Who doesn't love free books, right? Well, this week you have two ways to win a bunch of Class of 2k8 books.

Way #1 - The Hard Way (well, only a little...for those of you who like a challenge)
Go to the Class of 2k8's contest page and answer ten questions about characters from this quarter's 2k8 releases. A random drawing will be made from all the correct entries and the winner will receive three of this quarter's books. Deadline is June 30.

Way #2 - The So Easy You Can Do It In Your Sleep Way
Bop on over to the Class of 2k8 blog , where our Blog Moms are interrogating...er, interviewing an assortment of book reviewers. Find out what makes them tick or ticks them off... And enter our drawing by leaving a comment on the blog. Every day we're giving away two 2k8 books. Deadline to comment is June 29.

Improve your chances of winning by entering both drawings, because, as the Scarecrow says in The Wizard of Oz..."Some people do go both ways."

Okay, I'm a bad blogger--I should be updating once a week or more, not once a month. But that's because April and May have just been insanely busy months, with readings and book-signings in East Longmeadow, Concord, Worcester, North Easton, Barre, Amherst, Northampton, and Springfield. Add to that a new job as Circuit Rider for Preservation Massachusetts (no, a horse doesn't go with it), and I've barely had time to breathe, let alone blog. A HUGE thank-you to the host libraries, bookstores, and clubs, to friends and family who came out to support me, and to these authors who joined me at several events:

Historian Rusty Clark, author of the Stories Carved in Stone book series about gravestone carvers in Massachusetts and Connecticut

Teen author Amanda Butcher, author of the fantasy novel Lark and the Magic Pencil (this high-school freshman girl totally blew me away with her poise, self-confidence, and articulate presentation)

Fellow Class of 2k8 author Marissa Doyle, whose Bewitching Season combines historical fiction, romance, and magic and is just a total delight

Contemporary author Judith Jaeger, whose The Secret Thief was a favorite of my monthly book group

YA/middle-grade author Michelle D. Kwasney, whose books Itch and Baby Blue follow two girls through difficult situations

YA/middle-grade author D. Dina Friedman, whose book Escaping into the Night explores a facet of World War II history that was previously unknown to me, and whose book Playing Dad's Song shows how a boy copes with his father's death.

Great company, indeed! If you haven't read their books, I recommend them!

Upcoming Events
June looks as though it'll be nearly as busy as April and May, with at least one event a week. I hope some of you New England readers can join me! I'm especially looking forward to returning to my old stomping grounds at Old Sturbridge Village on June 28.

1 Jun 2008: Online interview
Authorlink.com

6 Jun 2008, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation for Worcester students (open to general public as well)
Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Street
Worcester, MA 01608
508-799-1655

6 Jun 2008, 7:00 p.m.: Book signing
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
541 D Lincoln Street
Worcester, MA 01605
tel: (508) 853-2236
fax: (508) 853-9527
crm2172@bn.com

14 Jun 2008, noon-1:30 p.m.: Panel discussion on writing with Class of 2k8 writer Marissa Doyle (author of Bewitching Season), short-story writer and teacher Nancy Gardner, poet Teresa Cader, children's writer Mitali Perkins (First Daughter and Rickshaw Girl), mystery writers Catherine Cairns and Leslie Wheeler (author of Murder at Plimoth Plantation and Murder at Gettysburg), and me
Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA 02420
For more information, contact Catherine Sibert
Or call the library at 781-862-6288

21 Jun 2008, noon-3 p.m.: Book sales and signing
June Strawberry Social
Ramapogue Historical Society
West Springfield, MA

28 Jun 2008, 3:00 p.m.: Book signing and discussion
Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village Road (off Route 20)
Sturbridge, MA

I've also been woefully negligent in congratulating my Class of 2k8 colleagues whose books have been released in April and May, and whose books are sitting in a stack in my office screaming "Read us! Read us!" Make sure you check out these titles:

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury: Best friends go on a cross-country bike trip, but only one returns.

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle: While making their debuts in 1837 London a pair of twin witches rescue the soon-to-be Queen Victoria from a dastardly plot...when they're not looking for Lord Right.

Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer: Allee Rosen falls down the rabbit hole and lands in the fab lane when she gets snapped up by modeling agents and whisked away to glamorous South Beach. Will the model life go to her head?

The Lucky Place by Zu Vincent: When you look at growing up through Cassie’s eyes, you see it differently.

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas: Take the magic and run!

Read My Lips by Teri Brown: Serena is a a deaf skater chick who uses her amazing lip-reading ability to infiltrate the popular crowd, take down a secret sorority and tame the school rebel.

La Petite Four by Regina Scott: Lady Emily Southwell and her three dearest friends plan to take London by storm until they run afoul of a dashing young lord who may have more up his sleeve than a nicely muscled arm.

Hi, everyone,

A Difficult Boy is being officially released this week (even though there have been 4 cartons sitting in my living room since March 26)! To celebrate, the Class of 2k8 is having a virtual launch party on the class blog , where I'm the featured blogger all week. Not sure exactly what a virtual launch party is? Drop by and find out. No RSVP required, no driving, no hassles, and you don't even have to change out of your pajamas or do your hair. Unfortunately, though, you'll have to drink a glass of virtuAL champagne, which is altogether too virtuOUS!

I’m also going to be doing guest blogging or online interviews on the following dates and sites:

Wednesday, April 16 - Enchanting YA Reviews

April 18 and 22 – Nineteenteen

April 25 - Author Jessica Burkhart’s blog

Hope to see you there!

Welcome to the book world the Class of 2k8's March launches, Jody Feldman's The Gollywhopper Games and Elizabeth C. Bunce's A Curse Dark as Gold, two very different stories about young people trying to salvage a family legacy.

In The Gollywhopper Games, young Gil Goodson hopes to redeem his family's good name after his dad was falsely accused of embezzling from the Golly Toy Company. If Gil wins the Gollywhopper Games, he'll show the world that Goodsons aren't cheaters, and will win enough money to help his family make a new start far away from the cloud of scandal hanging over them. Gil's an engaging young hero with a quick wit, a friendly personality, and a tenacious determination to make good. Readers can solve the Gollywhopper Game puzzles along with Gil--they're challenging enough to be fun, but not so difficult that you feel like putting your eye out with your pencil. Great for puzzle-lovers, punsters, and fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--and for you adult readers, the writing and characterization are MILES ahead of that recent best-selling puzzle book The DaVinci Code!

A Curse Dark as Gold is a fascinating re-telling of the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. Young Charlotte Miller struggles to keep her family's woolen mill running after the death of her father. Charlotte is a practical young woman. She doesn’t believe in curses or magic until a series of weird and inexplicable disasters force her to rely on a mysterious little man who can spin straw into gold. All her instincts tell her to turn him away, but Charlotte feels responsible for the townspeople who depend on the mill for their livelihood. It's not just her own income at stake; Charlotte won't relegate her neighbors and friends to poverty. Meanwhile, she has to contend with an uncle who seems bound and determined to bankrupt her. Everything comes to a head when Charlotte realizes that to save her mill, her friends, her family, and her infant son, she must figure out how to right an ancient wrong. When the story's villain’s secrets are finally revealed, their heartbreaking stories make them as sympathetic as the main characters. A great read, but keep a box of kleenex handy!

Find out more at the Class of 2k8 web site, or on our Class of 2k8 blog, where Elizabeth will be guest-blogging all week.

Check out the Class of 2k8 scavenger hunt. It's a mid-term you'll want to take!

It's easy. Each quarter The Class of 2k8 will host a contest. This quarter we've gone with a virtual scavenger hunt. Simply find the answers to ten questions about Class of 2k8 books posted on the Class's contest page. Email your correct answers to contests@classof2k8.com. Once we've checked your answers we'll notify you that you've been entered into a drawing to win books from our fabulous authors! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started!

The Class of 2k8's second launch is on its way. Lisa Schroeder's debut novel, I Heart You, You Haunt Me (from Simon Pulse Books) hits the shelves this month. Lisa's poignant novel in verse got a 5 star review for YA Books Central! Check out this excerpt at the Class of 2k8 website. Or go to Lisa's web page for more details. Lisa will be featured next week on the Class of 2k8 blog.

Big things are in store for Liz Gallagher, the Class of 2k8’s first baby to be officially launched. Her debut novel, The Opposite of Invisible (from Wendy Lamb Books) hits the shelves today. Way to go, Liz!!! Liz's book follows a Seattle teenager as she wrestles with the difference between a crush and love, and love and best friendship--I can't wait for my copy to hit my mailbox. Check out this excerpt at the Class of 2k8 website. Or go to Liz's web page for more details. Liz will be featured all week on the Class of 2k8 blog, letting us know how it feels to be a first-time author with her dream come true.

News of the Class of 2k8 is getting around! Check out the Class Blog at http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/ to see where we've been mentioned. And, of course, I was delighted to see that Ron Hogan, editor of the Galley Cat blog (“The first word on the book publishing industry”) at Media Bistro, not only gives the Class of 2k8 a thumb’s up, but also gives A Difficult Boy a teeny mention. Check it out!

Meanwhile, I can't wait to get my hands on the first two Class of 2k8 books: Liz Gallagher's The Opposite of Invisible and Lisa Schroeder's I Heart You, You Haunt Me - both hitting the bookstands (and, with any luck, my mailbox!) in the next couple of weeks. Liz will be featured on the 2k8 blog next week, and Lisa just gave this great interview at Authorlink.

What could be better than discovering 28 great new books by 28 great new writers? The Class of 2k8 is a group of first-time authors who've joined together to spread the word about our books--and I'm lucky to be a member. Check out the Class of 2k8's web page at www.classof2k8.com for videos, blogs, and, best of all, 28 exciting new books to captivate your imagination.You'll find edgy contemporary fiction, historical romance, paranormal, coming of age stories, and more.