Cyber Launch Party Day 5: The Ballad of Wendy Toliver

Welcome to Day 5 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.

I think the first week of the Cyber Launch has been a blast. And if you haven't checked out the other ballads please do so over the weekend and leave a comment because each day a prize was put up for grabs and the contests are ending soon.

Here's our week in review:

Day 1: I blogged and up for grabs is a signed copy of Ballads of Suburbia and the Ballads soundtrack. Deadline Monday 7/20

Day 2: Cecil Castellucci and up for grabs is her book Beige. Deadline Tuesday 7/21

Day 3: Tara Kelly and up for for grabs is her song Protector. Deadline Wednesday 7/22

Day 4: Sara Hantz and up for grabs is her book The Second Virginity of Suzy Green. Deadline Thursday 7/23

So enter, enter, enter and win!

Before we meet today's guest (and get to today's contest). I have a couple other cool things to tell you about:

For one, Amazon is now shipping Ballads, which I guess means it is basically out. So you can order from them here. Or if you'd rather order a *signed* copy, find out about that here.

Just Your Typical Book Blog reviewed Ballads kindly here.

And last but probably coolest of all, the author Diana Rodriguez Wallach is running a very cool contest to introduce her character Madam Colbert to Stephen Colbert. You can find out all about it on her blog here or by viewing her fabulous YouTube video. Enter her contest, which runs through July 24. she has some great prizes!

Now, today's guest blogger is author Wendy Toliver.

Wendy Toliver is the author of The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Miss Match, and the upcoming Lifted (all Simon Pulse). She lives in the Utah mountains with her husband, three little boys, and other various critters. Visit her at wendytoliver.com, pulserocom.com, and teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com.

Here's Wendy's ballad:

I was a junior in high school, and I’d already been accepted at Colorado State University, which was roughly an hour away from where I grew up (in the Denver ‘burbs). Naturally, I had the itch to visit my future college town whenever possible. My parents didn’t want my best friend and me to drive there on our own, but they finally agreed to let us take the bus. So we scrambled to the back of the dingy bus with our cassette walkmans and coordinated Gapling outfits, our eyes sparkling as we headed off to whatever adventures awaited us. When "Somebody" by Depeche Mode came on, it was as if we were on a stage with the light beaming on us and we didn’t care one bit that people were staring at us as we passionately belted out every beautiful word. It was the perfect song for us at that point in our lives because we were both waiting impatiently for that special guy to sweep us off our feet. The lyrics are romantic and sappy, yet smart and willful. I swear, as we held hands and crooned in the back of the bus that day, I had tears in my eyes. And to this day, whenever I hear “Somebody,” I stop whatever I’m doing and remember what it was like to be seventeen and in love with the idea of falling in love.

Here's Somebody by Depeche Mode:


Today's Contest:

Wendy was kind enough to offer her book, MISS MATCH, as prize today. To enter just leave a comment about Wendy's ballad. What song defined a moment of moving on to a new place for you? Or do you have a favorite Depeche Mode song? I discovered DM when I was 10 with my best friend at the time Myco. Myco moved away after fifth grade, but People Are People will always remind me of her and be one of my fave Depeche Mode songs.

And you'll earn additional entries by blogging/tweeting/etc about this blog or the cyber launch party. Just note your additional entries in your comment. Winner will be chosen at random on Friday, July 24.

Monday's Guest:

On Monday, one of my dearest author friends, Alexa Young, author of the Frenemies series will be kicking of my release week with one of the most powerful and intense ballads I was given. Seriously it made me cry. It's beautiful. So be sure to come back next week for it!

Cyber Launch Party Day 4: The Ballad of Sara Hantz

Welcome to Day 4 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.

Here's some quick Ballads of Suburbia news before we get to the guest blog.

Thao of Serene Hours reviewed Ballads here.

I did an interview with the Oak Leaves, an Oak Park newspaper, one that my characters in Ballads got written up in when they got into trouble so I think they would be proud. The article is here and features a picture of me at the Beacon Pub where I work. They also asked me some silly desert island questions here.

Now, today's guest blogger is author Sara Hantz!
Sara Hantz started writing when she ran out of degrees to study and decided it was much more fun to make things up than to comment on dry academics. Born in England, she moved to New Zealand a few years ago with her husband and two children. They own a motel and when she’s not working or writing Sara enjoys talking on msn to her writing buddies, walking on the beach, going to the movies and watching endless TV – especially anything with an ‘Idol’ in the title! You can visit her at sarahantz.com.

Here's Sara's ballad:

I’m thrilled to be here celebrating Stephanie’s new book BALLADS OF SUBURBIA, I’m hanging out to read it, and if it’s anything like I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone it’s gonna be awesome.

In keeping with Ballads, I’m blogging about a song that really got to me when I was younger, at a time when I was at a point in my life where I was beginning to drift. Life seemed to be passing me by and the only things on my mind were boys, clothes and going out. After I finished with a boy I’d been seeing for several months I knew I needed to do something. This song got me thinking. It’s DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO? the theme from the movie Mahogany, and sung by Diana Ross. Even today when I hear it, it really touches me. The words are awesome. Here’s a little excerpt:

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?
Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

Today's Contest:
Sara was kind enough to offer a copy of her book, THE SECOND VIRGINITY OF SUZY GREEN, as a prize today. To enter just leave a comment about Sara's ballad.

And you'll earn additional entries by blogging/tweeting/etc about this blog or the cyber launch party. Just note your additional entries in your comment. Winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, July 23.

Tomorrow's Guest:

Wendy Toliver, author of The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren and Miss Match, will be guestblogging tomorrow so please come back and visit then!

Cyber Launch Party Day 3: The Ballad of Tara Kelly

Welcome to Day 3 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.

A couple newsworthy things before we get to today's guest. There was an interview with me in the Chicago alt-weekly NewCity. It was a fun interview to do and even more exciting, the writer called BALLADS "like American Beauty for the teen set," which is a pretty kick-ass comparison. You can read it here.

Also I posted my ALA conference experience complete with pictures over at MTV Books so you may wish to check that out here.

Now, today's guest blogger is author/musician Tara Kelly!

Tara Kelly is a Jill of all trades--a YA author, one-girl band, web/graphic designer, video editor and photographer. She lives in Bellingham, Washington with her ten guitars, supercool bf, and a fluffy cat named Maestro. You can find out more about her writing at thetaratracks.com and her music at missvolatile.com.

Here's Tara's ballad:

I love to steal this living steam
My head in someone's dream
I'm tired of sleeping
-Crank by Catherine Wheel

I went through a lot of phases in high school—hippie, metalhead, skater chick, punk, goth…just to name a few. My CD collection was forever in flux. I was always searching for something new…something different, but I never really ‘fit’ anywhere. And the idea of embodying a label confounded me. I was never good at following the rules.

Still, if I had to pick a theme song for my high school years, Crank by Catherine Wheel would be it.

I remember the first time I heard it. It was the first time I’d ever cut school, actually. I was pretty devastated that day, because I just found out the girls I’d hung out with since the start of freshman year…weren’t really my friends. I’d been banished from the island, so to speak. And I ended up telling this new girl in my English class about it. She told me she’d run away from her foster home and was living with her boyfriend. I remember her face clearly, this mix of beautiful and broken. She was so different from anyone I’d met…and she seemed above it all. The kind of girl who didn’t get caught up in high school drama. At the ripe old age of 15, she was over it.

And I wanted to be too.

So we snuck off campus at lunch and went to her boyfriend’s apartment. It was dirty and filled with cigarette smoke, but it felt like paradise compared to sitting by myself at school. And I felt this rush too—like I was finally living or something. She made quesadillas and a giant pot of refried beans, and we sat on a ratty old couch, talking about boys and music. She told me I had to hear Crank by Catherine Wheel. She said it was like her best friend—it got her, and she got it.
I didn’t understand what she meant until I heard those first dreamy distorted notes and Rob Dickinson wailing over the top. His voice was full of lust and sadness, as if he was waiting for something…for life to happen, maybe. The melody sank right into my skin. It sounded like freedom, like falling in love, like walking around at twilight—everything I’d yet to experience. It was all excitement and possibility. I never really heard the dark side, not until later.

Even today, I love it just as much as the day I first heard it. Because it encompasses my teen years, some of the most memorable experiences of my life—both good and bad. All-day concerts and the scent of fresh cut grass, weaving daisies through my braids, Manic Panic turning my white sink blue, 4am trips to the park, swing sets and wine coolers, telling my life story to people I’d just met, cigarettes and cute boys, skateboards, squeezing three people on a twin bed, laughing at…anything, the faces of friends who ran away, the faces of friends who OD’ed, the time my friend kissed my crush, the time my friend’s crush tried to kiss me, starting a riot grrl band where I was the only girl, the nights I wondered if anyone would ever get me, crying over…anything, consuming nothing but iced white mochas, notebooks filled with stories about adventures and hot guys, making new friends at a bus stop, punk shows at crusty warehouses, moshpits and bruises, using puppy dog eyes to get into 18+ goth clubs, finding the smell of a friend’s beater car comforting—because it lacked parents, putting on lipstick and wondering if it’ll get kissed off, boys sneaking in windows, magic 8-balls determining our fate, wishing on a shooting star, and planning an epic road-trip that would change our lives…

Crank reminds me of what I’ve lost and what I’ve gained. It continues to inspire me. And most of all, it keeps me in touch with my inner teen—because some days, I miss her like hell.

Today's Contest:

Tara's YA book, Harmonic Feedback, won't be out til Spring 2010, so today's contest isn't for a book (though I'm sure we will all be excited to read that one next spring!). Instead Tara has graciously offered the winner of today's contest a download of her song, Protector, which you can hear at her music site missvolatile.com.

To enter just leave a comment about Tara's ballad or a song that sums up your teenage years. Tara made me extra nostalgic for my teen years. I think the song that best sums up that time period for me is Olympia, WA by Rancid. What about you?

And you'll earn additional entries by blogging/tweeting/etc about this blog or the cyber launch party. Just note your additional entries in your comment. Winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, July 22.

Tomorrow's Guest:

Tomorrow, Sara Hantz, author of The Second Virginity of Suzy Green will be guest-blogging. So please come back to see what she has to say!

Ballads of Suburbia Cyber Launch Party Day 2: The Ballad of Cecil Castellucci

Welcome to Day 2 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.

Today's guest blogger is author Cecil Castellucci!

Cecil Castellucci is the author of the YA novels Boy Proof, The Queen of Cool and Beige and the graphic novels The PLAIN Janes and Janes in Love. Her latest book is an anthology of stories she co-edited about nerds called Geektastic. Visit her at http://www.misscecil.com.

Here's Cecil's ballad:

“I remember it, in Dublin in a rainstorm. Sitting in the long grass in summer, keeping warm on a memory.” Sinead O'Conner / Troy

You know what I did? I cut off all my long pink hair. That’s what listening to Sinead O’Conner’s The Lion and The Cobra made me do. I was 18 years old, my first year of College, living in a dorm. (Hayden Hall at NYU.) It was late at night. Maybe 3 am. I couldn’t sleep and so I went downstairs to watch the television. I didn’t have a TV in my room. Downstairs, they had MTV. I sat there watching music videos and the video for TROY by Sinead O’Conner came on.

And I thought to myself, this song is me. It speaks to me. It is how I roar on the inside.

I bought the album. And then I spent many days in my dorm room, with my 12” record playing over and over again on my roommates stereo system, singing the entire album at the top of my lungs. I would come home from film class with a six-pack of Rolling Rock. Wearing a vintage cocktail dress and red lipstick. Sporting cat-eye sunglasses. Lit by candles in the middle of the room. Drinking and singing. Singing and drinking.

I would hand out beer, or chocolate like trick or treat candy to whomever stopped by my room, to either sit with me in my angst. Or, more likely, see what kind of cat was being strangled.

My roommate, Hope, complained that I played the album so often that even she knew the lyrics by heart. And she hated Sinead O’Conner. She was a Soft Cell girl.

Back then, in my angsty ways, I believed that I understood what Sinead was singing about. I thought I understood what she meant when she called her lover a liar. I sang it so loud. I sang it with meaning.

I wish I didn’t understand the songs and the pain better. I wish that with time, her heartache and pain were more foreign to me. Now of course, I know more about liars. I know more about deception and about being abused.

But that album, no matter that it is 20+ years later, still rings true. It’s honesty just gets better, like a fine wine aged to perfection.

Today's Contest:

Cecil has been kind enough to offer up a copy of Beige, which I'm sure you have heard me gush about many times. It's one of my all-time favorite books. To enter just leave a comment about Cecil's gorgeous ballad. You'll earn additional entries by blogging/tweeting/etc about this blog or the cyber launch party. Just note your additional entries in your comment. Winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, July 21.

Tomorrow's Guest:

Author and musician Tara Kelly (her YA novel Harmonic Feedback is forthcoming in 2010) will be blogging tomorrow. So be sure to come back and visit!

The Ballad of a Birthday Tattoo: Stephanie Kuehnert

Today is the kickoff of the Ballads of Suburbia Cyber Launch Party!!!!! Welcome!!!

Here are the details:

Over the next month (Yes, seriously this will run every week day until 8/14. I have no idea what I've gotten myself into!), author and musician guest bloggers (and sometimes me) will share their "ballads"--the stories of poignant moments in their life (or one of their character's lives) or about their relationship with music or a certain song. You can find out who all of my guests are by viewing the video invitation!

Each day I will host a contest, whether it is something given away by my guest or something I donate. Each contest will be open for one week. Then a winner will be chosen at random from the comments.

At the very end of the Cyber Launch Party, a grand prize winner will be drawn at random from the comments on all the blogs and they will receive a gift basket of MTV/Pocket Books!!! So the more blogs you comment on, the more entries you have to win that grand prize! Fine print: Due to shipping costs, only people with US mailing addresses are eligible for the grand prize.

Now let's get this party started!

I figured the best way to get this party started is to post my very first ever vlog! You'll even learn how to pronounce my last name! It comes in two parts:

Part One: The Ballad of a Birthday Tattoo

(In this part I talk about and show off the tattoo I got this weekend with Jeri Smith-Ready.)

Special notes about this vlog:
-The video invitation I mentioned is here.
-The blog from February that I mention is here.
-That strange sound in the background toward the end is probably Sid meowing.
-This is filmed in my bedroom by my fiance. Those are his Johnny Cash and Misfits posters. I coveted them like crazy while were dating and planned for them to go up in the bedroom as soon as he moved it. It's an added perk to marrying him, good posters.

-Apologies for the awful bags under my eyes. The curse of the insomniac. I also filmed this at like 3 am after work.

Part Two: Reading from Adrian's Ballad

(In this part I read a section from one of the character's ballads in Ballads of Suburbia)

Special notes about this vlog:

-Now I'm in my office with all my own posters and a photo collage of my friends I made before I moved out on my own at 17. I filmed this one myself so I sound extra lispy. Sorry.

-If this reading inspires you to pre-order the book, I recommend you do so from Women & Children First because then you can get a signed copy. All the details are here.

-Remember when you buy or pre-order to book to enter the Ballads Blitz, which isn't my contest, but a fabulous contest put on by Write for a Reader. And there are some awesome prizes! Speaking of contests....

TODAY'S CONTEST

Last week, I ran a contest for my first-hot-off-the-presses copy of Ballads of Suburbia. I barely got any entries. That was probably my own fault. It's not really fun to blog about or link to the Cyber Release Party when it is not going on and there is nothing to see yet. But now there is lots to see. So I'm carrying over last weeks entries to this week and continuing that contest....

Up for grabs is my first hot-off-the-presses copy of Ballads and since I'm extending the contest, I'll throw in another prize. You'll also get a copy of my Ballads soundtrack cd.

Entries:

+1 for a comment on the blog.

+1 for a comment telling me about a significant tattoo you got or would get if you were ever to get a tattoo

+1 for spreading the word about this blog, the cyber release party, linking to the video invite or to one or both of my vlogs from today. Do it via twitter, blog, facebook, myspace, whatever. You can do as many of these entries as you want. Please list them in the comments here though since this party will be keeping me so busy I won't have time to be tallying from multiple places (except for last weeks entries, I have those and will add them to the tally, don't worry!)

Tomorrow's Guest:

As I mentioned in the vlog is the fabulous Cecil Castellucci. Please come back tomorrow to read her ballad because it rocks and she's giving away a copy of my personal favorite of her books, Beige.

Some other random links:

-An interview I did with the fabulous author Gwendolyn Glover

-A column I wrote for my local paper about my feelings (or lack thereof) about turning 30.

-Teen Fiction Cafe. Where I will be blogging about cupcakes shortly :)

And last but not least, for everyone curious about what I am doing for my birthday, I am going to Green Day. Fabulous fiance and BFF got me tickets! Woo hoo!

*Signed* copies of Ballads available for pre-order, ALA, and more!

I've got very exciting news for those of you outside of Chicago who are cursing my inability to visit your city and sign your book. You can get a signed copy of Ballads! A personalized one even!

On July 24th I will be doing an event at a bookstore in Chicago that is incredibly dear to me, Women & Children First. If you pre-order a copy of Ballads of Suburbia from them online here before the 24th and in the questions/comments section of your order put that you would like your copy signed at my event (you can even mention who you would like it signed to), they will hold your book until then, I will sign it and then they will send it on it's merry way to you. So there you go. If you want a signed copy of Ballads, but I am not coming to your city, that is your way to get it. Order it online from Women & Children First or call them on their toll-free number, (888) 923-7323 (which is probably what I'd do because I'm anal like that with special orders; I prefer talking to actual human beings). The sooner you do it, the better, so they are sure to set aside a book for you, especially if you want it personalized.

And not only will you get a signed book, you will be supporting an amazing bookstore that really needs your support to get through these tough economic times. Women & Children First bookstore is important to me because when I was going through absolute hell on my 16th birthday, my mom took me there and the women at the store showed me all of these fabulous empowering books like Girl Power by Hillary Carlip, Backlash by Susan Faludi and Angry Women. Those books saved my life. That and just knowing that I could go back to Women & Children First and find more books and people that I identified with and that understood me.

I wouldn't be here without the discoveries I made in that bookstore. Other women and girls need that bookstore. So I would be absolutely honored and thrilled if you decide to order my book through them. Or if you don't order my book, order something else, order tons of books, make them your new amazon :)

On to further excitement.... So guess who is staying at my house this weekend??? The fabulous Jeri Smith-Ready, author of my favorite vampire books, the WVMP series. I'm so excited to get to hang with her for a few days and pick her brain. Last night we got tiki drinks. Today we're getting tattoos. Jealous? Of course the reason she is in town is because the American Library Association (ALA) conference is here. We're attending this YA Author Coffee Klatch at the ungodly hour of 8:30 am on Sunday and then we are signing at the Simon & Schuster booth at 1 that day. I'm quite psyched, and pretty damn honored to be signing beside Jeri. Also I hear I'm going to get to meet some awesome bloggers, The Page Flipper and The Story Siren. It's gonna be a sweet weekend.

And a few more things to celebrate this weekend:

-Ballads of Suburbia will be released in August in the UK (Aug 20 according to amazon.co.uk) and in October in Australia and New Zealand (no exact date given)

-A great review of Ballads from Plenty of Paper Reviews

-Another great review of Ballads from The Eclectic Book Lover

-A very fun music-filled interview with Just Your Typical Book Blog

But I hope everyone remembers that for once, the real party begins after the weekend!!!!

Remember, come back here Monday for the beginning of the Ballads of Suburbia Cyber Launch Party. Monday also happens to be my birthday, but I won't be the only one getting presents. One lucky winner will get a signed copy of Ballads of Suburbia. All you gotta do is enter this contest.

Have a great weekend everyone!

GCC Presents: Jennifer Banash

Today I have Jennifer Banash on her Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour for her brand new book (just released on Tuesday!) Simply Irresistible. Here's the lowdown on the book:

Third and last in The Elite book series – Jennifer Banash brings us more adventures from the spoiled, rich teens in Manhattan who nearly ate Casey McCloy alive when she first arrived in the Big Apple from her small town of Normal, Illinois. Casey learned very quickly after she moved in with her grandmother at The Bramford, the most exclusive luxury apartment building on New York’s Upper East Side and got into the prestigious Meadowlark Academy on a full scholarship, that it’s not who you are but who you know!

Simply Irresistible (Penguin) brings us a whole new set of adventures now that Casey has had a big city-haute makeover, courtesy of her classmate and neighbor Madison Macallister – part teen icon and part queen diva-bitch. Wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people, has given Casey the look and the attitude – she’s “in” and loving it! Much to Madison’s dismay, her rival is climbing up the social ladder in a big way and could end up just as popular as Madison now that the two are set to star in their own TV reality show, “De-Luxe.” Yes, showbiz came knocking on two of The Bramford’s most illustrious doors and, as much as Madison thrives on the attention the show brings, she’s not thrilled about having every bit of her life of privilege caught on tape. However, fame comes at a price and Madison is one chick who is willing to pay anything…especially if it means becoming the next reality “it girl.” Casey, on the other hand, is realizing that Reality TV can sometimes beunreal, causing her to wonder if she even knows who she is anymore. With her relationship with Drew, Madison’s ex, currently more off than on, she can’t help wondering if everything in her life is really just an illusion – and how much longer the illusion can last….

Although The Elite series is obsessed with fashion and glamour, Branash does an impressive job of examining real issues that teens face, such as cutting, divorce, infidelity, and drug addiction. Having personally attended high school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan provided the author with the background for her ample insight and imagination portrayed in The Elite Series.

"If you love all the drama, scandal, and high-end fashion of Gossip
Girl...you'll want to check out...The Elite!"--Seventeen.com

"The Elite is Pretty in Pink for the millennium generation."--Romance
Reviews Today

"An awesome tale of friendship and betrayal with just the right amount
of humor and heart. Seriously irresistible, and impossible to put
down."-Alexa Young, author of Frenemies and Faketastic

I think this series sounds like a really fun summer read. Here's an interview with Jennifer to give us a little more insight!

Please list five songs that would be on the soundtrack to your book and explain how they relate to your story or characters.

Jennifer: 1. I'm good, I'm gone: Lykke Li (This could be Madison Macallister's theme song)

2. Kim and Jesse: M-83 (This entire CD sounds like the soundtrack to a John Hughes movies circa 2009. I listen to it on repeat while I write)

3. It's Never Over: Kate Walsh (Casey listens to this song in a scene in the book where she's lying in bed, wondering if she'll ever speak to Drew again)

4. One Time Too Many: Phoenix (Could be Drew's theme song--he's so self-destructive and indecisive)

5. A&E: Goldfrapp (Just because I love it)

Name some of your main character's favorite musicians or bands.

Jennifer: See below. My character's like the music I like. It's easier that way--and we fight less :)

Who are some of your favorite musicians or bands?

Jennifer: M-83, Bat For Lashes, Phoenix, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright, Juliana Hatfield, Cocteau Twins, Elliot Smith, Jesus and Mary Chain, Goldfrapp, The Radio Department..

Even though music plays in so heavily into my storytelling, I rarely can actually listen to it while I'm writing. Can you? How does music fit into your writing process?

Jennifer: I have to listen to music when I'm writing, but only with headphones. I have to really block out the outside world in order to become submerged in the world I'm creating. Sometimes the songs even show up in a scene--this happened a few times while I was writing Simply Irresistible.

While music is my muse, I know other writers find their muse in theater, sports, art, the great outdoors, etc. What is your main muse?

Jennifer: Film. I get tons of ideas form watching really great movies, and I adore the John Hughes films of the 1980's like The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles.

Thanks, Jennifer for visiting my blog and I hope everyone enjoyed the interview and is off to check out the book!