Take Me There Blog Stop

A little over a week ago, I was lucky enough to meet Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There, at a local Barnes & Noble. Though she isn't the first author I've seen at this B&N (they host quite a few YA authors!), it's the first where I got to visit in length with an author which was an amazing experience. Carolee has traveled around Texas meeting with several bloggers as part of her Take Me To Texas tour. A good portion of Take Me There is set in Texas- which is the reason for this tour focus. Even better on the tour, Carolee had each of us sign a pair of cowboy boots she has! I felt a little awesome giving my signature out for once.

We chatted for about an hour and a half and had a great time! Having spent most of my life in Texas, I really enjoyed getting to help host something specific to this state- I am incredibly partial to it, after all. Not to mention, my brother is a proud Texas Longhorn alum and even still goes to UT football games. The Red River rivalry? We are all over that in our family. So given our state love of football- and our awesome college team- is it really a shock our state's large mammal is the Longhorn? Yeah, didn't think so. Should I be ashamed of knowing that? Maybe. Am I? Nope. I think what's more awkward is that we also have a state small mammal... because, uh, we need two? Any guesses on it? Yeah. The armadillo. Personally, I think it's the state nuisance but I don't make the rules. Didn't even know it was a mammal, did you? We think it is.

Okay. Enough about my awesome state and back to this tour. My review for the book will be coming this week, but is most definitely one you want to read! I was a bit shell shocked by the end of it- fantastic read. In the spirit of Texas travel, Carolee is stopping by the blog of each of the people she met and visited with to offer a giveaway of things she picked up in the different cities. Along the way with each blog stop, we will be dropping little bits of Texas trivia. Follow each stop for a final giveaway- fill in the quiz answers and be entered to win the grand prize that will be revealed August 30. Want an easy way to follow the tour? Check out this link here- it lists everything for you and will be updated to link directly to each post as they go live.

For others of you in Texas, Carolee has listed on her LJ page the stores where she left signed books behind. A great book AND it's signed? Yep. You want one.

So what can you win from my stop, courtesy of Carolee? A Take Me There tote bag, Texas trivia playing cards, and a really awesome bracelet. To enter, just fill out this form. Deadline is August 30. US only. Also, Carolee is hoping to make this an interactive thing readers can do even after the contest is over so make sure to spread the word- tweet, sidebar, or facebook it and just leave the link in your entry and you're all set!