December 2009


My first signings for PERFECT SHOT were held here in Bermuda and it was such a fantastic time.

First, I set up shop outside of Bermuda Bookstore one balmy Saturday afternoon flanked by an oversized poster of the cover on one side and my hubby on the other. In the two hours I was out there, a good number of people came by and picked up copies. I was grateful for all the support I was shown. Here’s a snapshot from my day.

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Then it was off to plan my official release party. Held a week later at Bookmart in Bermuda’s Brown&Co. department store, the event would include a performance skit based on a scene in PERFECT SHOT. Patricia Nesbitt, the drama teacher at Cedarbridge High School held a casting call and selected a London Abrams look-a-like in 15-year-old Sarafina. Here she is with Raekwon, who charmingly portrayed hearthrob Brent St. John. Fantastic job, guys!

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And a special thanks to the Cedarbridge students who volunteered to play extras for the juice bar scene.  That’s me surrounded by the cool cast and assistant director.

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The fun evening kicked off with the “Spike a Pose” photo contest, which was a lot of fun. The participants with the fiercest pose (using the Xmas hat and tinsel “boa”) won a gift certificate graciously sponsored by electronics store P-Tech. Pretty cool. You’ve gotta see some highlights. One of my favorite was this Michael Jackson homage pose. And next to that is the winning shot (selected by judges from the Brown & Co./Phoenix Stores).

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I had the best time and was so excited that everything went well. Party planning isn’t my forte because there’s always the worry that no one will show up—especially since I’m so far from home. But all of that anxiety melted away once I saw the hubby and all the friends and students that came out to celebrate PERFECT SHOT with me. Thanks to all who came out!

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Sending warm wishes for a joyous holiday season to all of you. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement this year. The adventure continues. Looking forward to what good times the new decade will bring. Continued blessings and lots of love! :-)

For the past week, I’ve been busy on a blog blitz.  It’s been amazing being interviewed by the fab authors in the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit. And I was especially excited to be featured on YA Fresh, one of my favorite YA sites! (Check out the interview here.) I can’t believe how much info I’ve divulged in these interviews. For instance, curious about how the original PERFECT SHOT cover looked like? Head over to author Melisssa Walker’s blog.

Readers are winning autographed copies of PERFECT SHOT all of the web—like at YA author Linda Gerber’s blog. In honor of London Abrams, my crush-struck main character, Linda invited readers to share stories about the wackiest things they’ve done for a crush. Some of the responses are hilarious—you can read them here. Congrats to Jenni for winning the first giveaway copy!

There’s still time to enter to win a copy over at Author’s Now and at Free Book Friday Teens. Just leave a comment and you’re entered!

This eventful week was topped off with a release-day gift from 19-year-old illustrator Jhenne (whose work is also featured on my website). I couldn’t wait to share it with you guys. Drumroll….check out this fan art of London Abrams, yall:

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Is this not just the most fabulous portrait ever?!! Dope. Thank you so much, Jhenne!

I appreciate all the love and the supportive comments, guys! And thanks for the youtube views of the book trailer. We’re already at over 400 views in just one week! Not bad for a sporty-girl character from Jersey.

Today is the day PERFECT SHOT meets world. My debut solo book is now available at bookstores and I couldn’t be more excited. The first thing I’m going to do is grab my camera, head over to my local bookstore, and take a perfect shot of PERFECT SHOT.

But before I hit the streets like a wacky woman on a mission, allow me to introduce you to 15-year-old London Abrams, the main character of this story. London’s a special little lady, and not only because she’s a dope volleyball player—London is also the first African-American protagonist to be featured in this Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies series. I’m so proud of this. And I know readers of all backgrounds will connect with London and the rest of the multicultural cast of characters in this book.

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On this thrilling day, I’m also proud to premiere the book trailer for PERFECT SHOT. It’s produced by my very own 15-year-old niece Ana. In fact, most of the trailer is a family affair. The featured song (“Butterfly”) was written by Ana and my cousin Maeva and is performed by Ana; my lovely goddaughter Amanda makes a cameo appearance as one of the fabulous models (she’s the first one, wearing a beret); and my cousin Junior is featured as the heartthrob character “Brent.” Take a look!

 

I’ll be on a Girlfriend Cyber Circuit blog tour all week, so check back with info on where to find my profiles. For now, I’ve got a bookstore to raid! :-)