Thursday 8 November 2012

$25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway: Watch Me Disappear by Diane Vanaskie Mulligan

Original Title: Watch Me Disappear
Author: Diane Vanaskie Mulligan
Release Date: September 1st 2012
Genre: Contemporary, Young adult



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.


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.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.
AUTHOR ONLINE:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | LinkedIn

GIVEAWAY

Diane will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and ends tomorrow - November 9th 2012!

All you have to do is COMMENT, to enter this giveaway.  Anonymous comments not accepted.  And please leave your email ID, so that we can contact the winner.

27 comments:

  1. Woohoo! This book sounds really GOOD! And FINALLY, a giveaway I can enter! I have no internet and my cell doesn't let me enter hardly anything! So thank you bunches for this chance <3

    tfalick at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sound like a fantastic read. I loved the excerpt. Thanks for the giveaway! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so visiting my virtual book tour. One more chance to win (and to read another excerpt) tomorrow--visit my site for the link.

      www.dvmulligan.com

      Delete
  3. Great excerpt and thanks for the chance to win.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for hosting me today! I'll stop back throughout the day, so if any readers have questions, ask away!

    ReplyDelete
  5. interesting cover. immediately caught my attention. thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for hosting and heads-up of this good read.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What an interesting eye catching synopsis of the book. I am interesting in reading.

    ReplyDelete
  8. While YA is not my genre of choice, I occasionally find a book that I think I would enjoy reading. Watch Me Disappear sounds like one of those books. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser?

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,
      Thanks for asking! I definitely go my the seat of my pants on the first draft, but when I revise, I use that first draft to shape and refine the plot. Also, while this book definitely fits into the YA genre, I'd call it upper-YA, meaning it's appeal is to people ages 16+

      Diane

      Delete
  9. Thanks for the great post and congrats on the newest release!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I looks like an enjoyable read. I really like the cover. It grabbed my attention, when I first looked at it. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think that ya girls would reallyenjoy this story. So would i.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think your experiences with a high school writing club must have really helped you lend authenticity to this novel. Thanks for sharing it with us

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sounds like a great read. Thank you for the excerpt.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for the kind words, everyone! The cover design was done by my sister. Our goal was something that would really pop on an e-reader screen. I hope you'll give my book a try, and please stay in touch. I'd love to know what you think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have a love/hate relationship with Missy. But really enjoyed the book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Andrea. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on Missy. Of all the characters I feel like she's the one I know the least.

      Delete
  16. Is that the cover? It's very unusual. What is the inspiration? Did you have input into the cover?
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. It must be very exciting having your first novel out in the world. I wish you well with it.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love the way this book sounds-- real and engaging. I'm looking forward to it!

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you so much for the review!!

    booksconsidered[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  20. wow, i'm hooked! i love your narrator's voice--it feels authentic. :)
    julylightningATyahooDOTcom

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...