Thanks for the photos of your panties

I'm often asked in interviews what sets me apart from other  authors. I usually fumble for an answer, not wanting to sound cocky or insane.

But thanks to Coliloquy, I have the perfect response:

I'm the only author whose readers cheerfully post photos of their underwear when asked.

While I'll admit that wasn't on my list of life goals when I set out to become an author, I'm proud of the accomplishment.

The "cutest panty thief" contest was part of the release celebration for The Great Panty Caper (my new choose-your-own-adventure novella with Coliloquy). You can buy the novella here, and read about the contest here.

You can't actually enter the contest, since it's over. But I have the great pleasure of announcing the winners right here, right now. Cue the drumroll?

Our first place winner of the $50 Victoria's Secret gift card is Pickle, submitted by @msjennishaw. "Not only did Pickle steak my panties," she noted, "but he hoarded them in his vacation home."

Congrats to Pickle and @msjennieshaw, winners of the $50 Victoria's Secret gift card.

Of course, there were a couple other entries that deserve an honorable mention. In the completely made-up categories of "youngest, cutest panty thief" and "scariest panty thief," we have P-man sumbmitted by @lisamrutherford and Grimlock submitted by @cosmochicklitan.

I'll leave it to you to figure out who's who.

P-man, six months old and already a ladies' man.

Oi, Grimlock....those are mine!

Huge congrats to all the winners, and thanks so much to everyone who entered the contest. I'd also like to thank the amazing Panty Caper street team for all your amazing efforts with blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, and tattooing my book cover on your butt cheeks. Thanks, guys.

For those who haven't snagged a copy of The Great Panty Caper yet, you can buy it here for just $1.99. If you want to score a killer, limited-time-only deal on the whole Getting Dumped bundle (which includes Getting Dumped episodes 1 and 2, plus The Great Panty Caper) for just $8.99, go here.

Now go forth and fling your panties in celebration.

I'm having a party on Tuesday and you're all invited!

Saturday night, I sat down to draft a list of potential wedding guests. I took a slug of wine and tapped my pen against my teeth.

That's what I was aiming for, anyway. I actually stuck the pen up my nostril by accident, then tried to pretend I meant to do it.

"Do you think we should just invite all my blog followers, book readers, Facebook friends, and Twitter pals?" I asked my gentleman friend.

He eyed my pen suspiciously, then made a wise observation. "There might not be enough wine to go around."

I shuddered in horror and set the list aside for another time.

While we're still searching for a wedding venue capable of holding all of you and your respective parole officers, I can invite you to another party. The lovely folks at Coliloquy have arranged a Twitter party to celebrate the release of The Great Panty Caper. 

The party will take place from 10-11 p.m. EST (that's 7-8 p.m. for those of us on the Pacific coast) on Tuesday, October 15. We'll be chatting about everything from books to underwear to why the KoolAid packet says you shouldn't mix it in a metal container.

The Coliloquy crew will be giving away tons of cool prizes, so you won't want to miss that. (Hint: You'll have a better shot at correctly answering some of the trivia questions if you've already read The Great Panty Caper. You can find it here for Kindle, or here for Nook, or here for the iBookstore, or here for Kobo, or here for Android. It’s only $1.99, which is less than a three-pack of Trojan Magnum condoms and almost as fun).

Questions about the Twitter party? Post 'em here, tweet me at @tawnafenske, or post to hashtag #pantycaper. I hope to see you all there!

Who's bringing the wine?

Extra! Extra! Coliloquy makes me cheap & easy for a limited time!

I wouldn't ordinarily put up two blog posts in one week, but I just had to share this!

You know how I've written two interactive fiction titles for Coliloquy with the Getting Dumped series (sorta like a grownup choose-your-own-adventure)?

And you know how my new standalone novella, the Great Panty Caper just came out yesterday?

Well to celebrate release day, Coliloquy is doing a special, limited-time bundle at a killer price. See, normally you'd pay $4.99 for Getting Dumped episode one, and if you liked that and wanted to continue reading the story, you'd buy Getting Dumped episode two for another $4.99.

You could also pay $1.99 to read The Great Panty Caper, which is a standalone novella that's technically part of the series, but would make sense even if you've never read a word I've written.

OK, so forget all those prices I just told you, because right now, Coliloquy is selling ALL THREE OF THOSE THINGS in one kick-ass bundle for $8.99!

Here's the link (which will let you nab it for Kindle or Nook or iPad or whatever you happen to use. Except maybe Braille. I don't think we have that yet).

I'm pretty sure they aren't throwing in a bundle of Ginsu knives, so this is probably the best deal you'll ever see EVER for any of my books. I'm guessing it won't last long, so act fast.

And thanks so much to everyone who's been buying and reading so far. Love you guys!

Getting giddy for release day of “The Great Panty Caper.” And some other stuff.

“So I hear congratulations are in order!”

Those were the words of a business colleague I ran into on my lunch break last week.

Normally when someone congratulates me, I know what it’s for. It might be related to a successful media pitch I performed in my capacity as the PR manager for my city’s tourism bureau, or it might be a commentary on the impromptu striptease I performed on the bar the previous night. Either way, I know which it is.

But in this case, I had the good fortune of not knowing which wonderful life event prompted my colleague to congratulate me. Could it be:

The bridge where my gentleman friend
popped the question.

• I got engaged. Yep, that’s right. My gentleman friend surprised me with a ring and a bended-knee proposal on a bridge in a park where we were strolling during a romantic getaway last weekend. I bawled. And I said yes. Duh. Though he will always be my gentleman friend, it looks like he’ll also be my fiancée, and (assuming he doesn’t run away screaming in the next 12 months) eventually my husband.
• I have a new book coming out October 8—holycrapthatstomorrow. The Great Panty Caper is my latest release with Coliloquy, the awesome publisher of interactive fiction (sorta like a grownup version of choose-your-own-adventure). Technically, The Great Panty Caper is part of the Getting Dumped series, so you’ll recognize the characters and details if you’re a fan. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can still enjoy The Great Panty Caper since it’s a standalone novella that makes sense even if you’ve never read anything else I’ve written.
  
• Early reviews for The Great Panty Caper have been rolling in quickly and making my head swell like an aroused flesh banana. Reviewers have written things like, “This book had me laughing out loud,” and “You will fall in love with the Shultz sisters.” Oh, and my favorite, “I read this book in one sitting. Then I immediately went back and read all the alternative versions. Then I had to go read one of Tawna Fenske's other books.” Music to an author’s ears!

With so many awesome things happening in my life, it’s understandable they’d blur together. I figured I might as well take advantage of that, and asked my gentleman friend if he’d like to tie the knot at the landfill (the setting for the first two Getting Dumped stories).

He hasn’t replied yet, but I’m sure that’s only because he’s so overcome with joy.

If you want to get your hands on The Great Panty Caper you can find it here for Kindle, or here for Nook, or here for the iBookstore, or here for Kobo, or here for Android. It’s only $1.99, which is less than a three-pack of Trojan Magnum condoms and almost as fun.

To follow the whole blog tour, here’s the lineup of friends, fans, street team members, and random strangers blogging about The Great Panty Caper:

• Ocober 8: Coliloquy
• October 10: Jennie Shaw of Well Shut the Front Door (review)
• October 11: Jennie Shaw of Well Shut the Front Door (interview)
• October 12: Erica of The Book Cellar (review)
• October 14: Lynn Reynolds (review)
• October 15: Heidi of CosmoChickLitan (review)
• October 17: ChickLit Central (promo post + giveaway)
• October 18 Elizabeth Flora Ross of The Writer Revived (review)
• October 20: Kate of Verb Vixen (review & character profile)
• October 21: Mary of Bookswarm (review)
• October 23: Kiera of Love,Romance, Passion (review)

Blue Cat, one of the stars of The Great Panty Caper.

Huuuuuuuge (like massive, Trojan Magnum sized) thanks to all those lovely folks for the wonderful buzz about  The Great Panty Caper. Seriously, guys, you’ve made this one of the most fun book releases I’ve ever had.

So back to the colleague who congratulated me.

I finally gave up guessing and inquired which accomplishment he was praising.

“I heard you fixed the popcorn maker in the break room,” he said. “I know how much you love that thing.”

Um, thanks?