How to Date A Nerd

I was so lucky to read How to Date a Nerd when it was still in rough draft form. Cassie sent it to me for a once over after having an agent ask for it. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN... and that isn't always to case with first drafts. I have a special place in my heart for this book and for Cassie.

SO EVERYONE GO CHECK IT OUT! You will love it.

-Angie

BLURB:

*squee!*

Zoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy ‘you only wish you were me’ reputation, burying who she really is—an all-out nerd.

The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con. Keeping up her popular rep is too important, and she’s so damn insecure to care about the consequences. But when Zoe’s sister takes her car for a ‘crash and burn into a tree’ joyride, her parents get her a replacement. A manual. Something she doesn’t know how to operate, but her next door neighbor Zak sure as heck does.

Zak’s a geek to the core, shunned by everyone in school for playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and wearing “Use the Force” t-shirts. And Zoe’s got it bad for the boy. Only Zak doesn’t want Popular Zoe. He wants Geek Zoe.

She has to shove her insecurities and the fear of dropping a few rungs on the social ladder aside to prove to Zak who she really is and who she wants to be… if she can figure it out herself.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestseller REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, and is the debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and PULLING THE SWITCH. She also has a three book deal with Swoon Romance Publishing, including her book HOW TO DATE A NERD. She spends her time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Spell for you guys today (because I'm just so happy!)

EXPECTO PATRONUM!

Cassie Mae Author of Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend Friday Night Alibi to be released July 29th by Random House Flirt How to Date a Nerd to be released November 5th by Swoon Romance Publishing Blog

Anything for Cassie Mae :)

I feel like I've known Cassie forever. I knew her back when she was writing Fantasy and hadn't found her love of Contemporary yet. I'll do anything for her. Including coming out of my pregnancy induced exile to promote her books. If you haven't read her work yet you are in for a treat. I love you girlfriend!!! - Angie

Take it away Cassie!!!

Dance Party!!! I'm super thrilled to show you all my cover for my New Adult debut, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, published by Random House Flirt. This baby comes out on July 29th, but you can buy it now! And it'll just zap onto your ereader the day it's released.

Wanna know what it's about? Well, it's about this pig who learns how to fly, but only on friday nights and he grants wishes to people who are not where they're supposed to be, to get them out of a bind. You know I'm totally joking. I just wanted to see how many people just skipped over all these words to get to the pretty cover, lol. You mention the pig in the comments and you get cyber gold stars.

Here's the blurb :D

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black, and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi

“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play

“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Oh, and stuff about me too.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

And now the pretty!

Pre-order Friday Night Alibi: 

Amazon  |  Barnes &Noble   |  Google Play  |  Random House

Cassie Mae

Author of Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend 
Friday Night Alibi to be released July 29th by Random House Flirt
How to Date a Nerd to be released November 5th by Swoon Romance Publishing Blog

Cassie’s got it goin’ on!

Doesn’t that title just say it all? Yep! It does :) 

Cassie Mae is hosting her new agent Brittany Booker on her blog today. So go learn a little bit about Brittany and if you have a burning question for her about writing, agents, querying, etc…she will answer all your questions in the comments!

Don’t miss out the opportunity to pick an agents brain! You heard me! Run don’t walk :)

-Angie

Crafting Corner—Meanings

Who doesn’t love Princess Bride? The Romance. The Action. The Humor.

Here’s a gem:

Vizzini: He didn’t fall? INCONCIEVABLE!

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Here is another gem I learned from my writing conference:

When choosing your words be aware of their connotation and denotation.

Denotation: Dictionary definition of a word.

Connotation: Emotional associations of a word.

In an editing class I took we talked about this, and how important it is to choose words that truly say what they want them to say.

I’ll give you an example from my own MS:

“Zven is a hard man, I want to know how hard.”

I big thanks to Cassie and her dirty mind for convincing me to change hard to cruel :) LOL!

This is something I’d never thought to look for, but it is so true. You can’t just hit the thesaurus when you need a new word for walked, because march means something different than stroll, and stride and roam are actually opposites.

What about you? Are you aware of the secondary meanings of words? What was your worst blunder?

-Angie

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?—Cassie Cook

Cassie a.k.a. Miss Green Lantern 

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Won't You Be My Neighbor! Today I have a guest who really needs no introduction. She’s taken the internet by storm with her humor, Harry Potter references, self deprecating comments, and potty jokes. I now present...CassieMae! (Did you all read that in a ring master voice? That's what I was going for :)

Cassie: Oh! Now I can picture we're in some sort of circus! Let's just keep the clowns in the back. I may pee myself if they join us.

Angie: I agree no clowns! I don't want you to sit in urine the entire interview :) Alright are you ready for this? Are you wearing a Mr. Rogers sweater or sneakers? You have to pick one. It's tradition

Cassie: Crap, this means I have to wear clothes? It's not even Sunday! Okay, okay, I'll grab a sweater and sneakers, as long as I can stay in my PJ bottoms.

Angie: Of course you can! I live in P.J.'s—Don't tell my hubby though. He thinks I get dressed. I do, but sometimes not until right before he comes home :)

Alright I need a fun first question...What is your favorite house hold core? And what is your least favorite?

Cassie: Household chore? What is this you speak of? ;) I guess I would have to say I don't mind cooking. I make cookies and bread on a daily basis. (Not sure if that's a chore or not, but there you go.) And I hate laundry. I've told several people I'm ready to join the nudists just so I'd never have to do laundry again.

Angie: Laundry is the bane of my existence! I swear it multiplies like bunnies in my basement. You’d think I was playing Barry White down there! I wrote a flash fiction piece about laundry I'm going to link it here. It will make you laugh :)

Cassie: Oh my gosh, do it! The worst part about doing laundry is I swear I fold all the clothes but when I open the drawers all the clothes I've previously folded are strewn everywhere in there... including my hubby's drawers. What is the point, I say!

Angie: There is no point. Blast that laundry!

Okay, question...You are so open on your blog about your life and writing. Will you tell me something I don't know about you?

Cassie: Is there anything? haha! I talk in my sleep, but I think people assume that since I talk all the time, lol. Seriously, I've lost my voice due to talking too much. Anyways, one time the hubs tape recorded the conversation I had with him while I was sleeping... all about how Luke's light saber changes colors throughout the movies and I didn't understand it. I'm quite the thinker when I'm not fully awake, lol

Angie: What are you talking about? The color of Luke's light saber is super important. I love it when people talk in their sleep! It's so funny for those of us who are awake :) My son screams in his sleep, usually at his brother...or me. LOL!

Cassie: I freaked out all the leaders last year at girl's camp cuz I bolted upright in my sleeping bag screaming, "Where's the bacon!"                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Angie: But that is crucial information. A person can't be expected to sleep well if they don't know the bacon is safe. Why don't people get it?

Ooo, I have a good question...What has been your biggest accomplishment as a writer SO FAR ?

Cassie: Oh gosh, I have no idea! You come up with some tough questions!

Everything seems like an accomplishment. From putting down the first word to finishing the first draft, to having the guts to ask people to read it, then having the thick skin to hear honest answers, then rewriting and sometimes moving on to the next project. Querying alone is an accomplishment no matter what response you get. Same with entering contests and starting a blog and connecting with other writers and readers. It all feels so unreal to me, so I guess my biggest accomplishment would be just to have the right to call myself a writer.

Angie: I love this answer! It is an accomplishment just to have the gut so follow your dream.                                                                                         

Cassie: That and when you tell people, it's kinda like you're a celebrity, lol. They have no idea how to respond!

Angie: It is like you've said, "I'm Cassie and Princess Leia is my mother." People get this weird look on their faces and say, "That is nice." It is hard to tell people you are a writer especially when you aren't published.

Besides telling people, what specifically is the hardest thing about writing for you?

Cassie: Waiting. I'm totally not a patient person.

Angie: LOL! I can see that about you :) If it makes you feel better I'm not patient at all either!

Here’s a very revealing question...What would be the perfect day for you? Sun up to sun down (keep it PG Cass :)

Cassie: A PG perfect day, hmmm? Well, I'd wake up to the sound of crackling bacon (any Office fans out there? ;) ) then me and all my peeps would head to Harry Potter world and spend all day drinking butter beer and riding the rides. We'd taste all the candy in Honeydukes, then we'd hide behind bushes or walls and jump out at people walking by calling out random spells. I'd use Levicorpus the most because it's my fav. ;) Then we'd pass out in the Gryffindor common room while the HP theme song played in the background. 

Angie: I almost asked you what book you would live in if you could, but I was pretty sure I knew the answer :)

I can picture you jumping out and pelting people with spells! Under what circumstances would you use an unforgivable curse?

Cassie:  I would NEVER use an Unforgivable Curse! They probably wouldn't work anyway cuz I wouldn't mean them. Okay, maybe that's a lie. I would use the Imperious Curse on the hubs in an argument, just so he'll say I'm right and then move on. :)

Angie: Oh I wish we weren't muggles :)

You write terrific male characters. In fact one of your MS is from the POV of a teenage boy. What do you think teenage girls can learn by reading male POV's

Cassie: The reason why I love reading male characters, whether it's in their POV or not, is I like getting inside their heads. Men fascinate me, lol. I think the stereotypical thing about men being on a one-track mind is a bunch of fooey. Girls can read about a guy and realize, "Hey, he worries about some of the same things I do." It may not be all at once, but he worries about them. :)

Angie:  I think that is SO true! Men have feelings too :) How revolutionary. I love to write men. I steal A LOT of my material from my hubby who tells me how he feels about everything.

Cassie: I just channel my inner dude and hope it comes out sounding like a guy, lol.

Angie: You do dude very well :)

Time for the pageant question. You don't even have to change. I'm going to use my homemade elder wand on you...Somunium Vestio! I hope you like green.

Cassie: Not to strum my own guitar, but I totally look hot in green! 

Angie: Yes you do!

Now to the question...Who are you more like, your mother or your father?

Cassie: Definitely my mommy. My daddy is an introvert all the way, but my mom and I are the loud ones with no filters. Our family dinners are epic. We once had a whole discussion on animal pee on trees, and if certain kinds would change the quality of the paper. My dad kept his head down during the convo while my mom laughed her butt off while my brother debated and I. My mom also talks to herself and often gets ignored cuz we have no idea if she's talking to us or not.

However, if you’re talking about looks, I take after my dad. Big round eyes, big round butt, dark hair that’s turning gray, long toes and hairy legs.

So, I look more like my daddy, but I act a hecka lot more like my mommy.

Angie: That is so funny! Your mom sounds awesome!!! I would love to meet her :) And does your dad know you think he is a hairy long toed introvert?

Cassie: Haha! I'm not sure. But he will now!

Angie: I'm going to tell him :)

Thanks for stopping by Cass! You are one of my favorite people on the web :) I'm so glad you wrote me an e-mail asking me to cohost a blogfest with you—before we were even friends.

Cassie: Thank YOU Angie!!! Gotta say, once you started this neighbor thingy, I was like, "Oh! I hope she asks me!" Hehe! I like feeling special like that.

Angie: You are special. Thanks for answering my weirdo questions. 

Well there you have it. Everyone check out Cassie’s blog and give her a thumbs up! She also shares a fun blog with her CP’s—Falling for Fiction. It rocks :)

I won’t have a Neighbor post next week, because I’m going to be too busy getting ready for my writing conference. But don’t worry. I will have some fun ones lined up when I get back.

-Angie