http://www.jennyoconnell.com/blog

The blog has moved - go visit at www.jennyoconnell.com/blog

New Blog Location! New Site!

My new site is up, so definitely check it out www.jennyoconnell.com.

With the new site the blog is actually part of the site, so now the blog can be found at www.jennyoconnell.com/blog. Please go there to view new entries, hope to see you there!

Contest Time!!!

It's summer. And what does everyone need for the summer? A great t-shirt to throw over your shorts or your bathingsuit. That's why it's Contest Time!!

It's so easy to win. Here's how:

1. Answer the following question in the comments section: Summer is awesome because _______.

2. Once you've posted your answer, email me at jenny@jennyoconnell.com and tell me that your comment is up (this way I'll have your email so I can let you know if you're the winner).

3. Of all the people who comment/email me, I will randomly pick a winner of an Island Summer t-shirt.

A few of the details: The contest runs from June 28-July 9; you will be able to pick the size of your t-shirt; whether you win or not will not be based upon how good your answer is, just how lucky you are in the random selection!! (although good answers are always welcome)

Good luck!!!

Wendy Toliver's new book is timed perfectly, as I was just talking with my friend Ann about this topic the other day: shoplifting. I told Ann that I learned my lesson early on. One day my best friend and I were shopping with her older sister, who was staying with my friend because her parents were away. It was probably sixth or seventh grade. Anyway, my friend saw a bracelet she wanted and slipped it into her pocket. Only, she wasn't terribly good at it, because two seconds later a security guard was standing next to us telling her to empty her pockets. He escorted us into a back room, and they paged her sister over the intercom. Boy, was she pissed!!!! Watching my friend to through that certainly cured me of any desire to ever go through it myself.

Here's a little about Wendy's book LIFTED. And make sure to check out the book trailer and Wendy's contest. Wendy is running a contest on her website, www.wendytoliver.com, the entire month of June. Simply click on the “contact” button and send her a message including the word “contest,” your name, and your U.S. mailing address. (If you’re under the age of 14, please get permission from your parents/guardians first.) She will be giving away gift cards to Border’s, signed copies of Lifted, as well as other fun prizes. One entry per person, please.

Poppy Browne had never stolen anything in her life before moving to Pleasant Acres, Texas and meeting Mary Jane and Whitney. But when Poppy walks out of the mall with her two new friends and her first pair of stolen jeans, she’s hooked.

Before long, Poppy is lifting whenever she gets the urge—it’s never about the merchandise, it’s always about the thrill. But when her secret gets out, the girls in Poppy’s clique turn on one another. As she watches her life collapse around her, Poppy must decide where her loyalties lie … and how far she’ll go to protect herself.

New Web Site Coming Soon...

So I've been feeling like it's time to make a change. I kinda feel like someone who's been wearing a favorite shirt every day for weeks and even though I really like it, enough already!

So my site is being redesigned, which is fun but also kinda anti-climactic. Because it's such a blast looking at different designs and choices and there are no real bad choices, just different ones, and so when one is finally chosen it's just sort of sad. I want more designs and choices! I wish I had a different design for every day of the week.

Can't wait for you to see the new design (yes, I finally had to select one).

Early Summer Book Slump

I am in a book rut. I've started reading maybe four books in the past four weeks and only finished one. The thing is, all of the books are supposed to be "good." They got good reviews on Amazon, they're about topics I normally find engaging. They're my "type."

And all this has me worried. Because either 1) I have no taste in books and don't know what "good" is (not a good thing if you're a writer), or 2) there are no originally entertaining ideas left which means that my work in progress will be met with the same so-so reception by readers.

Or maybe I'm just in a pre-summer reading funk. I want a book I can't bear to put down, one that makes me laugh and keeps me captivated. I felt like that when reading John Green's AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES last summer. I felt like that reading Tara Altabrando's THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (a fellow MTV Books author).

I've decided to accept the blame. Like that age old reasoning, "It's not you, it's me." So I'll continue to buy books and try them out, and at least feel like, regardless of my reaction to the story, I'm supporting fellow writers - which is so important these days!!! What about you? Ever gone through a "dry spell" where you couldn't find any books that that hit the spot?

Oh, how I wish Jennifer Echols' title were true, I wish it really was an endless summer. Sunshine all day, warm nights, walking around barefoot. Alas, it's barely three months. Sigh.

I just love the cover of this book. It's just the epitome of summer. And what about this teaser... Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer. Sign me up!!

Here's a little more about Jennifer's new book, Endless Summer just in time for summer.

Lori can't wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she's turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that's not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori's romantic summer melt into one hot mess?