Win AND SHE WAS by Alison Gaylin!

I am delighted that Alison Gaylin is including the BookBitchBlog on her blog tour. One lucky reader will win a copy of her new book! Keep reading for all the details on how to win.

AND SHE WAS is the first in a new series from Alison Gaylin which combines the psychological depth of Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series with the fast pacing and gripping tension of Harlan Coben’s suburban thrillers. Indeed, Lippman and Coben are huge fans of this young and upcoming talent in the mystery world.

About the book:
At the core of the series is a clever, striking, and literally unforgettable premise. Missing persons investigator Brenna Spector suffers from hyperthymestic syndrome, a rare neurological disorder which gives those who suffer from it perfect autobiographical memory. Triggered by the years-ago disappearance of her older sister, the disorder forces Brenna to remember every moment that’s happened since in precise, visceral detail: the good, the bad, the mundane, and the tragic. Yet the one event she wants desperately to remember—and solve—grows foggier and foggier in her mind.

Now the disappearance of a local woman named Carol Wentz has intersected with a missing child case that Brenna investigated eleven years ago, in which six-year-old Iris Neff walked away from a Labor Day barbecue, never to be seen again. Brenna learns that Carol—like herself—had been secretly obsessed with tracking down Iris, and may indeed have found her. Reliving life—changing and deeply upsetting memories, Brenna discovers myriad ties between Carol, Iris, and other residents of the town where they live—and uncovers a shocking web of murder and deception that stretches back more than a decade.

From the author: Writing Isn’t Pretty

You know what I hate? Those scenes in movies, where a writer is sitting in front of the computer or typewriter and all of a sudden, he just “gets” it. You know the scenes I’m talking about: The big “eureka” grin appears on his face and there’s just no stopping him: The writer’s fingers are flying over the keys as if he’s a virtuoso, playing a symphony and he’s smiling at the page or screen as though he can’t believe the brilliance that’s flying out of him. And then, in the very next scene, he walks proudly up to his doubting editor or girlfriend or withholding mother or whomever, hands them a thick, completed, perfect manuscript, and says something oh-so-clever like, “Read it and weep.”

Scenes like that make me want to throw up. They’re why so many people think writing is “easy,” and “fun,” and something they could “do if they had just a little more time.”

Let me just say, right here and now, that I don’t find writing easy. I never have. For me, writing is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration, and if I sat in front of the computer only when I “got” it, I’d probably have written about one or two pages in the past 10 years.

The ugly truth is, I have never once written a first draft that I haven’t loathed. I write and rewrite and cut and rewrite some more. I kill darlings and tell scenes from different perspectives until I get them right and, since I write mysteries, I’ve been known to change the killer’s identity at the last possible minute – necessitating even more rewriting. It’s just the way I do it. It’s too much pressure to be perfect right out of the gate – I’d rather change and rework, so that it becomes good eventually.

Here’s an idea of how much I wind up changing: When I write a novel, I always keep a file of everything I cut. My cut file for my latest book, AND SHE WAS – I just checked it -- is 126 pages long. That’s about a third of the final draft – and it’s about normal for me. All of my writing is expendable including (and often especially) the passages I personally love most.

So I guess that’s why I hate those movie scenes. While I’d much rather look like Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone while I’m writing than Jon Turturro in Barton Fink, it’s just not reality – for me, anyway. I will say though, that there’s no greater satisfaction that finally getting it right. And awful as the writing process sometimes makes me feel, it’s always pure heaven to have written. There are two words that will never make it into my cut file: “The End.”


About the author:
Alison Gaylin’s new book AND SHE WAS, the first in a new series featuring Brenna Spector, a missing persons investigator with perfect autobiographical memory, is out now from Harper, and recently debuted on the USA Today Bestseller List. She has written four other books, including the Edgar-nominated HIDE YOUR EYES.

To win a copy of AND SHE WAS by Alison Gaylin, send an email to contest@gmail.com, with "AND SHE WAS" as the subject. Make sure to include your name and mailing address in the US only. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age. One entry per email address, please. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone. All entries, including names, email addresses, and mailing addresses, will be purged after winner is notified.

This contest is only going to run until the end of the month, so your odds of winning are pretty good - if you enter by March 31, 2012! Good luck!

I've got the cure for Downton Abbey withdrawal!

Win a copy of the book that inspired the Downton Abbey series, TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace.

From the Gilded Age until 1914, more than 100 American heiresses invaded Britannia and swapped dollars for titles--just like Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, the first of the Downton Abbey characters Julian Fellowes was inspired to create after reading To Marry An English Lord. Filled with vivid personalities, gossipy anecdotes, grand houses, and a wealth of period details--plus photographs, illustrations, quotes, and the finer points of Victorian and Edwardian etiquette--To Marry An English Lord is social history at its liveliest and most accessible.

To win your own copy of TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace, just send an email to contest@gmail.com, with "ENGLISH LORD" as the subject. Make sure to include your name and mailing address in the US only. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. One entry per email address, please. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone. All entries, including names, email addresses, and mailing addresses, will be purged after winner is notified.

This contest is only going to run until the end of the month, so your odds of winning are pretty good - if you enter by March 31, 2012! Good luck!

Fantastic Flying Books!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Enjoy!

DUTTON TO RE-LAUNCH GUILT-EDGED MYSTERIES AS DEDICATED DIGITAL PROGRAM

NEW YORK, NY – February 15, 2012 –Brian Tart, President and Publisher of Dutton, a division of Penguin Group (USA), announced today the re-launch of Dutton Guilt-Edged Mysteries as a digital imprint under the direction of Dutton Editor-in-Chief Ben Sevier. From 1947 to 1956, Dutton Guilt-Edged Mysteries was a pulp noir publisher that specialized in hardboiled detective fiction, including the work of noir icon Mickey Spillane, whose first seven Mike Hammer novels were published under the Guilt-Edged logo. The new program will be dedicated to publishing original crime short stories and novellas as Penguin eSpecials. The imprint will launch in Summer 2012 to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Guilt-Edged publication of Spillane’s first Mike Hammer novel, I, the Jury.

The inaugural title in the program will be NPR news editor Krishnadev Calamur’s debut novella Murder in Mumbai. New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart (The Hunter, Damage, etc.) has also committed an original Dismas Hardy story to the program. Dutton Guilt-Edged Mysteries aims to discover new writers, showcase new short works from today’s bestselling authors, and reissue classic mysteries from the original Guilt-Edged imprint.

Sevier says: “The re-launch of Dutton Guilt-Edged Mysteries is a fitting tribute to Mickey Spillane, one of the 20th century’s bestselling and most beloved novelists. The new imprint is built to find fresh voices in crime fiction and publish them using distinctly 21st century techniques.”

Dutton Guilt-Edged Mysteries will accept submissions from literary agents as well as individual writers. The imprint will also partner with Book Country (www.bookcountry.com) to publish at least one writer from the online fiction workshop community each year.

Dutton Guilt-Edged Mysteries will be available wherever ebooks are sold, in a variety of formats compatible with all major e-readers and devices. More information, including submission guidelines, is available at www.penguin.com/DuttonGuiltEdged

Books not to be read on an e-reader...

If you don't have an e-reader, or have one and are now wondering why you'd ever buy another physical book, I'm here to share some titles that are best read book in hand, not in Kindle or Nook or iPad.


Hot Guys and Baby Animals by Audrey Khuner and Carolyn Newman
This is a small book that is all photographs of - you guessed it - hot guys with baby animals. Every page is "awww" inspiring and is best viewed on the beautiful, high quality paper contained in this book. Nook Color or Kindle Fire perhaps, but I still prefer pictures on paper.

My Last Supper: The Next Course: 50 More Great Chefs and Their Final Meals: Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes by Melanie Dunea

This is a coffee table book and a really good conversation starter. Lots of famous chefs, some not so famous, and at least one who is not even a chef but rather a celebrity cook named Rachael Ray (and she is the first to admit that she is not a chef so please don't send me hate mail!) They all get a page for a great and often unique photograph, and another to talk about what they'd like for their last meal, where they want to have it, who they'd want to share it with and most interesting to me, who they'd like to prepare it. My non-scientific guess after perusing this book is that at least 85% of these chefs want to cook their own last meal. I think Bobby Flay put it best: "The one thing about my last supper is, I'm cooking it. I like cooking even more than I like eating." The layout makes it a really great book to just pick up and open to any page. This is actually a sequel to the 2007 My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes by Melanie Dunea.


The Thorn and the Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story by Theodora Goss

One enchanting romance. Two lovers keeping secrets. And a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever.

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself . . .

The Thorn and the Blossom is a remarkable literary artifact: You can open the book in either direction to decide whether you’ll first read Brendan’s, or Evelyn’s account of the mysterious love affair. Choose a side, read it like a regular novel—and when you get to the end, you’ll find yourself at a whole new beginning.
See this short video to see how the book works.


The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston

When Frankie Pratt graduates from high school, she gets her father's old Corona typewriter and starts keeping this scrapbook, a charming, epistolary novel about a young woman coming of age in the 1920's. Using vintage memorabilia including postcards, magazine ads, candy wrappers, menus and such, we follow Frankie from Vassar to Paris and back home again. It's a fast read since there isn't a whole lot of text, but nonetheless this is a rich, multilayered story that illuminates a brief period of American history from a distinctly feminine point of view. The memorabilia is just fascinating and really propels the story.

Win BLUE CHRISTMAS by Mary Kay Andrews!

It's the week before Christmas, and antiques dealer Weezie Foley is in a frenzy to garnish her shop for the Savannah historical district decorating contest, which she intends to win. Weezie is ready to shoot herself with her glue gun by the time she's done, but the results are stunning. She's certainly one-upped the owners of the trendy boutique around the corner, but suddenly things start to go missing from her display, and there seems to be a mysterious midnight visitor to her shop.

Still, Weezie has high hopes for the holiday—maybe in the form of an engagement ring from her chef boyfriend. But Daniel, always moody at the holidays, seems more distant than usual. Throw in Weezie's decidedly odd family, a 1950s Christmas tree pin, and even a little help from the King himself (Elvis, that is), and maybe there will be a pocketful of miracles for Weezie this Christmas Eve.

Back by popular demand, this new edition of the holiday classic includes an essay by the author, tips for "keeping the happy in holidays," additional recipes, and more. Also beginning Friday 12/9 and thru Friday 12/23, the BLUE CHRISTMAS e-book will be marked down to $1.99 at all e-book retailers!

To win your own copy of BLUE CHRISTMAS by Mary Kay Andrews, just send an email to contest@gmail.com, with "BLUE CHRISTMAS" as the subject. Make sure to include your name and mailing address in the US only. This contest is only going to run for a couple of weeks, so your odds of winning are pretty good - if you enter by December 23, 2011! Good luck!

NERO AWARD & BLACK ORCHID NOVELLA AWARD

2011 LITERARY AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS: NERO AWARD & BLACK ORCHID NOVELLA AWARD

The Nero Award is presented each year to an author for the best American Mystery written in the tradition of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories. It is presented at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City. The "Nero" is considered one of the premier awards granted to authors of crime fiction.

This year, the winner is Louise Penny for Bury Your Dead (Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group). Her award was presented by Jane K. Cleland, chair of the Wolfe Pack's literary awards.

The Black Orchid Novella Award is presented jointly by The Wolfe Pack and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine to celebrate the Novella format popularized by Rex Stout. This year's winner is James Lincoln Warren for "Inner Fire."

About the Wolfe Pack
The Wolfe Pack, founded in 1977, is a forum to discuss, explore, and enjoy the 72 Nero Wolfe books and novellas written by Rex Stout. The organization promotes fellowship and extends friendship to those who enjoy these great literary works of mystery through a series of events, book discussions, and a journal devoted to the study of the genius detective, Nero Wolfe, and his intrepid assistant, Archie Goodwin. The organization has more than 500 members worldwide.

To learn more, visit www.nerowolfe.org or send mail to Werowance@nerowolfe.org.

Guest Blogger: MEL TAYLOR

There must have been a teen in the late 1960’s who held a device called a transistor radio, listened to Top 40 music and wondered if technology had reached its zenith in pushing music through a half-inch speaker, sometimes from hundreds of miles away. Clearly, the answer was no. Technology was about to take off, just like those history-making flights to the moon. It was a time when computers filled up a room, and events were recorded on film. Fast-forward to today and you can buy a smart phone that talks to you. Technology is moving so fast, you’re concerned that new flat screen you purchased, fresh out of the box might be outdated before you get it set up. So, for mystery writers, how do you inject 3-D defying techno gadgets into your books without one day dating them right up there with BETA recorders, VHS, audio cassettes, analog TV, and Pong?

For writers, there is a balance of using technology with strong characters. Deborah Sharp, author of the great Mace Bauer mystery series, has this reflection: “I’m a technophobe, so I don’t know enough to toss around the names of all the newest gadgets. Still, I think it’s difficult to avoid any mention of cell phones, caller ID and the like, since they’re an integral part of our lives.”

Joyce Sweeney, award winning author and founder of a very successful critique group in south Florida, embraces technology: “I use current technology at the time of writing because there’s no way to really know what will happen next. If I think a certain item is waning, I would leave it out.” Even with a dated item, Sweeney says it should not be a problem. “I find that readers don’t mind ‘antiques’ in their books.”

I posed the technology question to author Paul Levine. I have read all of his books in the Jake Lassiter series: “A book has to be set in its time and place. I’m not going to worry about what technology will replace the cellphone or Netflix or Facebook. By the same token, it would be a mistake to have a character in 2011 constantly using pay phones! Technology is changing too fast to worry about it, so that what we write in 2011 might be somewhat dated by its publication in 2013, but that’s part of modern life.” Paul Levine, author of “Lassiter.”

For me as well, the key is technology can’t be avoided. The book is a snapshot of life. I mention gadgets in their proper place, as part of the flow of the story. After that, when it comes right down to the core, the direction is to pour all of my efforts into the characters, the plot, pacing, setting, and those delicious unexpected twists. In my first two mystery books, my main character is a TV reporter. Much of his world has not changed much except for the introduction of High Definition or HD, a bigger use of computers and the disappearance of the beeper. Technology will continue to flourish and that’s good. Still, in my experience, readers will share with others on what they like about how characters respond to the obstacles we writers present, rather than the model number of a fancy device.

I am sure that 1960’s teen trying to dial in Wolfman Jack would be proud.


Mel Taylor is the author of the Deadline books. Murder by Deadline and Encounter by
Deadline by Avalon Books. His character Matt Bowens is a south Florida TV reporter who works in front of a TV camera and solves crimes with the help of photographer Ike Cashing. He has just launched a collection of short stories called Deep Trouble, available on Kindle,Nook and iBooks.

Miami Book Fair Giveaway!

As regular readers know, I love, love, love the Miami Book Fair! This year the fair runs from November 13 - 20. The complete schedule is now available online.

You can read about what a fabulous time I've had there the past several years in the archives. This year, the fair looks to be truly outstanding, with almost 500 authors participating.

I am really excited to be able to offer books from a few of the participating authors at this year's fair. There is something for everyone, from the literary to crime fiction to a graphic novel and great gift books.


















Go the F**k to Sleep by Ricardo Cortes
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Dewey Decimal System by Nathan Larson
Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life by Michael Moore
Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
Chanukah Lights by Robert Sabuda
Habibi by Craig Thompson

If you would like to win one (or more!) of these books, send an email to
contest@gmail.com with the title (or author) of the book in the subject line. Send a separate email for each title you want to win. Make sure to include your name and mailing address in the US only. The books will be sent directly from each publisher. This contest is only going to run for a couple of weeks, so your odds of winning are really great - if you enter by November 10, 2011!

Tell your friends and invite your book group to go meet your favorite authors at the fair. Trust me, the Miami Book Fair is a reader's paradise, not to be missed.

The Center For Fiction Announces New Crime Fiction Academy

New York, October 14, 2011 -- The Center for Fiction, founded in 1820 as the Mercantile Library, has announced the February 2012 debut of The Crime Fiction Academy, the first ongoing, rigorous program exclusively dedicated to crime writing in all its forms. Students accepted into the program will be taught by successful practitioners of the genre, including workshop leaders and master teachers Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Lee Child, Thomas H. Cook, Linda Fairstein, Susan Isaacs, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, Joyce Carol Oates, SJ Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Karin Slaughter and more.

Crime fiction writer and CFA workshop leader Megan Abbott says, "Crime fiction doesn't just engage and entertain. It tells us volumes about the world we live in, and has helped form the foundation of American literature and storytelling. I am honored to be a part of a program that celebrates crime fiction and, more importantly, will serve as a launching pad for the next generation of crime writers and a vital incubator for hundreds of rich and exciting novels to come."

Classes will take place in The Center’s 8-story building at 17 E. 47th Street in Manhattan.

CFA’s challenging and thoroughly engaging curriculum will include:
• a 14-week writing workshop
• a monthly Master Class
• a crime fiction reading seminar
• special lectures and discussions with editors, agents and distinguished persons from the world of crime fiction and publishing
• 24-hour access to the Center for Fiction’s Writers Studio
• Use of the extensive circulating collection (the Center for Fiction recently won a Raven Award for their amazing in-depth crime fiction collection)
• Free admission to all Center for Fiction events.

CFA Program Director and crime fiction writer Jonathan Santlofer says, “It was time for someone, someplace to take crime fiction seriously enough to create an in-depth, ongoing program devoted exclusively to the genre. And what better place then New York’s own Center for Fiction, founded in 1820 as the Mercantile Library, an institution that has been dedicated to writers and readers for almost 200 years. A chance to hone one’s writing skills with successfully published crime fiction authors, to shape that novel or story you’ve been thinking about, working on, but just couldn’t finish, in one of New York City’s most intimate and nurturing environments — what more could any writer ask for?”

All classes, workshops, and lectures will take place in the evening. Students may enroll for one term, but a year-long commitment is suggested to take full advantage of the program. Admission is limited and competitive and is based on work samples. CFA will be accepting applications, beginning in November 2011 for the term beginning in February 2012. Visit http://www.centerforfiction.org/crimefiction for details.

If you would like to interview any of the writers involved, please call or email Noreen Tomassi, Noreen@centerforfiction.org or (212) 755-6710.


About The Center for Fiction

The Center for Fiction is the only nonprofit in the U.S. solely dedicated to celebrating fiction, and works every day to connect readers and writers. Time Out called The Center one of the top three reasons to stay in Manhattan for literary events, citing the innovative panels, lectures and conversations that take place in its beautiful building on East 47th Street. The Center provides workspace, grants, and classes to support emerging writers, reading groups on classic and contemporary authors, programs to help get kids reading, and centerforfiction.org to connect readers and writers around the country. The Center recognizes the best in the world of fiction through its annual awards, publishes fiction by emerging and established authors in its online magazine The Literarian, and operates one of the few independent fiction book shops in the country. The Center for Fiction is also an important piece of New York City history, continuing to build its renowned circulating library collection of 85,000 fiction titles, begun in 1820 by New York City merchants before the advent of the public library system.

IT'S BACK! FEAR OF FLYING E-BOOK

I was just delighted to learn that Erica Jong's FEAR OF FLYING is now available as an e-book. I was a kid when it came out and had to sneak it past my mother to read it. I'm sure my perspective now would be much different so I'm anxious to take another look at it.

You can read an excerpt here: FEAR OF FLYING EXCERPT

Guest Blogger: LISA BLACK

This week, forensic scientist and author Lisa Black answers a question we have all asked ourselves: why are there so many people in uniforms just standing around at any crime scene or accident?

First of all, any scene serious enough to warrant crime scene tape will have one officer there to record who enters the scene and who leaves, and when. That is their entire job. They can’t perform other duties and be absolutely sure about personnel going back and forth at the same time. Also officers will be stationed, one in front, one in back (at a minimum) to make sure no unauthorized person enters the scene. Otherwise an attorney will say someone snuck into the scene and planted the evidence that implicates their innocent client. If you are that client, you want that scene secured. In other words, once we leave we cannot come back, so these officers will remain there until we have done everything we think might possibly need to be done, which could be hours to days. The PIO may be gathering information to give to the press. The traffic homicide investigator willl be noting skid marks and taking measurements. Then you have people like me, who spend a lot of time walking out to my vehicle and back to get various pieces of equipment as I need them. I may be waiting for a co-worker to finish videotaping before I go inside to photograph, during which time they will wait outside for me. I may be waiting for a co-worker to bring some unforeseen piece of equipment from the station. We could all be waiting for a search warrant, which, though detectives will tell you they’ll have it in twenty minutes, always takes several hours. We also have to wait for the Medical Examiner’s Office investigator to arrive before we can touch or move the body. The crime scene is our jurisdiction, the body is theirs, and they cover three counties, so if they’re having a busy day we have to work around their schedule, almost always an hour or more. Higher-ups may arrive in order to do what they should do: get their butts out into the field to see what their subordinates are doing. Almost always they are disciplined enough not to enter the scene if it is not necessary, so they will be standing out by the road. Yes, some may be those who simply wanted to get out of the office or those who feel the need to stick their nose in to everything, but believe it or not, that’s fairly rare.

So yes, as in any aspect of human life, a large part of crime scene or accident work means standing around and waiting.



Lisa Black’s fourth book Defensive Wounds was released by Harper Collins on September 27. Forensic scientist Theresa MacLean battles a serial killer operating at an attorney’s convention. Lisa is a full time latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida.

Visit Lisa Black online

Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

Really excited about this new book! And you should be too - you can win your own copy!

THE KITCHEN COUNTER COOKING SCHOOL: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks is essentially “What Not to Wear” meets Michael Pollan. Inspired by a supermarket encounter with a woman loading up on processed foods, Le Cordon Blue graduate, and author of The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry, Kathleen Flinn decided to use her recent culinary training to help a group of nine culinary novitiates find their inner cook. These students invited Kathleen into their kitchens where she took inventory of each person’s refrigerator, cabinets and eating habits. After kitchen “makeovers” and a series of basic lessons where they learned to wield knives, trust their taste and improve their food choices, the women found a common missing ingredient—confidence. In this new book, Flinn follows these women’s journeys and includes practical, healthy tips to boost readers’ culinary confidence, strategies to get the most from their grocery dollar and simple recipes to get readers cooking.

Now this gets interesting...Kat Flinn has her own YouTube channel with some really great videos. Check out the official book trailer.

Demo and shopping tips videos: Learn knife skills, vinaigrette lesson, and how to make Pasta Pomodoro for example. Check out Flinn’s YouTube Channel for more!

Finally, check out the author's website for recipes and more.

To win your own copy of the Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn, just send an email to contest@gmail.com, with "KITCHEN COUNTER" as the subject. Make sure to include your name and mailing address in the US or Canada only. This contest is only going to run for a week, so your odds of winning are pretty good - if you enter by Columbus Day, Oct. 10, 2011!

More good deals on ebooks

Harper Perennial is offering 20 ebooks for less than $20, or just $.99 each. There is more information on their Facebook page, but I can tell you that the ebooks are available for the month of August at all major ebook retailers like Amazon.com and BN.com, and also at independent booksellers. They also posted more info on their Olive Reader Blog, with the added incentive of having a place for you to ask for recommendations if you're not sure which book you want. But frankly, at that price, I'd buy them all!

Finally, I saved the best news for last. Harper is also running a promotion on Facebook where you can enter to win a $20 gift card for the e-reader of your choice!

Prize Eligibility: Only persons residing in United States who are at least 15 years of age can enter.
Sweepstakes Starts: August 03, 2011 @ 08:00 am (EDT)
Sweepstakes Ends: August 10, 2011 @ 05:00 pm (EDT)

Lisa Unger giveaway!

BookBitch regulars know that Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors (and favorite people, for that matter!) So I am delighted to share a giveaway that Lisa is doing. Here's all the info:

One lucky reader will win...

Set of signed/first edition hardcovers.
$100 giftcard from a bookseller of your choice.
e-Reader of your choice.

DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND goes on sale in one week!
If you pre-order now, and let Lisa know you did, she will enter you in a contest that she's been running on Facebook. You can also email. August 9th, Lisa will draw a winner for an e-Reader, set of signed/first edition hardcovers and $100 bookseller giftcard.

ANGEL FIRE also re-releases in one week!
Lisa's first novel (writing as Lisa Miscione, her maiden name.) And it is currently available to pre-order for just $0.99 (limited time offer for ebook version from Random House).

NATIONAL SATELLITE RADIO & BOOK TOUR
Lisa will be heading out on the road next week, and really looks forward to seeing a lot of you in person! Everything kicks off on August 9th, so please check her events page for the most up to date details.