This blog is no longer maintained, but it contains posts dating back to when I was first trying to get published, so I'm keeping it here in the hopes that it might help other aspiring writers.
Farewell, Book Two… and Hello Africa!
May 15, 2012
Today I head to Africa for two and a half weeks. There’s not much I can coherently say about this, because if I try to describe how excited I am I end up just running around in circles until I collide with the wall. Suffice it to say: I’m psyched.
A lot has been going on lately—so much so that I haven’t even had time to pay attention to the Africa trip. Prepping for BEA in June, where SKYLARK is one of five YA Buzz Books, has been awesome. I’ve been getting my first few out and out fan email for SKYLARK, which is even MORE nuts. Trying to set up guest posts and interviews and giveaways for the months leading up to SKYLARK’s release is entirely new territory for me. My spectacularly awesome writing partner, Amie Kaufman, and I, have finished our second round of revisions on THESE BROKEN STARS.
And sitting pretty at the top of the list, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done: finishing the sequel to SKYLARK. (Read more…)
The Kindness Project: The Cost of Kindness
May 09, 2012
About The Kindness Project:
Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren’t feeling entirely whole . It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts.
The Cost of Kindness
I think that childhood often teaches us to be cruel. When you’re a kid, kindness is rarely rewarded, not in reality. And you’re too inwardly focused to understand the impact you have on others.
When I was in middle school I was in a specific track of classes that contained the “smart kids.” The rest of the school were the self-proclaimed “dumb kids.” And the dumb kids hated the smart kids. I remember reading during lunch one day when a group of “dumb kids” came over and took my book, which was about dragons, and made fun of me for it. (Read more…)
New Title
Apr 30, 2012
WRECKED now has a new title–THESE BROKEN STARS! Click here to find out more.
On Tenses: When to Use Present, When to Use Past
Apr 20, 2012
Lately it seems like every other YA novel I pick up is first person present tense. Which, when done right, is awesome. Some of my favorite books are in present tense. But I keep seeing books written in present tense with no actual reason for it. I think THE HUNGER GAMES, among other books, made this particular style of narration jump in popularity lately. I’m seeing a ton of aspiring writers using it in books that I’m not quite sure warrant it. (Read more…)
In My Mailbox… ARCs! (Or, Meg Scares a UPS Guy)
Apr 06, 2012
ARCssssssssss! Yeah, so I actually got them about two weeks ago. But because my cover hadn’t gone live yet, I couldn’t very well show off my BEAUTIFUL galleys without giving away what the cover of SKYLARK looked like. A few friends suggested masking the cover with a fake book jacket, but in the end I just decided to wait. There was plenty of other exciting news to share with you guys, like the new title for my collaborative novel with Amie, THESE BROKEN STARS.
So, without further ado, the story of How I Got My ARCs! (Read more…)
COVER REVEAL over at The Story Siren!
Apr 04, 2012
Hey guys, you know how I keep teasing you with the fact that I’ve been sitting on the cover of SKYLARK for, oh, months now?
Well, the teasing is over! Skylark’s beautiful (I’m unbiased, I swear) cover is now UP on The Story Siren. Hop on over to see it, and while you’re at it, enter to win one of THREE advanced reader copies of the book! Plus, I answer a few questions about the cover process, and my own reactions to the cover.
Head over to The Story Siren. . . . (Read more…)
Title Change for Wrecked, and GIVEAWAY!
Apr 02, 2012
WRECKED was one of those working titles that stuck. At first it was kind of a joke–one of our earliest readers often teased us about our book MASSIVE CRASH–but we came to really like the double meanings in it. Yes, it’s about a (space)shipwreck, but it also describes the processes that the characters go through, and how everything falls apart so easily.
But it’s also a very simplistic title, and doesn’t quite convey everything we’d like it to about the book. Yes, it’s a science fiction story, but it’s also a romance, and it’s also a survival tale, and it’s also a story about two people breaking out of the fates and lives pre-determined for them. So with a ton of brainstorming, and a lot of help from the brilliant folks over at Disney-Hyperion, WRECKED now has a brand spankin’ new title!
So without further ado, our new title is… (Read more…)
Wrecked
Mar 01, 2012
WRECKED has sold overseas to Planeta Manuscrito in Portugal, Novo Conceito in Brazil, and Otwarte in Poland! Novo Conceito has also bought SKYLARK as well.
SKYLARK is one of five young adult novels to be featured on BEA’s 2012 Editor’s Buzz panel!
Feb 25, 2012
SKYLARK is one of five young adult novels to be featured on BEA’s 2012 Editor’s Buzz panel!
Updates and Foreign Deals!
Feb 02, 2012
For those of you who follow my writing partner, Amie Kaufman, this will come as no surprise, as she’s already announced it on her blog. (For those of you who don’t, march right over there and follow her!) Anyway, we have some rockin’ news to share: WRECKED has sold as three-book deals in Poland (Otwarte) and Brazil (Novo Conceito)! And, because they are just that awesome, Novo Conceito has ALSO bought the SKYLARK trilogy.