GCC Presents Diana Rodriguez Wallach!

So I had the pleasure of interviewing Diana Rodriguez Wallach about her new book, ADIOS TO ALL THE DRAMA!

Mariana Ruiz thought she left her summer fling in Puerto Rico, that is until she finds Alex sitting across from her at the breakfast table. Living two doors down from her visiting old flame isn’t easy, especially given the unresolved sparks still lingering for her locker buddy Bobby—and they don’t exactly go unnoticed.

Her best friends are little help as Madison deals with her IM-only “boyfriend” and Emily sinks into secret mode after her parents’ recent breakup. The only relationship that seems to be working is her estranged aunt Teresa who’s tying the knot on New Years with Mariana and her cousin Lilly as bridesmaids. But the last wedding detail left unplanned is who will Mariana kiss at midnight?

Strained friendships, stolen kisses, and secret loves create plenty of surprises to unfold before the New Year’s bells start ringing…

As you all know, I’m obsessed with glamor and celebrity, so I asked Diana to weigh in on what, exactly, she considers glamorous and why.  So without further ado, here’s Diana!

What (or who) do you consider to be glamorous and why?

Charlize Theron is my glamor icon. To me, she’s the epitome of insane beauty and great taste. Have you ever seen her look bad? They have to add prosthetics to her face to make her unattractive. And when they do, she wins Oscars for the triumph. That’s saying something.

If you weren’t a writer, what other career would you like to attempt?

I’d like to be a spy. Like a jumping from buildings, dismantling the bomb, chasing the bad guy spy—with killer disguises. I don’t know how someone starts out on this career path, but I’d guess you have to start training at a pretty early age if you’re gonna speak 20 languages, kick box large men, and assemble a freaky secret identity wardrobe. Just call me Jane Bond.

What is the one article of clothing in your closet that you can’t bear to part with?

My Citizens of Humanity Jeans. I even pack them in my carry-on bag on plane trips so just in case my luggage gets lost, they’re still with me.

Who is your fav celebrity?

I don’ t think I have one favorite celebrity. I love Madonna because of our long history together—yes, I wore the jelly bracelets. I love Will Smith, because he’s from Philly. I love Julia Roberts because she classy. I love TomKat because they make for interesting gossip. The list goes on and on.

If you could put together a “dream cast” of the big screen version of your book, who would play the leads?

Usually I say Miley Cyrus so that the film will make a bazillion dollars in its opening weekend.
But in all seriousness, this would be hard to cast. Mariana does not look like the stereotypical Latina. But I think for politically correct reasons, I’d have to cast a Latina in the role. So I would need a Cameron Diaz type, only younger and with red hair. Same goes for Lilly. I recently got a few interesting suggestions, like Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, both of whom I think would be awesome.

As for Alex, there’s a guy who used to play “Diego” on General Hosptial, Ignacio Serricchio, who would fit; or maybe Jesse Metcalfe (the gardener from Desperate Housewives). Ashley Tisdale would be the perfect Madison, and my father would LOVE it if Hector Elizondo played Mariana’s dad or uncle.

Britney:  Comeback or train wreck?

Oh, Brit Brit, I’m pulling for you. I think this could be her comeback. At the very least it’s a sign that she’s hired a smart team of publicists who know how to resuscitate her image. It’s a start.

What is your fav glam or exotic location to visit? (Mine’s Paris!)

The most exotic location I ever visited was Bora Bora. It’s absolutely beautiful, and just visiting the location feels glamorous. However, if you’re speaking purely of fashionista glamour, I would say that Rome takes the cake. That entire city is paved with cobblestones and the Italian woman walk around in stilettos like they’re wearing Nikes. They deserve a Lifetime Achievement Award from the fashion industry.

Which character in your work do you most relate to and why?

Clearly Mariana and I have a lot in common. I mean, how many Polish Puerto Ricans do you know?
But while I share many of the ethnic identity struggles that Mariana faces in the Amor and Summer Secrets series, she and I are very different people with different personalities. She’s much more set-in-her-ways than I am, and she’s definitely more responsible than I was at her age (sorry mom and dad, if you’re reading this). And on a superficial level, let’s just say Mariana grew up in a slightly higher tax bracket. The Ruizes have quite a nice house.

Thanks to Diana for stopping by!  For more about Diana and her books, you can go to:

http://www.dianarodriguezwallach.com

http/myspace.com/dianarodriguezwallach

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WINNER of IN TOO DEEP!

Is . . . .

AMBER!!!!!

I will choose one extra winner on Monday, so keep entering!!!!

GCC Presents Teri Brown and Read My Lips!

Hey Goys!

I’d like to welcome fellow Girlfriend’s Cyber Circuit member Teri Brown–her amazing novel READ MY LIPS came out last summer.  If you haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet, here’s your incentive!  Teri was kind enough to stop by and answer some questions, but first, a little more about Teri and READ MY LIPS!

READ MY LIPS (Simon Pulse)

Serena just wants to fly under the radar at her new school. But Serena is deaf, and she can read lips really well-even across the busy cafeteria. So when the popular girls discover her talent, there’s no turning back.

From skater chick to cookie-cutter prep, Serena’s identity has done a 180…almost. She still wants to date Miller, the school rebel, and she’s not ready to trade her hoodies for pink tees just yet. But she is rising through the ranks in the school’s most exclusive clique.

With each new secret she uncovers, Serena feels pressure to find out more. Reading lips has always been her greatest talent, but now Serena just feels like a gigantic snoop… 

 About Teri:

Teri Brown turned to writing in a desperate attempt to keep from having to get a paying job at her local McDonalds. Fortunately, she’s been successful, and her debut young adult novel, Read My Lips (Simon Pulse), came out June, 2008. She is also a contributing editor for iParenting Media, and her magazine credits include Writer’s Digest, Women’s Health and Fitness, Dog Fancy, and Oregon Coast Magazine, among others. Teri lives with her husband and children in a dilapidated 1969 ranch style house in Portland, Oregon.

And now, without further ado, the same questions I always ask LOL!

 1.  What (or who) do you consider to be glamorous and why?

 Selma Hyeck. She is both sexy and serious and always looks fabulous.

2.  If you weren’t a writer, what other career would you like to attempt?

 Maybe a social worker. Or an editor of a magazine. 

3.  What is the one article of clothing in your closet that you can’t bear to part with? 

 My Oregon Beavers hoody. Can you stand how glamorous that is? LOL/

4.  Who is your fav celebrity?  Eric Banna.

 5.  If you could put together a “dream cast” of the big screen version of your book, who would play the leads?

 For Serena, the main character, who is also deaf, I can see Keisha Castle-Hughes bringing a great deal of strength and sensitivity to the role. Hayden Panettiere is perfect for Patrice, the self-involved leader of the sorority. She has the right combination of sassiness and self assertiveness. For Miller, my dark intelligent hero, I would have to choose, Milo Ventimiglia from his Gilmore Girls days, because… yum.

6.  Britney:  Comeback or train wreck? 

 Comeback. God, I feel for that girl. Living your entire life in a fishbowl.

7. What is your fav glam or exotic location to visit? (Mine’s Paris!) 

 I have never been anywhere really glamorous. I would love to go to Paris though!

8.  Which character in your work do you most relate to and why?

Serena. I have always felt like a fish out of water!

Thanks for stopping by, Teri!  And for more info about Teri or READ MY LIPS, check out:

http://www.teribrownwrites.com

 

 

 

IN TOO DEEP Trailer!!!

So, if you haven’t picked up your very own copy of IN TOO DEEP yet (And really, why wouldn’t you have?  I mean finding out what happens to Casey and Drew is definitely more important than the impending inauguration, or umm, anything else for that matter!), check out the trailer to stoke your appetite 🙂   AND as an added bonus, I’m giving away an EXTRA signed copy of IN TOO DEEP just for commenting on the trailer here, and also reposting the trailer on your webpage or blog!

So, without further ado . . .

 

 

Ta-Da! SIMPLY IRRESISTABLE Unveiled

So, I know that I already premiered the cover of SI, the third book in THE ELITE series on Hope’s Bookshelf, but I wanted to post it here as well, so you guys could see it!  And, also, I’m kinda in love with it, so I want to look at it as much as possible LOL!

I’m doing the galley edits right now for SI, and I’m just buried in work!  Of course it doesn’t exactly help that I’ve come down with the worst cold known to MAN, or that grades are due at the private school I teach at on the same DAY as my edits for SI!

*Gulp*

Right now I’m lying in bed, my head too stuffy and hot to do anything more strenuous than look at my new cover and smile.

Of course that may be the Theraflu talking . . .

Author Visit from Eileen Cook, author of WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?

Hey everyone!

How lucky am I that Eileen Cook, fellow member of the Girlfriend’s Cyber Circuit, agreed to stop by and pay me a visit?  Eileen’s novel WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? is in stores now, and looks amaaaaaaazing!  But don’t take my word for it–see for yourself!

About WWED:

Thou shalt not kiss thy best friend’s boyfriend…again….

There is no greater sin than kissing you best friend’s boyfriend. So when Emma breaks that golden rule, she knows she’s messed up big-time. Especially since she lives in the smallest town ever, where everyone knows everything about everyone else….and especially because she maybe kinda wants to do it again.  Now her best friend isn’t speaking to her, her best guy friend is making things totally weird, and Emma is running full speed toward certain social disaster. This is so not the way senior year was supposed to go.

Time to pray for a minor miracle. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time for Emma to stop trying to please everyone around her, and figure out what she wants for herself.

Since everyone knows that I am hopelessly fascinated by glamor and celebrity, the books I write tend to be based around such issues–as are my questions for the authors who visit my blog!  So without further ado, I give you Eileen Cook!

What (or who) do you consider to be glamorous and why?

I am a huge nut for old classic movies.  Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.  Everyone looks better in black and white.

If you weren’t a writer, what other career would you like to attempt?

I’m still working part time as a counsellor so there is always that fall back position.  Besides listening to other people’s problems is a very helpful thing for a writer.  However, if I could choose another career I would be a famous actress. The downside is that I have no acting talent, but I’m sure that doesn’t have to hold me back.

What is the one article of clothing in your closet that you can’t bear to part with?

I have a black cashmere sweater that I adore.  It looks equally as good with jeans as it does with a skirt and pearls. I love an outfit that can flex.

Who is your fav celebrity?

Angelina Jolie fascinates me.  I have no idea how she manages to raise a herd of children, volunteer her time with charities, act, be married to Brad Pitt and save small third world countries in her spare time.  Plus she does it all while looking good.  It is possible that she’s an alien life form.

If you could put together a “dream cast” of the big screen version of your book, who would play the leads?

I am asked this question a lot and I’m terrible at having a good answer. I didn’t have anyone in mind when I wrote the book. In my mind all the characters are perfect just the way they are so I have a hard time picturing them as any particular actor because it means changing my mental image. I’m going to answer by saying the book will be cast with new actors on the verge of breaking out into super stardom.

Britney:  Comeback or train wreck?

I fear train wreck, but for her sake I am hoping comeback. The woman seriously needs to choose more wisely in the man department.

What is your fav glam or exotic location to visit? (Mine’s Paris!)

I lived in Europe for a couple of years when my husband’s company moved us over there.  I absolutely LOVED traveling.  My hands down favorite city is London.  Great history, great shopping, great restaurants and amazing people watching opportunities.  I also love Paris, but since I am not fluent in French the opportunity to listen in on other’s conversations was limited.

Which character in your work do you most relate to and why?

I share Emma’s love of curiosity.  Like her I have a tendency to question the status quo. I always want to know more about a subject and there are very few things that I’m not willing to question.  My parents always encouraged me to have an open mind and that I could have any opinion I wanted provided I could back it up.  Strangely, they never did accept my reasoning for why I didn’t need a curfew.

*You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com.  Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

IN TOO DEEP IS OUT and CONTEST!!!!!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to alert you to the fact that IN TOO DEEP was released today, and is now available for purchase from many fine retailers such as Amazon.com, B&n.com, Borders.com, as well as your local bookstore! I am so excited that the book is finally on shelves–it feels like I’ve been waiting around a million years for the sequel to THE ELITE to finally be released–even though it’s only been seven months! 

So help support a great series and pick up your copy today. And, if by some strange twist of fate you HAVEN”T read THE ELITE yet, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to order up a copy too? That way you can read books one and two in one gluttonous, greedy, delicious sitting!

And in honor of the release, I’m giving away a copy EACH of THE ELITE and IN TOO DEEP!!! Of course they will both be signed by me 🙂 To enter, leave a comment after this post, and also post on your blog or MySpace page about the contest for one entry, and that IN TOO DEEP is now in stores for an extra entry.

GOSSIP GIRL contest winner will be announced on Friday!

xxoooxx
JB

*Originally posted to MySpace on 1/6/09*

INTERVIEW WITH CARRIE JONES, AUTHOR OF NEED!

As some of you may know, I’ve recently become a member of the Girlfriend’s Cyber Circuit along with amazing authors such as Megan Kelley Hall and Melissa Walker! So this week, fellow Girlfriend Carrie Jones is stopping by my blog to answer some questions about NEED, and glamor–because you KNOW I’m all about the glamor! 

But first, a little about Carrie and NEED!

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.

Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

About Carrie: Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgsicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgsicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine, but she grew up in Bedford, NH where she once had a séance with cool uber-comedian Sarah Silverman. She graduated from Vermont College’s MFA program for writing. She has edited newspapers and poetry journals and has recently won awards from the Maine Press Association and also been awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship as well as a Maine Literary Award and the Independent Book Publishers Association First Place Award for her debut novel, Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend.

Jones easily wins readers to Zara’s side, portraying her as a funny, globally conscious teen who also “collect[s} fears like other people collect stamps” (obscure phobias serve as chapter titles). Genre fans will enjoy the sizzle between Nick and Zara as well as the paranormal cast.” – Publishers’ Weekly

“It was a fun read, and I can’t wait for more from Carrie Jones…I’m definitely adding Need to my shelves due to the romance, suspense, and monster element. This goes on the list for those who loved Twilight and “Need” more. I have decided that Carrie Jones NEEDS to continue to write about these characters and add more since I already miss them after finishing Need.” – Diane Chen, School Library Journal

1. What (or who) do you consider to be glamorous and why?

I think glamor is really just a perception. I mean, someone told me that they thought being a writer in Maine was glamorous! And I was all, “Let me list the reasons it is not.”

Those reasons are:

1. Dog hair.
2. Mud season.
3. A laptop that has sticky keys because of dog drool.

So, I think glamor has this aspect of falsehood about it. It’s a desire for something we don’t fully understand. It’s the showing of the good without the bad. It’s an illusion, a very pretty illusion. 

2. If you weren’t a writer, what other career would you like to attempt?

I’d like to be a human rights attorney.

3. What is the one article of clothing in your closet that you can’t bear to part with? 

My black tights. So witchy…

4. Who is your fav celebrity? 

I don’t think I have one. I used to have a crush on Viggo Mortenson though. 

Other than him…. Probably Grover. 

5. If you could put together a “dream cast” of the big screen version of your book, who would play the leads?

Zara – A young Jennifer Garner
Nick – Gael Garcia Bernal
Issie – Isla Fisher 

6. Britney: Comeback or train wreck? 

Train wreck that people are starting to not want to watch any more despite all the blood and gore. Poor Britney.

7. What is your fav glam or exotic location to visit? (Mine’s Paris!) 

Paris is so good. You’ve already taken it though, so I’m going to go with the Pyrenees Mountains, which are between France and Spain. I love it up there. 

8. Which character in your work do you most relate to and why?

I relate to all of them, but Zara is really close to me right now because I really believe in facing your fears, and not being passive, and liking cute boys who smell good. We’ve both lost our step-dads, too.

Thanks to Carrie for stopping by, and don’t forget-IN TOO DEEP hits shelves in JUST 6 DAYS!!!! 

Pre-order your copy today on Amazon.com! 

To read more about Carrie, go to her website

XO
JB

*Originally posted to MySpace on 12/30/08*

HUGE CONTEST AND LONG TIME NO E!

Hey Everyone!

It’s been a while, I know I know . . . Between my new job out here in
Southern California, and a massive kidney infection that kept me in and
out of the hospital, I’ve been a bit distracted.  But now that I’m
feeling better, I’m ready to celebrate the almost-release of the second
book in THE ELITE series, IN TOO DEEP, which will be on shelves less
than A MONTH from now!  WOOT!  

So to get in the spirit, I’ve decided to have a huge contest now, since
I’m in the giving mood of the holiday season.  So, in honor of the
impending release of IN TOO DEEP, I’m giving away the COMPLETE GOSSIP
GIRL series!  Yes, books 1-11, ending with DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME!  

So, what do you have to do to win? Funny you should ask . . .

The Rules:

1)  Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you’d like most for
Christmas this year, and ALSO who you think Drew will end up with by
the end of THE ELITE series.  Will it be Mad?  Casey?  Someone else
entirely?  Will Drew end up alone and miserable?  Will he turn gay? 
🙂  

2)  Post the IN TOO DEEP countdown widget on your blog or MySpace, and post the contest on your blog or MySpace as well.  

That’s it!

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

xxooxx

JB

 

*Originally posted to MySpace on 12/8/08

STORY SIREN CONTEST NOW WORLDWIDE!

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve asked Kristi over at The Story Siren to open the contest up World Wide, so, if you live abroad, you can enter to win the ARC of IN TOO DEEP and the $25 MAC gift certificate! 

So go o over to http://www.thestorysiren.com and enter to win!

xxooxx
JB

*Originally posted to MySpace on 10/12/08*