Wednesday, February 4

MISS MATCH: The Final Countdown!



I am so excited! On February 10, my second Simon Pulse romantic comedy, MISS MATCH, will be hitting bookstores. As any author will tell you, by the time their book comes out, he or she is very attached to it. It's only natural. They're like our children. After all, we've spent countless hours on it, from its conception to its infancy, through its childhood and maturation--and finally, the day we send it into the world on its own.


It's a bit scary by the time it hits this point, to be honest. Will the world like it or hate it? Will people get it? Will they even read it?


Though I'm sure I'll have a soft spot for all of my books, both past and future, there are definitely unique qualities about MISS MATCH that I adore.


  1. It takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is about an hour away from where I live. It was so much fun putting local elements (though fictionalized) in my story. (BTW, if you like reading about Salt Lake City, pick up fellow TFCer Sara Zarr's Sweethearts.)

  2. Sasha Finnegan, the heroine, is not the typical gorgeous, popular, skinny character of a romance novel. She's smart, sensitive, savvy, and funny.

  3. The story has elements that are sometimes hard to talk about, yet are present in many teenagers' lives, such as divorced parents, parents who are dating, and body image issues.

  4. For those of you who are lucky enough to have a sister, I love the relationship between Sasha and her sis Maddie, and I think you will too.

  5. It comes out right in time for Valentine's Day, which is no fluke. :) It will make the perfect gift for someone special or for yourself. And to celebrate, I'm offering a FREE signed copy of MISS MATCH. Just tell me about your favorite V-day memory or plan (for this year). I'll have my 6 year-old son choose the winner on Saturday, Feb. 7. GOOD LUCK!



26 comments:

Amanda Ashby said...

Happy final countdown, Wendy!!!! And that is such a gorgeous photo of you and your 'baby'!!!!!

Gerb said...

Yay! It's almost here! Congrats!!

Sara Z. said...

I am so looking forward to reading this!

thebluerose said...

My favorite Valentines memory was in second grade. Since it was Valentines, I BEGGED my mom to buy cards for my class. She did on the morning of Valentine's Day. But the cards that she bought were race cars, since it was the only thing left. I didn't write my name on the cards. I passed them out, and the look on the girls faces were HILARIOUS. They made faces of pigs.

Kiki said...

Yay, countdown time!
I've never been one for valentine's day, so one year, I invited all of my girl friends and we went on a day trip to the local chocolate factory. best valentine's day ever!

jpetroroy said...

Probably the first year I got a dozen roses- they were from my Dad, but that's ok :)
-JenP

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your book.

I wish I could participate, but I have no plans this year, and have never had a satisfactory V-Day.

Jessica Burkhart said...

Yay! Enjoy the countdown! :)

Anonymous said...

Yay, congrats on your book!

And my most memorable Valentine's day was 8th grade when I actually went shopping (I don't really like shopping) for a Disney stuff animal; Nemo and gave it to my crush because he was always making fish faces at me :)

Kwana said...

How cute are you holding your copy? My favorite Valentine's day memory was having Spanish food in El Quiote a crowded restaurant on 23 street years ago with my hubby and having too much sangria.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

Happy Countdown, Wendy - can't wait to read!

Alyson Noel said...

Yay!! Huge congrats to you!! Great photo too!!

Sarah Louise said...

When I was in kindergarten, I thought "Happy Valentine's Day" was the same as "Have a nice day." So months after Valentine's Day, I still said it to my dad as he left for work. It eventually became an "in" joke between us and every once and a while, in the middle of the year, I'll say "Happy Valentine's Day" which is our special "I love you." One year for his birthday, (in June) I gave him a Valentine's Day coffee mug.

Melissa Walker said...

Love the timing of the book! And your teasing details made me even more excited to read it!

James Dashner said...

Go Wendy!!!!!

Sara Hantz said...

I can't wait to read this book, it's winging its way to me as I write this post.

I LOVED your last book and I know this will be just as good! Fab photo!!

Wendy Toliver said...

Thanks to everybody who has shared V-day stories and offered other kind messages so far. Just wanted to share an entry I received from my MySpace friend, Imagine. (Cool name, eh?)

My favorite valentines memory is when me, my little sister and my best friends went to this free valentine festival on valentines day and it was so fun! There were hearts and couples everywhere. The rides were fun and I won a lot of teddy bears and candy. We all bonded even more and we had so much fun at the same time!

Liviania said...

Last year my friends and I had a picnic in the quad. Everyone brought some food so that we good eat sandwiches, chips, and dessert. Other friends would see us as they walked by and join in. Plus, someone shoved a camera in my hand so I went crazy taking pictures! (I'm shutter happy.) Plus, one of the guys who went to the picnic officially became my bf the next day.

We're holding a picnic again this year! Being single is no reason not to have fun on Valentine's Day. (We may even go to a fancy restaurant afterwards for dessert. Chocolate is what it's really all about. ^_^)

MarjoleinBookBlog said...

I will visit the musical Les Miserables with my boyfriend, really looking forward to it!

Lenore Appelhans said...

So excited for you!

I used to live close to Salt Lake City - near Hill AFB.

Stephanie Kuehnert said...

Yay! I can't wait to read this one!

As for V Day, my fiance works during the day and I work at night so we are delaying our celebration til the 16th. I'm thinking we'll hit a matinee and have a nice dinner!

Irene L. Pynn said...

Congratulations! :) It sounds like a fantastic book. Can't wait to read it.

Anna R said...

I loveee the excitement in the other comments. Everyone is going to sooo love this book. Have fun Tuesday, hehe. ILY

The (Mis)Adventures of a Single City Chick said...

Congratulations on the new release, Wendy! Even though I don't have a special Valentine this year, doesn't mean I can't be my own Valentine. :-) So, my plan for myself this V-Day is to do something to pamper myself. Maybe a pedicure/manicure and then either making myself a nice dinner or picking up some yummy take-out -- heart-shaped pizza, anyone? LOL! Hope you have a wonderful V-Day and release day!

Wendy Toliver said...

Oh, wow, these are all so great! Thank you all for entering. I don't know how my 6 year-old is going to pick a winner. :)

Here's another wonderful V-Day story sent to me to enter the contest from Amy S:

Hi Wendy! Congrats on ur second book. So exciting! I wasn't sure where you wanted me to enter for a free signed book, so I did it here:). Hope this is okay. My favorite VDay memory is a few years ago. Nate and I had yummy fondue and champagne with our neighbors. It was BC (before children), so we were actually able to enjoy a conversation- ha! Doesn't happen too often anymore, wouldn't trade it for the world though. Can't wait for this VDay to celebrate with my swwet boy and beautiful daughter.

Wendy Toliver said...

And the winner, as selected by my very excited 6 year-old boy, is ....

Lalaland!

Congratulations on making him smile (and make a pig face). Please send me your mailing address (and real name) at wendy (dot) info (at) wendytoliver (dot) com. Also let me know what name (if any) you'd like me to sign your copy of Miss Match to.

And by the way, Jessica, my son chose your book cover as his favorite from all the TFC covers on the margin of the blog. :)