(If all you care about is the contest, scroll down to the bottom...)

It just occurred to me that my new book is coming out in almost a month. (September 9! September 9! Did you get that? September 9!)

You may wonder how that "just" occurred to me -- it's possible that I'm spending so much time googling myself and searching for mentions of the new book that I've run out of time to look at my calendar...or, you know, eat.)

I also occurs to me that I've been a little cagey about this book in the past.  This is perhaps because I'm more excited about this book than I've been about anything else I've written, and am afraid to jinx it. But here I go, jinxing away...

Heeeeeere's Skinned!

Scott Westerfeld says it's "A spell-binding story about loss, rebirth, and finding out who we really are inside. This intense and moving novel will wind up under your skin."


Kirkus Reviews says "Futuristically blurring the boundaries of life and death, this text intimately tackles tough ethical topics, including faith, identity, suicide and genetic engineering, through blunt dialogue and realistic characters."


And the jacket flap says (tiny, tiny spoiler alert!):

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, and popular. Until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. She's a celebrity, a curiosity, a freak of nature -- a freak beyond nature -- she's everything but human. And according to some, this is the ultimate crime...for which she must pay the ultimate price.


You already know how you can get some Skinned wallpaper and screensavers for your computer. Now, thanks to the awesome folks at S&S, you can also get some avatars (or icons or whatever you want to call them) for your favorite blog or message board. They look like this:

                     

AND NOW FOR THE CONTEST!
Your prize: One hot off the presses, first edition signed copy of SKINNED

To win: Email me -- that's robin (at) robinwasserman (dot) com -- with the name of your favorite book. (And no, you won't help your chances by naming one of mine.)

Deadline: September 2

I'll pick two winners at random.  If you don't win, don't worry, there will be another contest when the book actually comes out. Good luck!