Spencer's Spectacular Birthday Party!

TODAY is Spencer Grace Kelly's birthday! And to celebrate the anniversary of everyone's fav GoldenGirl, she's hosting a special contest for all her friendlies over at her blog, All That Glitters, this week.

Craft your own six-word memoir and post it in the comments section to her post by midnight EDT on Wed, 3/25. She and her BFFs will choose their favorite and award the winner a prezzie.

Good luck!

Contests Galore!

If you're interested in winning a copy of GoldenGirl, check out this contest that Shalonda's Blog is running. It's so easy to enter—you just have to visit some of the Bradford blogs & websites (which you were so totally going to do anyway, right?) and tell her what you liked about it/them. She's also got some ways to earn extra entries, so head on over there for all the deats.

(BTW, I'm loving her pretty new daisies layout!)

Also, don't forget the contest over at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, which also ends next week.

AND, of course, keep commenting on Bradford Blog Bash posts to earn entries in our Grand Prize giveaway for a random commenter from ANY of the blog bash's posts, and our Slightly Less Grand Prize giveaway (which might actually be almost as grand as the Grand Prize, but is for this week's posts only). Comments through midnight on Sunday 2/22 count toward these giveaways. We'll announce the winners on Monday.

Party Favors!!!

The Bradford Blog Bash is winding down, but this week is packed with soooo much Bradfordly goodness...I just can't contain my excitement. Here are some of the highlights:

• NOW YOU SEE HER. Our fav author, Micol, has created a special vid that explains that interactive collection of web stuffs we like to call the Bradverse. She's super cute in it—especially right after the first cutaway—AND she manages to do a great job of explaining just what all this crazy internet stuff is all about. Let us know what you think, and spread it around! (It's also available on the FlirtyGirlBooks YouTube channel, if you have trouble embedding it from Vimeo.)
  

• ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE. Thanks to suggestions from Alea, Noah, and others, we've launched an official BradfordWiki!!! This is a special collection of articles about the series that's meant to be written for the fans, BY the fans. We've created a few article stubs just to get you started, but this is a place for YOU to share your Bradford knowledge with other readers! (In particular, I think Alea is interested in someone deciphering some of that unique Bradford slang...anyone out there willing to help her out?)

• PARTY FAVORS. We've just added some fun new GoldenGirl-themed avatars/chat icons and wallpapers to the Bradford Novels downloads page. Deck out your desktop like a Fashionista, or satisfy your inner Paige (or Mads, or Spence, or Regan) by switching your chat icon.
  

• THE GRAND FINALE. I know it's been a long and crowded party (thanks, authors, bloggers, and photo shoot cast & crew for giving us so many posts!) but you need to keep up your energy for a few more days! Not only do we have some really exciting posts this week, but we're planning two grand prize-ish giveaways (okay, so they're not a trip to Tahiti, but they're more than just a book). One's for a random commenter to any post from this week—multiple comments = multiple entries, natch—AND the other's for a random commenter to ANY POST FROM THE ENTIRE BLOG BASH (same rules apply). So, you're probably already entered to win one of the grand prizes!! How great is that? Now, let's get to work increasing your chances of winning by sharing your thoughts with us!
  

Mondays with Micol: Double Feature

To celebrate the beginning of the last week of the Bradford Blog Bash, we decided to do a double feature for Mondays with Micol. So read both Q&A's and then comment on one or both to be entered in this week's giveaway.

Would you want to attend Bradford Prep?
I actually attended a private day school that was similar to Bradford in that academics were strongly emphasized and there was a LOT of pressure on students to perform. And I was always a bit of an overachiever: student council, newspaper, yearbook, lit mag, in addition to honors classes and AP track and that sort of stuff.
(Gawd, I'm making myself sound like a HUGE nerd. But there you have it. Would it help if I told you I was also a cheerleader for a brief stint? 'Cause I was.).
So I think intellectually, I would have been prepared for a place as rigorous as Bradford. Still, though, my school was very small, so as much as we had our cliques, the social life wasn't quite as cutthroat as it is at Bradford. The mean girl culture might be hard to adjust to.
All that being said—who wouldn't want to go to Bradford? The glamour! The drama! The outfits!

Which Bradford character did you think you'd hate, but end up bonding with?
I have a soft spot in my heart for poor Kaylen, who is so cripplingly insecure and transparent. I thought I would find her annoying and needy, but actually, she's lots of fun to write, and she brings out my sympathy and pity. I hope she has a chance to come into her own later on as the series evolves.

So, two questions for you, friendlies:
1. Would you want to attend Bradford Prep & why/why not?
2. Of all the scandal-mongers, frenemies, and bizznatches out there in the Brad-verse, which one do you LOVE to hate?

Tell us what you think by this Thursday at midnight EST, and you'll be entered in this week's giveaway. Since there are two Mondays with Micol questions this week, you'll get an entry for each question you comment about—that's two chances to win, just for letting us know what you think! We'll use a random number generator to select a winner, and will announce the lucky recipient in Friday's post. Good luck!

Spring Cleaning

The Bradford Blog Bash is ending its THIRD week, and we've still got a bunch of new awesome authors visiting next week. In fact, we had so many authors volunteer that we have TWO coming by over the weekend, so stop by on Saturday and Sunday for those Q&A's.

To celebrate the Blog Bash, we decided to do a little redecorating over at the Bradford Novels website this week, so check it out! Some of the new stuff includes an excerpt from GoldenGirl, a link directly to Spencer's student page (from which you can access other characters), and downloadable avatars featuring our Bradford girls. We're also working on some desktop wallpaper.

Since it's Friday, it's time to announce this week's randomly generated Mondays with Micol winner. Congratulations, Faith (who is not-so-secretly crushing on Jeremy)! We'll get your prize to you soon.

Mondays with Micol: Who's Your Bradford Crush?

Tee hee. Cute boys. One of our fave topics! For today's Mondays with Micol question, we asked our favorite authoress which Bradford boy she totally crushes on. Here's what she had to say:

Jeremy is the one I would have dated in high school: artsy, deep, thoughtful, above all of that social mafia stuff.

BUT I think I probably would have had a weak spot for bad-boy Dalton, too. He's like chocolate-chocolate chip ice cream; decadent, indulgent, bad for you in large quantities . . . but irresistible.

Okay, it's share-time, people: which Brad-boy gets YOU all haute and bothered?

If you need a cheat sheet, check out their pages on the Bradford Prep website. Log in using the username "guest" and the password from the e-mail on Spencer's desktop at the end of GoldenGirl.

Tell us what you think by this Thursday at midnight EST, and you'll be entered in this week's giveaway. We'll use a random number generator to select a winner, and will announce the lucky recipient in Friday's post. Good luck!

Giveaway Winners!

This week, we had TWO giveaways.

Congratulations to Paradox, who wins a copy of Cynthia Leitich Smith's Tantalize! We'll be sending you an e-mail soon.

And the winner of this week's mystery prize from Mondays with Micol is Liviana! Please e-mail your address to flirtygirl (at) flirtygirlproductions (dot) com so we can mail your prize out to you.

Have a great weekend!

Blogger contest to win a GoldenGirl ARC

Check out this contest to win an ARC of GoldenGirl: A Bradford Novel from Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf. Ends 2/28.

Thanks, Lauren!

Mondays with Micol: Who's Your Bradford BFF?

Friends? Or Frenemies? For today's Mondays with Micol question, we asked our favorite authoress which Bradford character she would most like to be friends with. Here's what she had to say:

Hmm . . . you need each of them for different purposes.


I think Spencer is the most tried-and-true of all of the girlies, always wanting to believe the best in people and give her friendlies the benefit of the doubt.

But Mads is all about fun and flair, and Regan is probably the most understanding.

Paige is the girl you go to when your ex starts dating someone new and you need her to remind you of why you're way cooler than his flavor of the week and how it will never last.

So, dear readers, which Bradford bestie would you hang with, if you could, and why? Tell us what you think by this Thursday at midnight EST, and you'll be entered in this week's giveaway. We'll use a random number generator to select a winner, and will announce the lucky recipient in Friday's post. Good luck!

Fun on Friday: Grace Kelly

To end our first week of the Bradford Blog Bash, here are some fun videos honoring Grace Kelly that we thought you'd enjoy. And scroll down for the winner of this week's Mondays with Micol giveaway!


This one seems to be a teaser for an old Grace Kelly documentary. But it shows a few clips from her movies and her fairytale wedding and gives a good short overview of her life.




A nice slideshow of Grace Kelly, where you can really see her resemblance to Spencer. Not so sure about the heavy rock soundtrack that goes with it, but it's better than the Yanni song that was playing on another slideshow of her!



The trailer for To Catch a Thief:




And, a fun music video for Mika's "Grace Kelly":




Finally, we've done the random drawing, and the winner of this week's Mondays with Micol prize is: Meredith! Congratulations, Meredith, we'll be contacting you soon via e-mail.

Also, check out this great Bradford Prep mention, and comment on YOUR favorite fictional school.

See you on Monday!

Mondays with Micol: Two Questions for the Price of One

So, to celebrate the Bradford Blog Bash, we're hosting a little sit-down with Bradford author Micol Ostow every Monday. She'll answer a question or two about the books, and then ask you, the readers, for your opinions.

And the best part is that you'll be entered to win a prize, just for commenting! On Thursdays at midnight EST, we'll randomly select a winner for the week's Mondays with Micol giveaway, and will announce the lucky recipient in Friday's post.

Share your thoughts and possibly win a prize! It's that easy.

To start this blog bash off right, we're asking Micol not one, but two questions today. If your comment discusses BOTH of the questions, you get TWO entries in the giveaway drawing. That's double the chance to win. So, without further ado . . .

Philadelphia's Main Line is practically a character unto itself in the Bradford books. What makes the Philadelphia Main Line unique as a setting? As a die-hard New Yorker, for me it's fun to research the history and culture of another major city. We folks in NYC tend to forget that other cities even exist. I didn't realize that the legacy of the Main Line was as old and storied as it is. I also love the idea of an idyllic suburban-style enclave just outside a major metropolis—the best of both world for my characters.

Which Bradford character is the most like you?
They all have a little bit of me in them: I'm an overachiever like Spencer, while Mads and I are both bold, creative types. Regan is earthy, spiritual, and grounded (I would totally go to yogilates class with her if she asked), and Paige and I are equally snarky and straightforward.
(Full disclosure: Paige is probably the most fun to write, because she says all of the horrible thoughts that we all have, but would NEVER say out loud. It's extremely cathartic and a wickedly guilty pleasure.)

So, friendlies:

1. What are some of YOUR favorite settings for books? Were you excited to learn about a series that features the Main Line? Did you know anything about Philadelphia before you read (or read about) Bradford? Please to share.

2. Who is YOUR Bradford alter ego? Inquiring minds, and all.

Fun Freebies!

Santa visited early this year--something about us being Jewish had him confused, I guess--and dropped off the very pretty Bradfordly giveaways. Three have been promised to three very promising book bloggers:
shalondasblogspot.com
laurasreviewbookshelf.blogspot.com
sharonlovesbooksandcats.blogspot.com
But there are more! There are infinite! And one can be YOURS.
How, you ask?
Easy!
Just follow these three simple steps:
1. Visit the Bradford Novels blog.
(And look--you're here already! So you're all kinds of ahead of the game!)
2. Download our countdown widget.
3. Email me at micol@micolostow.com to tell me you've downloaded our countdown widget.

And then wait patiently for your fun freebie to arrive.

Oh, oh, oh, I do so heart the hols!

xx,

Micol