[Winners have been notified. Please check your email. Thanks to everyone who entered!] Well, we told you we’d be celebrating all things red in February. Bet you weren’t thinking of your old Aunt Flo! But once we introduce you Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff and her fabulous new MY LITTLE RED BOOK, you’ll at least consider celebrating your monthly visitor. In My Little Red Book (240 pages, Twelve Books), this 18-year old author presents a collection of stories about first periods, gathered from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today’s teens. The taboo around menstruation seems to be one of the few left standing. By revealing what it feels like to undergo this experience firsthand, and giving women the chance to explain their feelings in their own words, My Little Red Book aims to provide support, entertainment, and a starting point for discussion for mothers and daughters everywhere. Whether you’re seeking a thought-provoking read for your book club or a thoughtful gift for a teen, we know you’ll enjoy this engaging book. We were delighted to interview Rachel Kauder Nalebuff—this young woman deserves kudos not only for her accomplishment, but for her giving spirit. In addition, we’re giving free copies of the book to FIVE lucky readers! Perhaps a Valentine gift to yourself? Read on for all the details:

Q. The women who contributed to your book are so varied. How did you find them?

A. Mostly, they found me! Of course, the first contributors were family and friends that I asked directly. I was able to get a diverse collection of stories from girls my age because I go to a boarding school with lots of international students. But word of mouth and internet made the collection what it is today. When the book was near completion, my agent and publisher helped me connect with authors and feminists I admire. All in all, this book really took a village.

Q. How does talking about periods help women?

Any time we are thrown off guard, our reactions reveal our true character. Periods are the perfect example. For members of a family, sharing period stories gives you a sense of what your mother and grandmother were like when they were your age. It’s easy to forget that they, too, were once thirteen. For girls who haven’t gotten their period yet, hearing period stories out in the open will make their first time less stressful. For girls who have just gotten their periods, they will know they are not alone. On a larger scale, talking about periods is a step towards breaking down a taboo that silenced women a generation ago, and continues to restrict women across the world. Or you could think about it this way: when did silence ever help?

Q. How can a girlfriend group use this book as a springboard for their own girlfriend celebrations?

A. Just like we gossip, joke, and tell stories to comfort and entertain one another, the stories in My Little Red Book lend themselves to conversation and celebration. When a friend gets her period and thinks it is a disaster, you can comfort her by telling her a story which is even worse. “Hey, at least you weren’t waterskiing” or “You know, I heard about a girl whose dad rushed into the bathroom stall!” If a friend feels hesitant about talking, giving her the collection is another, more quiet, way to welcome her to the club.

Q. What is your favorite thing to do with girlfriends?

A. Bake tarts (and then eat them), bicycle to the beach, read the personals in a British accent, drink chai and philosophize.

Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff is a  recent graduate of  Choate Rosemary Hall, and will soon attend Yale University. In Choate’s annual Pratt-Packard oratory contest, she adapted her own first-period experience and other stories from MY LITTLE RED BOOK to an audience of 1,000 classmates: “This is a speech about first periods, and I don’t mean your 8:00 AM class,” the speech began. The inspiration to begin collecting first period stories arose out of a conversation with her mother. For more information, visit www.mylittleredbook.net.

So, want to win this book for yourself, your daughter, your friend? We’ve got FIVE copies to give away, courtesy of Hachette Book Group. And, there are so many ways to enter:

1. Subscribe to our weekly emails (new subscribers only) by clicking here.

2. Leave a comment telling why you want this book.

3. Blog or tweet about this contest, and leave a comment telling us you did.

4. Bonus! Get two extra entries if you share the story of your own first period.

You can enter up to 4 times. Good luck! Contest will remain open until 11:59 P.M. CST Monday, February 16. Then, five winners will be chosen at random from the infamous pink hat. Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win. No P.O. boxes, please.