In the Barnes & Noble special edition of Family of Liars (the purple one) there is a MIX-TAPE. I hand-wrote the cassette cover with all the songs, and decorated it with stars -- just like we used to do in 1987, when the book is set. There are a lot of other extras in that edition, too! Recipes, maps, and more.

But I wanted all my readers to be able to access the songs Carrie is listening to on Beechwood Island, so here is the list on Spotify. And on Apple Music.

As you can see from the picture, artists include REM, U2, The Pretenders, The Bangles, Eurythmics, Howard Jones, Dream Academy...
Happy Summer 1987, all of you.

Get Underlined made a fun quiz:  "Are you genuine? Or a fraud?" 

Zoella Book Club!  She (Zoella) picked eight books and I have read a bunch of them and they all look great -- Rainbow Rowell! Nicola Yoon! Jennifer Niven!   And lots of others.   Plus I wrote one of them: We Were Liars. 

The club is sponsored by W.H. Smith, in the UK, but the exclusive content is available for everyone to see. The main club page is here -- with links to videos, playlists, interviews and exclusive outtakes, plus sample chapters of all the books. 

Here's my interview about We Were Liars. 

Here are the outtakes from the book (deleted scenes). 

Here's Zoella chatting about the book, plus a schedule of events related to We Were Liars (and a vote in Sept).

There will be more content rolling out soon, and click here to find it.

And here's the video where she talks about all the books -- great if you're trying to decide what to read this summmer.

It is an exciting day in Lockhart land. I am interviewed on one of my fave podcasts, Sara Zarr's This Creative Life. Zarr wrote Roomies (with Tara Altebrando) and The Lucy Variations and lots of other awesome books, and the podcast interviews all kinds of writers about the intersection of life and work, the creative process, etc. 

Click here to listen and to learn more about Zarr and the podcast. 

Also, over at the National Book Award, the long list for young people's lit was announced today!  I was on the judging committee for Young People's Literature last year, so I really understand the process and feel nostalgic about the whole thing -- 289 books, arriving in boxes over the summer. My idea of fun.  Our winner last year was Cynthia Kadohata's The Thing About Luck, which is a really wonderful story and everyone should read it. 

This year's long list includes some books I've loved (Threatened by Eliot Schrefer and Noggin by John Corey Whaley)  and some others I'm psyched to discover.  If you're looking for quality YA and MG to read, you really should check out the "Up all Night" online exhibition of previous YPL finalists and winners.  Happy reading. XXOE

Hi! Happy holidays!

The awesome novelist Kieran Scott: let's talk about her because she is up to some amazing fundraising for the Community Foodbank of NJ which will help out families hit hard by Hurricane Sandy this season. 

I first heard of Kieran when I signed up The Boyfriend List with our mutual publisher. They showed me her book Jingle Boy, which they published and which is obviously perfect if you are a Christmas-celebrating person in need of a fun holiday read or gift for a pal.

Something else I like about Kieran is that, like me, she has another name and writes different books under that name! She is also Kate Brian, author of the best-selling Private series, and has another fun YA holiday read under that name called Ex-Mas. 

(Why can't I make those book jackets the same size??? I can't do it! Blergh.)

Anyway, really what I want to tell you about is the amazingness of the YA for NJ auction which Kieran organized. All the money goes to bring food to people in NJ who need it, especially those affected by Hurricane Sandy. And there are more than 200 YA authors contributing. There are loads and loads of signed books -- plus some amazingness like having authors come to your school, Skype visits, and the like. Perfect holiday gifts and all for a great cause. I am going to link some of the most thrilling bits below. It's an ebay auction, so you just bid on stuff like a regular ebay auction.

I WILL WRITE YOU A SILLY RHYME IN YOUR HONOR, plus a stack of four signed Ruby Oliver books. 

You could OWN MEGAN MCCAFFERTY'S NOTES on an ARC of Sloppy Firsts.

Random House editor Wendy Loggia will CRITIQUE a MANUSCRIPT.

Matthew Quick's not-yet-out book, FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK - an autographed ARC. 

An ORIGINAL STORY BY DAVID LEVITHAN. Plus a signed book.

But there's so much more! Click here for the complete list of items being auctioned.

Below are a couple more links about the auction. 

Related articles

BID on MARCUS FLUTIE SECRETS and SO MUCH MORE

YA for NJ Starts TODAY!

So, I have been knocking around on my Pinterest Boards, getting them together, and they are now ready to share with YOU!! Come visit. Sign up to follow the ones you like. Repin! Comment! I am into it.

Second, I am in the revision process on my new novel, and that is why haven't been blogging very much. (Curious? There's a Pinterest board about it!)  First because I was writing it, then rewriting it, then rewriting it again, then finally sharing it with two writer friends, now rewriting it another few times.

Eventually I will show it to my editor, but it has to go through a lot of revision and even reinvention before it's good enough to do that.

Here is a meme! I did it years ago on this blog, but I am doing it again. Maybe Pinterest has got me in a mood to do silly interwebs stuff. Or maybe I am procrastinating that revision. Anyhow. It's a fun one.

Q: Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search.
A: E. Lockhart needs your nomination for a Shorty Award! (No idea what they are, but I think something Twitter related. I am pretty sure no one ever nominated me.)

Q: Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search.
A: (No results.)

Q: Type in "[your name] says" in Google search.
A: E. Lockhart says: Roxanne, With utmost respect, Akiva is a trained soldier on a mission of assassination… (this was a convo about Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, which I reviewed on the SLJ Battle of the Books.)

Q: Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search.
A: Booksellers in Dallas and Boston, E. Lockhart wants to meet you. See her blog for details. (This was back when I was touring for The Treasure Map of Boys.)

Q: Type in "[your name] asks" in Google search. 
A Author E. Lockhart asks, "Have you ever felt this rage against expectations? What did you do about it?" (This was from some conversation at Readergirlz.)

Q: Type in "[your name] likes " in Google search.
A: E. Lockhart likes to keep her private life private. (True.)

HOWEVER, you can get a glimpse into my domestic life here on Tara Altebrando's blog. Tara's new book is The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life, and it's all about a scavenger hunt, and she did a virtual scavenger hunt with a bunch of different authors. I LOST. BADLY. But it was very fun to do. 

Oh, and P.S.: If you're interested in the Write Faster Project (scroll down the blog to read more), author Caitlin Kittredge went hardcore and finished her novel in ten days. She lived to tell, but barely. A very interesting, detailed report on the method.

It's been a long time since I did a meme, but I do kinda love them. Here's one from an old and dear college pal. 

Three names people call me:  Jenko, M&M, Mommy

Here's what you do:  copy and paste, delete my answers and type your own. Then send this to a few good friends or family including the person who sent it to you. You will learn something about each other.

If you want, put a link to yours in comments. Or comments in comments.

xo

E

Real Live Boyfriends is up for Best YA Fiction over at Good Reads. Look at the awesome competitors. Go vote! 

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Best Young Adult Fiction Vote now for your favorite books!

Win a signed copy of Invisible Inkling (my upcoming Emily Jenkins book about a kid with an invisible friend, with pictures by NYTimes bestselling artist, Harry Bliss). 

I'm having a Twitter contest. The hashtag is #invisibleinkling and details are on my Twitter page, but if you're seeing this kinda late, here's what it says (below). Come enter!  Spread the word!

xo

E

elockhart E. Lockhart 

As many entries as you want! #invisibleinkling RT @aprilcpeace: @elockhart are we allowed more than one entry?

7 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

Contest will go on for a week! Then I'll mail signed copies of#invisibleinkling to the five most hilarious entries.

11 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

Examples of what you might write: #invisibleinkling I'd go to a cake shop, sneak in the back, and eat the frosting off all their beaters.

12 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

Examples of what you might write: #invisibleinkling I'd lick the necks of clean and attractive gentlemen in the subway.

14 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

Some examples of what you might write: #invisibleinkling I'd run nudie-booty through the park singing Bohemian Rhapsody.

15 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

The details on #invisibleinkling: http://bit.ly/hLPNOc including art, excerpt and video goofiness.

16 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

What is #invisibleinkling? Is book by me (Emily Jenkins) about a kid with an invisible friend. Pix by Harry Bliss. Comes out next week.

17 minutes ago       

elockhart E. Lockhart 

Here is #invisibleinkling contest: in one tweet, with that inkling hashtag, tell me what you'd do if you were invisible. PG-13 please.

18 minutes ago       

»

elockhart E. Lockhart 

Wanna win a signed copy of #invisibleinkling, new Jenkins book? Let's have a contest! @ABBalzer @DJBray @harpercollins@librarylovefest

19 minutes ago