I Love LA

Today, it is dreary, wet and cold here in Chicago, but I'm pretending that I'm in sunny Los Angeles. And, no, it's not because I'm off my meds, but it's because Bard Academy is feautured today in the Los Angeles Times.

Check it out:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-bookit10apr10,0,3534467.story

It's all 100 percent spot on. The reporter did a fab job with the story.

Somehow, this makes the optioning of the Bard Academy books all the more real. Keep your fingers crossed that this helps get a project made! And maybe they'll film somehwere sunny and warm and I can take extended trips there.

Moby Clique winners!

Just wanted to thank everyone who entered the Win It Before You Can Buy It Contest on www.bardacademy.com. And, we have winners!

Congrats to:

Spirit from New Jersey

Rachel from Connecticut

Nicole from California

Hannah from New Jersey

Karen from North Carolina

Lauren from Florida

Katie from Virginia

Meredith from Texas

Brianna from Massachusetts

Teresa from Wisconsin!

I sent the winners email notices today, and I'll be putting the signed books in the mail next week.

Bard Academy: The next Buffy?

It's official: the Bard Academy series has been option for a possible movie or TV show. Does this mean it will be the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer and will I retire on a giant estate in Hawaii like Magnum PI's myseterious employer? I sure hope so! At any rate, these things take a long time to develop, so there probably won't be any news right away, but you never know. Maybe I'll be hiring mustached bodyguards in short-shorts to drive my Ferrari around before I know it.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Right now, I don't have a contract for book four in the series, so whether there will be a fourth book is anyone's guess. Although, more specfically, I'd wager it's the guess of my publisher's accountant. I never know what that guy is thinking. I can hardly make heads or tails of my royalty statements. Honestly, they're like trying to read Greek. Granted, I suck at math, but even my husband who has a PhD in physics and number crunches for a living says they are impossible to follow.

And, in other Bard news, you can officially order Moby Clique on Amazon! Yes, Amazon jumped the March 4 date a tad. The only reason I know this is because my Dad called to tell me the books he preordered arrived in the mail already. Without Dad, I'd honestly have no idea when my books really come out.

In other ego-boosting news, there's been another glowing review of Moby Clique. Read it here:

The Book Chic

Win a Signed Copy of Moby Clique!

Just this week, I got advanced copies of Moby Clique delieverd to my door, and you know what that means: it's contest time! The extra copies are simply burning a hole in my office floor, so I have to give some away. You can enter to win a signed copy by heading to www.bardacademy.com/contests.html.

While you're there, you can also read the very top secret first chapter of Moby Clique (okay, so it's not that top secret, but you can read it first there!). Check out the new stuff at www.bardacademy.com.

By the way, all the updates are thanks to my very talented webmaster/designer/web goddess extraordinaire, Christina!

The early reviews are in...

And Britney is really a good mom! That's according to her pal, Paris Hilton. You know, because Paris has all those maternal instincts. It takes a nurturing soul to run through lap dogs faster than Starbucks double lattes.

By the way, I thought Paris was supposed to be doing some charity work. Isn't that what she promised us on Larry King after her release from jail? Does Britney count as a charity case? I'm not sure.

In other, happier reviews, at least one review likes Moby Clique (out in stores March 4 and available for preorder from Amazon now).

Moby Clique is "the best book ever written" - okay, so that's maybe not a direct quote from the review. I *might* be paraphrasing a bit, but they said something similar, I swear. Check out the new review at www.teensreadtoo.com:

http://www.teensreadtoo.com/MobyClique.html

I'm back and it's not six weeks later!

Wow. So, I've let a week and a half slide, but I'm sort of keeping my resolution. Blog more! So, here I am. Quite coincedentally, I also have some self-promoting to do (I mean, would it BE a Cara Lockwood blog entry without some shameless self promotion?).

As it turns out, you can currently buy advanced copies of the newest Bard Academy novel Moby Clique on Amazon. If you order now, it should get to your door during the first week of March.

I don't know how long you could've been ordering the third Bard book. You think they might tell us, or inform us in some official capacity, but I am always the last to know. I only just found it today, and that's because I semi-regularly stalk myself on Amazon to see what people are saying about me. Yes, this means I could be a pathetic narcissist, but I prefer to think of it as "market research."

Thankfully, I didn't find any new negative reviews (I've got my eye on YOU, ANONYMOUS!) and a couple of new positive ones, which is always nice.

So, now that I've talked myself up a bit, it's time to spread the wealth. My friend, Laura Caldwell, has a new book out: "The Good Liar." You might remember her from "Burning the Map" one of her earlier books. She's writing mysteries now, and she's damn good at it.

If you're looking for suspense, check out Kevin O'Brien's One Last Scream. He's one of the best suspense writers around!

Ah, resolution time

Happy New Year!

My first resolution is: WRITE MORE IN MY BLOG.

Yes, I've been a complete and total slacker, and I must apologize. I've left you all high and dry for a couple of months. But, I have a good excuse. I was kidnapped by aliens who held me hostage until I could tell them just exactly why Paris Hilton is famous. I was gone so long because I honestly couldn't tell them why. She's rich? She was in a sex tape? I don't really know.

While I may not have been kidnapped by aliens, I did move into a new house. And for those of you who haven't moved in a while, let me remind you a little of what it's like: it blows. I hate packing and I hate unpacking, and the addition of my darling one-year-old daughter did not help. Thankfully, I had my mother on hand to help (she's a Godsend) and she basically did 90 percent of the packing and I did 90 percent of the making-sure-Hana-didn't-eat-tape-and/or-other-packing supplies. I must say, we made a good team. Together, we got moved, threw my daughter a birthday party and somewhere in the mix I turned in my third Bard Academy novel and my new adult book, Southern Fried Omens (out next summer). I don't know how I did it. The last six weeks are a blur.

But, I'm back to wish you a very happy 2008. Oh, and because I've got six weeks of backed-up publicity whore mongering to do, I should also mention that now is the perfect time of year to pick up "In One Year and Out the Other" - now in convenient mass market paperback! It's a short story collection featuring moi and lots of other talented writers and every story has a New Year's theme. It'll go really well with those hangovers I know a lot of you will be sporting. So go put those book store gift certificates that Santa left in your stockings to good use!

And I'll try not to leave you hanging for months this time. I'll be back soon to discussed Lynne Spears' upcoming book on parenting. Oh, wait, it's on indefinite hold! Well, I'll find something else to dish about. Fear not.

And in the meantime, if you want more Cara Lockwood (and who doesn't?) check out my other blog for MTV Books: www.mtvbooks.blogspot.com.