The Great GATU Sticker Design Contest

It's time for another great Girl Against the Universe contest! Maybe you're not the writerly type so designing a book boyfriend wasn't for you. Maybe you want to show off your design skills instead. Well you're in luck! I'm looking for an awesome sticker to use as part of my GATU promotional material. This sticker will be a 2 inch x 2 inch finished product that I will give out at events and as part of a swag pack for future giveaways, including possibly a pre-order incentive.

Here's an example of a sticker designed by Yun-A Kwak. Note that this sticker was not
created specifically for this contest, so it might not fit the template below.

If you're interested in starting a graphic design business or amping up the business you already have, being able to tell potential clients that you've designed for a multi-published Big Five author might be a nice thing to add to your resumé. The contest is open internationally. Winner gets their choice of a signed finished copy of The Art of Lainey, a signed finished Liars, Inc., or a signed ARC of Girl Against the Universe, plus a $25 B&N gift card. If you live outside the U.S., instead of the gift card I'll let you pick one book from The Book Depository, max price $25. If you win and live in a non-TBD country, I'll give you your choice of any second paperback YA book and pay the shipping to your country. Winner(s) will also receive 5 copies of their printed sticker.

In order to win, the sticker will need to incorporate either the title or part of the GATU cover design/colors in some way. You do not need to do both, unless you want to. You can use your own graphics as long as you are the copyright holder, and/or come up with your own tagline or text. Your sticker must fit the template below and the design must keep the critical graphics and text within the safety lines but extend out through the bleed lines.

In other words, what should print out is everything inside the blue dotted line. However, because the machines aren't perfect, for error-margin reasons, the critical elements need to be inside the green and yellow lines, and the image needs to extend out to the red. This template is from Printrunner.com. Here is a link in case you need specs, sizes, color information, etc. You can also download templates specific to your design software. In order for your design to be printable, it will need to be high resolution. Here is a link to a high resolution cover image. Let me know if you can't access it.

If you have never designed for printing before, you might want to hang onto your idea because next month I'm doing a GATU quote/image and fan art contest. The prize will be just one book but there also won't be as many technical requirements.

All submitted designs will be shared via my social media. If I like more than one design enough to print it, I will award runner-up prizes. Please note that if you use the cover design, selling these stickers without permission from the designer and artist is a violation of copyright.


Possible text for your sticker:
Your sticker does not need to have text, but it can. If you've read the book, you can use anything that stood out to you. You can also use part of one of the quotes that are listed on Goodreads.  You can make up your own tagline or phrase. Or, if you like, consider this huge list of tags I submitted to my editor when I was flailing for a tagline myself. (Did you think there was some genius in promotions with the title of Executive Tagline Generator? I wish ;D)

• Life is risk.
• Luck is a game of inches.
• Worlds are about to collide.
• Everything is riding on this.
• It's time for an upset.
• Don't count out the underdog.
• The ball is in your court.
• Sometimes the Universe just takes what it wants.
• Sometimes you have to fight for everything.
• There's a fine line between luck and tragedy.
• You can't win if you don't play.

Rules:

• You can use any part of the cover design and any quotes from the book or make up your own quotes. You can also use one of the suggested taglines from the list above. You cannot use other artwork/images unless they belong to you.
• My skill in design is very limited, so I am unable to help with technical questions beyond referring you to the Printrunner webpage that is linked above. Again, this contest is primarily for people who have designed for print in the past. Next month's contest will be for digital graphics.
• Submitting a design means you are giving me permission to share the graphic on my social media and, if selected, print the image for use in distribution for book promotion.
• You can enter up to three times.

Tips:

• Despite the fact that Printrunner shows a bordered sticker in their image, I recommend a solid or repeating pattern background. The problem with a border is that these are machine-printed and if the machine is off even a hair you're going to end up with a thick line on one side and a thin line on the other.
• Be sure to preview your image at 2 inch X 2 inch size to make sure your text is readable before submitting.
• Don't worry if your design looks like there's too much space on the outside. Again, what's between the blue and red dotted lines isn't going to print.
• Have fun with this :)

Final designs need to be emailed to me in your file format of choice plus a .JPG for easy sharing at pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com by March 31, 2016, subject: GATU sticker design contest.

General questions? Put them in the comments.

The Great GATU Create a Book Boyfriend WINNER!

Hi :)

First of all, thanks for your patience. I just turned in an 85,000-word  #SeekritBook to Harper for 2017 publication (I hope) that I wrote in six weeks, so that's part of why I needed more time.

Judging your entries involved the following:

• printing them out so I could read them without knowing who each boy belonged to
• going through each category and highlighting the things that resonated with me in different color pens
• adding up the points, looking at the top three with respect to the books I'll be pitching to HarperTeen and Tor Teen later this year (Mostly Harper, since two of the Tor pitches take place abroad, with stories that limit the major characters somewhat)
• deciding which boy felt like he would fit in one of the books I'll hopefully be writing
• deciding which boy felt like a boy I could competently write without having to make major changes to him

Please note how subjective those criteria are. If your book boyfriend didn't win, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him, or you. I appreciate how many of you took the time to do this, despite it being a subjective contest. I hope those of you who are writers used this as an exercise and were encouraged to think more deeply about all of your characters.

So, after a lot of waffling, I have picked a winner and a runner-up:

Don't get the wrong idea. I know nothing about Pokemon ;)

Winner is Alice L and her book boyfriend Aaron Jenkins!! Alice wins a signed ARC of GATU and her choice of any book from Book Depository. I am also going to try to incorporate Alice's book boyfriend in a 2018 or 2019 novel.

Aaron Jenkins is half Italian, half Japanese, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. He's 5'11" and has an athletic body type. He is an atheist. He has a little crook in his nose from when broke his nose by accidentally walking into a glass door. He has a dimple on his right cheek, a scar on his chin (from when he went skateboarding and fell), and slightly chapped lips.

Aaron stole my teen girl heart with his chapped lips, his "swishy" hair (it's one of his best features) and his personal ad:

Hi, my name is Aaron, and I love animals (but not in a weird way), puns, and the Oxford comma. I can cook sometimes and I'm really good at kissing (and maybe a little more, wink wink).

I love me some Oxford commas ;) I also really like Aaron's deepest regret "teasing that girl in elementary school relentlessly" and his words to live by "Why bother with a cunning plan when a simple one will do?" I was not familiar with this quote. Google tells me it is credited to Terry Pratchett. Mostly, Aaron feels very real to me, and he also feels like a boy I could incorporate seamlessly into a future romantic contemporary book.

Runner-up is Sarah M and her book-boyfriend Parker Lewis!! Because it was so hard for me to choose, I'm giving Sarah her choice of a signed copy of The Art of Lainey, Liars, Inc., or a signed GATU ARC. Sarah, please email me your choice to pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com

Parker Lewis is half white/half black, bisexual, 5'11, 175 lbs, brown hair, hazel eyes. Has a scar on his forehead after falling out of his treehouse when he was eight, has a particularly dark freckle under his right eye, and when he gets nervous, his stutter comes back.

In addition to being a diverse guy, Parker has really diverse hobbies like rock-climbing and origami. I love that his deepest hope is "to travel the world" and his words to live by are "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all." (Ambrose Redmoon.)

Overall, there were colored pen marks on every single entry meaning that every one of you wrote things that made me stop and go "Ooh, nice." Your personal ads were particularly fun. I will resist the urge to excerpt from them so this blog post doesn't get excessively long, but thank you all for the enjoyable time I spent hanging out with your book boyfriends :) 

And again, there are no losers here, all right? Similar to the same way an agent will read a submission, my decisions were based on gut instinct and personal preference as much as anything else.

Congrats to Alice and Sarah, and thanks again to everyone who entered. And if I can sell more books *fingers crossed* hopefully you'll see Aaron Jenkins in a Paula Stokes book someday :)

In the meantime, are you in the mood for another fabulously fun contest?? Check back next week for the Great GATU Sticker Design Contest. Prizes to be decided :)

The Great GATU Create a Book Boyfriend Challenge

***UPDATE: This contest is now over. I know I said originally I would pick a winner by the end of February, but I got more entries than I anticipated and I want to be sure to give each entry the consideration it deserves. Therefore I am extending the judging period until March 10th. I will announce a winner here and on Twitter by March 10. Thanks to everyone who entered or spread the word.***

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend! Have I got a fun little contest for you. Have you ever wanted to see your name in a published book? What about help design a character in a book? Well today you can create your own perfect YA book boyfriend! And if I like him enough, I'll incorporate him into a 2018 or 2019 novel and credit you in the Acknowledgments :D Bonus: the winner will receive a signed arc of Girl Against the Universe and a second 2016 release of your choice.

I got this idea from the 80s movie Weird Science, totally notable because Robert Downey Jr. is in it and for some reason wasn't one of the leads. This movie is about a couple of guys trying to make the perfect woman via some sort of Maguffin they hooked up to their computer.

Because we're talking about teen boys, they focused mainly on perfecting their special lady's, er, physical attributes...

And because it was the 80s, their version of perfection looked sort of like a cross between...Cher and Lita Ford?

So. I created this challenge as sort of a 20 years later Galentine's Day Girls' Revenge Contest. Because clearly we girls would focus more on what really matters when we're creating people--less about the six-pack abs and sparkling green eyes and more about the future goals and commitment to the environment. Right? We shall see ;)

However, I am all about being inclusive, so anyone can enter this contest regardless of gender, relationship status, etc.

How to enter:

• Don your lab coat and safety goggles and enter the book boyfriend laboratory. You can work by yourself or with a partner. Completed book boyfriends due by Feb 21st.
• Have fun doing it!
• [Optional] Tweet about how much fun you had and link to this post ;)
• I will choose my favorite aspiring book boy (or randomly select from my top five favorites if it's too hard to pick) and announce the winner in the comments by the end of the month.

What you win:

1. A signed ARC of Girl Against the Universe
2. Either a second signed ARC of GATU (for your teammate or a friend) or your choice of any 2016 romantic read 
[Order/preorder from The Book Depository; max cost $20. If you live in a non-TDB country, you can choose between a second GATU ARC, a copy of Liars, Inc., or a copy of The Art of Lainey. Note: Sorry. I cannot be responsible for lost or damaged mail.]
3. I will do my best to incorporate your book boyfriend into a future Paula Stokes novel!!! 
[This is pending stuff like suitability, timing, and editor approval. However, I've run contests to name/design characters for both The Art of Lainey and Girl Against the Universe and had a lot of fun, so I will make this happen if at all possible.]

Questions? Put them in the comments!

The Great GATU Create a Book Boyfriend Challenge is brought to you by my next release, Girl Against the Universe, available May 17th, 2016 from HarperTeen

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

First Day of Winter VICARIOUS ARC Giveaway (INT)

Hi :D Happy holidays! If you're still shopping, check out my holiday gift ideas over on the EpicReads blog. There are things you can buy now and still have in time for Christmas.

Today is the official release day for the Liars, Inc. paperback. I'm proud to say that Liars, Inc has received more positive trade reviews than any other book I've written :)

Check out the official Liars, Inc. website for more info about the book, buy links, and fun extras like quizzes and top ten lists. EpicReads also has a post about why fans of How to Get Away With Murder will enjoy Liars, Inc. If you've seen the show, you'll want to check out the post just for the adorable #Coliver GIF.

But I know, I know, none of that is why you're here. You're here for the giveaway, right? Book people...so predictable ;) So today is the first day of winter (for me, anyway--happy summer to you Southern Hemisphere dwellers), and because the main character in Vicarious is named Winter, I thought it'd be fun to give away an ARC. I actually thought about renaming her, because back in 2012 when I was writing the first draft of this, I knew that bestseller Marissa Meyer had a forthcoming book with an MC named Winter. But it's hard to rename a character after you've known her for a while, and I ultimately decided that no one would get my knife-throwing, bridge-jumping stunt girl confused with Snow White :) Plus she has a Korean name too :D [Fun fact: her Korean name actually means "sky."]

It's a snowflake, because Winter. Yes, I continue to excel at graphics ;)

If you've ended up here but don't know if you really want a free signed ARC of Vicarious [spoiler: you do], I'll let these awesome authors try to convince you:

"Reading this book is like tiptoeing through a minefield. Blindfolded. In other words, I'm in love." -Victoria Scott, author of Titans and Fire&Flood

"A mind-bending thrill ride with a female protagonist who’s as smart as she is strong. Readers will love Winter!" -Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex and The Death Code.

Need more info? Click here for my books page and scroll down to read the official cover copy.

And now for the giveaway: I only have two or three more Vicarious ARC giveaways planned in the next six months, and at least one of those will be for newsletter subscribers only. So if you want a signed ARC, make this Rafflecopter your beotch :) The question for leaving a blog comment is about your favorite YA main character name. Hopefully that'll be a fun one for people to answer :) Happy holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

They Call Me Alexandra Gastone $1.99 Sale Blitz

Hi lovely peeps! I am going to be away from the internet for a few days because I am going back to St. Louis to celebrate Birtsgivingmas, AKA Thanksgiving + my mom's birthday + Christmas, all handily rescheduled into one week when I can actually afford to fly ;)

I thought I'd leave you with some info about a great deal on a great book! I read THEY CALL ME ALEXANDRA GASTONE because the author seemed really cool and because I'm a sucker for spy-girl books, even though they sometimes end up disappointing me. I'm happy to report this book was not a disappointment in the least. It's well-written, compelling, realistic (despite featuring a fictional country, and do you know how hard that is to pull off?), and even brings the feels at the end. If you're a fan of the TV show ALIAS or books by Ally Carter, you should definitely give this one a go.

When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?

Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation. 

She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.

Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.

For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing.

But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now.

Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur.

Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity?

Get TCMAG for just $1.99 on Kindle!

Here's the author, T.A. Maclagan to tell you more about the book:

T.A.: I was thrilled to learn that Amazon selected my debut novel, They Call Me Alexandra Gastone, as a $1.99 Holiday Deal for the month of December. That said, there are A LOT of books on sale right now, so the competition is stiff. As such, you might be wondering why you should buy mine over others. 

First, let me spark your interest with a few reviews…

"...the intersection of action, espionage, and drama makes for solid...entertainment: readers will gladly sit back and watch Alexandra navigate the obstacle course that comes with playing her role too well. It's a strong debut for New Zealand author Maclagan." --Publisher's Weekly

"Death-threats, global takeover, double-agents, hidden files and a blown cover--by the time you get to the shocking conclusion of this cliff-hanger, you won't know who to trust..." --Girls' Life

"An intricate, debut spy thriller...readers will keep turning pages, and the surprise ending will have them anxiously awaiting a sequel." --Booklist

"A solid debut that has both heart and smarts. Clever, solidly paced, and power-packed with a killer voice. They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is a blast to read. A perfect balance of mystery, romance, and betrayal. Bring on the sequel!" -- Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex

Now let me tickle your interest just a little bit more…

As both a woman and an author, I love butt kicking female characters who are strong but not invulnerable. I like morally complex characters who struggle through life, love and whatever horrible situation they’ve been put in and who ultimately come out the other side tougher than before. Alexandra Gastone is just such a character, so if you love the likes of Buffy, Katniss, Tris and Clarke, then pick up a copy of Alexandra Gastone for the bargain basement price of $1.99!

There’s a $15 Amazon gift card up for grabs today as a thank you for stopping by, so check out the rafflecopter below! And if Alexandra Gastone sounds right up your alley, check out my dream movie cast or my blog post on the top 10 butt kicking females who influenced Alexandra Gastone!

Click here for the Rafflecopter where you can enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card!