Beauty Queens Extravaganza and Contest!

Boy do I have a post for you! See, my writing compadres, Julie Musil and Leslie Rose, and I have all finished reading BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray. This book is too amazing to be contained in a single post, so the three of us have come together this week to bring you an uber-awesome BEAUTY QUEENS Blog Extravaganza complete with our own beauty contestant profiles and a contest too fun to believe. So make yourselves comfortable for part one, right here, right now.

And with me to review the book I have none other than a beauty contestant, Miss Writer’s Block!

Me: So what did you think of the book?

MWB: It was pretty. *Smiles*

Me: *Cringes away from blinding reflection off teeth* How did the story make you feel?

MWB: Confused and awed. I mean, I can’t even finish my book, let alone come up with yummy stories that work together so well and actually mean something. That’s why I went for the Title. *fingers ribbon*

Me: Thank you, Miss Writer’s Block.

 

My opinion? Oh come on. You guys know Libba Bray is my favorite author. I may or may not have blackmailed her into taking this picture with me at the SCBWI conference. Either way, this book did NOT disappoint. I’d say lots of good stuff about the genius of it, but let’s leave it at: If you want to be my friend you should read this book.

 

Now to my fun facts page based off the novel:

Miss Teen Dream Fun Facts Page!

Name: Lisa Gail Green

State: Excited!

Age: Emotionally? Fifteen.

Height: Tall enough to reach most of my shelves.

Weight: More than I’d like.

Hair: Fiery red

Eyes: Green/blue

Best Feature: My smile :D <-- see?

Fun Facts About Me

•         I can tickle myself. (I know weird, right?
•     I actually almost entered a beauty contest as a young teen. Thank GOODNESS my parents refused to let me do it. I am aware that the Corporation may frown upon this answer but I thought it was relevant.
•     Libba Bray called me a diva. I’m pretty sure it was meant in a good way. In fact, she signed my copy of the book to “Divalicious”. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

AND the contest!!! 

Do you want to win an autographed copy of BEAUTY QUEENS? It isn’t just any autograph either. It’s in true Libba Bray style, and you’ll just have to take my word for it. 

If you want to win simply leave a comment telling us one fun fact about you as if you were a contestant in the Miss Teen Dream pageant. You can enter up to three times by commenting on Julie’s blog tomorrow, and Leslie’s on Wednesday. You have ‘till next Monday (one week) to enter, and we will each announce the winner on our blogs next week. Nothing complicated. No extra entries for this or that, though we will give virtual chocolate for spreading the word. U.S. only please (we're poor writers).

SCBWI LA '11

First things first! The winner of the DAMNED ARC is Margo! I'll be emailing you with details...
Now, I've had several people ask me to give my thoughts about the conference. I know there is already so much out there about the phenomenal speakers and content. 40 years! Just look at that dessert above from the Golden Kite luncheon. It was truly an amazing time. The sheer number of icons had me absolutely dazzled and in awe. So I'm going to share a few of these people with you and what they mean to me.

1. Judy Blume. How can I even begin to describe what it was like to be so close to THE Judy Blume? The woman was so gracious, so kind, so intelligent, and so very REAL. The first novel I think I ever read was Are You There God? It's me, Margaret. I remember that special feeling of being entirely wrapped up in Margaret's world. I loved it. I loved it so much that I never stopped reading and seeking new worlds with new characters. Hearing about Judy's process and journey was inspiring beyond belief. 
2. Norton Juster. The first fantasy book I ever read was The Phantom Tollbooth. It was also the first book I ever read more than once. I had the opportunity to tell Norton Juster that, to which he looked me dead in the face and replied, "Fantasy? That's my life." How can I not love him? How can I not love a book that's remained AMAZING after 50 years, and that my own son loves just as much as I did? I think I might have to go read it again...
3. Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak. She gave voice to difficult subject matter that may make some uncomfortable, but saves lives on a daily basis. At the conference, she taught me to embrace my creative need for self-expression, and to nurture the "seed" in my soul. 
4. Donna Jo Napoli. Her speech was possibly my favorite. And that's really saying something as I gave more standing ovations than I have in my life. It was titled: How Writing About Terrible Things Makes Your Reader a Better Person. And she spoke to not just those who need to see others who've gone through similar things, but to the sheltered who benefit from exposure to truths beyond their own. 
5. Libba Bray. I saved my favorite for last of course. My hero. Her speech was just as amazing as I hoped and so was she. Funny, intelligent, friendly, and talented. Libba - I would have voted you Prom Queen in high school. I'm just sayin'. She let us know that even the super stars go through rough times, and are plagued by self-doubt. 

Okay, have I gushed enough? You asked and now you have received, my friends. My own personal highlights of the conference this year. I could have kept going too! I mean Richard Peck, Gary Paulsen...

Going Mad for Going Bovine

Today I have asked a special guest to come and review Libba Bray's newest book, Going Bovine. I wasn't sure who to ask at first. A gnome seemed obvious, except that the gnome in the book was really a norse god. A dwarf? An angel? But really, would an angel have time to do a book review? I'd feel a bit guilty about that. Finally, I settled on my friend Dave, the mad scientist. So without further ado, take it away, Dave!

Ahem, I prefer to go by my new name: Dr. Paradox. It sounds more intimidating than Dave don't you think? Anyway, I read this book and I have to say at first I was hesitant. I mean the cover sports a cow carrying a garden gnome, not very sciency at all. But I must admit from the moment Schrodinger's cat was brought up, I was hooked!

Ah, the elusive Dr. X (maybe that's better than Pardox, what do you think?) who has unleashed evil on our world. Well, what can I say? He's my hero. He even has that whole Dr. Freeze thing going with the lost love. But I digress.

From the science behind Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease to the mention of Chaos theory without ever naming it, this book has it all. Sure there's lots of philosophy there and a life-changing journey, blah, blah, blah. But, the SCIENCE. And now I have a new goal - travel to parallel universes and bring back dark matter with which to destroy the world!!! Mwahahahaha!

Um, Dave.

Dr. Paradox!

Okay, Dr. Paradox. If you destroy the world won't that destroy you too?

Details! I will drown in the details of small minds! Ugh. Just go read the book. Everyone out there - go read this book, or I will destroy the world! Mwahahaha!

Thank you Dr. Paradox for that enlightening review. My own opinion? It's one of the best books I've ever read. I don't say that lightly. I'm kind of strange though, so take it with a grain of salt. And it isn't just because I hero-worship Libba Bray. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see what Dr. Paradox is doing in my kitchen with my son's chemistry set...