Yes, yes, I usually reserve Hello Friday for our awesome bloggers, but I’m also supposed to do one big 32 CANDLES post a month, and alas, we have a ton of events piled up that I just need to tell you about: 1. First up, I know my LA folks are coming out tomorrow for my 32 CANDLES Q&A at Writing Pad, right? $10 measly covers your salted caramel cupcakes and your seat. To tell you the truth, I would pay $10 for the cupcakes alone. The Writing Pad caterer is out of this world and her salted caramel cupcakes are a gift to humanity. A gift to humanity. You think I’m exaggerating, but if you come out to the event, you’ll se that I’m really not. So do, do, do RSVP marilyn at writingpad.com! 2. Outside of LA, but still want to chat? Join Bernadette Davis, Dee Gospel and moi online at 6PMpst/9PMest for a 32 Candles Twitter PJ Party at #blacklitchit . All the details about this awesome event can be found HERE. 3. Hey, what’s up New York? I see you’ve all got plans for Halloween, but are wondering what do with yourselves the day before on October 30. Well, look no further. Attica Locke, Terry McMillan, Dolen Perkins-Valdez and myself will be reading live at the Circle of Sisters Book Club from 1pm – 3pm. But get this, $10 gets you all-day access to the Circle of Sister Conference. C’mon now, why wouldn’t you come out??? We’ve got your info right HERE. 4. And, Brooklyn. Dearest, dearest, Brooklyn. You thought I forgot about you, didn’t you, Brooklyn? You thought that since I hadn’t set foot in your fair borough since um … 2001 — yeah, that’s the year, 2001, that...

Hey Guys! A few notes about 32 CANDLES for the month of September: 1. If you live in or near Washington DC, do come out to the 32 CANDLES event THIS WEDNESDAY, Sept. 15, 6:30pm at Borders (Largo, MD). Get the details HERE. 2. In Pittsburgh? I’m going to be at Joseph-Beth Booksellers NEXT WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22, at 7pm. Those details can me found HERE. 3. Planning on hitting the Southern California Writer’s Conference this year? I’m the Sunday speaker. 4. We’re still working on Chicago and Atlanta dates, so do keep your eye the 32 CANDLES Events page. 5. In the meanwhile, please help us keep the momentum going by posting your reviews of 32 CANDLES on Amazon and more importantly, telling your friends that you enjoyed the book on Twitter, FB, and IRL. 6. Last but not least, I’ll be in New York City once again on Halloween weekend for The Circle of Sisters Conference. Attica Locke (BLACK WATER RISING), Terry McMillan (WAITING TO EXHALE, GETTING TO HAPPY), Dolen Perkins-Valdez (WENCH) and I will be taking part in a special Circle of Sisters Book Club event, so seriously, be there or be square (in a bad way). Check out the snazzy event page...

So this is the last (big) 32 CANDLES ASK. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be asking for a bunch of little favors for the rest of the summer. I’ll definitely pop a 32C request or two into an occasional blogumn or One More Thing or PoT! Friday. Also, I’ll be blogging about 32 CANDLES every Monday and about writing in general every Wednesday. But I’m hitting the road next week, so it’s time to focus on the IRL promotion. Also, though I’ve loved promoting 32 CANDLES, quite frankly it feels a little weird to talk about one thing for so long and for so much. So starting next Tuesday, Fierce and Nerdy and 32 CANDLES is going back to their old format, with the exception of THEN and NOW staying on as a weekly feature. That all explained, let’s get into my last 32 CANDLES ASK: 1. READ THE BOOK. This weekend if you can. By the end of July if this weekend isn’t possible. We need a ton of first readers to help other readers find 32 CANDLES. 2. WORD OF MOUTH. I’m a debut author, submitting a book into a very crowded field. So I’m depending on you guys to help me spread the word. If you get into a conversation with a woman between the ages of 21 and 50, please find a way to tell her about this book. If you have a blog, please review this book on it. If you have a twitter account, please tweet about it. Your word of mouth is what will give 32 CANDLES legs. If you could spare one tweet or Facebook status update to 32 CANDLES every week for the rest of the summer, you would be a big part of...

So many of you have read the book and I thank you mightily for it. If you enjoyed it, could you do me the further favor of telling five friends about the book in person. E-pitches are awesome, but word-of-IRL-mouth is where it’s at. So as you go about your 4th of July weekend, please mention 32 CANDLES at any parties or events that you attend. However while talking up 32, please don’t forget to eat lots of barbecue. I want to sell lots of copies of this book, so that my next book will get published — but c’mon, barbecue always come...

I’ve been getting a few emails from people complaining about neglecting their work and/or not getting any sleep because they couldn’t put the book down. Of course, these messages make my day. But in the interest of making sure you don’t get in trouble at work, might I suggest that you read 32 CANDLES over the upcoming long weekend? That all advised, let’s move on to today’s 32 CANDLES ask. If you’re on Facebook or Twitter please do us the great boon of encouraging your friends and followers to read 32 CANDLES over the July 4th holiday. I’ve included a short message for a twitter and/or facebook update  below to make it easy for you. Pick up 32 CANDLES by my friend, Ernessa T. Carter, for the long weekend. It’s a great vacation read!...

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Thank you all so much for the bookshelf pics. Keep ’em coming. And I also love the pics of you guys with the book, so keep those coming, too! Also, thanks to everyone who sent me notes about enjoying the book this weekend. Weekends are for reading, I say and I’m glad so many of you spent your weekend with 32. Friendly reminder to leave a review for the book at Amazaon. The more reviews, the more sales. And I need sales to sell the next book to the publisher, so please consider leaving a review. Oh, and if the 32 CANDLES copy looks especially well-educated in the pic below, that’s because it’s at the Princeton Barnes & Noble. Thanks for snapping this, Elizabeth...

Mark this date on your calendar: July 5. That’s when things will go back to normal here at Fierce and Nerdy. We’ll bring back your daily Procrastinate on This!, Thought Chuck, and One More Thing, and everything will be back to normal. Til then, whatta week, whatta week! 1. Thanks for all the sweet comments online and off about our new THEN and NOW series. It’s been so inspiring for me to read these stories and I’m glad they’re resonating with you, too. Go HERE to read this week’s batch of awesome THEN and NOW stories, and consider submitting one of your own. 2. I would really, really, really love to see you at either Leimert Park tomorrow (June 26) or at my book signing on Monday. Details for both events can be found HERE. 3. First week sales are super-important, so if you haven’t picked up your copy of 32 CANDLES yet, please do so HERE. 4. Want a 32 CANDLES T-shirt?  Read the book and review it on your blog before July 4th and we’ll send you one! 5. Already read the book? Please consider leaving a review at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or GoodReads. 100% Love,...

Hello Darlins, I am loving all the shelf elf stories that I’ve been getting on Facebook. So please keep on shelf elfing and if you can take either a shelf elf pic or a pic of yourself with the book, as the lovely “other Ernessa” Sapper is in the picture to the left, that would be even more awesome. You probably thought that pic request was Today’s 32 Candles Ask — but it’s not. Oh no, today’s request has to do with you coming out to see me, specifically at one of two events that I’ll be at this weekend. First up: The Leimert Park Book Fair on Saturday, June 26. I’m moderating the 12:30pm panel on black love complete with a tribute to E. Lynn Harris. AND I’m doing a small book signing. Sooo if you can’t make it to my first book event on Monday, do stop by. More info can be found HERE. Second up: My first official book event is happening next Monday (June 28) at the Grove’s Barnes & Noble, so please, please, please come out for that. I’ll be reading from and signing the book, and perhaps most importantly, we’ll be gathering for drinks afterward at the nearby Whisper Lounge. You don’t have to RSVP, but it would be nice to get an approximation of how many people are coming, so if you’re so inclined please click on the invite below to let us know if you’re coming. 100% Best...

Okay, I’m still reeling from all the people who supported 32 CANDLES yesterday on Facebook, Twitter, and through email blasts. I seriously can’t thank you enough, and I just want to hug all of you right now. That all squealed, has anyone else ever heard the term “shelf elf?” Author Carleen Brice introduced it to me after she was kind enough to shelf elf 32 CANDLES for us as pictured. She used shelf elf as a noun, but I kind of like it more as a verb. As in, “I’m taking my two nephews to shelf elf around the city after lunch.” This simply means that we’re going to a few bookstores to make sure that 32 CANDLES is facing out as opposed to turned sideways, so that it may catch the casual browser’s eye much more easily. Anywho, you’ve probably already figured out that Today’s 32 CANDLES ask is a shelf elf request. If you’re in a bookstore for any reason, please find 32 CANDLES and if it’s not already facing forward, then do us the favor of turning it around, so that customers can really see it. Thanks so much in advance,...

First up, rolla the drums, please! Our final 32 CANDLES online T-shirt winner is … [ridiculously long American Idol pause] … [now a Project Runway pause] … [Top Chef Masters you are the worse of them all further pause] … ANGELA VISCA!!! Angela, not only are you getting a 32 CANDLES T-shirt, but we’re also sending you a tote bag, b/c you won on the day of the 32 CANDLES book release. For everyone who either didn’t pre-order or pre-ordered, but didn’t win, there are still three rather easy ways to secure your own 32 CANDLES T-shirt. Read all about them HERE! Meanwhile, a number of sites have been kind enough to come out in early support of 32 CANDLES with Interviews and Early Reviews. So for today’s official 32 CANDLES ASK, I asking you to give them some traffic by visiting and/or commenting on their 32 CANDLES items. Here’s the list after jump! INTERVIEWS: 1. Fabulously-coiffed, fellow St. Louis native, Curly Nikki, helped us get out the word about 32 CANDLES and it’s be-afroed heroine. [CurlyNikki] 2. Cynthia Hawkins from The Nervous Breakdown did a fantastic right of the interview, in which we talked about roller derby, Star Trek, and oh yeah, this one book, 32 CANDLES. [TheNervousBreakdown] 3. Kristin Gray went deep into the text for our interview in the DC Afro American. [Afro.com] 4. Carleen Brice inspired me to say the words “multi-dimensional time machine” in our interview for White Readers Meet Black Authors.” [WRMBA] 5. Karen Haney has an interview with me PLUS she’s giving away 3 copies of 32 CANDLES at her Bookin’ with Bingo site. So definitely go over there if you want to win a copy. [Bingo] 6. I had a total blast talking to Danielle Kwateng...

Dearest Readers, First of all congratulations to Monday’s T-shirt winner, Rosemary Tran Williamson. We’ll be pick our final pre-order T-shirt winner tomorrow, and the prize will be extra sweet, b/c I’ll be throwing in a 32 CANDLES tote bag, just because that’s the day 32 CANDLES actually comes out. Thanks in advance to everyone who pre-ordered the book. You’ve helped us tremendously with our first week sales. Speaking of good first week sales, we’re running a two-week-long series called “TODAY’S 32 CANDLES ASK.” Basically we ask you to do one thing to support 32 CANDLES the next day, and you can either choose to do it or not to do it. But if you do it, we’ll be all kinds of grateful. So that all explained, let’s get into today’s ask: On Tuesday, June 22, please change your profile pic to the 32 CANDLES book cover. You can save the image in this post, which is small enough to be uploaded to Facebook. After you upload, please either caption or enter a comment with the following Amazon order info: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061957844?tag=fierandnerd-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0061957844&adid=1MQPW0TS5Y25QG258TNQ& That’s it. Please keep the 32 CANDLES cover as your profile for the entire day, and feel free to take it down on Wednesday. Thanks so much in advance! 100% Grateful,...