ALL THE SUMMER GIRLS: Giveaway!

Happy (almost) 1st birthday, How to Eat a Cupcake! Thank you all for making my first year as a published novelist so incredibly special. Let’s celebrate with a giveaway! The winner will receive a lovely gift bag including:

• A signed/personalized copy of How to Eat a Cupcake
• A signed/personalized uncorrected galley of All the Summer Girls (Eeeek! You’ll be among the very first to read my new book coming May 21!)
• The “Flowers in Bloom” cupcake decorating set including 24 cupcake wrappers and 24 bright and beautiful flower cupcake toppers. Just in time for your Spring cupcake baking! ☺

Contest runs through 3/13/13. I’ll select a winner using random.org. Winner must have a US mailing address. Enter via the below methods up to TWO TIMES EACH:

1. What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Let me know in the comment section on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/authormegdonohue

2. Share this giveaway post with your Facebook friends and let me know you’ve done so.

3. Share giveaway info on your blog/website and let me know you’ve done so.

4. Tweet the following: I want to #win a signed ARC of ALL THE SUMMER GIRLS by @megdonohue! #giveaway on.fb.me/SKisIJ

5. Sign up for my mailing list (on the left column of my website): www.megdonohue.com/all-the-summer-girls/

6. Add All the Summer Girls to your Goodreads “To Read” shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16248173-all-the-summer-girls

7. Pin the ATSG cover to a Pinterest board and let me know.

8. Share the ATSG cover on Instagram and let me know.

Can’t wait to share these fun prizes! Good luck, everyone!

HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE On Sale Today!

It's my book's birthday! Welcome to the world, HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE! I hope you'll head to your nearest bookstore for a copy or buy one online at places like indiebound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Let me know what you think! Some advanced press and event dates (including a launch party TONIGHT at Books Inc. Laurel Village, San Francisco) can be found on my website: megdonohue.com.

Thank you for your support!
-Meg

Exclusive Recipe for HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE Pre-Orders!

Less than one month until HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE's pub date (3/13/12)! Let's celebrate with some homemade cupcakes! If you pre-order by the on-sale date of 3/13, I’ll email you a Meyer lemon cupcake recipe developed exclusively for HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE readers by Bar Bambino pastry chef Alyce Shields. Just email hellomegdonohueATgmail.com with “I Pre-ordered” in the subject line, and I’ll email you the recipe. Orders must be placed before 3/13. Print and ebook pre-orders welcome. Happy baking!

You can pre-order anywhere that sells books, including:

Online, through:

Indiebound (Allows you to purchase from your local independent bookstore)

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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About the book
Free-spirited Annie and sophisticated Julia come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.

I am excited that the book is receiving nice early reviews and buzz, including:
* Selection as a Target “Emerging Author” pick
* “Donohue’s sweet debut is a clever exploration of how a West Coast mean girl grows up and gives in to friendship, love, and dozens of delicious cupcakes....[This] culinary romantic thriller will keep readers hungry for more.” — Publisher’s Weekly
* “A little friendship, a little wit and a little mystery make for a charming debut…a sharp little novel featuring the subtle characterizations of two appealingly flawed young women." — Kirkus Reviews
* Translation rights sold in Italy, Germany, Holland, and Poland
* More here: www.megdonohue.com

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Thank you for your support! Please continue check my website for upcoming readings in San Francisco, NYC, Philadelphia, and other locations.

Have a book club, store, or bakery you'd like me to visit? Please be in touch!

You can also find me on

Facebook

Twitter: @megdonohue

Goodreads

Big News!

Please excuse the radio silence over here ... I've been writing a novel!

HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE will be published March 2012. In the meantime, you can pre-order it on Amazon.

I hope you'll check out my Facebook Page. I'd love to hear from you over there!

And follow me on Twitter @megdonohue.

Best of TOMS Fall Line! (Or, SHOES GLORIOUS SHOES!)

Oh, Tom.

You've done it again. Good deeds AND good style? I heart you so very, very much.

The Snow Leopards above are fiesty enough to melt my freezing San Francisco soul. Dear Leopards, I would like to wear you with ankle-zip leggings and a huge cashmere sweater. I'll call the outfit retirement-home chic.

And I'd pair the above shoes with nubby tights, a corduroy mini, and layered threadbare tees for a so-nerdy-it's-cool, back-t0-school look. Anyone know if they still make Trapper Keepers?

Fab Friday Find! Sexy Summer Bomber Jacket

Swoon! This sassy lil' Kelly Barry bomber-meets-bolero is the absolute pride and joy of my virtual closet. It's totally one of those pieces that you could wear with anything...jeans, cocktail dresses, khaki shorts, you name it. If you do pair with jeans or shorts, I would also add a top. But that's just me being my conservative, shirt-wearing self.

By the by, I wouldn't want to bump into the tough-a&$ chick in this pic in a dark alley. Looks like someone forgot to get grumpypants her skinny soy latte this morning. How in the world could someone be so unhappy in such a fab coat? I hope the photographer stayed away from sharp objects; this lady looks like she could go Naomi C. on someone any second.

Anyhoo, guess what? The coat's made of organic cotton! I bet you already guessed that though, huh? Oh, dear, dear reader, you know me so well. Just for that, I've willed the powers that be to put the coat on sale. $126 at BTCelements.com. Lucky ducks.

Modern, Green Adirondack for Those of You Who Get Summer

My understanding is that summer has hit other parts of the country. San Francisco, not so much. Still, a girl can dream.

How much do you love the sleek angles and modern dark ash shade of CB2's FSC-certified Eucalyptus wood Sawyer chairs? A lot, right? You can just tell they'd be a perfect match in a minimalist, Cali-style, low-water garden, but would also lend a contemporary, beachy vibe to a lush East Coast yard. I think we've all earned some summery lounging...even if I'll be wearing a coat in this bizarro city where microclimates take the place of seasons.

Wee Ones Wednesday: Kalon Studios' New Green Echo Crib

Daaaayyyyyummmm. Now that's a good lookin' crib.

Kalon Studios' new Echo crib offers a modern look that's both clean and soft -- perfect for the kiddo with an eye for high design and a penchant for toppling over. Made with 100% FSC-certified domestic Maple wood and organic, non-toxic paint (ingredient: milk!), it doesn't come cheap ($1,195. Ouchers.)...but order now and get 10% off.

Ikat Get Enough of Ashley Watson + Lina Rennell Bags

Sorry for the stinker of a headline, but it's true! I'm officially obsessed with Ikat. If you show me something with Ikat print, I'll show you how fast I can pull out my wallet. If I could, I'd take a page from Heidi Montag's playbook and buy 10 in 1 day. And then recover by slowly, ever so slowly, eating veggie burgers "fresh" from my freezer cuz it's all I'd be able to afford.

These gorgeous recycled leather and organic canvas handmade bags are the collaborative work of Ashley Watson (whose bags I've admired before) and Lisa Rennell. They're sold at Beklina and nope, they ain't cheap. But they sure would make a fabu Mother's Day gift. Especially the blue one above. I'm just sayin.

Cuteness Overload: Baby Shoes!

The only thing sweeter than a pair of super cute baby shoes is a pair of super cute baby shoes that support a great cause. These vegan Hydra Heart shoes are sold on online at buildanest.com, a nonprofit "microbartering" organization dedicated to supporting female artisans in developing countries. If your kiddo will stay still long enough to have his or her tootsies measured, Molly Puzo of Hydra Heart will make a pair of custom kicks just for junior.
Pssst -- There are some sweet adult styles too!