tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79595921169875749332024-03-08T09:23:22.741-05:00Megan Kelley HallYoung Adult AuthorMegan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-87127913994778192702015-01-21T12:06:00.000-05:002015-01-21T12:07:22.376-05:00Write to save your life. Want to save your life? <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/writing-your-way-to-happiness/?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article" target="_blank">Write!</a><br />
<br />
Imagine this: writing has been found to help people solve their problems faster and live better lives. Simply reimagine your life, rewrite your own narrative, write down the way you <u>want</u> your life to be and watch as things fall into place. Truly an amazing way to look at how writing can save your life.<br />
<br />Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-22013550883704421362014-08-13T16:56:00.000-04:002014-09-09T16:35:08.718-04:00Thoughts on Cardiac Depression and Robin Williams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8h8fH4N52M/U-vSJTza9oI/AAAAAAAAFOA/I3nT0iJxDqU/s1600/140811192127-02-robin-williams-restricted-horizontal-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8h8fH4N52M/U-vSJTza9oI/AAAAAAAAFOA/I3nT0iJxDqU/s1600/140811192127-02-robin-williams-restricted-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The link between cardiac surgery and depression is a real thing and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/robin-williams-dead-actor-2009-heart-surgery-contribute-depression-article-1.1900944" target="_blank">it may have played a role</a> in Robin Williams' suicide.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know because I suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and I have ever since my first cardiac event.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My cardiologist told me that it was very common to suffer from these things following any cardiac surgeries. I've had several. My very first panic attack was when I had a carotid stent put in. I was made to lie on a table in the cath lab while my doctor inserted a balloon-like stent into my carotid artery. I had to remain awake on the table throughout the procedure so that they would know in an instant if I suffered from a stroke during the stenting. Consequently, I had my first major panic attack right there on that cold, metal table in that bright, antiseptically clean operating room. I wasn't allowed to move or cry or scream or pull away. I wasn't able to be medicated to calm down. I could feel the fluttering movement of the scope inside my body as it wormed its way up my neck to my carotid artery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Hold still," my typically jovial cardiologist told me through gritted teeth. This was not a time to ask silly questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I watched the computer screen above me as he performed this complicated task and then whispered and pleaded with the nurse to give me something to stop the intense fear and inevitable shaking that I knew was coming on strong. I knew that I was powerless against it. It was that feeling of standing alone in the ocean on unsteady legs and watching the rocks get sucked back by the tide, knowing that a giant wave was forming and there was no escape from it crashing down upon you. I knew the crash of a panic attack was imminent even though I'd never experienced one before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you have one, you never forget how horrible it feels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was eight years ago. I was 32. I still have panic attacks today and will probably have them forever. It just goes with the territory. Depression is a part of the equation as well, but I've never let it swallow me whole the way others have. I've always stayed a few steps ahead of it, but that's not to say I'm immune.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My open heart surgery has left me with a long scar down my chest. It's faded throughout the years some, but it's still there. I forget about it at times, but then I'll notice someone eyeing it and my hand instinctively flutters up to my neck, creating a visual barrier. I'm not embarrassed by the scar. At first I hid it with boat neck shirts and scarves. Now I wear it like a badge of courage. It tells people what I've been through. A reminder that I'm a survivor. I survived childhood cancer. I survived having a premature child. I survived open heart surgery. And, yet, the sternotomy scar is the only thing that is a visible reminder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Robin Williams wore his scars openly as well. You could see it in his eyes. The pain in his eyes was there even when he was making hundreds of people laugh. The joy that they felt was elusive for him. He was an outsider probably wondering why it was so easy for others to bask in the joy that he gave to them effortlessly. Why was it so hard for him to feel the same way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My cardiologist told me that my surgery was typically an older male surgery. While heart disease is a growing problem with women (today it is the leading killer of women, more deadly than all forms of cancer), open heart surgery is typically an older male issue. He said that men would get very depressed after the surgery (<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Dr. Tara Narula, associate director of the cardiac care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association has said that cardiac depression affects 20-40% of all heart surgery patients)</span><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></span>and yet no one really knows why. Consequently, my appointments after my surgeries always focused on how I was feeling: physically and emotionally. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the first six months after my surgery, I was in a lot of pain. It's no wonder since the surgery is a very savage one where they literally saw your breastbone open and pry your ribcage apart and then a lengthy and intricate surgery takes place while your body temperature is lowered into hypothermia and you are put on a heart and lung machine--for all intents and purposes you are the closest to being dead while still technically being alive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When they are finished and they have brought you back after nine to twelve hours of being practically lifeless, they sew you back up, wrap your ribcage in titanium and poke and prod you to make sure you are coming back to life in one piece. The first few days of intensive care are what typically cause the PTSD. My doctor compared it to being a prisoner of war. You are in pain. You are not allowed to sleep normally. You don't know if it is day or night. You are being poked and prodded. You are uncomfortable and miserable and aren't aware if you are awake or asleep, up or down, inside or out. It's basically hell on earth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then you begin the long road to recovery. No driving. No walking for long periods of time. Always tired, always in pain, always breathless and weak. No lifting anything over five pounds. You are reduced to being a child--always having to rely on others to care for you. For men, it eats away at their egos. For women (especially with children), it's hard to be taken care of when they are typically the caretakers of the families.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But long after the immediate effects of the surgery are gone--the scars have healed, the pain is gone-- there is an unsettling feeling that can strike at any moment. I don't know if it's the realization that you have knocked on death's door and hung out at the threshold for a little while only to be turned away. Maybe it's the knowledge that life can be taken from you in an instant. Perhaps it's survivor's guilt. For me, my aunt passed away from a very painful cancer a year after my surgery. While she was going through her treatment, she'd often look to me with that helpless, expectant and terrified gaze and tell me that I was the only one who could understand what she was going through. She'd plead with me through her eyes and I could only offer her my strength and my sympathies. But in the end, that wasn't enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if Robin Williams felt those sudden moments of terror following his surgeries. I know that I used to wake up in the middle of the night terrified of something cracking my chest wide open, feeling helpless and unable to move, overwhelmed by pain and by fear. There's a loneliness that only those who've stayed in hospitals long term can ever fully understand. I've spend most of my life in hospitals and though I joke that it is like my second home, there is a tension that lives within those sterile walls. Perhaps it's the ghosts of the many lives lost there. Maybe it's the collective fear and sadness that remains like residue on the walls. But once those hollow emotions get inside of you--those ice-cold pinpricks of isolation and hopelessness-- it's so hard to ever completely rid yourself of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, yes, I believe that Robin Williams had a lot of issues he was dealing with which ultimately led to his taking his own life and perhaps his cardiac issues did contribute to his demise. Substance abuse is something that I thankfully have never experienced. He had been very open about his abuse throughout his life and those who suffer from PTSD and depression are more susceptible to falling back into the clutches of the abuse. His life was cut short by so many demons that plagued him. Maybe a few of them crept in while his heart was wide open and defenseless. Perhaps they sat on his shoulders and whispered to him in the dark hours of the night. Or maybe they hung from his back like so many terrible addictions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">We tend to equate the saying "Carpe Diem" or "Seize The Day" with Robin Williams' character in the movie Dead Poets Society. But we should also be reminded of a similar Latin saying, "Memento Mori," which means, "Remember, you are mortal." Robin Williams was just a man with the same problems as every other man. None of us are immune to feelings of depression or inadequacy or grief. Yet, it seems so unfair that in his ability to bring immense joy and happiness to others, he ultimately failed to find it for himself. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">For someone who spent his life giving to others through laughter, ultimately it is through tears that we have learned the most important lesson he could have ever given. No one is immune to the damaging effects of depression. It is a silent killer. It creeps through every age, race and earnings bracket. It affects men and women, old and young, rich and poor. It can feel like it's contagious. It can remain dormant for years and rear its ugly head and strike someone down when you least expect it. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;">But it can be treated and monitored if caught in time. Awareness is the key.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Whatever the case, it is important to reach out to those in your life who are suffering from depression. It doesn't have to be someone who has gone through addiction or a major surgery, but those are the ones who should be watched a little more carefully. If you are ever feeling alone or depressed or just ready to give up, there are so many programs available to you and people who can help you through your darkest hours. <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;">f you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;">You are not alone.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-24159201270072531972013-11-20T15:13:00.003-05:002014-09-09T16:36:10.180-04:00My Bullying Post on HarperCollins Classroom<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://harperclassroom.tumblr.com/resources/discussionguides/antibullyingpost" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xtm1vb9VYCU/Uo0XfXpsfRI/AAAAAAAAFDg/OYBQjqbNywk/s1600/tumblr_static_bully.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://harperclassroom.tumblr.com/resources/discussionguides/antibullyingpost" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://harperclassroom.tumblr.com/resources/discussionguides/antibullyingpost" target="_blank">http://harperclassroom.tumblr.com/resources/discussionguides/antibullyingpost</a></div>
Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-45710280720196729092013-07-18T11:49:00.001-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.067-04:00Letter to a Bullied GirlOkay, so I'm kind of freaking out a little bit. I received an email from a follower of this blog. I tried to email her back, but her account wasn't accepting emails. The girl said that she was being bullied and that she has tried to commit suicide several times and that she knows she will again. She also asked for help on writing about her experiences with being bullied and wanted some advice.<br />
<br />
The fact that I can't reach her is scaring me, so I'm posting the email (of course, I'm not using her name) I sent back to her. Hopefully she reads this and doesn't go through with any more suicide attempts. And hopefully this gives hope to others who might be struggling with the same thing.<br />
<br />
In any case, I hope this letter finds the right person at the right time. (And please don't mind the long-windedness and emotional repetition -- I was very anxious to get this out to someone who was hurting, so I didn't take the time to self-edit.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5198" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5197">Dear ______,</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5203" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5204" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. First of all, I'm so sorry that you've gone through such terrible times with bullies. If you have taken the time to check out my latest anthology, DEAR BULLY: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories, you will see that you are in some excellent company. So many of my author friends (many who share their experiences with bullies in the book) have gone through terrible bullying situations. I was bullied when I was in college and I thought that my situation was bad, but when I heard other stories, I realized that so many have gone through much, much worse. And they've all come out the other side. The fact that some of the most successful authors today were victims of bullying should give you some hope. They used their pain, their stories, their experiences to become the brilliant writers that they are today.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5205" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5206" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
You need to join them and become one of those important voices. </div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5207" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
The fact that you've had so many suicide attempts saddens and frustrates me. You are a voice that we need to hear. The world needs to hear you. Don't take that away from us. This part of your life will feel so small and so far away if you can just get through the next few years. And then you will laugh at those who treated you badly, because you will be better than they ever were. You will be stronger, smarter, more resilient than your bullies EVER will be. </div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5208" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
Times like these when it feels like there is no end in sight to the bullying is when you need to turn inward and focus on yourself. Read. Write. Find others who share your passion. So many writers who were bullied as kids turned to books for shelter and escape. Some of them said that at times they felt like books were their only friends; authors were the only ones who truly understood them. And then they grew up and started writing for teens who were just like them -- giving them the lifeboat that they received when they needed it most.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5209" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
My suggestion to you is to write, write, write, read, read, read. That's the best thing you can do right now. It will give you a sense of purpose and an escape from what you are going through right now. Once you have left those bullies behind, you will go on to do great things. But why wait? Do it now. Start writing your stories. Think about what you are going through right now and imagine that you are giving advice to a young girl, younger than you. A beautiful, talented, smart girl who was bullied so badly that she wanted to end her own life. Write to that girl and give her the strength to pull through and come out the other side. Stories like that are invaluable. Many of the authors in DEAR BULLY found themselves writing to their younger selves, giving them the advice they wish they had when they were your age. Most of them felt the process was therapeutic and wished they had done it earlier in their lives, so that it would help to heal old wounds. </div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
The wounds from bullying never really go away, just as the wounds from any traumatic experience linger. But they make you who you are. They make you stronger. And soon (very very soon) you will be at a point where you can look back at this time in your life as something that happened to you, but did not conquer you. You will not lose this battle. Don't let the bullies win. The wounds are there, but they have no power over you. Only if you let them. And you are stronger than that, I can tell.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
So from one creative writing spirit to another, I'm wishing you all the best on this journey. You will survive this. You will overcome. And I look forward to meeting you on the bookshelves one day in the not-too-distant future.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
Sending you one great big hug and the strength to wake up each morning and take on the day (and those hateful, mean-spirited bullies) no matter what. </div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
Love,</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
Megan</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1374160498353_5218" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
P.S. Please don't ever try a suicide attempt again. We need you, your voice, your heart, your spirit in this world. Think of all the people you can help with your words, the lives that you can impact and ultimately save. </div>
Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-9557102491947414102013-06-04T09:54:00.000-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.119-04:00Amanda Bynes Identity Crisis?I know that I typically only post about writing related topics, but for my next novel I've been doing a lot of research on mental disorders and juvenile delinquents. Now I now that Ms. Bynes is not a teen and has not been officially diagnosed with a mental disorder (though many speculate that drugs are behind her sudden apparent craziness). And yet, I have noticed another interesting aspect about this young star. She seems to be physically morphing into other young stars.<br />
<br />
See if you can tell the difference.<br />
<br />
1. Amanda Bynes or Lindsay Lohan?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1zwZhZqH-Q/Ua35kTL4eBI/AAAAAAAAE50/CcrnZ2VlwJA/s1600/amanda_lindsay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1zwZhZqH-Q/Ua35kTL4eBI/AAAAAAAAE50/CcrnZ2VlwJA/s320/amanda_lindsay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
2. Christina Aguilera or Amanda Bynes?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c4X74LtTpl4/Ua3pk6P6FjI/AAAAAAAAE28/F4TRkKZY0QQ/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IkEjmWaj3uU/Ua340fNaoKI/AAAAAAAAE5g/8fwLXL_Jkoc/s1600/amanda_christina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IkEjmWaj3uU/Ua340fNaoKI/AAAAAAAAE5g/8fwLXL_Jkoc/s320/amanda_christina.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHwYMsEoK08/Ua3ppNFGaEI/AAAAAAAAE3w/G1us9qBItg0/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;">3. Olsen Twin or Amanda Bynes?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRaaXazGU5M/Ua35kdEfPaI/AAAAAAAAE5w/Kw7XaW8kuFE/s1600/amanda_olsen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRaaXazGU5M/Ua35kdEfPaI/AAAAAAAAE5w/Kw7XaW8kuFE/s320/amanda_olsen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">4. Ke$ha or Amanda?</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNBiChpXoTU/Ua35kTij6mI/AAAAAAAAE54/EMSbrzy2ncI/s1600/amanda_kesha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNBiChpXoTU/Ua35kTij6mI/AAAAAAAAE54/EMSbrzy2ncI/s320/amanda_kesha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
5. Miley Cyrus or Amanda?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vef2b2T8BoQ/Ua38gYy3MXI/AAAAAAAAE6Q/J0c9pgljUfE/s1600/amanda_miley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vef2b2T8BoQ/Ua38gYy3MXI/AAAAAAAAE6Q/J0c9pgljUfE/s320/amanda_miley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
6. Amanda or Blac Chyna?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TaoPXCOZsWI/Ua35IY_lIWI/AAAAAAAAE5o/aZhxVW8VoxI/s1600/amanda_chyna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TaoPXCOZsWI/Ua35IY_lIWI/AAAAAAAAE5o/aZhxVW8VoxI/s320/amanda_chyna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Whatever the case, we all want to see the former fresh-faced Nickelodeon star as she was seen here at the MTV Movie Awards. She was a beautiful, healthy girl once and she can be that girl again. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ih1bVnmJvGU/Ua3toc5C1II/AAAAAAAAE4Y/pzfmjhfFgmA/s1600/images-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ih1bVnmJvGU/Ua3toc5C1II/AAAAAAAAE4Y/pzfmjhfFgmA/s320/images-8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Until she figures out who she is and comes through this identity crisis (and whatever else might be affecting her mental state), Amanda Bynes may just end up being another unfortunate casualty of the the Hollywood Child Star syndrome. I really hope she pulls through this.Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-70558797280461803042013-04-05T09:01:00.000-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.085-04:00"I’m sorry Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language."<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">These were the words used by one of the editors of the San Francisco Examiner newspaper when rejecting one of Rudyard Kipling’s short stories.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Think of how many authors today would be discouraged and would just completely give up writing if they read those words in a review or a rejection letter. I came across a list of famous authors who were rejected (often repeatedly) by agents, editors and publishers. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Read <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/30-famous-authors-whose-works-were-rejected-repeatedly-and-sometimes-rudely-by-publishers" target="_blank">this list</a> the next time you receive a rejection letter or particularly painful review and it should give you the strength to carry on.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
http://www.examiner.com/article/30-famous-authors-whose-works-were-rejected-repeatedly-and-sometimes-rudely-by-publishersMegan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-58001418390759109612013-03-28T10:04:00.000-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.078-04:00Dear Bully is featured on front page of NY Times Arts section!Here is the link! I will be scanning and posting here shortly! Though I don't love the headline "Publishers Revel in Youthful Cruelty" (what?!?! Really?! Um...no), it's an honor to be included and I feel that the bulk of the story shows how the publishing world is rallying together to tackle this growing issue.<br />
<br />
In any case, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/books/bullying-becomes-hot-and-profitable-topic-for-publishers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> to read the article and ENJOY!<br />
<br />
<br />Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-77284657107926017672013-03-11T18:46:00.001-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.089-04:00I've made promises I couldn't keep, but...this time I mean it when I say I'm going to update my blog more often. No more excuses. <br />
<br />
So I'm starting off with a question. Does anyone know how to link or add a Tumblr widget to Blogger? There are Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus and many other widgets available to add to Blogger blogs, but I have yet to find one for Tumblr. Are they in competition? Is Tumblr the one last thing on Earth not owned by Google or Amazon? Hmmmm....<br />
<br />
In any case, even though this doesn't look like a blog, it's just a really jazzed up version of a regular Blogger blog. I taught myself some HTML and made this thing look like a real website. On my homepage, some of the pictures are all smushed together and I need to figure out how to fix that. There are some random adds and widgets that have run amuck all over the place. But, overall, I'm pretty happy with how this has turned out.<br />
<br />
Can you tell I'm procrastinating on my next novel?<br />
<br />
And what is going on with my latest novel, you may ask? (Or maybe not, but I'll tell you anyway.)<br />
<br />
I'm about 200 pages in on my first draft and I'm at that crucial 3/4 mark that I always hate. Why do I hate it so much? Because I'm one of those writers who doesn't really know how it's going to end until the reader does (just about). I like to think that if I can surprise myself by the ending, then the reader is really going to be for a surprise.<br />
<br />
But, more than that, as I started researching the topic for this latest book, I got really intrigued by larger, complicated and infuriating issues surrounding it. I'm keeping this topic hush-hush for now, but as soon as I've finished, you can bet that I'm going to be VERY loud and forthright with my opinions on this particular subject. I know that is hard to imagine, given how quiet I've been on the whole bullying situation.<br />
<br />
And, yet, this issue has me even more riled up, even angrier and ready to shout even louder about the injustices.<br />
<br />
But, I digress...<br />
<br />
So, as I'm nearing completion of this book, I will be seated here at my computer more often and before I go posting on Facebook or Tumblr or Twitter or whatever other social media outlet designed for procrastination, I'll make every effort to stop here first and jot down a note or two about what it's like being right in the middle of the writing process. <br />
<br />
Thanks for sticking with me. And feel free to follow me via any of the widgets lister above. I'm also on Tumblr. Which Blogger won't let me post or link to. Not sure why. If someone can explain it to me, please do. Especially since one of my writer friends informed me that teens now think that Facebook and Twitter are for old people. Tumblr is the new hot place to be. And if you don't believe that, just ask MySpace how it feels when teens leave you in the dust. Not too much fun. So check me out here at http://www.tumblr.com/blog/megankelleyhall.Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-8388445611992712982012-07-06T23:32:00.000-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.099-04:00Piper meets Adam Sandler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0eHciKLysI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-84707018708579036052012-04-02T22:12:00.006-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.102-04:00You are not alone videoJust wanted to share an anti-bullying video that I pulled together over the weekend. I'll show you two versions. The first one goes a little fast and many people have told me that in bullying presentations, the quotes are too hard to read. But I still like it, so I'll show it here.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OSA02cVk06o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
The second one is trimmed a bit (in terms of pictures of celebrities) and slowed down so that kids can read the quotes during assemblies (which is why I created this in the first place). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/A1J5IXV6P54?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Let me know what you think. If you like it, pass it on.<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
xxooMegan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-38213378799053450622012-02-14T13:06:00.000-05:002014-09-09T16:36:29.060-04:00So I know I promised.......to update on a more regular basis. And I've already fallen short. Sorry about that. But until I come up with some brilliant and witty post that will be life changing for everyone, here are a few things that I came across on Facebook (where I apparently live -- come and visit me there once in awhile, won't you?) that I though I would share:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_18CMvtnk3U/TzqhfviTuFI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/hmG_ME1qWHg/s1600/432093_3372192422759_1207734397_33504915_1107164577_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_18CMvtnk3U/TzqhfviTuFI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/hmG_ME1qWHg/s320/432093_3372192422759_1207734397_33504915_1107164577_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CF1t61Y5Xtg/TzqhieKN3-I/AAAAAAAAD-g/3mqidVG4_5k/s1600/425987_10150668248505196_627825195_11733072_638899653_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CF1t61Y5Xtg/TzqhieKN3-I/AAAAAAAAD-g/3mqidVG4_5k/s320/425987_10150668248505196_627825195_11733072_638899653_n.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Enjoy! And Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Just remember, any rejection you may receive isn't in vain, it's fodder for funny posts to share with others who feel your pain. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">❤ </span>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-82615200901050469332012-02-01T12:23:00.001-05:002014-09-09T16:36:29.096-04:00Piper's Movie Role<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yybqMNbxhc4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-12769976311062608412012-01-31T09:35:00.000-05:002014-09-09T16:36:29.043-04:002012 ResolutionsSo, first off, I haven't been so great at keeping my blog up to date. If there was a way of linking Facebook posts with my Blogger account, then I'd be updating more than anyone would think possible. (So if anyone knows how to do that, email me at megan -at- megankelleyhall.com - thanks!)<br />
<br />
In any case, I'm going to try to update here more often. It seems easier just to post on Facebook and Twitter, since I know that people will read what I have to say. That sense of immediate gratification, you know? You put something up on Facebook and then BAM two seconds later you get a few likes, a few comments. You know that people are reading your work. This is strange for someone who writes books. Especially since there is such a long period of time between putting your words on paper (or onto the computer screen) and having your books purchased in stores (or through Kindle) and having people read and then review them. The process is long and tedious and angst-ridden. Definitely not for the faint of heart.<br />
<br />
So instead of psyching myself out and writing long-winded blog posts, I'm going to try to make them short and sweet.<br />
<br />
I'm ending today's post with an image that has been going around Facebook today and I thought it was very appropriate and dead-on in terms of why people become writers in the first place.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I will be able to keep up on my New Year's Resolution and keep this site up to date. In the meantime, if anyone knows how to link up Facebook and Blogger, let me know! <br />
<br />
Cheers!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HPVrhzsrwug/Tyf703z7K9I/AAAAAAAAD-Q/M4vYE1NIWhg/s1600/395667_373081359384736_100000486263766_1563618_1040531438_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HPVrhzsrwug/Tyf703z7K9I/AAAAAAAAD-Q/M4vYE1NIWhg/s320/395667_373081359384736_100000486263766_1563618_1040531438_n-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-11846219610274913152011-11-04T08:49:00.002-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.040-04:00On Fox News Boston Talking About Dear Bully<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxatoYPrkJrWcek_h8MW4rcIcPW9J75tYaPiGRygHYJJblPauo0bGzf1e0mMR6s0iAuA_mFWfd_ylp64tIRHA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-24452941748661928332011-09-16T11:46:00.002-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.056-04:00A reminderThere are a lot of these going around online right now, but I wanted to put together my own video. This is a reminder to myself (and to others) why we created DEAR BULLY. This is not affiliated with the book nor is it being used to promote anything-- it's just a way to reflect on the increasingly damaging effects on bullying and why it has to stop NOW. <br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VvaKOZ7_cLM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-57888593236071787742011-09-16T11:40:00.001-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.074-04:00This is a cool example of how a book cover is made<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yoDCiTsS7dU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-19819716413267960672011-08-24T15:34:00.002-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.047-04:00Boston Globe article!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QVZH_DoN9og/TlVS40rvCcI/AAAAAAAADzE/imp7AfqAvf4/s1600/Globe-8-21-11-Dear%2BBully.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QVZH_DoN9og/TlVS40rvCcI/AAAAAAAADzE/imp7AfqAvf4/s400/Globe-8-21-11-Dear%2BBully.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644508844147018178" /></a><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/63015393/Globe-8-21-11-Dear-Bully">Click here for the full article on Scribd!</a>
<br />
<br />Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-91259422668096502452011-07-25T12:20:00.005-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.115-04:00GCC Tours Jennifer Echols and LOVE STORY<div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(128, 100, 162); font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 37px; line-height: 42px; ">Love Story</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-size: 24pt; line-height: 36px; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; ">By Jennifer Echols</span></p><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-obkmC73nc60/Ti2Zlh18eQI/AAAAAAAADyA/U0LjwI-_jM4/s320/JenniferEcholsStanding.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633327578929199362" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMLvalBerQI/Ti2ZlUQ0YDI/AAAAAAAADx4/PIiLl1OM85o/s320/lovestory.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633327575283818546" /><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t202" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="202" path="m,l,21600r21600,l21600,xe"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t202" style="'position:absolute;" strokeweight="2pt"> <v:stroke dashstyle="1 1" endcap="round"> <v:textbox style="'mso-next-textbox:#_x0000_s1026'"> <![if !mso]> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td><![endif]> <div> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="'text-align:center'"><span style="'font-size:18.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">She’s writing about him. He’s writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <![if !mso]></td> </tr> </table> <![endif]></v:textbox> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore:vglayout"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" align="left"> <tbody><tr> <td width="46" height="15"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="9781439178324" style="'position:absolute;margin-left:-.45pt;margin-top:2.65pt;" allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Megan\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.jpg" title="9781439178324"> <w:wrap type="square"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black">From Jennifer Echols, the </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">award-winning <span style="color:black">author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Going Too Far </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Forget You,</i> comes <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">LOVE STORY</span></b></span>(Gallery Books; July 19, 2011; $11.00), <span style="color:black">a provocative and powerful story of teen romance, set against the bustling world of a New York City university.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="color:black"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"">She’s writing about him. He’s writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions – it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter… so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: left; "><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter… except this story could come true. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; color:#8064A2"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; color:#8064A2">“A tremendously talented writer with a real gift for developing relationships.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; color:#8064A2">– Romantic Times Magazine<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#8064A2;text-transform:uppercase">Jennifer Echols</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> is the author of teen romantic dramas for MTV Books and teen romantic comedies for Simon Pulse. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family. Please visit her online at </span><a href="http://www.jennifer-echols.com/"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">www.jennifer-echols.com</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; line-height: 27px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Because of the upcoming release of the anthology I co-edited, DEAR BULLY (HarperTeen, Sept. 6, 2011), I've asked all the members of the GCC to share a personal bullying story here during their blog tour. Jenn was kind enough to stop by and share hers with us. Check it out:</b></span></span></p><div><span >Thank you Megan!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><span></span></span></div><div></div><div class="yiv1600867446MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I have known my husband for a long time. In fifth grade, when he moved to my hometown in Alabama, population 15,000, he was the only Asian in my school. He seemed to get along great with everybody. It was only after we started dating when we were in high school that he told me how mean some kids had always been to him because of his race. Today he is a salesman, and he is served well by his knack for making a connection with strangers. Now I understand that knack is partly natural, but partly cultivated out of necessity.</span></div><div class="yiv1600867446MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div class="yiv1600867446MsoNormal"> </div><span style="font-size: 12pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >We still live in Alabama, and our biracial white and Asian child is pretty unusual around here. So far, he seems to share my husband’s social prowess, but I am always on high alert for signs that he is having trouble. I guess that’s why some of my books feature people of color who are having trouble fitting in. My latest book, LOVE STORY, goes in the opposite direction. The hero and heroine are both white, and they grew up on the same Kentucky farm. But they find it impossible to get along with each other or make a real connection, whereas their friendships with characters very different from them, with very different backgrounds, are never questioned. So sometimes I’m interested in addressing the problem head-on, and sometimes I like to create a little utopia, with the kind of unjudgmental friends I hope my son will have growing up.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: normal; "><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">LOVE STORY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">By Jennifer Echols<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Publisher: Gallery Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Publication date: July 19, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Price: $11.00<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">ISBN: 9781439178324<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; line-height: normal; "><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Gallery Books </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">is an imprint dedicated to publishing a wide variety of must-read books on a wide array of topics. The imprint was designed to showcase established voices and to introduce emerging new ones—in both fiction and nonfiction, and across a variety of genres. Some of Gallery Books’ bestselling titles include <i>Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea</i> by Chelsea Handler, <i>Still Alice</i> by Lisa Genova, <i>sTori Telling</i> by Tori Spelling, and <i>Oh My Dog </i>by Beth Stern. Upcoming titles include <i><span style="color: black; ">I Know I Am, But What Are You? </span></i>by Samantha Bee, <i>Gunn’s Golden Rules </i>by Tim Gunn, <i>I Remember You</i> by Harriet Evans, and Lisa Genova’s new novel, <i>Left Neglected.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; "><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; ">Simon & Schuster,</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; "> a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at</span><a href="http://www.simonandschuster.com/"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; ">http://www.simonandschuster.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: blue; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; ">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p></span></span></div>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-89583270832859556612011-07-20T23:21:00.005-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.112-04:00GCC Tours Melissa Walker and Small Town Sinners<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7FFSPGfL2Sk/TiebfzGgfoI/AAAAAAAADxw/qcWS6Xj9r6A/s1600/tn.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ol3wTeayOeI/Tiebf65ctfI/AAAAAAAADxo/HqX28cW4ue4/s1600/tn%2B%25281%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 291px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ol3wTeayOeI/Tiebf65ctfI/AAAAAAAADxo/HqX28cW4ue4/s320/tn%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631640831738557938" /></a><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>MELISSA WALKER is one of our DEAR BULLY contributors, and before I tour her new book, SMALL TOWN SINNERS, Melissa is here to talk about her essay that she contributed to DEAR BULLY:</b></span></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">"Because of the essay I wrote for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Dear Bully</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">, I've had some old friends on my mind. There was a group of four of us in 8th grade, one of whom was sort of the ringleader of meanness. One day, the other three of us turned on her. But instead of saying, "Stop being mean," we ostracized her and cut her off completely. Not real mature.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; "><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; "><span ><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; ">In chronicling this episode for the anthology, another friend on the periphery of our circle, Beth, popped into my head. I remember that just after the showdown happened with my friends, she would ask me how this ostracized friend was doing, tell me she worried about her, hoped she was okay. It made me think about the "mean friend"'s side of things in a way I hadn't done before. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; "><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-right: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I reconnected with Beth on Facebook and told her about how much her 8th grade poise and wisdom impressed and stayed with me. She, naturally, coudn't remember the incident--it was just in her nature to be that kind. I can't wait to read the rest of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Dear Bully</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" > stories and hope that there are more full-circle moments for the authors who contributed and the readers who check it out. "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Readers should definitely check out SMALL TOWN SINNERS, which recently got this great review in the New York Times:</b></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); "><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><div><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/books/review/young-adult-small-town-sinners-by-melissa-walker.html" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(35, 71, 134); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/books/review/young-adult-small-town-sinners-by-melissa-walker.html</a></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759318" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: separate; "><tbody id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759317" style="width: 1490px; "><tr id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759316" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; "><td valign="top" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759315" style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font: inherit; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759314"><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759313"><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759312" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759311" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "></table></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759318" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: separate; "><tbody id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759317" style="width: 1490px; "><tr id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759316" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; "><td valign="top" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759315" style="display: table-cell; font: inherit; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759314"><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759313"><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759312" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759311" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><tbody id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759310" style="width: 1490px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><tr id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759309" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><td valign="top" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759308" style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font: inherit; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759307" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759305" style="line-height: 16px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759304" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759303" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>~~~~~~more about Melissa's new book~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 102, 153); font-size: x-large; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 102, 153); font-size: x-large; "><br /></span></p><p id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759302" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759301" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 102, 153); font-size: x-large; ">It's <em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Small Town Sinners</em>' Book Birthday Week!</span></p><p id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759302" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759301" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 102, 153); font-size: x-large; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><img align="right" height="300" src="http://clients.namastelight.com//editor_images/image_3bb9c118/NEW_SmallTownSinners_smaller_file.jpg" width="200" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-size: large; ">Does falling in love mean falling out of faith?</span></p><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759305" style="line-height: 16px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759304" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759303" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></span></span></div><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-size: small; ">“Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion."</span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><strong style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><br /></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><strong style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_0" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-width: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f854307f1289661c5de3f2281de1911ff" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; ">Read an excerpt</a></span>.</strong></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><strong style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><br /></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><strong style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">A few reviews</strong>:</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">"Walker has written a credible and tender evocation of the moment when a young person’s beliefs begin to emerge and potentially diverge from the teachings of a family’s religion... Near the end, Lacey contemplates a verse from the prophet Isaiah: 'Come now and let us reason together.' It’s a good summation of what Walker asks of her characters and, by extension, of her readers." --<em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f854307f1289661c58b24f02679f2a56c" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; ">The New York Times Book Review</a></em></p><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759305" style="line-height: 16px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759304" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759303" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></span></span></div><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">"A non-judgmental, nuanced, fascinating look at the teenage religious right... Walker writes an outstanding contemporary novel with a cast of characters who, far from being portrayed as hateful zealots, are relatable for readers of all faiths. The extremism of Hell House is tempered by the perfectly understandable attitudes and intentions of Lacey Anne, who struggles with what it means to grow up, to question and to think for herself." --<em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f854307f1289661c5ab4eff781145e73c" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; ">Romantic Times</a></em></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">"Both tender and provocative... Walker creates an astutely balanced portrait of a conservative congregation's in-your-face response to perennial issues of domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicide, as well as of those who struggle to fit the prescribed Christian mold." --<em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f854307f1289661c574def73601ff077e" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; ">Publishers Weekly</a></em></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">So, it's out this week! The first week of a book's life is VERY important. And you can help me spread the word! Here's how:</p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">1) Buy the book! To purchase your copy, please request it at your <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f8f8e5b6e3d909315e3b595f7a95b47ef" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">local bookstore</span></a>, or you can get it at <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f8f8e5b6e3d90931536107d161522c0f9" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_2" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Amazon</span></a> or <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f8f8e5b6e3d90931541b7b0c6609ff540" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_3" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Barnes & Noble</span></a> or <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f8f8e5b6e3d909315e6a5467e9987f114" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_4" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">various other convenient spots</span></a>.</p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">2) Shout it from the rooftops! Might I be so bold as to ask you to tell everyone you know about it? Tweet it. Facebook it. Goodreads it. Oh my! Look, handy buttons:</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><tbody style="width: 180px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><tr style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d4752641b7b0c6609ff540" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Facebook" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/facebook.png" title="Facebook" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526e6a5467e9987f114" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Twitter" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/twitter.png" title="Twitter" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d475262cfa3b8e7b54787d" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Myspace" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/myspace.png" title="Myspace" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526e68a5c2a0b9e3b0c" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="LinkedIn" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/linkedin.png" title="LinkedIn" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526c1e94371be7a8f41" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Digg It!" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/digg.png" title="Digg It!" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d4752653c1e1cee3b53fd3" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Del.ico.us" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/delicious.png" title="Del.ico.us" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d4752657bf5965754ab324" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Newsvine" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/newsvine.png" title="Newsvine" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526a0227a90b923adfb" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Reddit" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/reddit.png" title="Reddit" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526a4e7eaaeee3b7e91" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="StumbleUpon" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/stumble.png" title="StumbleUpon" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "> </p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">3) Come see me read! I’ll be at <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f8f8e5b6e3d9093152cfa3b8e7b54787d" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_5" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Books of Wonder in NYC</span></a> (18 W. 18th Street) on Thursday, July 28th with fellow authors Sarah Porter (<em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Lost Voices</em>) and Aprilynne Pike (<em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Illusions</em>).</p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">4) Like my <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f8f8e5b6e3d909315e68a5c2a0b9e3b0c" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_6" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Author Page on Facebook</span></a>. We may be friends on Facebook, but I'd also love it if you "Like" me there. Because you already do, right? Oh, and while you're at it, find me on <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://clients.namastelight.com/twitter.com/melissacwalker" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_7" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">twitter</span></a>!</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><br /></p><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><img height="126" src="http://clients.namastelight.com//editor_images/image_3bb9c118/namaste.jpg" width="200" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; float: right; " /></span><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">xx,<br /><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_8" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-width: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311105401_8" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-width: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-width: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f4d679ff5cd42f54a360d7dd1b9141e41" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; ">Melissa</a></span></p><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759305" style="line-height: 16px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759304" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759303" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759305" style="line-height: 16px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759304" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759303" style="line-height: 15px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></span></span></div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><tbody style="width: 180px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><tr style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d4752641b7b0c6609ff540" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Facebook" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/facebook.png" title="Facebook" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526e6a5467e9987f114" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Twitter" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/twitter.png" title="Twitter" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d475262cfa3b8e7b54787d" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Myspace" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/myspace.png" title="Myspace" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526e68a5c2a0b9e3b0c" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="LinkedIn" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/linkedin.png" title="LinkedIn" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526c1e94371be7a8f41" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Digg It!" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/digg.png" title="Digg It!" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d4752653c1e1cee3b53fd3" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Del.ico.us" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/delicious.png" title="Del.ico.us" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d4752657bf5965754ab324" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Newsvine" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/newsvine.png" title="Newsvine" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526a0227a90b923adfb" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="Reddit" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/reddit.png" title="Reddit" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></td><td style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://track.namastelight.com/c/1/c542ca8e5abcbbeddf00259ceabcbd2f62cfb2d134d47526a4e7eaaeee3b7e91" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><img alt="StumbleUpon" border="0" height="16" src="http://clients.namastelight.com/modules/social_sharing_icons/i/stumble.png" title="StumbleUpon" width="16" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></span><br /><br /><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://melissacwalker.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311177567_0" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">melissacwalker.com</span></a><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/melissacwalker" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311177567_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">twitter.com/melissacwalker</span></a></div><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://beforeyouwerehot.com/" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">beforeyouwerehot.com</span></span></a></div><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://iheartdaily.com/" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311177567_2" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">iheartdaily.com</span></a><br /><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311177567_3" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); "><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311425986_0" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; line-height: 1.2em; ">readergirlz.com</a></span></span></div><div><span class="yiv1673444217yshortcuts" id="yiv1673444217lw_1311177567_3" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); "><br /></span></div></div></span></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: separate; "><tbody style="width: 1490px; "><tr style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; "><td valign="top" style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font: inherit; "><div><div><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: table; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><tbody id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759310" style="width: 1490px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><tr id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759309" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><td valign="top" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759308" style="display: table-cell; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font: inherit; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759307" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759306" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759305" style="outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759304" style="outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="yiv1673444217Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311609085759303" style="outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; border-collapse: collapse; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 28px; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></p><p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; "></p></span></span></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><div><br /></div></span></div>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-87908212367604255262011-07-20T23:08:00.003-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.106-04:00GCC Tours Amanda Ashby and Fairy Bad Day<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8E2MWboFrTQ/TieaVqdM8wI/AAAAAAAADxg/saksArXa21o/s1600/Fairy%2BBad%2BDay%2Bcover%2Bfinal%2B%25281%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8E2MWboFrTQ/TieaVqdM8wI/AAAAAAAADxg/saksArXa21o/s320/Fairy%2BBad%2BDay%2Bcover%2Bfinal%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631639556014797570" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><b>FAIRY BAD DAY<br />by Amanda Ashby<br /><br />It’s going to be a fairy bad day.</b><br /><br />First, my rightful designation of dragon slayer is STOLEN right out from under me by Curtis Green. Sure, he’s really cute, but that doesn’t give him an excuse.<br /><br />On top of that, I am assigned to slay fairies. I know what you’re thinking—how hard could it be, right? Wrong! These menacing beasts with their tiny hipster clothes and mocking sarcasm love taunting me. And they won’t STOP!<br /><br />But the thing that tops my list of stuff to ruin my day? That would be the GIANT KILLER FAIRY that I have to hunt down and slay because I am the only one who can see it. There is someone who can help me. Unfortunately…it’s Curtis.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">What people are saying:</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="yiv2124818870msonormal"><span class="style3">"</span>T<span class="style1">eens with a taste for the paranormal school story and a tolerance for raucous humor will be involved with and amused by this </span><span class="yshortcuts">romantic fantasy</span><span class="style1">. </span><span class="style3">The exciting plot, humor throughout—often provided by the little fairies—and relatively innocent romance between characters will grab readers and keep them involved. " </span><strong>Kirkus Reviews</strong></p> <p class="style11">"In a fun mashup of the modern and the magical, Ashby (Zombie Queen of Newbury High) creates nicely developed characters and supports them with strong plotting and zippy writing. Laced with humor, danger, and romance, this book will have readers smiling all the way to the last page." <strong>Publisher's Weekly</strong></p> <p><span class="style1">“Great fairy fun from page one! If Buffy and Harry Potter got together and threw a magical slayer party, it would be the world Amanda Ashby created in </span><span class="style2">Fairy Bad Day</span><span class="style1">. With plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, emotional depth, and cute boy romance, reading this book will guarantee your day is fairy awesome.<b>” Tera Lynn Childs, award-winning author of </b></span><span class="style2"><b>Oh. My. Gods.</b></span><span class="style1"><b> and </b></span><span class="style2"><b>Forgive My Fins</b></span></p> <p>"Fairy Bad Day is fairy awesome supernatural slaying fun.<b>" Stacey Jay author of You are So Undead to Me and Undead Much</b></p> <p class="style11">"I really liked that no matter how mad Emma wanted to be at Curtis, she just couldn't stay mad—not with those beautiful brown eyes and that lopsided grin. I loved the cover design, it really drew me in. This was a very good book and I would highly recommend it."— <strong>School Library Journal Vanessa, age 12</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b>_____________________________________________________________</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-avHCMw5xE60/TieaVobIpdI/AAAAAAAADxY/wJR97pLcXW8/s320/Amanda%2BAshby%2Bphoto%2B2.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631639555469256146" /></b></p> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; ">As we get closer to the pub date of DEAR BULLY, I'm asking all of our Girlfriend Cyber Circuit members to share an experience or their thoughts on bullying -- a trend that is growing at an alarming rate. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><b>Here's what Amanda had to say:</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; ">Unfortunately, not all of our friends are who we think they are. I have two kids at school and the amount of bullying behavior that goes on within their groups is terrifying. Because of it I’m always reminding them that <i>friends don’t make you feel bad</i>. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; ">Unfortunately, it sometimes seems to me that it’s actually harder to walk away from the bully who you know and have shared some good times with than the bully who you don’t like. But, it does bear repeating, <i>friends don’t make you feel bad</i>. So if you have someone in your group who is bullying you, no matter how hard it is to step away (and I really do know how difficult this can be, especially if ‘everyone’ else is still friends with them) a true friend is someone who supports you, not one who teases, or hurts you or tries to sabotage your happiness.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><div class="yiv1043375890MsoNormal">I’m a great believer in friendship and in Fairy Bad Day there is no way that Emma would’ve been able to face her challenges without the help of her friends. I think this is the same in real life as well. Our friends help us when things are going wrong and they laugh and celebrate with us when things are going right.</div><div> <span></span></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; "><b>ABOUT AMANDA</b></p><p>Amanda Ashby was born in Australia, and has spent the last fifteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand before finally deciding that to move home. When she's not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let's just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)</p><p>She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. As well as writing, she works part-time at the children/teen desk of her local library, which basically means that someone pays her to talk about books. Her debut book, <b>You Had Me at Halo</b> was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book <b>Zombie Queen of Newbury High </b>was listed by the New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age 2010.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; "><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; "><a href="http://www.amandaashby.com/">http://www.amandaashby.com</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; "><a href="http://www.amandaashby.blogspot.com/">http://www.amandaashby.blogspot.com/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; "><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/amandaashby/">https://twitter.com/#!/amandaashby/</a></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><div id="yui_3_2_0_5_1311217766408125"><br /><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amandaashby.com/" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(35, 71, 134); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "></a>http://www.amandaashby.com/<br /><span style="color: rgb(127, 0, 127); ">Fairy Bad Day ~ Puffin June 9th 2011</span> <span style="color: rgb(127, 0, 127); ">Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic #1 Wishful Thinking ~ Puffin Summer 2012</span></div></span></div>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-10638478822256648862011-06-23T10:21:00.003-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.036-04:00Insight Stages: Dear Bully<div>Click below for the podcast of the DEAR BULLY panel at BEA</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://bookexpocast.com/2011/06/20/dear-bully/">Insight Stages: Dear Bully</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-py6VekhF-so/TgNOD1Z6pOI/AAAAAAAADpg/PO0U4gDJ5lA/s400/bea2011.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621422587670865122" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uitweMziAyc/TgNMKxAsxUI/AAAAAAAADpY/3VJfQ-RzXik/s400/Dearbully.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621420507727185218" /></div>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-39841001102530789772011-06-20T12:13:00.004-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.063-04:00GCC Tours Jessica Brody and MY LIFE UNDECIDED<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gUQ1gS8Bs9g/Tf90MqGFpAI/AAAAAAAADpQ/pNL3UoNsAu8/s1600/MyLifeUndecided-COVER-med.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gUQ1gS8Bs9g/Tf90MqGFpAI/AAAAAAAADpQ/pNL3UoNsAu8/s400/MyLifeUndecided-COVER-med.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620338620788745218" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">As I mentioned last week, I'm about two authors behind on my blog tour schedule, so I just may have to double up on author in order to catch up -- especially since it's about one week until my daughter is out of school for summer vacation. There goes the rest of the little time I have! Argh!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, I'm so super excited to tour Jessica Brody this week. She is one of the contributors to DEAR BULLY and so I'm also going to post her bully story over on the DEAR BULLY website. Take a visit over there if you can (www.dearbully.com). </p><p class="MsoNormal">Before I get to her book, Jessica is going to tell a little about her experience with bullying:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-family: verdana; ">I’m so thrilled to be one of the authors contributing to the forthcoming anthology: Dear Bully. I wrote a song for the book that talks about how I was bullied in middle school. I was constantly teased, harassed, pranked, you name it. And I spent the entire time on the outside, looking in, wishing I could be part of the “popular crowd.” But now, looking back on it, I’m glad I wasn’t. I talk about this a lot now when I do school visits. My experience in middle school shaped who I am today. I honestly don’t think I would be writing young adult novels had I not had these experiences. They stayed with me. Long enough that I’m able to use them in my writing. I think (hope!) these real life experiences I have to pull from make my characters more real and believable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Jessica has an amazing book out (it came out on June 7th) and here's a little bit about MY LIFE UNDECIDED:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><u><br /></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I’m gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>Reviews:<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="booksum">"Brooklyn is a sympathetic protagonist with whom teens will identify. Her journey is fun to read, and decision-challenged readers will learn an important lesson about self-acceptance along the way."<br /><strong><i>--School Library Journal</i></strong> </p> <p class="booksum">"Brody taps into a universal human desire...An amusing coming-of-age story with many funny moments...[Brooklyn's] flustered, off-the-cuff narration should keep readers as invested in her actions as her blog followers are."<br /><strong><i>--Publisher's Weekly</i></strong> </p> <p class="booksum"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>About the Author:</u></b><u><o:p></o:p></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">A few fun facts about Jessica Brody’s own life undecided:</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Jessica was born in Los Angeles, moved to Colorado when she was twelve, moved back to California after college and now indecisively splits her time between both states.<o:p></o:p></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Jessica graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts with majors in Economics and French because she was convinced she wanted to be an “important business woman.” After a brief stint as a strategic analyst for MGM Studios, she abandoned her business background to become a full-time writer. Now she uses her mad spreadsheet skills to build complicated outlines for her books.<o:p></o:p></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Appropriately, when writing this book, Jessica couldn’t decide on a title. So she polled 50 of her closest friends to finally come up with My Life Undecided.<br /> <br /> Visit her online at:<b><i><u> </u><a href="http://www.jessicabrody.com/" target="_blank">www.JessicaBrody.com</a>.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></li> </ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); "><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; "><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1308586757_1">Bestselling Author</span> of:</span></u></b></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">The Karma Club </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">(young adult)</span></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">My Life Undecided</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; "> (young adult) - Coming June 2011!</span></b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; "></span></i></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">The Fidelity Files </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">(commercial fiction)<i></i></span></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">Love <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1308586757_2">Under Cover</span> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">(commercial fiction)</span></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; "> </span></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><a rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(35, 71, 134); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; ">www.JessicaBrody.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; "></span></p><p class="yiv323076719MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: serif; "> </span></p></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:.5in"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">And coming soon: <a href="http://www.mylifeundecided.com/">www.MyLifeUndecided.com</a>, where you can post your own undecided questions, poll the community, and get some answers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="booksum"><u>My Life Undecided</u></p><p class="booksum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; "></span></p><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0em; "><b>Reading level:</b> Young Adult<br /></li><li style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0em; "><b>Hardcover:</b> 320 pages</li><li style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0em; "><b>Publisher:</b> Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (June 7, 2011)</li><li style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0em; "><b>Language:</b> English</li><li style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0em; "><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0374399050</li><li style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0em; "><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-0374399054</li></ul><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-89101113936524333612011-06-09T11:35:00.005-04:002014-09-09T16:36:29.109-04:00GCC Tours Elizabeth Scott and BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER<span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">I am so overdue with my GCC Blog tours. Please forgive my time away from here. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">I've been so </span>busy with DEAR BULLY, the anti-bullying anthology that comes out in August, that I've been so neglectful (is that a word?) of my personal blog. So, apologies to everyone!!! I'm actually going to be touring Jessica Brody NEXT week (even though I was supposed to do it THIS week), but right now I'm going to tour Elizabeth Scott, because I was supposed to tour her LAST week.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">(Confusing, I know... welcome to my life!)</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">So, first things first, WELCOME, ELIZABETH SCOTT to my humble web </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">page/blog. </span>Here is a pic of her beautiful book cover for her latest book, BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HOdVmGXIzYg/TfDpdWCcp0I/AAAAAAAADpI/-zpQpPym6YE/s400/BetweenHere%2526ForeverGCC.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616245425672333122" /></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">Here's a little about the book:</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0.6em; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; text-shadow: rgb(68, 68, 68) 0px 0px 4px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 14.25pt; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i> </i></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Abby accepted that she can't measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and she knows exactly what she it: Second best. Invisible.</span></i></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"><br /></span></i></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Until the accident.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i> <p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"><br /></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it’s nothing compared to living without her.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:14.25pt;vertical-align: baseline;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;text-shadow:0px 0px 4px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">She’s got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.<o:p></o:p></span></p></i><p></p></span><p></p><p></p></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">1. First topic: Revenge. What is your experience with it? Have you</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">ever sought revenge? As the old adage goes, do you think that living</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">well is the </span><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1307633688_0" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">best revenge</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">I think it's best to be the better person, as hard as that can be, and</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">I do think that living your own life the best way you can is super</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">important!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">2. Cliques and mean girls are everywhere. At book signings I've had</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">everyone from 12 year old girls to 45 year old women tell me they</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">still encounter them. Do you? How has it changed since you were a</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">teen?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">It's more subtle as you get older, but yes, the mean girls are still</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">out there! But luckily, there are also loads of amazing and truly</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">sweet women too.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">3. I have a "Writing Music" playlist on my </span><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1307633688_1" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">iPod</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">. What would be on</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">yours? What one song or artist captures the essence of your book?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">The Only Exception by Paramore, for sure!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">4. What do you tell people is your favorite book/author? Now what is</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">your "real" favorite book/author. (i.e. I tell people Pale Fire by</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">Nabokov is my fave, but right now I'm really</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">into Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.)</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">I can't pick a favorite book or author--I love too many books (and</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">authors) to ever pick one and every time I'm asked this question I</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">feel so bad that I can't answer but in a world filled with so many</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">great books and authors, how can I pick only one?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">5. If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">I'm pretty happy with my own life, actually.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">6. Who would be in your dream cast if your book was made into a movie</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">or television series? (And multimillion dollar salaries were no</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">issue--they'd all do it for free!)</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">If someone wanted to turn Between Here and Forever into a movie, I'd</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">be so thrilled I wouldn't care who got cast!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">7. As a publicist, I know that it's important for every novel to have</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">journalistic hook. For The Lost Sister, it's mean girls, bullies and</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">hazing. What's yours?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">Small towns, secrets, and </span><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1307633688_2" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">finding love</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">8. Just because it hasn't been asked yet, favorite 1980's movie?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">Oh, I don't know--probably Empire Strikes Back. I wanted to marry Han</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">Solo for years after that movie!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">9. Why should I choose your book for my book club?</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">If you like stories about sibling relationships--and, of</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">course--falling in love--then you should check Between Here and</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">Forever out!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">10. I'm a huge and fabulously powerful movie producer and you have 30</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">seconds (an elevator pitch) to sell me on why your book is great and</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">should be made into a movie. Go!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">I wish I'd make a pitch, but I'd probably either ask you about your</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">upcoming movie. Or try and figure out how much work you've had done on</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); ">your face. (!!!)</span></span>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-38859080887039778162011-04-13T22:11:00.001-04:002011-04-13T22:12:19.134-04:00Readergirz Rock the Drop!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zyWrbAky6gE/TaZX7oSuApI/AAAAAAAADoc/iZFa_aQpjSM/s1600/rockthedrop.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zyWrbAky6gE/TaZX7oSuApI/AAAAAAAADoc/iZFa_aQpjSM/s400/rockthedrop.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595256268994249362" /></a>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959592116987574933.post-67316413257698885302011-04-06T12:00:00.007-04:002011-04-08T15:26:07.384-04:00Where I workI've shown you pictures of my dream office. Now I'll show you pics of me in my real office. It's pretty awful. Actually, you can't see most of the mess, because it is on the floor (which is a good thing -- not for me, but so you don't have to be subjected to it). Anyway, I've gotten some emails from readers asking me to show where I work, and this is it. Very exciting! And now you'll see why I'm dreaming of a new office, because this one really stinks.Enjoy!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x4j5OHo9zmE/TZ08s3g8NRI/AAAAAAAADoM/HlmOJca7-Qo/s400/Picture%2B21.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592693053778048274" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Update: Here is me at the end of a long day spent in my crazy, messy</div><div> office. This is my day: morning to night (with an occasional errand to run). The glamorous life of a writer, don't you think? All in a day's work. Time for bed!</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M5dPPN84VTs/TZ04PX9KR0I/AAAAAAAADnw/07bnbZz54RI/s400/Picture%2B31.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592688149043758914" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another update: This is to show all those people who have commented and emailed me that I look miserable in my office, that it is actually possible for me to smile and look relatively happy in my workspace. Any other organization or decorating tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWcax26xHzU/TZ9gva5elII/AAAAAAAADoU/vuC2Qrn1k3I/s400/Picture%2B53.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593295630007964802" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Megan Kelley Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10417810205248489986noreply@blogger.com2