Monday, August 10, 2009

Cyber Launch Party Day 21: The Ballad of Danielle Joseph

Welcome to Day 21 of the Ballads of Suburbia Cyber Launch Party! For all of the details on the party including guests, the daily contests and the grand prize drawing be sure to read the information at the beginning of Day 1's blog. However since this is the last week, there is one slight change to the rules... WINNER FOR ALL PRIZES THIS WEEK AND THE GRAND PRIZE WILL BE DRAWN ON MONDAY AUGUST 17!

Interviews, Guest Blogs, and Contests:

I did a super-fun guest blog over the weekend with Hope from Hope's Bookshelf. Hope is turning 16 on August 22nd (wish her happy early birthday!) and asked authors and other folk to blog about their 16th birthdays. Mine was in the middle of a heat wave, so it was a bit of a doozy. You can read all about here. Then, if you are looking to win a signed copy of Ballads, you can enter the contest here.

Speaking of contests, if you bought BALLADS, don't forget to enter Shooting Stars Mag's HUGE Ballads of Suburbia contest .

There are still some interviews with me popping up on the blogs of my fellow authors in the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit:

Interview with me on Amanda Ashby's blog
Interview with me on Megan Crane's blog (this one is super fun, she asked for a bunch of random facts about me)

Also, today's guest, Danielle Joseph, will be interviewing me on her blog. (It's not up yet when I'm posting this but should be soon.)

Today's Winner:
Each day I am announcing the winner of the contest that was posted one week earlier. Today's winner gets their choice of Wicked Game, Bad to the Bone or WVMP swag from Jeri Smith Ready! And that winner is... Pissenlit from blogger! I will email you for your address shortly! Remember to enter last week's contests! Each contests lasts one week!

Now, today's guest blogger is author Danielle Joseph!
Danielle Joseph was a college DJ for five years on the Gyroscope, a world music show. She also interned at several top Boston radio stations while earning her BFA in Creative Writing and MA in Marketing Communications and Advertising from Emerson College.

Danielle is originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but grew up in the suburbs of Massachusetts. She now lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and children. Her debut YA novel, Shrinking Violet, was published by MTV/Pocket Books in May 2009 and her second novel, Indigo Blues will be released Summer 2010 from Flux. In the meantime, Danielle is hard at work on her next novel, Graveyard Shift. And when she’s not writing, you can find her cruising around with the tunes blaring and her internal DJ hard at work.

Here's Danielle's ballad:
"Girl afraid
where does his intentions lay?
Or does he even have any?..."

--Girl Afraid,The Smiths

In high school some of my friends and I were really into the English rock band, The Smiths. I had just about every tape of theirs and would listen to them over and over again. Whenever I was pissed off at my parents or at the world, I would retreat to my bedroom and crank up the tunes on my Walkman or boom box. I'd mellow out with the Smiths for hours. I felt like somehow they knew me. They can definitely be depressing but to me they were "real" people with "real" problems, none of that bubblegum crap.

I was shy growing up, especially around guys and for some reason the song, Girl Afraid was one of my favorites. My junior year in high school I had a total crush on this guy that I worked with so I made him a mixed tape with the song Girl Afraid on it. It was my way of telling him that I liked him. Very passive-aggressive but that was the only way I was able to communicate my feelings to a guy. Unfortunately, things did not work out, but I still considered that song one of my personal theme songs.

Good news is that once I left suburbia and went of to college, I realized there was a whole different world out there! There were more people like me that embraced people's differences and did not see the world in just black and white. I still love the song Girl Afraid today but I no longer consider it my theme song, it's just on my life album:)!

Today's Contest:
Ahh, The Smiths, I love them so! What a great ballad by Danielle. And it bodes a good question, what's your theme song? Or maybe what is on your life album because I probably don't have a theme song right now, but I definitely have a life album!

So comment away on Danielle's ballad... you'll want to because not only is she giving away a copy of her absolutely amazing book SHRINKING VIOLET, she's doing a whole Shrinking Violet Purple Indulgence pack, which includes the book,an SV bookmark and Victoria's Secret bubble bath and shower gel!

As usual there are ways to rack up a bunch of entries:
+1 for commenting
+1 for blogging/tweeting/etc about this blog
+1 for leaving comments on the interviews and guest blog I told you about above
+1 for blogging/tweeting about those
+1 for spreading the word about Shooting Stars Mag's HUGE Ballads of Suburbia contest
Just note your additional entries in your comment. Winner will be chosen at random on Monday, August 17!

Tomorrow's Guest:

Tomorrow, Daniel Kraus, author of THE MONSTER VARIATIONS will be guest-blogging (and it's release day for that book!). So please come back to see what he has to say!

30 comments:

Melanie said...

I'm still learning to accept the feeling that I'm different from the people I know. I live in the sticks, so I can't wait to get out into the world and find more people like me!

Just Your Typical Book Blog said...

Awesome ballad! I like how she says the song is just now on her life album - I think I'll have to make my own mix.

Amber
sammyjones57(at)hotmail(dot)com

Robby said...

there are a few songs that just kind of sum of how i feel in my life right now.
there's Yellow by Coldplay, because there's someone in my life who is making me so happy right now.
there's Blue by Julie Doiron, because whenever i'm sad that's the song i listen to.
and i'm listening to a lot of Tori Amos lately, so all of her music is just playing a huge roll in my life right now.

~robby
runningforamsterdam @ hotmail . com

ps- i won the contest from Tara Kelly's ballad and i never got anything. :(

Punk Rock Girl said...

Too many to list for a life album (more of a triple boxed set). But my current theme song would be "I Don't Know What to Do with My Life" by the Buzzcocks.

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

No need to enter me, my friend. I'm dropping in to let you know I posted about this over at Win a Book. Let me know if you'd like anything else (interviews you've done?) posted over there.

So Many Books, So Little Time said...

I don't think I have a theme song yet. But I've got time; I'm only 17!

angels3@blueyonder.co.uk
Sophie

Bianca said...

I've never heard of Girl Afraid, but I'll have to check it out, because you sound like me when you were in High School. I am horrible with guys.

I linked this contest on twitter http://twitter.com/Bianca1946/status/3231406692

infinitemuisc19 at gmail dot com

Pam said...

There are so many songs on the soundtrack of my life. One song that sticks out particularly at the moment is "boulevard of broken dreams" by Green Day. At the time of its release, my colleague had just left and hadn't yet been replaced, my husband was waiting for his visa to enter the country, and I felt like I was certainly walking a lonely road. This song always picked me up when things were getting to me.

melacan at hotmail dot com

WordVore Prod said...

Danielle's post was so relatable! My theme song would be...
Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance.
I also tweeted about the Cyber Party (ProdElektra).
prodhi@live.com

WordVore Prod said...

@Danielle: Any plans for a new book after Shrinking Violet?

Lori said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lori said...

Hmm. Well the song that was #1 on the day I was born was "To Sir With Love" and it seems to have really shaped who I am though I was unaware of this fact until about 3 years ago. I have always tried to please people and give them what they want and need.

Pissenlit said...

Shiny! I'll be waiting for your email!

Erica said...

I've never really found a song that I would call my theme song, I suppose there are a few on my "life" album but again I don't feel as if any of them really connect with me personally.

thebookcellar@wi.rr.com

marina said...

my best friend would be so happy you quoted the smiths.
they're like her favorite band.

~bean.

Dusty said...

I think my "theme" albums change according to the time period, and what is going on in my life. So, I get a new "theme" album, say, every three years.

One that particularly marked me was R.E.M's "Around the Sun". It is the best post-break-up-post-broken-heart-back-on-your-feet album ever. Really, it gave me a whole new perspective on alot of things, and even if the broken heart was years ago, this album still holds a special place in my heart.

P.S I Twitted about this blog!

Diana Dang said...

Theme song? Hm, never really had one. Wish I do though.

I have already linked about the bash on my sidebar! :)

WordVore Prod said...

Ooh ooh. I also tweeted about shooting stars contest as ProdElektra.
prodhi@live.com

WordVore Prod said...

I'm so sad the party's ending. I'll miss it:(

Sara said...

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time now! It sounds great!


Sara
sosarora_11(AT)hotmail(dot)com

Ashley said...

Man, it seems like everytime I get close to getting my hands on a copy of Shrinking Violet, it slips away. Maybe I'll get more lucky this time around! booksobsession(at)gmail(dot)com

+1 I posted this on my sidebar at http://booksobsession.blogspot.com

+1 I posted the Shooting Stars Mag Huge Contest on my right sidebar at http://booksobsession.blogspot.com

Thanks.

Ashley said...

I don't really have a life album, but I do have a few songs/bands that I've favored when times in my life get rough and I need a little pick-me-up.

Definitely the song "Alone" by Saosin. I love them, and I went through a time in my life where that song really helped me out. While on that topic the song "Alone" by Sanctus Real. I LOVE that song, even to this day. Especially the lyrics.

Coldplay has always been a big part of my life, too. I adore their diverse music.

Anonymous said...

Great ballad!
queenofdivinechaos@gmail.com

WordVore Prod said...

Okay. I have more entries.
+1 tweeted about blog
+2 tweeted about guest blogs (both as ProdElektra)
+2 commented on both guest blogs

Anonymous said...

Awesome ballad! Loved reading it:D
dame_elektra@hotmail.com

Lori T said...

Great ballad. I really cannot think of a theme song to describe me and I definitely cannot think of an album.

Shrinking Violet sounds really great and I am looking forward to reading it.

Anonymous said...

Amazing ballad!
resurrection_of_the_devil@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

This was so much fun to read:D
blackdahlia_707@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I really like The Smiths! :) I linked this to my sidebar at towerofbooks.wordpress.com.

towerofbooks(at)gmail(dot)com

L said...

My theme song......I never really thought of that before, but I have time to get one.
+1 I posted a link on my sidebar about this blog
+1 link to Shooting Stars Mag's HUGE Ballads of Suburbia contest on my sidebar:
http://hookedonyabooks.blogspot.com/

lovinfitch(at)aol(dot)com