Joy Preble's Blog, page 46

All sorts o' festive swag opportunities, my pretties!



Check out my post - and all the others - on Jessica's Total Bookaholic site - she's got a great Haunted Halloween event going this month and I'm her guest today - so read my scary story - it's really really true - and win something while you're at it!
http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/10/haunted-halloween-with-joy-preble-and.html

And on 10/16, I'll begin my Crossroads Blog Tour, created by Judith Graves (Under my Skin)
(there's a banner for it on my blog here; just look to your right) And check out dates and prizes and host bloggers - it's a great contest - tons and tons of swaggy goodness. Plus a treasure hunt of sorts.
http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/

Til next time...

That would make a great title, eh? Don't steal it; I call dibs.

Back from Oklahoma and Encyclomedia. Loved the event. Librarians rock! You guys asked great questions during our panel and you were ever so gracious to come to the signing area at the Best of Books booth and say hi later. Plus Oklahoma City! Why haven't I been there before? Please ask me to come back.

Thanks to Stacy Nyikos for arranging our panel even when she couldn't be part of it herself. And to my co-panelists: Janet Fox, Fran Cannon Slayton, Bonnie Doerr, Denise Jaden - you are all made of much awesome.

Extra bonus round: Got to hang later with my ABLA "sistahs" - the fabulous Cynthia Liu and Tammi Sauer - who made me laugh until my stomach hurt. And did you know that our room at the Colcord Hotel had its own doorbell?

A few pics:

Cynthia Liu showing everyone how to Skype at the Hot Spot on the Encyclomedia convention floor.
From left to right: Janet Fox, Bonnie Doerr, Denise Jaden, Fran Cannon Slayton, Cynthia Liu, me, Tammi Sauer. (and beverages)

About ready to present: Fran, Joy, Bonnie, Denise, Janet Later we brainstormed more panel ideas. Janet and I got ourselves psyched up for our next appearance together - in Orlando at NCTE in November on our "The Other Happily Ever After" panel (more on that soon) And then I flew home. Thanks Southwest. Happiest airline ever. In other news: HAUNTED arcs are filtering into the world. I'm planning some tours and signings. If you'd like me to come to you or your school, give me a holler. I'll pass it on to the fine folks at Sourcebooks. Haunted: wacky evil mermaids, a love triangle, more blue-eyed Ethan, more brave bff Tess, more Baba Yaga... and definitely some kissing! til next time...

Look what Fed Ex dropped at my doorstep today - Haunted ARC's.

Author Swati Avasth has created an auction for a very worthy cause: the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

I would love to help raise money for this and I can - if someone will bid on my auction item. I have donated a critique of 10 pages of your YA (or other) manuscript. Click on the banner above to go to the auction site. Bidding begins at $25. The cash will be put to very good use by the fund and you will get my undivided manuscript attention.

Sounds like a good deal, yes?

So please click through on the banner and bid on me!

Just back from brunch with the fabulous Houston almost debut author - and friend - Crystal Allen. Crystal's MG novel, How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba Sized Trophy will be out from Harper Collins in February. Crystal is not only hysterically funny, she also has a whip smart ear for "boy voice." You guys are going to love love love Lamar. And in case you're curious what we ate, this is our brunch that we consumed at Empire Cafe on Westheimer. If you are so inclined, go sit on the picnic bench in the outdoor section on the side of the restaurant. It is now officially the Crystal/Joy section. We named it. Feel free to ask for our table.



This is Crystal's book cover.








And in other bookish news, Lauren Strasnick's newest book is coming out next week - 10/5 - from Simon Pulse. It's called Her and Me and You. Lauren's debut, Nothing Like You, came out last October and is brilliant piece of achingly spare prose about love and loss and the mistakes that can haunt us. Her and Me and You promises to be equally as wonderful. Lauren is the hippest human being that I know. Check out her blog at http://laurenstrasnick.com

In the mood for a retro commercial. Yes, I remember these. I think there was a butterscotch flavor.

Well, I do. Her name is Leah Hultenschmidt and she's now Sourcebooks' new senior acquistions editor for both the Casablance (romance) and Fire (YA) imprints. Want to read more about her? Check out her blog here: http://romanticreading.net/ I love that Leah brings her romance editing experience to the table. Because you know the Anne and Ethan romance is heating up in book two and hopefully beyond.

Speaking of which, ARC's of Haunted should be ready any day now, which feels sort of surreal bu...

It's still hotter than hell outside. Yes, I know - I live in Texas. What did I expect? Actual fall? I miss it sometimes, I guess. I don't miss Chicago snow up to my waist in the winter (and in fact am having periodic angst attacks about the fact that HAUNTED is set in Chicago and due out in February and Publicist Paul has been making sounds that sound suspiciously like "Joy. You'll come back here to your beloved Windy City when the next book is out. Bring a jacket." Not that I'm not beyond...

My friend Lauren Strasnick and her friend Jade created the absolutely postively best book trailer ever with stick figures for Lauren's book Nothing Like You - out now in paperback as well as hardcover. I would have imbedded the video itself but I am having lame-o computer issues so here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw1RqofWZK0

In other news, if you're a regular blog reader, you've read my musings on the "shit, what do you mean I have cancer; I'm trying to write another book" j...

Was amazed and delighted to see that HAUNTED is available for pre-sale on B&N.com. Crazy!!