So I went to Book Expo America. Squee! And Compulsion went to BEA — in giant poster size. Yes, that’s my cover blown up to six feet high or so, sandwiched between the posters of #1 New York Times bestselling authors (Squee again!)
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BEA is basically a writer’s Disney World. Picture hundreds of publishing booths, hundreds of authors signing books and giving them away for FREE, and thousands of librarians, booksellers, editors, publishers, publicists, agents, bloggers, and READERS all in one place. Mind-boggling, right?
My biggest takeaway? Readers are readers whatever hat they wear. We all sound the same when we geek out about each other’s books. I honestly didn’t realize that. But getting to hang out with a whole range of people from Simon and Schuster, I was delighted to discover that an incredible number of them had read my book and that it didn’t sound like a job when they talked about it. I knew that at some level, but getting to meet these wonderful people in person was a dream.
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| Me, Sara Sargent (rockstar editor), Meg Leder (rockstar author) |
The YA lunch S&S hosted for bloggers, librarians, and booksellers was another surreal and wonderful experience. Picture me at a table with Scott Westerfeld signing books. (He used my pen. It’s probably worth more than my car now, but I’m not selling it.) Did I mention he had a banner hanging from the roof of the Javitt’s Center that was basically the size of my living room?
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| Scott Westerfeld, Mara Anastas (Publisher), Me |
And then Becca Fitzpatrick, Kresley Cole, and Christina and Lauren (Christina Lauren) came in. Becca Fitzpatrick. Kresley Cole. Christina Lauren. !!!!!
Every one of them was gracious and lovely. Mentally, I kept doing that Sesame Street song in my head. You know, “One of these things is not like the other . . . ” But my publisher very generously slotted me in the middle of these incredible writers, and none of the bloggers and guests walked out. I survived, and I introduced Compulsion, and I got to listen to the amazing presentations about the other books featured. I can’t wait to read them all!
After lunch, I had my first ever book signing, and there were actually people who wanted me to sign Compulsion for them. Actual people. My favorites, apart from the wonderful author Anna Staniszewski and fabulous blogger Jessica Reigle, was the boy who wanted me to sign it to his teacher, and the dad who had stood in line to get his daughter’s book signed. (And yes, I realize this means the daughter was standing in a different line : D) Seriously, how great would it be to be able to take your dad to BEA and have him get books signed for you?
I walked past the S&S booth about twenty times, and somewhere around the 21st, I realized my book was on the wall. (Yes. I’m a total dork.)
Altogether, it was a fantastic experience, and I kept pinching myself to make sure it was really happening.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
THIS WEEK’S GIVEAWAY
Time to reveal the contents of the mystery box. I have to admit that I was not as successful as I’d hoped at getting ARCs, but I am snagging these from my publisher, and I have a few additional giveaways stored away for the next couple of weeks.
Black Ice
by Becca Fitzpatrick
ARC
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released 10/7/2014
Sometimes danger is hard to see… until it’s too late.
Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.
In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there… and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.
But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?
BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…
Purchase Black Ice at Amazon
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Endless Knight
by Kresley Cole
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Shocking secrets.
Evie has fully come into her powers as the Tarot Empress, and Jack was there to see it all. She now knows that the teens who’ve been reincarnated as the Tarot are in the throes of an epic battle. It’s kill or be killed, and the future of mankind hangs in the balance.
Unexpected allies.
With threats lurking around every corner, Evie is forced to trust her newfound alliance. Together they must fight not only other Arcana, but also Bagmen zombies, post-apocalyptic storms, and cannibals.
Gut-wrenching treachery.
When Evie meets Death, things get even more complicated. Though falling for Jack, she’s drawn to the dangerous Endless Knight as well. Somehow the Empress and Death share a history, one that Evie can’t remember—but Death can’t forget…
In this seductive follow-up to Poison Princess, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole takes us deeper into the dark world of the Arcana Chronicles.
Purchase Endless Knight at Amazon
Purchase Endless Knight at IndieBound
View Endless Knight on Goodreads
Sublime
by Christina Lauren
ARC
Simon & Schuster Books
Released 10/14/2014
True love may mean certain death in a ghostly affair of risk and passion from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard. Tahereh Mafi, New York Times bestselling author of Shatter Me calls Sublime “a beautiful, haunting read”.
When Lucy walks out of a frozen forest, wearing only a silk dress and sandals, she isn’t sure how she got there. But when she sees Colin, she knows for sure that she’s here for him.
Colin has never been captivated by a girl the way he is by Lucy. With each passing day their lives intertwine, and even as Lucy begins to remember more of her life—and her death—neither of them is willing to give up what they have, no matter how impossible it is. And when Colin finds a way to physically be with Lucy, taking himself to the brink of death where his reality and Lucy’s overlap, the joy of being together for those brief stolen moments drowns out everything in the outside world. But some lines weren’t meant to be crossed…
Purchase Sublime at Amazon
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Afterworlds
by Scott Westerfeld
ARC
Simon Pulse
Released 9/23/2014
Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she’s made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…
Told in alternating chapters is Darcy’s novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the ‘Afterworld’ to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved – and terrifying – stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.
Purchase Afterworlds at Amazon
Purchase Afterworlds at IndieBound
View Afterworlds on Goodread
YA GIVEAWAY WINNER
Winner: Jeri Baird
Dangerous Creatures
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
SIGNED Hardcover
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Released 5/20/2014
From the world of Beautiful Creatures–a dangerous new tale of love and magic.
Ridley Duchannes is nobody’s heroine. She’s a Dark Caster, a Siren. She can make you do things. Anything. You can’t trust her, or yourself when she’s around. And she’ll be the first to tell you to stay away-especially if you’re going to do something as stupid as fall in love with her.
Lucky for Ridley, her wannabe rocker boyfriend, Wesley “Link” Lincoln, never listens to anyone. Link doesn’t care if Rid’s no good for him, and he takes her along when he leaves small-town Gatlin to follow his rock-star dream. He teams up with a ragtag group of Dark Casters, and when the band scores a gig at a hot Underground club, it looks like all of Link’s dreams are about to come true.
But New York City is a dangerous place for both Casters and Mortals, and soon Ridley realizes that Link’s bandmates are keeping secrets. With bad-boy club owner Lennox Gates on her heels, Rid is determined to find out the truth. What she discovers is worse than she could have imagined: Link has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay. With their lives on the line, what’s a Siren to do?
Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of the Beautiful Creatures novels, are back to cast another magical spell. Their signature blend of mystery, suspense, and romance, with a healthy dose of wit and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.
Purchase Dangerous Creatures at Amazon
Purchase Dangerous Creatures at IndieBound
View Dangerous Creatures on Goodreads
WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK
Need a creativity boost? Change your brain! According to a NaNWriMo tip post from Scott Westerfeld, “after thirty seconds of eye exercise, subjects gained about ten minutes’ worth of improved scores on various creativity tests. Not ready to drop everything to roll your eyes every half-hour? No worries. Think left-handed.
