Buzzing About Platinum Hit

Today I'm talking about Bravo's new singer-songwriter competition show Platinum Hit over on Books, Boys, Buzz...

Hugs,
TLC

Giveaways Return Next Monday

Since this Monday is a holiday it already sucks less than most, so I'm forgoing doing a giveaway in favor of an NCIS marathon and finishing the first draft of Sweet Venom 2. (No holidays for writers, apparently. At least not ones on deadlines.)

Have a safe Memorial Day.

Hugs,
TLC

Chills and Thrills Tour Wrap-up (Weekend Two)

After the previous weekend, I was a little nervous to drive my car back to Texas. Especially since I drove down the morning of the signing without the extra buffer of an overnight stay to make sure I got there on time.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I headed out from Stillwater pretty early in the morning, since it was a four-plus hour drive to A Real Bookstore in Fairview, Texas. I got there without car incident (whew!) with plenty of time to spare. Which meant I got to drop in at The Container Store (whee!) where they were having an "Organized Travel" sale (double whee!).

Then, once I'd spent my savings, I headed over to A Real Bookstore. I was an hour early and got totally called out by the event manager, Jeremy, as I was trying to sneak across the store. But I hung out in front of the store, chatting with Kari from The {Teen} Book Scene and then Tracy Deebs and Jennifer Archer when they arrived.

There was a great turnout, with lots of bloggers and aspiring writers. Arena from The Nerd's Wife and Melina from Reading Vacation posted some great pics and recaps of our event there. And Rosemary Clement-Moore made the trek to support us at the signing. We had a blast!

(I totally stole this adorable picture from Melina's blog!)

We also hung out in the cafe afterward, chatting (as we are so fond of doing) for like two hours. We even drew the attention of an aspiring romance author who happened to be sitting nearby, who was then crazy brave enough to approach us and ask very smart questions about becoming an author. All in all a really fun day.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

My car remained functional and in tact despite the overnight stay at Rosemary's. Which proved, I suppose, that her house is not cursed with car trouble. I made the short drive from her house to the Barnes & Noble at North East Mall in Hurst, Texas.

We had another good turnout, including some of the ladies from Fresh Fiction (waves at Sara and Candy), a couple of book bloggers, some teachers, and Misty, one of my fabulous Splash Team members, who brought me adorable gifts!

The bar is set, Splashers. I expect prezzies!

After the signing, I finally made the long drive back to Oklahoma for the last time. There were tornado warnings in the Fort Worth area and severe thunderstorms in southeast Oklahoma, but luckily I managed to beat them all home. Now I'm home for a while, finishing up Sweet Venom 2 for my editor, and getting ready to make the big move.

Hugs,
TLC

Chills and Thrills Tour Wrap-up (Weekend One)

For the past two weekends I've make the long trek down to Texas to participate in booksignings as part of the Chills and Thrills Teen Book Tour. The tour (which still has one weekend of signings down in Houston) was quite the adventure. In more ways than one.

Friday, May 13, 2011

For a Friday the 13th, it was pretty uneventful. I headed out of Stillwater at 8:30am with the plans to meet the fabulous Jamie Harrington for lunch at Freebirds in Denton at 1:30ish. Other than the fact that my brand new car brakes were really stinky and Tom-Tom sent me to the wrong place, it was great. I gave Jamie some lemon vegan cupcakes and then went on my way.

I arrived in Austin at around 8:00pm and went out to dinner with my friend Nora. We went to Austin favorite Kerbey Lane, where they have a vegan menu. I ordered the hippy burger and it was delicious!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Made the drive from Austin to San Antonio (with some ridiculous traffic along the way) for the first Chills and Thrills signing at the Barnes & Noble in the La Cantera mall. It was awesome. We had a good turnout (maybe due, in part, to the fact that Rick Riordan was signing after us). Other than two missing tour members (one had mixed up the time, the other had a family emergency) it was delightful.

Jennifer Archer, Marianne Mancusi, and Tracy Deebs.

I had lunch after with author Clare Dunkle, whom I met up with later that evening at Chris Barton's signing in Austin. Before the signing I had dinner with Nora and my friend (one of my dad's former student's) Holly who has a decorative cake business. She makes cakes that look like bras!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The second tour signing at Book People was great! Lot's of Austin area book bloggers showed up (waves at jenbigheart and MundieMoms) and we had some great questions from the crowd. This was the only event where all seven tour members were signing (me, Jennifer Archer, Lara Chapman, Jordan Dane, Tracy Deebs, Sophie Jordan, and Marianne Mancusi) so that made it extra special.

Jennifer Archer, Tracy Deebs, Sophie Jordan, Marianne Mancusi, Jordan Dane, and me (holding Lara Chapman's book because she was running late).

After the signing, I hung out with Sophie a bit (I got the most adorable little dog jewelry bowl at Anthropologie) and sent home vegan cupcakes with her and Marianne. (There was a bit of a vegan vs. non-vegan cupcake war on Twitter between me, Marianne, and Rosemary Clement-Moore, so I had to deliver the goods for my side.)

Then I headed up to Arlington to stay with Rosemary Clement-Moore for the night. My plan was to deliver the vegan cupcakes, spend half the night chatting, and then get on the road early to get back to my Sweet Venom 2 revision in Oklahoma. Only my brakes had other plans. My brand new brakes failed (it's a long story and you can read all about it on the Buzz Blog) and I ended up staying an extra night.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bye bye car.

Got to spend the whole day with Rosemary, chatting and having lunch at a vegan restaurant and waiting to hear news about my poor car. By the end of the day I knew I'd be spending another night, but my car would be fixed the next morning.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Finally drive back to Oklahoma. Even though it was only a day later than planned, it felt like forever. Mostly because I'd left my revision work and home and I was eager to get back to it. Thus ended weekend one of the Chills and Thrills tour. I'll dish the dirt on weekend two tomorrow.

Hugs,
TLC

Buzzing About High School

We're talking about high school and graduation this week at Books, Boys, Buzz... so click over to enjoy some fun tales and embarrassing pictures.

Hugs,
TLC

Monday Giveaway: Can I See Your I.D.?

*** Contest is over and the winner is Stephanie Karina. Send your mailing info to tlc at teralynnchilds dot com. ***

Today's edition of getting the suck out of Monday's goes the non-fiction route. Normally I'm not into reading non-fiction (watching it, sure, I'm totally addicted to the Discovery Channel) but when I heard Chris Barton reading sections from Can I See Your I.D.? I was sold. Check it out.

From the impoverished young woman who enchanted nineteenth-century British society as a faux Asian princess, to the sixteen-year-old boy who "stole" a subway train in 1993, to the lonely-but-clever Frank Abagnale of Catch Me If You Can fame, these ten vignettes offer exhilarating insight into mind-blowing masquerades. Graphic panels draw you into the exploits of these pretenders, and meticulously researched details keep you on the edge of your seat. Each scene is presented in the second person, a unique point of view that literally places you inside the faker's mind. With motivations that include survival, delusion, and plain old-fashioned greed, the psychology of deception has never been so fascinating or so close at hand.

So, what do you think? Sound like something you might like to try? Don't be scared off by the non-fictioniness, because these stories are really awesome reads. To enter to win this signed copy, just comment or tell me about one time where you pretended to be someone or something else.

Hugs,
TLC

Mermaid Short Story Poll

I'm thinking about writing a short story or two set in the Forgive My Fins world, but my brain is deadline fried and I need some suggestions. Is there a secondary character you would like to know a little more about? Or maybe an aspect of the mermaid world you want to understand better? Anything about Forgive My Fins (or Fins Are Forever, if you've read it, but no spoilers please) that sparked some curiosity? No promises on when the short story will surface, but any and all ideas are welcome.

Hugs,
TLC

Double Monday Giveaway: Tempest Rising and Texas Gothic

*** Contest is over. Winner of Tempest Rising is Teri Hack. Winner of Texas Gothic is Mona Garg. ***

Because this Monday has more suck than usual (I'm trapped at the home of the delightful Rosemary Clement-Moore because my just-replaced car brakes failed) I'm making this a double giveaway day.

The first prize will be a signed copy of Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs. If you loved Forgive My Fins and want to read about the darker side of mermaids, this is the book for you! (Bonus: The giveaway includes a mini pedicure kit and dark blue nail polish that matches the cover!)

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

Next up is a signed ARC of Texas Gothic from Rosemary Clement-Moore. I haven't had the chance to read this yet, but Rosemary's books are always awesome.

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

Just comment to win. Share your suckiest Monday ever story if you like.

(Facebook and Goodreads readers please click over to Blogger.)

Hugs,
TLC

Bidding on the Underground

Today on the Supernatural Underground I'm talking about my lots up for auction at Brenda Novak's auction to raise money for juvenile diabetes research.

Hugs,
TLC

Buzzing About Revisions

Today on Books, Boys, Buzz... I'm talking about the office supplies I need to get through a book revision.

Hugs,
TLC

Monday Giveaway: Abandon

*** the contest is over and the winner is Small Review ***

In my new quest to rid Mondays of as much suck as possible, here's the second giveaway in which I offer up for grabs Abandon by Meg Cabot.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone ... because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

I read this in one sitting last week, when I should have been finishing my first draft of Sweet Venom 2 or processing my email or any number of other things, all of which I completely abandoned to consume Abandon. It is so very good. You know I love mythology, and this is mythology brought into the modern world in a wonderful story. This is the first in a trilogy and I am dying for the next installment.

To enter, simply comment on this post--if you want to say something specific, tell me which tale from Greek myth is your favorite. (Facebook and Goodreads readers please click over to Blogger.)

Hugs,
TLC

*Open Internationally*

Buzzing About Discoveries

It's release week again over on Books, Boys, Buzz... and this time we're talking about discoveries. Check out the posts and enter to win a very cool prize pack.

Hugs,
TLC

Monday Giveaway: The Body Finder

*** the contest is over and the winner is Mercedes Robinson ***

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have a ton of ARCs and books from my travels recently to the Romantic Times convention and the Texas Library Association conference. I can't keep them all (*pictures shelves collapsing under insane weight of books*) so, in an effort to make Monday's slightly less suckier, I'm going to do a series of Monday Giveaways.

First up is The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

I positively zoomed through this book. It's AMAZING (*insert writer jealousy here*) and I can't wait to read Desires of the Dead. Exciting Note: This one is SIGNED by Kim herself.

To enter, simply comment on this post. (Facebook and Goodreads readers please click over to Blogger.)

Hugs,
TLC

*Open Internationally*