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!

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' 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

Read the First Chapter of 'Three Day Summer'

Last night I got an awesome surprise in the mail...the first pass pages of Three Day Summer! The first pass pages represent the final layout of the book. This is where I actually get to see my manuscript look like a real book for the first time, complete with all the design work that goes into things like chapter headings and page numbers.

In a nutshell, I love it! I think the layout looks super '60s and groovy and really works well with the cover. And to celebrate...I want to share the first chapter of Three Day Summer with you, exactly how it's going to look in the book!

But first...let's ooh and aah over some of these amazing design elements, shall we? (You can click on each photo to see a larger version...)

First, the title page, which is basically a black and white recreation of the cover:

Then there are the awesome chapter headings. Three Day Summer is told from the dual perspective of my two main characters, so each chapter starts with one or the other of their names. I really like how bold they made that.

And, finally, I really like the tiny graphics that are at the top of each page right by the title and my name.

So, without further ado, may I present the first chapter of Three Day Summer:

The Happiest Happenstance

Do you ever feel that some things are just mean to be?

I was delighted to come across this quote today. I'd actually never read it before:

"I almost wish we were butterflies and lived but three summer days--three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain." ~ John Keats

I honestly wish I could tell you I was clever enough to have picked the title of Three Day Summer from that quote because it is just so perfect for the book. But the title really came as a collaboration between my editor and me and was picked from pages and pages of options. And this...well, this is just one of those wonderful serendipitous things. Because it encapsulates so much of what I think the book is about...

And speaking of the book, I am in the middle of copyedits as we speak. This is one of my favorite, albeit most nerve-wracking parts of the publishing process. Nerve-wracking because this is pretty much my last chance to change things before the book goes out into the world and in the hands of readers (there are also first pass pages but, at that point, I'm pretty limited to what I can change). And exciting because...well, really for the same reason! This story will be in the hands of readers soon...

For what it's worth, I'm personally really proud of this book. I feel so much of my heart is on the page. And I'm grateful that I will get to share that soon.

Colored pencils + decoder = copyedits!

The One About the 'Three Day Summer' Cover

The cover for Three Day Summer has just been exclusively revealed on Hypable! I'm going to link out to it here and then ask you to come back because I want to share some feelings about it.

....

....

Did you feast your eyes on it? What do you think?

I will tell you my thoughts: it is the cover of my psychedelic dreams! Quite honestly, when my editor told me the concept behind it (it's based on '60s concert art), I may have given out an inadvertent, not entirely ladylike, squeal. Why? I've been enamored of the art on those posters for almost as long as I can remember. I had quite a few of them plastered on one wall of my teenaged bedroom.

And when my husband and I got married last year, we based our Save the Dates on two specific '60s posters (the proof is here).

And when I was writing the book and daydreaming about possible cover art, that is exactly the concept I most wished it would be. But I didn't share this with the Simon & Schuster team. They just read my mind.

So, quite simply, I love it. I love that it so thoughtfully pays homage to the era without being clichéd. I love the joy that seems to emanate from it. I love that it looks so modern and fresh and still tips its hat to the '60s. And I love how very colorful it is. I can't wait to see it on a bookshelf.

So HUGE props (and my gratitude) to designer Krista Vossen for rocking out this whole cover thing so very much.

'Three Day Summer' Peace, Love & Music Giveaway!

Tomorrow marks the 45th anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival! Now, do you want to take a gander as to where my upcoming book, Three Day Summer, takes place? If you said "Woodstock Music Festival," virtual love beads to you, my friend!

IN FACT...take a look at the very first page of Three Day Summer:

Does that date look familiar?!

Although my book won't be out until next year, I couldn't let this momentous anniversary pass by without doing something to mark the groovy occasion. So I present to you: the Three Day Summer Peace, Love, & Music Giveaway!

The Prizes:

Peace: This lovely sterling silver dove necklace, on a 16" chain, represents peace and the iconic emblem of the festival.

Love: Not just love, but summer love, courtesy of the wonderful The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han published by none other than Three Day Summer publishers Simon & Schuster BFYR. This is the paperback boxed set of all three books.

Music: $25 iTunes Gift Card. For purchasing whatever music makes you feel young, free, and happy (whether that's Hendrix, Creedence, 5 Seconds of Summer...)

How to Enter:

Everyone gets one free entry (because how else would you celebrate the mother of all free concerts?). Other entries can be gained by following me on Twitter, Facebook, or this blog; leaving a comment on this blog telling me which three bands (past or present) you'd most like to see in a live festival; or tweeting out a link to the giveaway from the Rafflecopter form below (2 entries per day for that one).

Check out the form below for all the details! The giveaway runs from today through to Monday, August 18th (the last day of the festival).

Good luck! And, can I just say, I'm pretty excited to see what sort of amazing virtual festivals you come up with.

*U.S. entries only please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway