Monday, September 13, 2010
Smart Chicks Kick It Tour starts today!
I'm so super excited that the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour starts today in Austin, TX! Wahoo! For those of you who haven't heard about it, the Smart Chicks Tour was the idea of Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong and Alyson Noel who wanted to put together a tour of authors from various houses (usually, if authors get to tour in groups at all they're all from the same publishing house but they wanted to break this mold). All told there are 17 authors going to 12 different cities over the next two weeks -- holy cow!! Only Melissa, Kelley and Alyson will be at each stop so the mixture of authors will change from city to city.
My stops are in Chicago and San Diego -- here are the details:
September 21st, 2010 6 PM
@ Encinitas County Library, hosted by MYSTERIOUS GALAXY, San Diego, CA
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Mary Pearson, Rachel Caine, Rachel Vincent, Carrie Ryan, Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia.
September 22nd, 2010 7 PM
@ Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College, Hosted by ANDERSON'S Naperville, IL
Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Jennifer Barnes & Carrie Ryan
NOTE: for this event, it is free with the purchase on one book by a featured author or $5 without purchase.
Here's the full schedule. Here's the list of authors. And here's the blog where you can follow along with all the fun shenanigans (and get FAQs about the tour answered).
I'm just super excited about this tour because I love meeting and chatting with readers and I'm also pretty psyched to meet and hang out with such crazy awesome authors (I just started Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series -- why have I not read these before! I'm addicted!)
After the Smart Chicks tour I'll be at the Baltimore Book Festival and will post more details soon!
Other than that, I'm sick (which always happens after I hit a deadline and my body realizes that it's okay to relax and get sick) and working to catch up on all the things I let slide over the past month: emails, interviews, snail mail, etc etc. My to-do list is long enough to make me weep but I'm determined to prevail!
My stops are in Chicago and San Diego -- here are the details:
September 21st, 2010 6 PM
@ Encinitas County Library, hosted by MYSTERIOUS GALAXY, San Diego, CA
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Mary Pearson, Rachel Caine, Rachel Vincent, Carrie Ryan, Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia.
September 22nd, 2010 7 PM
@ Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College, Hosted by ANDERSON'S Naperville, IL
Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Jennifer Barnes & Carrie Ryan
NOTE: for this event, it is free with the purchase on one book by a featured author or $5 without purchase.
Here's the full schedule. Here's the list of authors. And here's the blog where you can follow along with all the fun shenanigans (and get FAQs about the tour answered).
I'm just super excited about this tour because I love meeting and chatting with readers and I'm also pretty psyched to meet and hang out with such crazy awesome authors (I just started Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series -- why have I not read these before! I'm addicted!)
After the Smart Chicks tour I'll be at the Baltimore Book Festival and will post more details soon!
Other than that, I'm sick (which always happens after I hit a deadline and my body realizes that it's okay to relax and get sick) and working to catch up on all the things I let slide over the past month: emails, interviews, snail mail, etc etc. My to-do list is long enough to make me weep but I'm determined to prevail!
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Living Dead 2: Flotsam & Jetsam (free!)
It's been the summer o' anthologies for me! First my short story about Sister Tabitha as a teen, Hare Moon, came out in Kiss Me Deadly, in a few weeks my short story set in Curacao (which explains where the term Mudo comes from) will be out in Zombies vs. Unicorns, and just a week ago another short story, Flotsam & Jetsam, came out in The Living Dead 2 anthology edited by John Joseph Adams! (for links to more information and how to purchase, click here).
Flotsam & Jetsam is about a group of teens who go on a senior cruise right when the zombie apocalypse happens (they clearly were unaware). Infection breaks out on the ship, two boys escape into a life raft and one of them's infected (cue dun-dun-dun music). I really love this story -- it's the first time I've written from a male POV and wrote something actually in the range of short story length.
I can't tell you how amazingly thrilled I am about this anthology and it's been getting a lot of love out there -- a starred review from PW and even Simon Pegg (of Shaun of the Dead fame) called the collection a "must for any self respecting zombie completist." It's packed with stories (44!) that are a mixture of reprints and originals and the author list blows me away: Max Brooks, Robert Kirkman, David Wellington, Charie Priest, Jonathan Mayberry and Kelley Armstrong to name a few -- there are so many wonderful authors!
Honestly, I'm still stunned I got to be a part of this anthology. And not just be a part of it, but have my name on the cover. I'm not lying, I cried when I saw it (I'll blog more on that later).
John's set up a fantastic website for the anthology here. There are interviews with various authors (my interview is here) and even free stories (you can read Flotsam & Jetsam for free here).
Yes, that's right -- you can read my short story FOR FREE! Yay!
I hope y'all like the story and love the anthology as much as I do. Being such a big zombie fan, I'm thrilled to have so much to sink my teeth into :)
Flotsam & Jetsam is about a group of teens who go on a senior cruise right when the zombie apocalypse happens (they clearly were unaware). Infection breaks out on the ship, two boys escape into a life raft and one of them's infected (cue dun-dun-dun music). I really love this story -- it's the first time I've written from a male POV and wrote something actually in the range of short story length.
I can't tell you how amazingly thrilled I am about this anthology and it's been getting a lot of love out there -- a starred review from PW and even Simon Pegg (of Shaun of the Dead fame) called the collection a "must for any self respecting zombie completist." It's packed with stories (44!) that are a mixture of reprints and originals and the author list blows me away: Max Brooks, Robert Kirkman, David Wellington, Charie Priest, Jonathan Mayberry and Kelley Armstrong to name a few -- there are so many wonderful authors!
Honestly, I'm still stunned I got to be a part of this anthology. And not just be a part of it, but have my name on the cover. I'm not lying, I cried when I saw it (I'll blog more on that later).
John's set up a fantastic website for the anthology here. There are interviews with various authors (my interview is here) and even free stories (you can read Flotsam & Jetsam for free here).
Yes, that's right -- you can read my short story FOR FREE! Yay!
I hope y'all like the story and love the anthology as much as I do. Being such a big zombie fan, I'm thrilled to have so much to sink my teeth into :)
Friday, September 03, 2010
Decatur Book Festival!!
Yay for Decatur Book Festival weekend!!! I've heard such amazing things about this festival and if the rest of the weekend is as awesome as today it will rock! I spoke to 8th and 9th graders at Decatur High School this afternoon and they were an amazing amazing group -- I felt like the luckiest author to be talking to such avid readers and engaged students. Now I'm all pumped up for tomorrow!
On Saturday I'll be on the Zombies vs. Vampires Smackdown panel with Alyxandra Harvey. It's billed as a very audience involved panel so I'm really hoping a lot of y'all come out! The list of authors here this weekend is both awesome and intimidating so if zombies and vampires aren't your thing, I'm betting there will be another author and panel right up your alley!
The panel is at 3pm at the Escape at the Old Courthouse.
I also got to meet up with friend and author John Bemis (whose second book, The Wolf Tree just came out -- the first, The Nine Pound Hammer, was so much fun) at Little Shop of Stories which is just one of my favorite bookstores. One of the things I love about this shop, other than just the ambience of it, is how enthusiastic everyone there is about books and reading. I pretty much love anyone whose first question is "What are you reading now" and then you can both geek out on awesome books. Terra and Krista were super helpful getting me to the event and just being excited about the whole weekend.
I'm not going to lie, it's strange to be sitting in my hotel room thinking "there are people out there who love books and I need to go find them and talk to them!" I also haven't eaten all day so... I think I'm going to find some book lovers to join me for some food!
Hope to see many of y'all tomorrow! I'll also be around before and after so if you can't catch the panel just come say hi (I might be wearing a kraken shirt... haven't decided...).
The panel is at 3pm at the Escape at the Old Courthouse.
I'm not going to lie, it's strange to be sitting in my hotel room thinking "there are people out there who love books and I need to go find them and talk to them!" I also haven't eaten all day so... I think I'm going to find some book lovers to join me for some food!
Hope to see many of y'all tomorrow! I'll also be around before and after so if you can't catch the panel just come say hi (I might be wearing a kraken shirt... haven't decided...).
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Dark and Hollow Places -- in all its covery glory
YAY! I finally get to post the US cover for The Dark and Hollow Places! I know many of you have seen versions of this cover out and about but they were still working on some tweaks and I wanted to make sure I had the final file before posting. But here it is! I am IN LOVE with this cover! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I love the model, I love the dirt and grime, I love where she is, I love the expression on her face, I love everything. It fits the story sooo well and I just feel like the luckiest author in the entire world.
Here's the back cover copy:
You can also pre-order The Dark and Hollow Places: [Amazon] [Barnes & Noble] [autographed copy from Park Road Books -- my local indie] (I'll add links to IndieBound, etc., as they come available)
Also, don't forget I'll be at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend and appearing on the Vampires vs. Zombies Smackdown panel on Saturday at 3PM! More details are here.
A HUGE thank you to everyone who's emailed or tweeted to tell me you're looking forward to The Dark and Hollow Places -- you truly make my day!
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| click for high res |
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister’s face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.Right now, the release date is scheduled to be March 22, 2011! YAY! Here's a link to a recent post about ARCs and who to contact to request one. Please leave any questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them all!
Annah’s world stopped that day and she’s been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn’t feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.
Except, Catcher has his own secrets -- dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah’s longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it’s up to Annah -- can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return’s destruction?
You can also pre-order The Dark and Hollow Places: [Amazon] [Barnes & Noble] [autographed copy from Park Road Books -- my local indie] (I'll add links to IndieBound, etc., as they come available)
Also, don't forget I'll be at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend and appearing on the Vampires vs. Zombies Smackdown panel on Saturday at 3PM! More details are here.
A HUGE thank you to everyone who's emailed or tweeted to tell me you're looking forward to The Dark and Hollow Places -- you truly make my day!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Overheard around the house
JP: Why are their containers of frozen water in the freezer?
Me: Because I plan on setting them on fire.
JP: Okaaaaay... why are their several of them?
Me: Because I want to use different fuels. You weren't planning on drinking that 151 anytime soon were you?
JP: I'm still not sure that answers the fundamental question of Why.
Me: Research.
JP: I'll get the fire extinguisher.
Me: Because I plan on setting them on fire.
JP: Okaaaaay... why are their several of them?
Me: Because I want to use different fuels. You weren't planning on drinking that 151 anytime soon were you?
JP: I'm still not sure that answers the fundamental question of Why.
Me: Research.
JP: I'll get the fire extinguisher.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Antho! Kiss Me Deadly in the wild!
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| My first story in an antho! |
I always struggle with the tension between my belief that once the author is done writing the story it belongs to the readers on the one hand and my wanting to discuss why I made decisions in the story on the other hand. I feel like explaining things can get close to defending decisions and... I just don't know how I feel about that. I have no problem having these dicussions live at signings but for some reason when I write blog posts about the same things I feel like I'm just sounding defensive rather than informative.
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| Sister T's story |
What do y'all think? Should I talk more about the decisions I made when writing and why?
In the mean time, here's a taste of what people are saying about Hare Moon:
Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth) offers a story about devastating decisions in villages threatened by the Unconsecrated.
- Publishers Weekly
This is definitely another favourite. It is part of Carrie Ryan’s Forest of Hands and Teeth series. I have yet to follow this series but Thea is a HUGE fan and now I understand why.... The writing is evocative and beautiful about a very fundamental conflict between love and duty, history and memory and choices.
- The Book Smugglers
I supposed I can't hate Tabitha now that I read her beautiful but bittersweet story. Fans of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, this is a must read!
- I Just Want to Sit Here and Read
For fans of Ms. Ryan's previous works The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves (like me)... this is a treat, one that will hopefully hold you over until the next book in the series... As always, Ms. Ryan's stories are bittersweet, heartbreaking but so beautifully told.Thanks for all the fantastic reviews y'all!! I've been so thrilled by the responses to Sister Tabitha's story :)
- all about {n}
Friday, August 06, 2010
A quick note about The Dark and Hollow Places ARCs
Hey y'all! I've started to get some emails requesting advanced reader copies (ARCs) for The Dark and Hollow Places. How stoked am I that people are already looking forward to it? Wahooo!! Thanks y'all!! I just wanted to let anyone who is interested know that (a) there aren't any ARCs yet (I'm still revising); (b) when there are ARCs you'll know it because I'll be jumping up and down on the blog and posting pics; and (c) I very likely won't have any ARCs to give away. I tend to only get a handful and my family has already called dibs (seriously, my brother-in-law cornered my mom yesterday thinking she might have a draft on her kindle (she doesn't -- if she did my sister would kill me)).
Have I mentioned how much I love my family and how excited I am that people are excited about The Dark and Hollow Places? YAY!
Anyway, if you'd like to review The Dark and Hollow Places you should contact my publicists directly and their information is under the contact tab on my website (under Publicity down in the middle of the page). They'll be the ones with the ARCs (when there actually are ARCs).
(also, I might point out that when I was copying the link to my website above I almost accidentally copied the link to the RockBand download of Do You Want To Date My Avatar - ha! We know what I'll be doing this weekend).
So it should surprise no one that I haven't been blogging or tweeting as much seeing as how I have revisions to finish so that said ARCs can be produced. Such silence will probably continue for a few more weeks. Sorry!
Thanks again for all the interest in The Dark and Hollow Places -- seriously, knowing that people are looking forward to the next book makes revising fun... or at least tolerable... or at least not quite so terrifying (actually, that's not true either, knowing people are looking forward to it does make the revising a bit terrifying). And thanks to the teen readers at the Terryberry Branch of the Hamilton Public Library and their librarian Pamela for a fantastic Skype session yesterday -- what a great way to end the day!
Have I mentioned how much I love my family and how excited I am that people are excited about The Dark and Hollow Places? YAY!
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| Me and Appa got some revising to do |
(also, I might point out that when I was copying the link to my website above I almost accidentally copied the link to the RockBand download of Do You Want To Date My Avatar - ha! We know what I'll be doing this weekend).
So it should surprise no one that I haven't been blogging or tweeting as much seeing as how I have revisions to finish so that said ARCs can be produced. Such silence will probably continue for a few more weeks. Sorry!
Thanks again for all the interest in The Dark and Hollow Places -- seriously, knowing that people are looking forward to the next book makes revising fun... or at least tolerable... or at least not quite so terrifying (actually, that's not true either, knowing people are looking forward to it does make the revising a bit terrifying). And thanks to the teen readers at the Terryberry Branch of the Hamilton Public Library and their librarian Pamela for a fantastic Skype session yesterday -- what a great way to end the day!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Apparently I'm not one to throw things away
I'm not talking about the disturbing tower of diet coke cans piling up around my desk (though that exists at the moment -- I'm revising, everyone knows that revisions are fueled by diet coke). Instead I'm talking about other things... clothes, electronics, bottles of lotion (I'll be explaining that last one, never fear).
As it turns out, I'm someone who is apparently afraid of throwing something away that might, some distant day in the future, be useful. Of course, because I'm also not the most organized person, I tend to not be able to find said thing and usually end up buying a new one. This is why we have at least a dozen three-to-two prong plug converters (in our house you can never really have enough) and why I have a laptop from 1997 in my attic (complete with stacks of floppies brimming with old papers and short stories). In the attic at my dad's house I have every paper I wrote in college, including the drafts (which, now that I think about it, probably has print outs of what's on those floppies like my old short stories - score!). In my own attic I have clothes I bought with my first pay check as a summer associate at a law firm in 2003 (not only do those clothes not fit any more, why would I ever need them in my current profession of sitting around the house in PJs?)
Half the things I keep around are broken: all of the ethernet cables I've hoarded are missing the little clip at the end that keeps them plugged in so I'm constantly having to shove the suckers back into their ports -- but they work so why replace them? We have three couches in our living room currently because I can't bear to throw out a comfortable, yet raggedy, old couch that still works. In the attic I think I have every pair of shoe I've ever owned since college... even though most of them have the nails worn through on the heel but maybe I'll get them fixed one day (unlikely, we all know I'll just buy new ones). And OMG I just realized I still have Halloween candy from two years ago (JP wouldn't let me hand it out last year) and Valentine candy hearts from when I was in law school which is over five years ago now! Yet when I go to throw them away I think "They've stuck around this long..."
Sometimes saving things works out. I still have my original rejection letters from when I queried my first book in 2001. What's pretty cool is that I eventually got an offer from one of the people who initially rejected me way back when. I'm super glad I have that stuff to look back over and remind me of my journey to where I am now. I just found not only my first blue-tooth headset but also the charger (let me tell you how many times I almost threw away the charger but hung on to it JUST IN CASE I found the headset). I bought both in 2006. I don't think either works. Sigh.
So what made me think about all of this? The lotion bottles on my bedside table. There are fourteen of them. All of them (except one, the current bottle) in that stage of "almost empty but not quite and yet annoying to get lotion out so I should pick up a new one at the store to have on hand for when it runs out" stage. There are also five canisters of Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme which I use as chapstick -- they're empty except for probably one "emergency if you scrape your nail under the rim you might just get enough" dose. Also, two tubes of chapstick, one of them has been floating in an empty vase for probably two years. Oh, and I think there are two more almost empty bottles of lotion in the hall closet "just in case."
Seriously, am I preparing for the apocalypse here? An apocalypse in which I'll apparently be eating dusty candy hearts and scraping lotion from old bottles? And yet, there is still some value to those lotion bottles -- I feel wasteful throwing them away. Fourteen is a little much which is why I was laughing hysterically when I went to bed last night after having counted them all. Fourteen! *shakes head*
What's funny is that this story will surprise no one in my family. My Psych 101 prof said on the first day that everyone exhibits some form of obsessive behavior to which most people disagreed until he started asking people to recite random habits: one person could only go to sleep if the last time they saw on the clock was an even number, another person could only set their alarm to go off on a 3 or a 7, someone else always counted stairs, another flicked a light switch on then off then on again. Apparently I hoard lotion bottles, shoes, and rejection letters just in case they'll become useful again.
When the apocalypse hits you're all invited to my house: we'll run away dressed as fancy lawyers with busted shoes, our skin won't be dry and our bellies will be full of old candy.
As it turns out, I'm someone who is apparently afraid of throwing something away that might, some distant day in the future, be useful. Of course, because I'm also not the most organized person, I tend to not be able to find said thing and usually end up buying a new one. This is why we have at least a dozen three-to-two prong plug converters (in our house you can never really have enough) and why I have a laptop from 1997 in my attic (complete with stacks of floppies brimming with old papers and short stories). In the attic at my dad's house I have every paper I wrote in college, including the drafts (which, now that I think about it, probably has print outs of what's on those floppies like my old short stories - score!). In my own attic I have clothes I bought with my first pay check as a summer associate at a law firm in 2003 (not only do those clothes not fit any more, why would I ever need them in my current profession of sitting around the house in PJs?)
Half the things I keep around are broken: all of the ethernet cables I've hoarded are missing the little clip at the end that keeps them plugged in so I'm constantly having to shove the suckers back into their ports -- but they work so why replace them? We have three couches in our living room currently because I can't bear to throw out a comfortable, yet raggedy, old couch that still works. In the attic I think I have every pair of shoe I've ever owned since college... even though most of them have the nails worn through on the heel but maybe I'll get them fixed one day (unlikely, we all know I'll just buy new ones). And OMG I just realized I still have Halloween candy from two years ago (JP wouldn't let me hand it out last year) and Valentine candy hearts from when I was in law school which is over five years ago now! Yet when I go to throw them away I think "They've stuck around this long..."
Sometimes saving things works out. I still have my original rejection letters from when I queried my first book in 2001. What's pretty cool is that I eventually got an offer from one of the people who initially rejected me way back when. I'm super glad I have that stuff to look back over and remind me of my journey to where I am now. I just found not only my first blue-tooth headset but also the charger (let me tell you how many times I almost threw away the charger but hung on to it JUST IN CASE I found the headset). I bought both in 2006. I don't think either works. Sigh.
So what made me think about all of this? The lotion bottles on my bedside table. There are fourteen of them. All of them (except one, the current bottle) in that stage of "almost empty but not quite and yet annoying to get lotion out so I should pick up a new one at the store to have on hand for when it runs out" stage. There are also five canisters of Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme which I use as chapstick -- they're empty except for probably one "emergency if you scrape your nail under the rim you might just get enough" dose. Also, two tubes of chapstick, one of them has been floating in an empty vase for probably two years. Oh, and I think there are two more almost empty bottles of lotion in the hall closet "just in case."
Seriously, am I preparing for the apocalypse here? An apocalypse in which I'll apparently be eating dusty candy hearts and scraping lotion from old bottles? And yet, there is still some value to those lotion bottles -- I feel wasteful throwing them away. Fourteen is a little much which is why I was laughing hysterically when I went to bed last night after having counted them all. Fourteen! *shakes head*
What's funny is that this story will surprise no one in my family. My Psych 101 prof said on the first day that everyone exhibits some form of obsessive behavior to which most people disagreed until he started asking people to recite random habits: one person could only go to sleep if the last time they saw on the clock was an even number, another person could only set their alarm to go off on a 3 or a 7, someone else always counted stairs, another flicked a light switch on then off then on again. Apparently I hoard lotion bottles, shoes, and rejection letters just in case they'll become useful again.
When the apocalypse hits you're all invited to my house: we'll run away dressed as fancy lawyers with busted shoes, our skin won't be dry and our bellies will be full of old candy.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Reminder: Spartanburg, SC on Monday!
Just wanted to remind y'all that on Monday I'll be speaking at the Spartanburg County Library and then doing a reading and Q&A with Holly Black at the Hub City Bookshop. Details are here. Hope to see y'all there!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Where do ideas come from?
I was talking to my brother in law down at the beach last week about ideas. He's a fourth grade teacher and one of the things he teaches his kids is creative writing. I always find talking to him fascinating because he so often has to get at the origin of things. It's one thing to talk to a teenager or an adult about writing a story because they've been exposed to them so much -- they know the basics -- but he often has to start at the very beginning and I'm not sure I'd know how to do that.
So we ended up talking about ideas -- how to find ideas to write about which is something he talks to his kids about. It got me thinking, how do you find ideas? It's a question a lot of writers get asked and the answers vary from "Walmart" to "my dreams" to "who the heck knows?"
I think my ideas come from wanting to know more. I see or read or hear or feel something and it doesn't leave my head -- it tugs at me for a bit like a little string unravelling and I have to follow it. Sometimes the string is short and sometimes long but I never know in the beginning.
For example, I don't even remember what kind of research I was doing when I stumbled upon a link for "brazen bull" on wikipedia. I realized I didn't know what a brazen bull was and that if it had it's own wiki page, there had to be something there. So I clicked. Turns out it's a horrific torture device. Like crazy crazy cruel (don't click that link unless you have a strong stomach!)
The first thing I did was email the link to my husband, JP, saying "There's a story there. I don't know what it is, but it's there." I couldn't describe why I felt that way, it was just that when I read that article I could see the whole of things; I could see more than just the object, I could see the people who created it and feared it and died in it.
What I find interesting is when something that sparks my imagination clearly sparks someone else's. The other night JP and I were talking about the brazen bull when he brought up something else he hadn't know the origin of. Once he told me what it meant an entire book unfolded in my head. I'm talking from title through the setting, the climax, the end.
I've never had a book so powerfully come together in my head that fast. I started to get excited and then JP said "Er, I think there's already a book about that," but I wasn't to be deterred. Just in case, though, I looked to see if there was a book and yep, sure enough. Not just a book but one with a Newbery nod. Sigh. Clearly I'm not the only person who'd been sparked by that idea (I'm still hoping I can find a way to make that idea work down the road).
Sometimes these little sparks of ideas fizzle out -- there's not enough there to sustain interest or to hold up the plot of a book. Sometimes they spark other ideas and steamroll into something totally unexpected. The Forest of Hands and Teeth all started with the idea of what it would be like trapped in a village where zombies were the norm, not the new horror.
Sometimes the sparks just add flavor to a current project -- I found a working title for a new project when I was following interesting sounding links doing research and I came upon a definition of something that just perfectly fit the book (and no, not sharing - sorry!).
So if you're casting about for a new idea try to pay attention to those little things that grab at you. The little things that make you wonder "who" or "why" or "how." Maybe they won't turn into the perfect new idea you're looking for but they could lead you in the right direction :)
So we ended up talking about ideas -- how to find ideas to write about which is something he talks to his kids about. It got me thinking, how do you find ideas? It's a question a lot of writers get asked and the answers vary from "Walmart" to "my dreams" to "who the heck knows?"
I think my ideas come from wanting to know more. I see or read or hear or feel something and it doesn't leave my head -- it tugs at me for a bit like a little string unravelling and I have to follow it. Sometimes the string is short and sometimes long but I never know in the beginning.
For example, I don't even remember what kind of research I was doing when I stumbled upon a link for "brazen bull" on wikipedia. I realized I didn't know what a brazen bull was and that if it had it's own wiki page, there had to be something there. So I clicked. Turns out it's a horrific torture device. Like crazy crazy cruel (don't click that link unless you have a strong stomach!)
The first thing I did was email the link to my husband, JP, saying "There's a story there. I don't know what it is, but it's there." I couldn't describe why I felt that way, it was just that when I read that article I could see the whole of things; I could see more than just the object, I could see the people who created it and feared it and died in it.
What I find interesting is when something that sparks my imagination clearly sparks someone else's. The other night JP and I were talking about the brazen bull when he brought up something else he hadn't know the origin of. Once he told me what it meant an entire book unfolded in my head. I'm talking from title through the setting, the climax, the end.
I've never had a book so powerfully come together in my head that fast. I started to get excited and then JP said "Er, I think there's already a book about that," but I wasn't to be deterred. Just in case, though, I looked to see if there was a book and yep, sure enough. Not just a book but one with a Newbery nod. Sigh. Clearly I'm not the only person who'd been sparked by that idea (I'm still hoping I can find a way to make that idea work down the road).
Sometimes these little sparks of ideas fizzle out -- there's not enough there to sustain interest or to hold up the plot of a book. Sometimes they spark other ideas and steamroll into something totally unexpected. The Forest of Hands and Teeth all started with the idea of what it would be like trapped in a village where zombies were the norm, not the new horror.
Sometimes the sparks just add flavor to a current project -- I found a working title for a new project when I was following interesting sounding links doing research and I came upon a definition of something that just perfectly fit the book (and no, not sharing - sorry!).
So if you're casting about for a new idea try to pay attention to those little things that grab at you. The little things that make you wonder "who" or "why" or "how." Maybe they won't turn into the perfect new idea you're looking for but they could lead you in the right direction :)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Upcoming events!
Just wanted to let y'all know about some upcoming events! Hope to see y'all there!
Saturday, November 8, 2014
YALLFest Book Festival in Charleston, SC
Blue Bicycle Books, 420 Kings Street
Join 60 of the country’s top YA authors, including 25 New York Times bestsellers for panels, presentations and signings on three stages on Upper King Street, as well as the infamous YA Smackdown! Click here for more info!
Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 2:00pm
Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
Join JP and I as we celebrate the launch of The Map to Everywhere! For more info, click here.
UPCOMING in 2015 (subject to change):
May 15-16: South Carolina Book Festival
PREVIOUS EVENTS:
Saturday, November 8, 2014
YALLFest Book Festival in Charleston, SC
Blue Bicycle Books, 420 Kings Street
Join 60 of the country’s top YA authors, including 25 New York Times bestsellers for panels, presentations and signings on three stages on Upper King Street, as well as the infamous YA Smackdown! Click here for more info!
Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 2:00pm
Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
Join JP and I as we celebrate the launch of The Map to Everywhere! For more info, click here.
UPCOMING in 2015 (subject to change):
May 15-16: South Carolina Book Festival
PREVIOUS EVENTS:
Monday, July 26, 2010, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Spartanburg Public Library Headquarters - Barrett Room
151 South Church Street, Spartanburg SC
Monday, July 26, 2010, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Reading and signing with Holly Black
Hub City Bookshop, Spartanburg, SC
July 28-29
Romance Divas Not Going to Conference Conference (NGTCC)
Online YA Workshop Panel
Link to come!
September 4, 2010, 3:00 pm
The Escape at the Old Courthouse, Decatur, GA
I'll be on the Zombies v. Vampires Smackdown on Saturday Sept 4th at 3PM at The Escape at the Old Courthouse.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 6:00 pm
Event with Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Mary Pearson, Rachel Caine, Rachel Vincent, Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia
Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 7:00 pm
Event with Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce & Jennifer Barnes
NOTE: for this event, it is free with the purchase on one book by a featured author or $5 without purchase
Friday, September 24, 2010, 5:30 pm
Baltimore, MD
Panel Discussion: Zombies vs. Unicorns debate with Justine Larbalestier, Holly Black, Scott Westerfeld, Diana Peterfreund and Kathleen Duey.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Novello Festival
Tribute to Novello Festival of Reading! Here's the info on my panel, Saturday October 9th:
1:15 p.m. Young Adult
Carrie Ryan: Dead-Tossed Waves, Forest of Hands & Teeth
Karon Luddy: SpelldownJoyce Hostetter: Comfort, Blue, Healing Waterils to come.
1:15 p.m. Young Adult
Carrie Ryan: Dead-Tossed Waves, Forest of Hands & Teeth
Karon Luddy: SpelldownJoyce Hostetter: Comfort, Blue, Healing Waterils to come.
Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 4:30 PM
Neuse Regional Library, Kinston, NC
Friday, October 29, 2010 at 6:00 PM
New York, NY
The Princeton Club, 15 West 43rd Street
I'll be speaking at the Williams Club and reading from The Dark and Hollow Places (the first sneak peek!) and signing afterward. There should be books for sale after the event! The event is free but reservations are required -- you can email eventsATprincetonclub.com or call 212.596.1261 to reserve. See below for more details!
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Saturday, October 30, 2010
Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Geeks Gala
I'll be the guest judge for the Geeks Got Talent contest! There is a cost for admission and all proceeds go to Youth Homes, an organization dedicated to providing supportive human services to children and families. For more information about the event, click here. This is going to be a super fun gala and I can't wait to see y'all there!!
I'll be the guest judge for the Geeks Got Talent contest! There is a cost for admission and all proceeds go to Youth Homes, an organization dedicated to providing supportive human services to children and families. For more information about the event, click here. This is going to be a super fun gala and I can't wait to see y'all there!!
To learn more about the Charlotte Geeks, the Gala and to see me on TV, click here!
November 19-20, 2010
NCTE/ALAN
Orlando, FL
Details to come!
THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES TOUR:
THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES TOUR:
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Miami, FL
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Chicago, IL
Naperville location:
123 West Jefferson
Naperville, IL 60540
Tel: 630-355-2665
Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Chicago, IL
Borders Schaumburg
Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Cincinnati, OH
2692 Madison Road
Cincinnati OH 45208
(513) 396-8960
Monday, March 28, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Dayton, OH
Books and Co. at the Greene
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City Public Library, Main Library hosted by The King's English
1511 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 7:00 PM
West Jordan, UT
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Phoenix, AZ
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283
Tel: 480-730-0205
Friday, April 1, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Phoenix, AZ
Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Los Angeles, CA
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 2:00 PM
San Diego/Los Angeles, CA
Monday, April 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Los Angeles, CA
8818 Sunset Blvd.
W. Hollywood CA, 90069
This is a joint signing with other awesome authors I shall reveal shortly :)
Saturday, April 9, 2011 all day
Los Angeles, CA
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click image to make bigger so you can read all the fun details!
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Monday, April 11, 2011
from 5:00-6:00PM
Spartanburg, SC
I'll be signing and chatting with readers from 5-6 and then from 7-9 I'll be giving a writing workshop on how to put tension on every page, especially when it comes to writing YA. Space is limited -- click here for more information! You don't have to be a part of the workshop to come to the signing!
April 12 - April 15, 2011
Austin, TX
TLA (I don't have a schedule of events yet but will post when I do)
April 15 - April 16, 2011
Austin Texas
Writer's League of Texas, YA A to Z Conference
Sunday, May 15th, 3:00 PM
414 Hasty Street
Marshville, NC 28103
704.624.2828
September 23-25
SCBWI-Carolinas Conference
Charlotte, NC
I'll be hosting a round table of published authors answering your questions (registration for the conference required).
October 4, 2011, 6 pm
Lansing, Michigan
Another fantastic lineup of YA authors traveling around the country to celebrate books! Click here for more info.
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Melbourne, FL
Barnes & Noble
Details here.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Teen Read Week, Palm Bay and Satellite Beach Florida.
Franklin T DeGroodt Memorial Library at 2 p.m. Details here and below (talk followed by a Zombie self-defense class)!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wingate University, Wingate, NC
Ethel K. Smith Library
Zombie walk at 6pm, hors d'oeurves at 6:30pm, talk at 7pm with signing to follow! Click here for more info.
November 11-12, 2011
YALLFest: Charleston Young Adult Book Festival
Charleston, SC
I'm so excited to be a part of such a wonderful list of authors at this year's YALLFest! For more information click here and I'll update my schedule as I get more details!
December 13, 2011
Writing Workshop at Myers Park library
Charlotte, NC
I'll be giving a writing workshop at my local library. Click here for more details!
Fireside Books and Gifts, Forest City, NC
Join author Stephanie Perkins and me as we help Beth Revis celebrate the launch of A MILLION SUNS! Book talk, discussion, signing and just generally hanging out :) There will also be a virtual component of this event, click here for more details!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Books of Wonder, NYC
Discussion and signing featuring me, Beth Revis, Julie Cross, Megan Miranda and Maureen Lipinski. For more info, click here!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 5 pm
Mint Hill branch of the Mecklenburg Co. Library, Charlotte, NC
I'll be talking about the process and craft of writing and answering questions!
Details here.
Thursday, April 26, 2012, 7pm
Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville, NC
Southern Kidlit Writers Cabal
Join nine of the south's best authors of middle grade and young adult fiction as they descend on Malaprop's for one crazy night of writer revelry. With more than two dozen critically-acclaimed and New York Times bestselling books between them, the kidlit cabal runs the gamut of historical, fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary novels. Come and see your favorite authors and meet new favorites you haven't read yet as they answer your burning questions about writing, editing, publishing, and the zombie apocalypse: Alan Gratz, Gwenda Bond, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, Megan Shepherd, Megan Miranda, Tiffany Trent, Laurel Snyder, and Kristin Tubb!
Details here.
Thursday, October 25, 2012, 5:30-7:30
Tulsa City-County Library - Peggy Helmerich Library, Tulsa, OK
Come celebrate Teen Read week with me! The theme this year is "It Came From the Library" and what better way to celebrate than with all things zombie? Here's the official description and poster for the event (click poster for larger version):
Come celebrate Teen Read week with me! The theme this year is "It Came From the Library" and what better way to celebrate than with all things zombie? Here's the official description and poster for the event (click poster for larger version):
Zombies love prom almost as much as brains! Help us celebrate Teen Read Month with a zombie costume and walk-off contest, an apocalypse survival box challenge, zombie peg doll crafts, and a zombie prom photo station! Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of zombie series The Forest of Hands and Teeth, will be on hand to dish about zombies, writing and her novels. A book signing will follow.
Saturday, November 10, 2012, all day
Charleston, SC
Who’s coming: 44 (and counting) of the country’s top YA authors, including 25 New York Times bestsellers
What: Panels, presentations and signings on more than three stages on Upper King Street, as well as the infamous YA Smackdown!
When: Sat., Nov. 10, 2012, 10 am to 6 pm.
Where: Blue Bicycle Books & The American Theatre, King Street, Charleston, SC
Cost: FREE!
Monday, November 19, 2012, 7:00 pm - ?
Park Road Books, Charlotte NC (4139 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28209 Tel: 704-525-9239)
What: The signing is officially in honor of the release of My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop but I'll also be signing anything else I've written (books, short stories, etc). I typically like to chat for a bit and then take Q&A so if the store is amenable, I'll be starting that at 7:00 and signing directly after (I'll make a note here if that plan changes). If you can't make it but would still like signed and/or personalized books, you can also contact the store and pre-order one and I'll sign it that night. Actually, you can always order signed and/or personalized books of mine from Park Road Books at any time (info here) -- they've always been incredibly supportive and gracious in facilitating that!
More Details here!
A note: I don't know what Park Road Books' policy is on bringing outside books or limits and as soon as I find out I'll update this post. If you have questions before I can update, you can contact them directly. However, I would really love it if you would purchase a book (or more!) from Park Road while you're there (even if it's not one of mine). Park Road Books is a really fantastic indie bookstore and they put their heart and soul into what they do -- we as a community need to support them!
On a more personal note, Park Road Books has supported me from day one and I feel incredibly lucky to live so close to such a wonderful store and honored that they chose me to represent them in the book My Bookstore. I'm awed to be in the company of so many other amazing authors and am thrilled we could all come together to celebrate Independent Bookstores!
Oh... and a final note that signed books make for excellent holiday gifts... :)
Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 3pm
City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC
Signing and discussion with me, Beth Revis, and Megan Shepherd!
More info here!
Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 2pm
Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX
Signing and discussion with me, Beth Revis, and Victoria Schwab!
More info here!
Friday, August 2, 2013 at 7pm
Birkdale Barnes & Noble in Huntersville (outside of Charlotte)
Signing and discussion with me, Beth Revis, and Aprilynne Pike!
More info here!
Less Than Three anti-bullying conference, October 19, 2013
NINC Conference, October 24-27, 2013
YALLFest, November 9, 2013
January 17-19, 2014
Williamsburg, VA
MarsCon Guest of Honor
Monday, March 3, 2014
Charlotte, NC
Celebration of Read Across America Day at Whitewater Academy
Wednesday, March 26
Kennesay, GA
Kennesaw State University Conference on Literature for Children and YA.
More info here.
Saturday May 3, 2014
Concord, NC
Presentation to the Carolina Romance Writers.
More info here!
May 14-17, 2014
RT Booklovers Convention - New Orleans
SIGNING: Saturday, May 17, 11:00-2:00: Giant Book Fair, YA Alley (more info here)
Here's my panel schedule (also available here):
Wed, May 14, 2:30-3:30: eBooks in Bookstores/Libraries: New Opportunities for Success
Friday, May 16, 1:30-2:30: YA: “What a Wonderful World”: YA High Fantasy
Friday, May 16, 2:45-3:45: YA: “Take a Chance on Me”: Money Matters
Saturday, May 17, 5:00-6:00: “Stone Crazy”: Liars Panel
May 30-June 1, 2014
ConCarolinas - Charlotte, NC
With Guest of Honor George RR Martin!
More information here.
June 29, 2014, 3-4PM
ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas
My co-writer (and husband) JP and I will be attending the ALA conference in Las Vegas! We'll be signing galleys for the first book in our middle grade fantasy adventure series, THE MAP TO EVERYWHERE in the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Booth (Booth #422) on Sunday from 3-4PM! Come grab an ARC and say hi!
For more details, click here!
Friday, October 3, 2014 at 7:00PM
Qual Ridge Books: 3522 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607
I'll be interviewing Kami Garcia about her latest release, answering questions, and signing!
For more details, click here!
September 19-21: SCBWI-C Annual Conference
October 9-11: NC SLMA Conference, Winston Salem, NC
Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 3pm
City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC
Signing and discussion with me, Beth Revis, and Megan Shepherd!
More info here!
Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX
Signing and discussion with me, Beth Revis, and Victoria Schwab!
More info here!
Friday, August 2, 2013 at 7pm
Birkdale Barnes & Noble in Huntersville (outside of Charlotte)
Signing and discussion with me, Beth Revis, and Aprilynne Pike!
More info here!
Less Than Three anti-bullying conference, October 19, 2013
NINC Conference, October 24-27, 2013
YALLFest, November 9, 2013
January 17-19, 2014
Williamsburg, VA
MarsCon Guest of Honor
Monday, March 3, 2014
Charlotte, NC
Celebration of Read Across America Day at Whitewater Academy
Wednesday, March 26
Kennesay, GA
Kennesaw State University Conference on Literature for Children and YA.
More info here.
Saturday May 3, 2014
Concord, NC
Presentation to the Carolina Romance Writers.
More info here!
May 14-17, 2014
RT Booklovers Convention - New Orleans
SIGNING: Saturday, May 17, 11:00-2:00: Giant Book Fair, YA Alley (more info here)
Here's my panel schedule (also available here):
Wed, May 14, 2:30-3:30: eBooks in Bookstores/Libraries: New Opportunities for Success
Friday, May 16, 1:30-2:30: YA: “What a Wonderful World”: YA High Fantasy
Friday, May 16, 2:45-3:45: YA: “Take a Chance on Me”: Money Matters
Saturday, May 17, 5:00-6:00: “Stone Crazy”: Liars Panel
May 30-June 1, 2014
ConCarolinas - Charlotte, NC
With Guest of Honor George RR Martin!
More information here.
ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas
My co-writer (and husband) JP and I will be attending the ALA conference in Las Vegas! We'll be signing galleys for the first book in our middle grade fantasy adventure series, THE MAP TO EVERYWHERE in the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Booth (Booth #422) on Sunday from 3-4PM! Come grab an ARC and say hi!
For more details, click here!
Friday, October 3, 2014 at 7:00PM
Qual Ridge Books: 3522 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607
I'll be interviewing Kami Garcia about her latest release, answering questions, and signing!
For more details, click here!
September 19-21: SCBWI-C Annual Conference
October 9-11: NC SLMA Conference, Winston Salem, NC
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