Happy Book Birthday!!!

Today Transparent by Natalie Whipple is out in the world!!! I'm so excited. I adore this book.

Blurb from goodreads:

"Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults. After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl."

Invisible girl, mob boss father, cool super powers??? Yes. This book is made of awesome!

German Cover!!!

I'm so excited to be able to show you the German cover for Pivot Point today! I love it so much. It's so interesting to see what covers other countries choose. The title even got a makeover for this cover. Pivot Point in Germany will be known as: Forget Me Not. And of course, the cover matches that title perfectly. When I heard this title I was like, oh wow! That's so clever. It fits the book perfectly. And then the crumpled note displaying the title. Ah. They really captured the essence of the book. What do you think?

Win an ARC

Do you want to win an ARC of The Distance Between Us??? Enter for a chance on goodreads. And stay tuned for another chance to win on my blog!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Distance Between Us

by Kasie West

Giveaway ends June 04, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Arizona!

Hey Arizona, I'm heading your way in 2 weeks! :) I'm tagging along with my husband on a work trip and thought it would be fun to hang out with some book peeps while I'm there. This isn't an official signing, but I'll be hanging out here:

Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283  

On Tuesday, May 7th from 1-3pm. Come hang out with me and chat. 
There should be a few books available, but if you want a guaranteed copy, or can't be there but would like a signed copy of Pivot Point, please order one ahead of time by going here: 

http://www.changinghands.com/book/9780062117373. In the comments field mention you want a signed copy, and if you want it personalized, the first name of the person.

Or you can call the store and order over the phone: 480-730-0205.

Even if you already have a copy, come! Maybe I'll even bring cupcakes or something.

YAppiest Day on Earth

So this last weekend I got to spend the day at Disneyland with some pretty awesome writers, readers, and bloggers at an event called The YAppiest Day on Earth (you know, a play on The Happiest Place on Earth....get it?). It was so much fun that we're already talking about doing it again next year and making it even more epic. Stay tuned for that. But for now, pictures!!

Here's the whole author crew. Should I attempt to name them all? Okay, here I go. From left to right, back row first: Jennifer Bosworth, Chris Howard, Me, Lish McBride, Sean Beaudoin, Kevin Emerson, Elise Allen, Robin Mellom, Gretchn McNeil, Martha Brockenbrough, Rachel Cohn, Carrie Lawler Arcos, Gabrielle Zevin, Cecil Castellucci, Shannon Messenger, Cat Patrick, and Jessica Brody. Phew, that's a lot of writers. And they were all so much fun to hang out with.

Waiting in line for Indiana Jones. Gretchen cuddled with me (and I totally liked it). Favorite pic ever, complete with the Lando T-shirt/Chris Howard photo bomb in the back and Jen's awesome hat. (Thanks to Stacee for this pic)

Another awesome pic provided by Stacee (in the black shirt). This was the group I spent most of the day with. In the middle there is Lani Woodland and her daughter. On the far right, Bailey, an awesome blogger friend. 

After a fun day at Disneyland, we went across the way to a signing/party at the Anabella Hotel.

Gretchen, Kevin, and me (Harper Pals). 

Here's another pic of me and Bailey (from ibbookblogging.net)

Kevin, Me, Shannon (who was so generous to put me up for the weekend), and Chris.

I met so many other amazing people as well that I didn't get pictures with. Including a family from my home town, which was really cool. 

This was such a fun event and I can't wait to do it all again next year. Except you should all come next year too because that would make it even more fun! 

Play List!!

So, I love music. I'm not one of those who can listen to music while I write, I get too caught up in the lyrics. But music inspires me. When I hear songs they paint pictures in my mind. These are some songs that either remind me of Pivot Point or songs I listened to around the time I was writing Pivot Point. So below, when I say 'while writing Pivot Point' I just mean that the songs would get me in the mood to write. Then I would turn them off and write.

1. Little Wonders by Rob Thomas: When I heard this song for the first time, I immediately thought of Pivot Point. It talks about how life is made up of small moments and how fate can be defined and changed in an instant. It made me think of Addie (the main character) and how she needs to move past memories and let things go. I adore this song.
2. The One That Got Away by Katy Perry: Every song obviously can’t be a perfect match for a novel. But the general feel of this song made me think of the fact that in the end Addie has to let go of one of her lives and with it, one person she cares about.
3. Timing is Everything by Gerrett Hedlund: First of all, have you ever seen the movie that this song is from—Country Strong? The movie is amazing and inspires me as a writer. And this song talks about how many things in life are based on timing. Plus, Gerrett Hedlund is hot. Just sayin’.
4. Waiting for The End by Linkin Park: I love Linkin Park in general. Their songs make me want to write. But this song reminded me of Pivot Point. Just some of the lines—holding onto something invisible; waiting for the end to come; it’s out of my control—drew me right into memories of the story.
5. Over My Head by The Fray: This is another band that I adore. This song was on the playlist I played on repeat while writing Pivot Point.
6. Kiss me Slowly by Parachute: This is another song I listened to a lot while writing. This song conjures up so many feelings and images in my mind. I love it.
7. Stay by Mayday Parade: I feel like a broken record, but again, this song makes me think of Pivot Point. The opening line “I need some time just deliver the things that I need for now” takes me right to a certain place in the story. I love this song.
8. Trouble by Never Shout Never: My fourteen year old daughter, who plays guitar and has wide taste in music (from the popular to the obscure), introduced me to this band. This song was one she played a lot in the car while Pivot Point was circling in my brain. So when I hear this song, I automatically think of PP.
9. Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson: “It doesn’t matter where we take this road, someone’s gotta go.” That is basically the bottom line of Pivot Point.
10. Give Into me by Leighton Meester (ft. Garrett Hedlund): This is another song from Country Strong. And this song reminds me of one of the boys in Pivot Point.
11. Why Don’t you Love Me by Hot Chelle Rae: And this song reminds me of the other boy.
12. Half-Life by Duncan Shiek: This is another song can describe some of the elements of Pivot Point. Addie is definitely living a sort of half-life throughout the novel.
13. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol: Yes. Love this song.
14. She’s So Mean by Matchbox Twenty: This song reminds me of Laila, Addie’s best friend in Pivot Point. It’s not that Laila is mean…well, she can be. She’s super loyal to her friends but sometimes treats boys as expendable.

Procrastination is fun.

I have so much to do! That's why I decided to make a new blog header. Yes, I'm procrastinating. But isn't it pretty?? I'm so proud of myself when I figure out things like this because I'm not very good at technology. That's why I rely on people who are smarter than me and harness the power of Google. Seriously, how did I get through high school and college without Google?? Let me tell you, there were a lot of encyclopedias involved. Back to work for me! (I think my twitter background might need some work)