The YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes 2: Electric Boogaloo

Welcome to Stop #1 in the “Laser-Eyed Iguana” leg of the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes 2:  Electric Boogaloo.   In case you missed the first one, the YAmazing Race is the coolest blog hop ever, featuring over 50 debut authors and a veritable smorgasbord of booty including: ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and a bottle of perfume made from lilacs, the scent of fresh-baked blueberry muffins, and Katniss Everdeen’s sweat.

Okay, I made up that last one.

The race officially begins at noon EST on Wednesday, May 2, so if you’re reading this before that time, you may want to amuse yourself by checking out REUNITED’s book trailer.  And if you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, CLICK HERE to start from the beginning and read the complete rules.  Now on to the race!

REUNITED by Hilary Weisman Graham  (Simon & Schuster – June 12, 2012)

1 Concert.    2,000 Miles.     3 Ex-Best Friends

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.  Back in middle school, the girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.  But when the band broke up, so did their friendship.  Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.  Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show. Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse.  And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town.  But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?

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Now tuck that away in your clever, little brain for the quiz at the end.

Plus, I’m also hosting a bonus contest where I’ll be giving away a limited edition pea pod necklace.  Why a pea pod, you ask?  Because the “Pea Pod” happens to be the name of the 1976 pea green VW camper bus Alice, Summer, & Tiernan take on their 2,000 mile road-trip.

Enter to win this pea pod necklace!

The "Pea Pod," from the REUNITED book trailer.

Do any of the following six things and you’ll be entered to WIN the pea pod necklace.  Or, do all six and you’ll be entered six times!  And don’t forget to tell me how many times you entered in the comments section of my blog.

• Follow my blog
• Leave a comment on this post
• LIKE my author page on Facebook
• LIKE Level3′s Facebook Page
• Follow me on Twitter @HilaryGraham
• Add REUNITED on Goodreads

Ready to move on?  Then CLICK here to link to the site of Anne Nesbet, author of 2012 Kind’s Indie Next List book, CABINET OF EARTHS   And good luck!

My Simon & Schuster author video

It’s official.  I am in the Simon & Schuster “Author Portal.”  (At least the link works on AOL.)  And I love how much Level3 footage they used!

World Book Night (at the Merrimack-Nashua JV lacrosse game)

World Book Night was a great success!  Since my sleepy, little New Hampshire town shuts down by 7:00pm, I handed out my copies of Peace Like A River a tad early, at my nephew’s JV lacrosse game.  What a joy it was to give away one of my very favorite books.

The Merrimack - Nashua boys JV lacrosse game.

Yes folks, it's true. I am the half-time show.

She was glad for the rainy weather, since it meant more reading time.

The score Merrimack 8, Nashua 5. But the readers are the real winners.

Writing for a Genre That Doesn’t Exist (Yet)

Aspiring writers, fans of Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!, and enhanced e-book enthusiasts should check out my blog post on BlakeSnyder.com today:  Writing for a Genre That Doesn’t Exist (Yet).

Why I Write

Head on over to Tangled Up in Words and learn the answer…

But How Many Words Per Minute?

A great YouTube find!  I am hoping for a typolution myself at the moment. –Hilary

The Last Seven Books I Bought

Yesterday, on Presenting Lenore, the lovely and talented Lenore Appelhans revealed the last seven books she’d bought, and to my delight, REUNITED was on the list (as a pre-order, of course)!  So, I’ve decided to join in the fun and do it, too.  This was actually a bit harder than I thought, since I’ve been trying not to spend so much money on books.  Plus, I’ve been reading lots of ARCs lately, and my mom just passed along the incredible yet emotionally traumatizing Sarah’s Key (my current read), but here goes.

1) Croak by Gina Damico (well, technically, I haven’t bought it yet, but I will at her book party (woo hoo!) at the Burlington, MA Barnes & Noble next week).  I am soooooooo excited to read this!

2) Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty  At the suggestion of a friend, I bought this at Longfellow Books in Portland, ME two weeks ago.  It’s in the line-up on my nightstand, but I haven’t read it yet.

3) The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay My sister said it was a must-read & she was absolutely right.  What an incredible book.  Bryce Courtney is a genius.

4) An Abundance of Katherines by John Green  After reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I needed more John Green.  It’s in the line-up.

5) Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green, David Levithan  LOVED it! This is a book I want everyone to read, especially high school kids.

6) Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen A.C. Gaughen is such an amazing writer and even though I’d already read the ARC on Netgalley, I just had to own a copy myself.  In my humble opinion, Scarlet is one of the best female characters in all of YA lit.  I adore this book!

7) SWELL by Corwin Ericson.  Another one in the line-up.  (Plus, I bought two additional copies as gifts.) Cory is my friend Bethany’s brother & his book is getting lots of great buzz, especially around Boston.