19 Horror Movie Hauntings

by Brittany Geragotelis

Halloween may be over, but that doesn't mean you have nothing to fear. Here are 56 creepy things that have happened on some of your favorite horror movie productions. And don't be afraid to check in the closet or under the bed after you're finished reading...the ghosts understand.

Amityville Horror

Cabin in the Woods

Carrie

Evil Dead

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

The Exorcist

Friday the 13th

Halloween

Jaws

Nightmare on Elm Street

The Omen

Paranormal Activity

Poltergeist

Psycho

Rosemary's Baby

Saw

Scream

The Shining

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

5x5,
B.

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.

Sex Sells

by Brittany Geragotelis

I wasn't at all surprised to learn that Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James was the highest grossing author this past year...but I was surprised (and psyched) to hear that the British writer also topped Forbes' top earners list! With about $95million in gross earnings, E.L. tied in third place with "X-Factor's" Simon Cowell. I love that another female author is being celebrated for creating a cultural phenomenon. And that it's with a BOOK....anything that gets people reading, right?

What an inspiration!

In honor of this mega-star writer, here are 10 other surprisingly fun facts about E.L. James:

1. The Shades novels have sold over 35 million copies in the US--over 70 million worldwide--setting the record as the fastest selling paperback of all time.

2. E.L. likes a nice ride. She bought herself a new car after Fifty Shades hit No. 1 on the NY Times Bestseller's list! A girl's got to get to her book signings, doesn't she?

3. E.L. James is just a pen name. Her real name is Erika Leonard.

4. Fifty Shades actually started out as fan fiction for Twilight, which the author posted for free online before deciding to publish it.

5. E.L. worked in television all her life...but it's always been her dream to work in movies. So when she started getting e-mails from Hollywood about the film rights, she made sure to negotiate a lot of her own input into the project. We're talking approval of everything from the director and screenwriter to the costumes and locations. And she scored a cool 5 million dollar paycheck to do it!

6. E.L. did research into S&M before writing Fifty Shades. Although she's shy about talking about what exactly that entailed.

7. E.L. doesn't like the term "Mommy Porn" as a description for Fifty Shades. She thinks women shouldn't be made to feel ashamed about talking about sex (Amen, sister!). She also considers the book to be, at its roots, a love story.

8. She's humble, despite her overnight fame. She and her family (husband Niall Leonard and their two sons) still live in the same house in a quiet neighborhood in London that they had before the book craziness began.

Who's the real Christian Grey? Rob or Charlie?

9. E.L.'s first choice for who would play the role of Christian in the film adaptation? Rob Pattinson from the Twilight movies. The guy who was actually cast? Charlie Hunnam from "Sons of Anarchy."

10. She's the first one to admit that her writing isn't a great work of art. In fact, she started writing as a hobby, something to help her deal with her mid-life crisis. But she doesn't apologize for the lack of literary masterpiece (something I love about her!). Because honestly, who's to say it's not? If people liked reading it, then it's worth being out there in the literary world as far as I'm concerned.

What do you think of E.L. James and her books? Leave your comments below!

5x5,
B.

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT to donate to my fan-funding campaign!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Time's running out to show your support! There's only 5 days left to pledge to my fan-funding campaign. If you haven't checked it out yet, the money we're hoping to raise will go toward helping me self-publish my next book, Ki$$ & $ell, as well as marketing, editing, publicity, etc....basically everything it takes to get the book out there to you all.

And there are perks to donating, too! Here are some of the cool things you can get for pledging:

*An autographed copy of Ki$$ & $ell
*A Ki$$ & $ell T-shirt
*A personal review of your book
*NAME A CHARACTER!!!

Remember, no amount is too small and we're about halfway there....and less than a week away from the end of the campaign. Please help get this book published! Thank you in advance for all your help and love, and don't forget to DONATE HERE.

5x5,
B.

Choose the book cover for my next novel, Kiss & Sell!

by Brittany Geragotelis

I recently unveiled my fan-funding project to self-publish my next novel, Kiss & Sell, asking my fans to donate to the cause. Well, now I need your help in another way. After narrowing 21 covers down to just three...I'm still stuck on which to go with.

Soooo, since you all have such fabu-luxe taste, I was hoping you'd weigh in on which is your fave. The one with the most amount of votes will become the official cover for Kiss & Sell!

Cover Option #1

Cover Option #2

Cover Option  #3

Please leave your choices in the comments below! And don't forget to donate to my fan-funding campaign here.

5x5,
B.

Help Fan-Fund my next book!

by Brittany Geragotelis

If you attended BEA (Book Expo of America) this summer, you no doubt heard the term "Hybrid Author." Basically, it describes an author who chooses to both self-publish AND traditionally publish their books. Considering that I got my start in self-publishing and then transitioned into traditional publishing, the idea of choosing how my books are published on a project by project basis is really appealing.

So, I'm happy to announce a new writing project I'm working on. And for this one, I'm asking for all of my fans to get involved, too! I've officially launched a fan-funding campaign over on Wattpad, to self-publish my next book, called Kiss & Sell.

Kiss & Sell is a fun novel about a girl who feels like she's the last one in her class to get kissed, so she and her friends decide to sell her first kiss on eBay.

In order to ensure that this story gets told, I'm gonna need your help. I'm asking people to donate to the cause: $5, $10, $100, whatever you can afford is greatly appreciated. AND there are cool rewards for every level of support, like T-shirts, autographed books--you can even name a character!

And if you can't give money, you can still help out by mentioning this project on your social media! Remember, every little bit counts when it comes to showing the love.

Thanks in advance for your love and support!

5x5,
B.

Long time, no blog

by Brittany Geragotelis

I know..... Worst. Writer. Ever. Why? Because the last time I wrote on this blog was FOREVER ago. And I admit, there's no excuse for it. Though I have been busy writing and editing and adjusting to this life of being a full-time author (okay, so there may be a little bit of an excuse there). And I totally get the irony in that since I've become a full-time writer, I've stopped writing regularly on this blog...

Point is, I'm gonna try to be better. Let you all in on the things that are happening to me--because things ARE happening! And I don't want to become a writer who doesn't write.

So, as a thank you for forgiving me (I know you will, because you're THAT awesome), here's an update on EVERYTHING that's happened over the last 3 months. Lets see if you can keep up!

I got to witness two of my favorite girlfriends get married! Both weddings were in NYC. One was at City Hall and the other was on the East River at sunrise! Both ceremonies were gorgeous and perfectly suited to the brides. I was so honored to be there to help them each celebrate one of the most important days of their lives...and was happy to be the honorary documentarian at both.

Tammy, the bride, wore a royal blue gown that could be customized a dozen different ways! Our friend, Amanda, officiated. Oh, and that's Charlie, the groom!

Rebecca rocked a homemade wedding dress and cool coif.

My hubby has taken to photo-bombing at weddings. This is the third one this summer.

My second book, which is actually the first book I wrote in the series, Life's a Witch came out July 9th! This was the book that started it all. If you don't know the story, I originally posted LAW exclusively on the online book site, Wattpad for free and later self-published it. After gaining 19 million reads of it online, traditional publishers reached out and I ended up with a book deal with Simon & Schuster! Now, a new and improved version of the book is available at bookstores across the country. Get your copy today!

Me on Pub-day!

Matt and I went to Disneyland! We stayed in Anaheim for five days for Vid-Con, a video convention (think Comic-Con for YouTube videos) that's been growing exponentially each year. Matt was there to attend AND he even participated in a panel (and gained praise for his expertise!). Even though this was our THIRD time at a Disney resort this year, it didn't disappoint, and we still managed to find some time to have a little fun at the parks. Matt might have had a little too much fun...

Matt and I on California Screamin'

Matt and I on the Tower of Terror.

THE WITCH IS BACK! Good news...I've officially turned in the MS for the sequel to Life's a Witch, appropriately called, The Witch is Back. And she certainly is! Without giving toooo much away, in TWIB the Cleri are headed off to a witchy summer intensive in the middle of Colorado. And Hadley has no idea what she's in for. Not only does she find herself competing against Asher's ex-girlfriend, Brooklyn, but some sketchy stuff is going on around campus which leaves everyone thinking the famed legend of the "Witch in the Woods" might just be real. I can't wait for everyone to read the next chapter in Hadley's story! The Witch is Back is set to be out in bookstores in January.

Hadley will be back in January in "The Witch is Back"!

We spent a lovely week at the beach. Every summer we head to Ocean City, MD, for a week to spend some time with Matt's whole family. It's always a ton of fun catching up with everyone, relaxing, and spending some time in the sun. But most importantly, it's a whole week of READING for me. And can I just say...there was some pretty impressive fashion taking place on the sand. Don't believe me? Check it out!

The books I read at the beach!

Little fashionista, Lily, rocking this retro beach vibe

I just pitched my next series to publishers! I wish I could tell you all about it....but for now I'm going to have to stay mum until I know more. I CAN promise that it's about a girl who kicks major ass.

No, the book's not an autobiography...I just wanted to show off my new do.

Veronica Mars is my homegirl! So, I--like thousands of others--donated to the Veronica Mars movie campaign on Kickstarter and am beyond psyched that I'll get to see everyone from Neptune High on the big screen next year! On top of that...Kristen Bell (probably one of the coolest chicks EVER) and VM creator Rob Thomas both followed me on Twitter. Talk about awesomeness!

The New York Times followed me around on a Sunday. Seriously. This was a huge deal. Find out how to stalk me here.

Hollywood, here we come! Lastly, after almost 12 years of living in NYC, Matt & I have decided to move to LA. I've wanted to go for about four years now and finally all the stars have aligned and we'll be relocating back to the west coast. We're super-excited to start this new adventure and will be tying things up here in NY over the next few months.

So that's MOST of what's happened in the last three months. There are a few more things I haven't mentioned here, but if I included them all, it would make this the longest post known to the web. So I'll leave them for another time.

Til the next blog...

5x5,
B.