Just wanted to let y’all know about a little limited edition goodie that we are offering over here….

Maybe you have a daughter off at college and you want to send her a Valentine’s Day package, or maybe your teenager just loves getting mail [don't we all?]. I remember vividly the fear and angst of going to school on Valentine’s Day as a single teenager. Not fun. But my parents were always intentional and really sweet on Valentine’s Day, so I’m hoping this will help you bless your daughter/granddaughter/little sister/friend this year.

On a day when everyone is saying “be mine,” we hope this is the perfect way to remind her to “be His.”

This “be His” package includes:

• A personally autographed copy of Perfectly Unique
• 5 Perfectly Unique folded notecards and 5 pink envelopes [they are totes brand new and adorable and these girls will be the FIRST to have them!]
• A fabric flower pin that can be clipped in your hair or pinned on your jacket or backpack
• A Valentine’s card letting her know who the gift is from
• A little handmade Valentine happy reminder her to “be His”
• Glitter [duh]

The total cost is $25 and that includes shipping [within the continental USA]! And there is a spot on PayPal where you can tell me who to sign the book to and who to sign the Valentine from- it’s under the shipping address where it says “note to seller”. Fancy, eh?

To insure / ensure [both are right, I'm scared of being wrong, so both it shall be] … to MAKE SURE this arrives by Valentine’s Day (Feb 14), you must order by next Monday, February 11.

Jeremiah 31:3 (The Message)

“I have never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”

Big thanks to Erin Pfister, Connor Harrell and Lyndsay Rush for all their help.

So. About four months ago, this little puppy released to the world. You know my favorite part? On Amazon, it has been the most wished for book in Teen Christianity for a few months solid. That’s just sweet because I picture teen girls out there who have sat down and added Perfectly Unique to their wish list hoping that Aunt Carol or Tech-savvy grandma will send it over.

You know what I wish? I wish I knew who they were. I’d mail out a few books and include a note that says, “YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!” because I’ve always wanted to be a genie and I blame that on the Jeannie’s sweet life inside her bottle. I clearly remember being a kid and watching that show and wishing I could live in there and I clearly have gotten us off on a rabbit trail.

Ahem.

So here are a few things I wanted to remind you of in this, the year of the Lord, 2013.

1. If you lead a small group of young women (7th grade-early college), Perfectly Unique is here to help! It is split into 12 chapters, easy to read and study in one semester.

• There is a FREE LEADER’S GUIDE for you if you want to download it to help with the semester.
• Also, I would LOVE to skype in and meet your girls if you want me to – either before you start the book, or after if they have questions or something. Just contact me and let me know!
• If you can think of some way that I can help you as you lead your small group, just say!

2. If you got Perfectly Unique as a gift for Christmas, I can sign it for you.

• Well, sorta.
• Check out THIS BLOG POST that gives you instructions on how to get a signed bookplate mailed straight to your house FOR FREE! [Ignore the dates on there- I was trying to get it to folks before Christmas.]

3. If you have read Perfectly Unique, it would be RAD if you would leave an honest review in one of these fine places:

• Barnes and Noble

• Good Reads
• Amazon
• Or all three if you are loving the copy and paste and have a spare eight minutes in your day.

4. You’re probably gonna want to sign up for my newsletter.

• You can do that by scrolling down to the bottom of this page and on the right, you’ll see a little box perfectly sized for your email address. [So subscribers, get your click on and come over.]
• I forget to send a newsletter all the time, so don’t worry about spam. At best, you’ll hear from me once a quarter, says the girl who hasn’t sent a newsletter since mid-2012.
• But there is a fun announcement coming soooooon and those fine newsletter folks are hearing it first.

Finally, if you have any favorite quotes from Perfectly Unique, will you email them to THE BEST INTERN EVER? We have a little idea, but it’s gonna take you helping us find quotes. Nothing feels weirder than scanning your own book for quotes, so your help is greatly appreciated.

. . . . .

Thanks for being here, even on days when I talk about a book you a) don’t want to read or b) already read or c) are tired of hearing about. I believe in this book, I believe in what God does in the hearts of the women who read it, and so once a month or so I want to make sure we talk about it.

You guys are great friends.

Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.

Really. I mean it.

. . . . .

So this intern of mine. He’s gonna be writing a blog post for you in the super near future, so I just wonder- do you have any questions for Annie’s Intern? Anything you want to know about what it’s like to work for a Ursula-like tyrant? Or how bored he is? Or what he does every day? Or why in the world a boy wants to intern for a teen girl Christian author?  

Leave any questions in the comments and he’ll answer them in his post coming soon!

You know, my blog-memory isn’t so good. I just tried to look back and find my recaps from each year, thinking “in 2007, I did a TOP 7 list and in 2008 I did a TOP 8 list but for 2012 I can do a TOP 12 list and do one thing from each month!”

And then I saw my 2007 recap.

And my 2008 recap.

And realized that I’m a dufus. I’ve been giving a monthly highlight for a lot of years.

But in 2009, I didn’t want to officially recap apparently, I barely survived the stress of 2010, and in 2011 I barely survived deportation.

So 2012 deserves a legit recap. So here we go!

Psalm 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

. . . . .

JANUARY: After returning from Scotland in November 2011, I lived with the Giver family here in Nash while looking for my own home. Our time co-habitating was a bigger gift to me than I can ever describe.

Here’s a post about it. Also, we did puzzles. Puzzles are good for my soul.

. . . . .

FEBRUARY: I met my small group. How we have been us for less than a year I will never understand because we fit like we’ve been forever.

Here’s a post about them. And here’s a pic from our small group snoozle earlier this month. I love them so much.

. . . . .

MARCH: I signed the book deal for Perfectly Unique. 

Here’s a post about that day. Here I am signing with my gals. So grateful for them.

. . . . .

APRIL: Me and the Vandy boyz made our sibling-hood offish. They are my brothers. Amen. I love these guys so much. Don’t even get me started.

Here’s a post about it. Here we are from left to right – Keenan, my rogue necklace, me, and Connor.

[Also, to be noted, this was my first month as a full-time author and speaker, leaving my Mocha Club job on April 1 after two years. I'm so grateful to my boss, Barrett, for reminding me to be brave. I have been scared and worried and every other emotion, but I've never regretted it.]

. . . . .

MAY: The girls and I went to an Ingrid Michaelson show. While this may seem like a bizarro highlight, the truth is that this story, these girls, this history, they have all meant more to me in the last two years than I can express.

Here’s a post about it. And here we are.

[Also, I talked to John-Boy Walton on the phone. So. That made my life.]

. . . . .

JUNE: I traveled around the southeast meeting youth group gals in every corner of Dixie. 

Here’s a post about it. And here are some darling gals that I met in Birmingham with Sophie.

. . . . .

JULY: Not only did I turn 32 [with joy, I might add], but I got to return “home” to Edinburgh for a few weeks before the craziness of book release fall season began.

Here I am with three of my very best friends who live across the ocean- Esther, Leisa, and Donna.

Also, the last week of July was this year’s first Girls of Grace event in the lovely city of Phoenix. Here’s a post about it.

. . . . .

AUGUST: This began my crazy travel season, including weekends in Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oregon. 

Here’s a post about it. And here’s a shot during a Girls of Grace event!

. . . . .

SEPTEMBER: Perfectly Unique releases to the world!

Here’s a post about it. Truly, this month totally changed my life and I will never forget it. Thank you.

. . . . .

OCTOBER: I told lots of jokes.

Here’s the list. It was a hilarious month.

Also, I got to attend and speak at the Influence Conference and Allume Conference. It was mucho fun.

. . . . .

NOVEMBER: My best friend Betsy turned 30 and we celebrated Parenthood style in her hometown. 

It was a fun month with Girls of Grace and my travel season ended- my body and friends and dirty house rejoiced that I was home for a bit.

. . . . .

DECEMBER: I love the Christmas parties and concerts and time with friends that increases over the holiday season. Nashville is a hotbed for good times in December. It’s my favorite time of year.

Here’s me and some gals at the cooooooolest Christmas party in town.

Also this month, I got to spend time hanging out with Jennie Allen and we became quick besties. It was hopefully the first of many crazy brainstorming retreats.

. . . . .

It was a good year. It wasn’t pain free, disappointment free, fear free, heartbreak free, but I am sure glad it happened. There are things that happened that I will never forget- new friendships, dating relationships, new ministry opportunities, hard conversations, surprising moments, dreams coming true, all of it. Even through the hard, as the year comes to an end, my journal is almost as full as my heart.

I am grateful.

Thanks for being a part of my 2012.

. . . . .

What was the highlight of your 2012? If you write a recap post, link in the comments so we can read about your year!

[PS- I LOVE this recap of 2012 by Regi Campbell. Couldn't resist sharing it.]

So last week I emailed my people at Zondervan and I was all, “You guys, we’ve got to help these Christmas gift givers who want autographed copies of Perfectly Unique for Christmas!”

And they came up with a plan. And it was a great plan.

Here’s what we are going to do.

The Zondervan elves have made these absolutely beautiful bookplates- you know, stickers that will go on the inside cover of your book.

And guess how much it costs? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Right?!?! Are you excited?!?! Me TOOOOOOOO.

Here’s what you have to do to get one:

1. Fill out this little questionnaire.

2. Mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

BOOKPLATE

c/0 Annie Downs

PO Box 121826

Nashville, TN 37212

Pretty much, address an envelope to yourself, put a stamp on it, and then fold it into another envelope, address and stamp that outer envelope, and mail it to me. So I guess a bookplate will cost you two stamps.

3. Wait a few days and then SHAZAAM! The sticker will come in the mail, personalized by me to your gal. Stick it in your book, wrap it, and you shall be able to give your teen/college girl an autographed copy of  Perfectly Unique!

A few things:

I need to receive your envelope BEFORE DECEMBER 15th to guarantee it gets to you by Christmas.

I will let you know by email when I put the bookplate back in the mail to you! [I'll have your email address after you fill out this form and I will be able to get in touch with you.]

I only have 100 bookplates, so please go ahead and fill out the form and mail me your envelope if you think this would make your teen girl squeal with happy on Christmas morning.

Any questions?

I hope this is a cool addition to your gift of  Perfectly Unique! The next best option would be Zondervan shipping ME around the country to sign your books and for some reason, they just don’t love that idea. Weird.

SOLD OUT!

(Sorry, friends.)

As promised yesterday, here ya go!

[If you need a reminder, here is the spaghetti sauce story.]

http://annieblogs.bigcartel.com/product/perfectly-unique-spaghetti-edition

My Facebook peeps got a head start last night, so we are down to only TWELVE spaghetti edition copies!

So you’re gonna have to scooteleypoop over there if you want one of these!

So here’s a sweet thing. There are a lot of girls, apparently, that are hoping to get Perfectly Unique for Christmas. #1 gift idea for Teen Christians and the #1 most wished for book in Teen Christianity?

Humbling. Exciting. Weird. All of it.

I can’t even put into words what it means that this little book will bring smiles to faces on Christmas morning.

If you are planning on getting a copy for a teen or a young woman in your life, I thought I’d attempt to be a little helpful and elf-ish and tell you my thoughts on gifting the book….

. . . . .

What age should read Perfectly Unique?

First of all, and I get this question all the time, I think Perfectly Unique is appropriate from girls as young as 12. There is no content that is rated PG or above. So if you have a middle schooler and you’ve been wondering, yeah- she can read this. But the stories and the examples are more from a high school / college perspective.

. . . . .

Can I buy an autographed copy?

Sadly, no. EXCEPT tomorrow right here on the blog. And there are only 21 copies available then, and they are covered in spaghetti sauce, so…… yeah.

Or you can come to an event where I am speaking and we can hug it out and I’ll sign your book.

. . . . .

What if I already gave someone Perfectly Unique?

You could give them Graceful by Emily P. Freeman.

. . . . .

What if I want to give a gift pack with Perfectly Unique in it?

Awesome question.

Here are some of my favorite products that I think compliment Perfectly Unique.

Lisa Leonard’s Wonderfully Made Necklace

AvantCards’s Amazing Poster

Dayspring’s Hot Pink Faith Journal

Fearless CD by Group 1 Crew

You could also print off the 30 day devotional on the power of words and give that as well.

Also, please toss a little sequins or glitter or confetti in there for good measure. It really makes all the difference.

. . . . .

I hope that helps as you gift the young women in your life. Really really, I can’t tell you how much it means that Perfectly Unique is a book that teen girls are asking for and wanting. I’m praying that every girl who gets it will read it and know God better in 2013 because of it.

. . . . .

Who are you giving Perfectly Unique to this year?

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a bit of a mishap yesterday.

Let’s talk about how it happened.

On Tuesday nights, I cook dinner for my small group. This week, I decided to make spaghetti.

I actually dislike spaghetti. I love Italian food, I just don’t love spaghetti. Maybe I think too often of the “spaghetti” that schools used to offer, but whatever it is, me no likey.

But it’s easy and cost effective and etc. So I decided to make spaghetti.

I purchased the groceries and headed home. I was talking with my mother on the phone and as I opened my trunk, I lifted one of the spaghetti sauce jars from the trunk and no kidding, as I held it in my paw, it shattered.

[So bizzaro. What is the science behind THAT? Where is Mr. Wizard when you need him?]

And the sauce splattered all over my jeans and poured down my trunk AND poured into a brand new box of books that I had literally JUST opened an hour before to give some copies to my friends at Word Entertainment.

I mean, you can just see how it exploded! I’ve never seen a thing like it in my life. I was stunned. I was like, “Uh, Mama. I think I’m gonna need to call you back because something just happened here. Involving spaghetti sauce. I hate spaghetti. Okay. Bye.”

And then I began some serious self talk.

“Ok, Annie. First of all, go pull your hair back in a pony tail. Then get some paper towels. And get a trash can.”

So I did all that- thanks to my influential voice in my own life- and came back and just had to take some pictures.

Do you see the lid in the top left corner? Do you see how the jar just plain broke in my hand? So weird. And then the sauce just dripped and glopped and soaked TWENTY-ONE books.

TWENTY-ONE.

If TWENTY-ONE wasn’t my favorite number [Deion Sanders forever], this whole experience would have been horrible.

Well, it was still horrible. But also kinda funny.

And truthfully, I was like, “Well, maybe that jar was poisoned and God was just protecting us?”

It’s good to think in that direction when you’ve just stained TWENTY-ONE small pieces of financial income.

Oh spaghetti. I hate you still.

I mean, have you ever seen such a thing in your life? I have cleaned these books off- this stack for sure got the brunt of the bolognese- but they are still stained and actually kinda smell great, to be honest.

What am I going to do with them? Not real sure yet. Thinking of selling them off pretty cheap and throwing in a stack of spaghetti noodles as well. I’ll let you know.

Worry not: I still was able to feed my gals. And honestly, that’s all they thought about from the start. Proof below.

At least my people don’t lose focus. And no, Hannah, it wasn’t pizza.

It was spaghetti. Blech.

First of all, I’ve gotz to tell you this.

This weekend, we were in Grand Rapids for a Girls of Grace event. I told some jokes. I figured that there is no better way to make friends than to make them laugh and when you have a few thousand teenage girls staring right at your face waiting on you to be awesome, jokes are good.

Let me tell you the process of how it went.

Annie tells joke –> a few laughs –> more laughs –> hubbub as the joke is discussed amongst themselves –> laughter again.

Pretty much, I won them over with my wild front ear.

You’d have been proud.

. . . . .

Here’s the thing about telling jokes all the live long month: we didn’t really get to talk much about life.

So this week, I’m gonna recap for you a few of the awesomes that happened in October- including the Influence Conference, the Allume Conference, and The Fall Thing.

. . . . .

Guess who is TWO MONTHS OLD today?!? Perfectly Unique!!

Here’s a few things about my favorite infant:

First of all, THANK YOU GUYS for buying it and telling your friends about it. Zondervan is really happy [and to be honest, I think they are shocked] at how quickly Perfectly Unique has spread and I keep telling them, “I TOLD YOU MY PEOPLE ARE AMAZING.”

[That's you. My people.]

As of right this minute, we’re the #2 teen Christian book and the #6 teen spirituality book according to Amazon. And we’ve pretty much been in the top 10 on both lists consistently… which still makes me shake my head in like a, “wow, y’all. Wow, God.” kind of way.

So thanks thanks thanks.

If you’ve finished reading it, it would be RAD if you would leave a review on Amazon. It matters.

Also, if you are leading a group through Perfectly Unique, I hope you saw that there is a FREE LEADER’S GUIDE AVAILABLE.

And while we’re talking about free things, don’t forget that there is a free 30 day devotional available as well.

. . . . .

With the holidays coming up, I love sharing about companies and products that I think y’all would love. So if you are ever interested in advertising for your company or your product or your writing, check out our advertising options.

. . . .

Also, let’s review a few other things:

The University of Georgia is playing some amazing football and we beat Florida last weekend, which is just one of those statements that fills me with pride every single time I get to say it.

Also, the Falcons are 8-0 and for this lifelong raging Falcons fan, the kind that proudly wore a Deion Sanders jersey to school at least once a week in the 8th grade, it’s a pretty amazing thing. Do I still have that jersey somewhere? Not sure. But I hope so.

. . . . .

What was the highlight of your October?

If you’ve been around here for a while, then you know I am obsessed with the Cross Point small group I get to lead. They are 13 of the dearest girls in the entire world.

I write about them some. Not a ton. Mainly because they asked me to quit telling y’all how much they eat. [Oops.] But they are wonderful gals.

And as many of you know, I wrote Perfectly Unique for a small group of high schoolers that used to meet at my house on Monday nights.

[By the way, I wrote an article about that. Check it out!]

All that 100 words to say I LOVE SMALL GROUPS AND I LOVE SMALL GROUP LEADERS.

So… I wanted to give you something. Besides a joke.

Drumroll please.

For weeks, behind the scenes, my elves and I have been working away to get this ready for you….

A free leader’s guide to go along with Perfectly Unique!

Even if you aren’t leading a small group but would like some additional resources to go along with reading Perfectly Unique, feel free to download it!

Share it. Tell anybody who wants it.

In all seriousness, one of the JOYS of this job is that I get to equip others to lead teenagers well. So this is just the first of a slew of things we’re going to offer in hopes that teenagers that you invest in will continue to grow in their love for Christ.

So, grab that puppy! It’s all yours.

[Hey- don't forget- we've also got a free 30 day devotional that you can have too!]

. . . . .

What else would you like to see join the Perfectly Unique family of products? 

It’s Teen Read Week, put on by the American Library Association.

I love libraries. I frequent mine here in Nashville. And I’m ashamed to admit that for the first time in 32 years, I lost a library book. I know. Devastating. I’m going to pay for it today. Whah whah.

My grandmother was a librarian. I wish she could shelf my book. I bet she would think that was really cool.

[Speaking of really cool, Booklist Magazine, a huge resource for librarians, just gave Perfectly Unique a killer review that will be in the November issue! Here's a piece of it....

Young women who are concerned about developing their internal character and becoming stronger Christians will gravitate to this beautiful and breezy title that deals with serious issues in a compassionate manner.

Um. HUGE compliment!! My grandma would freak about that too.]

. . . . .

If you have any teens in your life, I wanted to offer a list of a few of my favorite books for that age bracket. Not all are Christian, and because I am a total prude I’m going to give them a rating, just so you know.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set – I think this would be a great Christmas gift for teen girls or guys in your life. There’s some serious violence, so this probably rated PG. But great writing, fascinating storyline, you probably know all of this already okay moving on.

Graceful – Emily Freeman really gets to the heart of what many teen girls are struggling with in this book. Rated G, this non-fiction will really bless your gal.

I Am the Messenger – Such smart writing. Rated PG [best I can remember]. Our book club of adults loved this, but it is young adult fiction.

The Fault in Our Stars - It’s no secret I’m a huge John Green fan. This book has a sex scene in it between two teens, so it’s def PG13. But the writing is really really strong and the story is beautiful.

Jesus Calling- many of my small group girls are devouring this. Such a great devotional. Rated G. Duh.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness- Andrew Peterson is absolutely one of the most creative writers I’ve ever read. All three books are Rated G and if you are looking for a series that is 100% addicting and awesome, this is it.

Those are just a few of my current faves. There’s lots of cool stuff going on over at the Teen Read Week website, so I highly suggest you check it out. I’ve gotten to read so many cool blog posts about YA Authors and YA books. No joke, my request list for my local library is growing rapidly.

. . . . .

To celebrate Teen Read Week, I want to giveaway some copies of Perfectly Unique! 

Just leave a comment with a book suggestion for teens and you’ll be entered to win. Two people will each get TWO autographed copies of Perfectly Unique. So you can keep one and give one away or you can give them both away!

You have until Sunday afternoon to enter to win.

Then I’ll randomly pick two winners, sign the books, stuff them in envelopes full of glitter [per usual] and send ‘em your way!

Can’t wait to hear your book suggestions!