Keep your PULSE on popularity

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Just wanted to send you a quick e-mail to let you know that the lovely ladies at Y-Pulse published an interview of me on their site! It was awesome meeting them at my book launch party and I'm so grateful that they are sharing my experience with writing and publishing with their readers! Please take a look at the article here.

And don't forget that I'm uploading the next chapters of Fate Reloaded tomorrow, as well as a few special surprises from the newest project I'm involved in! It's going to be the BIG REVEAL!

Happy Friday!

5x5,
B.

Readers: Take back your power!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

So, IndieReader.com (the premier site for everything Independent Books related) was kind enough to ask me to be a guest columnist on their site...please blow up their site and read my article if you have the time (Mine is the first feature you see on the homepage! Click on Mr. T!)!

Thanks so much and happy Wednesday!

5x5,

B.

Super-Secret, Super-Awesome Project

by Brittany Geragotelis

EXCITING NEWS!!!!

Hey all! I have some super-secret, super-awesome news.....

I just wish I could tell you about it!

Wait, what was that? You want me to dish you the deets even though I've been sworn to secrecy and had to practically sign away my first born if I told you all about it?

Ummmm.......OK!

I suppose it wouldn't totally be going back on my (contract) word if I just gave you some of the 411, right? Right?!

Cool, here goes:

Yours truly was one of a select group of Wattpadders chosen to be a part of a really cool new show that's being released in January! Yep, you heard that right....it's a SHOW! And for all of you out there who are thinking, "It's about time that girl had her own reality show!"—well, I agree with you, but this isn't it.

It's better!

I can't tell you the name of the show or even the storyline yet, but I can divulge the fact that I wrote TWO of the stories connected to the series! The project's unlike anything you've ever seen before. It's not quite a movie but not totally a TV show.

Like I said before: It's better.

And that's seriously all I can say right now, since I faintly remember the contract saying something about being hunted down by the FBI if I gave away too much—but stay tuned for more, because eventually I will SPILL. And if I don't, it'll all be out on Wattpad soon anyways!

So, please, keep checking back as I drop more hints to all my fans. I promise if you stick around, it'll be totally worth it!

:)
Britt "The Book Slayer"

Life's a Witch is available on the Kindle and Nook!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Sorry I haven't updated in the last week, but ever since my book went on sale, things have been CRAZY! Crazy good, but crazy nonetheless. Because of my article in Publisher's Weekly, I've been approached by a ton of people about my book; foreign rights agents, publishers, movie and TV rights agents, talent agents and even a comic book company about the possibility of creating a graphic novel based on LAW! I'm still in the process of talking to different people, so nothing's been decided or set in stone, but as soon as I know, I'll announce it here on my blog! So exciting!

In the meantime, I just found out that Life's a Witch is now available for the Kindle! Woo hoo! So, for all of you out there who were waiting for the e-book, here's your chance to buy your copy. And the best part? I'm selling it for a special holiday price of $2.99! And for all you Nook customers, don't worry, I've got you covered, too! Life's a Witch is also available for the Nook! The special holiday price of $2.99 applies here, too!

So, if you haven't already, please support a self-published author and help me get on the New York Times Best Sellers List (yes, I'm setting my sights that high!). Thanks to all of you who have already bought your copies and don't forget....they make great Christmas gifts!

5x5,
B.

Party excitement hangover...the cure? Kind words.

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hi all!

Sorry this is coming out to you so late, and unfortunately, I don't have photos (yet. Many were taken and I promise I will have a whole photo gallery up soon), but last night's book launch party? UH-MAZING! So many of my friends showed up to share in my very special day--I got to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a while, hang out with buds I see on a daily basis and meet new people. The media was there. My friend Calvin from Publisher's Weekly who wrote such a lovely article on me earlier this week; a few lovely ladies from Y-Pulse who I had a ton of fun talking to about books; a publicist who reps a few literary industry peeps that I finally got to meet in person; and a reporter from the Post even crashed the party. Matt told me later that, "You know you've made it when the press is crashing your party."

Whether this is true or not, the night was truly magical. I usually get very overwhelmed when people are all focused on me, but last night I was on point. I don't know if it's because I've gotten so good at interacting with people and chatting with strangers through my job or if I was just excited to be talking about my biggest passion: writing, but I actually had an amazing time.

And I think everyone else had fun, too....but I guess we'll see when the pictures come out.

Anyway, I woke up this morning, exhausted from all the fun and satisfied with the turnout....ready to have a lazy day around the house. Which I did. But then I found out about this amazing blog that Famous Last Words wrote about Life's a Witch and it instantly perked me up. It's really very sweet, and is all about supporting authors. And then I had the pleasure of being interviewed by good friend and co-worker, Morgan McMurrin, earlier this week for our magazine's website! She did such a great job coming up with fun questions and I had a blast answering them.

Okay....so until I have pics from the party, I'll be sure to keep you up to date on all the happenings of Life's a Witch! In the meantime, enjoy these interviews!

5x5,
B.

Buy your copy of Life's a Witch today!

by Brittany Geragotelis

A note to all my TWITCHES:

I have a secret to share with you: before posting Life’s a Witch, I’d experienced about eight years of rejection. Rejection by agents, editors, publishers, etc. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “You’re a great writer, but this just isn’t for us.” After a while, I began to question whether I should be writing at all, and even took a hiatus from it.

Of course, as writers, we write. And before long, I felt the itch and decided that I no longer cared what a select few thought of my books. What mattered to me, I realized, was the opinion of the people who I was actually writing for: YOU!

So, I took a chance and decided to write something original for Wattpad and leave that choice up to you. And thus, Life's a Witch was born.

And I’m so glad that I did, because you all seem to have fallen in love with Hadley and the rest of The Cleri; you’ve rooted for her, gotten angry on her behalf, acted out her fight scenes in public and even threatened to kick her enemies’ butts for her. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all how much I’ve appreciated your continued support as I published Life’s a Witch. Your loyalty and kind words have been nothing short of phenomenal and you’ve each given me the encouragement to keep writing.

And because of all your support and encouragement, I'm taking another chance and am publishing Life's A Witch myself. So, if you love Hadley and the rest of The Cleri, go ahead and pick up your own copy today! Not only is there a BONUS CHAPTER that wasn't posted here on Wattpad, but there's a surprise in there for any fan who wrote a comment on the book (up until 3 weeks ago)!

And because of this exciting occasion, I've got a contest to share with you! Visit my amazon page, write a review of the book and then come back here and post the link to your review, and you'll be entered into a contest to win one of five autographed copies of Life's a Witch! Winners will be chosen on or around Dec 24th!

Please help spread the word about the book to your family and friends. Because you can have magical powers, too--You have the power to take matters into your own hands and decide for yourself what deserves to be a best-seller. So, use your powers and buy a book today!

Thank you and I love you all,

5x5,

B.

Party in the NYC!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Soooo, one day to go until I publish Life's a Witch in paperback! Woo hoo! I know I promised you details on my launch party, so here's a sneak peek at what it will entail:

Incredible Food: My favorite gluten-free diner, Peters Gourmet Diner, will be catering the event and everything sounds UH-MAZING! Some of the menu items? Chicken fingers, grilled cheese and prosciutto wrapped melon. Mini cupcakes will be provided by My Dads Cookies! Mmm, Mmm, good!

Awesome Guests: I can't name any names, but there will be a few celebrities in attendance. Both from the acting world and from the book world. I promise, once the event's over, I'll post pics of everyone and give you the scoop on everything.

Entertainment: Not only will there be some very special witchy entertainment going on, but there will be awesome music and a step and repeat and a red carpet provided by Red Carpet Runway, where guests will be able to stop and take their pictures, celebrity-style.

Goody Bags: Guests will get to take home a goody bag with the very first copies of Life's a Witch, along with a few other surprises from both my book as well as from Wattpad.

Now, just to give you a glimpse of what attendees will get to experience, here's a look at the uber fabulous shoes I'll be wearing. Love them? Me too!

5x5,
B.

People are talking about....Life's a Witch!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

I can't believe it's only 2 days until the world launch of Life's a Witch in paperback! And I couldn't have done it without all of you....my fans, friends and family. Well, I've been blessed so far this week with a little press on the launch of LAW. Check out what people are saying about your favorite twitch!

Publisher's Weekly did a really nice interview about my journey to self-publishing and what made me decide to do it all on my own.

Crushable.com featured an excerpt from LAW that enticed readers to check the rest of the book out!

I can't wait until Thursday when everyone can grab their own copy! And log on tomorrow, when I'll talk a little more about my book launch party!

5x5,
B.

You could go to the Life's a Witch book launch party in NYC!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hi all!

So, as you know, something very exciting is happening next Thursday, December 8th. I'm launching my debut novel, Life's a Witch on paperback and for the Kindle! I'm very excited about this as it's been a dream of my for, like, ever. Well, along with the launch, of course, comes a PARTY! There's going to be food, drinks, a few surprises and celebrities in attendance.

Here's where you come in!

I'm going to give five (5) lucky fans the chance to come and help me celebrate! How cool is that? Here are the details of how you can win!

—You MUST live in or near NYC or be willing to travel there on your own.
—You MUST be 18 or be accompanied by an adult to enter the contest.
—You MUST be able to attend the event from 7-9PM on Thursday, Dec 8th.
—To enter, just videotape yourself telling me what you like most about Life's A Witch. You can talk about specific chapters or parts, act out parts of the book to get your point across, sing a song you made up about Hadley and The Cleri, dress like your favorite character...pretty much anything you want as long as it has to do with LAW.
—Upload it to YouTube and then either put the link up on my profile or e-mail it to me at lifesawitchlaunch@gmail.com along with your name, age, city you live in and your contact info (by uploading the video, you're giving me, Brittany Geragotelis, the rights to put the video up onto Wattpad, as well as use it in promotional stuff).
—Based on the video answers, I will choose five (5) fans to come to the launch party. All winners will take home a paperback copy of LAW as well as other goodies.

Good luck everyone and can't wait to see your vids!

5x5,
B.

The mystery behind my cover for LAW...

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hi all!

I've got a full week of posts just itching to be read, so let's get started!

The wonderfully amazing Melissa Walker just did a cover story about Life's a Witch on her uber-popular book website! She was so sweet about it and is helping to spread the word that LAW will be available in paperback and ebook format on December 8th! I'd like to thank Melissa for including me and hope you'll all take some time out of your busy Monday back after Thanksgiving to read up! In the interview, I talk about the inspiration behind my cover and praise my talented designer Toni Misthos for her creativity and skill, because without her this book wouldn't be the same!

5x5,
B.

Road to Self Publishing: Starting Your Company

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Learning what it takes to publish a book has been a real trip so far. I always thought it was just going to involve me deciding to publish it myself and then, POOF!, it would be ready and out there. But there's SO much more that goes into it than that.

One of those things is the need to create your own business. When I was first setting up my account with CreateSpace, I saw that one of the first things they require you to do is set up a business of some sort. This is because if you're going to be collecting royalties, they need to send all earnings to the IRS and that means you need a tax ID number for your new venture.

Sooooo, one of the first things I had to do before uploading my book to CreateSpace, was start an LLC. Luckily, my boyfriend has been through this before (with his brother for the movies they make), so he was nice enough to get online and fill out the request for an LLC for me. We got ours out of Delaware, but you can get them from any state. After you fill out the forms, you get a temporary license until you're approved and they send you the official papers.

Less than a week later, I was the proud Owner of Book Slayer Productions, LLC!

Of course, along with that, I also needed a business bank account, so that all my future profits would have a place to go and would be connected to my new business. That was relatively easy, too. All I needed was the proof that I'd started the business and some seed money.

Once I'd created my LLC and opened up my checking account, I was ready to finish setting up my account....and closer to publishing my book!

5x5,
B.

Road to Self Publishing: Choosing a Publisher

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

So, one of the most important decisions you'll have to make in your journey to self-publishing, is choosing a Publisher. Luckily, there are plenty of services out there for a person to choose from, and we're in a great place in the publishing world right now that we have the ability to choose a print-on-demand option, which means no out-of-pocket costs. Or low out-of-pocket costs, depending on which service you go with. And with most of these publishing companies, you'll have other services at your disposal (for a price) if you need/want them.

Now, when it came time for me to choose a publisher, I was really only considering two companies: Lulu.com and Amazon.com. After doing some research into both, I realized that with Lulu, there were set-up fees (a couple grand), along with distribution fees I'd have to shell out up-front before the book was set to be published. Amazon, however, had no up-front costs and seemed to pay a decent percentage of the profits (the big upside to self-publishing!). Amazon also has the appeal of their audience. (Who DOESN'T already buy their books on amazon.com?)

So, I turned to Amazon's self-publishing service, called CreateSpace to publish LAW.

There were a few things I had to do before I was able to upload my book for publication (I'll talk more about that in my next blog), but once I was ready to upload, things went pretty quickly. Like I mentioned before, you can choose to use Amazon's services for a fee if you would like. They have people who can create a professional book cover if you need one, you can get access to professional editors, you can pay to have a book trailer made and even sign up for a team of PR/publicity people help market your book when it comes out. Luckily, I already have access to all of those talented and intelligent kinds of people, so I didn't have to pay anything extra to publish my book. But it's nice that the services are there if you need them.

Amazon makes it really easy to upload and format your book, too. In fact, all you have to do, is choose the size of your book, download a template, then copy and paste your book into it. After that, I just did a little formatting and tweaking and it was ready to be made into a PDF. The only other thing I had to do, was to have my book cover/spine/back of the book created by my designer. For this, she had to figure out the dimensions of the book based on the size and number of pages and then design it from back to front.

Now, I ran into some issues with uploading my PDF's, but with one phone call, I was able to get one-on-one help from an amazon associate. Their customer service is top-notch and the woman I talked to was very helpful and even uploaded my PDF's for me when I couldn't do it. This was a big draw to working with Amazon on such a personal endeavor. I really liked having access to help along the way if I needed it.

After that, I finished up a few things and it was all done! Within about 12 hours, I had been cleared to print and ordered my review copy. Now, I'm expecting my first copy of my book less than a week after I hit publish.

I can't wait to see what the final product looks like and tell you all about my experience!

If you guys have any questions for me, please send 'em! I'd love to help answer any questions you may have about self-publishing!

5x5,
B.

Road to Self Publishing: Covering your butt

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

As promised, now that I've had a week off of work and am completely on top of my launch party plans, I finally have some time to write down my experiences so far in my journey to self-publishing Life's a Witch.

Today, we're going to tackle the tough question of lawyering up before letting your book go to print. Right after I made the decision to publish LAW myself, I knew that I wanted to do things the right way. And for me, that included having a lawyer look at my book and council me on what could stay in the book and what needed to go. In other words, I don't want to get sued.

So, I started by talking to one lawyer about it and he told me it would cost me around $5,000-$10,000 to have someone look at it. I have to admit, I was SHOCKED at how expensive it would be just to have someone read my book and tell me what could potentially get me into trouble. And frankly, I don't have that kind of money laying around to pay a lawyer. But I knew I had to cover my butt in some way.

Luckily, my good friend's mom is a lawyer and an avid reader, and she offered to take a look at LAW for free and then tell me what may get me into trouble if I kept it in. In the end, I ended up changing quite a bit (I'm big into using pop culture in my books), including my crack about Lady Gaga really being a witch. That one killed me to take out, but no way am I chancing getting sued by the Gaga. So, I took all her suggestions (along with a few of her edits) and incorporated them into the final version of my book.

Now, do you HAVE to have a lawyer look at your book before you publish it? Probably not. BUT I have to say that I feel a lot safer knowing that I've taken strides against leaving myself open to litigation. Even in fiction, a person has to be careful about using real people's names and likeness'. I did, however, recently meet another self-published author and asked him if he had someone look it over before he published and he said that he didn't. He felt confident that the disclaimer at the beginning of the book was enough to keep him safe from legal problems. Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure...I'm not a lawyer, after all. But for me, getting a lawyer to cover me was something I felt safest doing.

Has anyone else self-published? What do you guys think?

5x5,
B.

Look HOT in Life's a Witch gear!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Sorry I've been internet silent the past few weeks, but ever since I decided to publish Life's a Witch myself and got the ball rolling on all the details, I've been seriously swamped. There's so much to get done before my launch party (yes, I'm throwing myself a party...and don't I deserve it?), and I promise that while I'm off of work next week, I'll make sure to catch you up on all the details.

But for now, I need your help...

For my launch party, I'm going to have promotional T-shirts made, and I'm toying with a bunch of different phrases. Some are cute; others are edgy; a few are just silly. BUT since you all helped me to choose the name of my main character in LAW (Hello, Hadley), I figured I'd ask you all to help out one more time.

I'm sure you're wondering....but Britt, what's in it for me? Well....I promise that after this launch is over, I'll create a similar version for sale on cafe press, so you can all be honorary twitches, too!

So, help a girl out and let me know which slogan is your favorite. Leave your choices and comments below....and if you can come up with a phrase better than these and I choose to use it instead, I'll send you a free shirt!

Okay, here are your choices:

*What a twitch
*Life's a Witch...and then you fly!
*Wanna see my magic wand?
*Life's a Witch
*Team Cleri
*Witches Brew: the official drink of Salem
*Show me your magic and I'll show you mine
*Hex and the City
*My wand's bigger than yours
*Do you believe in magic?
*Kids, don't try this spell at home...
*This is your brain on magic...
*Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
*Honorary twitch
*Twitch for life

Let me know what you think!

5x5,
B.

The biggest day of my life....so far.

by Brittany Geragotelis

So, I've been hard at work over the past three weeks, trying to put some stuff in motion in order to publish Life's a Witch myself in December. This has included but is not limited to: hiring a lawyer (to let me know what parts of the book might get me sued...no more suggesting that Lady Gaga is really a witch. :( ); filing the paperwork for the copyright of the book; writing a bonus chapter for the print version (a little something extra for my die-hard fans!); writing my acknowledgments (there are a LOT of people I need to thank for getting me here); starting an LLC so I can be on the up and up with the IRS; and finally, deciding on a launch date.

That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I'd like to officially announce that Life's a Witch will go on sale (for all who care to buy it!) through Amazon worldwide on December 8th! Just in time for the holidays (and x-mas presents, hint, hint!).

Of course, no book launch would be complete without a launch party....and that's what I'm doing now. Planning my party. I'm so excited about it, and Wattpad has been kind enough to help me out with some of the details, including drumming up a little publicity for the book as well as hooking me up with a space to throw the party! I'm such a lucky girl and really don't know who to thank first for making all of this possible. In a way, this party will be my thank you to all those who've had a hand in getting me to where I am today. And if that's not enough—there's still space left in my acknowledgements!

So, that's the scoop, kiddos. Life's a Witch goes on-sale nationwide December 8th, with a kick-butt bonus chapter! Tell your friends!

5x5,
B.

Scary Movie Countdown

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Halloween's over for this year (a fact I'm both sad and happy about—don't even get me started on the whole slutty costume bonanza I had to walk through to get home from work last night. It was whore-ifying.), but that doesn't mean the scary stuff has to end just yet. Just so you don't have to go cold-turkey, here's a list of my top 20 scary movies of all time. I've listed them in order of my faves, given a synopsis of each flick as well as some behind the scenes fun facts. You'll never guess what made it to #1!

5x5,
B.

Light shows aren't just for Christmas anymore...

by Brittany Geragotelis

When Matt and I were shopping this weekend for our upcoming Halloween party, he mentioned that when we have a real house one day (yep, he said it) we're going to have so much fun going all out on Halloween. And then he promised that he would dress up, decorate, the whole nine yards...when we have a place to display it all. There were even talks of creating a haunted house.

Well, we may not have a house yet so I can't promise anything too flashy, but that doesn't mean that other households aren't doing their parts in celebrating the haunted holiday. Take a look at this family who either has way too much time on their hands, really loves Halloween or specializes in lights, wires and special effects. Either way, I've got to give major props to the genius who created what might possibly be the best damn Halloween light show EVER. Take a look and start celebrating early!



5x5,
B.

Running from zombies is excellent exercise

by Brittany Geragotelis

Okay, so some of my boyfriend's co-workers were over at our apartment the other night filming something for work and before they left, one of the guys was talking about a 5K run he was doing this weekend. Pretty typical, right?

Uh, not quite.

He went on to explain that the event is called "Run For Your Lives" and is an apocalyptic race that involves zombies who run after you and try to "turn you" as you attempt to complete 12 different man-made and natural obstacle courses.

By this time, I was totally fascinated and enthralled with the whole thing, so I took a look at the website and decided that this might possibly be the coolest thing I've ever heard of. Or the scariest. Because, although you'd logically know that the zombies are just people dressed as flesh-eating undead....I have a feeling part of me would be wondering if they really were zombies. Nobody wants to have an anxiety attack mid-race. Especially when some really cool medals are at stake.

Check out the video below to get your blood pumping and then visit the website for more info, including participating cities and dates.

5x5,
B.

Love me some Dirty Soap

by Brittany Geragotelis

There are a lot of new shows this season that I'm enjoying: "Ringer," "Hart of Dixie," "The Secret Circle," "Whitney," "PanAm" (RIP) and "The Playboy Club" (RIP) to name a few. I'm really digging them all. But there's one show that I am absolutely OBSESSED with, and that's "Dirty Soap."

"DS" is a new reality show on E! that follows a group of young actors/actresses who are Soap stars. Now, I've been a fan of "General Hospital" since I was a little kid, because my mom always had the show on in the afternoons. In other words, I've grown up watching it. I don't really have the time to watch it anymore, but given the longevity of some of the characters on the show, I happen to know a couple of the actresses who are on "Dirty Soap." That's not to say I know everyone on the show, but I don't think you necessarily need to know them to enjoy it. The bottom line is that "DS" is good, dirty, drama-filled fun. And the more you watch, the more you'll get to know the players, anyway.

The "DS" cameras follow around Farah Fath ("One Life to Live"; dating John-Paul Lavoisier), Kirsten Storms ("General Hospital"; former BFF's with Farah, now they're enemies), Jenna Gering (actress and model; married to Galen), Galen Gering ("Days of our Lives"; married to Jenna), Kelly Monaco ("General Hospital"; winner of the first season of "Dancing With the Stars"), Brandon Beemer ("The Bold and the Beautiful"; dating Nadia Bjorlin), Nadia Bjorlin (formerly of "Days of our Lives"; dating Brandon Beemer) and John-Paul Lavoisier ("One Life to Live"; dating Farah Fath). And just because the show's not scripted, doesn't mean there's a shortage of fabulous storylines. We're talking cat fights, love spats, love scenes and breakups...what's not to like? It's deliciously dirty and something you just have to watch.

So what do you guys think about "Dirty Soap?"

5x5,
B.

New updates to Fate Reloaded!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

So....it's Saturday, and that means updates on my latest book, Fate Reloaded, on Wattpad! Because my fans are the BEST, I'm starting to upload TWO chapters every Saturday for you! If you haven't already checked out Fate Reloaded yet, here's a summary of what you can expect!


Jordana Kane is your typical 15-year-old sophomore who’s moving through high school as a part of the in-crowd. One Friday night, her friends make plans to go to the movies, and Jordana’s decision to go with them or not will alter her life forever. If she decides to stay home, she finds herself witnessing a crime happening next door and decides to put on her detectives hat and launch her own investigation. When she chooses to go to the movies, but leaves early, Jordana meets a mystery traveler who wiggles his way into her family’s home and her heart, before she discovers that he’s actually a famous movie star. Choosing to head to her local diner causes Jordana to meet a bad-boy musician who sweeps her into his world of rock and fame, which ends in a record deal and booze-filled parties. And if she stays through the movie, she’ll end up the star of a student film, finding herself acting alongside her number one crush. Which decision is the right one and what will seal her fate forever? You'll have to read to find out!

Can't wait to hear what you think!

5x5,
B.

My apologies...but I hope this will make it up to you.

by Brittany Geragotelis

I'm so sorry to all of my loyal fans for having been away for so long. So where was I, anyway? I could say work's been crazy-busy, filled with lots of traveling and not a lot of free time (It has. We just put out our Debby Ryan issue, and our next one features Jamie Foxx's daughter, Corinne Foxx). Or maybe that I've been concentrating so much on publishing my stuff on Wattpad that I couldn't focus on writing anywhere else (I'm up to 9 million+ reads of my book, Life's a Witch, and just finished pubbing the first part in my book, Fate Reloaded). I could even argue that I've been enjoying life with my beau (Matt and I are doing amazing...nothing's better than spending a lazy weekend with my man). But the truth is....there's no excuse for me not popping on here to say something.

So, I'm here to say I'm sorry for the long wait....and I hope you can forgive me. (And just to sweeten the deal, here's an adorable pic of my nephew, Cash!)

Yes? You'll forgive me? Phew! Okay, now that that's all worked out, I wanted to let you guys in on a little announcement. After lots of encouragement and prodding, I'm moving forward with publishing Life's a Witch myself. That's right....within the next few months, I WILL be a published author.

I'm still in the beginning stages of things though, working out the details and all, but already, I'm finding out there's a lot more that goes into publishing a book than just writing the book and making the decision to supply it to the public. No, I'm learning that I have to deal with copyright, trademark, registration, legal issues, choosing a publishing service....ahhhh, there's SO much to do! But don't worry, I'll be taking you along for the ride with me, because I want you with me every step of the way!

Okay, so now that the word is out, I need to get back to preparing for my dream to come true.

5x5,
B.

Things my friend says...

by Brittany Geragotelis

Recently, I went on a trip with a friend of mine (Let's call her Blondie-Pop). Now, this was the first time I'd ever traveled with Blondie-Pop and I was still sort of getting to know her. Needless to say, she had me dying laughing the entire time. After the first few hours, I started to write down all the funny things she said, because I knew it would make for an incredible blog.

So now, just because I love all of you so much (and her....I'm going to miss you!), I'm unveiling some of the hilariously ridiculous things that were said that weekend.

You're welcome.


On Brazilian
Me: Have you ever had Brazilian?
Blondie-Pop: Waxing?

On the phone with UPS
Blondie-Pop: What if I was shipping body parts? How would you guarantee I got them before they went bad?

About ex-boyfriends
Bondie-Pop: I had a boyfriend named Matt once....He's gay now.

On her favorite iPhone app
Blondie-Pop: Did I not show you pocket pole?

On her lineage
Blondie-Pop: I'm French, Australian, English, Dutch, Swiss--pretty much everything that's white and blonde.

About Taylor Lautner's new movie Abduction
Blondie-Pop: Hey look, it's Taylor Lautner on that billboard.
Me: Yeah, he's an animal.
Blondie-Pop: Wow, he's really branching out.

On bug bites
Bondie-Pop: I keep getting bit...not by people, but...

5x5,
B.

How do you feel about Friends with Benefits?

by Brittany Geragotelis

I went to the movies this weekend, to take a little girl time out to see a chick-flick called Friends With Benefits with my BFF Tammy. Starring smooth-dancer and pop crooner Justin Timberlake and the sassy, sexy Mila Kunis, FWB was super fun and super funny. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon with the girls.






The premise isn't exactly groundbreaking: Girl (Mila Kunis) is dumped by boy (Andy Sandberg) for being too clingy. Guy (JT) is dumped by girl (Emma Stone) for not being clingy enough. Girl and Guy meet, become friends, decide that instead of dating they're just going to sleep with each other—no strings attached. And neither of them thinks they'll get hurt in the end.



Uh, huh. Yeah.



Besides the obvious plot points, I really liked the movie. I enjoyed the playful and sarcastic banter between Mila and JT's characters. I also loved that by taking out the romance at the beginning of their relationship, they were much more capable of being honest with each other. Neither is trying to impress the other, so they can say and act exactly how they want, being more themselves than with anyone else.

Now, I was already a fan of Justin Timberlake (what can I say, I grew up listening to N*Sync and loved him in the Disney movie Model Behavior back in 2000) and Mila Kunis has officially become one of my top girl crushes (ever since I saw her in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I've thought she was so freaking cool), but the movie really was worth paying the $12.50 for admission. There are a bunch of throw-backs to 90s music and some pretty fun dancing scenes. Oh, and did I mention that JT and Mila are naked almost the entire movie (I don't think anyone in the theater was complaining)?

So, yes, a bit unoriginal, but better than the other similar movies that are out there. So, grab your girls and go see it. You won't be sorry!

5x5,
B.

Fashion magazines and Politics

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all! Since it's summer time and that means most of the TV shows I watch on a regular basis are on hiatus (except for pretty much everything on ABC Family and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians"), I've been enjoying watching old shows on demand. Most of these shows are ones I never watched when they actually aired, but now that I'm watching them for the first time, I totally wish I had (kind of. I really do like watching shows without commercials or having to wait each week for a new episode).

Two of the shows I'm really digging right now are "The West Wing" and "Ugly Betty." Both are totally different in subject and sentiment, but both are rocking my world.






"The West Wing" is all about politics (duh), which I tend to not be interested in at all (although since I started dating Matt, he's forced me to pay attention to them a lot more. Damn you Gielen!), but the show isn't just about politics. In fact, it's more about the relationships between the characters than anything else. The writing is amazing and the topics are relevant—even so many years later. The actors are great (who knew Martin Sheen was so likeable and commanding and Dule Hill is absolutely loveable.). While watching, you can't help but wish politics was as caring and personable as it is on this show. But I'm sure that's because we finally get to see the relationships behind the scenes....things that we don't get to see in reality. I like to think though, that Obama is the same way when we aren't seeing him as his TV persona....and this show is leaving me with a better feeling about the political world. If you haven't seen the show yet, you totally need to Netflix it. It's SO worth it!




















Now, "Ugly Betty" is all about the magazine world—a topic that is much more closely related to my life. However, Betty works at a fashion magazine (not exactly American Cheerleader), which definitely means that I don't completely relate to her world, but still, it's enjoyable to watch, because I understand it. Of course, "Ugly Betty" is a bit more dramatic than my publishing world, mostly because there are no murder mysteries going on at AC, and our worth around the office isn't based on what designer label we're wearing. And that's really the part that I love...it's not exactly reality, but it's about a topic I'm familiar with. The storyline is engaging and fun and the mystery will keep you guessing. The perfect blend for a perfect TV show.

If you're looking for a new show to watch while you wait for the Fall season to start I strongly suggest one of these shows. Anyone else have a suggestion for what I should watch next?

5x5,
B.

Weddings: the good, the bad and the ugly

by Brittany Geragotelis

So, this past weekend seemed to be all about weddings. Not only did my totally awesome friend, Amanda get married to her longtime best friend and girlfriend, Melissa in a super gorgeous, fun and touching ceremony at the Botanical Gardens, but Kim Kardashian married Kris Humphries on Saturday in a lavish and star-studded event that will air on the E! network in October.

This got me thinking about weddings in general and all the different touches each ceremony has that makes it special. Here's a roundup of some of the most legendary celebrity weddings in the last 10 years.

photo credit: Daily Mail

Kim Kardashian marries Kris Humphries
The ceremony included over 450 guests including Brody Jenner and Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan with mom Dina and sister Ali, Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough, Kathy Lee Gifford, Mel B, Brittny Gastineau, The Spin Crowd's Jonathan Cheban, Mario Lopez, Ciara, Joe Francis, George Lopez and Serena Williams. The bride wore a total of three dresses throughout the night (all Vera Wang) and guests enjoyed Wolfgang Puck creations for dinner, which kicked off with a buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad with basil and "tomato chips"; followed by a choice of hand-formed agnolotti with sweet corn mascarpone and summer truffles, or roast chicken with Yukon Gold potato puree, caramelized brussels sprouts and summer truffles. The wedding will be broadcast on E! in October in a two-hour special and photos will be shown exclusively in People magazine this week.

photo credit: HollywoodGrind.com

Prince William & Kate Middleton
The whole world tuned in to watch the Prince and his princess swap vows earlier this year, and with over 1,900 guests, this couldn't be described as an intimate affair. Celeb guests included Victoria and David Beckham and Elton John. The ceremony cost an estimated $70 million.

photo credit: People.com

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Despite that it was his second wedding and Katie's first, the event certainly wasn't mission impossible. For about $2 million, TomKat got married in a castle outside of Rome, Italy, and enjoyed a delectible 5-course feast. Celebs who attended included Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith, and again....the Jada Pinkett-SmithBeckhams.

photo credit: Daily Mail

Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt
Their fairytale romance may have ended in divorce (we're looking at you Angelina!), but at least the beginning of their marriage was beautiful. In a ceremony estimated at miniscule $1 million, Jenn and Brad enjoyed the company of celebrity friends like Cameron Diaz, Selma Hayek, Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer. The night ended in fireworks...literally. Hmmm, come to think of it, so did their marriage.

photo credit: People.com

Victoria and David Beckham
They might not be royalty, but these two sure act like it. The soccer stud and former spice girl were married in a $800K ceremony, which included 250 guests. The duo sat on red velvet thrones throughout the evening and Victoria's train was 20-feet long. Guests were serenaded by Elton John before enjoying fireworks.

photo credit: People.com

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale
The No Doubt frontrunner wore a beautiful Christian Dior gown that went from white and faded into pink (my kind of girl) and her rocker husband chose to have his sheepdog to accompany him. The ceremony took place in London, but two weeks later, the couple had an additional ceremony in LA for all their stateside friends, which included Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller.

5x5,
B.

Lessons in Love

by Brittany Geragotelis

Today, I have the honor of attending a very close friend's wedding. Amanda is one of those people who has changed my life. She's a positive, loving force who gives excellent advice, is an even better listener and never ceases to amaze me.

Her impending ceremony got me thinking about relationships and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you all the things that Amanda's taught me about love over the past few years. I hope you all learn just as much from this blog as I have from Amanda.

Don't listen to nay-sayers. Amanda and her soon-to-be-wife, Melissa, originally planned their wedding when the state of NY wouldn't have recognized it as a legal marriage. But they loved each other and wanted to make that commitment, and didn't let that stop them. I like to think that the universe had a hand in passing the law in NYC, legalizing gay marriage just in time for their wedding. You shouldn't listen to anyone else but yourself when it comes to what's right for your relationship. Sure, others may not understand or agree with it, but that's a decision for you and you only.

Love can develop when you least expect it. Amanda and Melissa knew each other for a long time before they ever dated, having been friends and roommates in college. I don't think either of them expected for their friendship to grow into love, but it did and they went with it. Just because a relationship starts out with the tiniest of sparks doesn't mean it won't catch fire and burn for a long time. Be open to the idea that love can develop anytime, anywhere, and you may just find your perfect match right in front of you (whether you expected to or not).

It's human to be scared, but we can't let fear run our relationships. Just because we've been hurt before, doesn't necessarily mean that we will be hurt in our current relationship. Yes, it's normal to get scared every once-in-a-while. Scared that the relationship will end, scared of being cheated on, scared you'll never live up to the other person's expectations, scared that they might not think you're "the one." But just because we feel scared, doesn't mean we need to act on it. Amanda's taught me that my fears are just that: my fears. They're not based on fact and if I let it run my relationship, there might not be a relationship to be had. This means that if I have a dream where my boyfriend cheats on me, it doesn't mean that I can punish him for his evil cheating dream self. I need to treat him like the flower-buying, hug-giving, funny, loveable guy I'm actually dating. (Unless you're psychic, in which case, feel free to punish away.)

Know what your deal-breakers are. One of the pieces of advice that Amanda gave me when I first got into my current relationship was to make a list of all the qualities I wanted in a significant other (and the kind of person I wanted to be in a relationship) and then move towards that ideal. Another thing she said was to think about what my deal-breakers were. Whether it's smoking, breaking plans, drinking, religious beliefs, over-spending, anger issues, etc., you need to know where to draw the line for you to be in a happy, healthy relationship. This is going to be different for everyone, but it's important to ask yourself this before you get into the relationship. And if you decide that a habit isn't worth ending a relationship over, then you need to let it go, because you can't expect to change the person you're with.

Trust, truth and teamwork. To see Amanda and Melissa's relationship you can tell that three things are at work: They trust each other, they're honest and they tackle all their problems together. Enough said.

Laughter is the best medicine. OMG, Amanda and Melissa laugh so much together. Sure, life can get serious, but in the end, they make each other smile and truly enjoy being around each other. Not only do they love each other, but they actually like each other! One of the things that Amanda always reminds me about my relationship with Matt is that we crack each other up and always have fun together. What a novel concept...and one that I certainly don't take for granted.

Soulmates don't have to be romantic in nature. Through my relationship with Amanda, I've learned that some friendships are just as important as romantic relationships. Amanda knows all of my secrets (seriously...Every. Single. One. And that's not always pretty.), she is the one I trust to give me unbiased, brutally honest advice (even if it hurts my ego sometimes) and she'll always love me unconditionally. Having this relationship with her has made my relationship with Matt better than it ever possibly could have been without her guidance and knowledge.

So, thank you Amanda and congratulations on your marriage. You deserve all the happiness in the world!

5x5,
B.

My latest video: Am I published yet?

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

So, the time has officially come for me to unveil my latest video. It's not another book trailer, but it is about books. My books specifically. My latest author video is all about my state as an author, and I answer the age-old question: Are you published yet? You'll have to watch to get the answer!

5x5,
B.

Cheer camp with the Kardashians....

by Brittany Geragotelis

So, a week ago, I headed off to Ontario, CA, to go to The Spirit Consultants cheer camp with Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Corinne Foxx. The week was long and full of screaming girls, but totally worth it, because I was able to get a really sweet segment on Access Hollywood about Kendall being on our cover in May and Corinne being our December cover girl. Yay me!

But what was SUPER exciting was that on the last day of camp, "Keeping up with the Kardashians" was filming at the camp! And get this: the whole Kardashian clan was there. Well, except for Kim. She must have been off figuring out last-minute details for her fabulous wedding, which is less than a week away! But the rest of them were there....here's the run-down:
Kris, Bruce, Mason, Kourtney, Khloe and Lamar!

The girls looked beautiful as always and I even scored some one-on-one time with Kourtney, talking to her about how she was the perfect size to be a cheerleader. She explained that there wasn't a cheer squad when Kim and her were in school, but that they took dance classes for a few weeks during that time. It turns out, Kourtney was actually a big soccer player. But she was super psyched to see Kendall and Kylie in their element.

She wasn't the only one though...Khloe was taking pictures the entire time and then later posted them on her blog. And when the girls first came out onto the floor to compete in the camp cheer contest, Lamar attempted to do a high kick. Granted with limbs as long as his (I went up to his hip), he nearly fell down in the process.

Everyone was SO nice and they were all so proud of Kendall and Kylie! You could tell that they're really a family that cheers on each other. Anyway.....here are some pics I took from the VIP section of the camp. Yep, that's right...I was in the same section as the Kardashians! They don't have a cheer magazine reality show yet...don't you think they should?

5x5,
B.