Come & see me in Chicago & Ann Arbor (I'll even sign your copy of LAW!)

by Brittany Geragotelis

I've been incredibly lucky to have been booked on some pretty awesome author trips lately. And that means...more opportunities to see my fans across the US! 

Last weekend was New Orleans for SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance)--photos and video to come on that later. And this upcoming weekend I'll be in Chicago (well, more specifically, Naperville) and then Ann Arbor!

So, if you live in either of those areas, I hope you'll come out and see me--along with some other really amazing YA authors!

Here are the deets:

CHICAGO

SATURDAY, SEPT 28, 2013
What: Anderson's YA Literature Conference
Where: Hotel Arista
2139 City Gate Ln
Naperville, IL 60563
When: 8:15am-4pm (doors open at 7:30)
Who: This is a gathering of authors and educators interested in the best and newest in YA fiction.
Cost: $99 (includes meals, packet & giveaways); Registration Required.
How to register/more info

SUNDAY, SEPT 29, 2013
What: YA Fandom Frenzy
Where: Hotel Arista
2139 City Gate Ln
Naperville, IL 60563
When: 10am-3pm
Who: Anyone who loves YA will get a chance to witness some quirky author panels such as: speed dating with authors, a YA quiz show, and "Inside the Writers Studio" style interviews. There will also be autograph sessions, a candy bar (seriously, not kidding) and swag bags!
Cost: $49 (includes lunch, candy bar, freebies & some major fun!)
How to register/more info

ANN ARBOR

TUESDAY, OCT 1, 2013
What: Young Adult Author Event w/ Literati
Where: Ann Arbor Downtown Library (multi-purpose room)
343 S 5th Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
When: 7pm-8:30pm
Who: Intended for teens grades 6-12, but really, anyone who loves YA should come! There will be a panel with a bunch of us authors as well as a Q&A and an autograph session
Cost: Free; books will be on sale courtesy of Literati bookstore
For more info

So if you live in one of these areas, please come on by! I'd love to talk to you....and the other authors who will be there with me are pretty wicked, too!

5x5,
B.

Wednesday Quote Day!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Here's a quote from my upcoming debut novel, What the Spell?....what do you think?

5x5,
B.

Disney Daze

by Brittany Geragotelis

Last weekend I took my whole family down to Disneyland. It was sort of my superbowl moment. You know, those old Disney ads where they'd ask athletes what they were going to do now that they'd accomplished some amazing feat, and they answered, "I'm going to Disneyland!!!" My book deal was my superbowl moment, and I couldn't think of a better way of celebrating than taking my family to the happiest place on earth.

So, me, Matty, my parents John and Diane, my youngest sister Jacey, and my middle sister Amy, along with her husband Cody and my nephew Cash, all headed from our respective cities to Anaheim for the weekend. Our family's always been huge Disney fans....I've gone to one park or another at least once a year since I was a little kid. My mom runs from one ride to the next and pumps everyone up. This was also my nephew's first time at Disney, so it was really special to be able to be with him.

In the end, though we certainly had our grumpy moments (lots of running around, heat and little sleep can do that), I think we all made some wonderful memories. Here are a few that I was able to catch on camera. Enjoy!

5x5,

B.

Amy at the character breakfast

From Top Left to Bottom Right: Cody, Matt and I. None of us were ready for the camera on Space Mountain

Most of the time Cash hid from the characters. He was not pleased.

There WAS a bit of mid-day napping for at least one of us....

Jacey was embarrassed that this character hadn't remembered to put pants on that morning.

Cashy!!!

Jacey giving us her best "pizza face" while eating at Naples Restaurant

Can you blame him for being scared?

The Haunted Mansion was decorated in Nightmare Before Christmas style. It was AWESOME!

Jacey likes big butts and she cannot lie....

Amy just told her a secret....guess what it was?!?!

What a flirt!

The happy family: Amy, Cash and Cody

We were dying when we saw this pic of us on Splash Mountain. And look at Jacey. She made this face on EVERY ride that took a photo. It was hilarious!

....See what I mean?...

And again...

You can even see her in the back left of this one...

So we tried it....though I'm not sure we pulled it off.

All in all, it was a really great vacation full of magic, fun and lots of laughs!

Review Time: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

by Brittany Geragotelis

Review Time: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

The Story: Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” 

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

How cute is Mindy Kaling?

Why It's a Must-Read: I've always been a fan of the show, "The Office." Besides the fact that there's weirdo Dwight, boy-next-door Jim, and hopelessly loveable Michael--there are some wickedly hilarious women in the cast. And heading up these smart and funny gals is Mindy Kaling. Besides playing the self-absorbed and girlie Kelly Kapoor, Mindy is also one of the head writers of the show.

So, this means that literally every word of Mindy's debut novel, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, is gut-wrenchingly funny. Seriously. Every. Single. Word. From her introduction to the chapter titles, the book had me laughing (and yes, it was out loud) and reading my favorite lines to my boyfriend (who just wanted to sit there in peace and peruse reddit). In this cheery memoir, fans will find out exactly where Mindy came from and what brought her to where she is today: a huge success.

Mindy's funny AND sexy (oh, and don't forget smart!)

What a Character: Like I've mentioned about a billion times, Mindy is freaking hilarious! But not just that, she's also smart and is one of those amazing women who've managed to infiltrate the old boy's club of comedy and turned it inside out. And as a person, she's totally likeable, because she has an intense love for her girlfriends. You're not going to see her screw her BFF over so she can go out and see a guy. So, she's funny, smart AND loyal....everything you want in a new friend. And that's exactly how you're going to feel after reading this book.

Who doesn't like nerdy, embarrassing kid photos of celebs?

A Little Something Extra: Besides the stories in the book, Mindy also regales us with awesomely embarrassing photos of herself as a kid! And as a college student. And an early professional. There's just so much to Mindy that I didn't know before and I'm so glad that I picked up this book. It was well-worth the read!


5x5,
B.

Help me choose my author photo

Hey all!

So, I need your help! The time has come to turn in my author photo to my design team at Simon & Schuster (my super awesome designer is about to start working on my book cover!!!!) and I'm having some trouble choosing which to use. Soooo, here's where you come in! I've narrowed down four different photo styles, but need to choose one from each category. So, take a look and then vote for which you like in each of the four categories, in the polls over to the right.

Photo A1

Photo A2

Photo A3

__________________________________________

Photo B1

Photo B2

Photo B3

Photo B4

Photo B5

_____________________________________

Photo C1

Photo C2

Photo C3

_____________________________________

Photo D1

Photo D2

Photo D3

So there are your choices....let me know which ones you like best. Vote to the right and your fave pic might just end up on the back of my book!

5x5,

B.

My home office....

by Brittany Geragotelis

So, I'm sure all of you have been wondering where I work now that I'm not going into an office everyday. Well, contrary to popular belief, not all full-time writers pen their masterpieces at their local coffee shop (which, and let's be honest, for most means Starbucks)...thanks Hollywood. I mean, put me in a Starbucks and I'd spend the whole day people-watching and being annoyed at what the other patrons (and their kids) were doing to distract me from the writing I was supposed to be doing. Ugh. I get anxious just thinking about it.

So, I thought I'd let you see where the magic happens for me. Take a look and then tell me if you think Starbucks is still the better writing environment...


















Yep, this is what my writing space looks like. In the morning, I snuggle up in my little blanket cocoon, laptop on my lap, Murray at my feet, pink pillows at my back and the television on in the background!


















Murray thinks of himself as my muse, so he's always giving me the, "Get to work" eye.


















...And then he promptly takes a nap as I get to typing.


















Sometimes I even do some arts and crafts. Here is my paper pile after cutting out pics to create my character collage for the prequel/spin-off to "Life's a Witch."


















Here's your sneak peak at who I would cast to play the characters in my next book. What do you think?























So, where's Cohen during all of this? In my bottom drawer, inside my dark closet, where he's planning his own evil book.

Now, to all of you guys out there...what does YOUR work space look like? Send me pics of where the magic happens for you, and they might end up here on my blog!

5x5,
B.