February's been my least favourite month for quite a few years now. Sure it's short but it's also brutal. Warm memories of Christmas festivities seem like a distant past. Holiday lights have long been turned off but numerous dark days of winter still stretch out in front of us. It can be hard to believe that the time to stop shovelling the driveway and sit out in the sun will ever arrive.

So it seems to me that February is a great time to curl up on the couch and immerse ourselves in entertainment. To that end I'm giving away two February Blahs prize packs. The randomly awarded prize packs will include signed copies of both my novels as well as copies of two of my favourite coming of age movies.

February Blahs Prize Pack

• signed copy of I Know It's Over hardcover
• signed copy of One Lonely Degree advance reader copy
• Almost Famous (DVD)
• Ghost World (DVD

To enter email me at ckkellymartin at hotmail dot com with your name, the subject line "February Blahs Contest" and the answer to the below question by February 21st. (Because the prize includes Region 1 DVDs this contest is open to residents of Canada and the United States only).

• What's a song that helps inspire you when you're feeling upset or blah? Below is one of my favourites:

Nina Simone: Ain't Got No/I Got Life

Good luck! Draw date is February 22nd.

Amazing news! Kirkus Reviews has listed I Know It's Over as one of the Best Young Adult Books of 2008.

I can't wait to see what else is on the list! I'll add a link in when one's available but in the meantime, thank you, Kirkus!

***Update December 4th***

Here's the direct link to the Kirkus Reviews Special Issue pdf: The Best Young-Adult Books of 2008.

I had some exceptionally good news last week! I Know It's Over has been nominated for the 2009 ALA Best Books For Young Adults list. It was also nominated for the 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Leaders list at the end of April so as you can imagine I'm over the moon and keeping everything crossed. So many amazing books have been nominated for these lists that I'm thrilled I Know It's Over is in consideration.

To top it all off I discovered that Becky of Becky's Book Reviews has a wonderful review of I Know It's Over up on her blog along with a spotlight on me. Thank you, Becky! If I get any happier I'll be hanging out on the ceiling.

There's a new interview with me up at Liv's Book Reviews and she asks a bunch of really interesting, quirky questions. Comment on the post at Liv's blog with your answer to 'Rain or Shine' to win a copy of I Know It's Over!

Being Canadian, I'm especially proud to announce that I Know It's Over received a glowing4 out of 4 star review in the October 10th issue of the Canadian review journal, CM Magazine. The review reveals a fair amount of plot so if you want to dive into the book fresh you might want to wait until afterwards to check it out. But I can tell you, that review has had me smiling to myself all day.

I just received a few advance reader copies of One Lonely Degree. Part of me would love to hold on to them all forever but at the same time I'm so excited that I can't resist having another contest! The book's release date isn't until May 26th so this is a real sneak peak.

1 One Lonely Degree prize pack will be randomly awarded. The prize pack includes: a signed advance reader copy of One Lonely Degree, a 12'x18' 1LD poster, a 1LD mousepad and the 2006 greatest hits CD (' A Decade') of main character Finn's favourite band, Our Lady Peace.

To enter email me with your name, the subject line “1LD ARC Contest” and the answer to the following super-easy question by midnight on October 31st.

Finn considers this guy, “the most beautiful of all the Beautiful Boys and that's not just a physical thing.” Who is the lead singer of Our Lady Peace?

Draw date is November 1st!

Good luck everybody!

1LD jacket photograph © 2009 by Tracy Kahn

Isn't it beautiful? There were tons of gorgeous shots from the cover photo shoot (and the models they cast looked so much like my visions of Finn and Jersy that it was unreal) but this one is my absolute favourite.

I hope to have a bit of a description to put up with this cover very soon.

jacket photograph © 2009 by Tracy Kahn

I Know It's Over will hit bookstores soon and to help celebrate I'm holding a contest at my website!

One I Know It's Over prize pack will be randomly awarded. The prize pack includes: a signed copy of I Know It's Over, a 12'x18' IKIO poster, the winner's choice of a courier or tote bag, a Magic 8 Ball and an advance reader copy of One Lonely Degree (when it becomes available!).

To enter email me with your name, the subject line 'IKIO Contest' and the answer to the below question by September 22nd.

What's the first song on the I Know It's Over soundtrack/playlist? (hint: the answer appears on my website)

Good luck everybody!

Draw date is September 23rd, the novel's release date!