of you how to make the soufflé that started our friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: And I am going to
painstakingly record every last detail of what she does so I can scientifically
prove she uses voodoo magic to make soufflés.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: I do not! Just because I
make ultra-fabulous soufflés every single time does not mean I practice dark
magic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: *coughs* Mmm-hmm. I’m
just gonna copy down the ingredients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5
egg whites and 3 egg yolks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>¼
cup heavy cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>¼
cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or vanilla sugar if you’re fancy like
Megan)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5
ounces bittersweet chocolate (cut up)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1
stick (1 cup) unsalted butter (melted and then cooled)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2
tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Powdered
sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Voodoo
magic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: First, you separate the
egg whites and yolks into two bowls while the eggs are still cold. No egg yolks
in the egg whites bowl! This is key!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every time a molecule of egg yolk makes it into the egg whites, God
kills a kitten. Write that down, Claire!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: Egg yolks = dead kittens.
Got it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: Then, we want to give the
whites a chance to warm to room temperature, so we’ll do some other stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven
to 350°F. Line four 1-cup ramekins with 2 coats of butter and 1 coat of granulated
sugar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: Do it just like how
Curtis Stone does it with the 2-minute refrigeration in between. Like in this
video: <a href="http://www.curtisstone.com/Videos/Recipe-Videos/The-Worlds-Best-Chocolate-Souffle.aspx">http://www.curtisstone.com/Videos/Recipe-Videos/The-Worlds-Best-Chocolate-Souffle.aspx</a>
Just watch it. The man is a genius. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: Plus, let’s be honest,
watching a hot chef with an accent cook chocolate desserts is eight different
kinds of bliss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Combine
chocolate and cream in a small saucepan or double boiler, stirring occasionally
until smooth. Then transfer to a large bowl to cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Whisk yolks and
cocoa powder together and then combine with the chocolate mixture until smooth.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">In a large bowl,
beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they look foamy. Then
gradually beat in the ¼ cup of sugar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: Make sure to beat the
eggs long enough so that peaks form on the beaters when you lift the mixer.
*lifts electric mixer* See?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: That looks highly
unnatural. But I’m still gonna lick those later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5)
Fold two scoops of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture using a
rubber spatula. Then fold in the rest of the egg white mixture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: You have to be super
gentle here. And you definitely don’t want to over mix or you’ll lose all the
air bubbles that make the soufflé puff up in the oven. If there really is
voodoo magic in this soufflé, it’s hiding in those air bubbles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: I knew it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>6)
Put an equal amount of soufflé batter into each ramekin, making sure the batter
comes to the very top of the dish without going over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>7)
Bake 10-20 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: This really varies by
oven. You want the soufflés to puff out the top of the dish but you also want
them to be moist in the middle. I suggest sitting in front of your oven the
first couple times and watching them. Every. Single. Second. The perfect
soufflé takes trial and error. If you don’t cook it long enough, it falls. If
you cook it too long, it falls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: If you talk above a
whisper or make sudden movements or give it the stink eye, it falls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>8)
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and pour on chocolate sauce (made from more
chocolate and heavy cream in the double boiler). Serve immediately to your new
best friend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C: I feel like the
“immediately” part is unnecessary. Anyone who wouldn’t shove this in their
mouth immediately is not someone I want to be best friends with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">M: Word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">*Note: This recipe is
adapted from Easy Chocolate Soufflé (p. 173) from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">365 Great Chocolate Desserts</i> and Curtis Stone’s The World’s Best
Chocolate Soufflé video.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Day 8 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-72212623769456273552014-06-07T10:41:00.005-07:002014-06-07T10:47:13.027-07:00From rough query to polished query to cover copy (or Why I love my critique group)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I’m showing you the evolution from the rough query for 17 FIRST
KISSES to the polished query to cover copy for the book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, the rough query. I wrote it all excited to send 17FK out
into the agent world, but I knew it needed work (side note: even if you don’t think it needs work, if the query has never been seen by eyes other than yours,
it does.). Here’s what I sent to my critique group: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Claire
Jenkins has kissed the biggest jerk in school and all five members of the band
Screaming Lemurs, but she still doesn’t have a boyfriend. Having to keep her
messed up family a secret makes bringing a guy home problematic. Then she meets
a new boy named Luke (and she can actually talk to him). The best part: Luke's
a transfer student, so he's one of the only attractive guys at Rutherford High
who hasn't been tainted by Megan McQueen, the most popular girl in school and
Claire’s best friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Claire
wants him. Bad. But so does Megan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Megan
gets Luke, just like she’s gotten every other guy she’s ever wanted, and Claire
is crushed. But when Luke starts to realize he made the wrong choice, Claire
must choose whether she wants him enough to steal him from her best friend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">17
FIRST KISSES is a young adult novel set in Atlanta, GA and is complete at
61,000 words. The story alternates between Claire's senior year and each of the
17 kisses. It’s a story about a complicated friendship, a family dealing with
loss, and lots and lots of kissing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">My
critique group gave me a ton of great feedback (seriously, they are amazing! LOVE all of them!):<!--33333--><!--3--></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We need a better sense of who Claire is and what her dilemma is so we
can relate to the stakes better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Could I get Claire’s family issues into the query somehow?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We need to know why Luke is so special that these two girls are risking
their friendship to go after him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Could I show off the small town setting?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Could I put more emphasis on how the title fits in with the story
since that’s a fun part of the book?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The third paragraph needs to end with more of a bang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Could I show more than Megan’s queen bee side in the query?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I
took it all in and put together the query below (I love this one so much more!),
which is what I sent to agents (sometimes I added a personalized sentence to
the last paragraph). It had a pretty good request rate, and it ended up landing
me the fabulous Susan Hawk </span><span style="font-size: large;">☺</span></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">No matter how many boys Claire
Jenkins kisses, she can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend. A boy who won’t
decide he’d rather be dating her best friend Megan. A boy who won’t freak out
when he realizes her family never recovered from her brother’s death. A boy
whose kisses can carry her away from her backwoods town for one fleeting
moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Claire’s already at 12 kisses and
counting when she meets a new boy named Luke. He tells her some dark family
secrets of his own, and she thinks maybe he could understand her. Plus, he’s a
transfer student, so he's one of the only cute guys at Rutherford High who
hasn’t been mesmerized by Megan, the most popular girl in school and Claire’s
biggest support in a crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Claire wants him. Bad. But so does
Megan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As usual, Megan gets the guy, while
Claire gets to be ‘happy’ for her. But when Luke starts to realize he’s dating
the wrong girl, Claire must choose whether backstabbing her best friend is
worth a chance at love. And whether Luke’s secrets are worth all the drama. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">17 FIRST KISSES is a 70,000 word YA
contemporary that alternates between Claire's senior year and each of the 17
kisses. It’s a story about a complicated friendship, a family dealing with
loss, and lots and lots of kissing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">17 FIRST KISSES would appeal to fans of THE BOYFRIEND LIST
and 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Thank you for your
time and conside</span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">ration.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;">After you sign with an agent, your query will likely
become the basis for the pitch letter they send to editors, which could
eventually become the basis for the copy that goes on the back of your book. I
love my cover copy even more than my query – it was so much fun to watch it get
better with every iteration. Also, my editor came up with the tagline, and I am
kind of in love with it </span><span style="font-size: large;">☺</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">[tagline] Sometimes a girl has to kiss a lot of frogs…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">No matter how many boys Claire
kisses, she can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend. Someone who wouldn’t rather
date her gorgeous best friend, Megan. Someone who won’t freak out when he
learns about the tragedy her family still hasn’t recovered from. Someone whose
kisses can carry her away from her backwoods town for one fleeting moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Until Claire meets Luke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Luke is adorable and he’s lived all
over the world. But Megan is falling for Luke, too, and if there’s one thing
Claire knows for sure, it’s that Megan’s pretty much irresistible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With true love and best friendship
on the line, Claire suddenly has everything to lose. And what she learns—about
her crush, her friends, and most of all herself—makes the choices even harder.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In her moving debut, Rachael Allen
brilliantly captures the complexities of friendship, the struggles of
self-discovery, and the difficulties of trying to find love in high school.
Fans of Sarah Ockler, Susane Colasanti, and Stephanie Perkins will fall head
over heels for this addictive, heartfelt, and often hilarious modern love
story.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #131313;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<i>Day 7 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-54490526044486406692014-06-06T08:04:00.000-07:002014-06-06T08:07:31.808-07:00First Kiss Friday with Emery Lord + OPEN ROAD SUMMER (Signed!) Giveaway<div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; line-height: 18px;">I'm so excited right now, I can't even tell you, because for today's First Kiss Friday, I have Emery Lord, author of OPEN ROAD SUMMER. If you follow me on Twitter or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/766848613">Goodreads</a> or talk to me ever, you know that I can't stop talking about this book. It's hilarious and heartwarming and has some of the best friendship scenes ever. It's also my favorite book of 2014 so far.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; line-height: 18px;">And now, here's Emery </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">☺</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; line-height: 18px;">____________________________</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">J was kind of an enigma in high school. I knew who he was before we really met. He was smart and kind and quiet and cool, but not in a Cool Kid way. In a genuinely-don't-care-what-you-<wbr></wbr>think way. He played drumset, didn't have a curfew...and was on Team Physics. So, needless to say, he was (and still can be) hard to read if you don't know him. Our first date was going so well. We'd been out for, I kid you not, 10 hours on a <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_141837092" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Saturday</span></span>, roving around our favorite spots in our hometown. At a certain point, late, I started to mentally prepare to be the initiator. I mean, he is both so confident...and so hard to read. So I wasn't quite sure if he'd go for it.<br /><br />Um, he did. The whole world (words and shapes and colors) blurred around me, gone. Got lightheaded. Still do :) (Married him)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Emery Lord is the author of OPEN ROAD SUMMER. She<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"> writes books about complicated families and the friends who save your life just by showing up and your worst mistakes and that boy who gets you like no one else ever has and the summer that changed everything.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><b>The Giveaway!!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18px;">All you </span><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;">have</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18px;"> to do to </span><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;">win a signed copy of OPEN ROAD SUMMER is comment below (Oh, and talk to me when you're done with it so we can fangirl together)!</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18px;">(Note: giveaway ends midnight June 17th. Available to US entries only.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFamIGmn0sNn8Fox8fh7hrAyYEhw8mexohv_5CSHapRhkKf0IhT1mb1JlnOh6dOmptlt6VGT0g_e4CQXBIWmTS7yid_PuybHeXoNuZ60Vo3tuhq4WRxzglKPu_c4LA36wfZLd6E_KZNm1/s1600/Open+Road+Summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFamIGmn0sNn8Fox8fh7hrAyYEhw8mexohv_5CSHapRhkKf0IhT1mb1JlnOh6dOmptlt6VGT0g_e4CQXBIWmTS7yid_PuybHeXoNuZ60Vo3tuhq4WRxzglKPu_c4LA36wfZLd6E_KZNm1/s1600/Open+Road+Summer.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i style="background-color: #ead1dc;">After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Add OPEN ROAD SUMMER on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17978160-open-road-summer">Goodreads</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><i>Day 6 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></span></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-75153834714924628592014-06-05T19:08:00.004-07:002014-06-05T19:08:57.009-07:00I love everybodyInstead of doing the post I was going to do today for the 17 FIRST KISSES Countdown, I need to say thank you.<br />
<br />
After my post on Tuesday, there was such a huge outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and the YA community. I can't tell you how much I appreciated every tweet, email, message, and comment. I'm so glad my story could touch so many people, and I'm so grateful to you all!<br />
<br />
And for those of you that don't know, my story had a very happy ending. If we had had the other baby, it would have been impossible for us to have our daughter. She's the most special little girl, and I can't imagine a world without her in it.<br />
<br />
((((hugs to all the people))))<br />
<br />
xoxo,<br />
<br />
Rachael<br />
<br />
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<i>Day 5 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i>Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-92037913076130163252014-06-04T13:50:00.000-07:002014-06-06T08:05:34.967-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia AdlerThere's no way I can talk about myself and my book for 17 straight days, so for Day 4 of the 17 FIRST KISSES countdown, I'm going to talk about another book I'm really excited about: BEHIND THE SCENES by the fabulous Dahlia Adler. Check it out!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbHzV0ikRij6QKetRsahhHya9GA4_oBXgUNtdILUHYdlH4ezOjkEFlUh-IWKY4O5oWoe90pt90q87GyeasjLs9ENdHfzVPm_kNV9uVVEMYj1vwBvAGMJ_p3qHbLFIDgD7-ED0YZ9Yjx8g/s1600/behind+the+scenes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbHzV0ikRij6QKetRsahhHya9GA4_oBXgUNtdILUHYdlH4ezOjkEFlUh-IWKY4O5oWoe90pt90q87GyeasjLs9ENdHfzVPm_kNV9uVVEMYj1vwBvAGMJ_p3qHbLFIDgD7-ED0YZ9Yjx8g/s320/behind+the+scenes.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally's ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors' publicist arranges for Van and Liam to "date" for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. If she can't play by Hollywood's rules, she may lose her best friend, her dream future, and her first shot at love.</span></i><br />
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Why I can't wait for this book: I loved the Between the Lines series by Tammara Webber and OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord, and I feel like if those two books had a book baby, it would be this book. Plus, I can tell I'm going to love Ally just from reading the blurb, and that always gets me super excited about a book :)<br />
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<i>Day 4 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i>Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-5128788762858221492014-06-03T07:49:00.005-07:002014-06-03T07:49:53.473-07:00Why I had to write this book<div class="MsoNormal">
When people ask me where I got the idea for 17 FIRST KISSES,
I tell them I found a box of notes when I was cleaning and I wanted to write a
book that captured different life stages and I thought of the title, and the
rest of the book fell out from there. And it’s true, it really is. But it
doesn’t get at the question of <b>why</b> I wrote the book, which is a much
different (sadder) story.</div>
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The much different, sadder story of why I had to write 17
FIRST KISSES:</div>
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In January of 2010, my husband and I were sitting in a
doctor’s office examination room practically giddy with glee. Five minutes
earlier, we had found out we were having a son (a son!), and now we were
attempting to agree on a baby name, discuss what his nose would look like, and
text everyone we knew all at the same time. We were getting pretty far into our
list too because the ultrasound tech had disappeared to find the doctor after
having some “trouble visualizing the baby’s heart,” but who cared! We were
having a son, and he was bound to be made of awesome!</div>
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And then the doctor arrived. And we found out our son had a
heart defect, the worst one you can have. We went through all kinds of tests to
figure out if he was a candidate for surgery. A few weeks later, we lost him. </div>
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I was wrecked. And even though I had my husband, my family,
my friends, and they were all so wonderful it’s more than any one person
deserves, I needed to do something, on my own, for myself, to take my mind off
things. I needed to…write a book about LOTS of kissing. This is the point where
you’re thinking, ‘Wait. What?’ But that’s kind of what happened. </div>
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I’m normally a very upbeat, optimistic person, so when I
found this box of notes and the spark on an idea, writing 17 FIRST KISSES
seemed like a good way to get back to someone who felt more like me. But the
crazy thing is, even though I set out to write this fun, shenanigans-filled
book, the stuff I was going through ended up on the pages anyway. The book is
still fun and there are still plenty of shenanigans, but there’s a somber thread
running through it all.</div>
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And the somber thread is what grabbed my agent’s and then my
editor’s attention. It reminds me of something Stephen King says in On Writing,
about how you have to have bad things happen to you in order to have
interesting things to write about. Or something like that.</div>
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Writing this book helped me rescue myself from the dark
place. And I’m not saying writing can or should be used in place of counseling
or therapy or actual medical attention. I guess what I’m saying is, if you’re
trying a lot of things, and you’re up for trying just one more while you’re
getting through something terrible – write it.</div>
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Maybe for you that means journaling every painful thing
that’s happening to you so the pain feels more manageable or maybe it means
writing about a fantastical world of heroes and dragons because what you really
need is a little distraction (and because dragons are awesome).</div>
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And maybe you can’t read and write your way out of
everything, but the trying can ease the heartache. </div>
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So, try.</div>
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Write.</div>
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Pull yourself out of the dark place because you have the
power to do it.</div>
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<i>Day 3 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts </i><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-days-till-17-first-kisses-countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></span></a><i>.</i></div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-22178943526241788142014-06-02T06:42:00.000-07:002014-06-02T06:42:07.720-07:0017 FIRST KISSES Blurb Giveaway <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For Day 2 of the 17 FIRST KISSES release day countdown, I have blurbs and a giveaway for you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">When we discussed blurbs,
and my editor asked if I had anyone in mind who wrote in my genre, I made a
list. A short one, but a bold one. These were women I admired. Some of them I
had been reading for years, and were we really going to ask them to read my
little book???<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I was so nervous, I even
sent along this disclaimer:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">It isn't so much a realistic list as it is a list of authors I
love/wish I could be like/shamelessly fangirl :)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I wasn’t expecting much. But
then a blurb came in. And another. And then there were five (FIVE!) of them,
and I was thrilled and ecstatic and doing <s>awesome</s> terrible dance moves
around my living room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’m so excited to share
these blurbs for 17 FIRST KISSES with you! And I’m giving away one book from
each author, plus a copy of 17 FIRST KISSES below, so you should enter!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"With perfect pitch, <i>17 First Kisses</i> delivers laughter,
tears, and hopefulness in equal measure. A sincere, emotional journey that will
stay with readers long after the last kiss."</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">SARAH OCKLER, bestselling author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">#scandal</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twenty Boy
Summer</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"An insightful story about how
first kisses, friendship, and family shape who we become."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> - </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">CORRINE JACKSON,
author of </span><i style="font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">If I Lie</i><span style="font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;"> and the Sense
Thieves trilogy</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“Yes, there's plenty of kissing
(awesome kissing), but this story's </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;">true highlight is the complex and
real friendship between Claire and </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;">Megan. </span><i style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;">17 First Kisses</i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"> is a sunny and thoughtful debut with characters </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;">you won't soon forget.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>- LINDSEY LEAVITT, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sean Griswold’s Head</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chapel Wars</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“Full of the best ingredients: savory
and sweet at the same time!”</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">- TERRA ELAN McVOY, author of </span><i style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">Pure</i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">
and </span><i style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">Being Friends with Boys</i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“Hilarious and heartbreaking with a
pitch perfect voice, <i>17 First Kisses</i>
is completely crush worthy. Claire is one of my favorite narrators since Ruby
Oliver (<i>The Boyfriend List</i>).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p> - </o:p></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">KARA TAYLOR, author of the Prep School Confidential series</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Kara also included a fake blurb that makes me love her even more </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">:)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Fake blurb: I devoured it in one
sitting like one of Megan's soufflés!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuq_vdtmvh58lWRTA8TFezLJ_3NBffqNAQRybFUjmt933MvFCeHpaj8YPpXHxsSnadrcC9EZOp8r-K9kN3B_80fWxQ8o4DOPjNmZ8Ca7AHGwsFHGwI1SZdxxKlKCuJxJi0f-lTIKlkKS38/s1600/combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuq_vdtmvh58lWRTA8TFezLJ_3NBffqNAQRybFUjmt933MvFCeHpaj8YPpXHxsSnadrcC9EZOp8r-K9kN3B_80fWxQ8o4DOPjNmZ8Ca7AHGwsFHGwI1SZdxxKlKCuJxJi0f-lTIKlkKS38/s1600/combo.jpg" height="640" width="283" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">THE GIVEAWAY!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What you will win:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">#scandal</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of Broken Hearts</i> by Sarah
Ockler (you pick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Chapel Wars</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> by Lindsey Leavitt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Criminal </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;">by
Terra Elan McVoy – Oh, and it’s signed (!!!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Prep School Confidential</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> by Kara Taylor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">If I Lie</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
by Corrine Jackson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">17 First Kisses</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> by Rachael Allen (also signed)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What you have to do: Leave a
comment (seriously, that’s it, and you could win all of these books).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Details: Open to US
residents only. Must leave a comment by midnight EST, June 17, 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-34469290563774662242014-06-01T08:21:00.001-07:002014-06-30T12:52:48.564-07:0017 Days till 17 FIRST KISSES Countdown!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Hi! My book 17 FIRST KISSES comes out on June 17<sup>th</sup>! When I’m not hyperventilating into a paper bag or skipping around my house singing an off-key version of “Defying Gravity”, you can find me here on my blog doing a 17 day countdown with all kinds of posts and prizes and silliness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I’ll keep a running list below so it’s easy to find all the giveaways and stuff:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-first-kisses-blurb-giveaway.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 17 FIRST KISSES Blurb Giveaway (Day 2)</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-i-had-to-write-this-book.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Why I had to write this book (Day 3)</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/waiting-on-wednesday-behind-scenes-by.html">Waiting on Wednesday: BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler (Day 4)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/i-love-everybody.html">I love everybody (Day 5)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/first-kiss-friday-with-emery-lord-open.html">First Kiss Friday with Emery Lord + OPEN ROAD SUMMER (signed!) Giveaway (Day 6)</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/today-im-showing-you-evolution-from.html">From rough query to polished query to cover copy (or Why I love my critique group) (Day 7)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/megans-bff-chocolate-souffle.html">Megan's BFF Chocolate Souffle (Day 8)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-first-kisses-teaser-claires-first.html">17 FIRST KISSES Teaser - Claire's First First Kiss (Day 9)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-secret-experiment.html">The Secret Experiment (Day 10)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-first-kisses-teaser-claire-meets-luke.html">17 FIRST KISSES Teaser - Claire Meets Luke (Day 11)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/hey-guys-im-so-excited-because-today-i.html">Interview and First Kiss Story with Susan Hawk (Day 12)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/first-kiss-friday-17-first-kisses.html">First Kiss Friday - Share your first kiss! (Day 13)</a></span><br />
<a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.blogspot.com/2014/06/17-first-kisses-launch-party.html">Launch Party (Day 14) and Launch Party Recap (Day 15)</a><br />
<a href="http://rachaelallenwrites.tumblr.com/post/88957825910/i-got-the-inspiration-for-17-first-kisses-when-i">Tumblr tour with notes from when I was a teen that helped inspire 17 First Kisses (Day 16)</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/rachael_allen">17 FIRST KISSES book release! I pretty much flailed on Twitter all day :) (Day 17)</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And now, who better to help me with my countdown than The Count himself:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/B-Wd-Q3F8KM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">This blog post was brought to you by the number 17 and the letter R (as in random).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144894107057298988.post-62068806859847008602014-04-18T05:40:00.002-07:002014-04-18T05:46:14.963-07:00First Kiss Friday with Melissa Kantor + MAYBE ONE DAY (signed!) giveaway <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">For today’s First Kiss Friday, I have
Melissa Kantor, author of a ton of books (check out her bio below! Holy wow!),
including her newest MAYBE ONE DAY. I love books about friendship and books
with that perfect balance of sweet and dark, so I can’t wait to read this one!
Plus, MAYBE ONE DAY and 17 FIRST KISSES have the same editor (Jen Klonsky!
Woot!). I’m so excited about this book, I’m giving away a signed (Yes, signed!)
copy below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">And now, here’s Melissa </span><span style="font-size: large;">☺</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">_______________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Let me set the scene: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It's summer camp. A warm, breezy night. Clear,
star-speckled sky. The boy I've been crushed out on for two summers has
finally,<i>finally</i> asked me out, and now he's walking me back to my
bunk after evening activity. We take a detour across an open field, supposedly
(wink, wink) so he can show me how to locate the North Star (you find the Big
Dipper, then draw a line straight up from the bowl of the ladle--but I
digress). We find and admire it. Finally, he puts his hands on my shoulders and
turns me towards him. My heart is pounding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This. Is. <i>It. </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But he hesitates. "Hey," he says quietly.
"Have you ever kissed anyone before?" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Truthfully, I answer, "No" before asking,
"Have you?" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">"Yes," he answers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And then, before he can press his lips to mine, I quickly
say, "Oh! I forgot. I have too." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Oh. I forgot. I have too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I actually said those words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Like, <i>When you asked if I had ever had another
boy's lips on mine I said no because I am soooo sexually experienced that I
simply cannot keep track of all my romantic encounters. It's not that
I've <b>never</b> kissed anyone before. It's that I've kissed <b>so
many boys </b>I sometimes get confused about having kissed any. You
understand how that can happen to a person. Right?</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Oh. I forgot. I have too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Now that I am an adult, I sometimes say or do things that
I am embarrassed about. Maybe I don't remember somebody's name even though
we've been introduced multiple times. Maybe I claim to have read a book I only
read a few pages of. Maybe I mispronounce a foreign word. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But you know something? When that happens, I shouldn't
bother to be embarrassed. What I should do is simply repeat the following six
words to myself: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Oh. I forgot. I have too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Because honestly, who could be embarrassed about anything
after that?</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Melissa Kantor is the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">MAYBE ONE DAY</i>; <i>Confessions of a Not
It Girl</i>, an ALA Booklist Best Romance Novel for Youth; <i>If I Have a
Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince?</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">,</span>
a YALSA Teens Top Ten Pick; <i>The Breakup Bible</i>, an ALA Best Books for
Young Adults nominee; <i>Girlfriend Material</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, a Junior Library Guild selection; and <i>The Darlings Are Forever</i>
and <i>The Darlings in Love</i>, a Junior Library Guild selection</span>. She
lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><b>The Giveaway!!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Did you love that kiss story as much as I did? Do you want to win a
signed copy of MAYBE ONE DAY (Hint: You do!)? Then, enter! (Note: giveaway ends April 29th at
11pm. Available to US entries only.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlNJON75eZ5n6TxKuWLXyPqfIDTrIrR5-IVOys2OuskZ5MdtF1z5oz-hc__l8q4T3ms_H1O2uBN3aQNDUAL3vvNWh_u8xYOBy8MQHAcRMZOECawZh5sADR9Z9vOXlyy7YalgVOQ4vPktx/s1600/maybe+one+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlNJON75eZ5n6TxKuWLXyPqfIDTrIrR5-IVOys2OuskZ5MdtF1z5oz-hc__l8q4T3ms_H1O2uBN3aQNDUAL3vvNWh_u8xYOBy8MQHAcRMZOECawZh5sADR9Z9vOXlyy7YalgVOQ4vPktx/s1600/maybe+one+day.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;">Critically acclaimed author Melissa
Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the
unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl
grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.</span></b><span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i>Zoe and her best friend, Olivia,
have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting
sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her
friend.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i>Even when she isn't sure what to
say.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i>Even when Olivia misses months of
school.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i>Even when Zoe starts falling for
Calvin, Olivia's crush.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i>The one thing that keeps Zoe moving
forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to
the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for
her to even imagine.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i>In this incandescent page-turner,
which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor
artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something
that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe's
unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page
is turned.</i></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #131313; font-family: Georgia;">Add MAYBE ONE DAY on </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053047-maybe-one-day" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.</div>
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Rachael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05819136817572915453noreply@blogger.com3