Meet Lily

Hi everyone!

I'm Lily Sanderson, known in underwater circles as Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia. I grew up in Thalassina, a beautiful kingdom off the Florida coast, part way between Miami and the Bahamas. But three years ago I found out my mom, who died not long after I was born, was actually a human and I decided to move in with my aunt Rachel in Seaview.

I love living on land, mostly because the boy of my heart (Brody--you'll meet him tomorrow) is human, but also because of Aunt Rachel and my friend Shannen (you'll meet her this week, too) and lip gloss. I adore lip gloss. I'm a senior at Seaview High, which means I'll be graduating shortly--a few weeks after my birthday. I run the camera for the news team and I'm the swim team manager. Mostly, I just try to get by without failing my classes, seeing as much of Brody as possible, and avoiding my obnoxious neighbor Quince (sorry, but you have to meet him, too). All of the above are harder than you might think.

After graduation, I'll be heading home to Thalassinia to learn how to rule at Daddy's side. Hopefully, once I finally get the courage to confess my love to Brody, he'll see that we're a perfect match and we'll be bonded and back home before you can say damselfish. But only if I can keep Quince out of my business long enough to do it.

Anyway, if you have any questions for me, post them below and I'll answer some on Saturday. Otherwise, check out my story in Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs which is out, like, RIGHT NOW!

xoxo
Lily

PS -- Don't forget to comment, even if you don't have a question, for a chance to win my book and TLC will donate a quarter to Oceana. Trust me, the oceans need your help right now.

The Festival of Fins (aka Fins Fest)

The release week for Forgive My Fins, my third novel, is finally here! My mermaid tale hits bookstores this week, and to celebrate I've got some very fun things planned.

1. Meet the Characters -- Over the next few days, the stars of Forgive My Fins are going to take over the blog, introducing themselves and giving you a taste of their part in the story. Stop by to meet Lily, Brody, Quince, Shannen, and Dosinia. Ask them questions in comments and they'll answer in a post on Saturday.
2. Win the Book -- Release week always means contests and prizes. Every day, from Sunday through Saturday, I'll give away a signed copy of Forgive My Fins and a mermaid spa kit. (These are adorable sets my editor put together, full of fizzing lime bath salts and green nail polish.)
3. Save the Oceans -- For every comment on my blog this week I'll donate a quarter (up to $500) to Oceana, a non-profit organization dedicating to ocean conservation. Right now they're focused on dealing with the massive oil spill disaster in the Gulf.

How's that for an awesome release week? (Pssst. If you want to double your chances to win the book, head over the Books, Boys, Buzz.... blog.)

Hugs,
TLC

Suggest a Title, Win a Book!

It's my day over at Books, Boys, Buzz... and today I'm begging for title help. I'm not above bribery, either, so I'm giving away a signed, fresh of the presses copy of Forgive My Fins to one lucky commenter. Click over to the Buzz blog, read the blurb, suggest a title, and you might win. Go now!

Browse Inside Forgive My Fins

The HarperCollins Browse Inside for Forgive My Fins is now up and running. That means you can read sixty pages (SIXTY PAGES!) online for free. Do so now.



Hugs,
TLC

Some Great Posts on Writing

I'm (supposed to be) revising two books right now and I need a little procrastination, so I've been scouring the internet for writing tips and articles. (Okay, that's a lie. I got all these links from Elizabeth S. Craig. If you don't follow her on Twitter, you should.)

Anyway, I've read a lot of articles on writing craft in my time, so I'm a bit picky. Since I'm (supposed to be) revising, the topics that tickle my fancy at the moment definitely skew to the theme of "How Do I Fix This #%$! Book?"

• Lists! at The Secret Archives of the Alliterati. Planning and revising scenes for maximum effect. Three keys points about scenes to keep in mind.
• The Hero’s Journey series at Justus R. Stone. Based on the comparative mythology studies of Joseph Campbell. A terrific basic template for story structure.
  
• Three Act Structure at Jenn Johansson. A great summary and discussion about Artistotle's three act structure, and why this format works.
• Kumquats Were Harmed During the Writing of This Article at Unbound. A fun and fruity example of applying three act structure to a story.
  
• 6 Reasons I Stop Reading (and How to Avoid Them) at Anna Staniszewski. Some reasons why a reader doesn't get drawn into a story and how to fix them.
  

And finally, a general resource for writers.

• 22 Websites Every Writer Must Use at The Creative Penn.
  

Hugs,
TLC

PS -- There are still open spots on the Splash Team!

Winners, Winners Everywhere

Between the Fins Fest ARC giveaway and my regular website contest, there were a lot of books up for grabs the last couple weeks. I've finally chosen the winners (through the completely random process of asking the current occupants of my house to pick numbers).

My March/April Website Contest

Prizes:

5 copies of the Goddess Boot Camp hardcover

Winners:

• eileenrox15
• oliviamendlinger
• kouklaggrox682
• fiona
• throuthehaze

Fins Fest ARC Giveaway

Prizes:

6 copies of the Forgive My Fins ARC

Winners from the blog:

• Meggie
• Christa
• Katrina

Winner from Twitter:

• CleverlyInked

Winner from Facebook:

• Hazel Alva

Winner from the Ning:

• Hannah

Congrats to all those winner! I'll be contacting everyone that I can, but if you see your name up there please email your mailing info to tlc at teralynnchilds dot com. (And whether you would like your prize signed to you or someone else or generically.)

If you missed out this time, enter my May website contest for your chance to win copies of the real hardcover book of Forgive My Fins. And, as always, more contests to come.

Hugs,
TLC

Join the Splash Team

When Forgive My Fins comes out on June 1st, I want it to splash onto the book scene like a tsunami on the shore. I want everyone who ever read a book to know what it's about. And I need your help. That's why I've formed the Splash Team, made up of readers who love mermaids and my books and who want to help spread the word.

How does Splash Team work? I'm glad you asked.

In order to join Splash Team, you need to commit to going out into the world and handing out Forgive My Fins bookmarks and mer mark temporary tattoos to librarians and booksellers you think might love the book and who will tell everyone they know about it. If you think you'd like to do that, then go ahead and sign up.*

When I get your info, I'll mail you a special Splash Team kit, full of bookmarks and tattoos and an exclusive Splash Team member button. Then it's up to you to distribute the swag and get the word out.

There will be bonuses, too. Like an exclusive online forum (as soon as I get it set up) where you can meet other Splash Team members and share stories and ask questions. And I'll host exclusive live online chats, where you can ask me anything you want--even about the sequel to Forgive My Fins and other books.

If you think that all sounds like fun and something you'd like to help out with, then join the Splash Team today. For the moment, I'm limiting membership to 100 spots, so the sooner the better.

Let's make a splash!

Hugs,
TLC

* Splash Team is currently only open to residents of the U.S. who are at least 13 years old.

The Final Chucks Report

Here are my Chucks at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, with my very stylish checkered socks.

I must say that, after tramping through the melting snow of Quebec, my Chucks didn't get much more road worn. They did get more broken in, though. They became my daily shoe, instead of the running shoes I bought to replace the painful booties. Even after getting home, they are my go to shoe for everything from writing at Starbucks to attending a musical in Guthrie.

This is what they look like now, after a seven week trip across the continent.

I think they will only get better with age. And I intend to have them around for a very, very long time. It's hard to beat a classic.

Hugs,
TLC

PS -- Don't forget to enter Fins Fest, which ends Saturday, May 8th at midnight Pacific time!

Fins Fest!

Forgive My Fins hits the bookstores four weeks from today (four weeks!!!) and, since I have a few extra ARCs hanging around I thought I'd hold a little Fins Fest on the blog and around the web. Here's how Fins Fest will work:

3 ARC giveaways on the blog
Comment on this post by completing this statement:
If I were a mermaid (or merman) I would ...

1 ARC giveaway on Twitter
Post the following Tweet to enter:
"I want to win Forgive My Fins by @teralynnchilds don't you? RT to enter. #finsfest"

1 ARC giveaway on Facebook
Like the Forgive My Fins Facebook page, go to the discussions tab, and add your comment to the Fins Fest Contest topic.

1 ARC giveaway on the Ning
Join the Goddess Boot Camp Ning, find the Fins Fest Contest forum discussion, and leave a comment to enter.

Enter at any and all of the above. Enter now through midnight Saturday, May 8th (Pacific time). Tell your friends to enter too, and maybe they'll share if they win. Good luck!

Hugs,
TLC

A Vegan Resolution

On Monday, April 26, 2010, I decide to adopt a vegan lifestyle. Hopefully everyone knows what a vegetarian is (and if you don't, then you probably live in a cow-producing state), but just in case you're unclear about the term vegan, here's the definition from Merriam-Webster:

a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products

Many Vegans choose this diet, as well as a lifestyle without fur, leather, or other animal-produced products, out of a concern for animal suffering. Now, I'm as compassionate and animal loving as the next vegan, but I have to admit that my motives are a little more personal.

I can't remember a time when "get healthy and lose weight" wasn't one of my New Year's resolutions. I've done the yo-yo dieting, the exercising, even went vegetarian a few times. But nothing ever worked.

The first part of my decision clicked when I was traveling. I was on this amazing adventure, visiting both coasts of this country and trekking all the way across Canada, I was walking more than ever and eating good, quality food. And yet... I still felt kinda sluggish and my skin was being a nightmare. Something just wasn't working.

The second part of my decision clicked when I was at a friend's booksigning. While she was busy talking to fans and signing books, I wandered around the store. There, on the front table, was The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. I hadn't heard of the book, but I love her and knew she was a very vocal vegan. I flipped through and it looked interesting. Just not interesting enough to buy at full price.

When I got home to Oklahoma, I ordered the book on Amazon. (The devil, I know, but so much cheaper!) I read through it. Half of the book is recipes and half is an explanation of how much healthier a plant-based diet is for the human body. And how many health problems--from heart disease to diabetes--can be improved or even cured by eliminating animal products from the diet.

That decided it. All of a sudden everything clicked into place. I didn't make the shift overnight, I waited until a Monday, but I signed off on meat and dairy. As a lifelong cheese lover, I thought this might be hard. But you know what? I haven't craved cheese once. (Until I found this awesome pizza recipe, but it uses soy cheese!) I've been to busy cooking delicious, healthy, filling and fulfilling meals. I'm actually taking joy in shopping for and preparing food.

I'm not being ultra-strict about the dairy yet--like the veggie crumbles for my vegetarian chili have tiny amounts of milk and egg--but I think I'll get there. And, for now, this is enough.

The funny thing that the food isn't the only change that clicked into place. I've also sworn off soda--I've been drinking tea and juice and, gasp, water. I'm being more productive with my days--I finished the first draft of the first Medusa girls book a month early! And everything just feels ... right.

Hopefully, you'll see the results over the coming months and years in the form of more blogs, more books, and less TLC. Check back often and I'll keep you posted.

Hugs,
TLC