Holly Cupala's Blog, page 19

You give me feevah

I don't know about all of you, but August fever is finally hitting the Cupalas in a big way. (Camping, anyone...?)

So while we try to decide between the beach and the forest, here are a few cool things around the web, happening now or coming soon:

My friend and fellow 2K10 Holly, Holly Schindler (A BLUE SO DARK) is having a Flash Fiction contest! The idea is to hit Holly with the wickedest writing prompt you can think of (by Sept. 1st), and she will use it to write an original piece. "Try to st...

Story Secrets: DELACROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES by Inara Scott + Giveaway!

It's very exciting to be posting about my friend Inara Scott (fellow Northwest debut author who invited me to talk TMAS at Romance Bandits!), whose debut paranormal thriller, THE CANDIDATES (DELACROIX ACADEMY) hit the shelves this week! Her novel promises suspense, secrets, and very definitely some romance.

PLUS Inara has generously offered not one but TWO giveaway copies. Check out the entry rules below, and give a warm (and maybe even fiery!) welcome to Inara!

*****

DELACROIX ACADEMY: THE...

Bring a cup and come on over to the YA Authors Cafe

I'm chatting with none other than the amazing trio of Marlene Perez (DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK, people!), Melissa Wyatt (FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE), and Mary E. Pearson (THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX!) at YA Authors Cafe about some of the secrets behind Tell Me a Secret...

...like the first sentence, favorite parts of the book, and avoiding the hard stuff.

Seriously, I never avoid. Do you?

(I'm lying through my sugar lumps.)

But I would not at all be lying when I tell you that I'm really, really thrilled ...

Story Secrets: DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS by Beth Kephart + Giveaway!

Perhaps you've been waiting anxiously for this day because a gorgeous, brilliant, and much-anticipated book is hitting the shelves at this very moment. That day has arrived!

Today, Beth Kephart's latest exquisite novel, DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS, is born! So if you happen to be at the bookstore for any other reason, please pick it up and savor it like the rarest and finest of chocolates.

I'm thrilled and proud to welcome Beth to a special edition of Story Secrets to spill some of her DANGEROUS NEIGHB...

Books on Vacay

I got these hilarious photos from Jenn Hubbard (THE SECRET YEAR), fellow Circle of Secrets author (which also includes DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS author C.J. Omololu): Secrets on Vacation!

Relaxing at the summer house...


Climbing a tree!


Ready for a hike (note the walking sticks):


Exhausted after a full day...


Thank you, Jenn!

#tellmeasecret trailer party winners!

First of all, I am in awe of all of you, and of the power of bloggers. I was hoping for maybe a thousand views of the trailer, which we produced with a heck of a lot of love.

Uh uh.

Thanks to all of you spreading the trailer love, we've had almost THREE THOUSAND views!

One word: phenomenal. And two words that will never be big enough:

THANK YOU!

So the other cool trailer news is that it's now available in HD and we fixed a problem with the amazing Splashdown track. Check it out!


(Click on the...

Story Secrets: LOVESTRUCK SUMMER by Melissa Walker!

It wouldn't be summer without chatting with readergirlz diva and author Melissa Walker, author of LOVESTRUCK SUMMER - exactly the book you want to pick up for a lazy August day (especially if that day happens to involve beaches or indie music or charming Austin types or all of the above).

This book is a delight - I even overheard my husband thumbing through a few pages and laughing at Melissa's hilarious depiction of Quinn's romance tribulations. So I'm very pleased to invite Melissa to chat a...

#tellmeasecret podcast launch!

The free serialized audio is now available at http://tellmeasecretnovel.com/!



This has been our crazy, top-secret project all summer...turning down a major audiobook offer because we wanted to hire my FAVORITE reader, Jenna Lamia (The Adoration of Jenna Fox, The Secret Life of Bees, and winner of the 2010 Audie Award Best Female Performance for The Chosen One!)

Needless to say, we are really excited about it! We're releasing 2-3 chapters a week until December-ish, roughly based on the timeline ...

Telling Secrets: Characters who make you turn the page...

Today at 4pm PST, I'll be at the Lynnwood Library for my friend and rock star YA librarian Jackie Parker to lead a writing workshop:

Keeping Secrets: Creating Characters Who Make You Want to Turn the Page

Official Blurb: "Join author Holly Cupala (Tell Me a Secret) as she shares her secrets about creating realistic characters who have depth, flaws and something they aren't telling."

GIVEAWAY! We'll be giving away TWO free signed copies of TELL ME A SECRET to workshop attendees, donated by Lynnwo...

Big news...and pics!

A couple of cool things this week...first, we're launching the serialized podcast of Tell Me a Secret on Wednesday!


We're releasing 2-3 chapters each week (roughly following the timeline of the book) for FREE. Woohoo! And here's the most exciting part: it's read by my dream reader, award-winning actress Jenna Lamia, who read The Adoration of Jenna Fox, The Chosen One, The Secret Life of Bees, and lots of other cool books. Plus she just won the 2010 Audie Award for Best Female Performance!

And i...