First of all, I am pleased to announce that I will be appearing at two more bookstores in the area this fall!

Saturday, August 21, 2pm

Desinations Booksellers

604 East Spring Street * New Albany, Indiana

Saturday, September 11, 4pm

Carmichael’s Bookstore

2720 Frankfort Avenue * Louisville, KY

I must be straightforward and report that there will not be cake.  (I know! And you were told there’d be cake!)  However, there will be something pretty much as good: a chance to win a free classroom visit from an author!  (Well, this is good if you are a parent, teacher or librarian.  If you are a childless plumber not taking any extension classes anywhere, I imagine that this offer doesn’t appeal as much as cake.  But moving on…)

It’s pretty simple: come to a Nice and Mean event (I will read and dazzle you with my super-secret strategy for spritely Q&A), and if you are a parent, teacher or librarian, you can enter a drawing to win a classroom visit from me. I’ll talk about the process of becoming a writer, discuss the skills that are crucial to being an artist (revision and attention to detail–sound familiar, teachers?), and answer questions.  (I can also read from the book, but often, the Q&A takes a while.)

What if you’re thinking, Oh woe, I do not live near enough to attend, so I cannot enter the drawing! or I am occupied both of those days!  Fear not.  Next month or so, I will hold a drawing online for those interested in a Skype visit.

Go, go, Nice and Mean!  See ya real soon!

Thanks to Traveling ARC Tours (I spelled ‘traveling’ right!  No, that’s not what I have to thank them for)–Nice and Mean has been getting some lovely reviews of late.  You might want to read some of these and check out the other informative reviews on the blogs:

My favorite observation from Tiffany’s Bookshelf:  “The tolerance taught in the book is more than just cultural.  It is tolerance of anyone different from you, which, let’s face it, to a middle school reader, that is everyone.”  I just think that is so pithy and hilarious.

The Bookshipper writes, “I read this book in one sitting – it was fun, deep in some spots and funny in others – a perfect blend – just like our two main characters.”

Thank you, Bookshipper!  I’m bedazzled to think of you reading the book in one sitting.  Although maybe that’s partly because I find it so hard to read some of my own writing without wanting a cheese sandwich.

I hope these reviews will translate into actual tweens getting their hands on the book!  One approach I’m going to undertake will be a giveaway to teachers or school librarians in August or September–free books and free Skype visits to the lucky winner!  If you are a teacher or school librarian, feel free to email me at jess@jessicaleader.com so I can be sure to include you when I spread the word.

Now, back to the woods!

Congratulations to Miss Kallie, the winner of the Nice and Mean Giveaway contest! Miss Kallie will win a signed copy of Nice and Mean, her first choice of the books in the giveaway, and lots of fun swag.

Send me an email (jess@jessicaleader.com) and let me know which book you would like as well as your mailing address. I will mail it sometime early next week.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the polls, shared comments about nice and mean characters, etc.! You made my launch week fun. And if you need anything further from me, well, you know where to find me.

Coming soon: reports from the book parties. Nice friends and pretty pictures!!

I posted last night about the awesome bloggers who are hosting me on the Nice and Mean Release-Week Blog Tour.  Now learn how you can win a copy of Nice and Mean in the Nice and Mean Grand Prize Drawing which includes everything you’d win in the other contests (pictured below; described here), plus a personally inscribed copy of Nice and Mean!  You can also win swag from the top photo by winning the Battle of Wits.  More on that in a minute.  First, pretty pictures of the prizes.    

Grand Prize winners get their choice of these!

I think you’re going to like Nice and Mean.  I mean, of course I do; I wrote it–but still.  There’s the heartache of a friend thinking you’re not cool enough for her.  The headache of a friend thinking she’s cooler than she is.  The stomach ache of having to work on a cool project (video!  hello!) with someone who just does not get you and the soul ache (okay, that’s kind of cheesy, but bear with me) of screwing everything up and being abandoned —and trying to put things back together.  I hope you’ll sign on to read it and can’t wait to chat with you about it.  

 For now, though, I want to know, from your votes in the poll to the left,  

Who are your favorite nice and mean characters?  

You’ll hear mine on Wednesday at The Page Flipper, but I have a feeling yours will make me go, “Yeah!”  

And that leads us to the contest.  How do you earn points to win?  By commenting, here there and everywhere, about all things Nice and Mean.   

Earn points when you do the following:  

  –Comment on the blog tour (hosts listed here; one point earned for each comment)  

 –Spread the word about the blog tour on Twitter, FB or your own blog (one point for each nugget of word-spreading) 

 -Vote in the polls (over there, to the left!) for your favorite nice and mean characters, then explain your choice in the comments (one point for each comment, and multiple comments are a-okay)  

The Battle of Wits: If you nominate the character who is voted Nicest Character or Meanest Character, you win the swag in the top photo!  How do you do this?   

-Email me (jess@jessicaleader.com) to include a new character in either poll (Some of the ones you see were my suggestions to get you started.)  The earlier you enter, the more likely people will vote for your guy or gal. Get on it!  That doesn’t earn a point, but you’ll earn if you…  

–Comment on this blog to explain why your character(s) should win  

 – Tweet or post on Facebook about the contest and your supreme entry, (#nice&meanwits#).  Go, team You!  You’ll accumulate points as you try to persuade people, so in theory, you could become the Grand Prize winner, too.  I wonder what I would do then?  Maybe…two copies of Nice and Mean–one to keep, one to share?

** -Stop by this blog by Saturday, June 12^th to report your points.   

I can’t wait to hear who you nominate!  And hey–thanks for stopping by.  So Nice of you!   I Mean it!

I’m giving away the milk for free!  Head on over to GoodReads to win yourself a copy of Nice and Mean before the release date!  Contest open to USA’ians, closing June 5th. 

This message was brought to you by the dairy council, and by girls who have trouble deciding who to be.  Which is many of them.  I hope you win!  Yes, you!

Edited to add: GoodReads needs another 48 hour to approve this, so the giveaway hasn’t started yet.  But soon it will be approved and shiny and you can go say hi!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Nice and Mean ARC giveaway contest!  I loved seeing your enthusiasm and getting to know new potential readers through the internets.  I hope you’ll stay tuned to this blog and my Tweets–I will be giving away actual copies of the book when it is released in June!

And now, as they say in Little Miss Sunshine, the winners are…

Courtney and Snazel, who entered in the Marina and Sachi way, respectively.  They have won an ARC of Nice and Mean, a book from the S&S books photo below (please send me your first choice, and I will hope that they are different), and an array of bookmarks.

Alicia!  who has won second pick of the S&S books below (please tell me your top 3 prefs) and an array of bookmarks

Liyana! who has won third pick of the S&S books below (please tell me your top 4 prefs) and, you guessed it, an array of bookmarks

The following people win bookmarks!

Andrea C, Anja, Janflora, Amanda, Ari, Heather, Angie, Joyce (1st 8 to enter)

Kendra, Katie, Megan Chloe and Angel (last 5 to enter)

To receive your prizes, please email your snail-mail address to jess@jessicaleader.com  I will mail these when I am back from vacation on April 20th, so if you don’t get anything for another two weeks, don’t be alarmed.

Speaking of my vacation–I’ve created a line-up of great guest-bloggers to entertain you all when I’m away.  Their topic?  On the Scene with Nice and Mean–their own reminiscences of niceness and meanness.  More on the identity of those bloggers later.

Thanks again!

~ Jess

To reward all the lovely people who have shown enthusiasm for the Nice and Mean ARC giveaway, and to draw in some new ones, I am offering a new twist:

-Last 5 people to enter the contest before 9pm EST automatically get bookmarks

But!  If you have already entered and are thinking, Hey!  Whycome they get rewards for entering late!, fear not.  If you have already entered, I will double your entry points if you Tweet or FB about the last day of the contest.  Just leave a note in the comments or send me a DM on Twitter so I know and reward accordingly.

I seriously feel like I am channeling shyster relatives past.  I had some in real estate.  Maybe this is how they operated.  It feels kind of dirty–but kind of fun!  And mostly, I get to meet new people who are enthusiastic about kid lit, and that is inarguably rewarding.

Good luck!

It’s been a busy week, what with prepping for the honeymoon and eating all those malt balls (yes, they are all gone), so I’m sorry that it’s taken me until now to properly thank and credit the excellent Tenner authors who donated bookmarks to the Nice and Mean giveaway.  I now present ze following bookmarks, with huge apologizes for the uneven image sizes and blind-monkey format.  WordPress, I opted for you over Blogger, but I fear you will be the death of me…  

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes     

            Everlasting by Angie Frazier   

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White 

Mistwood by Leah Cypress      The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson 

                                                     Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis    

The Mark by Jen Nadol 

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell   

Every time one of these winged its way into my mailbox, I thrilled.  They are quite attractive, durable, and, most importantly, remind me of books I need to read.  Now, if only someone else would have a giveaway, so I can get my mitts them…

You can enter the Nice and Mean ARC giveaway to win these bookmarks, books from Simon and Schuster (see below), and, of course, the advanced copy of my book, until 9pm on Thurs.  At least, I think it’s 9pm.  Whatever I said on my earlier post, that’s what it is…  

Books donated by Simon and Schuster

Call it spring fever, call me an April Fool, but I woke up early this morning seized with the desire to give away a Nice and Mean ARC. 

Yes! I am giving it away!

I also wanted to share a bunch of other things I happen to have lying around!  

Books donated by Simon and Schuster

Bookmarks from debut novelists -- aka Tenners!

First-place winner gets Nice and Mean ARC, 3 Nice and Mean bookmarks, any one of the following books generously donated by Simon and Schuster, and a set of Tenner bookmarks.  

Second-place winner gets second choice of S&S book, 2 Nice and Mean bookmarks and a set of Tenner bookmarks.   

Third-place winner gets third choice of S&S book, 1 Nice and Mean bookmark and a set of Tenner bookmarks.  

The first 8 people to enter automatically get bookmarks, too!  This is not an April Fool.  This is real!  (And kind of insane, no?)   

Deadline: April 8, 2010, 10pm EST; Eligibility: All ages, citizens of US and Canada only

Now, I may be feeling generous, but my protagonists, Marina and Sachi, aren’t feeling the whole giving-it-away-for-free vibe.  They want you to do it their way. But since we are all about hybridity at Nice and Mean, Inc., there will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in both the Marina and Sachi categories.  (That’s 6 winners!  Spring fever has taken hold!) 

 The Marina Way 

Marina is all about people knowing her greatness.  To win an ARC from Marina’s heart, you can prove your love by earning points, like this (read below or skip to this form) 

+1: Connect with @Jessica Leader on Twitter or become a Facebook fan of Nice and Mean (you can get points if we are already connected) 

+2: Publicize the contest on Facebook or Twitter 

+2: Share the Nice and Mean love on GoodReads 

+3  Add Jessica Leader to your blogroll 

 +4: Post Nice and Mean countdown widget on your page (here’s how) 

+5: Spread the word about Nice and Mean on your blog–share the synopsis or kind words; whatever moves you. 

(Marina doesn’t know who Jessica Leader is, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care.  But if doing these things will help people appreciate her supreme power, she’s all for it.)  

The Sachi Way 

Sachi wouldn’t mind being known, but she prefers substance to style.  She’ll be handing out awards to her favorite example of the following: 

-Write in the comments about a time you were especially nice or mean.  (If you are too shy to do this publicly, you can send it in an email to jess@jessicaleader.com) 

-Read the excerpt of Nice and Mean here and write in the comments what your favorite line is, and why.  (She won’t be too offended if you choose a Marina line.  She’s used to it.) 

-Tell her in the comments why you are excited to read the book about her…and Marina 

–Draw a sketch of her and/or Marina, or sketch your own cover for Nice and Mean.  You should probably take a photo and email this to jess@jessicaleader.com  If you really need to mail it, email Jess to get her address.  Winning entries will be posted on blog with your permission 

Marina and Sachi are pretty excited.  Spring vacation and notoriety.  They hope you’ll fill out the form or comment below.  Jess is looking forward to hearing from you, too! 

As my mom will undoubtedly tell you, I’m a pretty much a Luddite.  I was the last of my friends to get a cell phone, which happened sometime in 2001.  I don’t have a Blackberry, iPhone, or Tivo, and I still listen to tapes in the car.  In spite of this aversion to Things New, I am really appreciating the internets lately.   What have they done, you ask?  I’ll tell you.

1) I raised $78 for my local library, thanks to Jennifer Hubbard’s Library-Lovin’ Blog Challenge.  Hard to imagine coordinating such an effort and disseminating the news over snail-mail.  Harder still to imagine how much we’d actually raise.  But somehow, with the clicking, it’s easy to do. 

2) Because I wrote some thoughts on the School Library Journal’s Battle of the Books, I won a t-shirt from them.  It will be the nerdiest piece of apparel I own, hands-down, which means it will become soon become well-loved.

3) This is the most embarrassing to admit I’m pleased about, but it’s a great story, so I have to tell it: I shared some good news on Twitter about how a judge ruled that a Mississippi high school student can attend the prom with her girlfriend.  It got retweeted by someone with over a million followers and then retweeted in turn.   I guess I’m embarrassed to report that I’m happy about my part of it because it’s not my story.  The story belongs to an incredibly brave young woman who opened herself up to hatred in the name of progress.  But I had a tiny bit of pride that I was the one who helped spread news to people who might not otherwise have heard it. 

4) The Internet allows you to line up pinch-hitters for your honeymoon.  Yes!  From April 10-20, you will get treated to On the Scene with Nice and Mean, thoughts by writers/bloggers Micol Ostow, Irene Latham, Tami Lewis Brown, Margie Gelbwasser, Susan Robertson, and Emily Kristin Morse.  (Sorry I’m not linking to you guys–my lunch break is already dwindling as it is.)  I doubt they would have responded to a chain-letter requesting nice and mean tales for post-honeymoon reading!  (NB, I didn’t get married over the weekend and not tell you.  That happened in August.  It’s a delayed ‘moon.)

5) Yep, I’m burying a lead, but anyway: the Internet will allow me to give away an ARC of Nice and Mean!  Be one of the first to read it.  Contest will take place April 5-9th, and will include lots of other Simon and Schuster books and Tenner swag.  A marketer friend of mine pointed out recently how the internet makes it easier than ever to reach our niche market, and it’s true.  Though I sometimes find all the self-promotion opportunities overwhelming, I would have had even less idea how to do it sans le net. 

So–your turn.  What’s your favorite thing the internet has done for you?