Jenn Cooksey's Blog, page 3
June 26, 2013
YA Crush Tourney Giveaway Winners
With the number of giveaways running in each match of the tournament, I decided to make the actual tourney post a little more manageable by moving the Rafflecopters from past matches to a separate post. So, that's basically it. If you see your name on the list of winners in any given giveaway and have not heard from me, by all means, please email me at contactjenncooksey(at)gmail(dot)...I do my best to contact everyone, but sometimes things get lost in the ether or buried in a spam folder. ;-)
—1ST MATCH (JUNE 21, 2013) GIVEAWAYS—**1st Place Winners hold the first slot in each Rafflecopter, all others are winners of commemorative bookmarks**a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag includes an autographed copy of Shark Bait with the original cover, a Shark Bait acrylic tumbler, a Shark Bait refrigerator whiteboard, a shark paddleball game, a complete set of bookish rubber duckies, an original Shark Bait bookmark, and it all comes to you in a Shark Bait drawstring bag. *winner will be able to choose their choice of four available bag colors* a Rafflecopter giveaway
—1ST MATCH (JUNE 21, 2013) GIVEAWAYS—**1st Place Winners hold the first slot in each Rafflecopter, all others are winners of commemorative bookmarks**a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag includes an autographed copy of Shark Bait with the original cover, a Shark Bait acrylic tumbler, a Shark Bait refrigerator whiteboard, a shark paddleball game, a complete set of bookish rubber duckies, an original Shark Bait bookmark, and it all comes to you in a Shark Bait drawstring bag. *winner will be able to choose their choice of four available bag colors* a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 20, 2013
Pimp & Vote #TeamTristan in the #YACrushTourney & You Could Win Cool Shit!
(You might wanna grab a snack cuz this is gonna be a long-ass post, as I'm longwinded to begin with and all updates, giveaways, and incentives earned will be posted here. Just sayin'.)
VOTE HERE
Clearly, the YA Sisterhood's YA Crush Tourney is a big deal. Not just for me, but for all the participants, whether they be the authors, the fantabulous bloggers hosting the event, the most-excellent crush advocates, the dedicated fans who tirelessly pimp their fave book boyfriends, or even the Twitter lurkers who just like to silently giggle at all the previously mentioned folks who flail about over REAL fictional guys who can only be found in the pages of some choice reading material.
However, the 3rd annual YA Crush Tourney is super special to me because unlike many of the authors, books, and yummy crushes who've been fortunate enough to really be a part of something like this, this is my first time. That's right, I'm a Tourney Virgin. And, I couldn't be more excited about losing my maidenhead (<—Yeah, that's what it used to be called way back in the day. I know...) in this whole thing because the peeps who are helping to pop my cherry are truly some of the most selfless bitches I will ever be fortunate enough to have known.
Now, there are several of them but I want to mention a handful specifically and they are:
Allura—the unabashed Twitter whore whose GYP dedication is as appreciated as it is deep and everlasting.Nicole M.—an enthusiastic fan and newbie videographer. (You can see her trailer for Shark Bait below the Rafflecopters, and let me just say OH MY GOD.)Val—the Enemy a friend, a great blogger, a GYP fan and GYP Street Team member who also happens to be advocating against Tristan in the first match of the tourney (I know, right? Needless to say there was much usage of words beginning with F when the tourney schedule was posted and I saw who we have to beat in order to move forward.).Erin W.—a GYP fan, blogger, and button making fiend.Kylee—a gung-ho GYP fan and blogging teen.Ellen—another friend, blogger, and GYP fan & Street Team member who's advocating for another crush in this thing (Seriously, I really don't envy the advocates in having to choose sides like they've had to and I wish them all the best of luck.).Christine—yet another blogger and fan with some Photoshop skillz of her own.Ashley—my bitch in shining armor. 'Nough said.These chicks have given me advise, kept me in the loop, and worked ever so hard at introducing my books to others, promoting Tristan and the tournament, and creating ways for all GYP and #TeamTristan fans to pimp and show their support. Without them, #TeamTristan wouldn't have been possible because chances are, neither Tristan nor any of my other GYP guys would've ever been nominated or won a spot in the tourney to begin with. So, thanks, you guys, Tristan and I owe you, and he and I have a little something for you and the rest of the Team Tristan Bitch Slaves. :-*
Yes, even with getting a small glimpse at who some of my supporters are, it's safe to say that I am very fortunate and blessed indeed, although there is one person without whom Tristan wouldn't stand a chance; his advocate extraordinaire, Angela. And you know, I'm not entirely convinced it's purely coincidence that the person fighting for Tristan in this whole thing; his guardian if you will, comes from a blog entitled Reading Angels. If people only knew half of the tireless effort, hard work, dedication, and heart Angela has put into her esteemed position and in seeing that Tristan is represented with style, class, and in the manner befitting not only his character but a champion as well, they'd understand why I couldn't be more tickled and grateful to share this experience with her. And to you, Angela, I thank you for everything from the bottom of my heart. It has been my utmost pleasure to work with you in addition to having the opportunity to get to know you better and I can only hope that our friendship will continue to grow for many years to come.
Okay, so now that the mushy stuff is out of the way, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that if you're here reading this particular blogpost, you've already read at the very least Shark Bait, if not The Other Fish in the Sea as well and are sufficiently fiending for the release of Shark Out of Water, and if that's the case, you're probably already a fan and subsequently don't need to be convinced to vote for Tristan in the tourney. However, I'm not delusional (mostly), nor am I entirely presumptuous enough to believe that there aren't people who might be undecided and/or haven't read and fell in love with my books and therefore don't even know who the fuck Tristan is. So if you're one of those undecided people, Angela has prepared a seriously kick-ass advocate post HERE where you can read for yourself why Tristan deserves to be the victor, and you can vote for Tristan there as well. But she also has a nifty little post up on her blog HERE, featuring testimonies from the people who know Tristan best; his peers, friends, and a couple other assorted people in his life.
So, what is this post about, you ask? Well, it's all about incentives, bitches!
Like I said before, I have been blessed to be supported by everyone on #TeamTristan as well as many others who find themselves in opposing camps, and I've decided you ALL deserve a chance at some fun rewards for your kind words, support, hard work and effort to help make the Grab Your Pole series successful!
For each match Tristan is in, I will do the same giveaway and up the ante with more and more teasers from different characters when Tristan's votes reach certain amounts in each match. I will also do another giveaway for some AWESOME & TRULY EPIC prizes for each match Tristan actually wins! I'm not going to tell you what they all are, but just know the more matches Tristan wins, the bigger and better the prize! Here's what's up for grabs in match #1 on June 21st:
TEASERS FROM SHARK OUT OF WATER!!When Tristan's votes reach 250, I'll release a teaser from Melissa. When Tristan's votes reach 500, I'll release a teaser from Brandon.
AND ALL THIS:
E-copies of Shark Bait & The Other Fish in the Sea$10 Amazon gift card (e-mailed to winner)Shark Bait drawstring bagOriginal Shark Bait refrigerator whiteboardE-copy of Shark Out of Water to be received on release day60 #TeamTristan/2013 YA Crush Tourney Bookmarks
Yep, bitches, all of that is what I'll give away in each match that Tristan is in! And what's better is that I'm splitting them up into 6 separate giveaways so if you don't particularly want to win one of the prizes offered, you don't have to enter that giveaway! But wait! There's more! If Tristan wins his first match on June 21, I'll do ANOTHER giveaway for the following prize:
The Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag includes an autographed copy of Shark Bait with the original cover, a Shark Bait acrylic tumbler, a Shark Bait refrigerator whiteboard, a shark paddleball game, a complete set of bookish rubber duckies, an original Shark Bait bookmark, and it all comes to you in a Shark Bait drawstring bag. *winner will be able to choose their choice of four available bag colors*
That right there is the last available Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Pack, folks. That tumbler alone was cause for some pretty heated words to be spoken and some cut-throat blog hopping last fall, and it is the LAST one I have. Okay, so here's the deal with this: I'm activating the Rafflecopter now, HOWEVER , a winner will only be chosen if Tristan WINS this first match. Are we clear? You can enter to win it right now, but if Tristan doesn't win the match, there will be no giveaway of the Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Pack.
Here's how to enter:
FIRST & FOREMOST — VOTE!!! You have to in order to enter the Rafflecopters below and you'll find the link within the mandatory option! Good luck, everyone, I love you all mucho! Now go forth and pimp the ever loving SHIT out Tristan and this tournament!!
(Please note that e-book giveaways are international, however all swag giveaways are limited to US & Canada only)
a Rafflecopter giveawaya Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*NOTE: A winner in the Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag will only be chosen if Tristan wins the June 21st, 2013 crush tourney match.*
NICOLE'S EPIC TRAILER FOR SHARK BAIT
VOTE HERE
Clearly, the YA Sisterhood's YA Crush Tourney is a big deal. Not just for me, but for all the participants, whether they be the authors, the fantabulous bloggers hosting the event, the most-excellent crush advocates, the dedicated fans who tirelessly pimp their fave book boyfriends, or even the Twitter lurkers who just like to silently giggle at all the previously mentioned folks who flail about over REAL fictional guys who can only be found in the pages of some choice reading material.However, the 3rd annual YA Crush Tourney is super special to me because unlike many of the authors, books, and yummy crushes who've been fortunate enough to really be a part of something like this, this is my first time. That's right, I'm a Tourney Virgin. And, I couldn't be more excited about losing my maidenhead (<—Yeah, that's what it used to be called way back in the day. I know...) in this whole thing because the peeps who are helping to pop my cherry are truly some of the most selfless bitches I will ever be fortunate enough to have known.
Now, there are several of them but I want to mention a handful specifically and they are:
Allura—the unabashed Twitter whore whose GYP dedication is as appreciated as it is deep and everlasting.Nicole M.—an enthusiastic fan and newbie videographer. (You can see her trailer for Shark Bait below the Rafflecopters, and let me just say OH MY GOD.)Val—the Enemy a friend, a great blogger, a GYP fan and GYP Street Team member who also happens to be advocating against Tristan in the first match of the tourney (I know, right? Needless to say there was much usage of words beginning with F when the tourney schedule was posted and I saw who we have to beat in order to move forward.).Erin W.—a GYP fan, blogger, and button making fiend.Kylee—a gung-ho GYP fan and blogging teen.Ellen—another friend, blogger, and GYP fan & Street Team member who's advocating for another crush in this thing (Seriously, I really don't envy the advocates in having to choose sides like they've had to and I wish them all the best of luck.).Christine—yet another blogger and fan with some Photoshop skillz of her own.Ashley—my bitch in shining armor. 'Nough said.These chicks have given me advise, kept me in the loop, and worked ever so hard at introducing my books to others, promoting Tristan and the tournament, and creating ways for all GYP and #TeamTristan fans to pimp and show their support. Without them, #TeamTristan wouldn't have been possible because chances are, neither Tristan nor any of my other GYP guys would've ever been nominated or won a spot in the tourney to begin with. So, thanks, you guys, Tristan and I owe you, and he and I have a little something for you and the rest of the Team Tristan Bitch Slaves. :-*
Yes, even with getting a small glimpse at who some of my supporters are, it's safe to say that I am very fortunate and blessed indeed, although there is one person without whom Tristan wouldn't stand a chance; his advocate extraordinaire, Angela. And you know, I'm not entirely convinced it's purely coincidence that the person fighting for Tristan in this whole thing; his guardian if you will, comes from a blog entitled Reading Angels. If people only knew half of the tireless effort, hard work, dedication, and heart Angela has put into her esteemed position and in seeing that Tristan is represented with style, class, and in the manner befitting not only his character but a champion as well, they'd understand why I couldn't be more tickled and grateful to share this experience with her. And to you, Angela, I thank you for everything from the bottom of my heart. It has been my utmost pleasure to work with you in addition to having the opportunity to get to know you better and I can only hope that our friendship will continue to grow for many years to come.
Okay, so now that the mushy stuff is out of the way, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that if you're here reading this particular blogpost, you've already read at the very least Shark Bait, if not The Other Fish in the Sea as well and are sufficiently fiending for the release of Shark Out of Water, and if that's the case, you're probably already a fan and subsequently don't need to be convinced to vote for Tristan in the tourney. However, I'm not delusional (mostly), nor am I entirely presumptuous enough to believe that there aren't people who might be undecided and/or haven't read and fell in love with my books and therefore don't even know who the fuck Tristan is. So if you're one of those undecided people, Angela has prepared a seriously kick-ass advocate post HERE where you can read for yourself why Tristan deserves to be the victor, and you can vote for Tristan there as well. But she also has a nifty little post up on her blog HERE, featuring testimonies from the people who know Tristan best; his peers, friends, and a couple other assorted people in his life.
So, what is this post about, you ask? Well, it's all about incentives, bitches!
Like I said before, I have been blessed to be supported by everyone on #TeamTristan as well as many others who find themselves in opposing camps, and I've decided you ALL deserve a chance at some fun rewards for your kind words, support, hard work and effort to help make the Grab Your Pole series successful!
For each match Tristan is in, I will do the same giveaway and up the ante with more and more teasers from different characters when Tristan's votes reach certain amounts in each match. I will also do another giveaway for some AWESOME & TRULY EPIC prizes for each match Tristan actually wins! I'm not going to tell you what they all are, but just know the more matches Tristan wins, the bigger and better the prize! Here's what's up for grabs in match #1 on June 21st:
TEASERS FROM SHARK OUT OF WATER!!When Tristan's votes reach 250, I'll release a teaser from Melissa. When Tristan's votes reach 500, I'll release a teaser from Brandon.
AND ALL THIS:
E-copies of Shark Bait & The Other Fish in the Sea$10 Amazon gift card (e-mailed to winner)Shark Bait drawstring bagOriginal Shark Bait refrigerator whiteboardE-copy of Shark Out of Water to be received on release day60 #TeamTristan/2013 YA Crush Tourney Bookmarks
Yep, bitches, all of that is what I'll give away in each match that Tristan is in! And what's better is that I'm splitting them up into 6 separate giveaways so if you don't particularly want to win one of the prizes offered, you don't have to enter that giveaway! But wait! There's more! If Tristan wins his first match on June 21, I'll do ANOTHER giveaway for the following prize:
The Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag includes an autographed copy of Shark Bait with the original cover, a Shark Bait acrylic tumbler, a Shark Bait refrigerator whiteboard, a shark paddleball game, a complete set of bookish rubber duckies, an original Shark Bait bookmark, and it all comes to you in a Shark Bait drawstring bag. *winner will be able to choose their choice of four available bag colors*That right there is the last available Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Pack, folks. That tumbler alone was cause for some pretty heated words to be spoken and some cut-throat blog hopping last fall, and it is the LAST one I have. Okay, so here's the deal with this: I'm activating the Rafflecopter now, HOWEVER , a winner will only be chosen if Tristan WINS this first match. Are we clear? You can enter to win it right now, but if Tristan doesn't win the match, there will be no giveaway of the Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Pack.
Here's how to enter:
FIRST & FOREMOST — VOTE!!! You have to in order to enter the Rafflecopters below and you'll find the link within the mandatory option! Good luck, everyone, I love you all mucho! Now go forth and pimp the ever loving SHIT out Tristan and this tournament!!
(Please note that e-book giveaways are international, however all swag giveaways are limited to US & Canada only)
a Rafflecopter giveawaya Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*NOTE: A winner in the Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag will only be chosen if Tristan wins the June 21st, 2013 crush tourney match.*
NICOLE'S EPIC TRAILER FOR SHARK BAIT
June 16, 2013
Shark Bait; An Anniversary & Birthday History
One year ago today yesterday, I published my first novel, Shark Bait. It was insanely emotional and the result of more than two and a half years of writing. Writing that began roughly in late December of 2009. Although what I began writing was nowhere even in the same vicinity as what I published, none of it would've ever made its way out of my brain without my BBF (Bibliophile Best Friend, abbreviated to save space), Kelly. Or as the members of my household call her, K-E-L-L-Y.
Now, one of the reasons I make special mention of Kelly in my publishing anniversary is because not only did she play an integral role in the advent of the whole Grab Your Pole series, but Shark Bait also happens to share its special date with Kelly, as June 15th is her birthday. And yes, I planned it that way. Here's why:
From my research, it looks like I began writing Shark Bait, what would eventually become the first book in the Grab Your Pole series, somewhere in the realm of January 29, 2010, and what was that research? Well, it involved pouring through and scouring the thousands of emails I have hoarded archived between two laptops and Cox Communications's webmail server. The treasure trove of correspondence between Kelly and me however, was on my old PC laptop, the one that is behaving as if it's just about ready to join the dinosaurs. I'll be uber-sad when it does though, because the emails on this thing...? Fucking epic AND priceless!! So much so that I'm extraordinarily tempted to start printing them out so I have them forever and ever amen. Which is probably where my tendency to screen cap all kinds of shit has come from, because seriously, stumbling across something like this —>makes for some extreme giggling.
Kelly and I used to email CONSTANTLY. <—That ain't bullshit or even a small exaggeration, folks. Before she took a new job that had her working in the field, Kelly and I emailed each other back and forth about ALL kinds of nonsense (mostly books, Buffy, and...well, mostly that stuff) many upon many times throughout the day and not only that, our email titles very rarely had ANYthing to do with the content of said email. It was fun for us to come up with amusing and giggle-worthy subject lines and if you didn't have a guess before now, Kelly and I can on occasion, be very creative. It was our habit that every single word I ever wrote in the beginning was copied and pasted into an email and she would then read it and give me feedback immediately (instant gratification FTW!) via email. Now what I find sort of funny about all of that is that the email documenting the honest to God beginning of the GYP Series was titled, new story. That's it. It wasn't even capitalized.
Also, if you happen to be able to read the actual email, you'll see that not much was changed from this very first draft to what made it into publication. Not only that, but according to the email history, I had the entire first chapter completely written by the following day at 2:30 in the afternoon. Although it underwent several rounds of editing afterwards and prior to publication, the first draft of Shark Bait was completed on April 1st, 2010 when Kelly very sweetly yelled at me in email, essentially telling me to leave it the fuck alone.
I finally listened to my BBF and VoR (<—see the acknowledgements of both SB & TOFitS as well as the dedication of TOFitS) and began writing The Other Fish in the Sea immediately. The first chapter which then included the prologue was completed on April 5th, 2010 when the whole process of needy author syndrome and copying and pasting snippets into emails began anew.
Since its inception, Shark Bait has undergone some major changes, up to and including a cover overhaul, all of which Kelly has been either consulted on, present for, or instrumental in bringing about, and truly, the book that you've all read and come to love wouldn't be what it is without her. So, in honor of both Shark Bait's one year publishing anniversary and
my dear BBF & VoR's birthday, I would like to give away one print copy of Shark Bait with the winner's choice of either the original cover or the new one, autographed by both Kelly and myself. To enter, please see the Rafflcopter below, and for more Shark Bait Anniversary/Kelly Birthday fun, visit these two GYP Street Team blogposts, GYP in the Blogosphere - Birthday Special and BB&ST S1E3!Oh andHAPPY BIRTHDAY, K-E-L-L-Y! I heart you dearly and deeply.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 3, 2013
Book Blurb & Polling Fun! (Part 1)
Alright, gang, many of you know I can't make a decision to save my silly life and I'm rather fond of polling my friends (and sometimes complete strangers) to help me make up my mind. Now throw in the fact that some of you have written fan-fucking-tastic reviews of my books and said some really flattering things about me in them, and well...you've got yourself a recipe for my complete and utter inability to choose what to highlight on a print cover of one of my books. Not to mention I feel sorta weird being the one to pick this shit because they're all talking about how wonderful the books are and/or how magnificent I am. Also, a lot of what I have so far is from older reviews. You know, from when I could still read them and not lose my ever-loving mind. What that means is that there are a shit-ton of excellent reviews out there that I probably haven't read because I've been following the orders of several people and not reading reviews if I can at all help it.
Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty. Essentially, I need help. (You all who are snickering and nodding emphatically can bite me, 'cause I wasn't talking about mental help.) So, here's what I'm proposing:
You either write a blurb and submit it for voting via email and/or participate in the voting process on each of the polls, and I'll give away some free books. Not only that, but you could have the opportunity to be featured on the cover of either "Shark Bait," "The Other Fish in the Sea," or maybe even the upcoming "Shark Out of Water."Sound good? I hope so.
Here's how I'm looking at working this whole thing...
With the amount of blurbs for each book (specifically Shark Bait's at the moment), I'm splitting the choices up into 3 separate polls. 1 for Shark Bait relevant blurbs, 1 for The Other Fish in the Sea, and 1 for the Grab Your Pole Series/Me in general. I'll give away 1 e-copy of SOoW to be received on release day for each poll. All you have to do to enter is vote first and then enter the Rafflecopter inputting the specific number of each of the blurbs your voted for. Ex: The Rafflecopter option for the Shark Bait poll will ask something like this; List the Shark Bait blurbs you voted for. And then you'd input 3, 6, 8, and 11 (or whatever blurb numbers you voted for.). So if you vote in each poll and then enter the Rafflecopter correctly, you'll have your name entered 3 times. Make sense?
So that's the voting portion of how you can help me out. The other way is to write a blurb and email it to me so that I can include it in the polling process. If your blurb is eventually chosen for any one of the three aforementioned books and makes it onto one of the print covers, I'll send you an autographed copy of the book your blurb is on.
Please note that while I am in desperate need of various kinds of help here, there is no guarantee that a "people's choice" blurb will make the final cut for print. I'm holding these polls and offering an opportunity solely for fun and to help the Powers That Be (<— Angel reference for you Whedonites) have more to choose from than what I'm able to find for them, and then subsequently narrow it down. The final decision will be made by my team and myself. Mostly by my team though, because I probably still won't be able to make up my mind. :-p
Oh, I almost forgot, the blurbs will be anonymous on the polls to prevent voting bias, so please, if you happen to recognize someone's statement, don't go shouting out whose it is, as this is not a popularity contest, but a serious-ish endeavor to to find some great phrasing that will hopefully highlight what's awesome about the books and the series as well as attracting new readers to the GYP fold.
So that's it! If anyone has any questions, please leave me a comment and I'll try to give you a succinct answer. :-*
May 21, 2013
The 2013 #YACushTourney Is Upon Us!
5/25/13 Crush Tourney Update:
WE DID IT!!!
Thanks to the hard work of the @GYPStreetTeam (pimping ain't easy you know), and the support of readers and fans alike, our GYP boy, Tristan, made it into the YA-Sisterhood's YA Crush Tourney!!
Thank you all SO much for your time and support, but it's not over! Now, Tristan along with 28 other drool-inducing guys (once the wildcard entrants are chosen) are in need of a "Book Blogger Advocate" to represent them and fight for them in the head-to-head rounds of the tournament. So, if you're a book blogger and want to represent #TeamTristan or another guy in the tournament, keep your eyes peeled for the opportunity to do so! Advocate sign-ups will start this coming week after the 28th so make sure you apply QUICKLY—doing that will help you have a better chance at the yummilicious crush of your choice!! And, I know in the past there have been co-advocates, so if that's something you're interested in, check with the YA Sisterhood now to see how you would go about doing that!!
We're also in need of you folks who are uber-talented in the art of Photoshop!! Tristan's advocate will need pictures of hot guys who "look" like him and then they should be manipulated in some way to include quotes or just plain cool shit so that they stand out. We all know I'm deficient in that area so if that's something you're into and want to help out, I encourage you to do so! You can email your designs to me or the GYP Street Team, or you can simply post them to my Facebook Fanpage wall. Also, if you already have them highlighted or have the time and desire to go back through Shark Bait and The Other Fish in the Sea, #TeamTristan could probably use some awesome and swoon-worthy quotes and snippets for his advocate to use in the battle. Again, you can email those to me directly or to the Street Team, but please, in the interest of preventing spoilers, do not post quotes and snippets on a public forum like Facebook. Whatever quotes are chosen to be used in the tourney posts will be of course be seen by tournament participants and voters, however we don't need to spoil too much for readers so those quotes will be reviewed for length, "true" spoilers, and so on prior to using them.
I would also like to strongly urge you to join in the crazy-fun shenanigans that Twitter can be home to, and not only that, encourage all your friends and followers to do so as well! If you're not yet on Twitter & are concerend about not having followers, don't fret, you can follow all the Twitter peeps who follow The GYP Street Team and I'd be willing to bet a lot of them will follow you back, which also happens to be an excellent way to make new reader friends! Plus, Twitter is an excellent resource to find some of THE best book bloggers and reviewers in the blogosphere who might turn you on to a book you've never heard of or one that you've been putting off and want to kick your own ass for not reading sooner, AND they do some fantstic giveaways as well! Once you're on Twitter, make sure you follow @GYPStreetTeam in addition to me and use #YACrushTourney as well #TeamTristan in your crush tourney tweets!
Once again I'd like to thank you all for your endless support and enthusiasm. You guys make my heart happy sigh, and I know if we all do our part in regard to pimping and voting, Tristan can move forward in the tourney, so come on, guys, let's pimp our boy with #NoShame!!
Don't forget to grab your #TeamTristan badge!______________________________________________________________________
So...
YA Sisterhood's YA Crush Tourney is upon us. For those who are familiar, you know what crazy-exciting fun this event is, for those who don't and are GYP fans, you're about to find out. Your Twitter and Facebook feeds will most likely be blown the fuck with tweets and posts pimping and encouraging you and everyone on the planet to nominate and then vote for your favorite YA Book Boyfriends (of course if you're a GYP fan, I'm going to hope your faves will be Tristan, Jeff, Pete, and Brandon :-p).
Again, for those who are familiar and have participated in the shenanigans in the past, there are some changes this year to nominations and where and how it's all going down and you definitely should read the rules (especially in regard to the categories), but to make it easier on you, I've sort of broken it down below to ensure no one's votes are summarily thrown out.
Tristan and Jeff qualify for the Debut category with Shark Bait (you have to cite the book they're representing) which is at Page Turner's Blog: http://www.pageturnersblog.com/2013/0...
ALL 4 guys qualify in the categories of Realistic and Indie, but if you vote for Pete and/or Brandon in either of these, make sure you're citing The Other Fish in the Sea as the book they're representing b/c neither of them really had much to do in Shark Bait. If you nominate Tristan and/or Jeff in either of these categories, you can choose either book. The blog for Indie nominations is:http://www.stuckinbooks.com/2013/05/i...
The blog for Realistic nominations is: http://fictitious-delicious.blogspot....
You can only nominate each guy once in each category so for example, I'll show you how I voted:
Debut:
Crush #1 Tristan/Shark Bait
Crush #2 Jeff/Shark Bait
Crush #3
Crush #4
Crush #5
Crush #6
Indie:
Crush #1 Tristan/Shark Bait (I might've cited TOFitS, but can't remember—both books qualify but you can only vote with one)
Crush #2 Jeff/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #3 Pete/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #4 Brandon/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #5
Crush #6
Realistic:
Crush #1 Tristan/Shark Bait (I might've cited TOFitS, but can't remember—both books qualify but you can only vote with one)
Crush #2 Jeff/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #3 Pete/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #4 Brandon/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #5
Crush #6
(Yeah, even though you can nominate up to 6 Book Boyfriends in each category, I left all the others blank b/c I'm selfish and don't want to create anymore competition for my guys. :-p How you fill in your form is totally up to you though, as long as it's only one vote/reader/qualifying character/qualified category.)
I know many of you aren't happy with a certain character right now, but think big picture and try to put the good of the series before your what your personal feelings might be at the moment. Plus, there's a reason why the GYP Street Team is pushing him. Not only has he been the Main GYP Book Boyfriend thus far in the series, but the new rules stipulate that although you can nominate several characters from the same author, only one character per specific author will be able to make it into the tournament. That means that if Tristan makes it into the top 6 of a given category with 76 votes and Jeff for example gets 68 in another, they'll place Tristan and not Jeff. So, in looking at the possible competition, we were strategizing and are thinking the Debut category will be the easiest way to get into the actual tournament and Tristan is *the* Book Boyfriend in the debut of Shark Bait. And by the way, getting into the tournament at all is HUGE. This thing trended worldwide on Twitter last year, so it's a really big deal (and a lot of fun)!! However, after some initial numbers updates, the 3 categories the GYP boys fit into is really pretty much anyone's game at the moment, so if you have the time and/or inclination, go ahead and vote them where they're qualified to be nominated and we'll see what happens.
Right as of this minute (according to the last update), Tristan is sitting at #3 in the Debut category, which is excellent, however he can get booted easily by Friday (May 25th) when the nominations close, so don't put it off! None of the guys are showing in the top 10 in Realistic at the moment, but the #1 dude is there with only 25 votes so if we really want to and pimp HARD, we can crush this shit! Also, there is no public listing of top 10 for Indie right now, but it would be nice to see if we can get someone to place there as well, again with the understanding that only one of the guys will be able to make it into the actual tournament regardless of how many categories he's nominated in. I know I've outlined it fairly well here, but just make sure you all read the rules for each category, and be sure to use a real name and a valid email address when you nominate/vote, and keep in mind that anyone with an email address can participate including your moms, dads, aunts, uncles, spouses, children...you get the point, which is that literally anyone can nominate and vote as long as they're real, have a valid email address, and fill the nomination forms out correctly. ;-)
If you do decide to participate and are on Twitter, make absolutely sure you're pimping with the hashtag #YACrushTourney (this goes for Instagram as well), and if you can, think about following and then tagging @GYPStreetTeam in your tweets so that they can help. Plastering Facebook is awesome too, and using any other social media outlets like Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and so on to rally support and votes is encouraged as well. You can even simply get on the phone or drive your ass over to your BFF's house and make them get on the bandwagon as well. And don't forget, this is YA—meaning Young Adult, so if any of you have NA/Adult author friends you feel comfortable enough to ask for their support, I say do it. This is the kind of thing where I myself and the Street Team will be pimping with #NoShame and we can use all the support and backers that we can get our newbie/greedy little hands on. We also had someone make a button/avatar that's on my FB fanpage and here on my blog up on the righthand side for anyone who really wants to show their #TeamTristan support!
Additionally, if we get one of our boys in the tournament, we'll be needing everyone to continue to vote in the March Madness-style head-to-head rounds, AND we'll need a blogger advocate for him, so if you're a die-hard fan and a blogger, think about whether this might be something you'd like to do! Sign-ups for advocates will take place May 28th—June 1st, after the nominations for the crushes are over, which is this Friday, May 25th.
If you'd like more info on the tournament you can go to the YA Sisterhood and read up on it a bit!
Again, I just want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for what will hopefully be a bonafide deluge of #TeamGYP/#TeamTristan crap flooding your personal posts and your feeds, as well as all of your encouragement and support of me and this series. Really, I'm truly humbled and honestly, I'm uber-giddy about the possibility of being in this tournament with some of the authors I'm up against...it's an incredible honor and I wouldn't even have the chance if it weren't for all of you, so seriously, thank you. :-*
The #YACushTourney Is Upon Us! Nominate & Vote the GYP Guys!
So...
YA Sisterhood's YA Crush Tourney is upon us. For those who are familiar, you know what crazy-exciting fun this event is, for those who don't and are GYP fans, you're about to find out. Your Twitter and Facebook feeds will most likely be blown the fuck with tweets and posts pimping and encouraging you and everyone on the planet to nominate and then vote for your favorite YA Book Boyfriends (of course if you're a GYP fan, I'm going to hope your faves will be Tristan, Jeff, Pete, and Brandon :-p).
Again, for those who are familiar and have participated in the shenanigans in the past, there are some changes this year to nominations and where and how it's all going down and you definitely should read the rules (especially in regard to the categories), but to make it easier on you, I've sort of broken it down below to ensure no one's votes are summarily thrown out.
Tristan and Jeff qualify for the Debut category with Shark Bait (you have to cite the book they're representing) which is at Page Turner's Blog: http://www.pageturnersblog.com/2013/0...
ALL 4 guys qualify in the categories of Realistic and Indie, but if you vote for Pete and/or Brandon in either of these, make sure you're citing The Other Fish in the Sea as the book they're representing b/c neither of them really had much to do in Shark Bait. If you nominate Tristan and/or Jeff in either of these categories, you can choose either book. The blog for Indie nominations is:http://www.stuckinbooks.com/2013/05/i...
The blog for Realistic nominations is: http://fictitious-delicious.blogspot....
You can only nominate each guy once in each category so for example, I'll show you how I voted:
Debut:
Crush #1 Tristan/Shark Bait
Crush #2 Jeff/Shark Bait
Crush #3
Crush #4
Crush #5
Crush #6
Indie:
Crush #1 Tristan/Shark Bait (I might've cited TOFitS, but can't remember—both books qualify but you can only vote with one)
Crush #2 Jeff/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #3 Pete/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #4 Brandon/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #5
Crush #6
Realistic:
Crush #1 Tristan/Shark Bait (I might've cited TOFitS, but can't remember—both books qualify but you can only vote with one)
Crush #2 Jeff/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #3 Pete/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #4 Brandon/The Other Fish in the Sea
Crush #5
Crush #6
(Yeah, even though you can nominate up to 6 Book Boyfriends in each category, I left all the others blank b/c I'm selfish and don't want to create anymore competition for my guys. :-p How you fill in your form is totally up to you though, as long as it's only one vote/reader/qualifying character/qualified category.)
I know many of you aren't happy with a certain character right now, but think big picture and try to put the good of the series before your what your personal feelings might be at the moment. Plus, there's a reason why the GYP Street Team is pushing him. Not only has he been the Main GYP Book Boyfriend thus far in the series, but the new rules stipulate that although you can nominate several characters from the same author, only one character per specific author will be able to make it into the tournament. That means that if Tristan makes it into the top 6 of a given category with 76 votes and Jeff for example gets 68 in another, they'll place Tristan and not Jeff. So, in looking at the possible competition, we were strategizing and are thinking the Debut category will be the easiest way to get into the actual tournament and Tristan is *the* Book Boyfriend in the debut of Shark Bait. And by the way, getting into the tournament at all is HUGE. This thing trended worldwide on Twitter last year, so it's a really big deal (and a lot of fun)!! However, after some initial numbers updates, the 3 categories the GYP boys fit into is really pretty much anyone's game at the moment, so if you have the time and/or inclination, go ahead and vote them where they're qualified to be nominated and we'll see what happens.
Right as of this minute (according to the last update), Tristan is sitting at #3 in the Debut category, which is excellent, however he can get booted easily by Friday (May 25th) when the nominations close, so don't put it off! None of the guys are showing in the top 10 in Realistic at the moment, but the #1 dude is there with only 25 votes so if we really want to and pimp HARD, we can crush this shit! Also, there is no public listing of top 10 for Indie right now, but it would be nice to see if we can get someone to place there as well, again with the understanding that only one of the guys will be able to make it into the actual tournament regardless of how many categories he's nominated in. I know I've outlined it fairly well here, but just make sure you all read the rules for each category, and be sure to use a real name and a valid email address when you nominate/vote, and keep in mind that anyone with an email address can participate including your moms, dads, aunts, uncles, spouses, children...you get the point, which is that literally anyone can nominate and vote as long as they're real, have a valid email address, and fill the nomination forms out correctly. ;-)
If you do decide to participate and are on Twitter, make absolutely sure you're pimping with the hashtag #YACrushTourney (this goes for Instagram as well), and if you can, think about following and then tagging @GYPStreetTeam in your tweets so that they can help. Plastering Facebook is awesome too, and using any other social media outlets like Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and so on to rally support and votes is encouraged as well. You can even simply get on the phone or drive your ass over to your BFF's house and make them get on the bandwagon as well. And don't forget, this is YA—meaning Young Adult, so if any of you have NA/Adult author friends you feel comfortable enough to ask for their support, I say do it. This is the kind of thing where I myself and the Street Team will be pimping with #NoShame and we can use all the support and backers that we can get our newbie/greedy little hands on. We also had someone make a button/avatar that's on my FB fanpage and here on my blog up on the righthand side for anyone who really wants to show their #TeamTristan support!
Additionally, if we get one of our boys in the tournament, we'll be needing everyone to continue to vote in the March Madness-style head-to-head rounds, AND we'll need a blogger advocate for him, so if you're a die-hard fan and a blogger, think about whether this might be something you'd like to do! Sign-ups for advocates will take place May 28th—June 1st, after the nominations for the crushes are over, which is this Friday, May 25th.
If you'd like more info on the tournament you can go to the YA Sisterhood and read up on it a bit!
Again, I just want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for what will hopefully be a bonafide deluge of #TeamGYP/#TeamTristan crap flooding your personal posts and your feeds, as well as all of your encouragement and support of me and this series. Really, I'm truly humbled and honestly, I'm uber-giddy about the possibility of being in this tournament with some of the authors I'm up against...it's an incredible honor and I wouldn't even have the chance if it weren't for all of you, so seriously, thank you. :-*
April 23, 2013
The 8th Member of the GYP Gang Character Reveal
Okay, all the GYP guys are yummy, yes? Tristan, I mean, uh helloooo? Holy fuck. That's all I got. Jeff...? Black hair and green eyes, with a smile that could melt an iceberg being continually worn? Yeah. And Pete...*sigh* Pete is just...I don't know. I mean he's good looking, but that's not what it is. He's just so laid back but when a situation truly means something to him, he's so very intense that you just know without a doubt that if he were to find you worth the effort to kiss, your lips would never recover.
Although you were introduced to him in Shark Bait, that introduction was at the most, brief. However, with The Other Fish in the Sea, be sure in the knowledge that I remedy that and allow me to formally introduce you to the 8th member of the Grab Your Pole gang; a SA-WOON-worthy guy to pant over and make sure you have a decent supply of clean delicates on hand after you have yourself a licentious fantasy or seven. He's what Camie and I (and pretty much every female on the planet) would call "Dirty-Hot." Here's a description straight from Book 2 in the Grab Your Pole series, The Other Fish in the Sea:
BRANDON*Disclaimer: Fictional book boyfriend DIBS have been called*
Oh yeah. Did I mention that he's sort of based off of someone I personally know and dated for a short time way way back in the day? Yeah. I know, right? The real-life guy honestly isn't too much like my character, and I wrote Brandon with a lot of J's physical attributes without even realizing I was doing it until one of my OBs (Original Bitches, abbreviated to save space) pointed it out. I was like, "I did wha—?*facepalm*" J is actually in not one, but something like three rock bands and I have had the good fortune to see him live more than once. He's also an uber-sweet guy; someone I told once that he deserves to be loved with reckless abandon, and I truly hope that he's finally found that with his new wife. But don't let knowledge of his relationship status keep you from drooling over him to the point where you have to guzzle Gatorade to rehydrate. I mean he *is* something of a rock star, and after all...that's part of the gig. ;-)
Along with the rest of the GYP gang, you can now follow Brandon either on Facebook or on Twitter. Enjoy!
*all photos are either the property of the individual pictured, who has given me permission to use them, and/or have been copyrighted by David P. McCarter of www.heavymetaldave.net*
Although you were introduced to him in Shark Bait, that introduction was at the most, brief. However, with The Other Fish in the Sea, be sure in the knowledge that I remedy that and allow me to formally introduce you to the 8th member of the Grab Your Pole gang; a SA-WOON-worthy guy to pant over and make sure you have a decent supply of clean delicates on hand after you have yourself a licentious fantasy or seven. He's what Camie and I (and pretty much every female on the planet) would call "Dirty-Hot." Here's a description straight from Book 2 in the Grab Your Pole series, The Other Fish in the Sea:
...looks pretty much like what you’d expect a guy who’s in a working rock band to look like. He has, actually, kind of pretty, icy-gray eyes and super dark brown hair that’s on the longer side in the middle because it’s still growing out from the Mohawk he had the first time I met him in October. His hair also perpetually looks like he just rolled out of bed, but it looks good, if that makes sense. He’s not especially tall and even though he’s not especially muscular either and his upper body is depicted with art that I gather wasn’t drawn on with Crayola washable markers, you can see he does have well-defined muscles—all of which was noticed when he was shirtless this afternoon. Both his ears are pierced two or three times each and there’s a very definite edge to him, like you know without a doubt that he totally walks on the wild side of life and probably always will. Like a dark, untamable horse. So yeah, he’s totally what I would call the epitome of “dirty-hot.” And yes, in my opinion he’s pretty damned nice to look at, although I do still get that “tread carefully here” feeling about him.Yeah. He's in a band. He's pierced. He's inked. And, he's a little unnerving and potentially a ticking time bomb. Ladies and any gentleman who might so happen to swing that way, I give you...
BRANDON*Disclaimer: Fictional book boyfriend DIBS have been called*
Oh yeah. Did I mention that he's sort of based off of someone I personally know and dated for a short time way way back in the day? Yeah. I know, right? The real-life guy honestly isn't too much like my character, and I wrote Brandon with a lot of J's physical attributes without even realizing I was doing it until one of my OBs (Original Bitches, abbreviated to save space) pointed it out. I was like, "I did wha—?*facepalm*" J is actually in not one, but something like three rock bands and I have had the good fortune to see him live more than once. He's also an uber-sweet guy; someone I told once that he deserves to be loved with reckless abandon, and I truly hope that he's finally found that with his new wife. But don't let knowledge of his relationship status keep you from drooling over him to the point where you have to guzzle Gatorade to rehydrate. I mean he *is* something of a rock star, and after all...that's part of the gig. ;-)
Along with the rest of the GYP gang, you can now follow Brandon either on Facebook or on Twitter. Enjoy!
*all photos are either the property of the individual pictured, who has given me permission to use them, and/or have been copyrighted by David P. McCarter of www.heavymetaldave.net*
April 16, 2013
Why? What? When?
So, I have a few announcements for everyone today...
The first is that at some point this week, you all should expect to start seeing reviews of The Other Fish in the Sea popping up. This is extremely exciting for me, but I'm also a little petrified. Knowing my work is being read and will subsequently be reviewed, sometimes freaks me the fuck out and I chain smoke and become an unbathed basket case. Truly. It isn't pretty. However, even with that being the case, I would like to beg everyone and their mother's fourteenth cousin twice removed to please write and leave a review for Shark Bait on Amazon and even Barnes & Noble if you can, and then when you finish reading TOFitS, please do the same. Why? Because reviews are what power the book industry in all manner of ways. Even if you don't particularly care for a book, leaving a review whether negative or positive helps the reading world to know whether a certain book might be to their liking or if it's something they probably shouldn't spend their hard earned money on. Additionally, the more reviews left for a book on buy sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the more exposure a book will receive. Reviews also drive best seller ranking—again, regardless of whether the review is positive or negative. So, if you're one of the people out there who feel like traditional publishers should be banging down my door so you can see and even purchase my titles in brick and mortar bookstores, or if you would get a giggle out of seeing Shark Bait or any of my other books on Amazon's Top 100 in overall books or even *whispers out of ultimate respect* the NYT Best Sellers List, you HAVE to leave a review on Amazon first and foremost. I'm an un-agented Indie author with inadequate funds to do a lot of pimping, book signings and appearances at big book events, and uber-cool giveaways, not that any of you need to hear about my financial standing, but my point is, there's only so much book bloggers and I can do to bring word of my creative genius to the rest of the world. (<—Digging deep for this godawful showing of egotism this morning, aren't I? Ugh.) And not only should you leave a review, but you should encourage everyone you know who has read the books to do the same. And this goes without saying of course, but I would be grateful if you were to encourage everyone you know and even perfect strangers to buy and read the books if they haven't yet.
This brings me to announcement number two... In the coming week, I believe, everyone who wants to become a tried and true Grab Your Pole pimp will have the opportunity to do so while also having the opportunity to win fun and unique GYP paraphernalia by joining what? Well, the GYP Street Team of course! Members of my Street Team will earn what I like to call "pimp points" for completing certain tasks and then those points will accrue over a designated time frame where at the end of that time, people with points will be entered to win something. There will be more info about this in the next week or so as well as when you can begin signing up, however, I wanted to give you all a heads up about this now because one of the things you'll be able to earn points by doing will be submitting proof of purchase to the GYP Street Team officials via either a forwarded email receipt or an original screen shot of your receipt for your purchase of The Other Fish in the Sea. And guess what? You'll get double points for purchasing TOFitS on release day! So, even if you don't have a chance to sign up to be a member of the GYP Street Team the day it launches, screen cap your purchase or save your email receipt so that when you do join, you can maximize your points earned, but be sure to sign up quickly as the first giveaway is set for one month after The Other Fish in the Sea releases, I believe.
Yeah, I know, you're all thinking that none of this information is all that helpful to you right now because you don't even know when in the fuck the damned book is coming out, right? Well, despite still having quite a bit of work to do and knowing I'm going to be a raging bitch monster to those closest to me, have zombie-like bags under my eyes, and I'll have to be a horrific wife and mother to make it happen, here's announcement number three:
NEXT TUESDAYAPRIL 23 in the year of our lord 2013
That will conclude the announcements as well as this blogpost. Let the universal celebration and widespread chatter about the date of release for #TOFitS commence.
The first is that at some point this week, you all should expect to start seeing reviews of The Other Fish in the Sea popping up. This is extremely exciting for me, but I'm also a little petrified. Knowing my work is being read and will subsequently be reviewed, sometimes freaks me the fuck out and I chain smoke and become an unbathed basket case. Truly. It isn't pretty. However, even with that being the case, I would like to beg everyone and their mother's fourteenth cousin twice removed to please write and leave a review for Shark Bait on Amazon and even Barnes & Noble if you can, and then when you finish reading TOFitS, please do the same. Why? Because reviews are what power the book industry in all manner of ways. Even if you don't particularly care for a book, leaving a review whether negative or positive helps the reading world to know whether a certain book might be to their liking or if it's something they probably shouldn't spend their hard earned money on. Additionally, the more reviews left for a book on buy sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the more exposure a book will receive. Reviews also drive best seller ranking—again, regardless of whether the review is positive or negative. So, if you're one of the people out there who feel like traditional publishers should be banging down my door so you can see and even purchase my titles in brick and mortar bookstores, or if you would get a giggle out of seeing Shark Bait or any of my other books on Amazon's Top 100 in overall books or even *whispers out of ultimate respect* the NYT Best Sellers List, you HAVE to leave a review on Amazon first and foremost. I'm an un-agented Indie author with inadequate funds to do a lot of pimping, book signings and appearances at big book events, and uber-cool giveaways, not that any of you need to hear about my financial standing, but my point is, there's only so much book bloggers and I can do to bring word of my creative genius to the rest of the world. (<—Digging deep for this godawful showing of egotism this morning, aren't I? Ugh.) And not only should you leave a review, but you should encourage everyone you know who has read the books to do the same. And this goes without saying of course, but I would be grateful if you were to encourage everyone you know and even perfect strangers to buy and read the books if they haven't yet.
This brings me to announcement number two... In the coming week, I believe, everyone who wants to become a tried and true Grab Your Pole pimp will have the opportunity to do so while also having the opportunity to win fun and unique GYP paraphernalia by joining what? Well, the GYP Street Team of course! Members of my Street Team will earn what I like to call "pimp points" for completing certain tasks and then those points will accrue over a designated time frame where at the end of that time, people with points will be entered to win something. There will be more info about this in the next week or so as well as when you can begin signing up, however, I wanted to give you all a heads up about this now because one of the things you'll be able to earn points by doing will be submitting proof of purchase to the GYP Street Team officials via either a forwarded email receipt or an original screen shot of your receipt for your purchase of The Other Fish in the Sea. And guess what? You'll get double points for purchasing TOFitS on release day! So, even if you don't have a chance to sign up to be a member of the GYP Street Team the day it launches, screen cap your purchase or save your email receipt so that when you do join, you can maximize your points earned, but be sure to sign up quickly as the first giveaway is set for one month after The Other Fish in the Sea releases, I believe.
Yeah, I know, you're all thinking that none of this information is all that helpful to you right now because you don't even know when in the fuck the damned book is coming out, right? Well, despite still having quite a bit of work to do and knowing I'm going to be a raging bitch monster to those closest to me, have zombie-like bags under my eyes, and I'll have to be a horrific wife and mother to make it happen, here's announcement number three:
NEXT TUESDAYAPRIL 23 in the year of our lord 2013
That will conclude the announcements as well as this blogpost. Let the universal celebration and widespread chatter about the date of release for #TOFitS commence.
April 4, 2013
The Cover Art Boogie-Man: Slain
*SIGH* My nightmare has ended and the boogie man's ass has been kicked well and good. In my humble opinion anyway. And now, I can finally share with all of you my dream that's become reality despite me not having any artistic talent, vision, ability to make decisions, or even the most minimal knowledge of HTML, RGB, or CMYK. I was rescued and I was rescued in a HUGE way by someone I'm blessed to be able to call friend as well as my hero.♥
And to the bitch responsible (YOU know who you are...), truly, there are no words to express my gratitude for what you've done, so I'll just tell you I love your face like fuckin' crazy and we'll leave it at that. :-*♥So, without further ado, I give you the new cover for Shark Bait in addition to the soon to be released 2nd book in the Grab Your Pole series, The Other Fish in the Sea.
Previously homeschooled Camie Ramsey is being shoved into the shark-infested waters of public high school, where even helium filled, penguin bespeckled arm floaties likely won’t help keep her inexperienced, fifteen-year old head above water in that rip current of hormones and emotions.
Camie’s worldly wisdom might be severely lacking (i.e., the closest she’s come to being kissed was sitting too close to the TV whilst Jake Ryan leaned in to give Samantha that fateful 16th birthday kiss), but she does understand her only hope for survival is if she’s thrown some kind of “social” life preserver before she sinks like a freaking rock. However, what will her fate be when she endeavors to flag down the only lifeguard on duty, the enormously popular and ridiculously beautiful Tristan Daniels? The most sought after and virtually most unattainable guy in school who not only makes Camie’s heart flatline on a recurring basis, he’s also the one guy who seemingly doesn’t know she exists.
Feeling like an inept piece of chum that could ultimately be swallowed by Jaws, can Camie get Tristan to rescue her from floundering in the treacherous deep, or is she destined to be Shark Bait?
______________________________________________
Author's Note:
While the tales themselves are fictional, some of the events and characters are very loosely based in reality and on my experiences—but don’t worry, the names of the characters, most of their unfortunate fashion sense and/or questionable taste in music has been changed to protect the not-so innocent.
______________________________________________
Due to language and some adult content, this book may not be suitable for readers under the age of 16.♥______________________________________________________________________________________________________♥
Camie and Tristan are back and so are their friends! Dive deeper into the lives of the GYP gang with The Other Fish in the Sea, the second installment in the Grab Your Pole Series by Jenn Cooksey.
Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt fromThe Other Fish in the Sea!
♥
The Other Fish in the Sea. Copyright © 2013 by Jenn Cooksey All rights reserved.
Prologue
I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s totally awesome when your parents truly like your boyfriend.Especially when you’re about two weeks away from being sixteen years old and your boyfriend is about a month and a half shy of being eighteen.
But, just how are you supposed to react when your father actually asks your almost adult boyfriend—who is hotter than the flames of hell by the way—to move in with you while he and your mom are going to be gone for a week? Oh, and gives his permission for you to have a party or two in their absence?
Really. I’m at a loss…
I’m also getting way ahead of myself. Let’s back up a couple months, because there was what you might call a substantial quantity of drama that occurred before my father made his request of Tristan, the aforementioned hotter than the flames of hell boyfriend, to stay with my little sister and me in January. I like to call the short period of downtime in my life between when Tristan and I signed what is known as our “contract” on Halloween and shortly before Thanksgiving, the eye of the storm. And if you’re unfamiliar with what our contract is, well, we basically committed ourselves to each other exclusively and agreed on some physical boundaries in the form of a Sharpie tattoo.
Oh and in case you’ve forgotten, my name is Camie, I’m a sophomore in high school, I adore the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I have this quirk of playing various songs and scenes from movies and TV in my head. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either amusing or annoying. Most of the time I find it kind of cool unless the song sucks. Anyhow, Tristan, my drop-dead gorgeous soul mate, is a junior but should be a senior. However, there was this whole thing with chicken pox, his best friend, Jeff, and repeating third grade. But I digress… I’ll be sixteen on January fifteenth and exactly one month later, Tristan will turn the big One-Eight. Yeah, California State might take issue with it, but we’re good because our parents are cool with the age difference. And that’s an especially big relief because Tristan and I are also proud parents. Yep, that’s right! I’m a mom even though I’m still a virgin. He and I adopted two kittens on our first date and now for all intents and purposes, Phineas and Ferb are our babies. They’re girls but shhh, don’t tell them they have boy names. Tristan is certain that’ll result in an identity crisis of some kind.
Moving on…
My little sister’s name is Jillian…or the spy, or the criminal, or the evil genius. Take your pick. She goes by many names—kind of like God and Satan do. Jilly is turning thirteen on January thirteenth, which happens to be a Friday this year. She couldn’t be more thrilled with that. In fact, I’m pretty sure she wants to celebrate herself with a horror themed birthday party with all the bells (ax murderers) and whistles (zombies). I also wouldn’t be all that surprised if she figures out a way to literally raise the dead just so the party is authentic. It kind of goes back to that genius thing she’s got goin’ on. Point in fact, Jill’s in eighth grade when she should actually be in seventh based on her age. Truth is though, my sister is smart enough to be in freaking college. But again, I digress.
So, back to November…
The Other Fish in the Sea. Copyright © 2013 by Jenn Cooksey All rights reserved.
March 25, 2013
Sorry, I'm Breaking the Rules, but, I'm Human
As a general rule, I don't comment on reviews. I will "like" a review from time to time on Goodreads or Amazon etc., but regardless of whether they're positive or negative, commenting just isn't a great idea from a professional standpoint. As a human, though, that's hard to do. I want to comment on some most of them and with words, virtually relay my jumping up and down and squealing with delight over someone's positive opinion of my writing. I can't do that, though. Or I shouldn't. Whatever the case, I don't do that.
But, here again, I'm human. I want to say thank you to those people who have taken time out of their busy and hectic lives to read my work, and then actually go one step further to write a review of it. And sometimes, I even want to comment and maybe explain why I wrote something the way I did when I reviewer doesn't particularly care for something in my story. I'm afflicted with that urge less frequently however, partly because I accepted long ago that I will never please everyone no matter how hard I try. Another reason is that they're my stories and they're written primarily for me, and I'll be goddamned if I have to debate and seek approval for what I want to do with them (Insert visual image of me as a 6 year old, stomping my foot and yelling, "You're not the boss of me!!").
With all that said, though, every now and then there comes a review, email, FB message or what have you that really makes me want to say, "Fuck it. I'm commenting." I've received several of those messages from a mixture of media sources in just the last couple days alone and because I'm human and was on emotional appreciation overload to begin with, I "liked" a review on Goodreads and when it asked for me to say something about it on the crosspost to Facebook, I couldn't help myself. I'm forgiving myself with the excuse that it wasn't a comment geared towards that one review in particular, though. And because that's the God's honest truth, I want to publicly tell you all what receiving review love does for me. So, here's what I said...
Over the last months, I have been so fortunate as to receive some stellar reviews of Shark Bait. Some make me giggle, some make me sentimental and nostalgic to go back and re-read my own damned book, while still others touch my writer's heart for their recognition and praise of my talent and what I've endeavored to put into the development of not only my stories, but my much beloved characters. So, to those who have written reviews such as this, (this one included), thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your words lift me up and inspire me to keep going. Never did I imagine that I could touch a person with my writing the way some of you have proclaimed yourselves to be, and that, well...that is a gift like nothing else imaginable. Truly, I am humbled...
♥
And I meant every word. I always will. So, if you ever take time away from your life to write a review, PM me, tweet to me, FB me, etc. ad nauseum, and you only hear crickets from me in response, please know that I am not shunning or ignoring you. Sometimes I'm just too bogged down in my own shit to be able to respond right away, and if that happens, there's a good chance I'll forget I ever needed or wanted to respond in the first place, and then there are those scenarios where I feel that it wouldn't be a smart move on my part to open my mouth—er...you know what I mean. However, I do appreciate and hold close to my heart every single word of praise and acknowledgement I receive from you guys. I mean that, I really do. And to prove it and at the risk of making everyone who reads this along with myself puke, I want you to know that you guys, my readers and fans, are the wind beneath my wings.
XOXO,
Jenn
</./end.sentimental.mushy.crap//>
But, here again, I'm human. I want to say thank you to those people who have taken time out of their busy and hectic lives to read my work, and then actually go one step further to write a review of it. And sometimes, I even want to comment and maybe explain why I wrote something the way I did when I reviewer doesn't particularly care for something in my story. I'm afflicted with that urge less frequently however, partly because I accepted long ago that I will never please everyone no matter how hard I try. Another reason is that they're my stories and they're written primarily for me, and I'll be goddamned if I have to debate and seek approval for what I want to do with them (Insert visual image of me as a 6 year old, stomping my foot and yelling, "You're not the boss of me!!").
With all that said, though, every now and then there comes a review, email, FB message or what have you that really makes me want to say, "Fuck it. I'm commenting." I've received several of those messages from a mixture of media sources in just the last couple days alone and because I'm human and was on emotional appreciation overload to begin with, I "liked" a review on Goodreads and when it asked for me to say something about it on the crosspost to Facebook, I couldn't help myself. I'm forgiving myself with the excuse that it wasn't a comment geared towards that one review in particular, though. And because that's the God's honest truth, I want to publicly tell you all what receiving review love does for me. So, here's what I said...
Over the last months, I have been so fortunate as to receive some stellar reviews of Shark Bait. Some make me giggle, some make me sentimental and nostalgic to go back and re-read my own damned book, while still others touch my writer's heart for their recognition and praise of my talent and what I've endeavored to put into the development of not only my stories, but my much beloved characters. So, to those who have written reviews such as this, (this one included), thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your words lift me up and inspire me to keep going. Never did I imagine that I could touch a person with my writing the way some of you have proclaimed yourselves to be, and that, well...that is a gift like nothing else imaginable. Truly, I am humbled...
♥
And I meant every word. I always will. So, if you ever take time away from your life to write a review, PM me, tweet to me, FB me, etc. ad nauseum, and you only hear crickets from me in response, please know that I am not shunning or ignoring you. Sometimes I'm just too bogged down in my own shit to be able to respond right away, and if that happens, there's a good chance I'll forget I ever needed or wanted to respond in the first place, and then there are those scenarios where I feel that it wouldn't be a smart move on my part to open my mouth—er...you know what I mean. However, I do appreciate and hold close to my heart every single word of praise and acknowledgement I receive from you guys. I mean that, I really do. And to prove it and at the risk of making everyone who reads this along with myself puke, I want you to know that you guys, my readers and fans, are the wind beneath my wings.
XOXO,
Jenn
</./end.sentimental.mushy.crap//>
