As promised, today is the day I unveil the slick new swag for my holiday contest. This swag bag is chock-full of goodies you can keep for yourself, give as gifts for the holidays, or use in a blog giveaway.
In my opinion, there IS no better gift than a book, so for this contest, I’ve featured some of my favorite reads. It was REALLY hard to choose just this many! So to compensate, I’ll be listing in an upcoming blog post my own Best Books to Give as Gifts for various age groups, likes/dislikes, etc.
In the meantime, feast your eyes on this awesomeness (and I apologize in advance for the photo quality – my camera was on a weird setting and I don’t have time to go back and retake these!)!
Included in this batch of swag is;
$25 Hot Topic gift card
$15 iTunes gift card
Rose t-shirt
Black-and-white checkered scarf
Gothis choker
Set of earrings including the awesome rose ones!
Candle
Signed Prophecy of the Sisters locker poster
Prophecy of the Sisters locker magnet
Prophecy of the Sisters bookmark
Kazoo
August Rush DVD
Music & Lyrics DVD
Edward Scissorhands DVD
Tons of candy including a mini-gum ball machine, Mentos, a King-size KitKat, bag of Lindt white chocolate truffles, and MOAR!
And my favorite! The BOOKS!
Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle Trilogy including a Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing (timeless!)
Tamora Pearce’s Terrier and Bloodhound, the first two books in the Bekka Cooper series (magical!)
Lisa Mantchev’s Eyes Like Stars (brilliant!)
Prophecy of the Sisters audiobook narrated by the incomparable Eliza Dushku
Can you say WOOT!
Here how it works;
You get one point each for the following;
+1 for leaving a comment about your favorite part of the holidays/winter
+1 for linking to this contest on your blog
+1 for posting a status update linking to this contest on your Myspace or Facebook page
+1 for posting a bulletin on Myspace linking to this contest
+1 for Tweeting the link to this contest
+1 for suggesting me or the Prophecy Fan Page to at least 10 of your Facebook friends
That’s a total of SIX possible entries! Because of the weight of these books (of which there are many), I’m afraid this contest is only open to entrants in the US. I’m sorry! You guys know how much I love my International readers, but it would truly cost me a fortune to ship this overseas. 
Feel free to enter, though if you have a US address to which everything can be sent.
Contest will run through midnight EST, November 30th, 2009.
I want to take a moment to thank the Guerilla Girls for including Prophecy of the Sisters in their Best Books of 2009! This one was a real honor, because Guerilla Girls On Tour is such an empowering group. Thank you! ETA: The Guerilla Girls Book List is actually a relisting of the books chosen by Women in Letters and Literary Arts (WILLA). WILLA is still accepting nominees to the list, and I can’t think of a more worthwhile aim than to honor great books written by talented women, so go take a look!
Prophecy of the Sisters is also a 2009 Cybils Nominee in the category of Fantasy/Science Fiction for Teens. Check the Cybil site on January 1st for the finalists!
Lastly, Prophecy of the Sisters is the featured book on the Five Awesome YA Fans website for the month of November. I’ll be guest blogging there all month and will also be posting the AMAZING new musical theme composed by my teenage son, Kenneth, for the second book in the Prophecy series, Guardian of the Gate.
Hope you are all well!
<3
First of all, I want to say thank you for the outpouring of love I received after my last post. So many of you mentioned feeling misunderstood or alone, but you also spoke of hope and and patience and love and the willingness to walk the line between growing as a human being and accepting yourselves the way you are. And though only a few of you commented here, I received many, many private emails from people who found comfort in my post, and I, in turn, found comfort in your words and stories.
I want you all to know how very much it means to me. You are my online family, and your support of me means every bit as much as your support of my work.
<3
I want to give you guys a couple of updates and things to watch for in the next week or so!
My next contest will be holiday-themed and, as always, will feature tons of amazing swag that you can either keep for yourself or give away as gifts. I should have that up sometime in the next few days.
I also want to send a big shout-out to i09 for choosing Prophecy as one of the 2009 Most Notable Books at World Fantasy Con. If you love all things fantasy – from Aliens to V to Star Trek and so on, you HAVE to check out i09! I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of it before it popped up in my Google Alert, but now I’m sort of addicted. I seriously love this site and its contributors, so go take a look!
Justine Magazine is running a HUGE “Prophecy Alive” Trailer Contest through January 31, 2010. The winner gets his/her video book trailer posted to the Sparks website, tons of book loot including a backpack filled to the brim with the latest Hachette/Little Brown books AND an assortment of other Spark-reviewed books PLUS a phone call from moi! That’s right, I’ll be phoning the winner to personally thank you for your amazing trailer – which is mostly a big deal because I rarely, if ever, talk on the phone. I am seriously not a phone person, and I promise that if you win, I’ll be at least as nervous as you and we can laugh about it together! Anyway, check this contest out. Justine Magazine is a fantastic and empowering magazine for teens today and this promises to be a great contest.
More foreign rights have been sold to Prophecy including Czechoslovakia, Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. This means Prophecy is being published in over 20 countries and more than 17 languages. WOOT!
Prophecy has received some awesome blog reviews in the past few days, and as usual, I want to send a big thank you to the bloggers who read and review Prophecy on their blogs and on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. Some of the highlights from this week include;
Juiciliciouss Reviews who says about Prophecy, “… so intense that there are times when I just couldn’t stop reading.”
The Book Balcony – a new reviewer whom I was lucky enough to meet while on tour in Seattle! Please stop by and welcome her to the blogging community, she says about Prophecy, “… a book I may never get enough of and I can’t wait for the sequel.”
Shari Rosen, who summarized one of my tour signings at her blog, The Worries and Triumphs of an Unpublished Author. Shari is currently reading slush for a prominent literary agency and is an aspiring editor/writer, so you’ll find lots of interesting stuff on her blog. Plus she’s just awesome!
I know I still owe you guys a post on the second half of my tour. Sorry! I’ll get there eventually, but I’m deep into the drafting of Book Three in the Prophecy series and have to really work to find even a free second. Thanks for being patient with me.
I’ll also be posting a Top Books for Holiday Gift-Giving Guide SOON, so check back for great book recommendations for everyone on your holiday shopping list. NOTHING makes a better gift than a book!
Mwah!
<3
I’ve heard two schools of thought when it comes to blogging.
One is that it’s necessary to be transparent, at least some of the time, in order to be real and authentic. In order to make the visitors to one’s blog feel like they’re connecting to a real person and not just someone trying to pitch their book/music/product/idea.
The other is that, really, the general public doesn’t WANT to be too exposed to one’s navel-gazing. That sometimes, it’s all just TMI, and we should aim for professionalism in order to not make the reader uncomfortable.
I’ve always felt pretty middle-of-the-road about the subject. I would never reveal grossly personal details, but at the same time, I think it’s pretty obvious when someone is reading my blog that they’re reading MY blog.
But this time is different. This time, I feel compelled to tell you a little bit more, so I’m just going to say that if you belong to the latter group, please avert your eyes. Don’t continue reading and then be annoyed that I’ve shared personal stuff, because, well, you’re READING it.
Now that you’ve been warned, I’ll continue…
On Friday my teenage son and I went to see This Is It, the documentary that includes footage from the days just prior to Michael Jackson’s death. First, I have to say that I thought it was an amazing glimpse into Michael’s life as a performer. I’ve always been a fan of his music (who DIDN’T love BAD in the 1980s?), but getting a peek into the rehearsals for the tour he was never able to begin was an unexpected joy. He didn’t look like someone who was ill or high or otherwise incapacitated, which of course, doesn’t mean he wasn’t. But I was astounded at how physically fit he was at 50-years-old and how kind and generous.
One of my favorite things about him was his approach to criticism. When giving it – to the dancers, the musicians, anybody! – he would end by saying, in a very soft voice, “With love. With love.” It took me a minute the first time he said it to understand what he was saying; “I’m sharing my thoughts with you in love, not criticism or mean-spiritedness.” Sometimes he would say it straight and serious, and others he would smile, saying, “This is with love. L-O-V-E.” I’ll never forget it, and I’m going to make a point of asking myself if the things I do and say are “with love” from now on.
In general, Michael seemed like a kind, quiet, extraordinarily gifted man. And yes, I’m aware that the movie was put together by people who cared for him and therefore, wouldn’t show anything unflattering, but that’s not the point of this blog post, so I’m not going to go there.
Mostly, the movie made me really sad that for so long, Michael was the object of ridicule. That only now, after his death, are so many people realizing what a musical treasure he was, how much talent he possessed, what he contributed to the landscape of modern music. It made me sad that we, as a society, feel the need to pull apart and destroy those who are different. That we succumb so often to fear and insecurity by tearing down the people around us who exhibit something extraordinary, because many, many extraordinary things manifest themselves as different, “weird”, quirky, eccentric.
I read a study recently about creative genius in people with Bi-Polar Disorder. In this study, eighty percent of the study group (people classified as having creative genius) met diagnostic criteria for BPD as opposed to only thirty percent in the control sample. I find it really, really interesting that it is now believed that many, many well-known, creative people suffered from BPD long before it became classified as such, including Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Virginia Wolf, John Keats, Vincent Van Gogh, Beethoven, Winston Churchill and so many more.
Until recently, people with symptoms of BPD were referred to as moody or difficult or complicated. It’s ironic, I guess, that the very qualities that may contribute to one’s extraordinary creative ability might also be the thing that makes them ill-equipped to handle the notoriety that comes along with success in high-profile fields. IThere may be more than one reason why there is such a high rate of drug abuse and suicide in the musical, writing, art, and acting communities. Many people who find themselves in these positions, really, just want to be left alone. They just happen to have extraordinary talent, but they aren’t prepared or equipped to deal with the vitriol and hostility that comes along with it. And let’s be honest – they shouldn’t have to.
Anyway, I was looking all this up because I often struggle with my own “eccentricities”. I have spent many, many years feeling apologetic for who I am, even though, on close inspection, I’m not so bad!
What I am, though, is complicated. What I am is introverted. It’s not easy for me to be in front of people, even though some of you who have seen me speak laugh off my confessions of being painfully self-conscious in a crowd because I’ve learned to hide it so well. I am a terrible everyday friend. I don’t know how to call and just chat to see how things are going. I forget birthdays, anniversaries, and job interviews. I often decline invitations to do things or go places because, truthfully, I’m very happy at home with my kids and my writing. I can take WEEKS to return an email and actually avoid answering the phone most of the time. But I’m here if you need me. If you need someone to talk to, someone to listen, advice, help of any kind, I will drop everything to give it to you. I answer every email I receive, something that gets more and more difficult with each passing day. I offer writing and publication advice to anyone who asks for it – whether they’re fifteen or fifty. I am more than happy to include other writers in my promotional activities, and I spread the word about great books every chance I get. But there are whole days and weeks when I just want to be left alone. When I don’t want to talk or visit or socialize. I don’t want to be friendly or “on” for anyone. I just want to be at home, working or watching movies with my kids. Because of this, there are VERY few people in my inner circle of friends. I’m not for everybody and everybody’s not for me. And that’s okay.
Ironically, while I handle professional stress such as deadlines EXTREMELY well, everyday stress is unusually tough for me. Worries over money, my soon-to-be ex husband, even a malfunctioning boiler, can floor me. During those times, it is nearly impossible for me to work, because my mind feels chaotic. I can’t… shut everything off long enough to work – and sometimes even sleep – which makes it really imperative that I limit those stresses in my life. One of the unexpected pleasures of getting older (I’ll be 40 this month) is, hopefully, knowing oneself a whole lot better, and I’m getting better at recognizing the situations and people who create the kind of stress for me that makes it difficult to work, sleep, and most importantly, to feel the sense of serenity that is really critical to my well-being.
I feel life’s fragility on an almost-daily basis, and this sometimes makes me afraid to do things. But I always do them, ESPECIALLY if I’m afraid, because I have a personal policy to NOT live my life in fear. But it’s hard for me. I have to push myself, sometimes force myself. I’m always glad I’ve done something once I’ve done it, but while I’m THINKING about doing it, I’m almost always paralyzed with fear. Despite this, I’ve lived in eight different states, taken tremendous risks, tried almost EVERYTHING I’ve ever wanted to try (I’m still working on that list and hope it never ends), never believed it when I’ve been told something is impossible, reinvented myself more times than I can count, and looked fear in the face over and over and over again. Maybe I’ve cowered instead of laughed, but I’ve never quit.
I can write a first draft in under two months, writing in hours-long bursts of manic, euphoric, creativity. And then I can crash and need to sleep and stay home and do nothing for long periods of time to recharge. After a big writing burst, I feel like I could sleep for a week, and then I feel guilty for feeling exhausted because, let’s face it, I’ve been sitting on my ass for X hours working on my laptop NOT running a marathon.
I’ve only recently started wondering if maybe there’s a name for the way I am. Something beyond “complicated”. Which is how I came to find myself looking up BPD and feeling almost ashamed of it. And that, my friends, is a very big problem, because BPD is a legitimate diagnosis for many, just like anxiety-disorder (which sometimes goes hand in hand with BPD), ADD, OCD, etc. Denying it, is like denying the existence of alcoholism or depression. These kinds of disorders still carry with them a tremendous stigma. It makes me admire people like Patricia Cornwell, who has openly acknowledged her BPD, even more. It’s hard and scary to cop to something so personal in the hopes that it will help someone else feel less alone.
It doesn’t matter, in many ways. I am who I am, and I’m learning to say, “This is me”. I’m learning to surround myself with the people who can accept me the way that I am. I’m learning to say that I’m sorry if my being me makes it difficult or painful or lonely for you, but it isn’t personal. It isn’t a reflection on how much you mean to me or how much I care for you. I try always to be kind. I try to be sensitive to your needs and fears and sadnesses. But I am not perfect. Like you, I am fragile and imperfect. I make mistakes – sometimes big ones. But there is one thing you can be sure of; whatever you think of me, however much you like to discuss and critique and exclaim over my failings, I worry and think and wonder about them far more than you could ever know. I’m aware of them, and I’m always working to balance the need to be who I am with the the things you – and the world – require of me. Please forgive me if I don’t always succeed and know that I will do the same for you.
Michael Jackson may not have suffered from BPD, but I think he DID suffer from his own insecurities and fears. The only difference is that his played out on the worldwide screen in front of millions of people who were far too eager to point them out, to use them for entertainment and a way to assuage their own.
And I guess that’s the take-away, at least for me. We are not so different, really. Underneath it all, we’re just trying to get along. To figure it all out. And maybe, just maybe, we could try to be forgiving of one another’s failings, to cherish the things that make us each different and mysterious and, yes, complicated.
I’m going to keep trying. Are you?
Well, I still haven’t heard from the winner previously chosen by the Random Number Generator, so today I had it choose another.
The new winner is Mel (He followed Me Home) from He Followed Me Home!
I’ve sent Mel and email and will keep my fingers crossed that I’ll actually get to award the prize this time!
Mel, please contact me by 10am EST on Friday, October 30, 2009 to accept your prize.
ETA: Mel has contacted me and her prizes are being packed as we speak! Thanks to everyone who entered, and don’t forget to stay tuned for more tour pics and another contest!
Congrats, Mel!
First of all, a big thanks to everyone who entered my contest! I had nearly 400 entries for this one – a record! WOOT!
After counting all the entries received by midnight last night, the Random Number Generator has chosen Amanda of cats99 as our winner. An email has been sent your way, Ashley, so if you haven’t received it, please comment to let me know. If Ashley is an international winner and chooses to forgo the hardcovers in lieu of an Amazon giftcard, I’ll post to let you guys know who the three runners-up for the books will be.
ETA: As of 10/28, I still have not heard from the winner. If you are Amanda from cats99, please contact me by 10am EST to claim your prize. Otherwise I’ll have to choose another winner for all this awesome stuff!!!
Oh! And if you didn’t win, don’t despair! I’ll be holding one more massive contest this year to help everyone out with their holiday shopping. Keep checking back – details will be posted sometime within the next 7-10 days, and this contest will feature some fantastic books in addition to the usual gift cards, jewelry, and miscellany. It will also include a Prophecy audiobook in place of the hardcover I gave away this time. Trying to mix it up a little! Keep you guys on your toes!
Onward!
Can I just say that I LOVED tour? I really, really, did. I’ll be honest; I was nervous about leaving my children for so long, but once I’d gotten over the goodbyes, I had the BEST time. I continue to be in awe of the amazing, talented, wonderful readers, writers, booksellers, and educators all over the country. Meeting you all was a privilege, and I’m already looking forward to seeing everyone when I tour for Guardian of the Gate next year. I took VERY few pictures! I was just too busy most of the time, so the picture here are the ones taken by everybody else. If I didn’t get a picture up of you and I and/or didn’t mention you, it’s probably just due to what I’ve come to call, “Fog of Tour.” 
Please accept my apologies in advance!
I’ve decided to split up my tour post, because there’s just too much for one! I’ll bore you to tears!
My first stop was Phoenix. And I can’t mention Phoenix without mentioning the super-swanky Valley-Ho Hotel. It’s like being caught in an episode of Madmen – in a GOOD way – and I knew we were going to have fun there when my publicist texted me from her room, “Where’s my martini?”
I was nervous to give my first school speech, but there was really no reason to be. After visiting a couple of middle schools my first day, I was totally at ease. The kids were fantastic, interested, and enthusiastic, and the teachers were so appreciative and passionate about what they do. After my school visits, I has a signing at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ, where I was fortunate enough to meet not only several young fans, but fellow 2009 Debutante Aprilynne Pike, author of Wings, and Jeanne Gassman, a friend from the days of struggling to get published. I was so honored that both of these talented people took the time to come to my signing. And the people at Changing Hands were SO welcoming! I could have spent HOURS in their incredibly well-stocked, homey store. I know SOMEONE took pictures of Aprilynne, Jeanne, and I, but I can’t seem to find them…
I made my way to LA via a 6am flight that required us to get up at 3:45 am – pretty much the worst possible torture for a night person like me. My publicist, Lisa, made it fun, though, and we landed in LA around 8am and immediately started the day’s events with Walter Reed Middle School, one of my very favorite schools of the tour. Talk about enthusiasm! The kids AND the staff there are just amazing. These kids are incredibly lucky to have librarians and teachers who are truly committed to giving them the best of everything. I had a great time visiting three more schools in LA as well as speaking at two bookstore signings.
One of the highlights of my stay in LA was meeting fellow writers and friends, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, authors of the upcoming YA novel, Beautiful Creatures. Kami and Margie and I have been commiserating online and on the phone for some time, so it was really awesome to finally meet them in person. Plus, LA was an all-around amazing stop for me, because I also met several bloggers, including Khy from The Frenetic Reader, Catt from The Dream Reader, and Annie from A Maze of Books. I also got to hang out with Annie’s mom, Jennifer and her adorable little sister. I wanted to adopt them all!
Blogger Catt from The Dream Reader with her wonderful mom and I. Oh! And her I <3 Michelle Zink sign! "
Kami, Catt, Margie, Annie, and Annie's sweet little sister!
Another really cool aspect of the LA stop was a group of kids from a private school who read Prophecy back when it was still called Indigo Sky and before it was published. Their amazing teacher, Gary Burg, contacted me through my mom and asked if they could read and critique the manuscript as a class project. I happily agreed, and I can’t tell you how awesome it was to meet these amazingly talented, wonderful kids in person. And the parents! There were a group of about five of them who carpooled these kids down on a school night just to see me, and I couldn’t help but think what a difference it makes for a child to have such supportive, encouraging adults in their life. Every kid deserves such a thing. Truly.
The next night, I was super excited to be at Mrs. Nelson’s Bookshop, one of my all-time favorites! Seriously, this place is so cute I wanted to shrink it and carry it around with me. I also loved this event because I got to meet Khy from The Frenetic Reader. Speaking of adorable! As if her amazing reviews aren’t wonderful enough, Khy just exudes goodness and enthusiasm. I love this kid to death – and her mom, too! I also got to meet up with my wonderful cousin and her two darling kids, which was such a joy.
San Francisco was my next stop, and I was thrilled to finally meet one of my very favorite authors and friends, C. Lee McKenzie, author of Sliding on the Edge (SUCH a great book!) at a writing workshop I gave at the Menlo Park library. Lee is every bit as gracious and lovely in person, and my night was doubled with awesomeness when blogger, Alicia, of showed up. The writing workshop tself was really enlightening. There are so many talented young writers out there! We worked with a prompt from Prophecy and then each attendee had 10-15 minutes to come up with their own story. Hearing them read them aloud afterward, I just couldn’t help feeling like I was getting a glimpse at the future of publishing.
After a few school visits Thursday and Friday, I got a little down time. Friday night, I met up with a group of people that included blogger Nancy of The Ravenous Reader and Alicia and her family. Malindo Lo, author of the amazing book, Ash, also came along, and we had a great time laughing over dinner and wine. The weekend was quiet, but after so much time running from place to place it was really nice to be able to sleep and even write a little before heading to Seattle Sunday morning.
I had an awesome time in Seattle – it’s one of my favorite cities – but I’m going to save it and the rest of the tour for another post. I’m still hoping to get some pictures to add to this piece and will add them to the post as they come in. Honestly, it’s just so crazy on tour most of the time that I hardly had time to THINK about pictures! Then, when I finally got home, I could hardly remember who’d taken pictures where!
Please forgive the chaos and check back, okay?
<3
After a long swag silence, I am finally ready to post my newest contest! WOOT!
But first, I want to share some very good Prophecy news; Prophecy of the Sisters was chosen as one of Booklist’s 2009 Top 10 First Novels for Youth! I’m incredibly honored, because the ALA and Booklist magazine does so much to advocate reading for so many people. A huge thank you to the ALA and the reviewers at Booklist for believing in my work. It really means so much to me.
So, by now you probably know how much I love to give stuff away. I do it in real life, too. Shopping for others is one of my very favorite things to do! You are no exception, online peeps, and because my international readers have made Prophecy such a huge success in their respective countries, I’m opening the contest to international entrants! You are all so loyal and wonderful, it hardly seems fair to leave you out of the fun, so just consider it my own personal thank you for spreading the word about Prophecy all over the world. Mwah!
Now you guys all know I give good swag, but this is truly epic swag. In honor of Halloween, it’s horror-themed, so prepare to be scaaaaared. Okay, not really. But the awesomeness includes;
A red rose t-shirt
A lock and key necklace
A set of three pairs of earrings, including my beloved red rose
Halloween candyyyyy!
Gothic fishnet gloves
A black-and-red skinny tie
Black metallic nail polish
A flocked velvet notebook
A candle
Comb-in temporary hair dye in Blood Red (eeek!)
A $25 Hot Topic gift card
A $15 iTunes gift card
A signed Prophecy locker poster
Prophecy locker magnet
Scented rose pin
Limited edition Prophecy candy tin
Double DVD Underworld/Underworld Evolution
Double DVD 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later
And in honor of the month of horror, three truly creepy books;
Signed hardcover, Prophecy of the Sisters
Hardcover, The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Hardcover, Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender
Was I right, or was I right? Epically good swag, yes? I haven’t had a chance to read either Bad Girls Don’t Die or The Hollow, but I’ve heard REALLY good things about them. Which is why I chose them for this Horrifically Epic Swag Bag!
Okay, here’s how it works! You get one entry for each of the following;
+1 Tell me what supernatural phenomena scares you the most
+1 Link to this contest on your blog
+1 Post a bulletin or update linking to the contest on your Facebook or Myspace page (limit one point for this one, people!)
+1 for becoming a Fan of the Prophecy of the Sisters Fan Page on Facebook
+1 for “Suggesting” the Facebook Prophecy Fan Page to your Facebook friends
+1 Tweet the link! (Ditto above about one point limit)
That’s SIX potential entries! And even if some of this stuff isn’t normally your thing, the holidays are right around the corner, and you can always use your winnings to get a jump on your holiday gift-giving list…
Just sayin’!
Contest ends Sunday, October 25 at midnight. Winner will be chosen by random number generator, and I’ll do my best to get everything to the winner by Halloween (domestic shipping only. will take a bit longer if we have an international winner).
Oh! And I PROMISE I’m working on the tour post. Uploading pictures, gathering them from the many people who took them, and backtracking enough to remember the 16 days that was a blur a lot of the time isn’t easy, but I WILL get you a tour post WITH pics very, very SOON!
<3
ETA: I can’t BELIEVE I forgot to upload my pics of this swag! Situation remedied!
Also, if we get an international winner who would prefer an Amazon gift certificate over the books (because they’re US editions), I’m happy to substitute the books for a $50 gift certificate (the approximate value of the three hardcovers). If this happens, I’ll have the RNG choose three runners-up and give away the three books separately.
I’m homeeeeee! WOOT!
After two weeks on the first leg of my tour and three days in Boston, I finally get to settle in to write Book Three in the Prophecy series.
I’m working on compiling all my pictures and memories of my tour into something coherent that I can share here. More then likely, it will end up as multiple posts, because SO much happened that I doubt I’ll be able to get it all into one post.
For now, I’m going to give you a couple of random updates!
My Polish publisher has unveiled a GORGEOUS Prophecy trailer and website. And no, I don’t speak Polish! But it’s totally worth looking at – it’s THAT beautiful. The enthusiasm of my foreign publishers continues to humble me.
I recently received news that Prophecy garnered a starred review from VOYA! I’m a huge fan of VOYA, so getting a starred review really means the world to me. You can read the review in its entirety, in addition to a great review recently received from The Bulletin, on the Books tab of this website.
Book Divas has chosen Prophecy as a Featured Book, and I couldn’t be more honored! I’ll be honest; it’s still a little surreal to see my work next to that of so many authors that I have long admired. Thanks, Book Divas, for the vote of confidence!
There’s still plenty fo time to enter the Justine Sparks Prophecy of the Sisters Book Trailer Contest! The winner gets their trailer featured on the Justine Sparks website, a phone call from me (SO excited! I’m such a talker!), and TONS of book loot! Spread the worddddd!
Prophecy of the Sisters was nominated for the 2009 Cybil Awards! This would be a big enough honor, but it’s made bigger by the fact that it was nominated by Sarah Ockler, author of one of my very favorite debut book of 2009, Twenty Boy Summer. Twenty Boy Summer is, of course, also nominated (and deservedly so) along with many more of my favorites. Thanks, Sarah!
My interview with Iain is up over at Yatterings. I know interviews sometimes seem overdone, but Iain really knows his stuff. He made me WORK to answer these questions, and they really are among some of the most interesting, insightful questions I’ve ever been asked. Take a look and prepare to be impressed. With Iain. Not me.
That’s all for now. I love to post links to reviews and interviews, but honestly, a lot of the last two months is just a blur! If you’ve posted a Prophecy review or interview on your blog and would like me to link to it, please leave me a comment with a link or, if you have my contact information, Facebook, Twitter, etc., drop me a line there so I can post it for you.
I’ll be posting my tour run-downs over the next couple of days and weeks, but might be otherwise scarce as I am knee-deep in Book Three. Still, I must confess to a lot of excitement at the prospect of being able to settle in and write again. And I realized the other day that that is the beauty of having the privilege to do what I do; as fun as it is to tour and interview and meet so many amazing people, when it’s all said and done, for me, it’s still about the writing.
<3
So, here’s the thing about being on tour for two weeks. You kind of lose track of how many people you’ve talked to and met along the way. Most days, I had two school visits – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – and an evening bookstore event. But a school visit doesn’t necessarily mean one group of kids. Sometimes, I’d give 3-5 back-to-back presentations with 100+ kids in each group.
Let’s just say for the sake of argument that I spoke to an average of 100 kids a day for 13 days (I think this is probably close to accurate).
That means I spoke to 1300 kids ages 12-18 in less than two weeks.
That is A LOT of kids!
But I loved every minute. I love talking to kids and teens because they tend to be so enthusiastic, so open-minded, so curious and passionate. And as I wrote in my previous post, it was really fun for me to engage in my signature, two-way Q&A. It was fascinating to watch them become excited and passionate about books and to realize that I cared what THEY thought.
I’m going to share my informal findings here, and I’d love to hear your thoughts as well – as a reader, writer, blogger, or reviewer.
Following are some of the questions I most frequently ask;
1. When you go into a store to browse, what are the main things that make you decide to pick it up and take a closer look?
What I expected to hear; cover
What I heard; cover. Without fail, most young readers cited the cover as THE most important part of their decision to pick up a book in a bookstore and then take a closer look and/or consider buying it. Other popular answers were reading the jacket copy or summary on the back, the title, reading the first page, and opening to a random part of the book to read a couple of pages. What I DIDN’T hear also surprised me. In all the schools I visited, I probably only had one reader say they noticed or cared if other authors had blurbed a book. Personally, I think this is probably based at least partially on WHO’S blurbing. I mean, if you have a JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, or Neil Gaiman blurb, I’m thinking you’re better off than having a blurb by, say, ME! Just sayin’!
2. When you go into a bookstore knowing what you’re going to buy, what are the main things that have gotten you there intent on buying THAT book?
What I expected to hear; blog buzz and/or media coverage, ads, etc.
What I heard; The main reasons for PLANNING to buy a book were cited as a friend’s recommendation, seeing the book advertised somewhere (magazine, teen website, etc.), or having it be part of a series they’ve already enjoyed. Again, I was surprised not to hear more about blog buzz, but I’m beginning to realize that’s because the online reading, blogging, writing, and reviewing community feels like a bit of a fishbowl these days. It’s easy to attach tremendous importance to every blog review, every comment, every Follower, but the reality is that the average teen doesn’t even know blogs exist. And those that do only take passing notice, i.e. “I know they’re out there, but I don’t go to them or pay attention to what they say.”. This is good and bad. As I’ve said, I LOVE connecting with bloggers. They’re some of the most ardent readers around, and it’s just plain fun to talk about books, compare notes on what we’re reading, etc. It would be nice to think that, even though many of the bloggers I talk to online feel like real friends, some of that will spill over into the general reading community. Then again, it makes it easier to bear the occasional negative review, snarky comment, or clique (of which I am typically on the outside). Other writers have commented to me since my last post on this topic that they were incredibly relieved to hear it, because sometimes it just feels like your whole writing life is riding on a handful of blogs. These writers have said that it’s really nice to know that there’s a WHOLE lot more to a “successful” book than that. So now I’m curious! What do you guys think? Do you think it’s important to bring the “everyday” reader into the blogging community?
3. When you buy a book, does it matter if it’s paperback or hardcover?
What I expected to hear? that teens prefer paperbacks because they’re cheaper.
What I heard; 80% of teens PREFER hardcover!! This SHOCKED me! Now I feel naive, because of course, most teens either have parents buying their books OR they spend their own cash – all of which is, essentially, disposable income. Teens said they preferred hardcover because they felt like “they would last longer” and/or they were “nicer”. The rare teen who said they preferred paperback said they were “easier to carry in my backpack” and, yes, very occasionally “they’re cheaper.”
4. Do you prefer series books or stand-alone books?
What I expected to hear; I wasn’t sure! I’d been hearing some stuff in the blogosphere about readers being tired of series, but I LOVE reading AND writing them, so I just wasn’t sure what I’d hear…
What I heard; SERIES! Overwhelmingly. Teens said they get attached to characters and storylines and they don’t want to say goodbye after just one book. They also said they figured, “If I liked one book in a series, I’ll probably like the rest,” which prompted me to ask, “So if you read book one in a series and you enjoy it, is it pretty much guaranteed you’re going to read the next one regardless of what you might hear about it, good or bad?” To which they ALL responded, “Yes!”
5. What do you think we have too much of in the YA genre?
What I expected to hear; vampires. Or girl books.
What I heard; SHOCKER ALERT!!! The answer, most often from girls, was ROMANCE! And I was like, “WTF?” Because, seriously, THAT’S WHAT IS SELLING, people! But many, many girls said they’re becoming tired of books that center around an all-consuming romance. They said that they like having SOME romance in books, but they’re getting bored with having that be ALL a book’s about. They want MORE. Weird, huh?
6. What do we need MORE of in the YA genre?
What I expected to hear; was totally unsure!
What I heard; books for boys, comedy(!), again (back to the theme from above) more “mysteries or thrillers without having it all be romance.”
7. What ruins a book for you?
What I expected to hear? a “slow” book or one without enough action.
What I heard; “books that always have a happy ending.” This kind of surprised me! But A LOT of teens said that they don’t like it when everything turns out perfectly in every book. They seem to understand that life doesn’t work this way most of the time, and while they want to escape into another story, they also seem to want stories, characters, and endings that are at least somewhat reflective of the lives they live. I was also surprised at how many teens (guys included!) said they hate most of the stereotyping of school cliques or characters. They seems to agree that in general, kids aren’t as mean as they’re made out to be in books. And the lines aren’t as clearly delineated as you might think. In other words, a Cheerleader can be nice AND smart. Not only that, she might very well be friends with someone who’s a Geek or a Skater or a Goth. Along the same lines, they said they didn’t like it when characters were portrayed as being perfect and having everything. I thought this was very insightful, actually. They said that even if someone’s gorgeous or popular, he/she has problems, too, just like everyone else.
All in all, the teens I spoke with proved what I’ve known all along; they’re insightful, interesting, intelligent, complex people. They asked savvy questions about the business end of publishing (how do you get an agent? can you take your book to another publisher if you don’t like the cover?) and were incredibly interested in the writing process (how do you come up with ideas for your books? what do you do if you get writer’s block?). They were respectful (mostly! and when they weren’t, I shut them down. Having teenagers around all the time has many benefits!), funny, charming, and heartbreakingly sincere.
They gave me hope for the future of reading and writing and reminded me why it’s a privilege to do what we do.
I’m baaaaaack!
Well, for a few days anyway.
I’ve finally returned from my crazy tour and have a few days until I leave for the last leg in Boston next week. I know you’re all expecting pictures and DETAILS – which I fully plan to provide, I promise – but I’m still rounding up all the pictures from the two weeks that I was gone.
In the meantime, I just want to say thank you to the many, many people who came out to my signings all over the country. Thank you to all the authors who made my event(s) by stopping by and sometimes even having dinner with me (more on that later *cough*KamiGarciaMargaretStohlKimberlyDertingMandyHubbardAprilynnePikeSaraQuigleyDaisyWhitneyJeanneGlassmanMalindaLoC.LeeMacKenzieJamesDashnerSydneySalterBreeDespain*cough*). You guys really eased my homesickness and it was just awesome to hang out and get to know you all better. I also want to say thank you to the maaaaaany bloggers who showed up at my events. Again, I’ll be posting specifics over the next week, but I was so happy to meet you. You are all every bit as wonderful in person! I also have to extend a HUGE thank you to the schools, teachers, and librarians who opened their doors – and hearts – to me. School visits were my favorite, and it was truly a privilege to meet so many amazing teens who love to read and write. Thank you to the authors at the Anderson’s YA Conference for keeping me such amazing company that I almost missed my driver because we were having too much fun hanging out and talking in the hotel restaurant. This means YOU Lisa Yee, Ellen Hopkins, Libba Bray, Cynthea Liu, and Kerry Madden!
Anyway, I promise details (and because I am a Serial Thanker – more thank yous!)! You’ll just have to be patient with me, because it’s a big deal for me to be away from home for two whole weeks. I’m still putting my house back together, settling my kids (who hate it when I’m gone), and catching up on a million different things.
And… yeah. Speaking of catch-up! If I owe you an email or something, please hang in there. As you know, I DO respond to all of my emails. Eventually. Heh. Seriously, though, with Prophecy now being published in 17 countries and 13 languages, I’m getting a lot of wonderful emails from all over the world, so it sometimes takes me awhile to respond when I’m backed up. Same goes for the discussion boards at www.prophecyofthesisters.com. I participate in many of those discussions, but I can only drop in to catch up every few days.
Oh! Prophecy had some amazing reviews while I was gone, and I want to give credit where credit is due by posting some links to them here. I’ll be spreading them out over the next few weeks, but here are a couple to tide you over…
And one of my all-time favorites; Yatterings. Stay tuned to this blog for an interview with me coming up in the near future. Just as soon as I finish answering the questions.
I’m always amazed how much fun it is to connect with people online. You guys proved it to me while I was gone, because meeting you made me so happy, and I really missed you when I couldn’t log in and say hello.
You’re the BEST!
<3
PS. Tomorrow I’ll post the not-entirely-scientific results of my Tour Poll in which I asked teens all over the country whether they prefer hardcover or paperbacks, whether they prefer series or stand-alones, what element(s) they feel are overdone in YA fiction, etc. Come back for a peek and hopefully some good debate!
I’m sitting in my hotel room right now, very pleased that I’ve managed to write over 2,000 words on book three of the Prophecy series today while on TOUR! WOOT!
It’s been a whirlwind week, full of school visits (sometimes more than six presentations in a day), bookstore events, stock signings, blogger meet-ups, and early mornings. I’m having an amazing time, and I’m reminded on an almost daily basis what a privilege it is to connect with so many amazing teachers, librarians, booksellers, teenagers and readers.
I should have known I’d love the school visits best, because I’m always most comfortable talking to teenagers, but I was completely unprepared for how MUCH I love them. In case you’re wondering, school visits usually go like this; I speak a little bit about the book, how I came up with the idea for Prophecy, some of my writing processes, etc. Then I get in my Be Who You Are speech, which is so important to me to pass along to young people since I spent so many years being unhappy while I tried to be what everyone else wanted me to be. I’m always surprised how interested they are in this part of my story! After that, we do Q&A, but my signature Q&A is a little bit different, because I warn the kids up front that for every question they ask me, I’m going to ask them one, too. I didn’t think it was THAT original, but every single teacher has said they love it and that they’ve never seen it done. Go figure! Anyway, it ends up being an amazing back and forth discussion about books, reading, writing, and life. I learn so much from every single group of kids, and I’m especially gratified to see that even the kids who have the “I’m too cool for this” posture when they file in end up leaning forward to listen and participate by the time I leave. SO fun!
It’s also been a reminder that the reading world is wide. It’s easy for me to feel like we’re all in a fishbowl, especially as the blogosphere has expanded the way that it has, but really, there are a lot of readers out there! And without fail in my informal polling, 99.9% of them don’t read blogs. Most of the time, they have NO idea that any of it even exists, but even when they say they know, they just don’t read them. This is both encouraging and discouraging. On the one hand, it would be great for them to avail themselves of the many, many reviews available from their peers in the blogosphere. On the other, for those authors who feel the blogosphere can be “cliquey” or that certain books get all the blog play, it might be encouraging to know that the general reading public isn’t basing their reading decisions on what blogs say about any given book. And don’t take offense! I’m just reporting here! This would make for an interesting discussion (and it’s one I might initiate when I get back from tour), because I’m wondering whether anyone thinks it’s important to drive general readers to the greater reading blogosphere. Something to ponder…
Of course, I forgot my camera, but that’s okay, because honestly, I’m usually too busy at the events to take pictures. Instead, I have other people taking them all along the way, so I’ll compile them and post everything after I get back next weekend.
Tomorrow, I head to Seattle, which I’m super excited about because it’s probably my very favorite US city. After that, it’s on to Salt Lake City, and then my last stop, Chicago!
Will try to stay in touch on Twitter in the meantime, and will eventually give you a big tour round-up, complete with pictures, once I get settled back in at home. If anyone has pictures they’ve taken along the tour, please send them to me and I’ll post them with the rest.
<3
