Friday, November 9, 2012

'Watch Me Disappear' Book Blurb Blitz


Watch Me Disappear
by Diane Vanaskie Mulligan

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BLURB:

Lizzie knows it isn’t right to eavesdrop, but is it really eavesdropping if her neighbor Maura makes all of her phone calls on her parents’ pool deck in easy earshot of Lizzie’s backyard? And of course it’s wrong to go snooping around on someone else’s computer, but is it Lizzie’s fault that Maura keeps her computer turned on (and logged in to Facebook) all the time?

Lizzie Richard’s father has moved the family around every few years to advance his career, so she has never had a chance to develop the kind of “BFF” relationships she thinks most kids have. She’s bracing herself for another lonely year at her third high school when her new neighbor Maura gets sick of watching her little brother when she could be partying. Thanks to Maura’s plotting, Lizzie becomes everyone’s new favorite babysitter. Seeing her opportunity, Lizzie breaks her strict parents’ rules and uses Maura’s computer to create a secret Email address and Facebook account. She is quickly friended by Missy, a fellow transfer student as eager for a friend as she is. Things are looking up for Lizzie until Maura’s ex-boyfriend Paul sets his eye on Missy. Caught between her new best friend and the neighbor whose friendship promises instant popularity, Lizzie doesn’t know what to do—because she’s fallen for Paul, too.
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Read an excerpt:
I like the makeup better when I put it on myself. I apply it more lightly than they had, so it looks more natural. Try as I might, I’m not very handy at hairstyling, though. I can’t seem to tease the roots as Katherine instructed, and I have no luck with the up-dos they showed me. In the end, Katherine produces a small set of scissors and, while I hold my breath, trims some fringy bangs and layers, which we iron flat into a funky style. When we’re done, I don’t look like me, but I look sort of good. And good thing, too, because all the little pieces she cut are never going to fit into a ponytail.

See,” Maura says. “That wasn’t so hard.”

Maybe we should come raid your closet and see what we can do with that,” Katherine says, laughing smugly. She has gotten a little friendlier as the day has gone on. When I let her cut my hair, I think that sealed the deal. She is willing to at least consider extending friendship to me.

You won’t find much interesting in my closet,” I say.

What, no secrets?” Maura asks, suddenly turning our conversation away from the safe realm of appearances. My heart pounds. I’m not ready for this kind of conversation. Is this where they turn on me?

No,” I say. “No cute clothes or skeletons.”

How disappointing,” Maura says. “I thought there was a wild child in you that we had yet to uncover.”

You’ve met my parents. They don’t allow much for wildness.”

Exactly. Kids with strict parents are usually the ones who let it all out when they step outside their parents’ grasp.”

I guess I’m still pretty much within their grasp,” I say.

Maura makes a tsk sound. “I thought for sure there was more to you, Lizzie,” she says.

I shrug. I wish there was more to me, too.

 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Diane Vanaskie Mulligan began writing Watch Me Disappear during an after-school writing club she moderates for high school students. This is her first novel. She holds a BA in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she’s the managing editor at The Worcester Review and the director of The Betty Curtis Worcester County Young Writers’ Conference. You can also find her occasionally strumming her guitar and singing at various bars in central Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband.


Connect with Diane:


Diane will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Leave a comment below and also visit other stops along the way! The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning! Thanks for stopping by!

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting me today! I'll stop by again this afternoon, so if readers have questions, ask away!

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  2. I have been finding these promotional online book tours very enjoyable, a new hobby of mine during my sleepless nights.

    https://twitter.com/classy_mommie/status/266891449004605441

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  3. It took me until the end of the tour to figure out that the cover is actually a make up palette. I can't believe I did not see that. Clever!!

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. It is a bit subtle. We added the brush below the color squares, but I have had a lot of people ask about it. This excerpt helps, I think :)

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  4. So, the last day of your tour has arrived. It was a lot of fun following you around this past week, learning more about your work and a little about you. Hope to meet up with you again soon. My favorite genre is historical romance and seldom step out from it. That said, I sometimes find a book that interest me from book tours I follow. I'm putting your book on my list of books to buy.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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    1. Thanks, Karen! The excerpt above is several chapters in, so if you think you are interest, I'd recommend trying out the free Kindle sample, which is from the very beginning of the book.

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  5. I am enjoying the tour. Have you thought of writing a follow up novel, maybe from Maura's point of view. I think it might be interesting

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

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    1. I have toyed with trying Maura's point of view, but I think that in realistic literature, I prefer stand-alone novels, as opposed to series. I'm working on another novel now, one that is definitely for a adults with a whole new crop of characters. Thanks for asking!

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  6. I've loved following along on your tour, Diane!

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  7. I really appreciate everyone visiting my tour! For the rest of November, my tour continues on Mondays only, with interviews and guest blogs. Please follow along for more changes to win a gift card! All the links are on my website.

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  8. Hi Diane...I did go and try out the free Kindle sample. Thanks. With this being your first novel, what's next for your writing? If your writing takes off, would you give up teaching to write full time?
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Catherine. Writing full time is definitely a dream of mine, although I love teaching and I hope that I'll always be able to do it in some capacity, just maybe not full time. It's hard to balance grading essays and working on my own writing. Thanks for asking!

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