In case you’ve been procrastinating, here’s your reminder: Monday at midnight is the deadline for entering Susan Taylor Brown ‘s contest for HUGGING THE ROCK.
Even though I’m not artistically inclined, I was inspired enough by her book’s metaphor to send in a submission myself. I’m fairly certain it won’t stand up to the competition, but it felt good to send Susan a visual representation of my own symbolic rock — and to tell her what her book meant to me.
Here’s a link to a .pdf file of the first few chapters, to give you a sense of the book and to inspire your creative sensibilities. And here’s a link to the contest details, the rules, and the prizes awarded to winning entries. I’ll bet Susan will enjoy seeing your artistic endeavors, and I’m guessing that she’ll also appreciate knowing how you connected with her book. For an author, I’m imagining that’s the best book buzz of all.
Speaking of big book buzz, I just read this at Publisher’s Marketplace:
Better Than Yesterday and Social Climber’s Guide to High School author Robyn Schneider’s THE IVY LEGACY, about a college freshman who joins her sister’s elite all-female secret society, stumbles upon a plot to frame her society for the theft of a campus relic, and unknowingly falls for the head of the rival all-male society, to Jodi Keller at Delacorte, in a pre-empt, in a two book deal, by Susan Schulman at Susan Schulman Literary Agency (NA).
This announcement is further confirmation of what I already knew: her “lucky thrift store” really is charmed that girl is incredibly talented! She’s left NYC for the summer, to teach creative writing at a camp in Connecticut. But if you want to send Robyn a congratulatory email, you can write her at robynschneider AT yahoo DOT com. Big kudos to you, 
Robbiewriter
I took some lame photos of my kids and rocks but would be too mortified to show them to ANYONE! LOL! So….onward without me!