Today, I'm pleased to announce the first SMILE GIVEAWAY CONTEST! Little Willow, over at Slayground.net, wants to hear your most embarrassing dental story! You can submit the story as an essay, a comic, an illustration, a photo, a web video...anything you like! Best of all, the stories can be true or false, so anyone can enter (even those of you lucky enough to have never had any dental drama in your lives)!

The contest will run until February 28, so you've got a bit of time to come up with your entry. Have fun with this! I'm helping to judge at the end, so I'll get to see all of the entries, too. I can't wait.

In addition to the contest, LW is also collecting quotes from some of her readers, answering the question, "What makes you smile?" I gave the first answer, and this link will continue to update with more answers throughout the month. Have a look! :)

I'm excited to to announce that you can now read an 8-page preview of Smile, in full-color, at Graphic Novel Reporter! And while you're there, you can also read an interview with me, as well as read their review of the book. Whew! Thanks, GNR!

Last night I recorded an episode of the Ink Panthers Show with my pals, hosts Mike Dawson and Alex Robinson, and the podcast is up now for listening!

We talk about teeth, middle school, and how I'm secretly a hobo. I think you will enjoy it. Thanks for having me on, guys!

Save the date:

Smile Book Release Party! Saturday, February 13, 2010 4-6 PM

Rocketship 208 Smith Street Brooklyn, NY http://rocketshipstore.blogspot.com

*Live visual reading! Perhaps with an embarrassing Valentine's theme! *Braces-friendly food! *90s tunes!

All ages are most welcome. I'll pop in with a reminder a little closer to the fact, but wanted to invite everyone to this event with some advance notice--mark your calendars!

Hi, and welcome to the newly-renovated GoRaina.com! I've been putting a few coats of paint on the walls, changing the furniture around...and now I'm ready for company! Come on in. There are new illustrations in the gallery, a few new comics to read, and information about all my books, including the forthcoming SMILE! That will be in stores on February 2, but in the meantime, you can read a preview, check out some of the wonderful reviews the book has been getting, and pre-order from your favorite retailer!

I've also added some information about Author Visits, as well as updated my events schedule for the year--it's there on the right. That schedule will be updated VERY regularly, as I confirm more events and appearances over the course of 2010. Stay tuned to my site for ongoing news and info!

In the next few weeks, I'll have a couple of contests you can enter, a few more announcements, and I'll be debuting the animated BOOK TRAILER for Smile, which I'm really excited about.

I'd like to thank my friend Stephanie Yue for putting together this site for me. She did a great job, and if Steph's name sounds familiar to you, that's probably because she was also the colorist for Smile. Thanks, Steph!

Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you enjoy your stay!

My advance copies of SMILE have arrived, as a sort of early Christmas present! I couldn't be more delighted with the way they turned out. Check out that shiny foil on the braces!

You can order it now through your local comic shop, using Diamond Preview Order Code DEC09 0873. Or, buy it at your favorite book store! It'll be out on February 2, 2010.

You can see a few more photos here, including shots of the softcover, the colorful interiors, and the amazing quote on the back cover!

SMILE is in the current issue of Diamond's Previews Catalogue, which means you can now reserve a copy of the book through your local comic shop! It will ship on February 3, 2010. SMILE’s Diamond Preview Order Code: DEC09 0873

Softcover: $10.99 Hardcover: $21.99

Not only that, but the book is also a Staff Pick! Here's the wonderful review:

From the moment that she trips and loses her two front incisors in the sixth grade to the day the braces finally come off in high school, young Raina Telgemeier endures casts, false teeth, headgear, bloody deep cleanings and extractions.  It’d be easy to write off Smile as a graphic novel about braces, but there’s more to this ordeal than orthodontics.

If anything, Raina’s braces serve as a framework for the larger coming-of-age narrative.  Covering everything from earthquakes to school dances (and how many of us could even tell the difference at 16?), Telgemeier recounts some very formative experiences with an in-the-moment frankness guided by intelligent reflection.

This story is smart enough to recognize that life-changing events can be unforeseen and abrupt, like Raina’s fall, or slow but inevitable, like an eventual split with her friends...  And as much as Raina’s literal smile is an object in this book, the ever-present suggestion to “smile!” is the real star and driving subject.  How do any of us—awkward, confused and insecure—come through the teen years smiling?  Telgemeier’s answer is in this excellent graphic novel.

Recommended by Kate Henning

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I'd also like to remind everyone that I have stacks and stacks of Baby-sitters Club ORIGINAL PAGES for sale, and that they make wonderful holiday presents! Please check out my STORE page for details and shopping cart, but I have two options for buying BSC pages:

--You can buy the page of your choice, which normally run between $50 and $100 (a bit more for the most detailed pages). I give discounts for multiple-page purchases, and am happy to personalize!

--You also have the option to buy a page from the book of your choice, where I get to choose the page itself, for $30 each plus shipping! I am also happy to personalize these pages.

For every page of art that I sell through my website, I will make a $5 donation to First Book, a fantastic non-profit organization that provides new books to children in need.

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Keep your eyes on my site over the next few weeks, as I'll be making more announcements and sharing more info about the upcoming release of SMILE. It's going to be a great holiday season!