Name our band CONTEST!

5 authors write about 5 guys and the 5 girls who get to fall in love with them. 

But first, we need your help!

We’ve been writing about this awesome boy band for a while now, but we haven’t found a band name that we truly LOVE, know what I mean? So we decided to turn to you, boy-band connoisseurs, and avid readers to help us find the perfect one. Best of all? The winner will get a $25 gift card AND their whole name mentioned in one or more of the BACKSTAGE PASS books! All you have to do is come up with that kick-ass band name and tweet about the contest with the hashtag #BackstagePass. Easy-peasy. Click on over to the Entangled Teen Blog to enter the name in the comments, and then hit up the Rafflecopter for points!

About the BACKSTAGE PASS series

Five guys thought winning a making-of-the-band reality TV show would be the pinnacle of their career...until their band scored a sell-out stadium tour and became the hottest group in the country. Trying to keep their personal lives out of the tabloids while they maneuver media near-disasters and dodge rabid fans leaves little time for romance—not that their manager would allow it anyway.

But maybe, if their luck holds out, a summer on the road might lead each guy to that one girl he's been waiting his whole life to sing for...if fame doesn’t get in the way.

Join The Heartthrob, The Bad Boy, The Big Brother, The Shy Boy, and The Cute One as they hit the road in search of their one true love. Could it be you?

 
Click HERE to join the fun in naming our boy band!


Let's be friends!
www.backstagepassbooks.com
@backstagepassbk
#backstagepass

Things happened today. . .

First, my editor posted this on Publisher's Marketplace,

then I squeed for a while and posted this on Twitter,

then I looked at my homemade promo art for a while and squeed some more,

and then I just sat around and smiled hard.

Official CRUSH BOOKS logo

Getting writerly inspiration where I can...

This week, it's from watching the documentary: White Stripes Under Northern Lights

"Deadlines and things make you creative, but opportunity and telling yourself 'oh, all time in the world'...that just kills creativity."

"Book only 4-5 days in the studio and force yourself to record an album [or write a book (Ophelia London insert)] in that time."

~Jack White

Sing it, sister!

Lately, I have indeed been all about the books!

Music Monday - Glory of Love

I'm super giddy about finally writing a story with THIS SONG as theme on the playlist.

It's so super swoony. Okay, 80's swoony, but still.

(FALLING FOR HER SOLDIER, coming in January!)

And it got me to thinking about my sister and a very important question:

Ahem. Sister, which Peter Cetera song is best? I know which one you'll pick, but I vote for this one. Yeah, I know, your pick is good too, and really dreamy, and the movie it's from is like the best movie ever--especially the scene when your song plays--and the actor is so super cute, and yeah, okay...you win.

Tuesday teaser / Music Monday (take your pick and enjoy!)

Just a little something to get you in the mood for Spring & Henry

cover reveal ! !

C'est très joli, no?

(le squeee!)

I'm raaally excited about this book, guys. It's been in my heart for so long, and now it's only a matter of time before I get to share it with the world. In the mean time, here's what it's about:

Spring Honeycutt wants two things: to ace her sustainable living thesis and to save the environment. Both seem hopelessly unobtainable until her college professor suggests that with a new angle, her paper could be published. Spring swears she’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that happens.

“Whatever it takes,” however, means forming a partnership with the very hot, very privileged, very conceited Henry Knightly.

Henry is Spring's only hope at publication, but he's also the über-rich son of a land developer and cash-strapped Spring’s polar opposite. Too bad she can't help being attracted to the way he pushes her buttons, both politically and physically. As they work on her thesis, Spring finds there's more to Henry than his old money and argyle sweaters…but can she drop the loud-and-proud act long enough to let him in? Suddenly, choosing between what she wants and what she needs puts Spring at odds with everything she believes in.

Definitely, Maybe in Love is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice that proves true love is worth risking a little pride.

Oh, and have you added it to your Goodreads shelf yet? Clicky-click HERE.

Ohhh, aaaand, you can pre-order it on AMAZON and B&N too. Isn't technology the coolest?

Teaser Tuesday

Coming Soon

October 28th, to be exact

Have you shelved it on Goodreads, yet? 

Hey, she's right, ya know.

Check out Spring's kryptonite here:

Happy book birthday to me!

It was one year ago today that I welcomed my first book baby, PLAYING AT LOVE, into the world. 

*cheers*

 Let's all take a moment to remember football coach Jack Marshall and his hotness...

*moment of silence and heavy breathing*

Now, party!!

I'm a little excited about things today...

Did you know "Definitely, Maybe in Love" comes out in one month? Squee!

Have ya tagged it in Goodreads yet? Do it now. Click HERE. Quick! I'll wait...

The rest is still unwritten...

This week, I shall be starting on a brand new shiny story. It's so thrilling as a writer to have only a tiny idea that I know (fingers crossed!) is going to blossom into something fun and obsessive and smexy and insomnia-causing and so totally mad-awesome.

As I mentally prepare, I keep chanting this song over and over. She seems to be singing to me, yo.

"I'm just beginning. Pen in my hand, ending unplanned..."

Entangled Bliss's One Year Anniversary!

Ain't no party like a Bliss party!

It’s been an amazing year as Bliss released over 20 titles and have plenty in store for everyone going forward.  Bliss couldn’t have gotten to where it is without all of the wonderful readers out there.

To say thank you and welcome to new readers, August will be filled with special events.  Here is the lowdown for the #BlissBall celebration:

·         #BlissBall Twitter Party: Wednesday, August 7, 9-10pm EST: Join 10 Bliss authors for a Twitter party and be ready to win some #BlissBall bling!

·         Pin It to Win It Pinterest giveaway: Sunday, August 11: Showcase which Bliss books you can’t wait to read.  Follow BlissEntangled and stop by to find out how to win a $25 Amazon gift card on Sunday.

·         Blogger Love: August 19-30: Of course we think Bliss books are so sweet and sassy that readers can’t help but love ‘em, but don’t just take our word for it. Fans will be posting why they love Bliss books and readers will have a chance to win a “Sweet” grand prize package. Follow Bliss on Facebook for each stop.

·         Bliss Ball Facebook Parties: Join Bliss for not one but two Facebook parties with the lovely Bliss authors. August 27 and August 29 from 8-10pm EST we will be chatting with Bliss authors, readers and there will be more great prizes to win!

Check out our full list of Bliss books and come ready to party and win!

(Thank you to the Bliss publicity team for all the great info!)

Teaser Tuesday

Hey guys! Here's another tiiiiiiny peek at "Definitely, Maybe in Love" (coming in October. Goodreads it HERE).

Let's talk first impressions...

Our dark-haired neighbor faced us, sunglasses hanging from the collar of his shirt. He made a deliberate one-eighty turn, stared toward his front door and planted his hands on his hips. His butt—I mean his back—was to us.

Oh, my.

Teaser Tuesday

Today, I'm kicking off a new blog series called Teaser Tuesday, giving little sneaky peeks at one of my upcoming releases. This one comes from "Definitely, Maybe in Love," (releasing so soooooon in October). 

I get to write about these two pretty people: Henry Knightly & Spring Honeycutt.

I hope you enjoy this week's teaser from DMIL:

When he leaned toward me, my shoulders tensed, causing a few braids to tumble free. Henry Knightly’s gaze shot to my hair.

"Careful," I said. “I wouldn’t want you too close to my snakes." I gave him a look. "They bite."

"I like snakes," Knightly said matter-of-factly.

"Ha." I rolled my eyes. "Sure ya do."

"And I happen to enjoy a good bite."

 

Where, oh where, has Ophelia been. . .

So it's been about a month since I've blogged. It's summer, it's so blooming hot in Texas, and I just haven't been in a bloggy kind of mood. I'm sure you know how that goes. That's not to say I haven't been meaningfully occupied (as "I am very busy and important," to quote Bridget Jones).

Here are some of the fun things I've been up to:

I organized my iTunes library (more on that later).

I went through two edit passes on my upcoming NA (new adult) novel: Definitely, Maybe in Love (MUCH more on that later).

I started writing a new story--which I plan on finishing this week before my writers' group.

I've been listening to Sara Bareilles's new record The Blessed Unrest pretty much nonstop.




I swam a bit, bought a new patio chair, got a nice tan, talked to my mother several time, hmm, what else...? Oh, yeah, I made soup. Twice.

I've been drinking this:

I've been doing a lot of fun novel reading:

Matched - Ally Condie
Where We Belong - Emily Giffin
The Summer I Became a Nerd - Leah Rae Miller
The Ocean at the End of the Lane- Neil Gaiman
Losing It- Cora Carmack
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
Billy & Me - Giovanna Fletcher
 
But most of all, I've been doing some pretty major vegging out. Meaning, I've watched a butt-load of TV and movies. For example, I caught this flick:

And then went home and watched this one...

This one:

Oh, and then I had a Star Trek weekend. Check it out...I watched the first (new) movie, the new-new movie...

Star Trek II - Khan, III - Lookin' for Spock, IV - the whale one.... 

And then the first TEN episodes of this:

So yeah, for the most part, I had a very productive month. But now it's back to the "real life" of writing and blogging and not sleeping. Hooray!

Hey there, Khan.

Coming to a B&N near you...if you, like, live around Houston

Hey there, lovelies. 

My fellow Entangled Publishing sister, Rachel Harris, and I are taking it on the road to do a book signing in Humble, Texas. Squeee!

We'd love to see your smiling faces, but if you can't make it, A Book-lover's Review has all the deets on ordering signed copies of both books on her site. (PS: I've read Rachel's book and its waaaaay cute!) Check it out, and let's make all your readerly wishes come true!

 http://www.abook-loversreview.com/2013/06/ophelia-london-rachel-harris-signing-in.html

Happy Weekend

“The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.”
—Joyce Carol Oates

I'll be starting on BOTH this weekend. I hope yours is just as productive, dreamy and full of wonder.

Things I learned at DFWcon 2013

This marked my third year attending the DFW Writers' Conference (DFWcon, for short, because we've known each other for three years now and I think we're BFFs). It was two days of intense classes on both craft and business. For those that had the guts, we got to pitch to an agent and a few of us lucky souls took part in the first ever small group genre-specific workshops--which was pretty amazing and insightful. The two key notes were David Corbett (who also gave a class about building a character web and I'm now mildly in love with him) and Michael Capuzzo. I'm a huge fan of them both now. After the weekend was over, I walked away inspired, overwhelmed, excited and ready to write.

Here are my quicky take-aways:

I need to torture my mc more. (Boo!)

Make characters do more, not just think and feel. Actions can't be taken back.

"Change or die"

The hero in the story succeeds at the end by failing throughout the rest of the book.

Write happy. When I'm happy, so is my story...and the whole process.

Write what you know, but also write what you want to research and write about.

Drink more Diet Cokes.

If I could go back in time, I wouldn't take the class on taxes. But I would go to the improv seminar.

Be prepared to for the "judges" to hate your query letter. Again.

Wear sunscreen. That's just a tip in general. 

Paperback Writer

This morning, I was interviewed on a radio program to promote Abby Road. Cool, right? It was meant to be between 3-5 minutes. I was on the air for 13. A lot of that time we spent talking about one of my favorite subjects. The Bealtes. 

I've never claimed to be an expert. Lke Abby Road's Abby, I just love their music. When my lovely interviewer started quizzing me on songs and albums, my mind (naturally!) went blank. While pulling answers and non-facts out of thin air, I made two errors...of which I didn't realize till after we'd hung up. 

Mistake #1: "Hey Jude" was the Beatles' biggest hit. I said "All You Need is Love." Sorry, lads!

Mistake #2: "Carry That Weight" is not off the White Album, but off Abbey Road. Sheesh. How could I get that one wrong?

I should've turned the table and quizzed him about Gwen Stefani and Taylor Swift. Of course I didn't think of that until an hour later.

We did agree that "A Day in the Life" is an amazing song, and we both have a soft spot for the rare "Mr. Moonlight."

All in all, it was a pretty successful interview. I did refer to myself as a liar but I didn't mention Brad Pitt or cupcakes. *nods to self* That's an A-plus in my book, people.

Abby Road on tour

On today's Abby Road blog tour stop, I am interviewed *as* Abigail Kelly. It was so fun to be famous for a while. Here's a little sample and the link. Check it out!

http://lauries-interviews.blogspot.com/2013/04/abby-road-by-by-ophelia-london.html

"Okay, let’s get right to it. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? My mother showed me “Beauty and the Beast” when I was about five. I fell hard for Gaston. Yeah, I kind of missed the boat on that one! I knew I was going to marry a big strapping hunter and we’d raise ten children. Here I am, twenty years later: woefully single and singing in a band with no real home base. I’m slowly learning that life doesn’t turn out the way you think it will. But I still think Gaston and I would have made a cute couple!"