Contest Reminders, Ballads Blitz, and Total Deliciousness

Whew this week has been even busier than the last one! And I totally dropped the ball on Women Who Rock Wednesday this week because I suddenly got really sick on Wednesday afternoon (I think it was the herbs my acupuncturist gave me for insomnia). But all that means is that you have an extra week to enter the contest for Jennie DeVoe's CDs and then I will announce the winner next week when I post my interview with Jodi Gianakopoulos, my favorite record store co-owner ever. Are you guys still digging WWRW? I've noticed less contest entries as of late.... Should I cut back and do it only twice a month? Actually after Jodi, there will be no WWRW for about a month due to THE BLOG PARTY!!!!!!

I'm also quite low on entries for that contest--y'know, you spread the word about the party, I reward you with the VERY LAST advanced readers copy of BALLADS OF SUBURBIA, which is totally a collectors' item ;) So when you get tired of fireworks this weekend, enter contests!

Speaking of contests... Shelly B of Write for a Reader surprised me in a huge, huge fabulous way this week. She and a bunch of other awesome bloggers came together to create the Ballads Blitz contest, which works very simply, you buy or pre-order Ballads, you send your receipt to Shelly, and you are entered to win a TON of fabulous prizes. Here are all the details. I seriously had no idea that these guys were doing this and I *cried from happiness* I was so honored that they'd chosen to spread the word about my book in this way. Seriously, book bloggers are my heroes. I love you guys!

Also for those of you in the Chicago area who want BALLADS like right now, there is a store in Forest Park that has already gotten the book in and is selling it: Centuries and Sleuths at 7419 W. Madison St in Forest Park, IL. Yeah, BALLADS is already out there in the wild. I'm kinda freaked. I'm not ready yet. I'm supposed to have two more weeks to prepare and promote and ahhhhh!!!!! But I bet you guys are ready for it. Who knows it may pop up in your local bookstore soon!

Lastly, I just have to tell you about the deliciousness I experienced yesterday. This was probably very bad for me but I don't care. Yesterday I had cupcakes for lunch. Yes, cupcakes. I was doing a tasting for my wedding (yeah, I've been trying to cram wedding stuff in with all this book-about-to-be-released stuff... needless to say I'm quite stressed) with Vegan Bomb, this brand-new independently owned business in Chicago. They made seriously the most gorgeous cupcakes I've ever seen (should have photographed them before we ate them) and it was probably the tastiest dessert I've ever had in my life. Scott loved them, too, and he's not vegan. He said they are better than any non-vegan cupcakes he had. So many flavors... coconut lime, lemon-aide (injected with vodka!), strawberries and cream, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter, cookies and cream, vanilla chocolate chip, and then this chocolate covered one that was just like a Ho-Ho or a Hostess cupcake. Oh. My. Freakin'. God. So if you need dessert in Chicago: Vegan Bomb. And if you are coming to my wedding, you will get to experience this. We're sold.

Speaking of wedding, I also got my invites from Leslie of Unless Someone Like You. I'm totally torn. I want to take pictures and show them off right now. But I want my friends who read this to be surprised when they see them in the mail. So friends who read this, should I wait til after I send you the invites til I post pictures or does it not really matter and should I do it now???

Okay, that is my excitement for the week. Please, please enter the contests. And have a good holiday weekend. I will be working of course.... But two of my favorite people in the world are in town so I'm off to see them now and that makes me unbelieveably happy!