Colleen Oakley goes to the ball....plus a book giveaway

We are proud to feature one of the 2015 Debs from The Debutante Ball, a great website that has introduced us to all sorts of wonderful authors (Sarah Jio, Erika Marks, and Sarah Pekkanen, just to name a few). From what we've been hearing, Colleen Oakley is no exception to this standard. 

In high school, Colleen decided to become a journalist after watching her mother yell at a journalist on TV. Her articles and essays have been featured in newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two children (who are also rebellious because, genetics), with two more on the way, and a huge mutt named Bailey. She likes to write, read, and drink tequila. (Not necessarily in that order.) You can find her at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Colleen is here today to talk about her favorite things. Thanks to Gallery Books, we have a copy of her debut novel, Before I Go, for a lucky US reader.

Synopsis of Before I Go:
Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again?
On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant “Cancerversary” with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it’s an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect—but not because she’s afraid for herself. She’s terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she’s no longer there to take care of him. It’s this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.
With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack’s perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy’s forced to decide what’s more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband’s happiness—or her own? (Courtesy of Colleen's website.)

Oprah used to give away her "favorite things" on her show. If you were to do a show where you could give people FIVE of your "favorite things," what would you include and how would you present it?

I used to LOVE Oprah’s "Favorite Things" show! Ralph Lauren cashmere sweaters, diamond watches, 600-thread count bedding — it was like watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but even better, because the audience got to have a piece of it. I’m afraid my show wouldn’t be quite as exciting — more like "Lifestyles of the Cheap and Practical" — but these are five of my favorite things right now:

Hudson jeans. I’m no style maven — I’m usually about three trends behind. (As in, I just learned what ombre-ing your hair meant). So a lot of you probably already know about Hudson jeans and have a pair or 12 in your closet. But I just found out about them this summer— and immediately bought three pairs. They are THE BEST butt jeans in the world universe. (Seriously, even aliens from other planets would look good in these jeans). They also have a wider and higher waistband (without being a mom jean), so they somehow erase muffin tops. I think they were created by magical elves.

Neutrogena face cream. Did I mention I was cheap? I mean, um, practical? Yeah, so you’re not going to catch me at Sephora dropping $1000 (or even $100) on face cream — even if it miraculously makes you look like Beyonce (well, OK, I might buy it then). But I will drop $14 on Neutrogena’s Naturals Multi-Vitamin Night Cream. It’s lightweight, but creamy, and smells fantastic — and it makes my skin feel so soft. I’m sure beauty experts would balk at this, but I put it on in the morning and the evening. Cuz I’m a rebel like that.

My minivan. First of all, yes, I drive a minivan. I have two kids and am expecting twins in March (I’m just as shocked about this as you. Probably even more so.), so we bought a minivan in October. At first I thought my body would reject it. A minivan? Those are for soccer moms and people who wear pleated jeans (read: soccer moms). My son plays T-ball, so obviously I’m not a minivan kind of person. But… I love it. The automatic sliding doors? The 4502985898651 cupholders? The storage space? Oh man, don’t get me started on the storage space. I’m seriously like the Honda Odyssey spokesperson. I think my friends have stopped inviting me places, because I can’t stop talking about how great my minivan is. Yes, I’m that person. And I just signed my son up for soccer.

The Book With No Pictures. My kids got this children’s book by BJ Novak for Christmas, and it elicits ALL the giggles. And my kids’ giggles are my favorite thing in the world. But I can’t give my kids away (because then, what would I need a minivan for?) so I’d give away this book.

Tequila. Specifically, Tanteo jalapeno tequila, because it makes the MOST DELICIOUS jalapeno margarita. Try it. You will not regret it. Well, if you drink an entire pitcher, and then stand on top of a bar and sing Midnight Train to Georgia at the top of your lungs to an unsuspecting crowd, you might regret it. Er, hypothetically. But not until the next morning. So, drink up! (And have an extra for me, because I’ve been on pregnancy-hiatus. Insert sad trombone sound here.)

Thanks to Colleen for sharing her favorite things with us and Gallery Books for sharing her book with our readers!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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US only. Giveaway ends January 18th at midnight EST.