Contests Galore!!!!

Before I get into the contest information I just want to say how much I appreciate a good swagger song. Swagger song? “Is that a typo?” you ask. No. This is the kind of song where no matter what kind of morning you're having (e.g. you’re peeling yourself out of a packed, sweaty metro train) you can put it on and SHAZAM, you’ve got your swagger back. My song? V.V. Brown’s “Shark in the Water” Louis Laroche remix.

Okay, now onto what everyone really wants…FREE stuff!

For the readers…
To help everyone get started on their summer reading lists there are tons of contests. First up is mine. I wanted to do a classic throwback and a brand new favorite so I turned to two of the most popular young adult writers around: Sarah Dessen and Stephenie Meyer. The books I’m giving away include Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever and the just released Stephenie Meyer Eclipse novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.




The rules are simple:
1. Be a follower of my blog
2. Find my picture in the "followers" list, click on it, and send me an email. The subject line should read, "contest entry" and your email should include your name and the order of your book preferences (Dessen vs. Meyer).

The contest officially closes Thursday, June 17 at noon EST. Winners will be announced on the blog the following morning and will be notified by email. Note: I’ll be holding contests semi-regularly so check back often. The next up will be The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, creator of Sex and the City. The book examines Carrie’s pre-Big early years.

Other fabulous contests include:

Jen Haley’s blog where she’s giving away Matched by Allie Condie and The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger. Not only are these two of the most anticipated books coming out but you can win advanced copies. That means before they hit stores, people!

Reading with Tequila blog is giving away Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (advance copy!), Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart, Reading Group Choices: 2010, The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummings, Across the Table by Linda Cardillo (signed!), Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown, and more!

Novel Novice is doing a contest to win the book White Cat by Holly Black as part of their countdown to the movie Eclipse. And for the really big Twilight Saga fans, they have a blog dedicated entirely to the movie and are giving away some Eclipse gear.

Read it Forward regularly gives out books via contests. The ones up for grabs right now include The Outer Banks House by Diann Ducharme, All Over the Map by Laura Fraser, The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch.

…And for the writers

Amanda Bonilla and Suzanne Hayze are doing a contest through their new blog, Writing Out the Angst where they'll choose 10 winners to get a query critique.

While not technically a contest, it still feels like one: Kathleen Ortiz, literary agent at Lowenstein Associates is answering writers’ questions at Absolute Write as well as giving submission guideline recommendations on her blog, The Neverending Page Turner.

Finally, from this year’s MTV Movie Awards, I leave you with your moment of Zen: