PRETTY AMY COVER REVEAL EXCERPT SNEAK PEEK

As many of you know my cover reveal is set for 3/5! I am so excited! So excited in fact that I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek of the first few lines of an excerpt we will be sharing that day!

If you have a blog and want to sign up for the cover reveal there is still time- simply leave your email address in the comments below and we will send you all the info you need this weekend. THANK YOU so much to everyone who has signed up already!

Here’s a sneaky-peek of the first lines of an excerpt chosen specifically for my cover reveal by my editor- extraordinaire Stacy Cantor Abrams- enjoy!

I was just about to put out my cigarette and go back inside when I heard a skateboard coming down the street. It sounded like waves, like a conch shell against your ear. That full, empty sound.

Maybe it was Aaron. I conjured up my stupid daydream, the one I used to fill my head when I couldn’t deal with any of the other stuff in there—that he would find me, that he would apologize, that he would tell me that prom night hadn’t been his fault.

The difference this time was that when I looked toward the sound, he really was there.

 

They’ll be a lot more where that came from on Monday, March 5th!

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy

PRETTY AMY is also an eligible book in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren if you want to add it to your list! link

LUMINOSITY COVER REVEAL

LUMINOSITY (Luminosity, #1) by Stephanie Thomas (November 13, 2012)
Blurb:
“My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.
The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.
But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.”
Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Luminosity-Stephanie-Thomas/dp/1620611279/ref=lh_ni_t
Add to your Goodreads TBR: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425149-luminosity

If SPANX is good enough for them- its good enough for my cover blurb

Just a small SPANX shout-out. Thank you for being in my cover blurb (and for covering up my blurbs )

Oh yes everyone loves SPANX, even beautiful stars

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/stars-who-wear-spanx-on-the-red-carpet-1329937398-slideshow/

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when the girls get stood up for prom and take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and

Spanx

Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. What’s worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy

PRETTY AMY is also an eligible book in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren if you want to add it to your list! link

My Release Date

Now this whole “HOLY-CRAP I’M GETTING PUBLISHED” process has been crazy. Crazy and awesome and I’m pretty sure the only thing my body responds to anymore is straight adrenaline. That said I just got a shot of it today. I’ve received my drum-roll official publication date!!!! PRETTY AMY will be released:

5/15

Isn’t it beautiful? Doesn’t it just make you want to go out and buy books ?

Now only 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days more to wait.

I wonder if you can run out of adrenaline? I’ll let you guys know.

PRETTY AMY  from Entangled Teen

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when the girls get stood up for prom and take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. What’s worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Don’t forget to “Like” me on Facebook to get all the deets on upcoming giveaways and contests! And add my book on Goodreads if you like what I have to say!

https://www.facebook.com/LisaBursteinAuthor

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy

HELP CELEBRATE MY COVER REVEAL :)

Welcome Book Bloggers! The cover reveal for my upcoming comedic YA contemporary novel from Entangled Publishing, PRETTY AMY will be held on Monday 03/05/2012! OMG am I EXCITED- like peeing in my pants excited - and I would love to have you participate. If you would like to be a part of the event and host a cover reveal on your blog, please leave your email address in the comments. I will email you the information you need on 3/3 or 3/4. There’s room for everyone who’s interested. Thanks so much awesome people!

PRETTY AMY May 2012 from Entangled Teen

Prom is a four-letter word.

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when the girls get stood up for prom and take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. What’s worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy

PRETTY AMY is also an eligible book in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren if you want to add it to your list! link

COVER REVEAL INBETWEEN BY TARA FULLER

INBETWEEN (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller (August 7, 2012)
Blurb:
Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.
It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.
Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Inbetween-Tara-Fuller/dp/1620610833/ref=lh_ni_t
Add to your Goodreads TBR: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13055677-inbetween

How I Learned to Write Dialogue

You might not believe this, but writing dialogue used to be one of my biggest weaknesses. Characterization: check, Description: check, Plot: well- mostly check(still working on this one ). But my dialogue, it was bad, horrible, embarrassing. I found it so hard to write it was non-existent. When it was there it was that info-dump dialogue, not the way anyone talks in real-life.

Then one day, I read something that changed it all: write dialogue like your characters are actually speaking to each other. You are just overhearing what they say- you don’t control it- the scene does, the story does. Some of you might be saying duh, but to me this was an epiphany- the characters talk- its not about what the reader needs to hear.

The difference this made in my writing was HUGE, so HUGE that it was noticed. My dialogue went from horrible and non-existent to being something people thought I excelled at, I even started getting complimented on it- and honestly it was just that one change.

So here’s how I write dialogue. I’ll write between characters back and forth(like a tennis game) with0ut punctuation or anything else and then go back once I have a dialogue skeleton and write the scene. So far this works for me.

I also use this: http://www.amazon.com/Alphasmart-Alpha-Smart-Processing-Computer

I know it looks like a big calculator- but I LOVE THIS MACHINE. Why? Because I can write without reading as I’m writing(key in cranking out dialogue w/out “over-thinking”). Because it’s not as scary as the big white screen, because it takes everything I write and transfers it into Word so I can edit it later . I think you could also make your Word document super-small on the screen, so all you see is a few lines at a time if you don’t want to buy something new .

Any tips that took your writing to the next level?

PRETTY AMY TEASER TUESDAY 4

Happy Valentines Day Y’all.  In honor of LOVE here is a short excerpt about one of the things Amy loved- books!

There were shelves stacked with the books I’d loved as
a child. All the girls I’d wanted to be like. A pile of yellow
hardback Nancy Drew books, shiny paperback Ramona
books, a pale purple copy of Margaret. Ramona didn’t care;
she told the world to piss off with her short hair and freckles.
Margaret, with her hair like spun gold, cared too much. Nancy,
the fiery redhead, was too smart to worry about anything.

As I got older, I had to live in images. Started living
with an outlined face and body layered upon me by a huge
overhead projector lit by the sun. Staying with me constantly,
reminding me and everyone else of what I was not.

Video- How to hide embarassing books on your Kindle

Wow, people really have a lot of time on their hands to worry about this stuff. And also, reading books you like is NOT embarrassing.

How to hide embarassing books on your Kindle

PRETTY AMY TEASER TUESDAY 3

Hi Guys,

Here’s a short exchange between Cassie and Amy after they find out their dates have stood them up for Prom. Hope you enjoy!

“She’s so fucking clueless,” Cassie said, plopping down on the grass. She pulled out a handful of blades and burned them with her lighter. “Maybe he’ll come home if I burn his house down.”

I nodded. Not that I wanted her to burn his house down, but a small grass fire might attract some attention.

“This is so typical,” she said, lighting a cigarette. “I didn’t even want to go. Fucking Lila.”

“We don’t know they’re not coming,” I said. I wasn’t ready to let myself believe that this was going to be my memory of prom night for the rest of my life.

“Well, maybe we don’t,” she said, taking a long drag, “but I do.”

I stared at my nails. I had painted them in the same light blue as my dress. I thought about how the nail polish was still sitting on my nightstand, how when I got home I would scrub my nails raw and throw it away.

We looked up, startled by a crash that came from the back of the house.

Cassie shook her head. “You should never climb a trellis in heels.”

“You think Lila’s breaking in?”

She grabbed another handful of grass and lit it up. “You know what would be classic?” she asked, smiling like she was trying to keep a bird from flying out from behind her teeth. “She finds him in there with some other girl.” She watched me for a moment, gauging my reaction. “Don’t tell me that wouldn’t make you happy.”

It would have, so I didn’t.

 

Don’t forget to “Like” me on Facebook to get all the deets on upcoming giveaways and contests! And add my book on Goodreads if you like what I have to say!

https://www.facebook.com/LisaBursteinAuthor

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy