From the 2011 Debs…
Can’t wait until January 20th to read Deb Eleanor’s The Weird Sisters? Enter to win an ARC giveaway at Putnam or Goodreads or Reading Group Guides. Or, show some love by pre-ordering – links are at Eleanor’s website!
Deb Sarah’s book, The Violets of March, is now listed on Amazon.com for pre-order! Sarah is probably a little too excited about this, she realizes, but that still doesn’t stop her from going to the Amazon page several times per day, just to peek at the page and pinch herself.
As the last remaining Deb who hasn’t yet seen her book cover, Deb Tawna decided to take matters into her own hands. She’s having contest to see what readers think her cover should look like. OK, so the winner won’t get to design the actual book cover, but he or she will get a fabulous signed copy of WHAT WOULD EMMA DO, written by Debutante Ball founder Eileen Cook. To learn more about the contest, go here.
In one of Deb Elise’s many freelance ventures… she contributes to travel guides! Specifically, she contributed a planning section to the new 2011 Fodor’s Guide to Walt Disney World, which comes out this week. Elise is a Disney FREAK, so it was a very fun job. The book turned out beautifully, with full color pictures that are just gorgeous. The guide covers the other major Orlando theme parks as well, so if you’re planning a vacation there, pick up a copy and enjoy!
Friends of the Debs…
Sending love to two highly esteemed members of the extended Deb Ball community. Meg Cabot is a former guest-blogger for us, and the movie version of her book Avalon High just premiered on Disney Channel, accompanied by a very honest and very funny running Twitter/Facebook commentary by Meg herself. If you don’t follow Meg on Twitter, sign up — she gives great tweet. As for the movie, it’s Disney Channel, so we can’t imagine they won’t air it again and again. Check out its web page here!
We also want to give a shout-out to Laurie Halse Anderson, who will be guest-blogging here in December (sorry, that KLUNK was Deb Elise falling on the floor as she fainted with joy). Forge, the sequel to Laurie’s incredible book Chains, is now out everywhere. Deb Elise is reading it, and it’s just as wrenching and wonderful as Chains. The story takes place at the time of the Revolutionary War, and continues the saga of Curzon and Isabel, two runaway slaves who are fighting for their freedom and survival. Laurie has been touring for Forge, and you can follow her progress on Twitter. Congratulations, Laurie — can’t wait to see you at the Ball!
Deb Dish — The Debs’ Best Vacation Ever
Deb Elise
I actually don’t know if I can respond to the Deb Dish this week, simply because I just looked down at Deb Tawna’s post and I can’t contain my jealousy. I’ve had a koala obsession since birth, and OMG that looks like a baby koala. That nose! Those little claws! Really, I’m going to need to click away from this page long before I’m able to type anything coherent. Look at her cupping his little fuzzy bottom! I might have to book a flight to Australia immediately.
Deb Eleanor
Soon after J.C. and I started dating, we went on a road trip from South Florida to Kentucky – we called it our Kentucky Fried Vacation. There were a number of notable events, including going to Mammoth Cave, which required climbing so many steps I was sore for days, a visit to Dollywood (we totally thought it would be cheesy, but it’s actually a fascinating place and there’s endless great music), and a night at the Wigwam Village motel, which is just as horrifying and as wonderful as it sounds.
But it’s the best vacation ever, because it was when we fell in love. Awwww…..
Deb Kim
My best vacation was one of Mark’s business trips to Orlando Florida in October of 1995. Mark and I stayed at the Orlando Marriott World Center (where we temporarily lost Mia in an agonizing autism moment many years later.) My wonderful father in law, the late Mike Stagliano was at the same conference, with my mother in law. Mia was safely home with my parents. It was an honor to see Mark and his Dad together as successful men at work (remember my “thing” for corporate conformity? It hand’t been snuffed out yet. We relaxed, dined, I went to Disney all my myself, sat by a pool… It was glorious. And the best part? As I say in my book, I left with a glimmer of Miss Gianna Marie Stagliano in my tum tum. She was born nine months later.
Deb Sarah
It’s a toss-up between Tahiti (honeymoon) and a solo trip I took to France several years ago for a cooking class and a few amazing days in Paris afterward. Both trips were life changing in their own ways, and have informed scenes, characters and ideas in my writing. Travel is so valuable to a writer. I just wish there were less bedbugs and annoying airline regulations.
Deb Tawna
My husband has an aunt who’s a retired airline employee, and we also hoard frequent flier miles like nobody’s business. Those two things – coupled with a lust for world travel – have allowed us to visit some truly amazing places over the years. Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Jamaica, Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Slovenia, Barbados, Greece, Venezuela, Columbia…I’m sure I’m forgetting some places, but probably my favorite of all was Australia.
Everywhere we went I got to see all kinds of amazing animals, including kangaroos, wombats, and a platypus we spotted in the wild. We visited the Australia Zoo just a couple weeks before Steve Irwin’s death, and at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary I was lucky enough to get to hold a koala. It was very soft, though kangaroos were actually softer.
Totally unrelated comment here, but I wanted to stop by and “share the squee” – the postman brought my copy of “All I Can Handle” this morning and I’m now counting the hours until I can go home and enjoy it! I know if it were my debut, I’d be psyched to hear about anyone as excited as I am about reading it, which is why I’m stopping in to say YAY! I GOT MY BOOK!!