Willy Willy Harry Stee....

As many of you know from reading my bio, when I was in college I learned a little rhyme that lists the Kings & Queens of England in order. Useless to some. Not at all useless to a romance novelist who might, at any moment, in the absence of Wikipedia, be required to call on such vast historical knowledge.

And so...today...I give you the poem that will impress your friends, send your enemies cowering in the corner, and quite possibly win you a friendly game of Trivial Pursuit.

Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee,
Harry, Dick, John, Harry three.
One, two, three Ned, Richard two,
Harrys four, five, six.
Then who?

Edwards four and five, Dick the bad,
Harry's twain, Ned six, the lad.
Mary, Bessie, James you ken,
then Charlie, Charlie, James again.

Will & Mary, Anna Gloria,
Georges four, Will four, Victoria.
Edward seven next, and then
came George the Fifth in 1910.

Ned the eighth soon abdicated,
then George the sixth was coronated,
After which, Elizabeth!

and 'that's all folks'until her death!

Join us next week, on Randomness from Sarah's Brain!

barack-b-q

Presidential Burgers...


Want.

RIP Michael Jackson...

Michael & Janet...cute as buttons.

In which a hawk makes my week...

So, I had kind of a blah week. But the weekend is going to ROCK. How do I know this? Because no weekend that begins with this post at Gawker can't rock. It's cosmically impossible.

The lesson here?

Emo Hawk + Jerk Chicken = Greatest New York Moment of All Time.

Rain Rain Go Away

Thanks to Ken Stirling for the awesome...

Callie Montgomery on Inside the Character's Studio!

Ok...no surprise that I'm super excited to host Callie Montgomery, the star of Mandy Hubbard's Prada & Prejudice, on Inside the Character's Studio...for those of you who don't know about Prada...you should. Callie takes a nasty spill and wakes up in Regency London. And just so happens to meet a really really ridiculously goodlooking duke there. So, yes. This book tells the story of my biggest fantasy.

To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips…conks her head…and wakes up in the year 1815!

There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily’s family, Callie warms to them—particularly to Emily’s cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.

But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex’s heart, before her time in the past is up?

Welcome, Callie!

What is your favorite word?
Shopping!

What is your least favorite word?
Courtesan. There was this whole scandal last year involving the cheerleaders... I will never say that word again.

What turns you off, creatively, spiritually?
Mean people. I really hate snobs.

What is your favorite curse word?
I don't curse!

What sound or noise do you love?
I love the sound of laughter... especially when its coming from a certain duke....

What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of me at the piano. I'm really terrible at it.

What profession would you like to attempt?
Gosh, as if I have that figured out!

What profession would you not like to do?
I could never be an actor or a singer... the limelight is too much for me.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"Nice shoes."
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Check out other interviews from Inside the Characters' Studio here.

Yay! The New York Post likes me!

Just a quick one today...as I'm in and out of the apartment...but I just had to share this!

At 10:45 this morning, my phone rings...it's a friend from work. Not exactly the phone call one expects to receive on Saturday morning. (I *expected* to receive a call from my sister, who seems to have gone AWOL and never answers her phone...but that's another story altogether)

The call goes something like this:

SARAH: Hello?
SARAH'S FRIEND: Ohmigod. You're in the NEW YORK POST!
SARAH: Wha?!
SARAH'S FRIEND: THE NEW YORK POST!!!
SARAH: What? Why?
SARAH'S FRIEND: You seem less intelligent than usual.

**cue hanging up, grabbing 75 cents in nickels from my money jar and running downstairs in my pajamas to the deli to buy the paper.

And lo and behold, I am, indeed, in the New York Post! Right there, under the lovely headline: Hot New Titles for Tweens & Teens!

Bless Rupert Murdoch and his big, conservative head!

15 Books...

Rules: List the fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. Choose the first fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

Ok...aside from my own:

1. James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
2. The Babysitters Club series, by Anne M. Martin
3. Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen
4. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5. The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
6. Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen
7. Devil in Winter, by Lisa Kleypas
8. The Black Lyon, by Jude Deveraux
9. The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michael Faber
10. The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
11. The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
12. Skinny Legs & All, by Tom Robbins
13. The Cider House Rules, by John Irving
14. Look Homeward Angel, by Thomas Wolfe
15. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, by Alison Weir

ok...now you!

Things That Are Awesome....Colleen Pencils

Some people like gadgets, others like first edition books...me? I'm a paper and pencil gal. And O. M. G. I want these. BAD.

Twelve years ago, the Colleen Pencil Company recognized that pencil slats could be made from any wood that the machinery could cut, and created a varied set as an artistic exploration....Twelve pencils are presented - each marked with the number in the series, the HB grade, the bilingual (English and Japanese) wood species and country/area of origin, and a most unusual number - the specific gravity of the pencil’s wood. Some species are familiar, and some are more exotic.

Colleen, unfortunately, is now out of business. And all we can do is stare longingly at these pictures.

Covet with me, will you?

Avery Pirzwick on Inside the Character's Studio!

I am a sucker for superheroes. It's true. Batman, Spiderman, Wolverine, heck...I even like Aquaman...and all he can do is talk to fish. So, it should come as no surprise that I am 100% in love with Avery Pirzwick, the star of Sarah Cross's Dull Boy. And I'm SUPER excited to host Avery here on the blog today.

What do you do if you can deadlift a car, and you spend your nights flying to get away from it all? If youare fifteen-year-old Avery Pirzwick, you keep that information to yourself. When youare a former jock turned freak, you canat afford to let the secret slip.

But then Avery makes some friends who are as extraordinary as he is. He realizes theyare more than just freaksatogether, maybe they have a chance to be heroes. First, though, they have to decide whether to trust the mysterious Cherchette, a powerful wouldbe mentor whose remarkable generosity may come at a terrible price.

Welcome, Avery!

What is your favorite word?
badass

What is your least favorite word?
dissection

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
This is a really awkward question ...

What turns you off?
Anything that almost kills me.

What is your favorite curse word?
idk, the best ones got edited out. ;)

What sound or noise do you love?
Silence. It means no one is yelling at me.

What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of something really expensive breaking. *cringes*

What profession would you like to attempt?
Superhero is sort of a profession, right?

What profession would you not like to do?
Dentist. Anything on Dirty Jobs.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"Go back, you're not done yet!" Or: *as God strokes his lustrous beard thoughtfully* "Hmm ... you really *are* more awesome than Wolverine."
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Check out other interviews from Inside the Characters' Studio here.

Spot The Season Photo Contest! Awesome Prize!

Ok, y'all...back in February when The Season began to appear in the wild, dozens of you guys started sending in photos of the book in its natural habitat...bookstores, libraries, chillin' with cats...

and i LOVED it.

Loved it loved it loved it! I started putting all those photos on a map...which lives in my sidebar, and I would go home everyday and irritate my husband by showing him the newest awesome photos of the day!

But then...you stopped sending them. so...suffice to say...i got sad. :(

And YOU--yes, you in the middle--Kansas? Nebraska? Wyoming? Montana? What happened to you? My map is so sad and pathetic in the middle! Come on! Alaska delivered! And Alaska is FAR!

But then...a bright spot.

This week, Molly & Clare (a mother/daughter team who sound AWESOME) and the incredible Carrie Ryan (yes...THE...FAMOUS...CARRIE RYAN)...sent me new photos out of the blue! YAY!

Don't you want to be as awesome as Molly & Clare & Carrie? Send me your photos!

Need me to sweeten the deal? Well...ok. If you insist. I just so happen to have awesome bookmarks that have special commissioned art of The Season girls on them! I offer you this awesome trade -- your photos of The Season in the wild for a bookmark!

Shall I sweeten the deal even more? The best, most creative photo of The Season in the wild (indoors or outdoors, with people or without) will receive a SIGNED POSTER of The Season! Isn't that worth it?

The contest is now, officially open! I'll put all the photos on my map...and choose the winning photo on June 19th. That gives you two weeks to be as creative as possible!

Yay! I'm so excited!

Anna Reiley on Inside the Character's Studio!

Ok...it's no secret that I have a major friend crush on the fabulous Sarah Ockler. We've got some weird cosmic similarities that are seriously freaky-deaky. First, we're both named Sarah. Second, Sarah's husband grew up literally across the street from where my parents lived when they first moved to the US in Flushing, Queens, NYC. How did we discover this? Sarah actually *recognized* the spot where this photo was taken. While she was reading my blog. Which brings me eerie similarity #3--we're both awesome.

So...I am SO SO SO excited to host Anna Reiley, the star of Sarah's Twenty Boy Summer on the blog today.

While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna’s first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a debut YA novel that explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Welcome, Anna!

What is your favorite word?
Love.

What is your least favorite word?
Lost.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Being outdoors and connecting with the universe through nature. Traveling also does it for me, now that I finally get to go somewhere interesting! But mostly, I just like to be outside in the sun, no matter where I am.

What turns you off?
When people apologize for something they didn't do simply because they don't know what else to say, or when they try to force conversation just to fill the space so they don't have to feel awkward around you. I wish they would just be quiet, because sometimes there just aren't any words for something.

What is your favorite curse word?
I don't curse that much, so I save it all up for the big one. ;-)

What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of Matt's voice reading to me. Some days I wake up and think of him and his voice goes hazy in my memory. I'm so scared of forgetting the sound of it.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Tires screeching, and the song that was playing that day... Casey Jones.

What profession would you like to attempt?
I think I'd like to work with other teens and kids who just need someone to talk to and listen to them, especially if they've gone through something traumatic. Maybe a counselor or social worker.

What profession would you not like to do?
Hair stylist or makeup artist. I leave all things glamorous in Frankie's capable hands.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"Matt! She's here!"

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Check out other interviews from Inside the Characters' Studio here.