Sarah Jio is head of the class and has a book to give away!

Introduction by
Melissa Amster

**Giveaway is now closed**

Sarah Jio is now the second author named Sarah to visit Chick Lit Central for a third time. (Actually, she's now the second author to visit this many times in general.) Not only is this her third time here, but she also has a third novel out in two years and is a mom of three boys. She's overall proof that good things come in threes! We're thrilled to have her back, and on her pub day no less, as "Blackberry Winter" is a hauntingly beautiful and emotional novel that was difficult to put down. She's also a genuinely nice person and we've enjoyed getting to know her over the past couple of years. And we're even more excited to learn that she has a fourth novel coming out next spring! Sarah is a writing powerhouse and has been since her debut with "The Violets of March." We know her next novel, "The Last Camellia" will not be her last!

She's here to chat about school with us and thanks to Penguin, we have THREE (notice a trend here) copies of "Blackberry Winter" for some lucky US readers!

You can find Sarah on Facebook, Twitter and her website.

Favorite subject: 
Growing up, I always enjoyed anything related to writing and books (big surprise, right?!). In the first grade, I wrote a book called "A Tugboat Dream" as a class project, and it won a "Young Author" award. I remember being so proud and excited about this as a six year-old, and I think it has something to do with my grown-up career!

Favorite elementary school memory: 
Definitely fourth grade, in Mr. Raymond's class, when he'd read us stories after recess. We'd all sit around on the floor eating red licorice (he was a cool teacher who let us have treats) while he read books like "James and the Giant Peach" aloud. It was magical.

Interesting fact about your high school: 
I went to a private high school, which was very small and so the students were like family. I got interested in debate, and competed in several forensic events, which was really fun and, I think, helped me make the case to my parents that my 11:00 PM curfew was so unfair. :)

Fictional school you'd love to attend (i.e. "Sweet Valley High"): 
Oh goodness, I don't know. I suppose I always thought it would be pretty cool to hang out in the 90210 zip code, but thank goodness I stayed down to earth and real in 98370 (that would be good ol' Poulsbo, Washington)!

Favorite movie about school: 
Hmm, probably "The Breakfast Club" or "Pretty in Pink"—love Molly Ringwald. I was born in 1978, so she always seemed so very cool and grown-up to me.

What did you buy/bring for lunch every day? 
Such a fun question! I had very mature (and somewhat odd) tastes for a child. While other kids would bring PB&J, I requested that my mom pack soups in thermoses. I especially loved Chicken Gumbo. I also went through a phase of eating pickle-and-cheese sandwiches every day for three years straight.

Did you take a foreign language class? If so, what? Do you still speak that language? 
I took French in the 8th grade, and missed out on traveling to Paris with the class (still wish I had been able to go), and then took it again in college. I also took Spanish in high school. Sadly, I am not very fluent in either, but I do have the embarrassing knack of mixing the two languages together, which was very embarrassingly obvious when I attempted to order a meal at a café in France and somehow used the word "dinero." Oops!

Favorite school play that you saw or participated in: 
I acted in a murder mystery in high school, and I got to play the murderer (a sweet-seeing secretary named Betty, if I'm remembering correctly—it's been a while!). I don't remember anything about the plot, but I do remember wearing a 1940's pink suit with a ruffled collar and uttering the word "pomegranate" several times. Hmm, there could be a novel in here somewhere.

Special thanks to Sarah for visiting us again and Penguin for sharing "Blackberry Winter" with our readers.

How to win "Blackberry Winter":

Please comment below with your e-mail address. (Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.) 

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Which fictional school would you like to attend (from books, TV shows, movies, etc.)?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
5. Follow us on Twitter and/or Pinterest.
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

US only. Giveaway ends October 2nd at midnight EST.

For another chance to win, visit Chick Lit is Not Dead by 10/2. (US/Canada)