First, the results of Contest #5:

The fictional school most people wanted to attend: Hogwarts.

The fictional school most people hoped fervently never to attend: Sunnydale High.

There were also fabulous entries that called out schools as fabulous as Spence and the Gallagher Academy for Girls; as frightening and unfair as Miss Minchin's (oooh, the sheer injustice in The Little Princess drove me MAD when I was 10); as fun as Rydell High; and as educationally challenging as the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too. But I had to pick one winner: tehanu_chan, who gave a great point-by-point summary of reasons why you'd have the time of your life at Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning -- where graduation means becoming one of the X-Men. tehanu_chan, I will be e-mailing you re: the $100 gift certificate!

I will also be e-mailing the four winners of the $25 gift certificates: violaswamp, lexilibrarian, xrockstarbeauty and Breanna. Congrats to everyone!

We are now ONE WEEK away from Evernight's release -- I can hardly believe it! The book should be arriving in stores soon (and, for all I know, may already be shelved in some places). So this brings us to Evernight Contest #6:

1) Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Evernight and the receipt;

2) Post the picture here in comments, e-mail it to me at evernightclaudia at gmail dot com, or link me to where you've posted the photo on your own blog or journal -- anywhere I can see it will do; and

3) I will choose one winner at random, who will get both a $100 gift certificate to Amazon and the chance to name a character in the fourth Evernight series novel.

Caveats: Your character might be good or evil, human or vampire -- I won't know until I write the book! You can name the character after yourself or simply come up with something else, although I reserve veto rights over anything that wouldn't fit in the world of the novel. If you order from Amazon or some other online vendor, you can use the statement that comes in the box rather than a store receipt.

Because this one is by far the most demanding, this contest runs until June 30. Don't worry -- I'll post reminders!

BTW, HarperTeen has now adjusted the release dates for the Evernight series, so that they'll be coming out every nine months instead of every six; that way, the paperbacks for each novel will arrive before the next hardback. Makes more sense that way, don't you think? That means Stargazer will be along in March 2009 --

Well, not rain, but it's one of Those Days here at work -- I'll have to wait and announce the results of Contest #5 tomorrow. (And link to a great review, too!) So check back then!

You are probably wondering, "Who are these attractive, savvy, fabulous people?" They would be some of the students (along with librarian/super-organizer Mrs. Rosenbloom, who is holding Evernight, and Mrs. Gray, my long-lost cousin) that I spoke to at my very first school trip to Floral Park Memorial. A great time was had by all. I mean, they gave me snickerdoodles. That is how fabulous they are.

If you're interested, you can read what I think is my very first blog interview up now at The First Book. Check it out!

Also, don't forget Evernight Contest #5, in which one lucky winner gets a $100 gift certificate and four more will get $25 gift certificates. All you have to do is tell me your favorite fictional school.

Word is that CBS has canceled "Moonlight." That network is on my list. Grr.

Okay, on the fourth contest, you guys OUTDID YOURSELVES. This was very tough to call! There were great arguments for everybody from Roger and Mimi from "Rent" to Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala from "Star Wars" to Monica and Chandler from "Friends." You guys love Edward and Bella, Remy & Dexter, Jace and Clary, Anne and Gilbert, Ennis and Jack, Hermione and Snape (in fanfic, all things are possible), Janie and Cabel, Constantine and Rae, not one but two couples named Tony and Maria (whether from "Chasing Windmills" or "West Side Story") and even the originals, Romeo and Juliet.

But ultimately I had to pick a winner, so I went with Patricia, who nominated Alice and Paul from The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brashares. I haven't read this book yet, but after I saw Patricia's entry, I knew I would have to! And if that's not a great entry, I don't know what is. Patricia, I'll e-mail you about sending off your prizes (the AMAZING Stealing Heaven, plus Evernight and the gift certificate. Everyone else, thanks for creating some amazing entries.

In fact, the entries were so great that I decided this week I'd have to give away multiple prizes ....

Evernight Contest #5:

As you guys probably know by now, Evernight takes place at a boarding school, Evernight Academy, which is a very unusual place (to say the least). So this week's contest is in the school's honor.

The rules: I want you to Tell me your favorite school in fiction. You can pull from movies, books, TV or anything else. Is it Hogwarts? Neptune High? The Constance Billard School for Girls? Tell me why! This can be either the school you'd love to go to or the one you're most glad you don't attend. And yes, it's fine to say "the school where they all get locked up in The Breakfast Club" or something like that if you don't know the exact name. You can even nominate a real school as long as you tell me why it's the perfect setting for that book, TV show, etc. that you love so much.

The prizes: The best entry wins a $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. Everybody else who enters will be put into a drawing, and four winners from that group will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. So you have two ways to win.

Ready, set, go!

(Finally, has anybody out there heard from hersheekiss358? She was one of two winners last week, but hasn't checked in with an address for me to mail her prize. If you're out there, drop me a line!)

The entries for the third Evernight contest were so amazing: You guys really know how to argue for your favorite vampire! There were very good arguments for Louis from Interview With a Vampire, for Edward, Jasper and Alice from the Twilight books, for characters from BTVS, ATS, "Blood Ties" and "Being Human," and even an honorable mention who declared herself a vampire. How was I supposed to choose?

Well, around about that time, I came into a second ARC. So I am naming TWO winners:

First, I chose Count Dracula, who was nominated by this week's first winner,hersheekiss358. She made a strong case that it's too easy to take the original Big Bad for granted, that he's still pretty terrifying today, that we owe almost all of our current yummy vamps to him, and that really, we should be a little scared not to name him the greatest ever.

Second, I chose Carlisle Cullen, who was nominated by our second winner, towerofwisdom. She pointed out that misguided moral righteousness can be scarier than bloodsucking, and that Carlisle's attempts to reconcile his vampirism with religious faith make for some very complex storytelling.

So, congrats to hersheekiss358 and towerofwisdom! As soon as I get their mailing addresses, their ARCs will be on the way.

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered. If you didn't win, there is still hope for an ARC -- read on.

Now, for Evernight Contest #4:

As readers of this LJ must know, I am a big fan of the work of Elizabeth Scott, who writes wonderful YA novels such as Bloom and Perfect You. Well, she has another book, Stealing Heaven coming out soon -- on May 27, the same day as Evernight So we decided to hold a cross-promotion; she's giving away one of my Evernight ARCs, and I'm giving away one of hers. As my rules are a little harder, I'm also sweetening the deal: Not only will you win Stealing Heaven, but you will also get an advance copy (not an ARC -- an actual hardcover) of Evernight and a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

The rules: Stealing Heaven is about a girl who's been raised by a career-thief mom, and her efforts to make her own choices in life. Pretty far cry from my vampire novel, right? Not if you look at it this way: Both novels are about romances that involve deep, dark secrets. So, I want you to Tell me your favorite "secret love" in fiction. Books, plays, movies, TV, you name it -- tell me those two people who loved each other despite all the obstacles in the way, far away from the world's prying eyes, and I'll pick one winner to get the whole prize package.

Ready, set, go!

By the way, I got to visit with a lot of great people at Floral Park Memorial last week -- I'll post more about it as soon as I have time to get the pics off my camera. What's kept me so busy? Finally finishing revisions to the third book in the series, Hourglass, which is with the publisher as of this morning. Whew!

Check out my new icon! This is just one of the many icons now available on my site's extras page. There's mobile phone wallpaper available too. Doesn't taraljc do gorgeous work?

My last act before coming down with a cold Saturday night was taking another hike, this one along a fairly easy stretch of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut. I thought I'd put up a few pictures for those who need proof that spring is finally with us:

( hike pics )

Don't forget: Contest #3 is still open! Tell me your favorite vampire for a chance to win an Evernight ARC. I've got some very interesting entries already --

The big winner of Evernight Contest #2 is -- Nabi! She'll be receiving a gift certificate to either iTunes or Amazon (her preference) to pick up some new music. Thanks to absolutely everyone who sent in suggestions; I've already made some great new finds.

I'm getting a later start today, because I'm home sick. I had thought this was just a nasty cold, but then earlier this morning I spoke to someone I'd hung out with last week, and it turns out she's home with strep throat. I do not feel good about this. Or, for that matter, feel very good at all. Ugh. However, nothing can stop me from giving away this next prize: the Evernight ARC!


And now, for Evernight Contest #3:

TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE VAMPIRE.

The contest rules: Enter here or via the Contact Claudia form on my website. Basically, write as much or as little as you want to convince me that Edward Cullen/Mick St. John/Drusilla/etc. is the absolute greatest vampire ever -- or, at least, why you love that vampire the most. I'll pick my favorite answer of the batch, and that person wins an advance readers' copy of Evernight. (And hey, we changed the hero's name after the ARCs were printed, so this is a chance to get something fairly unique -- who knows? Might be a collector's item someday.)

Also, spread the word to fellow fans of your favorite vampire! I'll count who gets the most votes as "favorite vampire," and we'll have a poll next week so you guys can vote.

To whet your appetite for the ARC, check out this fabulous review of Evernight up at Vita Dei!

Reading Is Fundamental provides books and literary education to the children in the United States who need it the most. If you read this LJ, chances are you love books as much as I do and want every kid to have the opportunity to enjoy reading -- and are probably as appalled as I was to learn that the proposed federal budget has eliminated RIF's funding.

(This amount: $26 million a year. I'd wager the federal government spends more than $26 million a year on janitorial services for the Capitol.)

Want to take action? Write your senators and representatives! The form will automatically determine who represents you in Congress from your ZIP code; all you have to do is fill out the form and add a few personal words about why you want to share the love of reading with kids across the country.

Supposedly, my vampire name is:

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:
Marion de Pompadour

Known in some parts of the world as:
Iseult of The Crows

The Great Archives Record:
Intelligent, knowing, wise and shrewd. This winged one was cast from the firmament.

Huh. These vampires sound fancier than the Evernight vampires, but hey, as long as I can call myself anything "of The Crows," I'm on board. If you want to discover your vampire name, check out the generator here.

The Story Siren has posted a fabulous review of Evernight. I can't get over the fact that people are actually reading the book now.

Don't forget to enter this week's contest, and to spread the word -- the more music we all get to discover, the better!

The big winner of Evernight Contest #1 is -- Jennifer Marie! She's already received her Barnes & Noble gift certificate, to spend on all kinds of lovely books. Thanks to absolutely everyone who sent in questions for the FAQ. I have tons of questions to answer now, and a real true Frequently Asked Questions Update will be on the website soon.

But what's new on the website right now? Check out the brand-new Evernight wallpapers! Download, display, enjoy. Soon we'll have icons and LJ banners to match. And if you're a teacher, librarian or somebody else who wants to get a bunch of people together to talk about vampire books, you will also find a downloadable PDF with discussion questions. Let me know what you guys think!

And now, for Evernight Contest #2:

I will soon start work on the fourth book in the Evernight series. As you guys might know from my website, I love to put together a soundtrack to write to -- a different one for each book, although a few tunes remain the same. So right now, I'm looking for new music to write to. What songs remind you of your favorite vampire stories? Or are just cool songs, period? I need love songs, hard-driving rock songs, quirky songs, the whole gamut. And who better to ask than you guys?

The contest rules: You enter by suggesting a song or songs, either in comments here on my LJ (please include an e-mail address here if you have no LJ account) or through the Contact Claudia form on my website. Just give me the artist and the title of the song, and I promise to check it out -- and I have no doubt some of the songs you suggest will end up on my personal soundtrack.

Because there's no way you guys can automatically know my taste, or what songs I might already have picked out, I will randomly choose one winner from all the entrants. That winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to either iTunes or Amazon, wherever you prefer to buy your music.

So let me hear it, guys -- what songs should I be listening to?

You Are 28% Nerdy

You're a little nerdy, but no one would ever call you a nerd. You sometimes get into nerdy things, but only after they've become a part of mainstream culture.

Either this quiz is seriously off, or there are levels of nerdiness at which I had never dreamed.

::glances sideways at Harry Potter poster::

Last year, I attended Balticon for the first time and got to meet some fabulous writers, including tltrent, melissa_writing and frost_light. I'm coming back this year -- any of you authors going to be in attendance? Vampire fans? I'd love to meet up with people while we're all there.

Keep those contest entries coming! I'll pick the winner Sunday night and announce it on Monday, along with the second contest and updates to my website. We're going to have some wallpapers that I think you all will LOVE.

ETA: duckyduncan66, I didn't get your e-mail, and when I tried to send a note to you via LJ, it bounced back. Can you post your e-mail address so I can reach you?

As of last night, I've turned in both of the short stories for anthologies that I had due today. One is for a Borders-exclusive anthology that will be out around Halloween; I'll pass on more info about that one as I get it. The other is for Vacations From Hell, which is coming from HarperTeen at the top of summer 2009. (Just like Hourglass.) The "Hell" anthologies all donate some of the proceeds to charity, and I've just learned that the charity for this one (as well as Love Is Hell volume) will be College Summit. The series editor, Farrin Jacobs, says, "Through various resources and activities, College Summit helps kids who don’t have easy access to college prep material learn about the college application process. It’s a cool charity, and they are a really nice group of people." Sounds great to me.

Don't forget that the contest for a $50 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble is still going! Turnout has been great so far -- and I have lots of questions to answer for the FAQ -- but keep spreading the word. :)

Yes, as of now, it's only six weeks until Evernight hits bookstores. To celebrate, and hopefully to get the word out, I'll be holding a contest a week (Monday to Sunday), with different prizes each week. The contests will be as different as the prizes: some weeks, all you'll have to do is throw your hat in the ring; others, I'll be asking for your opinions on the greatest vampires/love stories/etc. of all time.

This week, though, I'm not asking you questions. You're asking me.

Although I have received several questions for the FAQ section of my site, I need more. So, all you have to do to enter this contest is ask a (usable) question using the form here. Don't forget to include your e-mail address in the form! I'll pick one of the entries at random, and the winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. Plenty of cash to buy, oh, Evernight. And Stargazer. And other books, too.

So fill out the form, ask a question -- anything non-obscene, really -- and enter the contest! And please spread the word; the more the merrier.

I'm back from vacation, and yes, FINALLY, I understand how to use the digital camera. (Really, I understood before; I just didn't get how easily -- and fatally -- it could all go so wrong.) This is how and why I can offer a few photos:

( Ireland Photos )

While I was there, I did a lot of writing (much of it in front of a fireplace, a creative boost I'd never imagined); I finished the short story about Cecily the witch, the one you guys helped me to name. There was also quite a bit of brainstorming on a book idea I had months ago that suddenly decided to take shape. I still have a full weekend of work ahead of me -- but today I am still on vacation, taking it easy. The writing starts anew tomorrow.

-- though I will be soon. I just had to post to share this really terrific review of Evernight up now at TeensReadToo. I'm so excited!

Other good things happening this morning:

* I just saw the cover art for Stargazer, and it's AMAZING. (Will share when I return --)

* Amazon kindly delivered my copy of Elizabeth Scott's Perfect You just in time for me to read it on the plane.

* I think I actually packed everything I need, thanks to you guys.

Next post is from Ireland --

Tomorrow night, I leave for a much-needed vacation in Ireland. Of course, with deadlines looming, this is going to be a working vacation -- but the day job will be far behind, and I'll be doing my writing between museum visits and trips to the chip shop and, if the weather permits, even a short hike.

I'll definitely post all about it, and I hope to share pictures. I've been negligent in even attempting to use my digital camera ever since the deeply psychologically scarring Rome Photo Debacle of 2006. (Apparently I accidentally flipped the the camera function to MOVIE, never caught it, and came home without the dozens of photos of the Forum and the Vatican I thought I'd taken; instead, I had dozens of three-second-long movies of my friend and I discussing whether we thought that picture would come out. Honestly, the little movies have their charm, but no pictures of Rome! I was crushed.) I am determined to get it right this time, though, and if I do, I promise to share the results.

I think I'm all packed. I HOPE I'm all packed. Quickly, tell me -- when you go on vacation, what's the one thing you most often forget to pack? You might be rescuing me!

I've been too busy to think up a good April Fool's gag, which is a shame. But I leave for Ireland in four days -- ack! -- and the list of things I don't have done is much, much longer than it needs to be. Hourglass revisions, short story revisions, packing, and more: The next month is going to be a challenge. (Even in Ireland, I'll be working. But I'll be working between fish 'n' chips runs, which will make it all the sweeter.)

When I get back from Ireland, it will be six weeks until Evernight's release! And that means I'll be starting up contests -- one each week -- leading up to the big day, May 27.

I already have a few ideas for contests, but I'm interested in hearing from you guys: What would you like to win? I can't afford really expensive prizes, but I want to provide stuff that would be fun and that you'd enjoy. Do you prefer straight "put your name in" contests, or would you rather compete with vampire trivia or something like that? Any and all ideas are very welcome.

So, today was my first real hike -- six miles in a state park in New Jersey. And yes, it turns out, I DO love hiking. I mean, right now both my knees hate me and I am unbelievably exhausted, but I enjoyed it so much. It was cold today, but not too much, and once we got moving, I actually had to remove some layers. The sun came out after about an hour, and although the park was obviously a bit stark this early in the spring, we spent most of our time by the river, which was very beautiful and very soothing.

I tend to under-prepare for things, but here I went in the other direction and did crazy amounts of research about every possible advisable thing I could have with me. I had a safety whistle. I am that big a dork. But it was worth it, because I was well-clothed, well-shod and sufficiently fed. The thing I was happiest about was my thermos of hot cocoa, which I got to drink beside the river while feeling very much that all was right with the world.

I will do a few things differently next time: More sunscreen (which I wore, but not enough, as my cheeks are now very pink), knee braces and maybe an ankle wrap (Why, joints? Why?) and probably more water -- I had enough for the hike but found I wanted more on the way back. Also, I will go ahead and plan to have something to eat immediately post-hike, because oh, MAN, was I starving. Actually, I'm still starving. Must scrounge up some late-night repast.

Anyway, this was my first real hike but not my last. So my bio on my site is finally telling the truth: I do enjoy hiking.

You Should Be a Film Writer

You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind. You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life. Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling. And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!

If only I'd known.

I am still sore from the trainer's workout, but it was truly a very good hour. I swear I'd lost two pounds by the next morning, although I think that was less burning calories and more the body fat fleeing in terror, realizing that its warm, indolent oasis had become a vale of pain.

In two weeks I travel to Ireland (yay!), but after I return, I think I will spend a couple of months with the trainer. We'll see what happens. More pain ahead! But, hey, maybe good upper arms in time for summer dresses.