Sign Up for FREE Personalized 'Three Day Summer' Bookplates & Swag!

Do you have a copy of Three Day Summer and want to know how to get it signed?

I'm giving away FREE personalized and signed bookplates and a bookmark to the first hundred people who sign up. The first 50 people to sign up will also get a temporary tattoo!

Take a look at the bounty:

And your book could look something like this:

Simply fill out the form below with your mailing address, and the name you'd like the bookplate personalized to, and...that's it. I will get the swag in the mail to you within a few weeks!

Partying Like Its 1969: A Launch Week Recap

If you're on this blog, I'm assuming you know that my second novel, and YA debut, launched this week. Three Day Summer is now out in the world and I hope it gives you a fun and groovy summer read!

I had a really lovely, and whirlwind, launch week that started when I realized that some Barnes & Nobles were sneakily stocking the book early over the weekend (how counter-culture of them!). So, of course, I had to go visit.

Look how STUNNING they look on the shelf!
I love that cover more every day...

And then, of course, sign some stock.

Then, on Monday, it was time for the launch party at the one and only Books of Wonder where I arrived to, as usual, a display that would warm the heart of any cynical author.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Three Day Summer party without some thematic swag and food. So floral crowns, flower power tattoos and tie-dyed cupcakes awaited all!

And then, of course, I blabbed for a bit. And signed some books!

The best part was that I had the best view in the house:

And, of course, I was thrilled to see so many people get into the spirit.

That time the culture became the counter-culture...

I am so grateful to Books of Wonder and everyone who came out for the launch. It was such a spectacular night.

And then I spent most of Tuesday celebrating online and responding to all the lovely people who took time out to congratulate me. Three Day Summer trended for a hot second on Twitter and I watched it climb a few Amazon categories:

I would call that a very successful and happy week!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who made it happen...near and far! You all rock harder than Santana's Woodstock set!

Hop On to the 'Three Day Summer' Blog Tour

Three Day Summer will be released on May 19th! That means that next week you can find it wherever books are sold. Groovy!

For the next two weeks, me and TDS will be going on a virtual blog tour filled with all sorts of insider tidbits on the book. Below is a list of where you can find me every day (I'll update this post daily with the published links).

Monday, May 11
What a Nerd Girl Says
Learn about how I used music to write Three Day Summer plus a giveaway.

Tuesday, May 12
GreenBeenTeenQueen
Get my '60s milieu playlist and find out why I put each song on there.

Wednesday, May 13
Mother Daughter Book Club
Here's what I think about some of the challenges of writing historical fiction for teens.

Thursday, May 14
Curling Up With a Good Book
Find out what sparked my initial interest in writing Three Day Summer.

Friday, May 15
The Compulsive Reader
Enter a giveaway for a hardcover copy of Three Day Summer.

Monday, May 18
The Hiding Spot
Read an interview with me plus enter a giveaway for a hardcover copy of the book.

Tuesday, May 19 (Release Day!)
Too Fond of Books
Read a (really fun!) interview with me plus enter a giveaway for a hardcover copy of the book.

Wednesday, May 20
Prose and Kahn
Read a review of the book from a librarian's perspective and enter to win a hardcover copy.

Thursday, May 21
The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
Read a review of the book and enter to win a hardcover copy.

Friday, May 22
Word Spelunking
So you want to live in the '60s? Here is further reading, watching, and doing to get you fully into the spirit of the decade.

Upcoming Events

I can hardly believe it but Three Day Summer will be released in just a little over a week! In case you are in the New York City area and want to come celebrate with me, I want to invite you to a couple of upcoming events.

First up is the launch party taking place on Monday, May 18th from 6-8 PM at the one and only Books of Wonder! There will be floral crowns, there will be flower power face painting and--of course--there will be the chance to snag a signed copy of Three Day Summer a day before its release. Hippie attire is encouraged. RSVP here!

Then, on June 3rd, I'll be reading from Three Day Summer along with 7 other fabulous YA authors as part of the monthly Teen Author Reading Night. That's taking place from 6-7:30 PM at the Jefferson Market branch of the New York Public Library and check out the line-up:

James Dawson, This Book Is Gay
Anne Heltzel, Charlie, Presumed Dead
Bill Konigsberg, The Porcupine of Truth
Trisha Leaver, Secrets We Keep
Kate Milford, The Broken Lands
Adam Silvera, More Happy Than Not
Me, Three Day Summer
Will Walton, Anything Could Happen

The panel is moderated by David Levithan. RSVP here!

Will I be seeing you at either of these? Let me know if you're able to make it!

New 'Three Day Summer' Reviews and a Giveaway!

I'll make this short and sweet but I'm super thrilled to announce that some lovely reviews have recently come in for Three Day Summer (now only about a month away from release!)

From School Library Journal:

"Extremely charming...This sure-to-be-popular, mesmerizing novel...[is] a real page-turner for fans of romance, music, and the swinging '60s."

From author Tamara Ireland Stone (Time After Time and Every Last Word):

"Three Day Summer will transport you back in time to Woodstock, drown you in incredible music, and introduce you to a couple you'll never forget. It's the perfect summer getaway."

From Publishers Weekly:

In short chapters full of vivid historical detail, Tash takes readers through each of the major acts at Woodstock (the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, among others), plus all of the drugs, mud, and shed inhibitions. As Cora and Michael meander (and sometimes stumble) through the chaos, they evoke the spirit of the festival in their awe for the music, adding their own dash of romance to the free love around them... the author’s love for the era and this defining musical moment shines through.

From Pure Imagination Blog:

The music, artists, and the feelings it inspires are talked about so much that it feels like you are there with Cora and Michael. That was an incredible feeling. Three Day Summer is a short, well paced read. It’s perfect for summer and music lovers. This is such a fun debut.

In other serendipitous news, I recently came across a couple of extra Three Day Summer ARCs. So I will be giving signed copies away to two winners right on this blog! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The contest is open internationally!

Everyone gets one free entry. You can also gain extra entries by leaving a comment on this post about your favorite thing about summer, tweeting about the contest (once per day), following me on Twitter, liking my Facebook fan page, or adding the book on Goodreads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Three Day Summer' Gets a Kirkus Starred Review!

I'm so ecstatic to share this early starred review for Three Day Summer--from the one and only Kirkus Reviews no less!

They write:

Two teens find the 1969 Woodstock music festival a life-changing event.

Michael, 18, knows what he doesn't want—to go to college or be drafted to fight in Vietnam—it's what he wants that confuses him, and would-be doctor Cora, 17, ponders transgressing cultural expectations for girls. Overcoming their inauspicious meeting in the medical tent, the two are drawn together—along with plenty of baggage. Michael drags his feet on breaking up with his hypercritical girlfriend. Cora longs to get over paternalistic Ned, who's broken up with her. Michael's passionate about music but feels like a slacker. Country girl Cora, unlike her brothers, has a nightly curfew and feels torn between her conservative father—proud veteran of two wars—and her anti-war siblings, one fighting in Vietnam. Not all that goes down is benign, but this is no cautionary fable. Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll unapologetically prevail amid the muddy chaos, where strangers feed one another, concertgoers stand in line for hours to use the payphone, and iconic musicians play generational anthems. Against a turbulent backdrop of war, divisive social change, and awful weather, half a million people celebrated peace, love, and music together. Woodstock remains a resonant cultural marker, documenting the brief triumph of hope over experience, and Tash takes ample advantage of the moment. 

A positive portrait of a much-maligned era, this optimistic, exuberant tale is recommended for readers who've wondered why the '60s were so great. 

Isn't that just kick-you-in-your-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic?!

I'm really floored that the book received a starred review, but I'm most excited that how I felt about the story really seems to have come across to a reader. So much of writing is time spent in your head, and I think you can never truly objectively tell if you conveyed exactly what you meant to.

And while we're keeping this post all braggy, I wanted to share one more amazing blurb that Three Day Summer got from bestselling author Miranda Kenneally (Catching Jordan, Jesse's Girl)! Miranda has legions of fans (including me) for her amazingly realistic, complex, and oh-so-swoonworthy YA romances, so you can imagine how much these words meant coming from her:

Three Day Summer is not just a book—it’s an experience! It made me feel like I was at Woodstock surrounded by free love, music, and mud. I loved it—I couldn’t stop reading!

I'm going to sign off before my ego gets too inflated here. But Three Day Summer will be released in just a little over two months (May 19th), so I hope these reviews might have helped whet your appetite a bit! (And also for those of us in arctic regions, given you some hope that summer will actually come again...)

'Three Day Summer' ARCs Are Here...So Here's a Giveaway!

It's been a very cold, snowy week here in New York, so I think few things could have been as welcome as the box of beautiful, cheery Three Day Summer ARCs I received.

Take a look!

Aren't they so purty? It's always so amazing to see one of my manuscripts set and bound like a real book. (I admit...the best part is having it smell like a real book. In fact, my husband may have caught me sitting at my desk, sniffing my ARCs...)

The intro on the back cover reads:

Fans of Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell will fall in love with Michael and Cora--two teens who are about to meet at the greatest concert ever.

Since I absolutely adore both of those books, I am beyond thrilled with the comparison.

Anyway, what's an author to do with a box of ARCs except share the love? I'm giving away two signed advanced copies on Goodreads! Just check out the below widget to enter!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Three Day Summer

by Sarvenaz Tash

Giveaway ends February 06, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win