The Denver Post (A.K.A. I got a lot of really cool stuff that I'm giving away)

Update: This contest is now closed.

So here's what I have to say about my trip to Denver for the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Expo: FREAKING AWESOME!

Seriously, it was one of those once in a lifetime moments that I'll remember forever. I was so so nervous, but it was still really really cool. I got into Denver around 11:30 am and then met my marketing director, Mary, for lunch, along with 2 other Egmont authors: Lindsay Eland from the 10ers, author of SCONES AND SENSIBILITY, and Victoria Hanley, author of VIOLET WINGS, for lunch.

Then Lindsay and I met Becca Fitzpatrick at the trade show and walked around to check out all the publisher's booths. Not only was my book prominently displayed at the Egmont booth, but it was also displayed at the Random House booth with a big poster with the cover and my author photo on it that said, "Author signing tonight." That was really surreal to see and I couldn't resist taking a picture of it.

(Also couldn't help snapping a pic of THE DARK DIVINE displayed with friend James Dashner's THE MAZE RUNNER--which launches tomorrow, October 6th, btw!)

After the book fair, we went to a signing reception/charity event. Each of us authors sat at a table and signed books for 2 HOURS!! Mary kept bringing me water while I was signing, and about a 1 1/2 into it, I really had to pee! It is really hard to smile and nod and and talk to booksellers when you are afraid that you are about to wet your pants.

After the signing, we drove out to The Brown Palace (a Victorian hotel built by The Unsinkable Molly Brown in the 1890s) in downtown Denver for the most amazing dinner. It was me, Lindsay, Victoria, Mary, and 9 key booksellers from Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. They did a cocktail hour before hand, and then we ate a 5 course meal in a private dining room. The food was absolutely amazing and I loved how everything was served, and how cool the room was. There were these fabric murals on the wall from the 1890s (the only one's like them left in the USA are in the White House) and the table and chairs were very Victorian meets Art Deco, but the food was all very progressive and delicious. They even had a separate Bree-friendly menu just for me.

The booksellers were all really cool, and they kept raving about how this was one of the best/most memorable publisher dinners they'd ever been to. The event went from 7:00 until 11:30 pm, and nobody wanted to leave when it was time to go. It was so awesome to get to talk with all of those booksellers, and I even had quite a lengthy discussion with a bookseller from Changing Hands about how I someday want to write a book about the Armenian genocide. It was just one of those nights that you want to last twice as long. I remember sighing after it was all over and thinking how awesome it was have that experience . . . and then sighing again because I realized that many authors might not ever have an experience like that. I'm feeling very blessed at the moment.

(Lindsay Eland, Becca Fitzpatrick, and me--all holding our books)

And not only was I blessed by a great dinner, but I was also blessed with a bunch of cool swag and goodies that I'm going to pass on to one of you.

The package includes:

A signed hardcopy of HUSH HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick
A beautiful HUSH HUSH locker poster
An ARC of SCONES AND SENSIBILITY by Lindsay Eland (I already have one of my very own, so I'm giving this one away)
SCONES AND SENSIBILITY scone mix! (Wish I could eat these! I bet they're tasty.)
A hardcover copy of VIOLET WINGS by Victoria Hanley
And a poster for SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. If you need a suggestion of what to say . . . um . . . how about you tell us about the book you're reading right now.

I'm reading THE CLOCKWORK THREE by fellow Tenner Matt Kirby. It doesn't come out until Fall 2010 from Scholastic, but Matt gave me a sneak peak at the manuscript . . . and it's really good! It's a story about 3 teens in an alternate Victorian Boston/NYC, searching for a treasure--complete with a steam-punk talking head and a green violin.

Shout-outs for a few lucky friends

Hey all-

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, I thought I would take a minute to give props to a few of my friends who have had a lot of good luck lately. (And when I say good luck, I mean they are finally reaping the rewards of all their hard, hard work. And you know, a little bit of good fortune mixed in with the work too.)

The first shout-out goes to my friend Matt Kirby ,who just sold his Middle Grade debut novel to Scholastic in a preempt. It is slated to come out Fall of 2010. I haven't read this book yet, but I can assure you that if Matt wrote it, the writing is guaranteed to be superb.

The second shout-out goes to my friend Elena Jube, who just landed a fabulous agent for her novel based on the fairytale Thrushbeard. Her book is wonderful with an enchanting romance that made me neglect all my household duties (more than usual, that is) just so I could finish it. And she even used a few of my suggestions when revising. Neat. You can read more about her journey over on her brand new blog.

(Side Note: Matt, Elena, and I all met in a writing workshop almost 2 years ago, so I think it's extra cool that we're all coming into our writing careers at about the same time.)

The third shout-out goes to my agent sister Brodi Ashton who turned in her final revisions to Agent Ted last week, and she should be going out on submissions any minute now. I'll keep you posted on her progress. Plus, she gets to celebrate by stalking her mocha honey, Rafa. And she'd better come back with pics! Oh yeah, and her book is freaking hilarious. . .and one of the guys in her novel looks like Rafa. (Drool.)

The last shout-out goes to one of my new Tenners buddies, Lindsey Leavitt, who is celebrating that her YA novel, PRINCESS FOR HIRE, comes out 1 year from today by having a "good luck" contest on her blog. Pop over there and leave a comment about a time you experienced good luck, and she'll enter you in a drawing for one of 5 sweet prizes (4 are YA books, the 5th is a writing critique.) Plus, her post talks about the influence of "good luck" on a writer's odds of getting published. Worth checking out, and definitely worth entering the contest.

Hope you all have a wonderfully lucky week! And if you win a book, can I borrow it?