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YOU In A Likely Story!

Have you ever wanted to be a fictionalized character in a story? How about one created by YOU? Random House is giving you the opportunity to be a fictional character in a future published book in the David Van Etten's Likely Story series! How neat is that?

If you haven't already, head on over to the Random Store to pick up your copy to read up on all the fun drama that Mallory encounters in her not so normal life. After you've had a chance to read a scene from Likely Story you can be well on your way to writing the ending of an episode and landing yourself a spot in one of the Likely Story series! Check out the contest to read complete details and rules.

Are you ready to be in a Likely Story?

Posted May 15, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 4 Comments | Share It

Filed under: David Van Etten Likely Story

Welcome to Random Hour!

Hey all you Buzzers! Welcome to the first installment of the "Random Hour," a weekly blog post where we get to know each other a little better and chat about reading, writing, and whatever's new in our busy Buzzer lives.

Let me start by introducing myself. You've probably seen me out and about throughout the site, and I've been lucky enough to become a part of the Random Buzzers crew. I'm entering my senior year at college in NYC this fall, but I'm still a sucker for YA lit. I remember all too fondly my favorite books growing up, which included the likes of The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, The Giver, and the "His Dark Materials" trilogy.

I love to read (of course), and I've always wanted to be a novelist-- when I was in the sixth/seventh grade, I wrote a novella about a fourteen-year-old girl who traveled around the world (and, uh, outer space) with her best friend and her little brother. I re-read it a couple months ago, and needless to say, it was awful. But I'm still keeping at it! I hope to share some of my experiences--both the good and the bad--with all of you, and hear how your writing is going, too.

Looking forward to chatting with you each week!

-Julia

Posted May 14, 2008 by je55 | 5 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Random Hour

Christina Meldrum Joins Random Buzzers!

Madapple author Christina Meldrum will be joining our boards starting this coming Monday April 28th! We are excited to have her as our guest author as she will be perusing through the Random Buzzers forums daily and answering questions that you have for her! Share your thoughts NOW over on the Buzz Boards at the thread specially dedicated for YOU to ask Christina Meldrum your questions!

Have you picked up the Madapple ARC? If not, there are still copies available in the Random Store so use your buzz bucks today! Want to take a sneak peek at the book before you get it? Click HERE to get a preview of the book.

After you've had the chance to preview the book, make sure to come back and chat with us! Let us know what you think and give a warm welcome to Christina Meldrum! Ask your questions below or on the forums and check back often for responses!

Before she officially joins us, Christina wanted to share a little note with you:

---

Dear Random Buzzers,

 

Thanks so much for inviting me to participate as a Random Buzzers author.  As a teenager who loved reading, I would have loved to participate in a forum like this.  As a debut novelist, this is a dream come true!

 

When I was a teenager, reading for me was a way to learn about the world and my place in it.  It also was a means of escaping the world during some awkward teenage moments!  Even today, some of the books that are most dear to me are books I read first as a teen, including Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and J.D. Salinger’s Franny & Zooey.  I was captivated by the antics of Scout.  I identified with Salinger’s Franny.  These books became part of the fabric of who I am as a person.

 

For this reason, when I first learned MADAPPLE would be published as a YA novel, I was excited—and somewhat daunted.  MADAPPLE is arguably controversial.  It certainly has mature themes.  I tried very hard to address these themes with sensitivity.  And I certainly did not write the book seeking controversy.  That said, I did write the book with hope that it would spur thought.

 

I continue to love when books challenge me to see the world and myself in new ways.  I particularly enjoy when books challenge me to look deeper into topics or objects or people I think I know and help me to see beyond what I know.  I hoped MADAPPLE would encourage readers to take a second look at the familiar and hopefully see beyond what they believe they know.

 

Here’s to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary!

 

All my best,

 

Christina Meldrum

 

Posted Apr 25, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 8 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Christina Meldrum Madapple

Brisingr Predictions, Prize Winners & More!

Many of you have been keeping up with the Alagaësia series and are just as excited for the release of Brisingr as we are! If you’re a super fan and have been eagerly keeping up with all that is going on with the book then you know that the official Alagaësia  site has released a spoiler to what you can expect in the next installment.

Another spoiler will soon be released and some of you have participated in an activity to guess what you think will be revealed next. Here are some of your predictions:

• Soupygirl thinks, “It would have to do something with the third egg hatching and I bet that an elf will be the dragon's rider.”
• Hotdude says, “I think I will say that there is going to be another rider”
• Mfuge says, “I think the next spoiler we will get will be something about Murtagh- a vague spoiler about his role in Brisingr and what he will do with respect to Eragon and Saphira.”

Those are all very good guesses… only time will tell the real spoiler!

For those who participated know that there was also a raffle to win a copy of Eragon on DVD that comes with a copy of Mythic Vision: The Making of Movie Eragon and another lucky member would receive the Eragon interactive game for the PC as well as the Eragon Prima Official Game Guide. The lucky Random Buzzers who have won these are:

• tofilus12 winner of the Eragon DVD and Mythic Vision
• thejrbutler winner of the Eragon PC game and Eragon Prima Official Game Guide

Congratulations to you and enjoy your copies – they will be mailed out shortly.

Many other exciting activities are also happening on here like the new activities for Madapple – have you checked them out? The book will be hitting store shelves early next month but you can snag a copy of the ARC in the Random Store right now. Participate in the activities to learn more and earn buzz bucks for doing so!

Until we read again,

Headbuzzer

Posted Apr 22, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 9 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Alagaesia brisingr Madapple

What Will Be Revealed?

There is a lot of excitement about the next installment to the Inheritance cycle but did you know that you can already get a little taste of what will be revealed in the next book? It's true! A spoiler has been revealed and another one will be released soon, as well!

Many Random Buzzers have already been speculating as to what will happen next, what do you think? Check out the latest activity where you can earn 2500 buzz bucks just for letting us know what you think will be revealed next! Remember to check out the Random Store to see all the goods that you can redeem your buzz bucks for.

 

 

Posted Mar 19, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 25 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Alagaesia brisingr

Big UPDATE To the Random Store!

Head on over to the Random Store to check out all the new updates! Madapple by Christina Meldrum is one of the new ARC's available for you to get right now so if you're wondering what it's all about, snag your copy today! If you'd like to find out more about Christina Meldrum, please visit her website HERE. Check out the other great reads and Random gear in the store: 

• The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde (ARC)
• King Dork by Frank Portman
• 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used To Call Your Boyfriend by Clea Hantman
• The Squad lip shimmers

 

If that's not enough to satisfy your appetite for good books and fun gear then there is also a new Teen Book Bundle where you will receive an assortment of books by your favorite teen authors! 

Check back to the Random Store regularly for more updates.

 

Are you planning on snagging any of the new advanced copies? If you are, let us know which one you look forward to reading and why! 

Posted Mar 7, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 11 Comments | Share It

Filed under: 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend King Dork Madapple The Day I Killed James the squad

Spring Into A New Chapter!

Some of you have already gotten advanced copies of 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend: A Heartbreak Handbook and for those of you who have ordered a copy and are still waiting, they should be arriving at your doorstep any day now! If you've already received your copy and have read through the fun and informative guide to getting over the dork, please give us a review and let us know what you think in the Random Reviews section! There were so many neat pieces of advice that could be applied to everyday blues and not necessarily to just a dork that broke your heart. I liked Day Twenty-Three: You Are What You Eat. I learned about a new perky pick-me-up treat that is oh so delicious. What is it you say? Melted dark-chocolate between a slice of whole-wheat bread - yum! What was your favorite piece of advice from the guide?

If you didn't get a chance to snag an advanced copy, you can get a sneak peek at the neat advice Clea Hantman offers in her guide through the fun 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork activities. Participate and earn major buzz bucks!

If you are still in need of a little boost to help you get over the dork or just lift your spirits, have no fear, Spring is just around the corner! Spring's arrival will be here on March 22nd, can you feel the feel the warmth and smell the spring flowers? Maybe not yet but it will be here before you know it. This also means that Spring break will be here very soon. What are your plans? What will you be doing over the break? Do you have any books that you'd like read over the break? Share your Spring break plans with us!

 

 

Until we read again,

*Headbuzzer 

Posted Mar 3, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 10 Comments | Share It

Filed under: 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend spring break

The Opposite of Invisible Photography Contest Winner!

Earlier we held a photography contest to win a brand new Lomography camera and a roll of film for Liz Gallagher's The Opposite of Invisible and we got many great submissions. Thanks to everyone who submitted their lovely photographs!

I am proud to announce that Ladytron is the winner of this contest! Liz Gallagher went through all the submissions and chose the winning photo herself! Here is what she had to say:

"After MUCH consideration, my choice is Ladytron's pic of the beach behind her house after Hurricane Katrina. I think the photo itself is very strong -- could see it in a magazine -- and I love what Ladytron said about the pic: it shows that her hometown is scarred. But, to me, it also shows that beauty -- and therefore hope -- can shine through even after a tragedy."

Without further ado, I present to you the stunning photo: 

Ladytron: "This is my hometown after a hurricane. This is the beach behind my house. What I like about the picture is that you can see the beach erosion from the trees and the trees are standing on their roots. Overall I think that this picture represents my hometown because there is still a lot of scars after hurricane katrina." 

Isn't it stunning? Again, thanks to everyone who submitted their wonderful works of art!

 

Until we read again,

Headbuzzer 

Posted Feb 12, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 17 Comments | Share It

Filed under: liz gallagher Lomography camera opposite of invisible

Who Is Getting Over the Dork?

We are giving away tons of copies of 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend: A Heartbreak Handbook by Clea Hantman! Check in here to see who has snagged one!

The giveaways are happening at one random time per day, so check back in often as you could snag your very own copy at any point.

We are limiting one per person to keep the playing field fair.

Everyone who gets a copy has to pinkie promise me to come back to the community and give your full review once you've read it. Deal?

 

The Winners:

1) Bookgrobie

2) Bandgeek22

3) paperxxflowersx3

4) dannig0701

5) GuavaLove

6) the_story_siren

7) thebookmuncher

8) randomteen

9) lostinconfusion

10) Tirzah

11) like2shop

12) Elaina

13) bballchica1106

14) Kristina

15) m120

16) brookenwell06

17) joshiegirl28 

18) AROCKR

19) DESIGNBYMIKAYLA

20) SISTERHOOD

21) BARTOWTEENS

22) OCEANLUVER564

23) TEARS_OF_GREY

24) JUSTINCASE 

 

Stay tuned and check into the Random Store often, so you can get tomorrow's copy!

 

Until we read again,

Random Buzzer 

Posted Feb 11, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 17 Comments | Share It

Filed under: 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend Clea Hantman

Next Up: The Squad

Quick Look: Up next on the Random Buzzers book list is The Squad where the Bayport High School cheerleaders aren't what they seem. Bayport's varsity cheer squad is made up of the hottest of the hot. But this A-list is dangerous in more ways than one. The Squad is actually a cover up for the most highly trained group of underage government operatives the United States has ever assembled.

Posted Jan 29, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 18 Comments | Share It

Filed under: jennifer lynn barnes the squad