Happy Launch Day Carrie Harris! + Night of the Giving Dead

The road to publication can be a LONG, HARD, BUMPY road but I've been lucky because I've been able to share the path with the zombielicious Carrie Harris!  Not only is Carrie my critique partner, a Class of 2k11 buddy and we share the same awesome agent (Kate Schafer Testerman) but we sold our books within a month of each other and we are releasing withing two months of each other - so we have really traveled this road together!!!

So, that makes me doubly, tripoly, extra excited to celebrate Carrie's release day today of  her hilarious, debut novel:  BAD TASTE IN BOYS!!!  This book is SO MUCH FUN - you've just got to read it!  Here's a short summary from Goodreads:

Someone's been a very bad zombie.

Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steroids are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate!

She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town. . . and stay hormonally human.

And in honor of this zombietastic day - I've been zombified!!!

But that's not all!!! 

To celebrate her release, Carrie is running a charity event called  

NIGHT OF THE GIVING DEAD 

an auction to benefit the Giving Library at the University of Michigan's CS Mott Children's Hospital. There are TONS of prizes to win for every kind and age of reader!!!   Here's what Carrie has to say about the event:

"I'm doing an online auction in July to benefit the Giving Library at the University of Michigan children's hospital. My husband's a cancer survivor...and now he's a pediatric oncologist. He works with the doctors that saved his life. 

The hospital gives out books to every inpatient kid, and I want to collect books and money to buy more. You can read more about the program here."

I'm giving away a signed copy of THE FAERIE RING (when it releases in September) and a 25 page critique.  For a list of all the fabulous prizes go here.

Spread the word!! Help Carrie celebrate the release of her funny, fabulous book and help a great cause at the same time!

~Kiki

Interviews, Newsletters and Giveaways!

Tammy, over at THE BOOK FAIRY'S HAVEN, is interviewing me today. We talk about why I wrote about faeries and the world of The Faerie Ring. Click on over and check it out!

Also, my June newsletter went out today.  If you'd like to subscribe -Go here.   If you'd like to read the latest go here. 

In other news, don't miss an opportunity to win an ARC of my crit partner, Carrie Harris' hilarious zombie novel BAD TASTE IN BOYS by entering her Goodreads Giveaway here.

Happy Tuesday!
~Kiki

Friday Mish-Mash: New Cover, the Original Starbucks and a Contest

Starting off the Friday Mish-Mash is my totally awesome friend, Class of 2k11 compadre and sparkly critique partner Carrie Harris' new cover for her YA zombie novel, BAD TASTE IN BOYS hitting store shelves near you NEXT July 12th.  Is that not a jaw-dropping, eye-catching, spectacular cover?! And guess what - the story inside is just as exciting. How do I know, you ask?  Because I've read it.  uh huh.

I'm paying particular attention to covers lately because my editor and the art director are starting to work on the cover for my book, THE FAERIE RING.

I would love to hear - what are some of your favorite covers?

Cindy Pon is having a fabulous contest over on her blog where the winner wins SEVEN fantastic YA books that feature protagonists of color.  I've read a couple but I want the rest!  So hopefully I'll win. :D But if you want more info - click on over and check it out.

Daughter and I went to Seattle the other day and ended up down at Pike St. Market. The weather was perfect!

If you ever need character inspiration - there's a place to go.  Such a beautiful, vibrant, interesting part of the city.  We stopped by the original Starbucks - yep - you read that right - THE shop that started the world-wide coffee obsession.

And like normal, there were street musicians filling the air with fabulous music.  There guys (sorry, not the greatest shot) are from New Orleans, and apparently came to Seattle after Katrina.  Unbelievable harmonies.  Wonderful!

From there we went on and did a little shopping and found this beautiful painting of Seattle. Very cool.

We're back to the city tomorrow to go see the Cirque du Soleil show, Kooza, which should be fabulous.

What have you been up to this summer?  And don't forget to tell me about your favorite covers!!

I'm being interviewed by Carrie Harris

Hey Everybody - I'm being interviewed by Carrie Harris on her The Wonder That is my Blog today.

I am in a crit group with Carrie as well as sisters with her in the Kate Schafer Testerman / ktliterary gang of super-cool authors.  Carrie has written NO PAIN, NO BRAIN, a HILARIOUS book about science nerd Kate Grable (actually Carrie in a clever disguise) and zombies, which will be published be Delacorte in Summer 2011.

Check it out!