Stuff To Win, Places To Go, and Important Info For Writers

Wanna win a book? Or five? Who doesn't?! Check out this month's Grab Bag of Books Giveaway on TeenReads.com :


Yep, that's a copy of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, which contains my novella, Last Stand. If you don't have your own copy yet, enter for a chance to win it (and some other wonderful reads!)

In the meantime, my calendar is filling with events. If there's one near you, please come and see me! Here's the official list (with more updates coming soon, so stay tuned!):

Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
New Britain Public Library, 20 High Street, New Britain, CT.
I will be appearing at the library to discuss how a book makes it from a writer's laptop to a bookstore shelf, and to answer any and all of your questions. (Okay, maybe not ALL questions. For instance, not about my weight. Or about that time in ninth grade when I had to hide a pair of underwear in the trash--long story. But other questions...fire away!)

Wednesday, July 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Romance Writers of America Annual Literacy Autographing, San Francisco Marriott, San Francisco, CA.
I'll be signing books alongside 450 other authors, with all the proceeds of the sales going to literacy charities. If you're in the San Francisco area, this is a great chance to meet and talk to me (and many other fantastic authors, such as Terri Clark, Lynda Sandoval, and Alyson Noël!)

Friday, October 17, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Henry Waldinger Memorial Library, 60 Verona Place, Valley Stream, NY (Long Island).
What would you ask an author if you had the chance? I will be meeting with the library's Mother/Daughter Book Club for a fun night of Q & A about my books, with a focus on Goddess Games.

Finally, some important info for writers: for whatever reason, over the last few weeks, I've gotten a TON of requests from readers/aspiring writers who want me to read their work, give their name to my agent, find them a publisher, etc. Though I'm honored that you trust me with your work, here's the thing: for a lot of boring (but important) legal reasons, I can't read your manuscripts. If you send one to me, I have to delete it unread. Plus, even if there weren't legal reasons preventing me from reading your work, if I started saying yes to one request I'd feel like I needed to say yes to all requests, which would leave me no time at all to write my own stuff. SO...please don't send me your novel-in-progress, or ask me if I will send it to my agent or editor. However, I don't want to leave you adrift! If you are an aspiring writer, I encourage you to check out the Frequently Asked Questions page on my website. There's a lot of info there to help you. Also, consider finding a few other writers and forming a critique group. Not to tear apart each other's projects, but to be give constructive criticism in a supportive atmosphere. A lot of writers find critique groups to be useful in their careers. You might find one useful, as well.

Picture Day!

Two coolio pics to share today. The first was sent to me by the fabulous Alyson Noël (she wrote the books Cruel Summer, Faking 19, and Art Geeks and Prom Queens, among others!) While I've never made it to the beach in Santa Monica, apparently my books have. This was taken at the Barnes & Noble there:



Of course, I'm horribly jealous. It's just under a hundred degrees at my house today, and I am NOT a hundred degree girl. Not without sand, a shaded lounge chair, and the sound of surf. (A book or magazine would do nicely, too.)

Today's other great pic came to me from Jennifer, the YA Librarian at Otis Library. She's collected photos of authors and made READ posters out of them for the library. You can check them out on her MySpace--just click on her Pics to see them all. Here's the one she made of me. Isn't it fun?



Finally, it's not a picture, but doesn't Picture Day always deserves a prize?? (Maybe because I'm not that big on getting my picture taken, I figure it's a good excuse to give myself a gift!) Check out Book Chic's MySpace blog to win some great prizes, including a copy of Breaking Up (Is Hard To Do), which includes my story, Last Stand, as well as stories from Terri Clark, Ellen Hopkins, and Lynda Sandoval.

Happy Picture Day!

They're Out There

Happy May Day! Huge celebration at my house. Not because it's finally spring (though that's certainly reason enough!) but because TWO new Niki books are now available everywhere.

First, check out Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, which includes four stories (one each from me, Terri Clark, Ellen Hopkins, and Lynda Sandoval) about--shocker!--breaking up. Some bookstores are displaying the book on tables, while in others it's shelved--usually under "Burnham" but sometimes under one of the other contributor's names or with other anthologies--so if you can't find it, ask!

If you want a preview of my story, just click here to read an excerpt. "Last Stand" tells the story of Toby Maitland, an average guy who's scored an amazing girlfriend (as in, she's cute, funny, and stacked.) But when Amber goes ballistic in the middle of a makeout session, Toby has to decide what it is he really wants from the relationship.



And...drumroll, please...the paperback edition of Goddess Games has been officially released! I'd heard reports of it popping up in a few stores last week, but this week it's in stores all over the U.S. and Canada. I've been getting e-mail from readers for months asking when the paperback would be available. To all of you who've written, huge thanks for your patience. (Seneca, one of the main characters, would give you an air-kiss and tell you that you're "just the best!" Then she'd probably ask why you wear your hair that way. She's whacked like that.)

For an excerpt and behind-the-scenes info on Goddess Games, just go here.

In the meantime, I'll be watching tonight's episode of Survivor. I'm worried about my man James. I was dying for him to approach Jason ahead of the vote last week to let him know that the girls were going to blindside him. James could've said something like, "Look, Jason, I know you think the girls are supporting you and they're telling you they want to get rid of me. The thing is, they want to get rid of ALL of the guys. You first, which is why they have Natalie telling you you're safe and trying to convince you not to play the idol. They want to get you the same way they got Ozzy. Then they're getting rid of me and Erik. I'm voting for Parvati tonight, 'cause if you play the idol, then the second-highest vote getter is out. If it's Parv, we can break up the girls' alliance. If you play the idol and it turns out I'm wrong, what's the harm? But if you play the idol and if I'm right, I just saved your bacon. And you'll know exactly who your allies are. Think about it."



But if he said anything like that, they sure didn't show it. Naive Jason went down without playing the idol, and now James and Erik are on the chopping block. I'm afraid they missed their chance. I'd have thought by now that James--of all people--would know what happens when you don't play the idol at the right time. He needed to convince Jason that last week was the right time. AND that it was the best possible time to break up the girls' alliance. I'll cross my fingers that he redeems himself tonight. I hope he and Erik both somehow manage to have immunity.

(BTW...did you realize that Parvati's last name is Shallow? I find that so funny.)

BOLO

BOLO being cop-speak for "Be On The Lookout."

The official release date isn't until May 5th, but guess what Terri Clark spotted in a Colorado Barnes & Noble?



Breaking Up (Is Hard To Do) is showing up in stores! I've also had reports of sightings in California and around Seattle, and the book is now listed as shipping from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble online, Books-A-Million, and dozens of great independent booksellers.

Breaking Up features stories from Terri Clark, Ellen Hopkins, and Lynda Sandoval, along with yours truly. You can get more info and read an excerpt of my contribution, "Last Stand", right here.

We just learned that the April 15 issue of Kirkus gave the book a fabulous review. It's long, but here's a highlight:

"Although the focus is breakups, each (story) leaves protagonists and readers with the hope of a new and better relationship to come...Often frankly sexy and peppered with teen-friendly references (hip slang, IM conversations), this box of candy for the lovelorn satisfies."

Nifty, eh?

In other good news, the paperback edition of Goddess Games is going to be hitting the stores any day. It has a new, bright blue cover I adore, so again, BOLO!




As always, all the details (a quickie blurb, an excerpt, and some fun behind the scenes info) are right here, on the official Niki site.

And if you see either book in a store, snap a pic on your cell phone and send it in. ( Just be sure to use a good subject line in your e-mail so it doesn't end up in the spam folder, and let me know where your shot was taken.) Your photo might show up here on the blog!

Cover Girl

Check it out! This is the official cover for the paperback version of Goddess Games, which comes out in May:



Doesn't it make you want to spend a weekend at a spa?!

Magazine-palooza

I subscribe to four magazines: Newsweek, National Geographic, Shape, and Self. When I'm going to be on an airplane, I treat myself to an airport-purchased copy of Lucky and/or Allure. Magazines are my guilty pleasure--their bite-size columns give me the ability to stop and start without losing my train of thought, as sometimes happens when I'm reading a book.

I hit the magazine jackpot at Thanksgiving, though--my sister-in-law handed me a stack of magazines she'd read on the flight from Minnesota to Colorado so I could read them on my flight home to Boston. I devoured Entertainment Weekly and US Weekly (which made me glad not to have paparazzi following me, hoping to get a shot of me tripping over a curb or with something stuck in my teeth.) But the most guilty pleasure of all was the "Sexiest Man" issue of People. Matt Damon was this year's winner. Kudos to the mag for making an out-of-the-box choice!



I was also glad to see Peter Krause and Seth Gabel from my newest fave TV show, Dirty Sexy Money. I'd be tempted to subscribe and feed my addiction, but I doubt that with all those magazines floating around my house, I'd ever get my writing done.

Normally I recycle my magazines, but when I finished this batch, I left them scattered in different seat backs so people on the next flight could do some guilty pleasure reading while airborne.

So what about you? What magazines are your guilty pleasures? And what do you do with them when you're done reading?


*** And a P.S. to today's blog, for those of you who do your guilty pleasure reading on the web: I'm featured today in author Cynthia Leitich Smith's popular blog, Cynsations. Thanks to Cyn for giving me the chance to chat about the creation of Goddess Games! ***

Autographed Books!

This is your chance to get an autographed Niki Burnham book (for yourself, or as a Christmas or birthday gift for a friend!)

Yesterday, I signed piles of books for the Borders store in Redmond, Washington. But if you act quickly, you can get an autographed copy sent to YOUR local Borders!

Here's what you need to do:

1) Go to your local Borders;

2) Tell them you'd like to order a book from Borders #0191 in Redmond, Washington;

3) Your store will call up the Redmond Borders and let you know which autographed copies are still available (I signed copies of Goddess Games, Sticky Fingers, and Scary Beautiful);

4) You pay for it at your local Borders; and

5) They'll call you when it comes in.

The Redmond Borders will only have these books for a limited time (the employees are probably tripping on them!) so if this is something you want to do, please act sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, thanks again for all your support (I think I have the best readers in the world!!) and be sure to check out my all-new website and bulletin boards.