YA
The SKY’S THE LIMIT Contest for SKYLARK!
Jul 05, 2012
Today is my birthday. Last year on my birthday I held a contest to celebrate in which I gave away free books. This year, I decided to continue in that tradition… but the difference is, this year I can give away MY OWN BOOK. International folks, be sure to read on—everything except prize levels 2 and 3 are open internationally!
So, without further ado, let me introduce…
The SKY’S THE LIMIT Contest for SKYLARK!
So cheesy it hurts, I know. But I’m excited, and if you keep reading, I think you will be too. This contest was in a big way inspired by the amazingly awesome Beth Revis, and the Epic Contest of Epic that she held for the release of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. She gave away 100 prizes, some big, some small, and some completely epic.
Well, I wanted to put my own twist on it. What makes this contest unique, you might ask?
What makes it unique is that everyone who enters will win.
Announcing… the SKYLARK Blog Tour!
Jun 29, 2012
Hi guys! I’ve been a little quiet lately–but only because I’ve been busy! Ever since I found out that Skylark was going to be available August 1, two months before its official pub date of October 1, I’ve been arranging guest posts and interviews all over the place. And guys, book bloggers? They are totally awesome. I’m pretty much head over heels for how fun everyone has been to work with so far!
So, without further ado, let me announce:
Big Announcement… and Postcard Extravaganza!
Jun 10, 2012
First of all, before you do anything else, click over to Crits for Water and check out today’s auction! Amie and I are giving away a critique, PLUS Adams Literary will look at your query, PLUS (seriously, this package is crazy) Disney-Hyperion editor Laura Schrieber will read your first chapter AND call you on the phone to discuss it with you! Have you gone to check it out? Yes? Okay, then carry on below.
Well, I think I’m finally recovered (mostly!) from BEA. It was my first Book Expo, and man, what a way to start! My editor, Andrew Karre, spoke on the YA Editors Buzz Panel about SKYLARK, and then I got to sit with the other amazing buzz authors and discuss our books on our own panel. I also got to meet a wonderful bunch of bloggers at the blogger breakfast with me, Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff.
And then—one of the craziest experiences yet—I got to do this:
Look at that line! Total madness. I got to meet so many awesome people while I signed, I wish I could’ve had more time to talk more! One guy told me that he wasn’t even going to come to BEA that day—but he came JUST to get his hands on a copy of SKYLARK and get it signed. Dude, whoever you are, you made my day. And given what an incredible day it was, that’s saying something.
BEA 2012!
Jun 04, 2012
I’m going to be a bit quiet this week–partly because I’m still catching up after having been away, but mostly because… I’m going to be at Book Expo America!! WOOOO! I’m so psyched about going. It’s my first time, and I have a list about a mile long of authors I want to stalk track down.
If you’re going to be in New York this week, and if you’re planning on going to BEA, be sure to look me up! I’ll be there Wednesday and Thursday (June 6-7). Here’s a list of my scheduled events, so you can track me down.
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…)
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.
Books as Fingerprints
Jan 18, 2012
It used to be that hardcopy book people would get this insane fire in their eyes when someone would ask them about e-readers or e-books or the future of publishing. It’s that “I like the weight of them” look, the “it’s the way they smell” look, the “you can pry my hard copy books out of my cold dead hands” look. In just a few short years it seems that’s kind of calmed down a little bit. I know I have. I used to be adamant that I’d never own an e-reader, but now—especially that I do so much reading of books in digital manuscript form—I can see the appeal. And I’ll probably even get one, too.
But I’ll also never stop buying physical books. (Read more…)