Jennifer Brown

First of all, let me thank everyone for participating in this month's contest. We had 33 entrants, and lots of you got some really great stuff (Yes, I am extremely jealous of the John Mayer tickets in case anyone's wondering).

I have randomly chosen a winner (using, of course, Random.org), and the winner of the signed hardcover copy of HATE LIST is...

Jessy!

Congratulations, Jessy! Please check your email.

Also, two lucky winners get $10 Barnes and Noble gift cards! Those winners are:

Dena!

and

Mollie!

Congratulations, Dena and Mollie. Please check your emails as well.

If you didn't win, don't worry. I'm sure I'll fall off on my blogging again and will hold another please-forgive-me contest someday (probably someday sooner rather than later).

Link to this week's Kansas City Star column, in which my oldest learns the definition of "expensive":

Last night I chatted with a few middle school teachers and a student -- my first online book chat about my own book. Cool! These guys were deep-thinking about HATE LIST and asking questions that never been asked before (and, honestly, had never even thought of before).

One question -- asked by the lone student -- really left me scratching my head. She asked: If Valerie had known that Nick planned to shoot up the school, would she have stopped him?

(My answer, I'm afraid, was a lot of uncomfortable throat-clearing, followed by the ever-annoying, "What do YOU think about that?")

So we discussed, and moved on, but in my head I kept asking myself the question over and over again. Would Valerie have stopped the shooting, had she known in advance?

And, without getting all spoilery on you (Remember -- This is a spoiler-free zone!), I think I have my answer.

On the one hand, Valerie would have thought that turning Nick in would have meant losing him, and she would have felt losing him would be too high a price to pay. She was IN LOVE to the zillionth power, after all! There also might have been a tiny part of her who believed some people might have deserved it (They didn't. It's impossible to deserve being shot in cold blood in your school cafeteria, just so you know).

On the other hand, Valerie did stop the shooting while it was in progress. Did she stop it to protect the students who were getting shot? Or did she stop it to protect Nick?

I think she stopped it partly out of protection. She wanted to protect herself, yes, but she also was trying to protect Nick. She had done it before -- in the cafeteria when he began to respond to some bullying, she put her hand on his arm and told him to let it go -- protecting him from getting himself in trouble. And Valerie was definitely smart enough to foresee a plan like Nick's ending in trouble -- big, deadly trouble.

But over and above it all, Valerie had a good heart. She was a good person.

So I would have to say, yes. She would have stopped it in advance for the same reason she stopped it in progress -- because it was Just Wrong.

And, then, of course, came the follow-up question:

Who would she have told?

AARGH! You're kidding me with these questions!!!

(P.S. Thoughtful readers freaking ROCK!!!!)

I finally had that moment today. The one where I was... eep... recognized. Well, kinda.

I was at the library, picking up a few holds, and I had to go to the desk for checkout because some of the holds were for Goddess and I didn't have her card with me. And as the girl is checking out the books, she goes, "Oh, hey, I was putting your holds on the shelf today and saw your name... did you know there's a Jennifer Brown in Kansas City who wrote this book called HATE LIST?"

Inside my head: (panic mode) Oh, God, what do I do? Leave. Just be your usual awkward self and turn and GO HOME IMMEDIATELY without acknowledging that she ever said a word. Lock yourself in the basement and stare at the wall for an hour. It'll be okay.

But my mouth -- well, actually my hand -- betrayed me. Without even thinking about it (because all I could think about was that it was suddenly 90 million degrees in that place), my hand left my side and waved in the air next to my head.

"That's me," I whispered. (Actually, I think I went, "Mrrmrm peep mrrrm," but she got the gist of what I was saying)

Her eyes got all big and then I was In THAT Conversation -- you know, the one where I want to go, "DidyoureaditdidyouloveitamIamazingorwhat?" but have to wait until she volunteers the information. She did, and Ioffered to sign it for her, should I ever be in there at a time when she is and she has the book. Which means I can never be in my library anonymously again (*sob!*).

But I'll admit... the whole thing was kinda cool.

I know I said I wasn't going to join any sort of reading group to go with my 100 Books of 2010 reading goal, because joining groups, in general, goes against everything Social Outcast that I hold dear, and I swore that my joining groups days were over after the forced group-joining that is high school.

BUT...

Well, I found a group of cool people on Facebook who are ALL reading 100 books in 2010, and what's better... they can be any books we want to read.

Sooo... I said I wasn't joining any groups, but I lied. I joined this one. And so far I really like it. If you're on Facebook, check it out:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=243348159758&ref=ts

(If you're not on Facebook... well, why not?)

P.S. I'll be finishing novel #6 tonight.

Want some books? Here's your chance to snag some goodies and help Haiti at the same time.

The Leaky Cauldron Fansite has organized a livestream fundraising event they're calling Helping Haiti Heal, an effort to raise funds to send humanitarian aid to Haiti through Partners in Health. The event will take place on Saturday at 2PM EST.

The Debs have come together and donated a huge 30-book (autographed!) prize pack for this event. We're talking some really fantastic (and award-winning!) YA books, guys. From the Debs website:

Without further ado, here's the Contents of the Debs Massive Prize Package:

R.J. Anderson -- FAERY REBELS: SPELL HUNTER (signed hardcover)

Pam Bachorz -- CANDOR (signed hardcover)

Lauren Bjorkman -- MY INVENTED LIFE (signed hardcover)

Leigh Brescia -- ONE WISH (signed hardcover)

Jennifer Brown -- HATE LIST (signed hardcover)

Megan Crewe -- GIVE UP THE GHOST (signed hardcover)

Kirstin Cronn-Mills -- THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME AND THE HILLS DON'T MIND (signed paperback)

Erin Dionne -- MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES and THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET (signed hardcovers)

Deva Fagan -- FORTUNE'S FOLLY (signed hardcover)

Megan Frazer -- SECRETS OF TRUTH & BEAUTY (signed hardcover)

Cheryl Renee Herbsman -- BREATHING (signed hardcover)

Jennifer R. Hubbard -- THE SECRET YEAR (signed hardcover)

Jennifer Jabaley -- LIPSTICK APOLOGY (signed paperback)

Danielle Joseph -- SHRINKING VIOLET (signed paperback)

Malinda Lo -- ASH (signed hardcover)

Sarah Maclean -- THE SEASON (signed hardcover)

L.K. Madigan -- FLASH BURNOUT (2010 Morris Award winner) (signed hardcover)

Lisa Mantchev -- EYES LIKE STARS (signed hardcover) and PERCHANCE TO DREAM (advance review copy)

Neesha Meminger -- SHINE, COCONUT MOON (hardcover)

Kate Messner -- THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z (signed hardcover)

Saundra Mitchell -- SHADOWED SUMMER (2010 Edgar®-Nominated) (signed hardcover)

Jenny Moss -- WINNIE'S WAR (signed hardcover)

Sarah Ockler -- TWENTY BOY SUMMER (signed hardcover)

Jackson Pearce -- AS YOU WISH (signed hardcover)

Shani Petroff -- BEDEVILED: DADDY'S LITTLE ANGEL and BEDEVILED: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY DRESS (signed paperbacks)

Aprilynne Pike -- WINGS (signed hardcover)

Cindy Pon -- SILVER PHOENIX (signed hardcover)

Carrie Ryan --THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH (signed hardcover)

SydneySalter -- MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS (signed paperback)and JUNGLE CROSSING (signed hardcover) and SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK(advance review copy)

Kristina Springer -- THE ESPRESSOLOGIST (signed hardcover)

Rhonda Stapleton -- STUPID CUPID (signed paperback)

Charity Tahmaseb/Darcy Vance -- THE GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO CHEERLEADING (signed paperback)

Lara Zielin -- DONUT DAYS (signed hardcover)

Michelle Zink -- PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS (signed hardcover)

To learn more about the event, CLICK HERE.

And please help spread the word! Tweet this: 

"Help Haiti Heal - win fantastic prizes! Sat. from 2pm to 6pm EST! http://bit.ly/5603s6 #hhh"

(and don't forget our TweetCode is #hhh)

So this was a total surprise to me, since I didn't even know there would be a final list announced (I'm still learning about all these awards and lists and committees and stuff), but I just found out that HATE LIST made the final list of ALA's 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. Woohoo!

According to their website:

"The list of 90 books, drawn from 203 official nominations, is presentedannually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for thoseages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature andappealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genresand styles, including contemporary realistic fiction that reflects thediversity of the teen experience, nonfiction that brings to teens anawareness of the world they live in and its history, and fantasticalstories told in both narrative and graphic formats."

Click here to read more and to see the list in its entirety.

Who's up for a healthy lunch made of YA yumminess? I am! Today, as the final installment of my "Lunching with Leads" blog tour, I'm chowing down with Felicity, the main character of Rhonda Stapleton's adorable debut novel, STUPID CUPID.

About Stupid Cupid

Felicity Walker believes in true love. That’s why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid’s Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn’t just a matchmaker…she’s a cupid! (There’s more than one of them, you know.)

Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired…and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.

I read STUPID CUPID as book 4 of my 100 Books of 2010 project, and I have to say I loved it (and can't wait to read about Felicity's next cupidy adventures!)! So let's eat!

Where are we eating?

--P.F. Chang's, of course.

Mmm... one of my faves! What's on the menu?

--Their honey chicken is to DIE for. I highly recommend it. But really, anything they make is killer.

Totally agreed. I'm sticking with the lettuce wraps. YUM! You've invited another guest to join us. Who is it?

--I wish I had the brass balls to invite Derek, the guy I am madly in love with (OMG don't tell him), but instead I'll bring my two BFFs Maya and Andy along. You'll love them!

I already do love them! And I love the relationship you have with them. What is the one subject you hope I don't bring up?

--Me being a cupid. Please don't tell, because I'm contractually obligated to keep my mouth shut, upon pain of some mysterious bad things happening!

Yipes. That sounds serious. I promise not to say a word. What is the one subject you hope I will bring up?

--Derek. *happy sigh* I could talk about his fine self all day.

You know... if I didn't know any better... I'd think you like him. Haha. Speaking of liking... You're getting tons of attention from fans. How do you feel about all this limelight?

--This is totally weird. But maybe by having all this attention, I can do more good as a cupid. Now, to stop messing up so badly...

I'm sure you're doing great as a cupid! You're totally sweet. And speaking of sweet, how do you eat a Reeses?

--I don't eat them, I inhale them. haha

*mumbles* me too.

Thanks, Felicity, for lunching with me, and good luck, Rhonda, on your book!

To purchase a copy of STUPID CUPID, click HERE.

About Rhonda Stapleton

Rhonda Stapleton started writing a few years ago to appease the voices in her head. She has a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. Rhonda works as an editor for a legal publishing company and enjoys offering editing workshops. Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her lovely, energetic family, who are more than enough to keep her busy when she’s not writing.

In the twelve minutes of free time she has each day, Rhonda enjoys reading, photography, writing poetry, singing in the shower (and in the car, at work, or basically anywhere that provides oxygen), drinking chai tea, and playing on the Internet.

Visit Rhonda at her website: www.RhondaStapleton.com

****************************************************************************************************************

This entry wraps up my 2009 Debs blog tour, but have no fear! Lots of Debs have 2010 releases and I'm sure they'll be stopping by (psst! Check out this video for Stacey Jay's new release!).

Already I'm feeling a bit... derailed... on my 2010 goal of reading 100 novels. Why? Because I knocked out three books in one week last week, so I got cocky. Plus I got a particular book as a Christmas gift and I wanted to read it. So? What's the problem?

Uh, the problem is the book is Stephen King's UNDER THE DOME, which is over 1,000 pages long.

What the heck was I thinking?

Was I really thinking I'd knock this book out in a couple of weeks? That it would be a fast read? Not to mention, had I forgotten how much I enjoy Stephen King's mastery of the craft of storytelling (like him or hate him, you really can't argue that the guy knows how to tell a story) and how much I like to really absorb his techniques while reading?

So I'm reading, all the while a little voice in the back of my head going, You're never gonna fiiinish nyah nyah nyah nyah nyaaaah nyah... and then shushing myself because I was just getting to the good part... and then slowing down to admire the characterization of a particular character... and then looking at the clock and freaking out and skimming a paragraph to save time... and then feeling guilty and going back and re-reading the entire chapter because I have NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE STORY!!!

*whimpers*

Guess what. Goals are filled with as much suckocity as resolutions are.