Cyn Balog’s Character Debut Party

June 28, 2009

Fairy Tale by Cyn BalogOkay, so I can’t exactly tell you the specifics of what I loved most about FAIRY TALE because it was the ending and I don’t want to give anything away! I’ll just say that this book is a totally new take on YA fairy stories that kept me guessing until the very end, which I <3d, which doesn't happen all that often. And the MC, Morgan? Well, if that girl went to my high school back in the day, I probably wouldn't have hated going there so much. :-) She's quite sassy. I like that in a girl.

Now, if only I could get Cyn to come visit me when I'm in NYC… but that's another project!

About FAIRY TALE

Morgan Sparks and Cam Browne are a match made in heaven. They’ve been best friends since birth, they tell each other everything, and oh yeah–they’re totally hot for each other. But a week before their joint Sweet Sixteen bash, everything changes. Cam’s awkward cousin Pip comes to stay, and Morgan is stunned when her formerly perfect boyfriend seems to be drifting away. When Morgan demands answers, she’s shocked to discover the source of Cam’s distance isn’t another girl–it’s another world. Pip claims that Cam is a fairy. No, seriously. A fairy. And now his people want Cam to return to their world and take his rightful place as Fairy King.

Determined to keep Cam with her, Morgan plots to fool the fairies. But as Cam continues to change, she has to decide once and for all if he really is her destiny, and if their “perfect” love can weather an uncertain future.

Morgan’s 2009 Debut Party

The Guest List

Um, as long as they don’t have wings, she’ll let them in.

No wings? Check. Let the partying begin!

The Party

It’s a fancy Sweet 16 bash held at the Green Toad, an exclusive restaurant in the city with teal napkins. Or silver ones.

The Guest of Honor: Morgan

Morgan is wearing a teal sparkly dress tonight. And her theme song? Never Say Goodbye.

Hmmm. I really hope it’s the Bon Jovi version of Never Say Goodbye, because that’s the song of my very first kiss at the summer camp dance way back in 1980-something. Since Cyn’s a Jersey girl and all, I bet it’s totally the Bon Jovi version.

Cyn’s Advice for Morgan on Her Big Debut

Watch out for pissed off fairies.

Based on the pissed off fairies in FAIRY TALE, I think we should all make a mental note and follow that same advice. In the mean time, FAIRY TALE is a great summer read, and I wish Cyn and Morgan all the best on the big debut!

FAIRY TALE is available in book stores now, and also online through Indiebound and other Web retailers.

Cyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She’s also the Race & Event Manager for several national fitness magazines. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and young daughter. Both are 100% human, or so she thinks. FAIRY TALE is her first novel. Visit Cyn online.

Leave a Comment » | 2009 Character Debut Parties, books | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Ockler

20 Things in 20 Days: Clue #17

June 28, 2009

Time for another clue in the 20 Things in 20 Days hunt. Answer clues and challenges to earn points toward the 20 Things grand prize, including 6 signed books from 2009 debut authors! Get a clue… June 11th-30th at 20 Things in 20 Days!

If you haven’t heard of the hunt before — don’t worry! You can still play all of the past clues and rack up those points toward the grand prize, now through June 30. Check out the clue page for the full list.

Anyway, on to clue #17:

Just like Anna and Frankie in Twenty Boy Summer, best friends don’t always tell each other how important their friendship is or how much they care. Sometimes there’s an old hurt in the way, or a grudge or a stupid fight that no one remembers. Other times we just take for granted that our friends already know how we feel – but that’s not always the case. Actions may speak louder than words, but sometimes, a few little words can mean the world to a friend. For 20 Things clue #17, call or visit someone important to you and let her or him know how much you care. Leave a comment here telling us that you did! 5 points.

11 Comments | contests | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Ockler

20 Things Bonus Clue: A Lifesaving Discussion

June 26, 2009

I’m blogging today’s 20 Things in 20 Days bonus clue because there’s something important I’d like to discuss with you.

Clue #16 today mentioned Helicopter Pilot — the girls’ favorite band in Twenty Boy Summer — and the band’s drummer, Scotty O. Scotty is my “baby” brother in real life. I say “baby” because although he’s 25 now, I remember when my parents first told us Mom was pregnant (my other brother and I thought all the secrets and funny looks meant that we were getting a swimming pool).

Sarah & ScottyAfter a long wait of 6 months, which is like 20 years in kid-time, the big day arrived, and Mom and Dad brought Scotty home and put him in my arms. I remember that day, too. I held him and decided in an instant that despite earlier predictions, getting a baby brother was way better than getting a swimming pool.

Just like his Twenty Boy Summer cameo implies, Scotty later became a beat-droppin’, foot-stompin’, funk-tastic drummer. But that’s not the only true trait represented in the book — Scott is also a liver transplant recipient. He’s alive today because of one family’s generous decision to donate organs and tissues more than 20 years ago.

Without his liver transplant, Scott would never have drummed for HP. He wouldn’t have a cameo appearance in his sister’s debut novel. He wouldn’t do any of the things he’s done in his teens and twenties because he wouldn’t have seen those years. Without the transplant, Scott would have died before his 5th birthday.

Scott & Sarah in Iowa, 2008

Sarah & Scott, Twenty Boy Summer signing, 2009

My family was fortunate that Scott got a second chance through the gift of life, but not everyone gets a second chance. Today, more than 100,000 people in the United States alone are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, and many of them will die on that waiting list. In fact, over the 20-day course of our 20 Things Scavenger Hunt, 380 people will have died waiting for an organ transplant. I don’t know how big your school or office is, but 380 people was the size of my entire high school graduating class.

So for today’s bonus scavenger hunt activity, I’m asking everyone to learn a little something about donation and discuss it with your family. Whether or not you decide to become a donor when it’s your time to leave this world, it’s important to make an informed choice, and to share your wishes — whatever those wishes are — with your family. For Scotty, for me, and most importantly, for all of those people still waiting for a transplant, please check out some of the resources below and leave a comment here letting us know that you had the donation discussion with your loved ones. 7 points.

Organ & Tissue Donation Resources

P.S. It’s been 25 years. I still think Scotty is better than a swimming pool. :-)

17 Comments | Scotty-O, contests, health | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Ockler

Prairie Doggin’ for a Hot Minute

June 25, 2009

So I’ve been kind of blog-absent lately, busy with supercrazyfun Twenty Boy Summer launch stuff and revisions for my next book, Fixing Delilah Hannaford (more on my new BFF Delilah later). And don’t get too excited because this post isn’t going to be an in-depth one, either. :-) I just wanted to pop out of the ground for a minute to shake off the dirt, wave, and share a few guest posts / links / event news meant to substitute for a real, actual, thought-out blog post. Forgive me?

*Looks around and whistles while waving hands in a Jedi mind trick sort of way…*

You will accept and embrace the links in place of a real blog post…

Oh, hi! Hey! Check out these links and stuff!

  1. The Buffalo News article, Emotions run high in Sarah Ockler’s first novel, ‘Twenty Boy Summer’, highlighting inspirations for the book, real life cameos, and more insider info. Sorry if you’ve already been bombarded with this article all over my Facebook, or if you’ve visited my mother and she’s pushed upon you 1 of the 8 million copies she bought, but it’s all so exciting that we can’t help ourselves! :-)
  2. Woman Around Town article, Grown Up Girls Come Out of the YA Book Closet, in which it’s totally okay for adults to show some YA PDA.
  3. Fresh New Voice of YA guest blog at Book Chic. We’re chatting about the importance of journaling and would love to hear your thoughts on a few journal-related questions! And, James at Book Chic (a recent fLiP iT fRiDaY guest!) is giving away a TBS ARC to a random commenter.
  4. Twenty Boy Summer Cover Story on the lovely Melissa Walker’s blog. Melissa is the author of Lovestruck Summer and the Violet on the Runway series, and she asked me to share the story behind the TBS cover and all that beautiful sea glass. We’re also giving away a signed copy to a random commenter!
  5. Featured Guest Nose for agent sister Sydney Salter, author of My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, in which I whine about that one time in college when I broke my nose.
  6. My Favorite Author guest post for all the “Summer Mes” out there. Do you have a summer me?
  7. Zoe’s Birthday Celebration guest post at Zoe’s Book Reviews. Pull up a chair for a story from my craziest birthday party ever, in which once again “emotions run high” as we kiss boys and commune with the dead. Er, not necessarily related…
  8. Sarah’s YouTube Channel. I totally forgot to mention this, but I plan to do lots more vlogs in the future. Like, the future where revisions are done and books are launched and videos can be made in a stress-free environment in which I am nice to Pet Monster and he agrees to make a few more cameos. If you have a YouTube account, you can subscribe to the channel and get… I don’t know. Good YouTube karma!
  9. Finally, don’t forget the Twenty Boy Summer contest page, updated regularly with new contests, including the 20 Things in 20 Days scavenger hunt, a chance to win a $100 Old Navy giftcard, and lots of TBS book giveaways from the awesome YA book blogger community.

Events

For those of you in the Western New York area, I’d love to see you in person at any of these upcoming events!

  • Girls Afternoon at B is for Books
    Thursday June 25, 2:00 PM
    6562 E. Quaker Street
    Orchard Park, NY 14127
  • Book signing at Barnes & Noble Clarence
    Friday July 24, 6:00 PM
    4401 Transit Road
    Clarence, NY 14221
  • Book signing at Barnes & Noble McKinley
    Saturday August 8, 1:00 PM
    3701 McKinley Parkway
    Buffalo, NY 14219

Okay, must return to revision underground…

1 Comment | Buffalo, books, contests, events | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Ockler

20 Things in 20 Days: Clue #13

June 23, 2009

It’s clue #13 time! I hope you’ve all been playing along with the 20 Things in 20 Days hunt. Answer clues and challenges to earn points toward the 20 Things grand prize, including 6 signed books from 2009 debut authors! Get a clue… June 11th-30th at 20 Things in 20 Days!

If you haven’t heard of the hunt before — don’t worry! You can still play all of the past clues and rack up those points toward the grand prize, now through June 30. Check out the clue page for the full list.

Anyway, on to today’s clue:

At the heart of Twenty Boy Summer is a long-held secret kept by two best friends from another. Some secrets, like Anna and Matt’s, can be painful to keep, while others might be lighthearted, mysterious, mischievous, exciting, or even just downright fun. For 20 Things clue #13, tell a secret! If you feel like sharing, you can post your secret right here in the comments. If you don’t want to post your secret publicly, tell a friend, loved one, or even a total stranger a secret and leave a comment here letting us know that you did it. 4 points.

16 Comments | contests | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Ockler

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »