Do You iClue? The Case of Seth Allen's Secret Admirer Part #1

Kate Who? It's time for an iClue Mystery Featuring Our Favorite Binge Eating, Conspiracy Theory Obsessed, Ginger

If you've read The Liar Society you probably remember Kate's dedicated sidekick Seth Allen. Well, those of you on Team Seth (and really who isn't?) are in for a treat this week because our iClue mystery is all about Seth and a Secret Admirer. What? You didn't think you were the only one with a massive crush on the pocket sized ginger, did you?

Click here to read the first installment of the mystery and check back every day this week to see where you can find clues that will help you channel Kate Lowry and solve The Case of Seth Allen's Secret Admirer once and for all. 

Every day this week we'll be posting more of Seth's mystery, so stay tuned!

Enter iClue NOW!

Have you entered iClue? No? STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND ENTER RIGHT THIS SECOND!

Click here to read Lee Nichols's amazing mysteries including a never-before-seen excerpt of SURRENDER.

Click here to read Kimberly Derting's fabu mystery featuring the always engaging Violet.

Click here to read Beth Revis's awesome Across the Universe themed mystery.

And after you've solved the mysteries click here, enter your personal information and the solution to the mystery. And VOILA, you now officially have one entry to win an iTouch loaded with 6 fabulous books. Stay tuned on Monday when we'll be posting our super-secret Seth-themed iClue mystery.

Happy sleuthing!

Friday Five: Television Intervention

1. The other day, I watched an entire season of 16 and Pregnant in one day including the Reunion Special. I cried multiple times throughout. I went to bed feeling hungover and dirty.

2. Income Property on HGTV makes me want to remodel our basement so we can reduce our mortgage to $300. Granted, we'd also have to share our house with a complete stranger, but a part of me thinks it might be worth it. Maybe they could help with childcare.

3. I will always turn on Little Bear if the show is requested. The reason for this is because on one episode, Little Bear wanted his mom to play with him, but she explained that it was time for her to read a book and continued to rock in her rocker. A good lesson for all wee ones.

4. I bawled my eyes out during the last two episodes of Parenthood. I'm talking lump in your throat kind of tears. All I could imagine was Lydia falling in love with some guy and not wanting to talk to me anymore. It was devastating.

5. I've watched the first three episodes of Pregnant in Heels more times than I care to admit. Someone needs to block the show from my TV. This might be a cry for help.

Please, dear God, someone cancel my cable. Happy Friday!

The Booksanistas: SPOILED

Once upon the time, back when I had a desk job and no kids and an entire lunch hour to kill on the interwebs I discovered blogs. I have no memory of how I found these blogs (Probably I was bored enough to spend my time googling things like "hilariously bad celebrity fashion." Yes, seriously.) but eventually I ended up with a file of 30 or 40 bookmarked blogs that I scanned during boring conference calls. At some point along the way, bloggers became my rock stars. They were funny, entertaining, witty and amazing writers to boot. The Fug Girls were (and are) at the very top of my list of blogstars (see what I did just there?). 

I love them. I aspire to be as funny as they are. I want to skin them and wear them as last season's Versace. Ok, maybe not that last part, but The Real Housewives of New Jersey premiers next week and I couldn't resist.

Just when I thought I couldn't love La Femme de Fug any more than I already do they went and wrote a YA book called SPOILED. My worlds collided and my brain exploded with awesome when Gretchen McNeil sent an ARC my way. 

Here's what the back cover has to say:

Sixteen-year-old Molly Dix has just discovered that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world-famous movie star and red-carpet regular. Intrigued (and a little terrified) by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Los Angeles and plunges headfirst into the deep of Beverly Hills celebrity life. Just as Molly thinks her life couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous, spoiled half sister, who welcomes Molly to la-la land with a smothering dose "sisterly love"...but in this town, nothing is ever what it seems. 

Set against a world of Redbull-fuelled stylists, tiny tanned girls, popped-collar guys, and Blackberry-wielding publicists, Spoiled is a sparkling debut from the writers behind the viciously funny celebrity blog GoFugYourself.com

Lila's Take:

I predict SPOILED will be the book to be seen with on the beach this summer. I mean, Midwestern gal + Hollywood Celebutante in Training ÷ Fug Girls humor = WIN. The characters are engaging, the plot zips right along and nothing is what it seems in Hollyweird. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out which celebrity the unintentionally hilarious Brick was based on and I adored the many celeb cameos and asides. Molly is relatable and engaging while Brooke is flat out hilarious. But what I loved most about SPOILED is that it's not a book about superficial mean girls and it's not a book about a girl falling head over heels for a boy. It's a book about sisters and friendship and figuring out that people aren't always what they seem. Fug Nation fangirls are going to flip for SPOILED. Pick up your copy June 1st!

Check out what the other Bookinistas are up to this week:

Click here to join The Bookanista Book Club at The Reading Room where you can check out all the books we're buzzing about! 

Elana Johnson visits Dark and Hollow Places

Christine Fonseca has a passion for Possession – with giveaway

Shannon Messenger marvels at Moonglass – with giveaway

Jamie Harrington adores Invincible Summer

Shelli Johannes-Wells is in the grip of Possession

Scott Tracey bathes in Blood Magic

Carolina Valdez Miller interviews Invincible Summer author Hannah Moskowitz

Jessi Kirby praises Playing Hurt

Bethany Wiggins delves into Divergent

Shana Silver presents a Guestanista gushing over Between Here and Forever

Carrie Harris sings out about Shift

Rosemary Clement-Moore applauds Abandon

Sarah Frances Hardy enjoys Me Jane

Matt Blackstone loves Like Mandarin

Corrine Jackson delights in The Duff

Stasia Ward Kehoe discusses Displacement

POSSESSION: Control or be controlled

Look what popped up in our inbox yesterday from Publishers Weekly. YUP. Our friend is FAMOUS. And we couldn't be more proud. Soak it all in, Elana. You deserve everything coming your way!

	“Possession held me completely captivated from beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the characters and had countless moments of ‘Wow.’”
	—JAMES DASHNER, bestselling author of The Maze Runner
		For more, visit possessionthebook.com

P.S. Sorry the image is wonky. Click here to request an eGalley!

P.P.S. The winner of ALICE-MIRANDA AT SCHOOL is #4, Sarah Frances Hardy! Congratulations, Sarah Frances! Also...once the book makes its rounds throughout your household, you might consider forwarding on to Jen Daiker. We were pulling for you, Jen!

Tell The Truth Tuesday

1. I've watched Megamind five times over the past 48 hours. That's right, it's Spring Break and all bets are off over here.

2. Do they really expect me to believe that Bimbo Bread is pronounced Beembo? Nice try ad wizards.

3. An actual conversation at 7:17 PM EST at my house:

4-year-old: Mommy!
Me: WHAT!?! It's bedtime!
4-year-old: I sick.
Me: Duly noted...Goodnight!
4-year-old: My tummy hurts. I'm going to throw up.
Me: Just lay on your side! Nighty night!

4. We had a Skype chat with an awesome group of girls in Tampa, Florida yesterday and one of the kids escaped from the closet woke up from their nap in the middle of the chat so these poor adorable girls had to witness my patented DON'T-YOU-DARE-MAKE-A-SOUND-I'M-ON-THE-PHONE-look. Complete with a very stern finger point. Not. Pretty.

5. Another birthday that never ends has begun at my house. Made Dora cake on Friday--really, Dora? Pink shirt, orange shorts, purple backpack, yellow socks? That's a LOT of color changes and also explains why Dora was looking a bit more monochromatic than normal. Rice Krispies treats for school tomorrow, party on Saturday for actual birthday and mega Bowling Bash combined cousin party next weekend. Wowsa. That's a whole lot of birthday.


We're doing something a little different this week. We love reading your Tuesday Truths so much that we want you to post them on your own blog! Link up here and we'll swing by your neck of the woods.

Our Blogging Manifesto

At approximately 10:00 PM the night before a weekday, either one of us will ask the other the same question.

Any ideas for the blog tomorrow?

We usually (unless Laura breaks it) have an unspoken rule about having a blog post scheduled/edited before turning in for the night. And, we're not gonna lie, sometimes the posts flow freely, must-be-written type of writing, perfectly timely and witty and entertaining and enlightening, and others just...don't.

But we've been doing a whole lot of talking about the how and why behind our blog, so here goes nothing.

1. We're committed to random. Books? Check. Writing? Check. Kids? Check. Live-streamed thoughts on a crappy Lifetime movie? Check. We are incredibly random individuals (thanks primarily to our dad) and we love to share the random. No, it's not always going to make sense and yes, sometimes you will be offended (we're looking at you Regulator), but, hey, at least it's (sometimes) entertaining.

2. We're honest. We aren't known for beating around any bushes. If we're having a crappy mom kind of day, you'll be the first to know about it. If we cried when we saw our cover, yep, we'll let you in. If we think Gywneth would give the old D-Bag-O-Meter a run for its money, we'll put it out there. Honesty's the best policy, bitches.

3. We're not afraid to be the butt of the joke. We grew up with people making fun of us. Constantly. I have a memory of my parents joking around about how my braces and my general disdain for personal hygiene (In my defense I was 11! Ok, fine, it's still pretty gross.) wouldn't exactly earn me prom queen votes. It's kind of difficult to take yourself seriously after that although I made a valiant effort while dancing in a very unfortunate production of Swan Lake at Sharon's School of Dance. Yeah, I was the oversized swan in the back who was consistently five steps behind the rest of the class.

4. We try to admit when we're wrong. We make a lot of mistakes. Thinking about some of them makes us cringe. (Is it ever a good idea to give a book a thumbs down and TAKE A PICTURE OF IT??? Um, no. No, it is not.) We hope that when we make announcements about how we got rejected by 100 literary agents when we queried our first novel because we had no clue what we were doing and sent it out WAY too early that you'll learn from our complete lack of judgement. We're nothing if not a walking, talking cautionary tale about how not to succeed in publishing.

5. We're here because we love it. At the end of the day, we're not trying to be anyone except who we actually are. Some days we're rookie novelists launching our debut novel. Other days we're posting humiliating pictures to reminisce about the tragedy that was 90's fashion. And a lot of days we're hanging around in yoga pants wondering how people survive without Nick Jr. (aka preschool on demand). But mostly we're a couple of moms trying to have our cake and eat it too. Now, if we could just find that fork....

Friday Fabulousness

1. Happy Endings. The Michael Jordan of destroying friendships, hats signed by Turtle from Entourage, butchy mom hair and burgandy Windstars. So. Awesome. Full episode below.



2. Jane Eyre. Yeah, we never saw it. We totally ended up at a coffee shop gossiping with Scott Tracey and Leah Clifford instead. Not gonna lie, I'll take Chipotle and snark over longing and crazy attic ladies any day of the week.

3. Even better, we totally #Rock(ed)TheDrop and gave four very happy girls in Chipotle copies of Liar Society and A Touch Mortal. They were so pumped and were actually fighting over the books. And even better, we got it all on video!



4. THE FINAL SEASON OF FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS STARTS TONIGHT! TIM RIGGINS! COACH TAYLOR! TAMMY TAYLOR! Football. So, um, yeah. I'm excited. It's the only show on television that my husband and I watch together. Well, except when I catch him watching Keeping Up With the Kardashian marathons.

5. Kimberly Derting + iClue = AWESOME. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of her mystery and then click here to enter to win an iPod Touch. DO IT. You know you wanna.

Any fabulousness to report this week? We want to hear it all in the comments. Happy Friday friends!

Bookinistas: ALICE-MIRANDA AT SCHOOL

ALICE-MIRANDA AT SCHOOL brought me straight back to my 6th grade classroom. And it makes me miss those days, which is not always easy to do.


What the back cover has to say:
Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennigton-Jones can't wait to start boarding school. When she arrives at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies, the adventure begins . . . only not quite as Alice-Miranda expects. The minute she sets foot on the school's manicured grounds, she senses that something is wrong: Miss Grimm, the headmistress, is nowhere to be seen, the gardens have no flowers, and a mysterious stranger seems to be hiding out on the premises.

But that's not all. Some girls are mean and spoiled, like Alethea Goldsworthy. Can Alice-Miranda defeat Alethea in one of three difficult tests she must pass to remain at school? Will she discover Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale's big secret—and make things right? Well, if anyone can, it's spunky Alice-Miranda!

What Lila has to say:

What a wonderful start to a new series. Tweens will fall in love with Alice-Miranda (as I did) and will be lining up for the next installment. And it's a super-easy sell making me wish I was back in the classroom again so I could pass it along. Readers will be thrilled with the cast of characters--Alice-Miranda is the youngest and has the most positive outlook on life, which can't help but make you smile, there are a handful of misunderstoods, who I always enjoy because they appear to be one way and end up altogether different and then some trusty friends, which after reading a ridiculous amount of mean-girl-inspired YA, is incredibly refreshing. Add in a fun mystery and a fascinating boarding school that doesn't seem quite right and get ready for a solid middle grade read.

This is one you can recommend without hesitation as girls will be drawn right into Alice-Miranda's world. Even better? It comes complete with a series of extras in the back. Recipes featured throughout, a handy cast of characters and an epilogue that pulls it all together. There's even a sneak preview of Alice-Miranda's next adventure. So glad I had a chance to read this one! It takes everything I loved about teaching those quirky, often-awkward, middle grade students and rolls it up into one perfect package. I'll definitely be sending a few emails out to my teacher friends after this one.

In fact, this book made me so happy, we figured why not spread the love? One lucky commenter will win a copy of ALICE-MIRANDA AT SCHOOL so you can see for yourself!

Check out what the other Bookinistas are up to this week:

Christine Fonseca caws about Scrawl

Shannon Messenger gets passionate about Possession

Shelli Johannes-Wells takes a shine to Shimmer

Scott Tracey raves about Red Glove

Carolina Valdez Miller interviews Invincible Summer author Hannah Moskowitz

Jessi Kirby feels The Pull of Gravity

Shana Silver delights in The Day Before

Carrie Harris takes The Goddess Test - with giveaway

Corrine Jackson swoons for Starcrossed

Stasia Ward Kehoe is outspoken about Addie on the Inside

Sarah Frances Hardy celebrates The Best Birthday Party Ever

Live From New York it's Wednesday Morning

OK, this is so random and it contains some swearing, but I peed a little when they mentioned Eagle Eyed Cherry and grabbed a handful of scrambled eggs. I think there's something wrong with me.

Tell the Truth Tuesday

1. My Google Chrome is all jacked up and this makes me very, VERY stabby.

2. Laura went to bed without checking in about the blog post for today. This makes me want to reveal some controversial truths just to teach her a lesson.

3. Sadly, I'm all out of controversial truths. Blerg.

4. #askiClue was AWESOME last night. If you missed it you can go back and reread the tweets. Lots of fantastic questions and answers.

5. I found Mildred Pierce more disturbing than Black Swan. I blame Veda. That bitch is totally cray cray.

6. I want to write something that makes people feel the way this song makes me feel.



7. My kids are on Spring Break next week and every single year around this time I'm reminded of college Spring Break and the MTV marathon of disgusting challenges and reality dating shows that came with it. Not gonna lie, I'd much rather watch the cast of the Jersey Shore bong beers than sit through the Dora episode where Boots loses his bath toy. Judge me if you must.

8. One of the girls at the gym tried to tell me that Ben wasn't "enjoying" his time spent in the baby play room and I just shrugged and told her I'd see her tomorrow.

9. I liked the musical episode of Grey's Anatomy.

10. I keep checking B&N's site to make sure that our small victory isn't just a computer glitch. So far so good.

Ok, out with it. What's your truth this Tuesday? Tell all in the comments.