What's In Store(s)

Summer is just around the corner. I know this because I went to see a movie this afternoon (more on that later) and was bombarded by preview after preview of upcoming blockbuster hits.

Iron Man
Okay, maybe Robert Downey, Jr. is far from the superhero type, but the extended preview made this look like a not-so-bad flick. In short, he develops super-weapons and sells them to the highest bidder (aka the US military) until he's kidnapped by the enemy and sees what it's like on the other side of the attack. When he gets free (how? I'm not sure) he decides he needs to be a protector of innocents and uses his engineering superpowers to build himself a suit that will turn him into a superhero. Trailer grade: B-

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Yay!!! The next installment of the Narnia series (and more quality screen time with the beyond adorable William Moseley who plays Peter Pevensie). In the trailer, the four Pevensies are awaiting a train at a London Tube station. When the train zips through, it kinda tears WWII London away with it, leaving the children staring out at Narnia from the mouth of a cave. Although one year has passed for them, 1300 have passed in Narnia. After discovering the ruins of the castle where they once ruled, they are greeted by Prince Caspian (played by yummy Ben Barnes, who looks like a young, LOTR-era Viggo Mortensen). Plenty of drama and fantasy and medieval-like CGI battles in a broad meadow. Trailer grade: A-

House Bunny
Legally Blonde meets Clueless on a college campus. An aging (at 27) Playboy Bunny gets tossed out of Heff's house and realizes she has no marketable skills whatsoever. When she happens upon sorority row on the local campus--where she thinks all the houses look like mini-Playboy mansions--she decides she wants to be a house mother. The hardcore house moms (think country club chic) send her to the Zetas, a house full of ultra-intelligent misfits who decide she's the perfect one the help them get attractive outsides to go with their brainiac insides. High snark factor, extreme makeover sessions, and a campus full of hot college guys. Trailer grade: B

Other Upcoming Flicks

• Made of Honor (Dempsey in love with his best girl friend!)
• What Happens in Vegas (Ashton and Cam-Cam hit the jackpot)
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (with Shia)
• Wall-E (the newest Disney/Pixar)
• Hancock (Will Smith as the anti-superhero)
• X-Files 2 (yes, with David and Gillian!)
• Mummy 3 (Brendan, yes, but no Rachel)
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (original cast still in tact!)

Oh, and there's something else in store(s) for you right now. OH. MY. GODS!!! Here's the phone pic of my very first on-shelf sighting at the Books-A-Million in Katy Mills Mall. Woohoo!!!


Send in your sightings pics (whether via camera phone or otherwise) and I'll post them here and in a special MySpace album. =)

Hugs,
TLC

Houston, We Have Shipment

After two looong years, Barnes and Noble sent out the notice today that OH. MY. GODS. is packaged and ready to ship. It could be in your hands in a matter of days! This is like Christmas, my birthday, and every other holiday all rolled up into one.


If you've pre-ordered a copy, check your mailbox. Please report in when your copy arrives--if you send pictures I'll post them!!!

Hugs,
TLC

Sending You Elsewhere #1

There are some interesting things going on in the blogosphere lately (and nothing interesting going on here) so today I'm sending you elsewhere for fun and goodies.

Stephanie Hale blogged about our experience last at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. And, if you read the whole thing, you will realize it really was an experience. Read it at Books, Boys, Buzz...


Alexa Young is trying to give away copies of her upcoming, undeniably fabulous book, FRENEMIES. Want to win one? She's making you work for it. Find out how at her blog.


Kate Brian announced that book #7 in the Private series, AMBITION, is in stock and available early from Amazon and BN.com!


Meg Cabot discussed her crash course in gluten-free, brags about spending passover at Judy Blume's house (yes, JUDY BLUME!), and urges everyone to pick up a copy of Sarah Dessen's latest, LOCK AND KEY.


John Green shared a juicy and economic tidbit about the upcoming paperback release of his sophomore novel, AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES. The retail price is $3.99!


Okay, that's all the fun I can dig up. If you need more than this you'll have to seek it out on your own. (Then come back and share, so I can feel the fun, too!)

Hugs,
TLC

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS by Sara Shepard

Three years ago, five seventh grade girls were best friends. Then one of them disappeared. The remaining four thought their deepest, darkest secrets were safe ... until their past comes back to haunt them.

When ultra-popular Alison vanished, the girls' friendship fell apart. She had been the glue that held the group together, and with her--and her power over them--gone, they went separate ways.

There's Aria, whose family moved to Iceland and is only now returning to Rosewood with a mature, Eurochic attitude. When boredom drives her to the local bar, she winds up making out in the bathroom with a hottie college grad. Surprise when she shows at school the next day to find her hook-up is her English teacher.

There's Emily, who threw herself into sports, becoming a star swimmer like everyone else in her family, and dating a swimmer-boy. When a new family moves in next door--into Alison's old house--a new friend makes her question everything she thought she wanted.

There's Hannah, who transformed herself from a chubby hanger-on into a slutty, recovering-bulimic it-girl with a penchant for shoplifting. When memories resurface and her boyfriend takes a vow of virginity, she starts feeling the urge to purge.

There's Spencer, who followed in her older sister's footsteps, becoming the perfect preppy good girl who does everything that's expected of her. When she finds herself resenting her sister's long-reaching shadow and lusting after her sister's soon-to-be live-in boyfriend, she might not stay little miss perfect for long.

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is the story of four girls who have taken different paths away from the same traumatic incident. Their stories are individual and yet interwoven, in a way that they lead inevitably to the same place. Full of dark secrets--what happened to Alison? what is "the Jenna thing"?--and deep mystery--just who is the mysterious A who keeps sending the girls seemingly omniscient texts and emails? This is only the first in a series of eight--yes, eight!--that promises to keep the reader furiously rushing through, trying to unravel all the secrets.

There are a variety of controversial topics addressed in PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. Some of them are major taboos, some are just kinda rotten. Which one is the bottom of the barrel? I wanna know what you think.



Hugs,
TLC

Seven Signs You Should Have Stayed Home (and Why You're Glad You Didn't)

Ever have one of those weeks where it seems like fate just keeps telling you to rethink your current course of action? Where one thing after another after another says, "You should have stayed in bed!" Last week was one of those weeks.


Here are the signs (and the reasons it turned out okay):

1. Your taxi from the airport to downtown takes a twenty-minute "detour" through suburban Pittsburgh (but suburban Pittsburgh is really lovely, and you avoid a major traffic jam).

2. Your hotel doesn't have enough double-doubles to accommodate the entire conference, so you're going to have to share a king with your roommate (but you love your roommate, and the hotel gives you a discounted rate).

3. You get stuck in the elevator for an hour with your claustrophobic roommate and the crazy bellman (but you have a great story for the rest of conference, and the hotel gives you an even more discounted rate plus free champagne).

4. You're not writing paranormal or erotic romance, so no one at the conference really cares about you (but you get to be on a panel with several other great young adult authors, and everyone will still want your postcard as long as you have a half-naked statue on your cover).

5. You are surrounded by cover models who are young, buff, and totally hot ... wait, there's no bad side to that, is there?

6. Your book doesn't come out for another two weeks, so you have nothing to sign at the Book Fair (but when another author doesn't show you get to sit next to and behind your two favorite authoresses, and you still get to meet lots of great librarians, booksellers, and MySpace friends).

7. After a grueling three hours signing books--er, watching people sign books, the book fair comes to an appropriate end with a five minute ballroom-wide blackout (but you get some fun pictures for your blog, and also some blackmail pictures).

In other words, my first Romantic Times Booklovers Convention was equal parts disaster and delight, but overall I would have to vote it a success.

Hugs,
TLC

If It's Tuesday, There Must Be Winners

The contest is officially over! Thank you to everyone who entered. Although this was your last chance to win OH. MY. GODS. before the release, don't despair if you didn't win. You can find OMG in bookstores everywhere on May 1st, and there will be more (and better!) contests in the future.

Now, without further delay, I present the winners:


1. Karin
2. The Compulsive Reader
3. Marlayne

[Thanks again to the folks at randomizer.org for their awesome randomizing thingamajiggy.]

Congrats to the winners, now it's your turn. Send me your mailing address via MySpace message or to tlc [at] teralynnchilds.com so I can get your copies of OH. MY. GODS. in the mail!

Hugs,
TLC

Reason #1 Why Writers Are Neurotic

There is a seemingly endless list of reasons why writers are neurotic (and no, I don't think it's because the writing profession appeals to naturally neurotic people). This is just the first reason I'm discussing, and is by no means the main or primary one.

Reason #1: THE SUBJECTIVE NATURE OF ALL CREATIVE ARTS


I learned this hard lesson in 7th grade art. One of our projects was to do a pen and ink drawing of a house. I drew the most beautiful house, with a long winding path and a yard landscaped with fluffy bushes and trees. It was perfect. I adored it. My parents framed it and hung it on their wall. My teacher gave me an 80/100.

Our next project was a watercolor painting of a magazine still life. I hate watercolors with a passion (mainly because I'm not very good) and I'd rather use acrylics, colored pencils, or chisel on a stone tablet. But, being a dutiful student, I carefully selected a photo depicting a plate of sliced vegetables (which I also hate, but that's another issue). I recreated it in watercolor to the best of my ability. It was still crap. It was one of the most hideous things I've ever created. I wanted to burn it. My teacher gave me a 100/100.

No, I'm not exaggerating.

Was one of us right and one of us wrong? No. I preferred my pen and ink house (and so do my parents, who still have it hanging on their wall) and she preferred the watercolor. It's a matter of personal taste.

And so it goes with books (or movies or music or basket weaving). As a writer, you create something to suit your tastes and probably (hopefully) your editor's tastes. If you're lucky, this will also suit the tastes of a decently sized audience. Does that mean everyone who ever reads your book is going to love it? Of course not. That's just not mathematically possible. There will always be a portion of the population who hates heroines named Jane or stories set in Texas or books written by women or whatever.

Can you do anything about it? No.

And that's Reason #1 Why Writers Are Neurotic. We send our creative work (bits of our heart and soul) out into the big wide world, knowing that some people are going to give it a B- when you know it deserves an A+.

Hugs,
TLC

PS -- Don't forget to enter the contest to win one of three advance galley copies of OH. MY. GODS.

Win It Again!

Did you miss your chance to win an advance galley copy of OH. MY. GODS. on the Buzz Blog last week? Well, never fear. Another chance is here! (Three, actually.)


This week, I'm giving away more copies of OH. MY. GODS. galleys to three (3) lucky readers. And there are two ways to enter:

1. Go to my MySpace blog and leave a comment on the Win It Again! blog post.

2. Go to my website and join my mailing list (there's a little sign-up form at the bottom right of every page, or click on Join Mailing List in the menu).

If you enter both ways, then you double your chances of winning! This is the last giveaway before OH. MY. GODS. comes out on May 1st, so be sure to enter if you want it before you can buy it.

You have until midnight Monday (Pacific time), April 14.

Hugs,
TLC

Threes

Stole this fun little (okay, it’s pretty long) meme (aka the lazy blogger’s blog post) from Aimee Friedman and Jennifer: YA Librarian for Otis Library.

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. teralynn1976
2. tlc18
3. pinkpigeon

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. my eyes (hazel)
2. my hair (thick)
3. my teeth (naturally straight)

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. my eyes (failing)
2. my hair (strai-ai-aight)
3. my knuckles (knotty thanks to over-agressive basketball players)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. zombie movies
2. creepy-crawlies in my house
3. 20/20 exposees

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Burt’s Bees lip balm
2. email access
3. notepad and pen

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING NOW:
1. jeans (bootcut)
2. glasses (reluctantly)
3. v-neck tee (aubergine)

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Norah Jones
2. Bowling For Soup
3. Madonna

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (RIGHT NOW):
1. Love Song (Sara Bareilles)
2. Teardrops On My Guitar (Taylor Swift)
3. Dreaming With A Broken Heart (John Mayer)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. trust
2. comfort
3. excitement

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. eyes (mysterious or otherwise)
2. smile and laugh (especially at self)
3. loyalty (unconditional)

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. reading
2. writing
3. travel

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. visit another continent
2. drink a caramel frappuccino
3. finish current work in progress

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING/YOU’VE CONSIDERED:
1. architect
2. environmental biologist
3. lawyer

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina
3. Sydney, Australia

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. love pink
2. indulge in pampering
3. watch figure skating, gymnastics, and diving

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. pretty strong
2. handy with a toolbox
3. watch basketball, hockey, and soccer

Steal at will.
Hugs,
TLC