TWENTY-SOMEWHERE ($1.99) for fans of Sex & the City, Sisterhood, chick lit, YA

[Kristan Hoffman]

Winner of the St. Martin's Press "New Adult" contest Originally written as 40 weekly "webisodes," TWENTY-SOMEWHERE is the fast-paced, heartfelt story of 3 young women learning how to be independent, yet also hold onto each other, in this big, crazy, modern world. Think Sex and the City meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Beautiful and confident Sophie Lin, goody-goody aspiring writer Claudia Bradford, and boy-magnet scientist MJ Alexander are ready to take on Life After College. Or so they think. But MJ's hunky lab supervisor keeps distracting her from her research, and what's worse, she almost doesn't care. After years of single-minded focus, MJ may have lost her passion for science, and her sense of self along with it. Meanwhile Claudia's passion for writing is stronger than ever, but her confidence is drowning in a sea of rejection. Her boyfriend Eli is supposed to be a life preserver; instead he feels like just another wave pulling her under. Last but not least, Sophie decides to swim against the current: she quits her advertising job in pursuit of a more meaningful vocation. Six weeks later, all she has to show for her idealism is a growing stack of unpaid bills. As their relationships go sour, their careers sputter, and a few too many ethical dilemmas arise, the girls reunite in Paris, desperate for a dose of the one thing they can always count on: each other. But after so much time apart, will that really cure what ails them? Or will their friendship fall apart like everything else in their lives? * * * About the author: Kristan Hoffman is a twenty-something fiction writer. Her first novel THE GOOD DAUGHTERS was a quarterfinalist in the 2008-2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, and she is currently at work on a multicultural YA novel with lots of action and dystopian undertones. For more about Kristan and her writing, please visit kristanhoffman.com.

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars (23 reviews as of 2/24/2012)

[Kristan Hoffman]

HOLIDAY SPECIAL:
For the month of December, I’m going to donate all proceeds from my (modest) online sales to the It Gets Better Project. That means 100% of the money that would normally go to me? Will go to suicide prevention services and anti-bullying efforts.

Why? Because hearing about teens (foreign, gay, awkward, whatever) who have fallen — no, who have been pushed — so low that they think it would be better to give up and get out of this world than to live? It breaks my heart and brings me to tears just typing that.

The issue hurts and compels me so much that I’ve already started planning a new novel to address it. But even if I could magically finish and sell that book tomorrow, it wouldn’t get to shelves for a year or more. This is something I can do now. Even if it's a small gesture, I hope and believe that every little bit helps.

Thanks in advance for your support, and I hope you enjoy the story!
Kristan

[Ann in Arlington]

Welcome to KindleBoards, Kristan, and congratulations on your book.

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[JMcGhee]

Your book looks incredible!  I'm really thinking about picking it up--it seems right up my alley.  Especially since all the proceeds are going to such a great cause. 

[JennaAnderson]

HOLIDAY SPECIAL:
For the month of December, I’m going to donate all proceeds from my (modest) online sales to the It Gets Better Project. That means 100% of the money that would normally go to me? Will go to suicide prevention services and anti-bullying efforts.

Why? Because hearing about teens (foreign, gay, awkward, whatever) who have fallen — no, who have been pushed — so low that they think it would be better to give up and get out of this world than to live? It breaks my heart and brings me to tears just typing that.

Kristan

Wonderful cause- I believe they work a lot with The Trevor Project. I will check my bank account and see if I can purchase.

I love shopping when there is a cause involved!

Jenna

[Kristan Hoffman]

JMcGhee-
Aww, thank you! If you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy.

Jenna-
Yep, they are partnered with The Trevor Project. I'll be honest, I didn't know a lot about it until these It Gets Better videos came out, but it seems like a wonderful program/resource.

Kristan

[foreverjuly]

That's a really great cause, Kristan! I still remember hearing about the guy at Virginia Tech thing too. There are all kinds of terrible byproducts of neglect and isolation. I hope you sell lots of books this month!

[Kristan Hoffman]

Yes, good point. I'd wager that the recent Univ of Texas incident was related to feelings of isolation as well...

Ugh, all those stories just break my heart. That's why I really want to do something, even if it's small like this. TWENTY-SOMEWHERE has nothing to do with bullying -- in fact, it's a feel-good story about the friendship between 3 young women -- but the book that I am writing about bullying won't be ready for a while.

Thanks for your support!
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

*bump*

Just a reminder that I will be donating all my December proceeds to the It Gets Better project, which works to prevent bullying and "bullicide" (suicides due to bullying). 23 days left to contribute to the cause!

Also, I forgot to mention this before, but I will be including proceeds from BOTH Twenty-Somewhere AND my short story "The Eraser," about 9-year-old Mikey, who finds a magic eraser at the bottom of his cereal box. (Think R.L. Stine's Goosebumps.)

Thanks again for everyone's support!
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

*bump*

Sales are up a bit this week, thanks everyone! I get really excited about every dollar that I know will be going to the It Gets Better project.

Also, fellow KindleBoards author Andrew Ashling reminded me that I didn't have my UK links up, so I've added that to my signature, and if any UK readers are interested now, here's where you can buy Twenty-Somewhere or "The Eraser." All December proceeds will be donated to It Gets Better to help fund their anti-bullying and suicide prevention efforts.

Happy holidays, everyone!
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

*bump*

One more week of raising funds for the It Gets Better Project, which supports nationwide anti-bullying and suicide prevention efforts... Here are all the links for those who are interested!

Twenty-Somewhere - Amazon US
The Eraser - Amazon US

Twenty-Somewhere - Amazon UK
The Eraser - Amazon US

Twenty-Somewhere - Smashwords

Twenty-Somewhere is also available via the iTunes bookstore, but I have yet to find a way to link to that...

Thanks for your support, and happy holidays everyone!
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

*bump*

This is it! The last couple days of raising funds for the It Gets Better Project. So far I've calculated about $100 worth of sales, which is just... amazing!!! I'm no bestseller, but honestly, hitting triple digits for this cause felt like it to me.

Here are the links one last time, and then I'll probably be a lot quieter on this thread.

Thank y'all so much for your support, and have a very happy new year!
Kristan

Twenty-Somewhere - Amazon US
The Eraser - Amazon US

Twenty-Somewhere - Amazon UK
The Eraser - Amazon US

Twenty-Somewhere - Smashwords

(Note: Twenty-Somewhere is also available via the iTunes bookstore, but I have yet to find a way to link to that...)

[Kristan Hoffman]

Just got the final numbers from Amazon, and it looks like we raised $131.71 (including a couple UK sales) for the It Gets Better Project. Thank you again to everyone who purchased. I hope you're enjoying the stories!

Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

(Bumping the description up to the top, and updating the thread title...)

Winner of the St. Martin's Press "New Adult" contest TWENTY-SOMEWHERE tells the story of three best friends as they navigate life after college. Beautiful and confident Sophie Lin, goody goody aspiring writer Claudia Bradford, and boy-crazy nerd MJ Alexander are ready to take on the Real World — or so they think. But MJ’s hunky lab supervisor keeps distracting her from her research, and what’s worse, she almost doesn’t care. After years of single-minded focus, MJ may have lost her passion for science, and her sense of self along with it. Meanwhile Claudia’s passion for writing is stronger than ever, but her confidence is drowning in a sea of rejection. Her boyfriend Eli is supposed to be a life preserver; instead he feels like just another wave pulling her under. Last but not least, Sophie decides to swim against the current: she quits her advertising job in pursuit of a more meaningful vocation. Six weeks later, all she has to show for her idealism is a growing stack of unpaid bills. As their relationships go sour, their careers sputter, and a few too many ethical dilemmas arise, the girls reunite in Paris, desperate for a dose of the one thing they can always count on: each other. But after so much time apart, will that really cure what ails them? Or will their friendship fall apart like everything else in their lives? Originally written as web series, TWENTY-SOMEWHERE is complete at 40 episodes. Think Sex and the City meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. * * * About the author: Kristan Hoffman is a twenty-something fiction writer. Her first novel THE GOOD DAUGHTERS was a quarterfinalist in the 2008-2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. For more about Kristan and her writing, please visit kristanhoffman.com or her Amazon author page.

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars (as of 1/25/2011)

[Kristan Hoffman]

I recently did an interview about quitting my day job to pursue writing full-time, and what it was like when TWENTY-SOMEWHERE won the "New Adult" contest with St. Martin's Press. Here's the URL for anyone who's interested:

http://beyondthegray.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/dream-chaser-kristan-hoffman-fiction-writer/

Thanks!
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

Week 2 of being a full-time writer... It's wonderful -- as I explain in my latest blog post: http://kristanhoffman.com/2011/02/15/pleasure-is/ -- but I was experiencing a LOT of wrist pain after just a couple days, so my boyfriend got me Dragon Dictate as a Valentine's gift. It's been an adjustment learning to "write aloud," but my wrists are definitely happier, and the program is remarkably accurate!

Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

Hey friends,

If anyone is interested in reviewing 20SW -- for your blog, Amazon, iTunes, BN.com, GoodReads, etc. (any or all) -- please email me at khoffman [at] gmail.com. I'd be happy to give 3-5 reviewers a free electronic copy for that purpose.

Thanks so much!
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

I just got a lovely new review at GoodReads, and it completely made my day!

For a light, refreshing read, Twenty-Somewhere hits the spot. It's not your typical coming of age book full of angst & brooding. Twenty-Somewhere is a smart, witty story of three friends who make mistakes, learn from them & seem to actually enjoy their journey.

Full review can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6676292-twenty-somewhere

That puts me at 4.4 stars at GoodReads. I also got a new 5-star review at Amazon from someone who answered the call in my last post here (thank you, Geoff!). I know not every review is going to be as nice as these two, but I'm willing to give out a couple more review copies if anyone is interested. Just email/message me.

Thanks,
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

FYI I recently created a Facebook account to be able to interact more with readers and friends. Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristan-Hoffman/106872616014743

Through FB, I'm going to start doing book giveaways, beginning with ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis. Need to make a little more room on my (bursting!) shelves, you know?

Edited to add: The 1st giveaway starts NOW and ends at 11:50 pm EST on Fri Mar 25. Go go go! http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=106761449406793&id=106872616014743

Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

I saw some people posting excerpts when they update their threads, and I loved that, so here's a bit from Twenty-Somewhere:


       Contrary to Claudia’s assumption, MJ is not asleep. She’s wandering the streets of her campus, wishing she’d changed into thicker pants. Her thin pajama bottoms are not only embarrassing, with their pattern of bunny rabbits and clouds, but also poor protection from the chilly night air. The wind whips her long hair into her face, but she doesn’t care. She’s numb inside and out.
       “MJ? MJ, what on earth are you doing?”
       She glances up and realizes she’s outside her research lab. Felix is leaning out a window on the second floor. “I… I don’t know,” she says.
       When she continues to stand there, Felix slams the window down and hurries outside. “Are you crazy?” He wraps a long lab coat around her. “You’ll catch a cold.”
       Before he can say anything else, MJ collapses against him and begins to cry.
       “Hey, hey.” His tone changes instantly, from scolding to soothing. “Hey, you’re okay. Everything’s okay,” he says, holding her and stroking her hair.
       “No, it’s not,” she sobs into his shoulder. “My dad…”
       Felix holds his breath, terrified — for her sake — of what she’s going to say next.

[Kristan Hoffman]

(Bumping the description up to the top, and updating the thread title...)

Winner of the St. Martin's Press "New Adult" contest TWENTY-SOMEWHERE tells the story of three best friends as they navigate life after college. Beautiful and confident Sophie Lin, goody goody aspiring writer Claudia Bradford, and boy-crazy nerd MJ Alexander are ready to take on the Real World — or so they think. But MJ’s hunky lab supervisor keeps distracting her from her research, and what’s worse, she almost doesn’t care. After years of single-minded focus, MJ may have lost her passion for science, and her sense of self along with it. Meanwhile Claudia’s passion for writing is stronger than ever, but her confidence is drowning in a sea of rejection. Her boyfriend Eli is supposed to be a life preserver; instead he feels like just another wave pulling her under. Last but not least, Sophie decides to swim against the current: she quits her advertising job in pursuit of a more meaningful vocation. Six weeks later, all she has to show for her idealism is a growing stack of unpaid bills. As their relationships go sour, their careers sputter, and a few too many ethical dilemmas arise, the girls reunite in Paris, desperate for a dose of the one thing they can always count on: each other. But after so much time apart, will that really cure what ails them? Or will their friendship fall apart like everything else in their lives? Originally written as web series, TWENTY-SOMEWHERE is complete at 40 episodes. Think Sex and the City meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. * * * About the author: Kristan Hoffman is a twenty-something fiction writer. Her first novel THE GOOD DAUGHTERS was a quarterfinalist in the 2008-2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. For more about Kristan and her writing, please visit kristanhoffman.com or her Amazon author page.

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars GoodReads Rating: 4/5 stars (as of 3/31/2011)

[Kristan Hoffman]

Oh geez... In light of all that's happening in Japan (including the NEW 7.4-magnitude earthquake today) I am going to donate all April proceeds to the Red Cross, specifically their "Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami" relief efforts. If you'd like to support those efforts and also get a fun story to read, please consider buying my ebook and spreading the word.

Also, if anyone else is donating their sales to Japan, please feel free to link to your book here.

Thank you,
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

New 5-star review at Smashwords!

"Each character, both male and female was completely real and if they were actual people I could definitely see myself being friends with each of them."

Full review and book available here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16851

Remember, all April proceeds go to Red Cross for Japan!

Here's a blog post about why, as well as some other writing-related relief efforts for Japan: http://kristanhoffman.com/2011/04/13/my-humble-contribution-to-japan/

Thanks,
Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

9 more days to buy TWENTY-SOMEWHERE or "The Eraser" and help me raise funds for Red Cross Japan!

Also, I'm giving away 3 of my books, enter here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=195291030506234

- CASTING OFF by Nicole Dickson (women's fiction set in Ireland)
- ORYX & CRAKE by Margaret Atwood (scifi/dystopian)
- FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES by Min Jin Lee (multicultural fiction)

Only 3 people have entered so far, lol, so your odds are ridiculously good.

Kristan

[Kristan Hoffman]

Just a couple more days for the giveaway, and still only 4 people have entered, so if you want free books, check it out!

Also, I found another good ebook that's raising $ for Japan with April sales (50%): http://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Translation-Foreign-Japanese-ebook/dp/B004W0IBA0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1302496324&sr=1-1

Description: Are you studying Japanese? Or do you have an interest in Japan and Japanese culture? Or maybe you're getting ready to travel to or even live in Japan. In these illuminating and fascinating interviews conducted by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, the author of two Japan-related novels and an American married to a Japanese, Western women speak candidly about the challenges in making cross-cultural marriages work both inside and outside Japan, and the joys and frustrations of adapting to a different culture. You're sure to find insights here about Japan that you might not find anywhere else.

Kristan