Winners Announced! (And The Book That Made Me Cry In Public)

First of all, thank you SO much to everyone who entered the query contest last week! I had a fabulous time on my cruise and actually managed to *gasp* work while I was on vacation.

That's when you know you love what you do--when you find yourself sitting in the Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas and breaking out your laptop to work on edits instead of gambling with the hubs. :) I know, I'm a total dork. But the good news is, I got my edit letter for book one from my editor right before I left on the cruise, and I actually managed to work through all the edits by the time I got back home on Friday. Woot! I still have to go over them again and tweak, but it's mostly ready to go back. Yay for finishing ahead of deadline. Now to get back to drafting book two, which has been giving me fits.

But y'all don't care about all that right? You're probably like--stop with the vacation stories and tell us who won already. :) So without further adieu, here are the winners....

FIRST PLACE and winner of Anita Mumm's query critique....SIERRA GODFREY!  

*I think this is Sierra's second time winning something in one of my contests. Random.org loves you, chica!

WINNERS of Miranda Kenneally query critiques...

• S.A. Hussey
• Emily at Book Savvy
• Deniz Bevan

WINNERS of query critique from yours truly...

• Lisa Wells
• Alyssa Palmer
• Beth Mann

Congrats to all the winners!!! I'll be in touch via email with all of you in the next few days.

Oh, and though I don't do book reviews on here anymore, I do have a recommendation from my vacation reading. I tore through this book on the plane and finished in on the second day of vacay because I couldn't put it down. FAB-U-LOUS voice and the damn thing made me cry in public. So seriously, if you're looking for a great YA read, go get this one now.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Blurb (from Amazon):

Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on “a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?

Alright, that's all for now, we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday! :)