SEA BLUE PEOPLE WIN MYSTERY BOOKS CONTEST: WEEK 1
AND THE WINNER* IS…
SHERRY S. (SSALACH88)
Congratulations, Sherry!!!
What does she win ladies and gents?
A SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ARC OF
Thanks so much to Lauren Oliver for donating to my Mystery Book Contest!
And thanks to everyone for playing!
Next week I *may* be tempted to give away TWO BOOKS to lucky winners…stay tuned for Monday’s post and enjoy your holiday weekend!
LOL BUNNEEZ
Cheers,
Heidi
*Chosen by http://www.random.org
G’morning and Happy Monday!
Sea launches in approximately 9 (ish) weeks and I’m giving a way a BOOK A WEEK UNTIL THEN.
Not just any book.
An awesome SPRING 2010** BOOK
Many SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR
From the truly obscure:
To the peaceful and calming, read-while -you’re-doing-yoga kind of book:
AND SO MANY MORE IT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY.
Talented, Kind, and Generous authors donated*** to my Blue People Mystery Contest
Everyone gets only ONE entrance this round
To get that ONE ENTRANCE you need to do at LEAST THREE of the following:
*Blog about this contest-link in comments
*Tweet about this contest-@ reply me @heidirkling hashtag #SeaBluePeopleWin
*FB about this contest mention my name (it automatically links)
*Change your Twitter avatar to a SPRING 2010 BOOK COVER (it could be Hex Hall, Will Grayson, Restoring Harmony, Linger*, If I Fall, my book (what’s it called?), or whicheverbookyouwantandthinkisawesome
*Make a VLOG. Like this one from my last contest:
Is there anything cuter that LOL catz demanding to read YA?
I will link your VLOG, RT it on Twitter, and generally think that you are awesome.
Easy, right?
Let the mayhem begin!
Contest ends Friday at Midnight PST
INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES WELCOME
Peace,
Heidi
*technically summer but since LINGER is part of the giveaway (Thanks Scholastic!) it counts
**a couple books are not from 2010, but exude high levels of awesome
***some of the books are mine that I bought with my allowance money. they come with packs of Bubble Yum.
Tenners SPRING BOOK TRAILER!
Look at all those awesome books!
Can you see SEA?
:-)
Thankful Thursday: FIRST EVER GUSHY FANMAIL
(Printed by permission from generous teen blogger/reviewer Alicia Guerrero and encouraged to post by magically delicious TWITTER followers. Some gushy parts were removed because they contained SPOILERS.)
“OMG Heidi, you are like God! Sea was totally amazing!!! I swear, one of my favorite books ever, like top 5 favorite! I have no clue how to put into words how much I loved it. It just blew my mind.
Spider and Deni? Totally-freaking-awesome! I loved both of them equally! How did you come up with them?? And Sienna, she was awesome too! Totally relatable and everything!
And the ending!! Holy moly! I cried when I finished the book because I never wanted it to end!
If I could, this entire email would be filled with exclamation marks, happy faces and hearts. Haha.
This is a must read at least once a month!!
Did I mention I loved it?? Oh I did? Well, I’ll say it again! I LOVED SEA!!!!!!”
From Heidi: This is the kind of letter an author dreams about from the time she first picks up a crayon to the time she holds her first book in her hands.
Thank you, Alicia! And thanks to all the bloggers out there spreading the SEA love!
Is it June yet?
:-)
FRIDAY FIVE: #AAW! Vampire Diaries Anthology! Existential Thoughts
1. First of all good news in the form of #AAW: Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my creative whim that became Author Appreciation Week! What a wonderful community of writers, readers, bloggers and book fans we have. I feel fortunate every day to be a part of it and am dazzled by the outpouring of enthusiasm for the project! Hundreds of people participated–from all over the world–on behalf of all the authors you made so happy, I thank you.
2. Bad news: my doggy is sick. :( My sweet, almost 13 year old puppy was coughing and wheezing and they thought it was kennel cough. Turns out after an x-ray and an ultrasound he has advanced heart disease. He had to spend the night at the vet hospital. I was so torn up–thinking we may have to put him to sleep, sobbing to my husband who was in Haiti all week. But then Kota came home, is now really responding to his (many) medications and is back to his tail-wagging, speed-eating, rolling around in his favorite patch of grass self. Prayers and good thoughts appreciated. Keep them coming. I’m not ready to lose my fluffy guy.
3. Good news: my husband came home safe and sound. Bad News: reports from Haiti were horrifying. But my husband’s team speaking to the New York Times spread to the AP and now around the world people can be outraged about the rapes going on in the tent villages. If he hadn’t have gone, who knows if the news would have broke at all? Anyone who thinks one person can’t make a difference. Note this. I spread the word around Twitter, linking the Huff Post article. It’s what I can do from here. Thanks to everyone who spread the word.
4. By my birthday I was thinking things were pretty much SUCKING ROTTEN EGGS. The dog, Haiti…and then I got some good news! I was asked to contribute to a Smart Pop Vampire Diaries Anthology that discusses the TV series The Vampire Diaries! Sarah Rees Brennen (The Demon’s Lexicon), Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Raised by Wolves), Bree Despain (The Dark Divine), Kiersten White (Paranormalcy) among others are contributing as well. I’m thrilled and honored to be part of such an excited project!
Naturally, my essay will focus on them:
YES, I’m being paid to dig into the sexy-warped minds of the Salvatore Brothers. Life is not entirely suck.
5. My birthday was wonderful! Twitter party, FB party, Teen book bloggers made Birthday Cards for me!
THEN: D dropped me off for a surprise spa-afternoon! 70 minutes of Swedish massage, a hot/rock/foot soak by the fire and then a lovely dinner out with 9 of my favorite people. The day was beautiful spring, fresh and sunny–and reminded me again how life is such a mix of tragedy and blessings. Of sadness and joy. Each day brings bits of both and the best way to prepare for it, is to accept that this is indeed, the state of human existence.
All we can do is enjoy the happiness when we have it, store it away in our hearts so we can reach for it when the not-so-happy news trickles in. Which it inevitably will. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get out today, enjoy the sunshine. Welcome the spring.
Reports from Haiti
Picked up Doc Dude at SFO last night. Other than being charged by a rogue pig and flea-beaten he is good. His reports, however, were not. These are two of the main AP articles after his team was interviewed about the grave humanitarian crisis against women and children in the make-shift tent villages:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/16/rape-in-haiti-women-girls_n_501588.html
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/16/world/AP-CB-Haiti-Earthquake.html?pagewanted=2
PLEASE, PLEASE spread the word about this horrendous humanitarian crisis occurring NOW.
This must be stopped.
#AuthorAppreciationWeek: MONDAY MAVERICKS
I admire SO many YA authors I had to narrow it down. The first word that popped into my head was “Maverick”.
In this changing/growing/oh-so-hip-my-90-year-old-grandma-reads it* genre of YA, writers are getting more creative with ways to connect with their readers and communities.
After deciding to narrow my focus a half-dozen authors popped to mind.
In the forefront these two women, who have taken the reins down the always exhilarating, sometimes confusing path of authoring particularly well. (Yes, this is my attempt at a John Wayne metaphor.)
Both debuted at the same small, innovative press, under the wise direction of an editor who has been lovingly referred to as both Yoda & Kermit—was it because of this green shirt? ;)
Andrew Karre, current editorial director of Carolrhoda Lab http://www.lernerbooks.com/carolrhodalab/
Human or talent-molding-demi-God?
Since their debuts, both authors have been spotted on the New York Times Bestseller List—many, many, many week in a row—for their fantasy bestsellers and have maintained outstanding senses of humor and self through it all.
In case you still haven’t guessed my Monday Mavericks are the fabulous:
(drum roll please)
CARRIE JONES (http://www.carriejonesbooks.com/)
Author of
and the bestselling NEED
Why is Carrie a Maverick? “Tips” came out when I was just getting nibbles for Sea (2007) and she has written FOUR OTHER BOOKS IN THE MEANTIME. Four books. FOUR BOOKS. Four books. Yes FOUR MORE BOOKS. Plus, she’s a big Amnesty International supporter, ran for a political seat in Maine, is completely kind and generous to everyone who comments on her blog, a devoted mother.
She takes risks. Carrie’s first three books were contemporary, and she took a big leap into a different genre, all the while blogging, politicking, volunteering. Plus, she loves Muppets. Carrie was the very first author I interviewed on my Author Chat series. I was a nobody from nowhere with a brand new blog and she said yes without hesitation. Carrie brings her whole generous-sweet self into her writing and into her public persona and this is why she is a MAVERICK OF YA.
And *drum roll, plus flute, plus harp roll* for the one and only:
MAGGIE STIEFVATER (http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/)
You all know Maggie. Or should by now. Her first two books were about sexy, dangerous faeries, then her third and fourth, sexy, dangerous werewolves–you may have heard of them, Shiver and upcoming Linger?
PW recently announced she’s under contract for four more books at Scholastic. FOUR BOOKS. Four more books. FOUR MORE BOOKS. !
When I met Maggie on lj Lament hadn’t even come out yet. How could one woman accomplish so much and still be SO connected with her readers on Twitter/Facebook/LJ/Tours/Website?
She makes her own book trailers.
Plays like a zillion instruments.
Laughs like Mad Hatter.
Blogs like crazy and not just about what she had for lunch (cookie dough is an interesting staple) but big things too.
Shiver’s been translated into more languages than their are (okay, this is a slight exaggeration) and still makes time to do the kindest gestures like mail Sam-the-Boy/Wolf’s biggest fan a personalized copy of her novel.
And she’s NOT a book-bot. I swear, she’s real. If you pinch her, she will scream. (And then she’ll kick your butt and shave a weird pattern into your hair, yet I digress.)
Maggie is a dynamo. A burst of energy, multifaceted, multitalented and most of all: A MAVERICK OF YA.
Thanks to Carrie and Maggie for being huge inspirations, the way you relate to your audience and give so much of yourselves to this profession. Your readers, friends, fans appreciate it more than you know.
Maggie getting her signing on…
…Carrie her rowing
Visit Maggie m_stiefvater and Carrie carriejones and tell them Heidi sent you to bask in their awesome.
*90 year old Grandma reading YA is hip? Yes, yes it is.
Author Appreciation Week!
WHEN: March 15-19
WHAT: Write a blog post each day of next week about the authors you appreciate and why!
RULES: There are none. Be creative. If you want to pick five, pick five. Ten favorites? Go for it! Can’t choose between your top twenty? Well, then you’ll be doing a few a day. And they’ll love you for it!
Avatars & Graphics: Feel free to use the one Sara from Novel Novice (www.novelnovice.com) made (above), there’s a few on Twitter, or make your own. Remember to credit the generous, book-loving artists!
What is an “author”: Ideally, someone that has sold a novel to an established publishing house. I suppose it could be your cat, if she’s purred her way into a contract. For our purposes let’s do authors of YA/MG.
How do we spread the word? Post this post to your blog, link back here. Go on facebook and twitter and use the hashtag #AA (Author Appreciation) and @ the others you have chosen so they can go back and read your words of praise.
Why are you hosting this? Are you crazy? When is our Mystery Book Contest Starting?: I got this idea in the shower this afternoon after reading all my #ff (Follow Friday) on Twitter. #ff is this nice gesture fellow Twitterers make which is basically an endorsement to get their followers to follow you. It’s like introducing you to a friend. Or giving you a job recommendation. I noticed a general trend in the #ff’s and started thinking about all the authors I appreciate. Crazy? Not certifiable. And I prefer the term energetic. YES! Next week the contest will start. I PROMISE.
JK Rowling is an author who many appreciate. And that is a kicka$$ broom.
The heart of this idea: Writing in 2010 is a full-time job, and some do it very, very well. All of it! From writing, to blogging, to going that extra mile to get to know their readers. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. And we love them for it.
Time to show our appreciation!
See you Monday!
Thankful Thursday!
1. My husband. He is in Haiti. With a team of 3 other docs and 4 lawyers. He left last night and it was unbelievably sad watching him pack. I always hate that. The kids are sad, he’s sad, I’m sad. Then he goes and we rally. Anyway, this trip is going to be amazing! The New York Times has a reporter/photographer capturing their work They are working closely with Partners in Health. They found an old office space to sleep in–it does have running water and one bathroom. They will most-likely all camp on the floor. He left with a backpack, Z-bars, water tablets. I’m worried and proud and filled with admiration for him and all that he does.
2. To keep my mind off of Doctor Dude and to help with the Wild Things, the in-laws are coming! My in-laws are coming! I’m feeling a bit guilty about how delightful my weekend is going to be. Tomorrow I’m going with friends Martha Flynn and Whitney Miller to see this:
I am a sucker for RPattz. Toss in Claire from LOST & indie-movie angst love story? So in.
Bonus: extended Eclipse trailer
3. Saturday I’m attending a write-in at Casa de Whitney, which is just that, we hang out with our lap-tops and dance the writing jig followed by friend and fellow June panelist, author Jandy Nelson’s Not Your Mother’s Book Club launch to celebrate her lovely debut YA novel:
The Sky is Everywhere (lovely, lovely book)
4. I love Twitter. Especially The Blue People who are exceptionally kind and creative. You know that Massive Massive Giveaway I promised? Well I’m STILL HAVING IT. Don’t freak out. BUT…I want to streeeeeeeettttcccchhhhhh it out a bit. My thinking is, I’ll give away a book a week. It will be the gift that keeps on giving. But—and this is 100% Twitter follower approved—the winning book will be a MYSTERY. Yes. You got it. It could be LINGER it could be BEFORE I FALL it could be SEA it could be HEX HALL…
I’m a poet. I know it.
Are you in? I’m really excited about this idea and hope you are too!
AND the best thing, I have enough fantastic books to give away that I’m going to do it UNTIL JUNE 10! That’s right. SEA DAY! THE GIVEAWAYS WILL BE HERE ON MY BLOG, but I’ll advertise them on Twitter et al
5. I’m getting incredible event requests from both bookstores and festivals. My summer is filling up quickly so if you are a bookstore, festival, book club, library, school, camp, yoga retreat tropical island destination and you are interested in me speaking to your teens/adult crossover readers, please contact me directly at my website:
http://heidirkling.com/
Summer 2010 has been declared SUMMER OF SEA (at least at our house) so keep sending your requests and ideas!
Another personal request. If you have the time please send prayers and good vibes and everything else into the Universe for my husband’s safe return from this most recent disaster site. I’m sure this journal will be like his Indonesian ones a combination of devastating, emotional and most of all inspiring.
Thanks all!
#I SEE SEA ARC WINNERS! (+Sneak Peak on Mid-March MADNESS!)
See that square tupperware in front of those awesome books? That’s where all the many, many entry names are!
SEA ARCs! Prizes! Bookmarks! Orange Converse ornaments!
Shake, shake, shake those names. Small hand picks a winner!
Next winner! (Boy wanted to photograph)
THE PRIZES!
You are UTTERLY AWESOME BLUE PEOPLE–and because it took me like two hours to write all your names down, some 44 times, and cut up the paper and fold them etc. etc. etc.) I’m leaving them in there tupperware home lid on tight so you’ll have a chance to win the SEA ARC MID-MARCH SPRING FLING HEIDI’S BIRTHDAY MASSIVE MASSIVE GIVEAWAY! and you don’t have to do ANYTHING else to enter!
Thank you all so much for entering my contest and spreading cheer and enthusiasm about SEA!
Congratulations to Lena Ainsworth (aka: lena1xoxo) and Stephanie Pellegrin! The winners of signed and personalized SEA ARCs and other fun SEA-themed miscellany! Check back March 11 when the MASSIVE GIVEAWAY will be unveiled, which includes, but is not limited to:
Huh?! How in the world did I score THESE awesome books? *taps finger tips* And how can I keep them?! Kidding! They are FOR YOU! Donated by many generous authors I’m lucky to know.
Please visit http://heidirkling.com for more SEA-related things like launch parties! Press-kit! What inspired SEA? And more. My website is the place you can you get in touch with me to request interviews, guest-posts, radio shows, TV spots, or simply if you are Hollywood calling and you have Damon on hold for me on line two. (I can dream, right?)
Have a great Monday, everybody!
Thanks for playing!
SEA debuts June 10, 2010 with Putnam (Penguin)
SEA ARC GIVEAWAY! (I SEA BLUE BOOKS)
CONTEST ENDS AT MIDNIGHT MARCH 5.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED MONDAY MORNING. (California Heidi Time, so around 10 a.m.)
GASP! 1,003!
I promised my Twitter followers that when I reached 1,000 I’d giveaway an ARC of SEA. I was at 980 this morning and after I Tweeted that I was getting Dan-ger-ous-ly close and *may have* to give away a SEA ARC BEFORE the MASSIVE MASSIVE GIVEAWAY mid-March the charming creatures they are starting Tweeting, "GET HEIDI TO 1,000 followers" It was all very exciting and this is why I LOVE Twitter because it’s a Real Time connection to readers…and future readers…and all my friends and…okay you get the point.
But first a back story. My friend and Book Rock Star Maggie Stiefvater m_stiefvater, hosted an epic giveaway on her blog for her new book Linger (you may have heard of it, the sure-to-be fabulous sequel to SHIVER and long story short, she asked her entry folks to change their Twitter user pics to pictures of her book Linger. So I was away from Twitter for one whole day (I know. Shocker.) Came back and there were these people EVERYWHERE. I called them VINE PEOPLE and it was like they were closing in on me. With awesome. So, they said, "When you have a giveaway we will become SEA PEOPLE" and I was like, "Would you really?" and they were like, "Totally."
So guess what?
YOU MUST BECOME SEA PEOPLE.
How does one become a SEA PERSON? Naturally you grow gills and a mermaid tail. Or you simply…
1. Change your Twitter user pic and/or Facebook to SEA cover image. (One entry per change. Maximize your chances and change both!)
2. BLOG about it (paste the SEA post at the bottom of the page), choose THREE of your favorite blurbs to add, and put the link in comments.
3. TWEET about it and @heidirkling so I’ll know. And you know, I pay attention to Twitter.
4. ADD SEA on GOODREADS and VOTE for SEA on the many lists it’s on, 2010 Debuts, BOOKS WITH THE BLUES, KISS MY COVER etc. The more times you VOTE (or have voted in the past) the more ENTRIES you get! Link in comments please!
5. COVER YOUR BODY IN BLUE BODY PAINT AND DANCE IN THE STREET SCREAMING I LOVE SEA*
*Okay, You don’t have to do that last one, but if you take your picture wearing blue and holding up a SEA sign I’ll enter you THREE times into the contest. If you make a VLOG talking about why you want to read SEA you will be entered FOUR more times into the contest.
If you do all those things, consider yourself ENTERED.
AND because you’re so awesome and because I love you, I will pick TWO WINNERS.
YES.
TWO. And you know how many ARCs I have left (hardly any.)
Did I mention the ARCs will be signed?
And PERSONALIZED TO YOU?
And will come with a bookmark?
And maybe even an orange shoe?* (*Converse, but you’ll have to read SEA in order to get the reference)
And guess what else? Because I completely suck and forgot to announce a winner for the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES UK ARC? I’m throwing that in too. If you entered that contest, remind me in comments and add an entry point.
ADD UP YOUR POINTS IN THE COMMENTS! You may want to wait until you’ve done EVERYTHING to comment. Don’t worry. You have a full week.
And most importantly, thanks for being so awesome.
CONTEST ENDS ON FRIDAY (March 5. Winner ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY)
Here’s what you need to paste on your blogs:
If you want to make it fancy, go for it. Just include what the book’s about, the cover, at least three blurbs and the links back to my website and back to the contest. Bonus points for linking my pre-order button (which I’m too tech-fail to include here.)
BEST OF LUCK!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SEA by Heidi R. Kling–Available Bookstores everywhere June 10, 2010! And pre-order now!
Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s accidental disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen year old California girl Sienna "Sea" Jones reluctantly travels with her father’s volunteer team to six months post-tsunami Indonesia. During her stay at the orphanage, she meets scarred and soulful Deni who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.
She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old-best-friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why is her psychiatrist father so secretive about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to the truth. And Sea’s real adventure begins.
Some Very Nice Words About Sea
(Pick your three favorites!–don’t forget to give credit to the blurber!)
SEA is a richly woven story as turbulent and beautiful as the sea itself, plunging us headlong into the depths of loss, devastation, compassion, and hope. A touching and romantic debut about the redemptive power of altruism and the heart’s capacity for love." Sarah Ockler, author of TWENTY BOY SUMMER
"From the first page of SEA, the reader is plunged into a world of love, loss, and hope. The heat between Sienna and Deni is mirrored in the steamy exotic setting of Indonesia. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put this book down. Sienna is conflicted and compassionate… I truly loved this book and can’t wait to recommend it to all the teenagers I know!"
– L.K. Madigan, William C. Morris Award winning author of FLASH BURNOUT
"From the opening pages of SEA, the hair stood on the back of my neck, as it does whenever I encounter a writer who really knows what she’s doing with words. Tragedies and miracles coexist in this entrancing debut novel about the aftermath of a tsunami."
– Jennifer R. Hubbard, author of THE SECRET YEAR
"I was enchanted from the first sentence. At once heartbreaking and hopeful, Heidi R. Kling’s debut novel follows a California teenager who, mourning the death of her mother, travels to Indonesia to help tsunami survivors. While the setting is unique, the story of love and loss is utterly relatable. Sienna’s relationship with the beautiful, complicated Deni is compelling, romantic and real."
—Courtney Sheinmel, author of POSITIVELY and MY SO-CALLED FAMILY
"Heartbreaking but always hopeful; achingly romantic but never sappy– SEA is simply luminous. What a remarkable debut!" – Jennifer Laughran, "Not Your Mother’s Book Club" Books Inc., San Francisco
"Heidi R. Kling takes us on a journey to an unfamiliar geography, but where we all recognize the emotional vocabulary of loss and grief, of attraction and love. And we long to speak the language." –Vivian Leal, Kepler’s Books
"Heidi R Kling left no room for doubts or anything with the strong connection Sea and Deni had. It was so intense and beautiful, you were simply drawn to it. Their relationship was so involved, and blew you away. When you are reading Sea, you would by no means guess that it is a debut novel. The story leaps off the page and speaks to you. It’s a journey of the heart and emotions. Once I started reading, I had troubles putting it down. Sea is a book for all types of people, it is one you don’t want to miss." –Erica, The Book Cellar
"I am blown away. Heidi Kling wrote one of my favorite novels. Sea was thrilling, sweet, adventurous, while still having that feel where everything seems like it’s going to be ok. I fell in love with these characters, they were written wonderfully. Some people think that the author chooses the book and some people think that the book chooses the author, in this case, Sea definitely chose Heidi." –Zoe, Zoe’s Book Reviews
For more about SEA and Heidi please visit: http://heidirkling.com
Enter to win an ARC here: http://seaheidi.livejournal.com seaheidi
SEA debuts June 10, 2010 with Putnam (Penguin)