Win-It Wednesday: Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

The winner of last week's contest for You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz is... Mitzy! Send me your address, M. You'll love this book, even if it makes you weep.I featured Denise Jaden's Losing Faith Cover Story last month, and today she's offering up a copy of the book to one lucky commenter! The story deals with assumptions about people, outcasts, and the twisted mystery behind a sister's death. Read more on The Contemps! Losing Faith is the perfect purply book to show today since I'm wearing purple in support of Glaad's Spirit Day to honor the lives of the GLBT teens who've committed suicide. Go find some purple to wear! (And watch the incredible We Stop Hate video at I Heart Daily -- this organization is one to watch and to make your own video for, asap!). So how do you enter to win? Tell me one way that you're stopping hate in your corner of the world. You can say that you're wearing purple or you watched Alyx's amazing video or that you're spreading the word about We Stop Hate or that you stood up for someone recently -- everything counts and adds up to more love. (They're here on Facebook and Twitter.) Happy Wednesday! PS--Ooh, Jen's first comment made me remember that I so wanted to mention the "It Gets Better" project too -- amazing! Even Hilary made a video today. And if you haven't seen Fort Worth City Councilman Joe Burns and his incredible speech at a recent meeting, get out your tissue box and press play:

Win-It Wednesday: You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz, Signed

Last week's winner of Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick is... Daniel Shelley! Send me your address, D.This week, I'm giving away a signed copy of You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz. The summary: Annaleah and Brian had something special--Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn't need anyone else. It didn't matter that it was secret. All that mattered was what they shared. And then, suddenly, Brian dies. And while everyone else has their role in the grieving process, Annaleah finds herself living on the outside of it, unacknowledged and lonely. How can you recover from a loss no one will let you have? This book is written in verse and it is lovely. And yes, it made me cry. As for your comment task, it is this: Tell me about the last time you cried at a TV show or movie. Watching Teen Mom this week--when Caitlynn and Tyler finally saw Carly again--I was a blubbering mess. I cannot get enough of them, I just think they're so mature and so wonderful and I want them to stay together forever and have a fantastic family and rise above their circumstances. And I hope Caitlynn always keeps her rainbow eyeshadow. They are, as Siobhan Vivian once called them, Teen Angels. So, your turn: What was the last movie or TV show that made your waterworks flow? I'll choose a winner randomly next week!

Win-It Wednesday: Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

Thank you guys for your well wishes (and awesome ideas -- sleep, ginger tea, chicken soup, oh my!). I feel better today!The winner of Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin is... Stephanie M. Send me your address, S. This week, you can enter to win an ARC of Natalie Standiford's Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters. This book is awesome -- totally compelling and intriguing, with unique voices and a charming cast of characters (all of whom might want a do-over with a certain aspect of their past year.) To enter to win, watch this video from The Contemps, and then share the one day/moment from your life that you'd do over in the comments... as you can tell, my do-over day is in the video. Oh, and someone shared a comment on The Contemps doing over a happy day just to re-live it, which I thought was a pretty cool outlook on the whole "do over" thing! Happy Wednesday!

Win-It Wednesday: Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Last week's winner of Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian is... KristanC! Send me your address, K. This week, I'm sick. Wah! So give me your best home remedies for colds in the comments below (or just offer me sympathy at my pity party) and you're entered to win an Advanced Reader Copy of Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin (which has an AMAZING cover and a great Cover Story that Nancy shared on PW's Shelf Talker blog). I'm reading this book right now and loving it so much that it might heal me.

Happy Wednesday! *cough*

Win-It Wednesday: Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Last week's winners of The Aristobrats include... RivkaBelle, Amanda and Cass! Send me you addresses, ladies!This week I'm giving away my copy of the awesome Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian. This book manages to cover school politics, feminism, self doubt, love and lust all in one page-turning package. You will love it! To enter to win a copy, you can either leave a comment about the cover on the Cover Story or tell me right here what your favorite part of starting a new school year is (or was). For me, it was the possibility of change. I always wanted the summer makeover, the chance to be a funnier, more outgoing (and okay, prettier) girl in the new year. I don't think I ever got that magic transformation going, but the possibility of it was enough. Happy Wednesday!

Win-It Wednesday + Cover Stories: The Aristobrats by Jennifer Solow

First, last week's winners: Kasey won Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey, and Latisha won Delacroix Academy by Inara Scott! Send me addresses, K and L... This week, Jennifer Solow is here with her new novel, The Aristobrats, out next week. It's got a perfectly preppy cover with gorgeous blues, greens and a grosgrain ribbon! A lot of thought went into this cover, so here's Jennifer to share the story (comment for a chance to win the book -- three winners will be chosen next week!): "It starts something like this: The email arrives in your Inbox. The subject line: The Cover. I love it! What do you think? There's a PDF attachment. You try and breathe, practice mindful meditation, give up all unrealistic expectations, keep an open mind. You say to yourself, I will be positive. I will not react like a crazy person. I will not do the Diva Dance (clutch phone, march around living room, wave color printouts in air, sweat). "Needless to say, I never listen to my own advice! "The best book covers I think look effortless, like they just sort of burst out from the story and landed there on the bookshelf. I adore the cover of this book and its breezy, effortless look. Diva Dance notwithstanding, I was amazed and delighted at how dedicated my publisher was to getting to a solution we all loved. Effortless? Don't think so. Worth it? Absolutely. "The Aristobrats is about four close friends who've been waiting their whole lives for eighth grade. It's finally their big year and they're determined to set a good example for the underpopular. With main characters who are undyingly loyal and, hello...nice, it's a kind of anti-Clique book in my mind. (Mean girls are so two-thousand-and-late!) The uber-preppy world of their story was inspired by my own experience at prep school: Madras plaid, Tiffany lockets, grosgrain ribbon watchbands, L.L. Bean Blucher moccasins, wool duffel coats. I felt like there was something in that world of preppiness that would make for a unique and appealing cover. "Getting the style pitch-perfect was as crucial to the cover as it was to the characters in the story. But while these details were part of my own DNA, they were practically impossible for anyone else to truly understand. I knew it was my responsibility to show the cover design team what I meant. I needed to create a visual vocabulary. "I pulled images from everywhere. Colors. Patterns. People. I used Polyvore to make collages and reached out to the prep-experts like Jill from Tickled Pink and Green and The Preppy Princess for ideas. I sent the designers all the preppiness I could find. Soon things started coming together. "One of the things I love about the final cover is that it has a classic, timeless style without feeling like a prep cliche. I also love that the book itself, with the ribbon around it, seems like a wrapped gift or one of those pretty writing journals I always pick up in line at the bookstore as an impulse-buy. I was delighted when the 2011 Lilly Pulitzer notepads (left) came out a few weeks ago. I felt like we were spot-on. "Now how are we feeling about the photos of the girls? Breathe, Jennifer. Breathe." Thanks, Jennifer! I am a huge fan of inspiration boards, and you totally did it up! (Jenny Han had a great one for The Summer I Turned Pretty, too.) I also am a fan of the girls on the cover. Nice picks! What do you guys think of this cover? Take the Quiz (Which Aristobrat Are You?), find Jennifer on Facebook, and watch the trailer:

Win-It Wednesday: Delacroix Academy by Inara Scott

The winner of last week's April, May & June Robin Benway contest is... Toreyy! Send me your address, T! This week, I have a Cover Story + Contest combo (must like yesterday's -- enter Janet Lee Carey's contest too!) Today, Inara Scott is here to tell us about the cover of her new book, Delacroix Academy (and she's giving away a copy of the book!).

Here's Inara:

"I dreamed, as all authors do, of having the perfect cover. But I really didn't know what that might be. I knew it had to have gates on it -- the Delcroix gates play a significant role in the book, and they have a high creepy factor. ;-) So I definitely hoped they would make an appearance. Other than that, I didn't know exactly what I wanted. I did know I didn't want a couple of stock models kissing. Especially not stock models without heads. Or faces. (shudder)

"I seem to recall them asking if I had any ideas, and I pretty much said exactly what I said above -- I'm hoping you come up with something amazing and cool, but I have no idea what that might be. LOL.

"When I first saw the cover, I ADORED it. Still do. I absolutely love love love it. Am I gushing? Let me gush some more. It's perfect. I love the colors, the power it suggests, the gates, the danger, and Dancia's face is awesome. I did get to see three different takes on the cover with slightly different gate styles and color palettes. But I didn't have a strong opinion. They all looked gorgeous.

"The style on the gate became more square and less ornate, but that was the only change. I know they used a model just for this shoot, because I heard recently that the same model isn't available for book 2, which had them scratching their heads a bit. I'm not sure who they're going to use for the new cover.

"I think this cover tells you a lot about the book. You can see that this is a paranormal story with a strong, powerful heroine and a certain level of suspense or danger. The lack of a couple kissing on the front should also let you know that there may be romance in the book, but it's much more than just a romance."

Thanks, Inara! I certainly think this cover is powerful. It makes me think of the gates to hell or something. Anyone else? Oh, and here's the trailer (sooo creepy awesome!)! Leave a comment about the cover or the trailer, and you're entered to win a copy of the book (US and Canada only--sorry! But any address here works, so if you have a friend who can receive the book for you, you can win!).

Win-It Wednesday: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway

Last week's winner of The DUFF galley is... Raelena! Email me with your address, R.This week, Robin Benway is giving away a signed galley copy of her newest release, The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June. Robin shared her Cover Story with me last week, and she sent along some photos she had that matched the characters in her mind. Do you guys do that? Dream up characters in your head? I want to hear about the best covers-matching-characters that you've seen. I actually think the paperback of Audrey, Wait! is a really spot-on character match. What covers can you think of? Comment below and you're entered to win (sorry, this one's U.S. only, but if you have any address in the U.S. you can win and Robin will send there).

Win-It Wednesday: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Thanks for the secrets last week! The winner of Holly Cupala's Tell Me a Secret is... Tatyanne W! Send me your address, T.This week, I'm giving away an ARC (advanced reader copy) of The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. Kody is hilarious and awesome, and this book reflects all of that. It's a really open look at one girl's relationship with her own sexuality (and her friends, her parents, guys...). I barreled through this one in four subway rides -- it keeps you reading. To enter to win, tell me if you knew what the DUFF stood for before this book. I didn't! But as soon as I heard it, I thought: Brilliant book concept. Happy Wednesday! PS-If you haven't read Lovestruck Summer yet, here's a chance to win a copy (and see me vlog once again!) before the August light fades... Thanks, Teens Read Too!

Win-It Wednesday: Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

The winner of last week's contest for Kaimira: The Sky Village is... Adrienne F! Send me your address, A. (And thanks to everyone who said hi!) This week, the lovely hardcover of Holly Cupala's Tell Me a Secret can be yours if you... tell me a secret. Come on, you saw that one coming. My secret is the first in this video of authors sharing secrets. So what's yours? I'll choose one commenter below to win this book!

The secret can be funny or sad or silly or scandalous--anything you want to share that is semi clandestine. I can't wait to hear...

PS-We're discussing this book at readergirlz, and Holly is having a big trailer release contest too, so check those spots out.