Lauren Bjorkman

RT Teen Day … here I come!

laurenbjorkman — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:05:10 +0000

If you’ve never heard of Teen Day at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, let me fill you in.

100 amazing YA authors + me + 1 big room = 3 hours of delicious pandemonium called YA Alley.

Get autographs from luminaries such as Jennifer Brown, Veronica Roth, Kim Derting, Ally Carter, Carrie Ryan, Aprilynne Pike, Maureen Johnson, and Stephanie Perkins. I, personally, will be sitting next to Sarah Rees Brennan trying not to faint from fan-girl overload.

I’m on a speed reading panel between 5 and 6pm, and afterwards plan to “unwind” at the Teen Party, where you can win books and swag by the toteful. Hope to see you there!

The Winner!!!

laurenbjorkman — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:02:44 +0000

Congratulations to Mary Catherine Miller for winning the Be an Advice Columnist for a Day contest. She’s a doctoral student at Ohio State University working in Literature for Children and Young Adults. Check out her excellent blog, Travels with Mary.

And read her pithy and fun advice below:

Dear Miss Fortune Cookie,

I’m not short, but my girlfriend is taller than me. My friends laugh about it. They call me stumpy and pat me on the head. I don’t want to go to school anymore. Should I just break up with her already?

Taller Than Average

Dear Taller than Average,

Miss Fortune Cookie says: Long legs let the heron see more than the duck.

Don’t your friends know that the average height of a model is 5’11″? Tell them there’s no way you’re going to set them up with her friends if they keep patting you on the head.

Miss Fortune Cookie

Opinionated much?

laurenbjorkman — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 23:37:07 +0000

Do your friends dump their problems on you all the time? Do you feel like you’re expected to listen and keep your mouth shut?

Here’s your chance to do the talking!

I’m hosting an awesome Dear Miss Fortune Cookie CONTEST. Just reply to one of three letters asking for advice and you’ll get:

A signed bookmark

An opportunity to be published on my blog

An entry into my giveaway — sparkly nail polish, a beautiful bracelet, and a signed copy of Miss Fortune Cookie

Go here for more details!

Be an advice columnist for a day–NEW CONTEST

laurenbjorkman — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:49:47 +0000

Are you proud of being opinionated? Do you like to give advice?

BE AN ADVICE COLUMNIST FOR A DAY!

WIN A SIGNED COPY OF MISS FORTUNE COOKIE PLUS GOODIES,
INCLUDING A $30 GIFT CARD

TO ENTER, write a response to one of the Dear Miss Fortune Cookie letters below:

Dear Miss Fortune Cookie,

My boyfriend and I have been together for one week. He’s amazing, and I don’t just mean his eyes and hair. He really listens to me. He gives me compliments. Now I wonder if it’s just an act! He brags to his friends after we make out. My friend showed me one of his texts! I want to kill him. But what if someone else sent the text to split us up? Lots of people are jealous of what we have.

Going crazy

Dear Miss Fortune Cookie,

My best friend and I share a locker. It’s kind of a pain because she is a total slob. If I throw out trash, she accuses me of losing her homework. Once she left half an Icee in there, and it spilled all over my social studies binder. I’d move out of the locker, but my friend just joined chorus. Now she has new friends that she can hang out with instead of me. What should I do?

Squeezed

Dear Miss Fortune Cookie,

Taller Than Average

ALL THOSE WHO ENTER WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED BOOKMARK

Email your entry to lauren@laurenbjorkman.com
You can enter as many times as you wish.

CONTEST DEADLINE March 1, 2013

GOOD LUCK!

Chatting it up on World Talk Radio

laurenbjorkman — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:00:40 +0000

Cynthia Brian will interview me tomorrow for her program StarStyle on World Talk Radio.

You can catch us live at 3 pm Pacific Standard Time (California) and 6pm EST ( East Coast). Just click on the link at the bottom.

Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman is an uplifting story about the struggle between being true to yourself, fitting in, and considering the needs and desires of the people you love, told through a teen’s funny observations as a secret advice columnist. It deals with the moment all young people must face: choosing the kind of adult they will become.

When the Saudi royal family vacationed in Los Angeles, they hired Jayne Amelia Larson, an actress struggling to make ends meet, to be their personal chauffeur. Her book, Driving the Saudis is a story about the corruption that nearly infinite wealth causes, and about what we all do for money.

The Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the Oscars, and Emmys? What do they all have in common besides glamour, glitz, and garb? They influence the movies and TV shows we watch, support, and mimic. SAG-AFTRA members Cynthia Brian and Heather Brittany go behind the scenes to bring you the gab.

Be sure to tune into Be the Star You Are with Cynthia Brian and Heather Brittany every Thur 3 PM PT on World Talk RadioLog on to Listen:
http://www.worldtalkradio.com

If you miss us, you can catch the podcast later.

“Dear Abby” advice columnist dies at 94

laurenbjorkman — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:05:49 +0000

When I was 12 and 13, I delivered the Palo Alto Times to around 80 customers. Before rolling the papers and stuffing them into my bag, I’d read the Dear Abby letters. I always enjoyed her motherly advice.

Here’s a sample letter:

DEAR ABBY:

I am 16 but will be 17 in a few months. I have known my boyfriend, “John,” for two years. He is my first boyfriend.

After four months of dating, John has asked me to marry him, and I said yes. He had been hinting about an engagement, and I didn’t have the heart to say otherwise. John is very dear to me, but I keep hearing people say, “Keep your options open.” I told John that I am young (he’s 18), and I want to take it slowly, but he says if I break up with him to date other guys, he will never date me again.

Abby, I want to make sure John is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t started dating him because I feel too young to be engaged or married. I love John dearly. I

don’t want to break his heart or mine. I am also scared I might mess up this relationship. What should I do to make myself believe that I have found my true love? — STUCK IN OKLAHOMA

DEAR STUCK:

You should have been absolutely honest with John from the beginning. When you have found your own true love, you won’t have to “make yourself” believe it. You will KNOW it.

John is pressuring you because he is afraid if you start dating others he won’t measure up. For both your sakes, tell him that you are not ready to make the kind of commitment he is demanding. He may not like hearing it, but it is the truth. You won’t break his heart, and once you have done it, you will feel a sense of relief.

You can read about her life in the LA Times.

I’m off to look for more of her letters!

Giving away a sprillion books!

laurenbjorkman — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:25:56 +0000

Okay, not really. Each month 25 amazing YA authors (including me) blog about process, craft, our writing, and personal lives at YA Outside the Lines. This month, we’re giving away 30 books, plus Skype visits with authors and cool swag. Go here to enter! Here’s a sampling of what you can win.

Miss Fortune Cookie in Hawaii

laurenbjorkman — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:05:56 +0000

My friend Erica and her daughter, Isabelle in Hawaii. Mele Kalikimaka!

Spotlight on Yellow Mini, a novel in verse

laurenbjorkman — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:02:05 +0000

Mark, Mr. Popularity, tools around town in the yellow mini left to him by his recently deceased father; his new girlfriend Stacey can’t believe her luck, but doesn’t understand Mark’s odd need to disappear into the woods from time to time; her former friends Mary and Annabelle try to find their place in the world – shy Mary transforms into a concert pianist and Annabelle into an world-changing activist with the idealistic and adoring Christopher by her side. In the background, the teens’ parents struggle with their desire to protect their children, yet give them room to grow into the adults they must become. Each voice tells his or her story in powerful free verse.

I read this book in a single day, very unusual for me. With few words, Lori Weber paints a picture of changing friendships, and how reality can be ever so different than the fantasy. I particularly enjoyed the plot twists. The characters are beautifully drawn, each one lovable despite his or her flaws. This is a powerful and uplifting story.

Nominated for the QWF Literary Award!

My mega-giveaway includes a Kindle Fire. Seriously!

laurenbjorkman — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:01:51 +0000

Jessica of Crossroads Tours has organized a three week tour

AND A MEGA-GIVEAWAY to celebrate the release of MISS FORTUNE COOKIE.

You can win a signed copy of the book, lovely bracelets, blue sparkly nail polish,

and other goodies.

But best of all you can win a $50 AMAZON GIFT CERTIFICATE OR A KINDLE FIRE HD.

I’m not joking. Just click on the link below, and enter at the end of the post.

May good fortune shine on you!

The Cover Contessa Rafflecopter