SLIDE playlist + iPod Nano contest!!!

So it's only been a few hours since my last contest ended. Time for a new one, wouldn't you say? 

Let me give you a hint about what the next one will involve: 

It all makes sense now, right? 

No?

Ha, okay, let me explain. In SLIDE, Vee Bell's mother passed away five years ago. All Vee really has left to remember her is a box of old CDs from the nineties. Vee listens to the music to feel closer to her mom. So I figured it would be cool to share the songs that inspired me while I was writing SLIDE, along with some tidbits about the story and characters and my writing process. I'll share a song every few days for the next month.

During that time, you can enter to win an iPod Nano* + $25 iTunes card by buying a copy of SLIDE and sending a picture of it in your favorite reading spot to jillehathaway at gmail. (Hence the creepy dolls above... I like to read in bed, or in the tub, or... you know... sitting next to the refrigerator so I can easily grab a burrito.) Since SLIDE is already out in Hungary and the UK, readers living in those areas can enter right away. People in the U.S. have two more weeks to wait. But everyone will have an equal chance to win. I'll randomly choose a winner on Saturday, April 7th and post it here. All entrants will receive signed bookmarks! When you send your picture, make sure to include your name and address and a note telling me whether it's okay to post the picture on my blog.

Okay, so on to Song #1 on my SLIDE playlist: "Alive" by Pearl Jam. As I mentioned, Vee's mom died of pancreatic cancer five years before the story begins. In the book, Vee listens to it while thinking about her mom:

"The song 'Alive' comes on, and my heart trips a little. I lean back against my pillow and listen to the words. I think it's about this kid finding out his father is dead. Even though the kid never knew his father, the death leaves a scar on him. An absence so all-encompassing, it's there even in his happiest moments.

I close my eyes and wish I could tell my mother about my day. I'd tell her I'm worried about Sophie and how there's a new boy who's really kind of hot and how I think Mattie and Amber are up to no good. I'd tell her I miss her. I'd tell her I love her. I'd tell her everything." 

(Slide, page 32)

You can watch the "Alive" video here.

If you like this song, you can buy it here.

*There are two Nanos in the picture, and I'm going to raffle off the other one at my launch party. So if you're in the Des Moines area, definitely come to the Barnes & Noble on University Avenue on March 31st at 2 p.m. for a chance to win!