Win a Copy of BEFORE I FALL!!

Hi all...

Since I received additional galleys from my publisher recently (yay!), I have decided to start giving them away! 'Tis better to give than to receive, after all.

I'll also be hosting a giveaway through Goodreads (more details on that as I have them), but in the meantime I thought I would have a little mini-contest! I actually plan on having a different contest every week in December, so please check back frequently!

Here's the deal: In order to enter the giveaway, all you have to do is respond to a question I have selected. The questions will be loosely related to Before I Fall, and generally pertain to issues/themes that interest me.

The first question is:

What would you do on the last day of your life?

I know--shallow question, peeps! Please comment back here. The winner will be selected at random but in order to enter you MUST reply to the question in a comment. It is THEMATIC, you see, as Before I Fall is partly about a girl trying to sort out how best to live her last day.

PLEASE RESPOND BY DECEMBER 10TH, when I will be selecting a winner! And make sure you leave me a way to contact you (email or twitter or whatever works for you).

Good luck!!

Mexico, Querida

I hardly ever share pictures and that is a mistake, according to my friend Suzanne Young, who blogs here and whose forthcoming book, The Naughty List, will be out in February 2010! She knows everything, so I thought I would share pics from my recent fabulous trip to Todos Santos, Mexico...and you can expect MORE PICS from me from now on, people!

Todos Santos is awesome...It's a small fishing-village an hour and a half away from Cabo (through the desert). There's not a whole lot of tourism so the beaches are remote and private and empty...Except for the wild horses! (No lie--one of them bit my friend! They are wild for a reason, I suppose). We saw whales and baby turtles and ate ceviche and I did lots of writing and reading and it was a good time, as you can probably tell. :)

Now I'm back in frigid NYC, so I am projecting myself backwards through time and into the pics and the warmth of the Mexican sun.

xo

L

PS. In group pics I am the very pale one!!

PPS. WE SWAM WITH BABY SEA LIONS!!

A Very Necessary Shout-Out

See that oh-so-gorgeous time-keeping widget in the upper right corner of my blog, which is even now counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until Before I Fall hits the shelves (and you guys hit the stores to snag a copy? Right, guys? Please? Pretty please??)?

Well, guess who made that fine-looking functional piece of work?

MY FRIEND CARLA!

Okay, so I've never actually met Carla in person, but she blogs here (thecrookedshelf.blogspot.com) and she is participated in my international Before I Fall ARC tour, and from our various communications back and forth I can tell she's awesome. I am really looking forward to meeting her next year when I go to England (crossing fingers she and Jenny of Wondrous Reads will be in London at the same time as me and we can all meet up at a pub!).

Anyway, just had to say a public thank-you. Carla, You Rock.

Okay. Off to snooze. A manana, amigos.

xo

L

Junot Diaz, Putting Your Writer's Block In Perspective

A very good friend of mine sent me this article today. Extremely encouraging for anyone who has ever doubted his/her writing abilities (which, in my experience, is anyone who has every written).

Doubly appreciated since I am sick in bed with the flu and need lots of reading material, having exhausted all of the Glee episodes on Hulu.

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

Since yesterday I was too busy stuffing my face with delicious things like turkey and roasted butternut squash (thanks, mom!), I did not get to post about all the things I am very thankful for this year. Because this is '09, I am going to try and limit myself to 9 of them.

1. Skype, because it allows me to talk to my sister while she is doing a post-doc in Oxford.

2. The fact that I live in the same city as my parents. Nothing like getting to take the subway home with a bag full of leftovers!

3. My passionate, brilliant, generous, beautiful friends. They inspire me to be better.

4. Oceans, whales, beaches; mountains, trees, and woods; sunshine and stormy days.

5. Toasters, for making bread so much better.

6. Stephen Barbara, agent extraordinaire and surprisingly effective relay team member...

7. Book bloggers! (Especially teen book bloggers.) They keep the passion for books alive.

8. Rosemary Brosnan and everyone at Harper who has worked on Before I Fall, from acquiring editor Brenda Bowen to cover designer Joel Tippie and marketing director Suzanne Daghlian and everyone in between, for the dream that has so far been this publishing experience.

9. This last one is a little harder to explain, but I will try. After the death of one of my closest friends this year, I went very deep into myself for a long time, and I discovered a lot of darkness there. Then I went even deeper than that, and at the bottom of the bottom of myself, I discovered joy. I am very thankful for that.

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy thanksgiving (except for the turkeys of the world--sorry, guys.)

xo

L

What Does Reading Sound Like?

A few interviewers have asked me what song or playlist best embodies Before I Fall, and I think this is a fascinating question. Due to our exposure to film and TV, we are so used to the amplifying and evocative power of music, and I love the idea that books, too, conjure up specific songs for their readers. Unfortunately, it's a question I feel uniquely unqualified to answer, as I know practically nothing about music (although it is true that I often give my characters "theme songs," songs I listen to when I need to insert myself into their mindsets or emotional lives. The first novel I ever wrote featured a character whose "theme" song was "Little by Little," by Oasis, and when I wanted to get into Sam's head while writing BIF--and evoke her confusion, anger, and desperate desire to break free from the endless reiteration of her last day--I often listened to "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence.).

That's why I was *so psyched* to learn that 9th-grader Caroline S. had actually generated a playlist for my entire book! I was even more psyched when I perused her musical suggestions and found that among them were some of my favorite songs, like "Party in the USA" (my summer anthem) and "Apologize," by Timbaland, as well as some of my favorite singers/artists: Rascall Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland (hey, what can I say? I'm a country music fan). Even better, thanks to Caroline S I've now added a bunch of new songs to my ipod (I've been listening to "Popular," by the Veronicas, on repeat for several days now!).

So, Caroline, thanks for the awesomeness! You rock. And for everyone's listening pleasure, I've posted Caroline's playlist recommendations below. BTW, check out the page numbers; Caroline synced up the writing and the music like a deejay syncing up turntables. Love it.

Before I Fall Playlist

1. “Party in the USA” Miley Cyrus (page 59)

2. “Bring on the Rain” Jo Dee Messina and Tim McCraw (page 73)

3. “Stay” Sugarland (page 76)

4. “I Hate This Part” Pussy Cat Dolls (page 128)

5. “Here It Goes Again” Ok Go (page 131)

6. “S.O.S” Rihanna (page 162)

7. “So What” P!nk (page 184)

8. “Popular” The Veronicas (page 225)

9. “Shopaholic” Verbz (page 231)

10. “Just a Dream” Carrie Underwood (page 332)

11. “Light Up the Sky” Yellowcard (page 337)

12. “Apologize” Timbaland (page 404)

13. “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love Tonight” Outfield (page414)

14. “True Friend” Hannah Montana (page 421)

15. “Stand” Rascal Flatts (page 438)

16. “Thunder” Nuttin’ But Stringz (page 466)

My Book is a Cheese-Head!

While I roast on a beach in Todos Santos, Mexico, the Traveling Copy of Before I Fall is continuing its cross-country trek back in The Homeland. This time, it has landed in Wisconsin, where it has braced itself against the chilly autumnal weather by snuggling up with a pig t-shirt and a cuddly pig stuffed animal (special thanks to Erica at the book cellar for providing the pic and taking such good care of my book, despite the fact that she was unable to unearth a cheese hat for it to wear!).

For your viewing pleasure....