It's the Summer of Sarah! Sarah Dessen that is!
For the next nine weeks you can win Sarah's novels on various blogs as well as Sarah-land! Plus, there are extra goodies you can win over at Sarah-land like a 'Lock & Key' necklace! I'm kicking off the first week of the Summer of Sarah with her first book That Summer!
In Sarah's Words (source: http://sarahdessen.com/that-summer)
That Summer was the first novel I sold and for that reason it will always be special. It was actually the third one I wrote, after a terrible book I did in college and one that was marginally better the year after. I never intended That Summer to be a YA book while I was writing it: to me, it was just a novel with a teenage narrator. But when I got an agent, she suggested it would be a good book for teenagers. When I look back over That Summer now, I always think that I was writing a bit more freely then, because it was before I knew to worry about reviews or publishers or what everyone else thought. Sumner Lee, Ashley’s long-lost boyfriend, has remained one of my very favorite characters of all time. Plus when I was planning my own wedding, I found that I could relate, in a way I never had before, to Ashley’s Bad Bride Behavior (although I didn’t always want to admit it).That Summer to me, though, is mostly about Haven finding a way to feel comfortable in her skin. It’s a theme that comes up in a lot of the other books as well, especially Keeping the Moon: this idea that confidence can carry you further than you ever could have believed. Also notable aboutThat Summer is that it contains my husband’s all time favorite scene, where Sumner is filming the cheese commercial. It doesn’t matter what else I write, to my husband that’s the best. Hands down.
If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen you can join a community of full of people just like you! Sarah-Land is a place where you can connect with other fans, get information about Sarah and her titles, and also win signed books and other goodies throughout the summer! Don't forget to Tweet about Summer of Sarah using the hashtag #sarahland
Visit Sarah-land
Have you read Sarah's most recent release, Along for the Ride? Check out this video where she takes you on a tour of Emerald Isle, the real town on which she based Colby! How summery is that video!? Anyone up for a trip to the beach!?
As a part of the Summer of Sarah, I will be giving away a signed copy of That Summer! (You can participate in the Sarah-Land Challenge too!)
Official Contest information:
- to enter, please fill out the form below
- entrants must be 13 years of age or older
- contest deadline is July 5, 2010
- contest open to residents of the US only
- check out my Contest Policy/Privacy Policy