Why I Love LA : The Transfer Student Edition

I love LA. I lived there for twenty four years, we raised our kids there and have soooo many incredible memories there. Tomorrow hubby and I head down for a quick trip and I’m SO excited. No, we aren’t going to the Oscars! Wouldn’t that be cool though? I’ll get to see some good friends and I’ll get to visit some of the settings of TRANSFER STUDENT again. The book is set in Los Angeles and also on the planet RETHA. Yes, it’s an acronym for EARTH. You’ll see why. There’s lots of acronyms in the story. Most will only unscramble in ways that are meaningful to me and my family, but some of you might find a few.

So…I’ll be revealing the places that inspired the story. Of course the ones I envisioned on RETHA will have to live in your imaginations alone:) I might go ahead and post images that inspired my depiction of the planet too.

All these photos will be available on the Transfer Student Blog Tour which Starts LEAP DAY! What better day to STARJUMP into an alien romance/adventure story! Starjumping is big in Transfer Student :)

This made me crack up…[language alert!]

I am having a mini Oscar Party on Sunday! You’re invited! Squeeee:) What are your fave films of the year? I have to say that my fave performance was UGGIE the dog in The Artist. And my fave movie ANONYMOUS is only up for best costume design, but, hey it’s still my fave movie of the year!!!!

Indie Sneak Peek: Transfer Student Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

But you can’t read it here…you’ll have to go to:

Lovelylit

Everyone who comments on Lovelylit & tweets:

I just read an #excerpt of TRANSFER STUDENT by @Laurawriting and can’t wait for the Blog Tour 2/29-3/20 #teenreads #kindle #ya #romance

And also FOLLOWS @Laurawriting will get a free signed Transfer Student bookmark & will enter to win an early ebook ARC of TRANSFER STUDENT! Squeee:)

Giveaway ends Friday 2/24! HAPPY PRESIDENTS’ DAY! 

Transfer Student Cover Reveal Giveaway Winner!

Two Worlds––Two Teens––One Wish

Geek Rhoe and Surfer Ashley would never be friends.
Even if they lived on the same planet.
But, they’ll become so much more.
They’ll transfer.

We have a winner in the TRANSFER STUDENT Cover Reveal Giveaway! Continue reading

YA Indie Carnival : Kiss & Tell from 13 on Halloween

The carnis are all kissing & telling today! Here’s one of my favorite kissing scenes from 13 ON HALLOWEEN. Twelve-year-old Roxie wants two things more than anything. She wants to become popular––a peacock, in Roxie Speak. And she wants a guy named Hayden, the coolest guy at school, to notice her. So, she throws her first-ever birthday party on Halloween, her thirteenth birthday, and invites all the peacocks and they all come. When they give her a gift that’s out of this world, her whole life changes and Roxie astral projects to Planet Popular. This is what happens when she gets there. 14 ON HALLOWEEN will release this summer.

I’m sitting in the middle of a parking lot at a school. In the middle of a lane with rows of cars, really nice cars, on either side of me. And right then is the first time I know, I really believe, I might never get home. And I understand what that really means more than I did before. And now I’m not so down with it. But I keep thinking that being the James T. Kirk of Peacocks will be worth it. Hayden’s older brother gives me a hand up. We walk to the school together. He holds the door to the school open and says, “We’re late.”

The next thing I know I’m sitting in class. Hayden’s older brother sits next to me. I so don’t belong here. I’m in freaking high school. A buzzer sounds after physics class and Hayden’s older brother walks up to me.

“I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Ok,” I say because I don’t know what else to say and when I can’t think of anything to say I usually agree with everyone.

“Wait, where are we going?” I say.

“What are you kidding me?” he says and holds my hand. We walk down the hall together. And then he turns around and he holds my other hand and it happens. It just happens so fast. Not like in the movies at all, where it’s this big freaking deal or it’s during some date at a movie. Hayden’s older brother kisses me. My first kiss.

My first kiss is with a freaking doppelganger. A shadow person. But, he seems so, real. I get over it pretty quick because he tastes like vanilla ice cream and red hots. I have no idea why he tastes like vanilla ice cream and red hots but I want to kiss him again this time so I’ll remember it. The whole second kiss. Only this time the kiss is crazier. Weirder. He opens his mouth and in the middle of the kiss his tongue rolls over mine. I laugh. Because, sometimes, when I don’t know what else to do, I laugh.

“What is it?” he says.

“It tickles,” I say.

“Since when?”

“I don’t know, it just, does.”

“Roxie, you’re a riot. It’s what I love about you.” He laughs.

I’m trapped in the body of a popular girl. A way older popular girl. And I’m doing older, popular girl things. And my knees go all wobbly. I feel my forehead, because I can’t believe this is really happening, even though I know it is, but it could be a fever-induced dream instead just because of how wobbly I feel. I look around to see if there’s any trace of my attic around, like maybe I can still see the portal that sucked me in. But there isn’t anything except couples, like us, talking in whispers and a bunch of jocks running through the hall. They slap high-fives to Hayden’s brother.

“Hayden, dude.”

Hayden. No way. I kissed Hayden? If this guy is Hayden, then it’s years from now. I mean years from eighth grade. And we’re dating.

Want some more Kiss & Tell? Check out my fellow Carnis!

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series 2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self 4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series 10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews 12. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 14. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls 16. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter 18. TG Ayer
19. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy 20. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21. Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover 22. Courtney Cole Writes

One More Day in the Transfer Student Cover Reveal Giveaway!

The Transfer Student Cover Reveal Day Giveaway is still going strong. ONE MORE DAY to visit these awesome blogs, leave a comment & WIN! [Closes 5PM PACIFIC 2/16]

Everyone who comments on the cover reveal blog posts will be entered to win an early ebook ARC of TRANSFER STUDENT and a signed paperback copy of 13 on HALLOWEEN & WINNEMUCCA, A SMALL-TOWN FAIRY TALE. [OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL READERS!]

But there’s MORE!

To win a signed bookmark FOLLOW @Laurawriting [I'll follow back so you can message me your address] and TWEET:

TRANSFER STUDENT BLOG TOUR STARTS LEAP DAY! Squeee @Laurawriting #TransferStudent #teenreads #kindle http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/october-book-tours/

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like an alien romance! Transfer Student Cover Reveal & Giveaway!

It’s COVER REVEAL DAY! YAYYYY! But you won’t see it here, you’ll have to check out these awesome blogs to see the cover & win a signed-bookmark!

All you need to do to win a signed bookmark is FOLLOW THIS BLOG and TWEET:

Nothing says #ValentinesDay like an alien #romance! TRANSFER STUDENT by @Laurawriting Cover Reveal! #TransferStudent http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/

Everyone who comments on their posts will be entered to win an early ebook ARC of TRANSFER STUDENT and a signed paperback copy of 13 on HALLOWEEN & WINNEMUCCA, A SMALL-TOWN FAIRY TALE. [OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL READERS!] Continue reading

Married on Valentine’s Day

It was 26 years ago today that I spent my last night as a single girl. As you can imagine, I was incredibly excited. The weather was going to be perfect. As it turned out, at 5pm on Valentine’s Day in a little suburb of Chicago the snow began to fall. I like to call it our Dr. Zhivago wedding. I always loved the scene in Dr. Zhivago where Lara & Uri flee to Varikino in the heart of winter. The romance of seeking refuge in the ice. And so it was at our reception, after our vows in the beautiful garden chapel in the church where I grew up, we watched the snow fall all around us through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. It was a dream come true. Of course, I believe most brides feel this way on their wedding day. But, I did so love the snowstorm. My husband’s family from California really froze, poor things. And after all the dancing and our friends’ shenanigans my hubby and I started our honeymoon. And another dream come true. I flew out of the snow and into The Tropics.

This year we celebrated by visiting one of our favorite spots on earth. This video reminds me of the feeling I have when we spend time there. xxooLaura

Sealed With A Kiss: Blind Date

Me and some of my PARANORMAL PLUME SISTERS are writing about our first kiss in honor of Valentine’s Day:) Since I write YA and my first passionate kiss was in high school, I thought this story would be perfect for Sealed With A Kiss.

Blind Date

The organization called The American Field Service brought lots of exchange students from all over the world to my high school to spend a year in America. And my friends and I would also spend a year or a summer in foreign lands. I fell in love with the organization my freshman year because everyone involved was so fun and because I was at home with people from all over the world. We would have all-night dance marathons to raise money for our cause. We’d make and deliver pizzas to fundraise.

It was at a party a few towns over where a bunch of high schools, including our arch-rival high school, had decided to hold a joint party. Three or four schools’ AFS clubs gathered. I remember the officers of AFS were invited and we all dressed up. The boys wore suits and ties and the girls all wore dresses. The party took place just before the holidays in Chicago. I was a Sophomore.

It was on this night that a boy I never met suddenly never left my side. A boy from our arch-rival high school. This boy asked me out on a date at the end of the night. In order to up the YES factor, the boy I hardly knew asked if I’d like to go on a double date. I said yes.

The night of this date was full of surprises. The whole night felt very grown up. The boy picked me up at my house and met my parents. Although he wasn’t the first to do so, it was always a big deal when a boy met my parents. This boy and I drove to The Magic Pan, a creperie, in the town where I lived. We met the other couple there. And that’s when my heart dropped to my feet. The other girl’s date was gorgeous. I mean it wasn’t like I planned on falling for the other guy. It just happened. I didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t like I knew my date that well anyway, but he was the one who had asked me out. I tried to stay cool. Ignore what every inch of me wouldn’t. That the other boy, the other girl’s date, was simply amazing. He sat down next to me and I tried to pretend HE wasn’t that big a deal. I tried to pretend HE wasn’t just the hottest guy I’d ever seen––which HE totally was––but that when HE laughed my entire soul didn’t feel lighter somehow, transformed. I tried not to look at HIM too much. As I ate dinner, a hand tapped me on my leg. I looked down. Before I knew what was what, HE’d slipped a piece of paper into my hand. I suddenly forgot how to swallow. I had to know what the note said. I couldn’t wait until later.

I downed a glass of water and excused myself to go to the bathroom. And, as girls are girls, the other girl––HIS date, who looked a little bit young for HIM––went with me. I shook all over, sought refuge in a bathroom stall careful to bolt the door closed and I opened the note.

You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. What’s your phone number?

My face must have been like five shades of red because the other girl asked me what was the matter. I asked her if she’d been going out with HIM for a while. I think I asked if they were going steady. She confided that she got set up with him at the last minute. I took a deep breath and confided in her. Showed her the note. Told her I didn’t really like my date. I knew this especially as the night wore on and HE was there, always there, taking my mind off of whatever my date said. And guess what she said?

She was my date’s sister.

I wrote my number on the paper and handed it back to HIM the second I got back to the table. I totally sweated what she would say or not say to my date for the rest of the evening. It was excruciating. I felt like an idiot. The next thing I knew we were off to the movies and it got super awkward. Sis didn’t give her bro the memo that I wasn’t into him, but I kept imagining that she had. Imagining how awful I was. I kept thinking how stupid I’d been to just fall for someone so fast. When the guilt got too much in the theatre, when I wanted to, needed to, go out to get some air in the lobby. HE passed another note to me.

Meet me in the lobby.

So I did. HE tracked me and when HE found me in the long, small corridor just outside of the theatre, he walked up beside me, braced my shoulders against the wall and kissed me. Again and again. This began a high school romance that lasted two years.

What’s your first kiss story? Feel like sharing?

Check out these other SEALED WITH A KISS POSTS!

February 1st Abbi Glines
February 2nd Tiffany King http://authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com/
February 3rd Shelly Crane
February 4th
February 5th Amy Jones
February 6th Addison Moore
February 7th Carol & Adam Kunz
February 8th Courtney Cole
February 9th Nichole Chase
February 10th Fisher Amelie
February 11th
February 12th Laura Elliott
February 13th Michelle Muto http://michellemuto.wordpress.com/
February 14th Michelle Leighton http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com/