Cover Model Morgan Gover

31 Mar

Cover model winner Morgan Gover. Photo by @LeighPhotog

Buzz Books is pleased to introduce the winner of our PROM DATES TO DIE FOR cover model contest, Morgan Gover, a 17 year-old junior from Altus High School. Morgan is also Miss Altus Teen and will be participating in the Miss Oklahoma Teen competition this summer, but we didn’t know that when she applied. We held an open casting call at BodyTrends BoutiQue in Casady Square in Oklahoma City and all contestants were photographed by Leigh Thompson so we could see the models in person and judge the photos fairly. It was a tough call with many great choices, but in the end, we felt Morgan would be the right choice for our paranormal prom cover. Stay tuned for pics from the amazing couture prom dress collection at Bodytrends and the final cover model shoot this weekend. Prom Dates to Die For is Young Adult paranormal prom anthology releasing in May.

In other news, a big thank you to Kansas Writers Association for having me speak at their conference two weeks ago on The Little Brand That Could, which will be a Buzz Books Biz title later this year. Photo by friend and great photog Ken Davis.

Author and exec. editor Malena Lott at #KWA.

And in the news, this nice buzz about Buzz Books in the Edmond Sun. Gotta love local papers!

A final shout out to all the great mamas who have posted blogs over at StorkRealityBook.com. We’ve reached 3,000 views and the daily reads are growing. I love reading the personal stories each day. If you’d like to submit one, give me a shout on Twitter @MalenaLott or @BuzzBooksUSA.

If you are a book reviewer or journalist and would like to review The Stork Reality or Prom Dates to Die For, please give publicist @CyndyHoenig a holler.

Lots of lit love, keep reading and buzzing about books!  - Malena

 

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Meet the Prom Committee

16 Mar

We’ve been busy twirling in sparkly dresses and reminiscing about prom in the Hive this week.

  • Love couture? We had the opportunity to check out the couture dresses at BodyTrends BoutiQue in Oklahoma City where our casting call is scheduled for the teen cover model contest on March 29th at 3 p.m. Our winner will get to pose in a gorgeous couture dress. Teens can register here. 
  • On FB? We’ve also set up a book page for PROM DATES TO DIE FOR over on Facebook, so we hope you’ll check it out and let the young adult readers in your life know. Thanks to the new timeline theme, we’ll be able to show the progress of the shoot and the launch and all of the events surrounding Prom.
  • Yoo-hoo, YA book reviewers: our publicist Cyndy Hoenig is booking the blog tour for Prom Dates for early May, so please send her a shout out on Twitter or e-mail her at and get on our ARC list. E-mail: Cyndy Hoenig (at) ymail (dot) com.
  • Meet the Prom Committee: Joining Jenny Peterson and Heather Dearly on the author team are Aaron Smith, a pulp fiction writer from New Jersey, who wowed us with his original tale of a lonely guy who gets lured to the prom by mysterious music, the only girl who seems to notice him, and a mission only he can handle; and Kelly Parra, a published YA and women’s fiction author, who gives us a pair of teen paranormal hunters-for-hire who must deal with a dark angel hell bent on some soul sucking at prom. Her writing is engaging and fast-paced and we love the chemistry between her leads; and Lena Brown (a pen name for women’s fiction writer Malena Lott) who will launch her YA paranormal debut with a story about a twenty-year old murder mystery that takes over one girl’s prom night with her dream date and how they are both linked to the murder. Her first Goddess Sisters novel, Going Greek, will be published this summer. Rounding out the prom committee: our intrepid senior editor, Mari Farthing, whose first acquisition was Aaron Smith – yay!, publicist Cyndy Hoenig and communications manager Dani Stone. Prom would be an empty gymnasium without them. Our prom wouldn’t be glamorous without BodyTrends BoutiQue, photographer Leigh Thompson or hair and makeup stylist Sharon Tabb.

Our executive editor Malena Lott was recently interviewed by The Oklahoman about author branding and her Little Brand That Could for Writers workshop in Wichita (3/16 and 3/17) at the KWA conference. She’s also looking forward to hearing pitches in hope of finding more great stories for the Hive.

If you’re interested in marketing theory, check out Malena’s post about the two categories of marketing for small businesses and authors in THE OCTOPUS AND THE GOAT over at the Girlfriends Book Club blog. She’ll be writing a Buzz Books Stinger ebook this summer with the same name as a part of the Little Brand series.

On that note, if you’re a mama or wonder what it’s like, check out our popular StorkRealityBook blog where mamas are sharing their pregnancy and motherhood stories. The Stork Reality: Secrets from the Underbelly is now available. We’d love if you’d share your thoughts on it on Goodreads, Amazon and B&N when you’ve read it. Reviews really help.

Happy reading, lit friends.

 

 

 

PROM DATES TO DIE FOR Cover Model Contest

10 Mar

Have you ever dreamed of being a cover model? Know someone who has?

Buzz Books USA is hosting a cover model contest for its first Young Adult book, PROM DATES TO DIE FOR. The paranormal prom anthology includes five stories by five up-and-coming authors who each put a unique spin on what could happen at prom if a paranormal event were thrown into the already magical night. When Buzz Books began brainstorming cover ideas, it hit them. “Why not give local teens a shot at landing on the cover?”

For executive editor Malena Lott, it was a win-win. “We’re all about celebrating stories and how cool is it to give a young person the opportunity to be a on a book cover?”

Buzz Books could only pull it off with the help of sponsors. Cyndy Hoenig, Buzz’ publicist and Margaret Croom, one of Buzz’ new authors, suggested just the right fit: Bodytrends Spa in Oklahoma City, which not only has a boutique featuring formalwear and jewelry, but also a photography studio in the back. Popular pageant/actor/fashion photographer Leigh Thompson agreed to shoot the casting call as well as the final cover shoot. The incredible hair and makeup artist Sharon Tabb will work her magic at the cover shoot to give the winning model the dark and moody prom look to fit the collection. The winner will be dressed in prom couture and jewelry from the Bodytrends boutique. The final selection will be made based on the model selected.

Every model who auditions will be featured on the PROM DATES TO DIE FOR Facebook page and may be included in the MAKING OF video which will be included in the iBooks edition of the book. The contestants will also get VIP invitations to attend the launch party in early May at the studio and be registered to win one of several prizes at the launch party.

The casting call will be held on Thursday, March 29th beginning at 3 p.m. The winner will be selected the following day and the cover model shoot will be Sunday, April 1st at Bodytrends located 9327 North Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City. The rules and audition form will be live on our Contest page on Monday, March 12th. The winner should look high school student age, so we assume the range might be 14-21 years of age.

Photographer Leigh Thompson

About Leigh Thompson:

Leigh Thompson specializes in pageant and actor/performer headshots, model headshots and portfolios, executive portraits, senior pictures and fashion photography.   His clients have won countless photogenic awards on the national, state and local levels. Leigh Thompson has more than a decade of experience in photography.  Leigh is the official photographer of the Miss Oklahoma pageant and the Miss Oklahoma’s Outstanding Teen pageant.  His client’s include singers, actors and several Miss Americas.  Leigh Thompson is based in Oklahoma and is available to travel nationwide.

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BUZZed! Operation Pied Piper, Little Brand, Stork

2 Mar

What would you do if your life was torn apart by war? What if you were the oldest child, just twelve, sent away with your three siblings to live in a strange new place without your parents and you worried each day they might be killed? That’s precisely what happened to the children of Operation Pied Piper in World War II in London. A SUMMER INTERRUPTED has already been in print in England and now Buzz Books is pleased to bring the story to the United States both as a paperback as well as for the first time as an ebook. Buzz Books is pleased to welcome historian and the SON of the brave girl in the story to our Hive: Michael Burns from McKinney, Texas. Michael is excited about our plans for his mother’s story and I look forward to sharing it with you soon. Title to be determined. Release date, likely late summer or early fall 2012. 

Our second and third DEAL NEWS involves our developing Little Brand series of business books for small businesses. Two savvy businesswomen will share their expertise: Margaret Croom, CEO of Nosey Parker, who will write about which direction to take your small biz: franchising, licensing or incorporating; Shelley Cadamy, a long-time small business consultant which write Do This, Not That with no-nonsense and also humorous tales of setting up your business for success. Croom hails from Spokane, Washington and Cadamy recently relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The books are slated for release as guidebooks and ebooks later this year.

 

 

 

 

The STORK is ready to perch in your ereader or bookshelf. The Stork Reality: Secrets from the Underbelly is available as a trade paperback, $12.95, and as an ebook for $5.99 at the following retailers:

  • Trade paperback at the Stork Store (can use coupon code for $1 off: JBZTX4T6)
  • Trade paperback at Amazon

To celebrate, author Malena Lott has set up StorkRealityBook.com to celebrate motherhood with 40 guest mamas blogging about personal pregnancy and motherhood stories. Expect great stories now through Mother’s Day! If you’re on Facebook, you can keep track of the conversations there. 

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Buzz Signs Runner for “Gotta Run”

24 Feb

Buzz Books is pleased to announce a new deal and a new category. Twenty-year running veteran, Oklahoman and Native American Dana Campbell will share her inspirational story as the launch title for Buzz’ new Dreamers & Doers line. Her book will be titled, “Gotta Run,” which is her personal sign-off and motto. Buzz is aiming for a fall 2012 release date.

Executive editor Malena Lott got to know Dana (@ourunningirl) first on Twitter and heard her remarkable story when Lott wrote a piece on people who were adding running to their life goals. Campbell gave advice in the article, but it was the combination of her personal story and running success that gave Lott the idea to approach Dana about writing the book.

“Dana starting running to deal with the grief of losing her mother when Dana was just nineteen. She ran to another town and hasn’t stopped running since. Dana is the epitome of inspiration, and I’m thrilled to share her story with runners of all ages, and, moreover, with readers who love memoirs of humans making a difference in the world,” said Lott.

Dana has ran more than a hundred 5Ks, a dozen 10Ks, nine half marathons and three marathons.

In addition to running races nearly on a weekly basis, Dana is running every county in Oklahoma. There are 77. She has a little more than a dozen left, mostly in the Panhandle and northeastern Oklahoma, and Buzz Books is looking for sponsors to help Dana complete her goal. Sponsors will be listed in the book.

While Dreamers & Doers will not be a category listed on submissions, Buzz welcomes people to send referrals (not pitches), our way. Most people who have a story to tell like this are very modest about telling it, so we’re looking forward to seeking them out.

Welcome to the Hive, Dana! We are so thrilled to be working with you.

Baby Love

17 Feb

In the countdown to the release of the updated The Stork Reality: Secrets from the Underbelly 

(March 1st in trade paperback and ebook), we’re celebrating motherhood in a BIG way. How can you get in on the baby love?

1. StorkRealityBook.com  (under construction) The official book site will be a virtual mamapalooza featuring 40 guest mamas talking about a topic they personally experienced in pregnancy or motherhood. From March 1st to Mother’s Day, you’ll hear just why pregnancy and motherhood is such a unique experience for each mother. We have a few spots left open, so send an e-mail to malenalott (at) me (dot) com if you’d like to contribute a post. The posts should be on a single topic, 350 -500 words and include two photos (pregnancy or newborn photos, encouraged). We’ll at least use one of them.

 

2. Submit a silly baby photo (of your baby, please) for inclusion in the official Stork Reality trailer. A trailer is a video about the book, and in this video, we want to showcase the humor in the book so send in funny pics of your little spawn for the YouTube limelight. Please send a hi-res photo to malenalott (at) me (dot) com with the subject heading: I GIVE PERMISSION TO USE MY BABY’S PHOTO. Lo-res images will not be able to be used as they become pixelated in the video production. In the body of the e-mail, let us know your precious baby’s name and we’ll include it on our photo credit baby all stars page! (If you don’t want to use your last name, just give us first name and last initial and the city you are from.) Cool thing about this is your baby can be all grown up – just find the funniest photo from your baby’s FIRST YEAR (newborn to 1 years of age.) My 11-year-old is already looking forward to which pic I’ll use of her!

3. Have a chance to win a Kindle by liking our Facebook page, in celebration of our one year anniversary! Contest closes Feb. 29th. You can also keep up with Buzz news on Twitter and even see pics of libraries, bookshelves and great book covers as we build up our Pinterest boards. You’ll be kept up to date on new releases, open calls for submissions and the weekly podcast guest. Special thanks to Jamie Livingston for being this week’s guest, talking Script Chat.

MORE PHOTO GOODNESS! And, OKC metro, if you have a TEEN who has always wanted to be a cover model, we’ve got just the contest for your guy or gal. More deets next week! 

Who loves you, baby?

12 Feb

Cheesiest clip art we could find.

You should probably know that I can be a tad cheesy. I’m a hugger. I also run on caffeine, vitamins and OCD. I’m also a big fan of LOVE. That’s right. All caps. Because I already told you I’m cheesy, I can say this without a bit of embarrassment: I adore declarations of love – saying thank you, writing notecards, calling people by name, random acts of kindness – to not just the “it” person in your life, but everyone in your tribe and all those you encounter.

I’m so proud of and thankful for the tribe we’ve created here at Buzz Books and over at Book End Babes, that I get a little choked up. (Add “crier ” to my list.) I love stories. I love to write them. I love to read them. I also love to help others make them better and having others make mine better. This means I’ve got to give a big *mwah* to our senior editor Mari Farthing, my beditor Rod Lott, early readers (recently Jenn Scott, Tiffany Wilken, Heather Dearly). And to our publicist Cyndy Hoenig and communications manager Dani Stone for tirelessly working to spread the word about our stories and help make connections.

To authors, past, present and future – thank you for entrusting Buzz with your stories. We must have stories to celebrate. To that end, I hope the writer reading this submits something soon. We can only grow our catalog with your help.

To readers – seriously! – thank you for making reading a part of your life and letting us know that you liked it with reviews, e-mails and sharing buzz. It means the world to us. If you’re a blogger and would like to review our books or do a guest post, please contact Dani at athenabuzzmgr (at) gmail (dot) com.

To our podcast guests – past (Phil Bacharach, Michelle Langston, Rod Lott and Jenny Gardiner) and future – thanks for taking a half-hour of your day to share what you love about film, TV and books and your contribution to the entertainment industry and story conversation at large. To listeners – thank you for giving our guests your attention.

To our promotional partners – we can only carry out our creative campaigns and spread buzz thanks to your teamwork. Whether it’s contests or conferences or special events, we look good because you’ve more than met us half-way. This includes the 40 women who are graciously blogging about motherhood on the upcoming Stork Reality blog. The blog and the book is coming March 1st! We’ve still got some spots open, so please e-mail me if you are interested. malenalott (at) me (dot) com or message me on Twitter. You rock and amaze me!

To celebrate our FIRST BIRTHDAY, we’re giving away a Kindle, so check out our contest page for details.

Please know that the Hive door is always open, because, well, hives don’t have doors, do they?

xoxo and thanks for taking this ride with us!

 

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