Because it's Friday: marcel the shell

My buddy Lauren Strasnick always posts the most wonderfully random videos. Lauren - this one's for you:

Still on the Crossroads

Halloween is coming. Last week of Crossroads Blog Tour. Remember to scroll down two posts and click on the Crossroads banner for all the clues and rules so you can win tons of swaggy goodness. And if you want to see what I have to say this week, check out these fabulous bloggers who have hosted me! End of week brings a live chat. More on that later:


http://www.electrifyingreviews.com/ Monday 10/25

http://justyourtypicalbookblog.blogspot.com/ Tues. 10/26

http://www.latebloomeronline.com/ Wed. 10/27

http://yaaddict.blogspot.com/ Thursday, 10/28

http://book-savvy.blogspot.com/ Fri. 10/29

http://book-faery.blogspot.com/ Sat. 10/30

http://meow-mix85.blogspot.com/ Sunday, 10/31

And later this week more on Haunted!

Crossroads quickie

Shhh - it's my conference period. Shamelessly multi-tasking, I am.
But today on the Crossroads Tour I'm here:
http://www.theherethenowthebooks.com/

Thursday 10/21, I'll be at: http://www.liyanaland.com/

Friday 10/22: http://bookswarm.blogspot.com/

Saturday 10/23: http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/

Sunday 10/24: http://www.narrativelyspeaking.com/

And a quick check of scavenger hunt question for today tells me that it's something you can answer by reading one of my posts!! Maybe more than one. Shhhhh..... I think that may be cheating!

Anyway - previous post has the banner that you can click on for whole tour/contest.
And come visit me at The Here The Now The Books.

Back to work...

Meet Me at the Crossroads

Well, the Crossroads Tour - organized by Judith Graves (Under My Skin) is here and on going until Halloween, when the 16 of us particpating authors of YA paranormal fiction will do a live chat at Stacey's PageTurner Blog. It's a spooky themed blog tour and a scavenger hunt, with questions and clues and a whole bunch of cool swag at the end. Click on the banner above to read the rules and get your clues!

As for my specific part, I'll post every few days w/ the specific bloggers hosting me. My huge and sloppy thanks to each and every one of them!!

First up for me are:

http://www.simpleloveofreading.blogspot.com/ A Simple Love of Reading 10/16
http://www.totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/ Confessions of a Bookaholic 10/17
http://www.supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/ 10/18
http://wolfychicks.blogspot.com/ Wolfy Chicks: The Blog With Bite 10/19

Click on through and join me in all the fun!!

A Halloweeny Week a little early - Want to win Stuff?

All sorts o' festive swag opportunities, my pretties!

Check out my post - and all the others - on Jessica's Total Bookaholic site - she's got a great Haunted Halloween event going this month and I'm her guest today - so read my scary story - it's really really true - and win something while you're at it!
http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/10/haunted-halloween-with-joy-preble-and.html

And on 10/16, I'll begin my Crossroads Blog Tour, created by Judith Graves (Under my Skin)
(there's a banner for it on my blog here; just look to your right) And check out dates and prizes and host bloggers - it's a great contest - tons and tons of swaggy goodness. Plus a treasure hunt of sorts.
http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/

Til next time...

Oklahoma and other stuff from the middle

That would make a great title, eh? Don't steal it; I call dibs.

Back from Oklahoma and Encyclomedia. Loved the event. Librarians rock! You guys asked great questions during our panel and you were ever so gracious to come to the signing area at the Best of Books booth and say hi later. Plus Oklahoma City! Why haven't I been there before? Please ask me to come back.

Thanks to Stacy Nyikos for arranging our panel even when she couldn't be part of it herself. And to my co-panelists: Janet Fox, Fran Cannon Slayton, Bonnie Doerr, Denise Jaden - you are all made of much awesome.

Extra bonus round: Got to hang later with my ABLA "sistahs" - the fabulous Cynthia Liu and Tammi Sauer - who made me laugh until my stomach hurt. And did you know that our room at the Colcord Hotel had its own doorbell?

A few pics:

Cynthia Liu showing everyone how to Skype at the Hot Spot on the Encyclomedia convention floor.
From left to right: Janet Fox, Bonnie Doerr, Denise Jaden, Fran Cannon Slayton, Cynthia Liu, me, Tammi Sauer. (and beverages)

About ready to present: Fran, Joy, Bonnie, Denise, Janet

Later we brainstormed more panel ideas. Janet and I got ourselves psyched up for our next appearance together - in Orlando at NCTE in November on our "The Other Happily Ever After" panel (more on that soon) And then I flew home. Thanks Southwest. Happiest airline ever.

In other news: HAUNTED arcs are filtering into the world. I'm planning some tours and signings. If you'd like me to come to you or your school, give me a holler. I'll pass it on to the fine folks at Sourcebooks.

Haunted: wacky evil mermaids, a love triangle, more blue-eyed Ethan, more brave bff Tess, more Baba Yaga... and definitely some kissing!

til next time...

Lookie lookie!

Look what Fed Ex dropped at my doorstep today - Haunted ARC's.

In Which I Donate a Critique to a Worthy Cause

Author Swati Avasth has created an auction for a very worthy cause: the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

I would love to help raise money for this and I can - if someone will bid on my auction item. I have donated a critique of 10 pages of your YA (or other) manuscript. Click on the banner above to go to the auction site. Bidding begins at $25. The cash will be put to very good use by the fund and you will get my undivided manuscript attention.

Sounds like a good deal, yes?

So please click through on the banner and bid on me!

In Which I Pimp My Friends

Just back from brunch with the fabulous Houston almost debut author - and friend - Crystal Allen. Crystal's MG novel, How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba Sized Trophy will be out from Harper Collins in February. Crystal is not only hysterically funny, she also has a whip smart ear for "boy voice." You guys are going to love love love Lamar. And in case you're curious what we ate, this is our brunch that we consumed at Empire Cafe on Westheimer. If you are so inclined, go sit on the picnic bench in the outdoor section on the side of the restaurant. It is now officially the Crystal/Joy section. We named it. Feel free to ask for our table.



This is Crystal's book cover.








And in other bookish news, Lauren Strasnick's newest book is coming out next week - 10/5 - from Simon Pulse. It's called Her and Me and You. Lauren's debut, Nothing Like You, came out last October and is brilliant piece of achingly spare prose about love and loss and the mistakes that can haunt us. Her and Me and You promises to be equally as wonderful. Lauren is the hippest human being that I know. Check out her blog at http://laurenstrasnick.com