Sarah Ockler's Blog, page 14

Treasure Hunting on Lake Erie

After a particularly vicious storm on Sunday (you know, the one I where stood outside watching the lightening?), Mom and I spent the following day hunting for sea glass along the shores of Lake Erie at Woodlawn and Hamburg Town beaches. Together, we came away with over 700 new pieces, plus a few interesting rocks and fossils, shells, ceramic tiles, and one dinosaur. That was Mom's — the dinosaur. Something about abandoned toys really freaks me out, especially when they're floating in the water,

I'm a Danger to Myself and Others

6 Reasons I Need to Be Grounded

6. I've missed 2 fLiP iT fRiDaYs in a row. 1 for being on an all-day Amtrak ride from NYC to Buffalo. And 1 because I don't remember why — I only remember the aching guilt. Guilt guilt guilt. Grounded!

5. I haven't updated this blog in, like, forever. Lazy. Busy. Grounded!

4. I keep staying up way past my bedtime. So far past, in fact, that I'm now sleeping in the future, waiting for everyone else to catch up. Exhausted. Cranky. Grounded.

3. I was visiting my parents

Contests Updated: More Twenty Boy Summer Giveaways

The Twenty Boy Summer contest page is updated with all new giveaways for August. Check it out for your chance to win a copy of Twenty Boy Summer and other goodies!

Thanks to all the contest bloggers and readers for sharing the TBS love! If you've got a contest or giveaway for the book, let me know and I'll add it to the page.

Good luck and happy summer reading!

Posted in contests

Reading & Signing at Books of Wonder in NYC Today!

For readers and friends in the New York City area, join me and 4 other "Sarahs of YA" for a reading and book signing at Books of Wonder, 18 W 18th Street in New York, Sunday Aug 2, 1-3 PM. Yes, that's today!

Authors include:

Sarah Cross (Dull Boy)
Sarah MacLean (The Season)
Sarah Beth Durst (Into the Wild and Out of the Wild)
Sarah Ockler (Twenty Boy Summer)
Sarah Rees Brennan (The Demon's Lexicon)

The event is open to the public, so bring your BFF, your sister, your mom, and everyone who loves

Red Sea Glass

Readers of Twenty Boy Summer often ask me if I've ever found red sea glass, which is featured on the book cover and throughout the story (and is truly the rarest and most difficult to find). Like Anna Reiley in the book, I have an extensive collection of sea glass in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors in mason jars on my desk.

But red?

Stop by The Word Ninjas for the answer!

Posted in memories, The Word Ninjas

ALA Recap

I think I might be the very last ALA 2009 attendee to post my recap of all the fun, but it's taken me this long to recover. Seriously. I went straight from a week of summer camp counseling with a bunch of awesome, high-energy, super-inquisitive kids to 2 days of bedrest with a 102-degree fever to a flight for Chicago for book stalking on the expo floor, a whirlwind Twenty Boy Summer signing, lunch with my editor, a quick trip to the Sears tower with Alex, dinner with librarians and Little, Brown

Megan Frazer's Character Debut Party

I read an ARC of Megan Frazer's SECRETS OF TRUTH & BEAUTY late last year, and I loved it from the first chapter. As I said in an early review, I became so lost in Dara's story — the details of her new life on the farm, the older sister she meets for the first time, the successive choices she's faced with all summer, the new friends, family, and way of life she connects with. Dara's voice is raw and real without being overly sentimental or melancholy, and I became attached to her instantly, wanti

fLiP iT fRiDaY: Jenny @ Wondrous Reads

We're back this week for fLiP iT fRiDaY, chatting with Jenny from Wondrous Reads.

*Hi, Jenny!*

Describe a typical day in your life.

I get up, go to work (Borders), and then come home and do internet stuff for a few hours. That consists of: my blog, checking emails, and posting Twilight news on BellaAndEdward and ReelzChannel. Then I go to bed and read. On my days off, just repeat all that, but add more reading and remove the work!

What is your favorite YA book and why? Or, which YA book has had the

20 Things: And the Winner is…

The results are in! Finally!

From the more than 50 readers and bloggers who participated in the 20 Things in 20 Days scavenger hunt to celebrate the launch of Twenty Boy Summer, the winner of the 20 Things prize pack is…

*~*~*ALEXA*~*~*

*confetti* *confetti* *confetti*

Congratulations, Alexa! Please email me with your mailing address so I can get this ginormous prize pack off to its rightful new owner!!! [image error]

The competition was fierce, and I loved watching my email and the 20 Things host blogs for t

fLiP iT fRiDaY: Jill @ Reading Is Bliss

Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we're chatting with Jill from Reading Is Bliss aka @readingisbliss on Twitter.

Describe a typical day in your life.

I wake up between 6:45 and 7:20 to get ready for school. I leave for school at 8:35, school starts at 8:50 and I'm get out at 3:50. Once I'm home I eat a snack, play the wii fit for an hour, read, eat dinner, do homework, check my blog, check my email, read, get ready for bed, go to sleep around 10:30 or 11:00…….then do it all again! Its pretty boring bu