Au Revoir!

I'm heading off today to Europe. I'll be hop-scotching between Switzerland, Monaco (fancy!!, and Paris, and I am super excited.

I'm going to try not to annoy my friends by doing too much work while I'm there, so my plan is to be pretty much off-line for ten days. Eek! I'm feeling the withdrawal already.

I will, however, be writing, writing, writing. I also brought tons of wonderful books, including a collection of Nabokov short stories my wonderful agent, Stephen Barbara, gave me for Christmas. I've also packed my sketch pad and (of course!) my computer, so it looks to be a fun and creative holiday.

Stay warm, safe, and healthy...and have a very happy New Year! May '10 bring great things to everyone...

xo

Lauren

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE!

Hi all...

Just wanted to say everybody is having a joyful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate or believe in. I, for one, believe very strongly in COOKIES and PRESENTS!

I'm off to my mom's in a few, loaded down like Father Christmas with gifts for the fam...Then a little later, we head to Bayside for our traditional Christmas-Carol-and-Jewish-Deli-Food Xmas Eve Celebration... :) What can I say? We're suckers for pastrami and Silent Night.

To the Rubin/Davison clan--can't wait to see you tonight!!!!

To everyone else, NO PEEKING at your presents. Be safe, be happy, and be well.

xoxo

Lauren

Have Yourself A Morbid Little Christmas--CONTEST!

Hi all....

Well, as my end-of-the-year gift to all of you I am giving away not one, not two, but three fabulous prizes to the winner of my "Have-Yourself-A-Morbid-Little-Christmas" Contest! I'll be giving away three books, all of which deal in some way with death--cheerful, right?

The books are:

Before I Fall (my book--in ARC form)

If I Stay, by Gayle Forman (in hardcover)

and

Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher (in hardcover)

That's right, the lucky winner will receive all three books! (Check out the pic below--you can see my Xmas tree in the corner of the frame! he he he.)

All you have to do to enter is answer my question: What's on your Christmas (or Hanukkah, or non-denominational holiday) wishlist this year? And please leave your email address so I can contact you!

This contest will run from now until 12/25, so hurry up and enter already!!

xo

Lauren

Check Out This Awesome Video!!

I'm not going to lie, people. There are very few things I like more than a good book trailer. Someday, I hope my baby book grows up and gets a movie appearance of its own.

But in the meantime, check out my friend Lauren Mechling's book trailer here.

If that doesn't make you want to run out and by her forthcoming novel, Dream Life, in January 2010, then I'm sorry to be pointing fingers but...you're crazy!

xo

Lauren

Live Like You Were Dying

...Cue the Tim McGraw soundtrack!

Seriously, thank you for everyone who participated in the BEFORE I FALL giveaway contest! I have selected a winner (literally, out of a hat--Marianna, your name came up, and I'll be emailing you shortly), but I am sincerely moved by all of the amazing responses I received in answer to the question: What would you do on the last day of your life?

Some people's ideas: bungee jump. Attend a live show of a favorite band. Travel somewhere new. Climb a mountain. Buy a really phenomenal dress (definitely agree with that one!). Eat tons of food--'cuz who cares about calories? (Also agree with that one, incidentally.)

Again and again, though, people said the same thing: on their last day, they would spend time with the people who matter most--husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, parents, friends, pets. I think that's super significant. Not to be a cheeseball, but it's that time of the year when we are supposed to celebrate our most significant relationships and family ties, so get a jump-start on your Last Day Agenda and let the family- or friend- bonding begin! I know I will. :)

Also, for those of you who did not win (sorry!!), you can enter to win my book on Goodreads here. Additionally, since this is the season of giving, I'll be hosting another contest soon in which I give away not one, not two, but three prizes to the lucky winner, so be sure to check back soon!

Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the holiday season.

xo

Lauren

www.laurenoliverbooks.com

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