And the winner is ...

Athina! Expect an email shortly.

So many great comments! You guys are excited about a lot of great things. Thanks so much for entering, and apologies for the delay in announcing the winner -- between family stuff and Irene, the last few days have been a little crazy.

We didn't lose power for as long as we could have, and it turns out playing Lord of the Rings Monopoly by candlelight is not a bad way to spend an evening (especially when you're DESTROYING the other players with your awesome real estate purchases -- who knew Bag End and Farmer Maggot's could be such moneymakers?!). Reading, however, is better by booklight. Less flickery.

More excerpts and another contest to come this week. Stay tuned ...

It's still August, right?

This has been the busiest month I can remember in ... a long time. I turned in the followup to Cold Kiss, then my son's best friend was here for a week. Then we had torrential rains and water dripping through the light switch in the kitchen, which is very much Not a Good Thing. My grandmother died, my brother went through a really hard time, and all of a sudden we're scrambling to get everyone ready to go back to school.

Some days I just want to curl up with a Project Runway marathon and Pirate Booty and a giant Hershey bar. Or two. But in the background of all that has been the incredible support I've found online and in person for the coming release of Cold Kiss. 

It's still a little unreal to me that so many people are excited about the book, and that people who have already read it have liked it! It seems like forever ago that my agent called to tell me HarperTeen was interested, and now we're just weeks away from Cold Kiss on shelves. In actual bookstores! Not just the ones in my imagination!  And I'm going on tour, with four fabulous authors. Tour! That's, like, rock star stuff. I'm still not sure I actually believe that one.

And with that rambling lead-in, I do have another giveaway to announce! It's easy, too. Simply take a look at my last post  and leave me a comment (including your email address) telling me something you're excited for in the weeks to come. Doesn't matter what -- it could be a new flavor of Ben and Jerry's, or the next full moon, or Robert Pattinson actually turning into a vampire. Just tell me something that's going to make you happy.

Leave comments on that post, and on Saturday morning, I'll announce the winner of a signed galley of Cold Kiss, and a few special extras. I'll get in touch with the winner personally via email.

One note: U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY, please. Sorry about that, international friends, but I didn't know I'm not supposed to send galleys out of the country. Oops.

So enter! And tell your friends! And if you have extra Pirate Booty or Hershey bars, you know where to send them...

With the sequel to Cold Kiss finally turned in, I am relaxing. Which means making peach cobbler, doing my nails, reading, reading some more, possibly fooling around with homemade henna (skin! not hair), and then reading some more.

Oh, and sleeping. There's been a lot of that. At least until I get my revision letter. Ahem.

In the meantime, the fabulous Dark Faerie Tales blog invited me to talk about what Wren would do if she were to turn up in a fairy tale or fable. One of my all-time favorites is "Bluebeard" -- dark and grim and bloody and scary! I figure Wren could totally deal. See what her "diary excerpts" as Bluebeard's wife say about the story!

Five commenters to the blog can also win a copy of Cold Kiss, which is pretty cool.

Now for the big decision -- Sun Kissed or Fuschia Power? The toes are already Green Apple. Hmm ...