Winner of Glimmerglass

Random generator picked 21. And the 21st entry is....

Rachaelfrom NJ!

Okay, Miss Rachael. Email me at kelly(at)kellygay(dot)com and let me know how you want Jenna Black to sign your book! Your name, friend's name, whatever you want!

Congrats! And thanks so much to all who entered! And never fear, my friends, because this summer I'm preparing a massive multi-book giveaway. Oh yeah. Over fifteen books and counting! It's going to be awesome...

Glimmerglass Contest!

Okay. I decided. At first I was going to pick up an extra signed copy of the Jenna Black's new YA, GLIMMERGLASS, next week when I went to her signing, and offer it as a prize for an upcoming giveaway. But, I think a better and much cooler option will be to hold a contest now, so she can personalize the book to you (or whomever you specify). So here's the deal:

• Enter via the comments section here.


• Tell me what upcoming YA releases you're most excited about or your favorite YA of all time, and you're entered. One entry is all you need.


• I will randomly draw one winner Wednesday 5/26 at noon EST.


• Winner, you must respond before 5 p.m. on Thursday 5/27 because I will need to know the name you want signed in the book before I leave for the signing.


• This contest is open to everyone no matter where you are.

Now, a little about the book. I have read this book. I love this book. I have even read the second one, and I can tell you -- OMG -- you guys are in for an awesome series with Dana and the world of Avalon. And those dots on the book: Sparkly! How can you resist?

It’s all she’s ever wanted to be, but it couldn’t be further from her grasp…

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…

Writing rituals

Been writing... ;-)

During my free time, I've been working on the first three chapters of a new book. This is a spec novel, and just something I needed to get out of my head because it was distracting me from writing what I'm supposed to be writing.

I don't have many rituals, and often times I'll do different things for different novels (some I write long hand, some on the PC, some both... Some I outline, some not at all, etc..). But one thing that remains consistent with every novel I write, is my need to make the first chapter absolutely perfect (or what I think of as perfect at the time) before proceeding. I cannot, in fact, continue with the rough draft of a new novel until that first chapter shines.

I say all the time to write through the crap, write through trouble areas, and just get that rough draft down on paper because you can always go back -- then, at least, you have something to work with versus a blank page. And I do this as well. All except for that first chapter. I realize this is a ritual for me. A constant. To fine tune, revise, edit, polish many, many times before I can then go ahead and write the entire rough draft.

So what constants do you guys have?

How cool is this?

My friend, and fabulous fellow writer, C.J. Redwine sent me this. *love* From a place called the Etsy shop where handmade things of awesomeness are sold. It's soap! Sweet-smelling, wonderful soap, and one of the coolest gifts I've ever gotten.

Bid for a good cause

The annual Brenda Novak Auc­tion to Ben­e­fit Dia­betes Research is on! This is a great cause, and there are so many wonderful items up for bid. We're talking reads and critiques by NYC editors, agents, and best selling authors. Signed books, private lunch with your favorite authors, have drinks with agents and editors at RWA national conference... The list is amazing.

The published 2008 Golden Heart finalists have a basket full of signed books, mine included. Here's the link to bid on our basket, and here's the link at Kris Kennedy's site that showcases each book in the basket. We have nine bids so far! I'm headed over to see what I can bid on!