Put your hands in the air

Look, I'm stepping away from the cupcakes for two seconds to remind you that you can enter to win the LAST copy I'm giving away of The List. Just go comment on Monday's post here. You may limit your comment to "Yo." You may natter on about whatever you want for a paragraph. But I can't give you the book if I don't know you want it.


Go. Go now. Tell a friend to go, if you want. Or don't.


BUT I'M NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN. Until the next book comes out. Just saying. 

Peeps

Today's blog post is brought to you by the letter I.


I finished my fourth manuscript. I turned it in. I ate a lot of chocolate. And now I gotta do a bunch more writing this week. And it's all going to be as elegant as that last sentence.


Drop a comment on yesterday's post to win the last copy of The List that I'm giving out, kids.


Also, you can check out a review of The List on DeNae's blog, My Real Life Was Backordered. Or rather, you can check out her legs. Whatever floats your boat. They are pretty nice.


And now, off to do some Turbo Fire. Because did I mention I ate lots of chocolate? Word to your mothers, yo.


P.S. Yesterday, I worked so hard to procrastinate my editing that I had like, a million things I kept wanting to put as updates on Facebook. Rather than drive everyone crazy, I decided to put it on Twitter instead. Because I sort of forgot I have a Twitter profile. If you want to follow it, my little name thingie is writestuff_Mel. (Really, I'm not that exciting over there. But now you know where to find everything I don't put on Facebook. Not because it's juicy. Because it so isn't.)

Boozing it up.

This week is your LAST chance to win a copy of The List, and like the other weeks, it just requires a comment on this blog post today. Throw your name in the hat, yo.


Other winners are announced at the end of this blog post.


For those of you who aren't my Facebook friends, here's a true story from today that took exactly fifteen minutes to become legendary.


On my way into Relief Society, I had no less than three primary teachers stop me to tell me the same story. Apparently, during Sharing Time, the counselor in charge was telling a story that involved beer and how it's bad for you. And sweet, precious three-year-old Grant decided for the first time ever that he would pay attention and participate. "My daddy has beer at the lake!" Apparently, he shouted this with great enthusiasm and volume for the whole primary to hear. The counselor moved quickly to her next point.


In the car on the way home, I asked Grant why he said Daddy had a beer. After a little digging, Grant explained to his very dense parents that he was talking about "beards." Daddy has a beard at the lake. He has no idea what a beer is but he is fairly sure we don't listen too well.


I'm glad Grant isn't under the impression that his dad drinks beer. But it doesn't matter. Kenny is now the ward alcoholic anyway.


Now, if you'll all take a deep breath with me, it's time to head over to DeNae's blog to see her review of The List. This should be interesting . . . and without question, HILARIOUS. Go. I think. Then come back and tell me if I should go, too. 


Winners of last week's giveaways: Melinda won The List, Charrette won the Louisa May Alcott quote, and Patty Ann won naming rights. Congratulations!

She's IMAGINARY.

(Click here and post a comment for a chance to win a copy of The List. Last day! Winner chosen tomorrow.)


Annie at Regarding Annie (a consistently funny and well-written blog, btw) tricked me into answering some random and assorted questions with her powers she borrowed from her super agent husband. If you want to read another (short) silly interview, head on over and take a gander.


I went out for a little GNO last night and I feel the strong urge to declare the following publicly and emphatically:


Dear Everyone, 


I am NOT Ashley Barrett.


Love,


Melanie.


P.S. YES, I'm totally sure. I made her up. That's how I know she's not me.


Now that close friends are finishing the book, I'm hearing the following things constantly:


1. I stayed up really late to finish it. Thanks a lot. (You're welcome.)
2. I really need to make that grilled sandwich. (Yes, you do. It's as good as it sounds.)
3. Ashley sounds just like you.


Well, yes. She does. She sounds just like me. But she is the main character least like me of the four I've written. Trust me. I know Ashley and I know me. I'm telling you the truth. I really am an expert on this particular subject.


It's kind of funny, to be honest. I'm having to cope with the author reality of people trying to find pieces of me in my book. It's unnerving and slightly uncomfortable but totally fair. However, Ashley STILL isn't me.


For those of you who have or will read The List, let me give you what a video gamer would call an Easter Egg. Kind of. I'm going to post Ashley's list that started herwhole mess and tell you what she has in common with me and what has nothing to do with me.

Ashley's List of 25 Things to Do Before She Gets Married

1. Climb a mountain (ZERO interest in doing this. None. Never done it, never will. Unless it will bring world peace, but I'd need that in writing.)
2. See a show on Broadway (Me, and a lot of people. Love it. On my personal bucket list. Did it. Doing it again this summer.)
3. Sing karaoke (Her fear of doing this something I totally share.)
4. Read all the standard works (I did this as a teenager. This is just something I could see someone putting on a list of this kind.)
5. Get a master’s degree (Maybe someday. I'm indifferent. This is an Ashley thing.)
6. Study abroad (It would have been fun, but it's not a huge regret. This is an Ashley thing.)
7. Serve a mission (An Ashley thing, and a lot of people.)
8. Learn to make sushi (I HATE sushi.)
9. Own a pair of Laboutins (Couldn't give a . . . fig. I think $700 shoes are stupid. And no, i don't care if that just offended you.)
10. Complete a triathlon (Absolutely not me, but it's a lot of other people. File under the climb a mountain thing. No way.)
11. Snowboard on a black diamond trail (Nope. I had try snowboarding on my personal list and I did it. But this had more to do with something I thought someone from Utah might want to take a stab at.)
12. Read a Russian classic (On my list. Struggled through a third of The Brothers Karamazov a couple of years ago and decided that I'll just have to die with this undone.)
13. Learn to surf (Nope. It's fun to watch. Part of me thinks it would be fun but part of me instinctively understands that I won't even get close enough to getting it right to enjoy it in the least. Also, I'm a bad swimmer.)
14. Visit Europe (Definitely on my list, and a lot of people's, and it's done.)
15. Do a humanitarian project (Yep. This one I have in common with her, too. I totally want to serve a humanitarian mission with Kenny when we retire. And by we, I mean he.)
16. Get a sports car (Nope. I rock a minivan and I like it.)
17. Have a summer fling (Uh . . . no. I never put that on my list. NEVER.)
18. Take a cruise (Yep. Did that. I think most people would want to do that.)
19. Skydive (HECK, NO! NO to this more than mountain climbing and triathlon running combined. NO.)
20. Learn a foreign language (Maybe. I guess I'd like to learn. Not a big deal but it would be fun.)
21. Publish a poem (Nope. Maybe when I was 18. Yeah, that's actually more the case. This is one of the things 18-year-old Ashley and 18-year-old Melanie have in common.)
22. Learn to play guitar (Not really. I'd like to magically know how to do this, but I don't really want to, you know, learn.)
23. Be a movie extra (Yeah, I've thought about it. I'll never get around to it, but the idea is fun.)
24. Try internet dating (Um, duh.)
25. Learn to tango (Yeah, me. It looks fun.)
    
    
    So while there's definitely some overlap between me and Ashley, most of these things are items I would bet a lot of people have on their "bucket lists". So let me restate for the record, and I have a feeling this won't be the last time I do, Ashley Barrett is NOT me. She's cool. But she's not me.
    
    
    There you have it. You can go read in peace now.

Crazy--like a fox.

(Click here and comment on the post for a chance to win The List and rules for winning other cool stuff.)


I'm going to tell you another crazy online dating story in a second, but first, Erin at If You Give a Mom a Moment emailed to let me know that TODAY only, if you order The List online from Deseret Books (just click that link, it'll take you there), you can get 25% off. Just enter MARCH25 in the check out. That way, even with shipping, you'll still pay less than full price. There! Problem solved for those of you not near an LDS bookstore. Yay!


Once upon a time, in a fuzzy space/time bubble that hypothetically existed before I knew Kenny, I used to date. It was unfortunate this had to happen over the space of many years, but let's all keep in mind that I didn't know where Kenny lived and vice versa or I'm sure many of those dates could have been avoided. All of them, in fact.


Anyway, my friend Brita offered to set me up with an acquaintance of hers, Chris. He sounded good. Most single people my age had some sort of LDS online dating presence, so it was easy to find him on one of the sites and decide the details were okay. My age, solid in church, good job, near by. So I said sure. I didn't contact him or anything. I just waited for the date to roll around. And then the afternoon of the double date came and it fell through because this Chris guy went scuba diving with his brother out at Catalina and wasn't going to make it back in time.


Wait, what? He stood me up? 


I don't think so.


This next part will sound stalker-ish. I promise, I'm not now, nor was I, a stalker. But this is what I did next. I decided to go visit my friend Nate at his singles ward. Where Chris happens to go. Nate thought this was very funny. Chris had no idea I was coming. And when he wandered over to meet me after sacrament meeting (I looked good, guys) a flicker of recognition showed in his expression, followed by a a dawning expression that said, "I can't believe I passed on HER to go scuba diving."


Which was really the point of me dropping in that day. 


But neither of us said anything. There was no acknowledgment of the date that never happened. We just exchanged hellos and chatted like I did with several other people that day, and then I went home.


Sure enough, it took about one day flat for a message to reach me from Chris via the same online dating site where I'd found him. The rest of the story is not important so here's the gist: we ended up going out. It was fine, not spectacular. I would have said yes to a second date but he didn't call for one. However, our lack of connection aside, this guy was a good catch at a lot of levels. So I did something half crazy.


I honestly can't remember the details, but I'll reconstruct this next part the best I can. What you need to know before reading it is that I'm an INCORRIGIBLE matchmaker and I'm pretty good at it. Two marriages to my credit, thank you very much. And I don't mean mine. I mean, two friends I set up with other people are now married. 


So this is what I did. I knew Chris and I were not a fit, but it seemed a shame to let him go to waste out in Podunk, CA. I did a little snooping on the dating site and found a profile for a girl that I KNEW would hit it off with him. And I sent her this crazy email. I was like, "DON'T DELETE this even though it's going to sound bizarre. But there's this guy  you should check out . . ." so I pointed her in his direction and warned her not to let him know I was behind it because he would definitely think I was a psycho. 


Girls, I'm not. I am and have always been totally emotionally stable. But the spidey senses were tickling and I knew I had this right. Um, also, I didn't mention to her that I had gone out with him once or she would have that I was a nut job, too. NOT a nut job. Just a good matchmaker.


So she checks out his profile and emails me back. "You're right. He's my type."


Me: Duh. (I didn't type this out loud. It's just that I know these things. I'm exactly like a classy millionaire matchmaker, except totally different.)


Anyway, this girl's name was Angie, and she would email me every now and then to update me. She lived in Arizona, but she was going to come out here to meet Chris. She met Chris. She clicked with Chris. (Duh.)


And then I think my part in everything must have come up with him and it probably came across as extremely odd (it was, I know, but I couldn't help it. The man needed a WIFE and I could tell just what kind he needed so I found him one.)


That's right, IT WORKED. Because the next thing I heard of them was Nate telling me that Chris was getting married to Angie.


Boo-yah! #Winning! Whatever else you want to say for I WAS RIGHT!


And um, of course, thrilled that I could play a small part in them finding joy. Oh, who are we kidding? IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF ME!


And of course, I have never heard from either of them again because they don't want to keep a relationship with their scary Internet "friend." Or so I assume. The truth is, once they were in touch with each other, I washed my hands of it because my work was done. Angie did ask me at one point why I was doing it, putting them in touch. And I explained. "Sometimes I just know stuff. You guys should date. Believe me or not, but you'll be a good fit."


I guess she believed me.


And though I haven't talked to either of them since, I'm sure I remain an  . . . interesting . . . footnote in their shared history.


And now you guys know I really am a lot bit nuts.

Four? I'll take it!

(Comment on THIS post for a chance to win a copy of The List and directions to win other awesome prizes.)


It has been another stellar week as far as loving my life and my husband my children and my book go. So much enthusiasm and outpourings of support and great anecdotes about kind things total strangers are saying about my book. And kind things friends are saying too, of course. I've tried to solicit a variety of viewpoints, so each review brings something a little different to the table. Here's a review from Jenny at Mommy Snark (a/k/a Mommy J) who is about to enter the ranks of published author herself! Whoohoo! So, so happy for her!


I'm still holding steady on the Deseret Book list and I'm gearing up for my first official book signing. It's pretty nerve-wracking because it's in the LDS  bookstore in my old stake boundaries and I should have a good turnout, but it's going to be totally embarrassing if I don't. Good turnout for me = 10 book sold. I'd be really happy with that. Especially since I'll spend more in the store than they'll make off of me. Have I mentioned I like to shop?


Oh, and as far as reviews go: almost without exception, people on Goodreads and Amazon who know me give the book five stars. People who don't, give four. And you know what? I am THRILLED with that. Delighted beyond words that people who have no reason to say otherwise think it's a four star book. That makes me very, very happy inside.


Tomorrow I want to tell you about another completely ridiculous online dating experience, (one of mine), the outcome of which is linked directly to me being crazy like a fox. But for today, I want to point you toward a blog post from author Eileen Flanagan (via Finslippy) who gives a simple list of what to do "If You Love a Writer." She says, among other things (and it's worth your time to click through and see those other things):

1. Buy your friend’s book. If you can afford it, buy it for everyone in your extended family. If you can’t afford it, ask your local librarian to order a copy. In fact, you can suggest it to your librarian whether you buy a copy yourself or not.

2.   Don’t wait until Christmas or Hanukkah to pick up a copy. How it does in its first weeks determines whether a book will stay on the bookstore shelves or be sent back to the warehouse to be shredded (along with your friend’s ego). Try to buy it as soon as it’s published, or better yet pre-order a copy, which makes your friend look good and gets your friend’s publisher excited about the book’s prospects. An excited publisher will invest more in publicity, while a bookstore that is getting advanced orders is more likely to stock the book on its shelves.

3.   Friends often ask where they should get the book, which is a tricky question. In the long-term, it is in every writer’s best interest to support independent booksellers (reader’s too, actually). If you don’t have a favorite one yourself, you can go to IndieBound to find one near you. When a book is newly released, however, it may help your writer friend more to buy it through a big chain, so they keep it stocked where the most people can find it. Likewise, a high sales rate on Amazon can get people’s attention, and if your friend’s website links directly to Amazon, she may be part of a program where she makes extra money when someone enters Amazon through the link on her website and then makes a purchase. I personally have links to several booksellers,  on the theory that it’s good to spread the love around.

4.   If you genuinely like your friend’s book, write a review on Amazon orGoodreads, mention it on Facebook and Twitter, and recommend it to your book group.

5.   If you’re friend’s book is sci fi, and you’re more of a Jhumpa Lahiri fan, say something like, “I’m so proud of you for following your passion,” and skip writing the review.

6.   If your friend is a good public speaker, recommend her to your church, synagogue, mosque, ashram, kid’s school, Rotary club, etc. If you live far away, your friend might get to come visit you and write it off her taxes.

7.   If you have a website or blog, link to your friend’s website. The more people who link to her, the better she looks to the search engines, which may help people who don’t already love her to find her book. To be really helpful, don’t link on the words “my friend,” but on whatever keywords your friend might be using to find her target audience. (For example, I would especially appreciate people using the phrase “Serenity Prayer” to link to my page About the Serenity Prayer.)

Party Hearty

(Comment here to win a copy of The List and some other cool prizes.)


Check out Lara from Overstuffed today to see her take on my book. It's really interesting to see so many people connecting to it differently depending on the life experiences they bring into reading it. 


On to the book launch party.


One word: Fantastic.


In many other words: I loved it, it was everything I hoped it would be, I had so much fun, and I think everyone else did, too.


I went with a beach theme to fit my book. I rented out the Fiesta Room at the Lago Santa Margarita Beach Club. I know, it sounds so fancy, right?


The beach club is the pool in the center of town that is perfect for kids. It's surrounded by green grassy banks and then the pool itself has a large sandy beach for the kids to play on. And it's right next to the lake. So it fit my book perfectly. I spent months planning this thing and then I called in the troops. My husband's band played, my brother and his girlfriend manned the drinks, and my Aunt Linda flew in from Illinois to chop and skewer for ten hours a day and then help me throw the whole party together.


My aunt and mother-in-law spent two days helping prep and decorate, and then pulled off a really cute cake. And now, for the pictures. These are in no particular order because hello? Have you tried to work with pictures in Blogger?:

 My aunt Linda and my brother's girlfriend, Nadine

 Centerpieces of orchid and plumeria done by a friend of a friend

 Pineapple/fruit centerpieces, planned by me, executed entirely by Aunt Linda. GORGEOUS.

 Chocolate-dipped strawberries, a la Aunt Linda

 CUTE cake from my mother-in-law and Aunt Beth

 Karen and Carrie from The Bookport, selling my books. (31 sold. Yay!)

 I wanted a "mocktail" bar (although we didn't call it that) with signatures drinks for some of the book characters. Nadine and Jamie reported that the two most popular drinks were the Sassy Ashley (ginger ale, orange juice, and grenadine) and the Shaka Derek (pina colada and pineapple juice.) There was also the Mellow Matt (cranberry juice and 7-Up) and the Tart Megan (margarita mix and Squirt). The drinks were free and just for fun.

 Me, signing! It's really unnerving. For a while I was writing "Dear So and So" instead of "To So-and-So". Duh! And I would suddenly get anxious that I would forget someone's name. And it's really hard to think of 31 different things to say!

 The food table" Hawaiian sweet rolls, pineapple/mango salsa, guacamole, Aunt Beth's Fantastic Macaroni Salad, a mixed green salad with feta and vinaigrette, and grilled marinated chicken from the local carniceria. My visiting teachers came over and helped cut up veggies and meat for the skewers, along with my mother-in-law. Who helped. They didn't cut her up. And then when there was no room in my fridge for all that meat, another friend, Brittany, not only volunteered to refrigerate it for me, she also volunteered to grill all the chicken. Or course, that was before she understood what 35 pounds of chicken shish kebabs looked like, but she STILL did it and even called in reinforcements from other friends in the ward to get it all grilled in time. And it was DELICIOUS.

 A view of the room. 

 A view of the band, my husband on lead.

 The party people throng the food, outside view.

Kenny makes me do a reading. It was actually pretty fun.

 My friend Colleen, who drove two hours to come and help.

My blog friend and road trip buddy, Karen from A Peek at Karen's World.

Miss DeNae from My Real Life Was Backordered. She learned, to her detriment, that I am really, really bad at geography and spatial relationships, but still did not kill me when she showed up after an hour and a half in her car. I even met her husband! My husband was really sad he didn't get to talk to him because he loves to talking to guys in her husband's line of work.

Another look at the cool centerpieces. And some wooden bowls MADE BY MY HUSBAND and full of dried tropical fruit.  And also, some cool friends we like hanging out with.

A gift from my friend Heather, and inside:

A survival kit for when I become to good for the little people.

Did you know that when you have a book launch, people bring YOU gifts? I had NO idea. I got a gorgeous succulent, a dozen red roses, an orchid, and gift certificates to the new cupcake store in town. Dangerous. 

Anyway, it was a wonderful night and I floated for two days after. I think I'm still floating. I have such great friends and family and we live in such an awesome place.

Wish you all were here!

Fiesta, baby!

(Yes, you can win a book today. Keep reading.)


Oh, I am tired. Bone deep, heavy-eyed, sleep like the dead TIRED. It was a long and crazy three days, but it was SO fun. I'll be doing a full report of the book launch fun tomorrow, but for today, I wanted to tell you about this week's giveaways.


The first week I did a beach themed giveaway. Have you seen the cover of my book? It's over there *points right* in the sidebar. The beach theme should make total sense to you.


The second week, I focused on fashion. Have you read the book and met Ashley Barrett? That theme should also make total sense to you, too.


This week, it's all about reading. Um, because I wrote a book. And you read a book, get it?


So OF COURSE I'm giving away another book! Yay! This is the next to last book giveaway, so get it while it's hot! (Um, and I really hope this book stays hot for a while.)


To win the book, you need to stand on your head and find a way to play La Cucaracha on your belly with spoons (still standing on your head) and then video tape it and upload it to YouTube. Bonus points for doing the Mexican Hat dance. Naked.


Yeah, I just made that last part up.


Oh, fine. I made the whole thing up. Here's what you really need to do to win a book:


Leave a comment.


Yeah, that's it.


Want to win some other stuff? Like, oh, say  . . .


This amazing quote that's done by the talented and beautiful Nancy Ostergar, my faux mother-in-law, who has spent many, many hours studying with master calligraphers? She sent me one a while back and I love it. LOVE IT. So I begged her to do one for the giveaway. It will look fabulous framed in your house.

"She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain." ~Louisa May Alcott (My favorite author from childhood, btw.)


Next up, NAMING RIGHTS. Yep, that's right. You can name a character in my next manuscript. If you've read The List, you've met Sister Powers, the institute teacher. She was named by none other than DeNae from My Real Life Was Backordered  who won a similar contest I did many moons ago. Think of the possibilities . . . you could name a character after your daughter or a parent or a friend and then give them the book as a gift. Even if you have to say, "Sorry that the rest of the book blew chunks, but your name is totally in it." You should give it to them for Christmas and then whoever it is will feel all sad that once again, their gift to you in inferior. (Although this is totally not what Christmas is about, imagine your satisfaction when that happens.) Uh, I'm getting off track here. My point is, you get to name a character in my next manuscript which begins on April 1. Good luck!


The last thing you can win is my three year old! Yay! He is connected to reading because . . . um, wait. Oh, because you totally will have to read him at least five stories at night. Every night.


Hm. You know, when he's not wreaking havoc at church, he's pretty all right. So, never mind. He's no longer up for grabs.


But the book, the naming rights, and the calligraphy quotes still are, so I'm about to tell you what to do to win. If you've already done these things, then you're already entered and you don't have to do it again. (Except for one of them).


1. For the book: Comment on this post.


For the rest:


1. Like my Facebook author page. A lot of the giveaway winners come from there.

2. Throw the button for my book from my sidebar up in YOUR sidebar. It's up there, at the top. Comment here to let me know you did it.

3. Include a link from your blog to my website at http://melaniejacobson.net/ and tell people they can read the first chapter of the book there. Comment here to let me know you did it. (You have to do this one new this week.)

4. You can also go to my website (link above) and sign up for my newsletter for an entry. You'll get it twice a year. It's not even worth putting in your fake spam email address, either. I won't bother you enough for it to matter if you put your real one there.

And that's that. Like I said, if you've done these things, you're golden. Please just leave me a comment to let me know what you did so I can credit you with entries. That will also double as your entry for the book. See how I did that? See? See? Always thinking of others, trying to make it easy on them. Yep, that's me.

Lastly, in awesome news, The List climbed to #4 on the Deseret Book romance list. If I move up two more spots, I get on the Top Ten fiction list! Whoohoo! 

You're all winners, but some are bigger winners than others.

This week's giveaway is over and I've got the winners right here:


For the flower necklace from the geniuses at iCandy Handmade, the winner is Carlee Puffer! (Facebook)
For the Shabby Apple dress, it's Susan Auten (Bucket list blog hop).
For the Monterey necklace from Jacobson Woodcraft, it's LT Elliott! (Facebook)
For the Kapaa hibiscus necklace from Jacobson Woodcraft, it's Cheryl Mousser! (Facebook)
For the Sonoma necklace from Jacobson Woodcraft, it's Sara Dias! (Newsletter)


And lastly, for the copy of The List, it's Phannie at You Don't Have to Can to Get to Heaven whose extra ten entries for joining the bucket list link up totally paid off!


Winners, contact me at writestuff.jacobson (at) gmail (dot) com (or just push the contact/email tag at the top of my blog for my email address) and get me your information so I can send it to you. Hooray!

Movie Time

My sister is cool.

Since I don't get to see my books on the shelves in Utah, she did a little video for me.

(For all of you who don't have my book yet, you can consider it a How-To film. Just saying.)

I'm drawing for winners tomorrow!

I'm so Sally Fields right now.

Reminder: To win a copy of The List, just comment here. To win cool handmade jewelry or a Shabby Apple dress, go to this post. Or to get ten extra entries for your prize of choice, just jump in on the fun from yesterday's post and post your own 5 item--or more--bucket list. Just check the post. You'll see.


Anyone know how to fit 80 people in a room for 50? Um, and keep 30 of them hidden so the facilities manager doesn't kick us all out for being unruly? 


Because I have 80 people coming to my book launch party at the fiesta room at our HOA's beach club. What does this mean? It means my aunt flying in from Illinois to help, it means picking up 35 pounds of marinated chicken from the local carniceria, it means picking up crates of fresh fruit and it means busting out a tropical mocktail bar and a huge cake to feed everyone coming to celebrate. 


It's going to be crazy. Oh, and I don't have a babysitter yet. Why? Because all my friends have already snapped them up so they can come to my party. Oh, man. This is going to be interesting. Is a 3-year-old too young to watch a 1-year-old? Yes? Oh.


Cool book news: I've climbed to #6 on the Deseret Book romance list. Yay!


Cooler book news: I got this awesome email from a total stranger last night:

I have to say you are probably in my top five favorite authors right now. I work in a bookstore and when your book showed up on the shelves it caught my eye. So I picked it up and read for two straight hours (during my shift mind you). I LOVED it!! I laughed out loud so much. It's been quite a while since i've done that with a book. One of the girls I work with kept hearing me randomly burst out laughing so she had to come see what was so funny. I showed her some of the more hilarious parts and she sat there reading with me for the rest of our shift. You are now our favorite!! We can't wait to hear more from you and your fantastic writing!! :)

That was awesome. Because I have 8 book ratings on Goodreads and 6 of them are from people who love me. Of course they're going to love what I do. But two strangers who have no reason to say anything nice unless they mean it gave me 4 and 5 stars respectively. 

Do you know what that means? 

You guys are front row witnesses to a dream come true. I wanted to write stories that people would curl up with and laugh at and maybe even heave a happy sigh over. And so far, three people who are not related to me, didn't watch me grow up, or otherwise go to church with me, did that. They laughed at my book. They maybe even sighed. But they liked it. They really, really liked it.

That feels awesome. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but . . . it's better than chocolate.

Speaking of people who (I think) liked my book, here's a review up today from my friend Crash. I actually borrowed one of her catchphrases from her for The List (with her permission). If you read her blog, Crash Test Dummy Diaries, you'll hear shades of Crash every time Ashley talks about her stone cold heart. Anyway, the review is up. It's . . . well, her book showed up late (not from me!) so the review is based on however much she did read. I  know she got to at least chapter 2 because she knows about the list. Or wait, The List is the title, so maybe that's how she knew. But based on whatever she had read when she posted, she seems to have liked it. And also my shoes. She likes my shoes. And don't tell anyone, but I bought ANOTHER pair of shoes today. (I know. I have a problem. But to be fair, I didn't buy (m)any shoes this winter because I didn't like many. I think I got some at Christmas and that's about it.) Want to see:

I think I keep buying shoes because I feel all happy and celebration-y and shoes seem like a good way to document that. I think it's also because Grant actually comes when I call him now and so I don't have to take of chasing him all the time, which means I can wear heels again.

Oh, and the gay guy said wedge espadrilles are hot this year, remember? I remember.

Anyway, thanks for the continued love and support. I'm going to be crazy and shellshocked for the next two days while I get ready for this insane launch party on Saturday night, but I'll still be around. I just may not be coherent.

Let me count the ways . . .

Reminder: Go HERE and comment to win a copy of The List. Go to yesterday's post to win a Shabby Apple dress or cool necklaces.


I love lists. Here's a list of some of my favorite kinds of lists. (I know, I'm so meta.)


1. Honey-do lists. From me to Kenny.
2. Lists of things I've done for the day. Not a to-do list--an already-did list. Much better.
3. Dessert options at The Cheesecake Factory.
4. Things to pack before a fun vacation.
5. New playlists on my iPod.


This love of lists may explain the title of my novel, The List. And it probably explains why the whole book hinges on Ashley's list (the main character). This is the list she made on her 18th birthday of the 25 things she wanted to do before she got married. Cross-outs are what she's gotten done by the ripe old age of 24.

1. Climb a mountain
2. See a show on Broadway
3. Sing karaoke
4. Read all the standard works
5. Get a master’s degree
6. Study abroad
7. Serve a mission
8. Learn to make sushi
9. Own a pair of Laboutins
10. Complete a triathlon
11. Snowboard on a black diamond trail
12. Read a Russian classic
13. Learn to surf
14. Visit Europe
15. Do a humanitarian project
16. Get a sports car
17. Have a summer fling
18. Take a cruise
19. Skydive
20. Learn a foreign language
21. Publish a poem
22. Learn to play guitar
23. Be a movie extra
24. Try internet dating
25. Learn to tango

It's a kind of bucket list, I guess, in the sense that she thinks marriage and kids will be the death of all her fun and spontaneity.


But it leads me to another list. Here's my real bucket list:
1. Serve a mission with Kenny.
2. Go to Africa (can be combined with #1)
3. Go to an LSU football game
4. Learn to sew, and sew well
5. Work for a non-profit focused on eradicating poverty
6. Visit somewhere with indigenous monkeys
7. Take a Caribbean cruise


I didn't get married until I was 32 so I had a lot of time to do other things that used to be on my bucket list. But what's funny is that I've done more stuff on my bucket list SINCE I got married. For example, these used to be on my bucket list before I got married but now they're done:


1. See a show on Broadway
2. See Patrick Stewart in a Shakespeare play
3. Travel Italy and France
4. Take an Alaskan Cruise
5. Hang out in Central Park
6. Publish a book


So for anyone who wonders, Ashley isn't based on me. I love marriage! It's way more fun to have a partner in crime.


Now, I've told you all week, I'm a giver. (Scroll up to the top of this post. You'll see.) And now I'm going to even give you a blog prompt. And if you play along, I will throw you in for an extra TEN entries into the giveaway of your choice: The List, the Shabby Apple dress, or any of the jewelry.


Yeah, yeah, I'm awesome. Not to mention you don't have to think of something for your next blog post. That's the biggest prize of all, right?


Do your own bucket list and link back to this post. It doesn't have to be a bucket list of things to do before you die. It can be a bucket list of things to do before your next high school reunion. Or things to do after your last kid leaves home. Mention somewhere that people can win a copy of the book. That's it. Cool, right? You can just put your entry in the Linky Thing below between now and Friday and you're good to go.


I know. Awesomeness. Dipped in chocolate. Waving magical fairy pinwheels.


Yep.


And my magic number today is TEN. That means I need at least TEN people to participate in order for me not to feel like a total idiot. Less than ten is pretty darn near throwing a party where nobody comes.


All right, get going. Your bucket list, at least five items, linked below. Oh, and link to your post, not your blog URL. Good luck!

I'm the Little Stream.

Reminder: To win a copy of The List, just comment on THIS post. (If you want another opinion, check out Erin's review today at If You Give a Mom a Moment . . .)


I write LDS "chick lit." Literature for chicks. Light, fun, sassy stuff. And chick lit has some conventions. Snappy banter, good looking love interests, fashion. Oh, yes, lots of fashion. I love fashion. I don't stay on top of the trends like I used to because I'm in the house so much now since my two little ones are really, really little and really, really hard to take out by myself. But I still love fashion and writing it into my books is a fun way to "dress" vicariously through my characters' wardrobes.


So this week's theme for giveaways is about fashion. First up, accessories. I love a great statement necklace and I'm absolutely smitten by this one from the girls at iCandy Handmade. Autie made this out of sweaters she recycled from a thrift store. I LOVE IT. It's fun and whimsical and sassy. And now you can win it:

For a look that's both earthy and sophisticated, my talented woodworking husband is offering up one of each of these necklaces:

I'm wearing this style in the picture on yesterday's post.

I love the lift a new dress gives me, and this one is fantastic for spring. It's a Shabby Apple exclusive and I adore it. It's available in size Medium for this giveaway, so if it doesn't fit you, then you may have a daughter/sister/friend who'd love it as a gift.

I know, I know! You want, need, MUST have it all, right? How do you get it? Simple. If you've already "liked" my Facebook author page or signed up for the newsletter on my website, you're already entered. Cool, right?  (If you haven't, you can go here: http://melaniejacobson.net/ and sign up for the newsletter--it takes two seconds. Plus, you can just press "Like" below and you'll be entered automatically for another chance to win, too).



To increase your chances, you can also do the following things:


1. Throw the button for my book from my sidebar up in YOUR sidebar. It's up there, at the top. Comment here to let me know you did it.


2. Include a link from your blog to my website at http://melaniejacobson.net/ and tell people they can read the first chapter of the book there. Comment here to let me know you did it.


And that's it. You can do any or all of those things. Sign up for the newsletter, like my Facebook author page, grab a button for your blog, or send people to my website.


Oh, and to win a copy of the book itself, you just need to comment on yesterday's post.


It's easy, yo.


Tomorrow's post is going to deal with lists. I'm ALL ABOUT lists. Oh, yes. Lists, lists, lists. I might even make lists of lists. And then cross that off my list. Yeah, baby!