Congrats to Totally Tina! & The Chocolate Party

Congratulations to Totally Tina Scott on winning the Mormon Mommy Writers blog contest. She's the winner of the delicious assortment of Japanese chocolate AND a signed copy of my Coming-Soon book BIG IN JAPAN, due out July 21st in hardcover. Tina is a great writer and artist. In fact I have two of her books on my shelf right now. My kids were reading her book COYOTE'S GRAND ADVENTURE just yesterday. It's a favorite!

Thanks for playing! And a big thanks to Megan Oliphant over at Mormon Mommy Writers for featuring me in their Anniversary contest! Good times, ladies.

In the background I am listening to the screams of my daughter's 7th birthday party (I'm hiding. How awful am I on a scale of 1-10? It's just for a sec, I promise.) We're having a CHOCOLATE PARTY (her request. More evidence I'm a good parent.) They're done dipping fruit and pretzels and marshmallows on skewers and are ready to play "Pin the Oreo Top on the Oreo" with the construction paper Oreos the birthday girl made. Then it's time to make the Chocolate Boxes! Very fun. Verrrrry messy. What was I thinking. Oops. Disaster. Chocolate covered strawberry-marshmallow on the carpet! Dash!

MMW Giveaway!

I want to extend a big welcome to all the Mormon Mommy Writers Readers who are visiting this blog today. Mmmwah! Glad to see you. Grab a piece of candy, pop it in your mouth and join the sugar rush going on over here day in and day out.

Over on Mormon Mommy Writers my awesome friend (who writes like a DREAM) Megan Oliphant has interviewed me about writing and about my new upcoming book Big in Japan, how it came to be, and a little bit about what it was like to get inside the head of a six-foot-six hefty blond sumo wrestler--even though I'm a short brunette who NEVER goes out in just a diaper. It was a really fun interview to do.

And now, for the BEST part. Along with her interview, there is (drumroll, please) a GIVEAWAY. I know how we all love a giveaway. Follow the rules posted on MMW, and you can enter to win a selection of awesome Japanese candies AND a signed copy of Big in Japan as soon as it is released.

COOOOL!

And when will that be, you ask? I got an email from Jolly Fish Press, my publisher, and they have moved up the release date from fall to JULY 21st!

Yee haw. The world has barely 6 months left to wait to read its very first (and will it be a last and only as well? We'll see!) sumo wrestler love story!

Here's the blurb I like to share, the "elevator pitch," if you will.

24 year-old Buck is a big fat nobody until he goes to Japan and accidentally becomes the first blond sumo wrestler. There he has to win the Emperor's Cup and save the girl.

Now, be honest with yourself. Haven't you always subconsciously been waiting for a story just like this? Haha. Me too.

Go enter! Win!