GUYS! Welcome to the newly reschemed (that is my new favourite word) courtneysummers.ca!

Please take a look around, get acquainted with everything! I hope you love it as much as I do, because I absolutely love it. Once again the talent behind this hot new look was Dale Mugford and Duane Storey AKA the masterminds that run BraveNewCode. If you’ll remember, I’ve chronicled my experiences working with them in the past and basically everything I said there is still true but also they are even more awesome.

I KNOW.

I’ve been thinking a lot about job satisfaction lately because… uhm, I was goofing around on youtube and somehow stumbled upon Craig Ferguson’s really touching eulogy for his father, where he talks about how his dad emphasized the importance of job satisfaction all through his life (I know right now everyone is like wait what where did this blog entry just go BUT STAY WITH ME) and anyway, one of my favourite things about working with BraveNewCode is constantly getting the sense of two people who have real job satisfaction. They take their work seriously, they enjoy it, they are passionate about it, they believe in and take pride in what they do and what they put out there and all of this informs their approach to their clients, the way they communicate, the way they listen, they way they code and the way they design. And that truly makes all the difference. I cannot recommend them highly enough. THANK YOU, Dale and Duane!

In other news, last week totally got away from me, which is boo because last week was pretty awesome. Last week was pretty awesome, because, among other things, Some Girls Are got a starred review from Kirkus!!! Which–you know. I will probably die before that sinks in. They said it “will make readers cringe,” (best pull-quote ever!) and called it “powerful and compelling.” Kirkus, I am thrilled you think this of my book. Kirkus, I might have cried when I saw that you did. (I totally cried.)

Also, the Facebook Only Some Girls Are ARC giveaway is going on RIGHT NOW. Here is what you have to do if you’re not in on this yet and you want to be: 1) add my Facebook page (if you haven’t) 2) write ‘I want SGA!’ on its wall. Simple! Winners will be announced on Wednesday. As I’ve said before, this will be my only ARC giveaway that is open to international entries (sorry). And if Facebook Only contests are not your thing, stay tuned because I still have three more ARCs to give away.

MEANWHILE, here are some things that are making me QUITE HAPPY right now:

1) CK Kelly Martin released the first chapter of her forthcoming release, The Lighter Side of Life and Death. Oooh my God, I can’t wait. I am an unabashed CK Kelly Martin fangirl and One Lonely Degree was one of my favourite releases of 2009. You can read the first chapter here (the last paragraph and the last two sentences are just BAM–how am I expected to wait for this book? Random House, that is cruel!!!). And check out the trailer, it’s awesome:

The Lighter Side of Life and Death book trailer

C.K. Kelly Martin | MySpace Video


2) Susan Adrian, who is one of my favourite writer people, interviewed Nova Ren Suma, who is also one of my favourite writer people, about Nova’s recently released MG debut, Dani Noir which is also one of my favourite reads of 2009 (and Amazon.com’s pick for Top 10 Middle Readers of 2009!) on her blog. It is a great interview and you can read it here. It is also a great LOOKING interview. Susan pretty much made her interview with Nova a film noir. Amazing ladies, it is an honour to call you my friends.

3) Look at what Annika made! It is lovely.

4) I feel like a heel, but when I posted the second teaser videos for Some Girls Are, along with the second chapter, apparently the videos weren’t working for everyone, though they were working for me. Tye, from The Book Gryffin was one of those people and she PAINSTAKINGLY went to GREAT LENGTHS to explain to me ONE TWEET AT A TIME what problems she was having and then patiently waited while I fiddled with everything until it worked. I believe Jonathan Zittrain when he talks about how the web encourages random acts of kindness. Tye, I cringe to think of how much time of yours I took up, but I appreciate that you gave it to me and helped me solve that problem.

5) My friend Whitney started a photoblog with her brother, Josh, called Melvin. It is fantastic and makes me itch to pick my camera up again. You should follow it for a dose of visual inspiration.

6) AW YEAH