I'm oh, so excited!!! And why you might ask?

I'm the very FIRST stop on the blog tour for Sarah Ockler's newest book, BITTERSWEET, which is being hosted by the fabulous folks over at The {Teen} Book Scene. Sarah's latest and greatest is set to release on Tuesday, January 3rd.

And what better way to celebrate? I'll be giving away TWO copies of BITTERSWEET here on my blog (see below for giveaway details).

And don't forget to check out Goodreads summary of BITTERSWEET:

Hudson can't wait to get out of Watonka, her working-class town outside of Buffalo. Once upon a time, her talent as a skater was going to be her ticket out... but when her parents' marriage unraveled three years ago, so did her dreams.

Now, she buries herself in making cupcakes for her mom's diner and imagining her parallel life where she went on to skate to glory. But when she gets a letter inviting her to audition for a skating scholarship *and* the hockey team asks for her help with their technique (read: free ice time for Hudson), it's impossible to ignore the signs. Is she ready to get back on the ice? Could this be her ticket out?

Hudson's determined not to let anything stand in her way. But between baking and waitressing at the diner, the love triangle that's developing with two outrageously cute hockey boys, and the simmering drama with her best friend, her future is anything but certain...

What's not to love there? I mean, it's got hockey boys...and cupcakes! Hello?

I'm a big fan of Sarah's and enjoyed her first two books (check out my reviews for TWENTY BOY SUMMER and FIXING DELILAH from earlier this year) - and being a part of the blog tour meant I had the chance to ask her a series of questions, which she had to answer with the first thing that came to mind!

Fun, no?

So, without further adieu, the following list of words / short phrases, is what I asked Sarah:

1. Erin (ELS): Revisions
Sarah Ockler (SO): Mining for gems. In a dark cave. With a paintbrush, tweezers, a jackhammer, and a headlamp with a dying battery. Also, there are snakes. And a ticking clock. (Okay, so that was more like the first *10* things that came to mind, but…)

2. ELS: Book titles
SO: Second impressions.

3. ELS: Measure or wing it?
SO: Measure. Twice. And then get a second opinion.

4. ELS: Writers block
SO: A special dedicated prison wing for YA authors gone bad (which is pretty much all of us)!

5. ELS: Social media
SO: Often antisocial.

6. ELS: Character names
SO: Nymbler.com.

7. ELS: Literary agent
SO: Necessary.

8. ELS: Plotter vs. pantser
SO: Panty-liner (one who outlines, but in a creative, pantsing kind of way)!

9. ELS: Censorship
SO: Fear mongering.

10. ELS: Being published
SO: Not the end goal, just a step in a long journey.

11. ELS: Young Adult
SO: Voices in my head.

12. ELS: High school
SO: Unending.

13. ELS: Book covers
SO: First impressions.

14. ELS: Compliments and criticism
SO: All part of the gig. Don’t be ruled by either!

15. ELS: Story concepts
SO: Collages.

What fun answers, especially for all of us aspiring writers! A BIG thanks to Sarah for taking the time to do this, especially with the holidays, and I dunno, her release approaching next week!

Please check out everyone else that participated in the blog tour - for more reviews and author interviews with Sarah, head on over to The {Teen} Book Scene. As well, come back soon for my review of BITTERSWEET!

And now on to the giveaway!

General rules to note:

Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. Note: Giveaway is open to anywhere TheBookDepository.com ships. It is your responsibility to make sure the Book Depository ships to your country (you can find that information here).
Winners must be 13 years or older.
To enter, I only ask that you be (or become) a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect.
Only ONE entry per person (please don't use alternative email addresses to enter!).
Fill out the Rafflecopter form below, to be officially entered.
Winners will be chosen via Random.org on BITTERSWEET's release day, Tuesday, January 3rd - and announced here on my blog.
For old followers, both on Google Connect and Twitter (thank you!), max number of entries is 10. For new followers (welcome!), max number of entries is 8.