Celebrating Celeste Fest with Celeste-isms & Kisses ♥

We're super excited to share our love for Flat-Out Celeste and we hope you can join us! We have a lot of fun things planned for this! Some events we have planned include: Take Celeste around town, Dress-up Celeste, Curtsying Contest, Hot Yoga Selfies, First Kiss stories and more! 

Title: FLAT OUT CELESTE

Author: Jessica Park

Release date: May 22, 2014

Amazon | B&N 

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Whether you were charmed by Celeste in Flat-Out Love or are meeting her for the first time, this book is a joyous celebration of differences, about battling private wars that rage in our heads and in our hearts, and—very much so— this is a story about first love.. 

For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she’s too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation. 

But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe.
Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she’ll let him. 

Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love.

LET'S TALK...CELESTE-ISMS ♥
As you read Flat Out Celeste, you can't help but to love some of the "Celeste-isms" you can find in the book. Some of my favorites are:

♥ “What is meant by ‘nut bag’? Is that a testicular reference or merely the identification of a satchel of cashews or pecans?” 

♥ "I cannot believe I suggested that painfully extricating the entirety of one's pubic hair in any manner - not to mention such a barbaric one - is a requirement for garnering the commitment of a man.  No, no, I refuse to advocate that a woman do anything uncomfortable to her body simply because men have the perverse cultural expectation that all women come to them hairless.  Or worse, with assorted gems adorning their genitalia!"

♥ "Good God, yes, there were clothes on!  It was my first kiss!  I didn't exactly fling myself at him and strip down after one kiss.  Granted, it was totally spectacular kiss, and, as I mentioned, I experienced some sore of primal sexual awakening, but that didn't mean I was ready for intercourse."

♥ "I am choosing a love that defies boundaries and a life that defies boundaries.  That is the power of Celeste."

♥  “That's the thing about music. You get to make it mean whatever you need it to mean.” 

THE POWER OF....FIRST KISSES ♥

My first kiss was awkward. By no means was it the totally spectacular kiss that Celeste raves about, and there was definitely no primal sexual awakening. But as far as first kisses go, it was sweet and pretty perfect in it's on way.

My first kiss was with a neighbor and friend and happened soon after I moved to my new house. I became friends with the boy next door, and yes even though I refer to him as the boy next door, he was not the clean cut boy from next door, instead he was kind of...hmm, the boy you're mom warned you about. (On a side note, in recent years he's actually became a better guy and finally has his life together.)

Anywho, we headed to the fair together one year. It was the first time I had ever been to this particular fair and it was just the boy next door - or BND, his parents, and myself. After breaking away from his parents we ended up on the ferris wheel. At the very top of the ferris wheel he leaned over and kissed me. It was shy, sweet, and awkward, but in it's own way it was special. 

On the way home as country music blared from the radio, he held my hand. After we got home he walked me back over to my house, kissed me again and told me goodnight. 

It's been 14 years since that first kiss, but sometimes it stills plays in my mind. It's been 8 years since I've seen the BND, but occasionally we try to catch up on one another's lives. 

First kisses - good or bad - leave a lasting impression on you. They may not awaken a sexual urge or be spectacular, but they're pretty special in their own way.

About the Author:

Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

Please visit her at jessicapark.me and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicapark and Twitter @JessicaPark24