Favorite Little Thing: Essie's Damsel in a Dress nail polish for fall 2012

Hey Girls,

I love a plum nail polish color for fall, I usually go for a light color year round, but I'm into deep purples right now and having fun with adding a pop of color that flows with the colors of the seasons. The colors of fall are so beautiful, the golds, purples and reds of the changing leaves especially inspire me.  This color I'm wearing right now is called Damsel in a Dress by Essie.

Other Essie plum colors that are hot for fall 2012.
Other colors I'm into for fall are:
Gold.
Navy.
Deep reds and Maroons.
Dark Greens.


Also check out my hand modeling tips here. NO height requirement to be a hand model ya'all.
Five modeling jobs where height doesn't matter.


 

New book contest! Submit to win a signed copy of Careful and a ladybug car charm

Hey Girls,

Here's the scoop for my new book contest to win a signed copy of Careful and a ladybug car charm.

In the book, Estella, the main character had a ladybug car charm that had a special meaning to her and it always hung from her rear view mirror, but after the texting while driving crash that killed her the ladybug car charm went missing. The ladybug charm does come up again in the book. It's a sentimental moment in the book when the ladybug car charm is found, I think you'll enjoy it.

Have you ever lost something meaningful that you thought was gone forever but then it was found? Send me a couple sentences or paragraphs about the experience to petitepride@yahoo.com with Lost and Found in the subject.

 

"The silver ladybug charm that always hung from my rearview mirror, where it would spin round and round, was gone. My white gown and the strapless padded bra had gotten disheveled among my laptop, notebooks, and track bag." ~from the book Careful

The Lost and Found contest starts now!  Ends September 5, 2012. 


~Isobella


Careful is available now wherever books are sold and as an ebook too.
Listen to a podcast reading of Careful here
Watch the book trailer here
Visit the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series on Pinterest here

At Guess, onesie body suits for mama and onesies for baby

I've been shopping for so many onesies for the baby, and today at during a visit to the Guess store on Fifth Avenue, I noticed the bodysuits aka onesie's for mama's! Very classy, sexy and sophisticated, would totally rock with a pencil skirt or jeans while pushing the stroller around. Playtime just got more stylish, and these also create nice proportioned lines for petites. Some of my favorites. -IJ

 

Onesie for mama

 

 

Caria Sleeveless Bodysuit Guess by Marciano

 

Daria Bodysuit Guess by Marciano

 

Clay Baby Cheetah Bodysuit. Guess by Marciano

 

Dana Knit Bodysuit, Guess by Marciano

 

 

Onesie for baby

 

Guess Two Bodysuits and Pants Set

 

This onesie with the little bears and Guess's trademark question mark is so cute.

 

 

 

Also check out these hot body suits/ onesies at Wolford.

 



My thoughts about life today posted on Facebook and Twitter

Crazy that 7 years later and the same weekend, hurricane Isaac is headed towards the gulf...I hope everyone is safe in those southern states, you can't halt mother nature, take care of yourself, grab what's sentimental and your loved ones.


School shootings, hurricanes, earthquakes, oh my. Be thankful and positive, do what you want to do now, don't bank on tomorrow, spread love and peace as often as you can.


Every day leave a mark with your heart, may it be with your words, something you write on the page, with a drawing, by reminding someone they are loved, take a picture of something you think is beautiful, put effort into your goals or pursuits, do an act of kindness without wondering what you'll get in reward.

http://www.facebook.com/isobella.jade
https://twitter.com/isobellajade

see ya there,

~IJ

Inside My YA Novel Careful: Confronting inner-beauty

Inner-beauty shows up in many different emotional ways in my new YA novel Careful.

When we meet Estella and her best friends in Careful, the first book of the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series, they are all absorbed with the physical: their bodies, how they look, what they wear and their hair, mascara, eyeliner and lip-gloss, but as the series goes on their inner-beauty starts to shine out more and more.

The main character Estella loses all that's physical when she dies in a texting and driving crash and she now exists as a spirit and the goodness she had inside is all that's left of her. Figuring out her purpose now, and how to "live" as a spirit is her new daily pursuit. Until her death, Estella had relied on her body, being tone, strong and fast, as a competitive track runner and she struggles to come to grips with not having her legs, her arms, her body, and curly auburn hair anymore--she even misses her small boobs. Her goals don't matter anymore, her plans to go to college. She's without a future...or so she thinks at first.

She was prom dress shopping with her best friends Zara, Jett and Eva the day she dies, and was debating over whether to buy a strapless padded bra to give her a more proportioned shape. After shopping she realizes she forgot her cell phone in the dressing room and when she sees the strapless padded bra on the dressing room bench again, the minutes she spends buying the strapless padded bra (and worrying about having the perfect shape) could have perhaps prevented her from being at the wrong place at the wrong time and colliding with Heidi's SUV when Heidi was texting and driving...or that's how Estella feels now.

Zara, a fashion blogger, blond and stylish, always with something to say and share, discovers that wearing the latest trends aren't everything when a rumor spreads online about her and her reputation is crushed, after a brutal fight at school she ends up in a wheelchair.

Eva's not yet sure of herself and accepting what she was born with, she's Hispanic, writes poems in her journal and doesn't yet believe in her talents and hates her curves. She turns to diet pills but has to learn to love her true self before she will find the love she deserves.

Perhaps Jett, an aspiring model, is the one who gets the inner-beauty reality check in the most profound way. With her beautiful, flawless skin and long shiny black hair she dreams of modeling beyond the small town and small life of Willow Ridge although she has booked some great gigs for local brands so far, however when her face is forever changed during a bloody fight at school with Heidi's friends..it's nothing scar cream can fix..she has to reevaluate the real meaning of beauty.

Each of Estella's friends face struggles with outer beauty and have to discover their own inner-beauty and that's where Estella comes to play. She believes in her friends and their skills, smarts and hearts and she shows up in their lives with signs and symbols of her memory to inspire them to dig deeper and put to use the good they have inside and share it with others in a compassionate way.

I added a pins recently that represent each of the characters realizing they can't count on outer beauty and confronting their inner-beauty. Check them out here:

Estella

Zara

Eva

Jett

View all the pins that reflect the characters in "Careful." http://pinterest.com/isobellajade/careful-quiet-invisible/

Read more about the Careful and the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series here.

Check out an excerpt of Careful, read it as an ebook for only $2.99 on Kindle, Nook or iBookstore (search Careful or Isobella Jade under books)


~Isobella

 

 

P.s: I'm not sure that $500K would be enough if I lost my legs in a texting and driving crash: http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/nj-couple-accepts-500k-settlement-for-legs-lost-in-texting-accident

 

Careful: Lost but not gone forever

An excerpt during the crash in Careful: "The silver ladybug charm that always hung from my rearview mirror, where it would spin round and round, was gone. My white gown and the strapless padded bra had gotten disheveled among my laptop, notebooks, and track bag."

You'll see, the ladybug charm shows up later in the book.

 

 

 

Isobella Jade Quote: Create your own opportunity

Create your own opportunity, sure it's a lot of work but not waiting around is what moves you forward. With ambition, patience and persistence you'll start getting where you want to go and your daily goals and weekly accomplishments will inspire you to chase more. Always make sure your heart, mind and soul are in agreement while you give yourself the chance. ~IJ

The Careful, Quiet, Invisible series is on Pinterest

Check out the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series on Pinterest, and enjoy images and items that represent the characters in my new YA novel series Careful, Quiet, Invisible. After being killed in a texting and driving crash, Estella now exists in a spirit form and through signs and symbols she shows her best friends, Zara, Jett and Eva, that the physical isn't everything and to believe in themselves despite the revenge, bullying and heartache that surrounds them. New beginnings can be found through acts of compassion.

Check out the latest pins here: http://pinterest.com/isobellajade/careful-quiet-invisible/

Create your own charm necklace at my book signing this week!

While looking for charms for the "create your own charm necklace" element of my book signing on Thursday, I asked a girl in the charm store, she looked about 17, "What type of charms do you think are cool?" She told me hearts, skulls and a lock and key charm." CHECK got them! Along with a bunch of other awesome charms, I look forward to seeing you Thursday, I'll be eating a lot of yogurt at the signing: http://www.petitemodelingtips.com/2012/08/my-book-signing-at-16-handles-coming-up.html


At the book signing this week, Thursday, August 16th, at 16 Handles, guests can enjoy frozen yogurt, cupcakes and gift bags. And inspired by the cover of "Careful," guests can also create their own charm necklace.

Thursday, August 16th, 2012

6 pm - 8 pm

16 Handles

498 Sixth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

Subway: 1,2,3, F, M, L to 14th Street.

(Read more about the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series here.)

In "Careful," Estella's charm necklace comes up throughout the book. The necklace wasn't buried in the ground with her body, her mother has held on to it. I think you'll enjoy the way the charm necklace is a way she can connect with her mother. You'll see. The book is sentimental, yes, but also dramatic and involves revenge and bullying and a lot of teen issues that you'll relate with but the core of love and compassion.

Do you have a piece of jewelry that you consider a treasure? Lucky, or meaningful to you?

I carry my Dad's ring in my wallet, I like that a part of him, something he wore is always with me, it's like a lucky charm to me and it's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

I also have my grandmother's wedding ring which actually fits me, and powder compact she used, there's powder still in it, I try to be careful with it.

It's interesting to think about the items in our lives that we enjoy now could become momentos and symbolic, meaningful to others as well one day and tell the story of part of our lives and personality.

To making the memory count and keeping the memories alive,

Isobella

Behind the scenes cover shots for shooting the book cover of "Careful"

Here are some behind the scene cover shots from shooting the book cover for "Careful."

(When crafting ideas for the cover I wanted to show one single item that was symbolic to the book and would be simple and precise. Estella's charm necklace stood out to me because it's a reminder of her youth and the things she left behind. I studied jewelry ads but then went for more edge, some mystery and grit. Estella dies early in the book and dirt came to mind because an emotional scene in the book is her funeral, which her spirit attends, and it's hard for her to watch her body being lowered into the ground. Once I bought the charm necklace and waited 2 weeks for it, I then went to Home Depot on 23rd St. and got some dirt, also I dug up some dirt from the parks by the East River too. I imagined the dirt as the dirt pile on top of Estella's casket, at her grave, in the cemetery.)

photos and cover shot by Robert Milazzo

My illustrator of my graphic novel "Model Life," Jazmin Ruotolo, created the title graphic for "Careful," and I love it.

I wanted the title graphic to look fluid and pretty, cursive-like and as if Estella's auburn hair was blowing in the wind and creating the letters, but also having an intriguing darkness to it. The style of the title graphic will also flow and be carried through on the covers the next books "Quiet" and "Invisible.

I'll share behind the scenes shots of the back cover soon.

~IJ

Submit to win a signed copy of "Careful" and a Marc Jacobs lipstick pen, deadline August 16th!

The book trailer for "Careful."

Listen to a podcast reading of "Careful" here.

frozen yogurt, cupcakes and charms at my book signing

I'm hunting for unique and fun charms today in the Fashion District, because at my book signing this coming week on August 16th at 16 Handles, guests can create their own charm necklace (hence the cover of the book and Estella's "e" charm necklace.) Here's the scoop, and if you like frozen yogurt, cupcakes and YA novels, I hope to see you there :)~ IJ
http://www.petitemodelingtips.com/2012/08/my-book-signing-at-16-handles-coming-up.html

When I'm asked about modeling and publishing tips, I tell them....

Very often I get asked about modeling and publishing tips, I usually start with saying how tough it is but also how possible if your confident, determined and ambitiously realistic. I made many mistakes back then at the start of things, I still make some now, through building and making your goals happen it's about carrying on through, learning from the good days and not so good days and moments. We grow a lot while we discover more about ourselves and our passions, we change, we improve and get better, so don't beat yourself up too much when you stumble, and things go wrong or not as planned. I used to really dwell, but I've grown out of that, you can't rewind time, now I give it like 5 minutes to cry and bitch and vent and then eat some strawberries and strive ahead, cause nothing is the end-all to the passionate souls.~IJ

New book contest giveaway for Careful based on signs and symbols

 

Win a Marc Jacob's lipstick pen and a signed copy of "Careful" by sharing your memorable "sign or symbol"!

I'm holding a new "Careful" giveaway contest.  Here is the scoop:

Have you ever seen a sign or symbol of a loved one that was a little too close to be considered "just a coincidence."

I'm not talking ghosts, I'm talking signs and symbols, like when you're walking down the street and you just happen to see something that reminds you of someone you were just thinkinng about or a loved one you lost, something profound that seems to only connect with you.

While writing "Careful" my father passed away tragically and I did see a lot of signs of him and his memory, still do, and I think they do mean something. 

In "Careful," the main character Estella is a spirit, an energy, and throughout the book (and the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series) she"goes behind the scenes" of signs and symbols that she wants to share of her memory with her friends and family.  It was fun to write about the energy and movement, planning and crafting that could happen behind the scenes of a sign or symbol appearing in our lives from the perspective of the that energy making the sign appear.

In the book, Estella notices the name of a new lip-gloss brand involves her own name and tries to get one of her best friends, Jett, who is feeling doubtful about her goals to notice the lip-gloss as a symbol of Estella's belief in her.

Submit to win the Marc Jacob's lipstick pen and a signed copy of "Careful" by sending me a couple paragraphs about your own experience with signs and symbols. Email petitepride@yahoo.com with the subject "signs and symbols."  I'll be choosing the most heart touching "this is not just a coincidence" sign as the winner.

STARTS NOW.

DEADLINE August 16, 2012


Cheers!
Isobella

Have you seen the book trailer for Careful?
Listen to a podcast reading of Careful here.

My Book Signing for Careful at 16 Handles coming up!!

Hey Girls,

New York City based girls of all sizes, guess what! Join me for a book signing for "Careful" on August 16th at 16 Handles in New York City! Hold the date. :) 

~Isobella

Book Signing at 16 Handles!

When: August 16, 2012

Time: 6 pm - 8 pm

498 Sixth Ave.
Cross Street: between 12th and 13th Street

Subway. 14th street. L or 1, 2, 3, F, M trains

Google Maps

The Scoop:

Author, and petite model, Isobella Jade debuts “Careful, ”a timely read that circles around friendship, family, forgiveness, revenge, bullying, loss and love. The new young adult novel is about a promising teen athlete who dies from a tragic texting-related car crash but as a spirit she finds ways to show up in the lives of her friends and family in symbolic and heart touching ways. For one evening only this summer, at the popular self-serve frozen yogurt spot 16 Handles, in the West Village (498 Sixth Ave. Cross Street: between  12th and 13th Street), Jade will be signing copies of “Careful” while guests enjoy free cupcakes, gift bags and creating their own charm necklace.

http://www.16handles.com/store/greenwich.php

http://www.isobelladreams.com/TheCarefulQuietInvisibleSeries.html

The Careful, Quiet, Invisible series is on Pinterest

Hey Girls,

I wanted to let you know that my book series Careful, Quiet, Invisble is on Pinterest. I will be sharing images and items that reflect the personalities of the characters in the series.

Check out the pins that reflect Estella and her best friends, Zara (a fashion blogger), Jett (an aspiring model) and Eva (a writer):

http://pinterest.com/isobellajade/careful-quiet-invisible/

I'll also be pinning petite fashion favorites and mini-things I love here:

http://pinterest.com/isobellajade/


~Isobella

Check out Careful on Amazon and BN.com in print and as an ebook.  Also check out Careful at Indie-Bound.

New Podcast segment! Revenge, Bullying and Compassion in the new YA novel Careful

Coming up tomorrow, August 2, 2012 at 12 PM EST a new podcast segment:
"Revenge, Bullying and Compassion in the new YA novel Careful."

I remember in high school watching a kids skull being smashed against the floor. When I yelled "Stop it!" it didn't seem to matter, the rage in their eyes was unstoppable. I wanted the reality of bullying and abuse to be in this book but also the hope for compassion to always be there in us.

Tune in tomorrow for the segment here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2012/08/02/revenge-bullying-and-compassion-in-the-new-ya-novel-careful

Careful is available now as a print book and ebook. Read a free excerpt or sample of Careful on Amazon, BN.com or in the iBookstore. If you'd like a personalized signed copy of Careful or any of my books contact me throught my website.

~Isobella

P.s: Have you seen the book trailer for Careful, check it out here: http://www.isobelladreams.com/TheCarefulQuietInvisibleSeries.html

Listen to archived podcast readings of Careful here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2012/07/26/new-ya-novel-careful-book-launch-reading-and-chat

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2012/07/12/author-isobella-jade-reads-from-her-new-ya-novel-careful