Kate Jarvik Birch's Blog, page 6

DELIVER ME Book Trailer

After all the time I've put into this trailer, I'm hoping that I can add film maker to my resume. Hopefully all the work was worth it. Enjoy... 

DELIVER ME Cover Reveal and Giveaway

I'm so excited to finally share the cover of DELIVER ME with you. And because I'm in such a good mood, I'm also giving away a copy for one lucky winner as well as a $20 Amazon gift card (so you can gorge yourself on books).

So now, without further ado,


HERE...



IS...



MY...



COVER...































One People. One Union. One Future. Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering babies for the Union.As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.
For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.
Giveaway
Enter the giveaway below to win an electronic copy of DELIVER ME from Bloomsbury Spark as well as a $20 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What to Wear

I've been busy designing t-shirts for my street team (which you're invited to join if you haven't yet) and I need help choosing the coolest design. So I'm putting the question to YOU. Which shirt would you wear?

#1 

or
#2 

Proof

As if I didn't need proof that my 14-year-old is the most awesome kid in the universe, THIS is what I woke up to this morning (the "speech" he wrote for English still on my computer screen):

For years man has been asking the same question. How do I get a girl to notice me? We have tried everything. We tried being the funny guy. Nothing. Being sweet and relating to the girl… nothing. We even stayed up till three A.M. on a school night reading her favorite book. And still nothing. Very rarely will one discover the secret… I am here to share it with you.
Girls, this part goes out to you. You are always complaining that you are single. That you want a boyfriend. Sure, most of us aren’t perfect. We wear basketball shorts with button up shirts. But at least we are wearing pants. And we think it looks good, even though we all know it doesn’t. So here is my advice, next time you see a well dressed man you better snatch him up. Wink. Wink.
It has become obvious that the solution to both your problems, and ours is that you should date me… I mean look at me.
When I asked women what they liked in a guy they said that they like guys who are nice. Me
Guys who are attractive. Have you seen my hair?
Guys who are interesting. Magic.
Must I continue.
Guys who they can talk to. My ears are huge. Look at them in comparison to my head.
Guys with common interest. I totally love the Bachelor and One Direction. And no, those jeans do not make you look fat.
Approximately three out of ten women will agree to go on a date with me. This problem is not going to bet better without our attention. I have come here to raise those yes’s from 3 to 9.
That is why you are all going home with my phone number. And… a date! You get a date, you get a date, you get a date. We all get a date.
I would like to leave you guys with my favorite song.Ill be on your side when you need a friendThrough thick and thin you can always dependOn the world leader in hand holding and datingNOAH JACOB BIRCH(member FDIC)THANK YOU, AND GOOD NIGHT.

Some Ink

Well it took me long enough, but I finally finished the artwork for Simon P. Clark's banner, which he won during my last contest. Here's the final product...



You can also visit the real deal over at Simon's website.

Join the K Crew

I need YOU!

Yes, you...

My debut book, DELIVER ME, is being released by Bloomsbury Spark on April 15th and I'm building a team of daring and devilish book lovers to help me spread the word. So, of course I'm turning to you lovely reader.

As a part of my street team you'll get:


Entry into street team only contests, giveaways and prizes.The top secret inside scoop about release dates, covers and more!A peek inside the deep, dark corners of my mind.Plus, bragging rights. After all, you will have helped me get my start.Your responsibilities, if you choose to accept, will be any (or all) of the following:
Nothing takes the place of a good recommendation, so say as many nice things as you possibly can to friends and family about my books. Have a blog? Maybe you'd be willing to post a review or do an interview.Are you on Goodreads or Amazon? I'd love an honest review.That's it! Although if you can think of some fun or amazing way to spread the word, I might just have to make a place for you in the acknowledgments of my next book. 

If you'd like to join the team, leave me your email address in the comments below, or follow this link to the K Crew Facebook page.
I really can't do it without you!!!!!

Resolutions

My favorite time of the year has rolled around again when I can dream about all the things I want to learn, do, create and become.

My list for 2014:

- Wear RED lipstick
- Draw in my sketchbook
- Finish my books (write, revise, repeat)
- Write a movie
- Learn a new word every week
- Write, write, write
- Read, read, read
- Learn to bake sourdough bread
- Write thank you letters
- Be happy! Don't let other people have control of my happiness
- Publish another essay
- Organize one room each month
- Be thoughtful
- Dance a lot!
- Sing a lot!
- Make other people happy!

Those are my resolutions. What are yours?

The Perfection of a Short Story

This weekend I had the opportunity to read some of my favorite short stories out loud to my husband. He wanted to understand my passion for writing and the most obvious way for me to explain it to him was to show him, firsthand, some of the stories that have moved me most deeply. 

I've never had the opportunity to read these stories out loud. With the exception of all the picture books and chapter books that I've read out loud to my kids at bedtime, all of my reading has been a very solitary experience, so it was a thrill to be able to not only relive some of my favorite words, but to speak them, to slow down and savor them.

There are dozens and dozens of short stories that have really resonated with me over the years, but there are a few that I come back to over and over again:

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor 
White Angel by Michael Cunningham 
Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff
The Fourth State of Matter by Jo Ann Beard (really an essay)

Are there any short stories that you revisit time and again?

Winner!

Congratulations to...


Simon P. Clark 


You are the winner of the Custom Art Contest! I can't wait to get busy designing something fantastic for another amazing writer!!!

My Top Ten Favorite Middle Grade Books of All Time!

Some of the most influential books in my life were introduced to me when I was just a little girl. They were the first ray of light into the dark tunnel of my imagination and they've stayed with me through the years, informing me about all the books I'd come to love over the years. 

Here's a list of my favorite middle grade novels, some from my childhood and some from my second childhood (let's face it, I'll never grow up). 

1. Watership Down by Richard Adams



2. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson




3. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien



4. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit



5. Doll Bones by Holly Black


6. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt


7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate


8. From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg


9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling


10. The Evolution of Culpurnia Tate by Jaqueline Kelly