Photo Friday: Operation Teen Book Drop!

After many hours and much love, readergirlz is excited to roll out our joint project with GuysLitWire and YALSA: Operation Teen Book Drop 2009! Stay tuned for the official press release and more TBD fun stuff, coming soon. Spread the word and please re-post! I will be dropping Violet books all over town on 4/16 (also my friend Joy's birthday--how appropriate!). PS-Going away on a 10-day trip (California! High school friends!) so I might not be around as much in the next week or so, but I've got some posts scheduled to keep you guys entertained.

Bonus Cover Stories: Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Lauren Mechling is a very fun girl who has enviably glossy hair (I've never told her that in person, but I really do think that). I have a signed copy of her latest book, Dream Girl, that will be on Win-It Wednesday one day, and I can't wait to read about Claire Voyante's adventures! In the meantime, here's Lauren's cover story:"First off, I should say I am not a very visual person. Not only do I lack the ability to come up with visual ideas, I'm also really bad at judging what works and what doesn't. Supposedly fun home magazines are as baffling to me as Ikea assembly instructions and I can only understand modern art when it reminds me of something ("look! that could be a snake kissing a cloud, right?") And I tend to like really straightforward book covers, like this: OR "See? I'm hopeless. When I was first shown the cover idea for The Rise and Fall of a 10th Grade Social Climber, my first book, I cringed. I thought it recalled a poster for 21 Jump Street. I was dead wrong -- readers responded to that cover very positively. (Then again, I was right when I suspected the cover for its sequel, All Q, No A, called to mind an old Band Aid you might find on the beach. That beige-colored book did not fly off the shelves.) "No one asked me for cover input, thank goodness. My editor Krista Marino and book designer Angela Carlino (who happen to have designed the covers for King Dork and the Tina Ferraro books) are too hip for children's publishing. Had they asked I would have told them what I was envisioning, something like the cover of Tiffany's Table Manners for Teenagers, which would have been a huge disaster. "So, they let me continue to write while they collaborated on the cover of Dream Girl. They were playing around with a lot of ideas, and the version they ended up going with is beautiful. It reminds me of a package of Japanese candy. Granted, Claire describes herself as being a little chubby and the girl on the cover is all sinewy limbs and clavicles. But, then again, who's to say Claire isn't actually a sex goddess with a case of low self-esteem? I'll have to address that in the sequel..." I love this cover a lot--I think it's haunting and beautiful. I also noticed that the paperback cover will have red roses, which gives it a different feel, but is just as elegant, I think. Maybe a little darker somehow. When I asked Lauren about the red roses change yesterday, she said she's on vacation and hasn't seen it yet! She does say, "I had no hand in the amendment but I'm psyched--many people who read the book said they were surprised by the fact that the story was more noir-y than the candy pink cover might suggest." Which is exactly what I thought. Yay! What do you guys think of the covers?

Win-It Wednesday: Two Awesome Books

Thanks for spreading the word about the Better TV segment on YA! You guys rule. And the randomly chosen winner of a copy of MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES by Erin Dionne is... Heidi! Send me your address, H. This week, I'm giving away two readergirlz picks: No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia (February) and The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (March). Please tell me you guys are all signed up for readergirlz (guys too!). It's so much fun to talk to authors each month about the chosen books. I get a little fangirly in the forum. Anyway, both of these books are fantastic in different ways. You'll love the spirit of Akilah in No Laughter Here as she tries to figure out why her best friend Victoria has changed after coming home from a summer visit to Nigeria. And in The Adoration of Jenna Fox, the suspense of finding out Jenna's true history kept me up late into the night. Sooooo good! I'll choose two winners, and this contest will run for two weeks because I'm going to be out of town next week so I may not be able to blog as much as usual. To enter, comment below and tell me what book you finished last... I'm getting nosy again! Oh, and sign up for the readergirlz newsletter if you haven't already! Seriously, you guys will love this online book discussion. Happy Wednesday! PS-Two other contests you should know about: Elizabeth Scott is giving away a gorgeous locket she found through I Heart Daily (yay!) and Stephanie Kuehnert is giving away samples of an awesome new organic beauty line, Angel Potions. So head over there and comment up a storm! PPS-Lisa Clark at Pink World interviewed me and Anne about I Heart Daily--thanks, Lisa! Bonus: You can see a photo of us eating over there. For some reason, we have lots of photos of us together where we're both eating. Weird? Probably. Favorite question: What tunes would a I Heart Daily soundtrack have on it? ANNE: The Cure - Friday I'm In Love First Aid Kit - You're Not Coming Home Tonight The Dirtbombs - Pretty Princess Day Shangri-Las - Leader of the Pack Justice - D.A.N.C.E. MELISSA: Charlotte Sometimes - Waves and the Both of Us Bishop Allen - Click, Click, Click, Click The Pogues - Tuesday Morning Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You Billy Bragg - Must I Paint You a Picture? Consider this a new playlist idea. Though I'm obviously biased, these songs R.U.L.E.

Winner of IN TOO DEEP + Pathetic Moments in Love

I randomly chose a winner of IN TOO DEEP from last week's contest, and it's Nicole (of the nhertel85 email address). N, let me know where Jennifer can send the book!Today I'm over at Amanda Ashby's blog, celebrating the release of The Zombie Queen of Newbury High with a vlog about a pathetic love moment of mine. Go watch it, leave a comment, and you could win this Supermodel Stain (below). And check out each post--tons of good party blogs over there! Happy Tuesday! PS-Totally off topic, but did you guys like the Oscars? I thought the fashion was uninspiring (Oh, Whoopi! No!) but I was happy with the winners!

Cover Stories: Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

The fabulous Tera Lynn Childs (whose book has been optioned by Ashley Tisdale's production company!) is here to share the tale behind the cover of Oh. My. Gods. Take it away, Tera: "First of all, I am a very visual person. When I first start writing a book--after I have the initial premise/idea--I make up character collages so I get a picture of each character in my head. I put these collages in a binder and, because the binder needs a cover (right?), I also make a cover mockup. Here is the original cover mockup (left) for OH. MY. GODS. (originally titled Growing Up Godly) from my binder. "When the titled changed (for the better, definitely!) I made a new mockup that I had up on my website until I got the official cover (left). "My editor contacted me to ask for initial input into the cover design, asking whether I prefered a graphic cover (like Meg Cabot's Avalon High) or a photo cover of my sneakers-wearing heroine, Phoebe, duking it out with a girl in a toga. I said, "Um, a graphic cover." Because: (a) I love Meg Cabot, and (b) I wasn't too keen on the girl in a toga. "Anyway, color me excited when they sent me a mockup where the Lansdowne Herakles (warning, naked Greek statue) had pink sneakers hanging off his club with the title on a banner covering his parts. Pretty similar to my mockup idea, no? "Unfortunately, we couldn't acquire the rights to use this statue, so my editor sent a new mockup with a statue we could use. Agias (warning, another naked Greek statue). I love-love-loved it! Except... notice how his arms are broken (and not at the joints, where it might look normal, but in the middle, where it looks like they got chopped off)? Yeah, that made me kinda nervous. And kinda nauseous. "But apparently I (and my parents) were the only ones who saw this as a problem. My editor and agent and agent's assistant all thought it looked, "Authentic." So I let it go. You can just imagine how relieved I was when my editor sent the final version with PhotoShopped arms! Hooray! "This is not, however, the end of the cover story. Apparently there are more than a few readers (and booksellers) out there who weren't keen on the naked dude cover. As a life-long lover of all things ancient (including statuary) this is just not something I ever thought would be an issue, but it was. "So, the wonderful art department at Puffin (who will be releasing the paperback edition of OH. MY. GODS. in May) created a brand new cover. And (although this might be hard to believe) I love it even more than the original! "Well, that's the cover story for OH. MY. GODS. Take a moment to weigh in on which cover you like best. Or what you think of my original mockups. Or whether you think the naked statue was 'authentic' or 'creepy.' Come on, I wanna hear it!" Thanks, Tera! I for one LOVE the statue cover. I think it looks really original and I like the contrast of the historic and the contemporary on that cover. It has always stood out to me. The winged sneakers are cute too though!

The Part of Fashion Week I'm Not Into + Happy Video

It's the snark. The comments about weight, the use of the word "commercial" as an insult to beautiful models, the catty who's-in-the-front-row? chatter at the shows. Blech. Mrs. F-B sent me this link about German designer Wolfgang Joop calling Heidi Klum "too heavy" and I just have to say: Puleez. She shines. And I love her and Seal together. But I guess old Wolfgang what's-his-name got a little press out of it. Always remember this: Whenever someone insults you, that insult reflects something they're missing in themselves. A little bit of low self-confidence, perhaps a feeling of not belonging, maybe a dash of I'm-not-worthy. It has nothing to do with you. I hope the NY Fashion Week models remembered that as they put themselves under the spotlight last week. Okay, Oprah moment over. Happy Sunday! PS-The awesome Genevieve did a video review of Violet on the Runway for FiveAwesomeYAFans (a ning you should be a part of, naturally! They have a great collection of videos which totally take up time when I should be writing but it's FUN). Watch below if you've got a sec. This one made me feel all *happy*!

Micol Ostow's Bradford Novels

Micol Ostow had a fabulous book party last night for the release of the first Bradford Novel, Golden Girl. And character Madison Takahashi scored an interview with my character Violet Greenfield. Too fictional for you? Nah. Go here to read it and leave some love!Then watch the book trailer here: I got a signed copy of the book from Micol, so look for it on Win-It Wednesday after I read it (hey, I'm into recycling...). PS-This Saturday I'm looking for the perfect vintage wedding dress. What are you up to? PPS-Oh, Mari Mancusi is also having a contest for people who post our video, so go leave a comment on her blog too if you shared it... then you have two shots to win stuff!

Photo Friday: Fashion Week LEWIS Show

Some photos from Alison Lewis's show at Fashion Week, which was--as you can see--simply divine and totally my style. I want that diagonal button dress (up front)! Click for clearer photos (don't know why they're so fuzzy!). So sometimes, shows aren't on a runway; they're on a stage where the models stand to be looked at. Of course, they don't have to stay still, but they do have to look pretty up there for a couple of hours. This show was held at Bobo in the West Village. Meet lovely designer Alison Lewis (left) and stylist Tanesha Smith (who did all the styling for the show, including the gloriously messy headscarf wrapping, which I loved). Also note that crazy cat in tulle. A fancy bird that was part of the decor. I just liked it for it's oddness. Happy Friday! PS-Little Willow alerted me to former model Robyn Peterson's one-woman show, Catwalk Confidential, which totally reminds me of Violet! ("Robyn Peterson writes with pungent theatrical wit about her swift, exciting and funny ascent from Florida teenager, hanging around the pool, to ravishing model, strutting on the high fashion runways in Paris. Seeing her onstage now, you know exactly why she was such a blazing star." -- David Trainer, Director "That '70s Show"). Wish I could go to the show, but it's on the west coast!

Win-It Wednesday: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne

iTunes thanks you for all those love song suggestions from last week--I'm still wading through and listening--soooo much fun when I want to procrastinate actually writing. And the winner of FADE by Lisa McMann is... Addicted to Books! Send me your mailing address, ATB. Today, (in honor of, you guessed it, Fashion Week!) I'm giving away a copy of Erin Dionne's Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies. Celeste is mortified when her Aunt Doreen enters her in the Miss HuskyPeach pageant for plus-sized girls--but will she find her inner runway model? With a witty narrator and even an older model named Violet (!), this book is total fun. To win, you have more of a task than usual. See, Mari Mancusi and I got to tape a TV segment for Better TV (that's it below!) and we want to share it. So if you can post it to your blog, your facebook page, your myspace, twitter it or even just forward the URL to a few friends, then you're in! Just leave a comment below to say you shared it. I trust. The cool thing is, the more views this gets, the more likely they'll be to cover Young Adult books/authors in the future. So send it out there! And let me know what you think... I was totally nervous and a little word-stumbly, but ah well. That red camera light comes on and it's easy to freak out. TV is hard! And I need a haircut. Happy Wednesday! PS-Late-breaking giveaway added to yesterday's post with Jennifer Banash's characters, so go back and enter that one too!

The Girls of IN TOO DEEP Talk Fashion + Win a Book!

This week, Jennifer Banash is making the rounds, and I asked if I could interview her two main characters--Casey (the new-to-city girl from Normal, IL) and Madison (the ultimate Manhattan princess)--in honor of Fashion Week. Luckily, they all said yes!MW: What's your go-to outfit, the one that always makes you feel confident and really YOU? Madison: "Black cashmere V-neck sweater from Prada, dark washed skinny Hudson jeans, and black D&G knee-high stiletto boots. Throw a Zac Posen fuschia trench on top, and you have the equivalent of fashion perfection." Casey: (Bursts out laughing.) "Or a hot pink nightmare!" Madison: (Rolls eyes.) Casey: "Anyway... I'd have to say... that I'm not sure anymore. I mean, all my clothes from my life back in Normal seem so... wrong for my life here, you know? (Squirms uncomfortably.) Maybe the dress that Mad bought me? The yellow one I wore to Drew's party a while ago?" Madison: "Oh, you mean the dress I was kind enough to buy you that you wound up seducing my boyfriend in? That dress?" MW: Okay! Back to Fashion! Madison: "Whatever. It's ancient history, anyway..." MW: Favorite designer? Madison: "Zac Posen. Accept no substitutes." Casey: "I'm really still learning about this whole designer thing. Before I moved to NY, I thought that Isaac Mizrahi for Target was fancy." Madison: "Really?" (Raises one eyebrow.) "Color me surprised..." MW: "Moving on... Any fashion inspirations or muses?" Madison: "I'm really inspired by the whole flapper look Vogue is forecasting for spring--it's so glamorous and timeless. And, of course, in terms of celebrities, anything Kate Moss wears is always fresh, original, and amazing. She has awful taste in men though--kind of like someone else I know..." Casey: "Chloe Sevigny. I really admire the fact that she's not afraid to take risks, and, above all, be herself. She's such an original, and has the clearest sense of self that she's able to channel into the clothes she wears." Madison: "That's so perfect, Casey! Your style is just like hers--that whole Mormon look with the bag dresses she rocks on Big Love is SO hot right now..." MW: Actually, I'm a Chloe fan too. She misses a lot, but when she hits it right, she's a true original. Thanks, ladies of The Elite Series! It was fun talking style with you. In Too Deep is on sale now (oh, to have those turquoise eyelashes...). I'd love to hear the answers to these questions from anyone who wants to share. I always need new go-to outfit ideas, muses and designers to check out. PS-Teen Vogue highlights some teen fashion bloggers this month, and we're doing the same at I Heart Daily. They're great to read if you're into style. ** UPDATE: Jennifer just told me that she's offering a copy of In Too Deep to one commenter, so weigh in below and you're entered! **