June » 2010 » 32 Candles

The Best Nervous Breakdown Ever

So I had a fantastic conversation with Cynthia Hawkins from “The Nervous Breakdown,” which I think was only disguised as interview. It’s funny, b/c I talk so little about being a retired Derby Doll on this blog, but it’s about a third of the TNB interview. We also talked about being film geeks Molly Ringwald movies, nerd dating, and of course 32 CANDLES. So do read here, and pretty please give it some comment love.

I’ve also got some good news possibly coming round corner next Thursday, so keep your eyes on this blog for that. Til then, congrats to Roya Hamadani from “Fierce Foodie” who won our Thursday 32 CANDLES T-shirt. We’ve got three more going out for our pre-order contest, so get your pre-order on right now, son, if you want to be Pretty in Pink before the end of the month.

Oh, and urgent reminder that we need pics of folks that have won shirts, wearing the shirts. Check out Orange Prize short-lister, Attica Locke (BLACK WATER RISING), rocking hers in London town. And many thanks to her adorable daughter for the mini-assist!

What Book Has Changed Your Life? [Last Tote Bag Comment Challenge]

If you happen to be in a bookstore, please ask if it carries or plans to carry 32 CANDLES. Even if you’ve pre-ordered or already have a copy, just asking about 32 is such a boon, because the more requests booksellers get, the more likely they are to stock it.

On other notes, there’s less than a week left until 32 CANDLES gets its official release. It makes me feel queasy just thinking about it, and the only reason I’m sleeping at night is because I’ve taken Amy Robinson’s (“Tall Drink of Nerd”) advice and started meditating. Also the whole 11-month-baby thing is a huge distraction, so thank the Lord for that, b/c I would completely freaking if I didn’t have mommy duties to keep my racing brain engaged.

Congrats to last week’s THEN and NOW totebag winner, Anne F, who I picked simply because she lives in the Philippines, and I’m all about sending the tote bag to rep abroad. Look for the THEN and NOW series to roll out next Monday and if you want to submit your own THEN and NOW, do it here.

Another congrats going out to Molly from the fabulous (I mean seriously if you’re an NYC actor, you should be reading this) blog, “Scenery Chewer.” She’s our Wednesday T-shirt winner! Oh, and keep your fingers crossed that she gets cast in the BILLY ELLIOT tour!

Now on to our final tote bag giveway challenge question: What book has changed your life and why? Seeing the movie version of THE COLOR PURPLE cmade me realize that one needn’t be fair-skinned to have a happy ending, as had been the case in all black novels prior to THE COLOR PURPLE, as far as I can tell. It also taught me that the best endings weren’t necessarily about getting the guy, but living the best life you possibly could, no matter what your circumstances. When I saw THE COLOR PURPLE, I remember thinking quite plainly that my life might turn out okay, despite being dark-skinned. But only after reading THE COLOR PURPLE in high school, did I see that Shug Avery, as written by Alice Walker, was also dark-skinned. Let me repeat that: The most beautiful woman in the book was just as dark as Celie, and the only reason Mr. hadn’t married her, was because he was light-skinned and his father didn’t approve. This blew my mind. It felt like the shutters had fallen off my eyes, and I saw that my own dark skin wasn’t a “even though,” but an intrinsic part of my beauty and future happiness. I stopped thinking that I was attractive despite being dark and started celebrating my dark skin, wearing bright colors to draw attention to it. THE COLOR PURPLE changed my entire outlook on the rest of my life as a dark-skinned black woman.

Do you have a book that changed your life in some profound way? Let us know in the comments!

Photo Credit: MorBCN

The Best Non-Writing Advice That You’ve Ever Gotten From An Author?

Earlier in the year when I lamenting about my ongoing trouble with getting into the habit of flossing to WENCH author Dolen Perkins-Valdez (b/c that’s what awkward writers like me choose to talk about with brilliant writers like her), she gave me the following advice: “Just floss in the morning.” Just floss in the morning. Those of you who have been following my blogging exploits, since I first started know that I have been attempting a flossing habit since 2005. 2005!!!! And those five words changed my life. I’ve been flossing every day for months now, and when it comes time to review my 2010 New Year’s Resolutions, that one will definitely get ticked off for the first time in my life. How cool is that?

Anywho this all got me to wondering about the best non-writing advice you’ve received from authors. Sound off in the comments.

Oh, and if you see Monique Daviau, give her a pat on the back. She’s today’s 32 CANDLES T-shirt winner!

4 Ways To Get a 32 Candles T-shirt!

Hey Darlings!

First of all, congrats to today’s 32 CANDLES T-shirt winner, Mary Schrader! Second of all, we’re only giving away six more T-shirts, so I wanted to let you know a few ways to get a 32 CANDLES T-shirt of your own.

1. Pre-Order 32 Candles, let me know that you did, and we’ll put you in the pre-order pool to win.

2. Review 32 Candles on your blog before JULY 4, 2010.

3. Come to one of the 32 CANDLES book events. We’ll be giving away FIVE T-shirts at every book event.

4. Submit a THEN and NOW. Not only do we give a donation to FFAWN for every person that submits, but we’re also giving away 20 T-shirts to the first 20 people who submit their THEN and NOW story HERE!

How easy is that? And friendly reminder to all 32 CANDLES T-shirt winners to please send me pics of you in the 32 Candles T-shirt before JUNE 22 (that’s next Tuesday!). Meanwhile check out Amy from “Tall Drink of Nerd” rocking hers in Tongva Sacred Springs. Love the braids, Amy!

THEN and NOW

Dearest Everyone,

So this week’s tote bag challenge is a little different. I’m really excited to announce a big initiative that we’re starting next Monday called THEN and NOW. Basically you submit a picture of yourself from high school, a picture of yourself now and answer three questions. For every submission we receive, 32 Candles will make a donation to FFAWN, an organization that promotes good decision-making, problem-solving skills and self-esteem in young girls. So by telling us your THEN and NOW story, you’ll be doing both yourself and the women of tomorrow a boon.

And here’s the really big news. Not only will we give away our usual tote bag to the winning THEN and NOW submission. We’ll be giving away 20 T-shirts to the first 20 people who submit!!!* So if you haven’t won a 32 CANDLES T-shirt yet, submit your THEN and NOW here sooner than later.

Meanwhile check out the inaugural THEN and NOW submission by yours truly:

Then:

Did you consider yourself an ugly duckling in high school?

I was such an ugly duckling in high school. I was awkward, could barely keep my hair together, and my mother refused to buy more than two or three new school outfits every year. I remember wanting to crawl out of my skin my first year of high school. It felt like everyone was cooler and dressed way better than me.

Now:

When and how did you officially “swan?”

Strangely enough, I officially swanned while still in high school. My sophomore year, I joined the school’s Thespian troupe and received major roles in school plays, not because I could act, but because I “spoke well.” It was very interesting to go from huge nerd to commanding the stage and hobknobbing with the popular kids. I wasn’t a great (or even good) actor, but I loved working with language. And since we were such a poorly-funded troupe, I was allowed to direct and even sell space in the program to local businesses. What great life lessons. I learned to embrace all of the qualities that had made me feel awkward before, and now I fully represent for fierce nerds everywhere — though I have since invested in designer jeans and a few Anthropologie items to offset my mostly H&M and Target wardrobe.

Advice:

What advice would you give to the Before you?:

I often think about what I would say to my past self if I had a time machine. And I always come to the conclusion that I wouldn’t give myself any real advice, because I just love where I’ve ended up, and I wouldn’t want anything to change that.

Tell us your THEN and NOW story here!

*If you’ve already won a t-shirt, we would still love for you to submit, but you cannot win another T-shirt.

Check Out 32 CANDLES in the July 2010 Essence Magazine!

Okay, this is why you want to both pre-order 32 CANDLES and take part in our Wednesday Comment Challenge. Last week’s tote bag winner, Jill Moyer, has now also won a t-shirt. How about that? So make sure to come back tomorrow for a very special edition of our Tote Bag Challenge blogumn.

Also, if you’re near a newsstand, pick up the July edition of Essence. Not only is the cover orange (my absolute favorite color in the entire world), but there’s also a really lovely write-up on 32 CANDLES, which is the Essence Book Club Pick of the Month. I can’t even begin to explain to you how excited I am about this feature, but I can direct you to the blogumn I wrote when I first found out about the honor. Click here for the typed equivalent of me screaming like a little girl.

The Fiercest Nerd on the Block

Well, well, well, after a week of winners as far flung as Boston, St. Louis, New Jersey, and even China, we finally bring it home to good ole LA with today’s winner, Debra Barlow from “Two Cats and a Baby.” Friendly reminder to pre-order my book and let me know that you did, so that we can get you entered to win a T-shirt of your own.

Other than let’s get into my thoughts on this week’s edition of Fierce and Nerdy.

This pic of Kelli from "Fierce in Seattle" under the Space Needle, wearing the 32 CANDLES T-shirt MADE MY WEEK! Friendly reminder to 32 Candles tote bag and t-shirt winners to send me pics of you either in or with your gear!

1. I don’t think I’ve ever changed my mind so fast about something so major in my life. More next week, but after actually viewing an apartment, we decided that we are way beyond living in an apartment, and that it was time to find a house and settle down already, so now we’re on the hunt. But I still want to hear your moving stories, so go here to comment for the chance to win this week’s tote bag.

2. I want to point out that I TOLD Gudrun that she should go to Montreal with M rather than stay back in France. And now she’s been attacked by what sounds like a really brutal France-only weed. I don’t want to say that the whole world should listen to me more often, but I think this pretty much proves it.

3. Else’s tale of her Johnnie Walker tasting made me want to do a proper Scotch tasting myself. Maybe if the next book sells, I’ll do one as a sort of book launch party…

4. I’m going to go on a mango search this weekend, in order to make this terrific-sounding tea from this week’s Fierce Foodie. Thanks, Roya!

5. Congrats to Kelly on her 90 days! I, too, have problems asking people to hang out. It always feels so awkward, and it takes a lot of coordination with a baby. But I most often find that the effort is so worth the connection.

Moving House [Tote Bag Comment Challenge]

I’ve talked a lot about what Davie and I have in common over the last few weeks, but today I want to talk about something we absolutely don’t have in common — and that is moving. As far as I know, Davie has only moved twice in her entire life. I’ve moved seventeen times — and that’s not counting moving rooms in college or any moves that lasted under three months. And now I’m thinking about moving again.

We moved to Altadena from Silver Lake a year ago, in a panic about living in the right area of town to raise a family. Altadena seemed like a good fit. There’s a large black population here, Pasadena is less than ten minutes away. You get good house for the money. When our future landlord told us that he was planning to put our house on the market in a year or two, we were pretty sure we were going to buy. Only…

… Altadena might look perfect for us on paper, but IRL, not so much. We dislike not being able to walk to anything more than our local Ralph’s (which is desperately in need of a remodel). I do like having a post office nearby, but am annoyed that I have to wait in line every time to send packages as opposed to just using a machine to weigh my packages and get the proper amount of postage like at my old post office. Also, getting to the highway takes over ten minutes, which wouldn’t be so bad, if most of my friends didn’t live about 30 highway minutes away.

We made a list of the things we wanted in our next home, which included, good school districts, four bedrooms, within walking distance of shopping (which should include a decent grocery store), a pool, good cell phone coverage (the last time I talked to my editor on my cell, the call dropped three times), and most important, modern amenities. After living in a place with creaky central air that either runs too hot or too cold, pipe problems, and other old house issues, we are more than ready to embrace thoroughly modern living.

However, we’ve quite liked renting as opposed to owning. It allowed us a sneak peek of the neighborhood without actually committing to a mortgage, and it’s also allowed us to save toward our dream house. So we decided to rent for another year or two.

But then a funny thing happened during our research. We were able to find a few places that had all the stuff on our list and fit into our budget, but … they were all apartments, townhomes, or condos. So yesterday we had a family meeting, and as it turned out, no one, not even my MIL was opposed to living in a non-house. In fact, the only real argument I could come up with was that others would judge us for not living in a house, you know, like families are supposed to. But that actually sealed our decision to start looking into non-house options. You don’t ever want to go down certain paths only because others expect you to take it.

Anywho, this all has me wondering. How often have you moved? Are you happy with where you live today and what led you to move there? What would you change about your current residence if you could? The winning comment will be featured in next week’s Wednesday Comment Challenge AND the writer will receive a 32 CANDLES tote bag. Yay!

Speaking of which, congrats to last week’s Comment Challenge winner, jill from Pittsburgh, who wrote this in response to the question, “How Do You Watch TV?” Read the rest of this entry »

Newsletter and Such

Perhaps you’re the kind of person who loves to get updates about 32 CANDLES, but doesn’t necessarily love to navigate Fierce or Nerdy or the official 32 CANDLES blog to do so. Well then, check out the weekly newsletter button on the right sidebar. If you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll get all the book, event, and giveaway info you need for 32 CANDLES right to your inbox. And there will also be a little something extra in each newsletter that you can’t get on the blog, so do sign up.

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Congrats to Mildred Taylor and Donna King-Butler, yesterday’s and today’s T-shirt winner! Remember if you want a T-shirt, all you have to do is pre-order the book, let me know that you did it, and we’ll get you entered to win!

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Want a 32 CANDLES tote bag? Tell us how you watch TV here.

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Friendly reminder, if you’ve won a t-shirt or tote bag, when you have a moment, please take a picture of yourself with the items, and send it to us by either posting it on our Facebook page or emailing it to etc at 32candles dot com.

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As of this writing, 501 people have “Liked” 32 CANDLES on Facebook. An extra-big THANK YOU for all of those who took the time to “Like” the page. Going into our publication day with 500+ Facebook Fans is going to be huge and will definitely help drive sales. So again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your help with this!