Hannah Moskowitz's Blog, page 2
December 21, 2011
2011 Round-Up
I do these every year.
Mostly real-life hannah, but writer hannah makes her appearances too.
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Had two books come out in one year. Started dating a girl. Went abroad with my family. Starred--twice--in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Wrote one, solitary book.
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept almost all of them. I'll probably make some more.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just Spain.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Serenity.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 19th, 2011--Invincible Summer!
December 20th, 2011--Zombie Tag. And that other thing. She's going to come up a lot.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Selling magicgayfish was really, really amazing, as was Teen Author Carnival and doing a panel next to David Levithan, oh my God.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not writing.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
There was the exciting head-over-heels-down-some-stairs adventure that left me with a sprained ankle and a shitton of scrapes, and I had the flu in the spring. And then I tested positive for Lyme, despite having been tested and treated and cured four years ago, so I had to do a round of antibiotics which made me sick, and hell if I even know what's up anymore. I'm finally on meds for the arthritis and they're helping a ton. THIS IS BORING, I'M SORRY, I DON'T MAKE THE QUESTIONS.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
No contest.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My magic gay fish, of course.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Clothes, as always.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Turning 20. Invincible Summer. Each semester to be over. Holidays, always. Rocky shows. The deal for Fishboy.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
"Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas, because...yeah.
17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Happier?
God, yeah.
Richer?
Yep.
Thinner?
noooo
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, like always. Sleeping. Being calm.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Same as last year: "Freaking the fuck out."
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home with my family, and I can't fucking wait.
22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Ask me in a few months.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA come on. You know me.
(Supernatural.)
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
SO GLAD YOU ASKED. There are six I read for the first time that I absolutely HAVE to mention.
BROOKLYN, BURNING by Steve Brezenoff
CLEAN by Amy Reed
JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta
THE PIPER'S SON by Melina Marchetta
STOLEN by Lucy Christopher
THE GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH by Jaclyn Moriarity
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Frightened Rabbit.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I saw Easy A for the first time on New Year's Eve last year and loved it, so let's count that.
31. What did you do on your birthday. And how old were you?
Twenty. We went out for fondue like we have for my last five birthdays. It was fantastic.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not being in school.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Cozy.
34. What kept you sane?
Twitter, Rocky Horror, Supernatural, the Musers, my mom.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
He's surprised by the question.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Same as last year, DADT.
37. Whom did you miss?
Everything and all the things all the time. But it's going to be okay.
Mostly real-life hannah, but writer hannah makes her appearances too.
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Had two books come out in one year. Started dating a girl. Went abroad with my family. Starred--twice--in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Wrote one, solitary book.
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept almost all of them. I'll probably make some more.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just Spain.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Serenity.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 19th, 2011--Invincible Summer!
December 20th, 2011--Zombie Tag. And that other thing. She's going to come up a lot.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Selling magicgayfish was really, really amazing, as was Teen Author Carnival and doing a panel next to David Levithan, oh my God.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not writing.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
There was the exciting head-over-heels-down-some-stairs adventure that left me with a sprained ankle and a shitton of scrapes, and I had the flu in the spring. And then I tested positive for Lyme, despite having been tested and treated and cured four years ago, so I had to do a round of antibiotics which made me sick, and hell if I even know what's up anymore. I'm finally on meds for the arthritis and they're helping a ton. THIS IS BORING, I'M SORRY, I DON'T MAKE THE QUESTIONS.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
No contest.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My magic gay fish, of course.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Clothes, as always.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Turning 20. Invincible Summer. Each semester to be over. Holidays, always. Rocky shows. The deal for Fishboy.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
"Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas, because...yeah.
17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Happier?
God, yeah.
Richer?
Yep.
Thinner?
noooo
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, like always. Sleeping. Being calm.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Same as last year: "Freaking the fuck out."
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home with my family, and I can't fucking wait.
22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Ask me in a few months.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA come on. You know me.
(Supernatural.)
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
SO GLAD YOU ASKED. There are six I read for the first time that I absolutely HAVE to mention.
BROOKLYN, BURNING by Steve Brezenoff
CLEAN by Amy Reed
JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta
THE PIPER'S SON by Melina Marchetta
STOLEN by Lucy Christopher
THE GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH by Jaclyn Moriarity
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Frightened Rabbit.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I saw Easy A for the first time on New Year's Eve last year and loved it, so let's count that.
31. What did you do on your birthday. And how old were you?
Twenty. We went out for fondue like we have for my last five birthdays. It was fantastic.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not being in school.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Cozy.
34. What kept you sane?
Twitter, Rocky Horror, Supernatural, the Musers, my mom.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
He's surprised by the question.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Same as last year, DADT.
37. Whom did you miss?
Everything and all the things all the time. But it's going to be okay.
December 19, 2011
Eating My Brain
So my third book, Zombie Tag, is officially released in 4 hours and 37 minutes. I have my last exam of the semester in about eighteen hours, and Hanukkah begins about four hours after that, let's say.
I'm thrilled and impatient and excited, but really I'm just sitting here crying a little and wishing I could disappear, and I figured I should blog about that a little, even if it's not the post I'm supposed to write. I should be writing a big BUY MY BOOK thing right now, but you guys know I want you to buy my book. You know how this works.
What I think you might not know is how hard this all gets.
The reason I don't like writing these posts isn't because I'm afraid of being honest with you guys; you guys know I'm pretty much the most open of books, and until someone is like WHOA HANNAH STOP I'm probably going to keep doing that forever and ever. But I don't write these sad damn posts because I'm worried about how they make me see, so, upfront, okay? I know how lucky I am. I really, truly do. I thank the universe every single damn day that I have this job.
And then stupid things swallow me whole.
You guys are so fucking NICE to me. That's what kills me. Do you ever look at people you love and just want to cry because you love them so much, and they love you, and you feel like there's this pocket of the universe that exists JUST to take care of you?
That's how I feel.
And it scares the shit out of me.
Because I don't want to let you guys down.
I don't want to fuck up and not sell and have to stop writing books.
I don't want the criticism to wear me down to the point that I can't write anymore.
I don't want to get eaten alive by my own brain and have to stop and work some office job.
I don't want to flame out before I'm thirty.
I just feel like I'm phoning it in lately, not with writing (because I haven't BEEN writing, and let's not talk about that tonight) but with publicity, talking to you guys, the sheer act of getting my shit together. And it's just this agonizing fear of failure weighing me down, and that's NOT me. I'm a lot of damn things, but, compared to a lot of writers and compared to a lot of the other things that are fucked in my head, I'm not much of a worrier. I don't overanalyze. I don't panic.
And yet here I am, crying on my bed because someone said something nice to me and my damn heart couldn't take it.
I keep writing things and deleting them because I don't know how to say it. I'm just scared. I'm scared no one will read the book and you guys will forget about me.
That's what it is. You guys loving me is scary because I'm afraid that one day you won't.
You don't have to reassure me and flatter me in the comments or something. I mean, I wouldn't HATE that, but that's not what I'm going for. Really I just want you to understand the crazy places a writer's head goes to, because I think release turns a lot of people into robots publicly, when really it tosses our brains like salads, and you know me and my problem with compulsive honesty so here I am.
So, uh, buy my book. I just hope you like it, if you do.
Really, I just hope that even if you don't like it, you don't give up on me.
I'm thrilled and impatient and excited, but really I'm just sitting here crying a little and wishing I could disappear, and I figured I should blog about that a little, even if it's not the post I'm supposed to write. I should be writing a big BUY MY BOOK thing right now, but you guys know I want you to buy my book. You know how this works.
What I think you might not know is how hard this all gets.
The reason I don't like writing these posts isn't because I'm afraid of being honest with you guys; you guys know I'm pretty much the most open of books, and until someone is like WHOA HANNAH STOP I'm probably going to keep doing that forever and ever. But I don't write these sad damn posts because I'm worried about how they make me see, so, upfront, okay? I know how lucky I am. I really, truly do. I thank the universe every single damn day that I have this job.
And then stupid things swallow me whole.
You guys are so fucking NICE to me. That's what kills me. Do you ever look at people you love and just want to cry because you love them so much, and they love you, and you feel like there's this pocket of the universe that exists JUST to take care of you?
That's how I feel.
And it scares the shit out of me.
Because I don't want to let you guys down.
I don't want to fuck up and not sell and have to stop writing books.
I don't want the criticism to wear me down to the point that I can't write anymore.
I don't want to get eaten alive by my own brain and have to stop and work some office job.
I don't want to flame out before I'm thirty.
I just feel like I'm phoning it in lately, not with writing (because I haven't BEEN writing, and let's not talk about that tonight) but with publicity, talking to you guys, the sheer act of getting my shit together. And it's just this agonizing fear of failure weighing me down, and that's NOT me. I'm a lot of damn things, but, compared to a lot of writers and compared to a lot of the other things that are fucked in my head, I'm not much of a worrier. I don't overanalyze. I don't panic.
And yet here I am, crying on my bed because someone said something nice to me and my damn heart couldn't take it.
I keep writing things and deleting them because I don't know how to say it. I'm just scared. I'm scared no one will read the book and you guys will forget about me.
That's what it is. You guys loving me is scary because I'm afraid that one day you won't.
You don't have to reassure me and flatter me in the comments or something. I mean, I wouldn't HATE that, but that's not what I'm going for. Really I just want you to understand the crazy places a writer's head goes to, because I think release turns a lot of people into robots publicly, when really it tosses our brains like salads, and you know me and my problem with compulsive honesty so here I am.
So, uh, buy my book. I just hope you like it, if you do.
Really, I just hope that even if you don't like it, you don't give up on me.
October 26, 2011
ZOMBIE TAG Book Trailer!
How cool is that?
October 19, 2011
It's Teaser Tuesday!
Apparently I've never shared this excerpt, which surprised me!
From the magic gay fish book! Happy Tuesday, everyone.
--
"So I know where you came from, by the way," I say.
"Humans and a house and all that. Yeah, I know." Fishboy isn't even looking at me. His eyes are busy tracking something under the water.
"That house. The big one, right there."
"You must think I'm an idiot."
"What are you looking at?"
"I'm--" Then he dives and emerges with a tiny fish in his mouth. He spits it onto the deck. "Look at that! Check that out! Oh, man, Teeth is the king. Teeth is the king. I am the king of the seas. Look at that."
I squirm away from it. It's flopping around like my brother during a bad night. "What is it?"
"Minnow. Oh, God, look at this minnow. Mmm. It's beautiful." He kisses it and cuddles it against his cheek, then he neatly slits its head off with his teeth.
"Oh, Jesus, Fishboy."
He looks up, a laugh, halfway through, frozen on his face. "What did you call me?"
"Fishboy." But I didn't mean to. Shit. "It's, uh, what I called you in my head before I knew your name."
He shrugs and nods a little. "Fishboy. Yeah, that's cool."
Thank God. This would have been such a stupid fucking thing to fight about.
He's really grossing me out with this fish, licking the blood off its neck, so I shake my head quickly and say, "You know how I found out where you're from?"
"I don't care."
"I made out with your sister."
"What's made out?" He's looking at me with these huge innocent eyes.
"Kissed."
"Ew," he says. "You kissed a fish?" Then he buries his face in the minnow and rips it to pieces.
"This is so gross."
He comes up with a mouth full of flesh. "Oh my God. Rudy, this is the best minnow in the world. You have to try this."
"I'll pass."
"I'll save you the liiiiver."
At least now I know he's screwing with me. "Do fish even have livers?"
"You're a liver."
"How do you know that word?"
"I'm very very smart." He licks the skin clean. "Oh my God. Minnow. You are a beautiful minnow."
"It's dead."
"It doesn't speak English anyway. Oh, lovely, lovely minnow."
"You're disgusting."
"You're the one kissing a fish. Sicko."
"Your human sister."
"I knew what you meant. Seriously. You think I'm an idiot, don't you?"
I lie down on my back, as far as I can get from the remains of the fishboy's lunch. He's chewing on all the little bones.
Eventually he finishes eating, and I don't say anything, and he doesn't say anything. He reaches up to the dock and walks the fish bones back and forth like they're people. I half-watch his hands and half-watch the sky. It's the first time we've been absolutely silent together when it doesn't feel like we're fighting. It almost feels like we're tucked in to go to sleep. The silence must last nearly five minutes before he looks up at and smiles at me.
It doesn't matter what side I'm on and what side I'm on, for a minute. For a minute, it's just me and that smile. It's this kid.
"If you're done telling me my family history," he says, "I have a mission for us."
From the magic gay fish book! Happy Tuesday, everyone.
--
"So I know where you came from, by the way," I say.
"Humans and a house and all that. Yeah, I know." Fishboy isn't even looking at me. His eyes are busy tracking something under the water.
"That house. The big one, right there."
"You must think I'm an idiot."
"What are you looking at?"
"I'm--" Then he dives and emerges with a tiny fish in his mouth. He spits it onto the deck. "Look at that! Check that out! Oh, man, Teeth is the king. Teeth is the king. I am the king of the seas. Look at that."
I squirm away from it. It's flopping around like my brother during a bad night. "What is it?"
"Minnow. Oh, God, look at this minnow. Mmm. It's beautiful." He kisses it and cuddles it against his cheek, then he neatly slits its head off with his teeth.
"Oh, Jesus, Fishboy."
He looks up, a laugh, halfway through, frozen on his face. "What did you call me?"
"Fishboy." But I didn't mean to. Shit. "It's, uh, what I called you in my head before I knew your name."
He shrugs and nods a little. "Fishboy. Yeah, that's cool."
Thank God. This would have been such a stupid fucking thing to fight about.
He's really grossing me out with this fish, licking the blood off its neck, so I shake my head quickly and say, "You know how I found out where you're from?"
"I don't care."
"I made out with your sister."
"What's made out?" He's looking at me with these huge innocent eyes.
"Kissed."
"Ew," he says. "You kissed a fish?" Then he buries his face in the minnow and rips it to pieces.
"This is so gross."
He comes up with a mouth full of flesh. "Oh my God. Rudy, this is the best minnow in the world. You have to try this."
"I'll pass."
"I'll save you the liiiiver."
At least now I know he's screwing with me. "Do fish even have livers?"
"You're a liver."
"How do you know that word?"
"I'm very very smart." He licks the skin clean. "Oh my God. Minnow. You are a beautiful minnow."
"It's dead."
"It doesn't speak English anyway. Oh, lovely, lovely minnow."
"You're disgusting."
"You're the one kissing a fish. Sicko."
"Your human sister."
"I knew what you meant. Seriously. You think I'm an idiot, don't you?"
I lie down on my back, as far as I can get from the remains of the fishboy's lunch. He's chewing on all the little bones.
Eventually he finishes eating, and I don't say anything, and he doesn't say anything. He reaches up to the dock and walks the fish bones back and forth like they're people. I half-watch his hands and half-watch the sky. It's the first time we've been absolutely silent together when it doesn't feel like we're fighting. It almost feels like we're tucked in to go to sleep. The silence must last nearly five minutes before he looks up at and smiles at me.
It doesn't matter what side I'm on and what side I'm on, for a minute. For a minute, it's just me and that smile. It's this kid.
"If you're done telling me my family history," he says, "I have a mission for us."
October 6, 2011
Remember That Time I Had News? HOW ABOUT AGAIN.
In lieu of a post with actual thought-provoking content, how about some NEWS!
FIRST OF ALL, congratulations ONE ZILLION TIMES to Erin Bowman, the winner of the cover contest!!
NOW. Okay! So!
S&S (and at least one other publisher, if I understand correctly) is trying out this badass new thing where they release a hardcover and a paperback simultaneously.
The logic behind this is that big bookstores like B&N and...oh wait, just B&N (guh my heart my soul) are more likely to stock a paperback than a hardcover because it is thinner and takes up less space. It's also less expensive to ship and generally lower-risk for the store to carry.
This is the main reason BREAK and INVINCIBLE SUMMER were in paperback rather than hardcover. Contemporary YA is a kind of scary place and putting it out in paperback increases the chances that the stores will be willing to stock it. (And I am SUPER lucky that B&N stocked both BREAK and INVINCIBLE SUMMER. Sidenote: they will be carrying ZOMBIE TAG as well. Which is a hardcover. So that news does not really belong in this post. HENCE THE PARENTHESIS.)
But there are people and places that like hardcovers more: some independents, libraries, my parents, etc.
WHICH IS WHY it is really, REALLY exciting that S&S has decided to EXPERIMENT ON ME
no no no not like that
and release GONE, GONE, GONE simultaneously in paperback and hardcover!
I KNOW, Jared and Jensen, cast of Fantastic Mr. Fox, and guy with chair!!
I'M EXCITED TOO!
I will have MORE INFORMATION closer to pub date, when I trust you to remember it (you dear little fish with your horrible memories) but I think you guys can figure out how to best support your chica on this if you are so inclined. You know as well as I do that the best way to show some love for a writer is with that wallet, so. If you shell out the extra money for the hardcover, eternal gratitude (AND POSSIBLY SOMETHING ELSE I'M WORKING ON IT). It shows the people over at my publisher that you like me enough to support me in hardcover, and they like when people like me because then they can wear their I LOVE HANNAH shirts without fear of embarrassment or egg-throwers.
BUT the paperback and the ebook will be available at exactly the same time (I should say when that time is, right? APRIL 17TH, 2012) so buy it in one of those if you'd rather. This is why we give you options. Because we love you.
Pretty, pretty fish.
FIRST OF ALL, congratulations ONE ZILLION TIMES to Erin Bowman, the winner of the cover contest!!
NOW. Okay! So!
S&S (and at least one other publisher, if I understand correctly) is trying out this badass new thing where they release a hardcover and a paperback simultaneously.
The logic behind this is that big bookstores like B&N and...oh wait, just B&N (guh my heart my soul) are more likely to stock a paperback than a hardcover because it is thinner and takes up less space. It's also less expensive to ship and generally lower-risk for the store to carry.
This is the main reason BREAK and INVINCIBLE SUMMER were in paperback rather than hardcover. Contemporary YA is a kind of scary place and putting it out in paperback increases the chances that the stores will be willing to stock it. (And I am SUPER lucky that B&N stocked both BREAK and INVINCIBLE SUMMER. Sidenote: they will be carrying ZOMBIE TAG as well. Which is a hardcover. So that news does not really belong in this post. HENCE THE PARENTHESIS.)
But there are people and places that like hardcovers more: some independents, libraries, my parents, etc.
WHICH IS WHY it is really, REALLY exciting that S&S has decided to EXPERIMENT ON ME
no no no not like that
and release GONE, GONE, GONE simultaneously in paperback and hardcover!
I KNOW, Jared and Jensen, cast of Fantastic Mr. Fox, and guy with chair!!
I'M EXCITED TOO!
I will have MORE INFORMATION closer to pub date, when I trust you to remember it (you dear little fish with your horrible memories) but I think you guys can figure out how to best support your chica on this if you are so inclined. You know as well as I do that the best way to show some love for a writer is with that wallet, so. If you shell out the extra money for the hardcover, eternal gratitude (AND POSSIBLY SOMETHING ELSE I'M WORKING ON IT). It shows the people over at my publisher that you like me enough to support me in hardcover, and they like when people like me because then they can wear their I LOVE HANNAH shirts without fear of embarrassment or egg-throwers.
BUT the paperback and the ebook will be available at exactly the same time (I should say when that time is, right? APRIL 17TH, 2012) so buy it in one of those if you'd rather. This is why we give you options. Because we love you.
Pretty, pretty fish.
September 16, 2011
At Long Last: Cover Contest FINALS!
Okay. Let's do this.
Here are our Top Four in the INVINCIBLE SUMMER COVER REDESIGN CONTEST! These are the 3 from my Top Ten that received the most votes, and the fan favorite you all picked from the remaining entries! I've scrambled their order just for kicks.
You may vote ONCE for ONE cover. Each cover's number is above it. Remember you can click each to make it bigger.
And so you remember what a big deal this is, the winner will receive...
--a signed copy of my first book, BREAK.
--a signed copy of my second book, INVINCIBLE SUMMER.
--a signed arc of my first MG book, ZOMBIE TAG.
--a signed arc of my third YA book, GONE, GONE, GONE.
--their cover, printed up on pretty photo paper, signed by me (if you want me to? It's your art, you might not be into that. Let me know.)
--however many bookmarks I have lying around (three?) signed by me.
AND. MOST IMPORTANTLY:
--the first chapter of my just-sold novel, FISHBOY, printed out and signed. This is pre-edits! Who knows if this chapter will even EXIST in the final draft?? This is a first look that ONLY YOU WILL RECEIVE.
You have until MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, MIDNIGHT EST to cast your vote.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:
#1
#2
#3
#4
Free Blog Poll
Here are our Top Four in the INVINCIBLE SUMMER COVER REDESIGN CONTEST! These are the 3 from my Top Ten that received the most votes, and the fan favorite you all picked from the remaining entries! I've scrambled their order just for kicks.
You may vote ONCE for ONE cover. Each cover's number is above it. Remember you can click each to make it bigger.
And so you remember what a big deal this is, the winner will receive...
--a signed copy of my first book, BREAK.
--a signed copy of my second book, INVINCIBLE SUMMER.
--a signed arc of my first MG book, ZOMBIE TAG.
--a signed arc of my third YA book, GONE, GONE, GONE.
--their cover, printed up on pretty photo paper, signed by me (if you want me to? It's your art, you might not be into that. Let me know.)
--however many bookmarks I have lying around (three?) signed by me.
AND. MOST IMPORTANTLY:
--the first chapter of my just-sold novel, FISHBOY, printed out and signed. This is pre-edits! Who knows if this chapter will even EXIST in the final draft?? This is a first look that ONLY YOU WILL RECEIVE.
You have until MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, MIDNIGHT EST to cast your vote.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:
#1
#2
#3
#4
Free Blog Poll
August 30, 2011
BIG Middle Grade News!
First of all, I am wicked wicked sorry that I haven't put up the next round of the cover contest yet. It IS happening, I swear.
But first I have TWO very exciting things to tell you!
The first is that I've received the final(ish, oh publishing) cover for ZOMBIE TAG, and I am so psyched to show you guys.
Isn't it AWESOME? I love the excerpt they chose for the back, and I think my favorite part is either the spatula over the barcode or Graham's zombie face on the spine.
The SECOND piece of big news is that I just got the go-ahead for my second MG book! It's right now called MARCO IMPOSSIBLE, and it'll be out early 2013. It's about two best friends, Stephen and Marco, who go on a go-for-broke heist to break into the high school prom and get Marco onstage to steal (hence the heist) the heart of Benji, the British exchange student and bass player of the prom band. (Yes, yes, YES, gay main character, and could I BE any more excited about that? OH I THINK NOT.) If you follow me on twitter, you'll know this as #veryscaryMG; not because it is scary, but because it was scary for me to write. Because I had to plot a freaking heist I mean come on.
The best part of getting good news is when I can tell you guys, so thanks so much for reading and hanging with me. Yay!!
But first I have TWO very exciting things to tell you!
The first is that I've received the final(ish, oh publishing) cover for ZOMBIE TAG, and I am so psyched to show you guys.
Isn't it AWESOME? I love the excerpt they chose for the back, and I think my favorite part is either the spatula over the barcode or Graham's zombie face on the spine.
The SECOND piece of big news is that I just got the go-ahead for my second MG book! It's right now called MARCO IMPOSSIBLE, and it'll be out early 2013. It's about two best friends, Stephen and Marco, who go on a go-for-broke heist to break into the high school prom and get Marco onstage to steal (hence the heist) the heart of Benji, the British exchange student and bass player of the prom band. (Yes, yes, YES, gay main character, and could I BE any more excited about that? OH I THINK NOT.) If you follow me on twitter, you'll know this as #veryscaryMG; not because it is scary, but because it was scary for me to write. Because I had to plot a freaking heist I mean come on.
The best part of getting good news is when I can tell you guys, so thanks so much for reading and hanging with me. Yay!!
August 16, 2011
Teaser Tuesday!
Don't forget to vote in that really exciting cover contest, but yesterday I promised a teaser and now, in honor of finishing the 2nd draft of the #sparklyfairyprostitute book (confetti!) I think it's time for an excerpt from said book.
Roughly two-thirds of this book are in the present timeline, and the last third is in the past. This is from that last third.
--
It was amazing how quickly things became normal. Beckan and Josha shared a room, officially, and they tended house while Cricket and Scrap went out and came home with enough food to get them through the day, or fabric for a new shirt for Beckan, or pills for Josha's cold. They got used to chasing the mice around, staying up late singing folk songs their fathers taught them, comparing imperceptible battle scars and finding the bits of them that looked like the other species they all were. Because they were comfortable with that, when it was just the four of them. They could talk about how they were not all fairy. They could talk about anything.
They were just so close and all so crazy about each other, so quickly. Beckan had a space on Cricket's shoulder that she told Josha was only for her, and she would rest her head there when she was tired and kiss it over and over when she wasn't. She had a favorite place on the floor to stretch out with Josha and take a nap. And Scrap. Scrap was giggles through the walls, secret smiles, notes passed back and forth, but they were slow, they were childish about it, they never stepped over any kind of line. For some reason, it felt important to them both that they be careful. Because they would look at Cricket and Josha and see how crazy they were for each other and wake up gasping hard in bed, freezing cold, thinking about how dangerous it was to love someone that much during a war.
Anyway. They had plenty of time.
Gradually, around the time Josha started spending more nights in Cricket's room than Beckan's, they began to live their lives in new pairs. Josha and Beckan were still, in their way, ridiculously in love, but they spent less and less time together as Cricket and Josha threw themselves into shared sweatshirts and last-bite-of-ice cream kisses, and Beckan and Scrap lived like their parents, teasing each other for sleepwalking and flat gnome noses, curling up together with a book after the kids were in bed.
It obviously wasn't long before Beckan knew what Scrap and Cricket did for their living; Cricket had told Josha within days—the kind of indiscretion Cricket grew and died with—and Scrap never made much of an effort to hide it, coming home with half his glitter rubbed off, sometimes drugged and giggly, always in the mood for a kiss on the cheek and a bit of babying before he was sent off to bed. They never talked about it; Beckan washed bloodstains out of his underwear and rubbed his shoulders when he looked tense, and Josha sulked for an hour each of the three days Cricket accompanied Scrap to the mines. "I don't make as much as Scrap does," Cricket said once to Beckan, explaining his part-time work. "He's the best little whore in Ferrum."
Scrap scrambled onto Cricket's back and started smacking him on the head with both hands and wouldn't get down, no matter how much Cricket bucked and ran back-first into the wall, and Josha and Beckan laughed and laughed.
There was so much laughing.
A few weeks into the war, the tightropers invaded the mines and took the women captive, and business boomed for Cricket and Scrap. The men had been wanting before, surrounded by women who dreamed about fairy boys and fairy babies instead of another generation in the mines, but now they needed Cricket and Scrap more than ever, and the boys were happy to oblige. During that initial surge, when sex was valuable and food wasn't, quite, they ate and drank like kings.
And somehow, in the war, Scrap came alive. While Josha and Cricket nervously discussed weapons and production, Scrap tried three-ingredient recipes with whatever three ingredients they had left and made Beckan guess what he was trying to make. He invented card games called Treeman and Souffle and lied when he said he would let Beckan win. He once lay half-naked on the kitchen floor and laughed hysterically while the other tree rubbed him as hard as they could to get glitter off him, and he kicked and screamed and alternated between begging them to stop and pulling them on top of him, one by one, and tackling them into a hug.
And one night he and Cricket came home too late and empty-handed for the fourth night in a row and sat in the kitchen and cried, their fingers laced together, and Josha and Beckan sat with them and eventually there was no way to avoid the fact that two prostitutes were no longer enough, in a time when the gnomes were clinging to each bit of meat like it was made of gold, and licking their teeth and smacking their lips whenever Cricket and Scrap came down, to secure food for four mouths.
"Teach me," Beckan said, and most of her was excited, most of her had been waiting, most of her wanted to feel everything that Scrap had ever felt, because that was where she was then. "I'll go."
Roughly two-thirds of this book are in the present timeline, and the last third is in the past. This is from that last third.
--
It was amazing how quickly things became normal. Beckan and Josha shared a room, officially, and they tended house while Cricket and Scrap went out and came home with enough food to get them through the day, or fabric for a new shirt for Beckan, or pills for Josha's cold. They got used to chasing the mice around, staying up late singing folk songs their fathers taught them, comparing imperceptible battle scars and finding the bits of them that looked like the other species they all were. Because they were comfortable with that, when it was just the four of them. They could talk about how they were not all fairy. They could talk about anything.
They were just so close and all so crazy about each other, so quickly. Beckan had a space on Cricket's shoulder that she told Josha was only for her, and she would rest her head there when she was tired and kiss it over and over when she wasn't. She had a favorite place on the floor to stretch out with Josha and take a nap. And Scrap. Scrap was giggles through the walls, secret smiles, notes passed back and forth, but they were slow, they were childish about it, they never stepped over any kind of line. For some reason, it felt important to them both that they be careful. Because they would look at Cricket and Josha and see how crazy they were for each other and wake up gasping hard in bed, freezing cold, thinking about how dangerous it was to love someone that much during a war.
Anyway. They had plenty of time.
Gradually, around the time Josha started spending more nights in Cricket's room than Beckan's, they began to live their lives in new pairs. Josha and Beckan were still, in their way, ridiculously in love, but they spent less and less time together as Cricket and Josha threw themselves into shared sweatshirts and last-bite-of-ice cream kisses, and Beckan and Scrap lived like their parents, teasing each other for sleepwalking and flat gnome noses, curling up together with a book after the kids were in bed.
It obviously wasn't long before Beckan knew what Scrap and Cricket did for their living; Cricket had told Josha within days—the kind of indiscretion Cricket grew and died with—and Scrap never made much of an effort to hide it, coming home with half his glitter rubbed off, sometimes drugged and giggly, always in the mood for a kiss on the cheek and a bit of babying before he was sent off to bed. They never talked about it; Beckan washed bloodstains out of his underwear and rubbed his shoulders when he looked tense, and Josha sulked for an hour each of the three days Cricket accompanied Scrap to the mines. "I don't make as much as Scrap does," Cricket said once to Beckan, explaining his part-time work. "He's the best little whore in Ferrum."
Scrap scrambled onto Cricket's back and started smacking him on the head with both hands and wouldn't get down, no matter how much Cricket bucked and ran back-first into the wall, and Josha and Beckan laughed and laughed.
There was so much laughing.
A few weeks into the war, the tightropers invaded the mines and took the women captive, and business boomed for Cricket and Scrap. The men had been wanting before, surrounded by women who dreamed about fairy boys and fairy babies instead of another generation in the mines, but now they needed Cricket and Scrap more than ever, and the boys were happy to oblige. During that initial surge, when sex was valuable and food wasn't, quite, they ate and drank like kings.
And somehow, in the war, Scrap came alive. While Josha and Cricket nervously discussed weapons and production, Scrap tried three-ingredient recipes with whatever three ingredients they had left and made Beckan guess what he was trying to make. He invented card games called Treeman and Souffle and lied when he said he would let Beckan win. He once lay half-naked on the kitchen floor and laughed hysterically while the other tree rubbed him as hard as they could to get glitter off him, and he kicked and screamed and alternated between begging them to stop and pulling them on top of him, one by one, and tackling them into a hug.
And one night he and Cricket came home too late and empty-handed for the fourth night in a row and sat in the kitchen and cried, their fingers laced together, and Josha and Beckan sat with them and eventually there was no way to avoid the fact that two prostitutes were no longer enough, in a time when the gnomes were clinging to each bit of meat like it was made of gold, and licking their teeth and smacking their lips whenever Cricket and Scrap came down, to secure food for four mouths.
"Teach me," Beckan said, and most of her was excited, most of her had been waiting, most of her wanted to feel everything that Scrap had ever felt, because that was where she was then. "I'll go."
August 13, 2011
INVINCIBLE SUMMER COVER CONTEST: Round #1!
Yes, we have a new look! We so pretty.
So you remember that ridiculously awesome, ridiculously high-stakes contest I had?
The turnout was seriously beyond my wildest dreams. I was worried I wouldn't get ANY entries. Instead I got twenty-seven incredible submissions, and I love them to tiny pieces.
But
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.
Because of the ridiculous prize I'm giving away to the winner, it is of the utmost importance that I choose the very, very best. Which means I can't rely on my taste alone! I need you to help me.
I've chosen my top 10 favorite covers. You will see them momentarily (or now if you are impatient and scroll down, but don't because I'm about to give you IMPORTANT INFORMATION). You can vote for one of those. The top 3 with the most votes will go onto the next round, one week from today, where the ULTIMATE WINNER will be chosen!
BUT WAIT. What if you look at them and say "hannah wtf you didn't choose THE BEST ONE"??
Well. After the poll (where you vote for ONE of the top ten covers) you will see a link to a slideshow of ALL of the covers. They're all labeled with "Contest Entry #14" or whatever. Each of those that was not chosen for the top 10 will have a spot on the second poll! That is the FAN FAVORITE poll. And whichever one of THOSE gets the most votes will also move on to the next round, to make a top 4! See? You can fix my mistakes!
You may only vote once, but PLEASE campaign as hard as you possibly can for your favorite cover whether in the comments here, on twitter, your own blog, facebook, wherever. And thank you so, so much for voting (and for entering, if you did!)
A quick recap:
--Below are my ten favorites of the covers I was sent. They're in random order. Most of them you can click to make them bigger, some were subbed to me kinda small.
--You can vote ONCE on ONE COVER.
--Below THAT poll is a link to a slideshow of ALL THE ENTRIES.
--Below THAT link is a poll with each of the entries that was not chosen.
--You can vote ONCE for ONE OF THOSE COVERS.
And here we go!
THE TOP 10
1)
2) (No, I am not really a NYT Bestselling author, but if the cover fits...) >
3)
4)
5)
(photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/badjonni/)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Free Blog Poll
Here is a link to the slideshow of ALL the covers (including the top 10). The poll below is for all the covers that were NOT chosen in the top 10. If it was in the top 10, it will not appear on this poll (notice there's no option for "Cover Contest #1" on this poll, because that one was chosen for the top 10). Please don't get the numbers in the slideshow confused with the numbered entries above! Just look underneath each picture in the slideshow for its number and use that.
THE SLIDESHOW
Free Blog Poll
So you remember that ridiculously awesome, ridiculously high-stakes contest I had?
The turnout was seriously beyond my wildest dreams. I was worried I wouldn't get ANY entries. Instead I got twenty-seven incredible submissions, and I love them to tiny pieces.
But
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.
Because of the ridiculous prize I'm giving away to the winner, it is of the utmost importance that I choose the very, very best. Which means I can't rely on my taste alone! I need you to help me.
I've chosen my top 10 favorite covers. You will see them momentarily (or now if you are impatient and scroll down, but don't because I'm about to give you IMPORTANT INFORMATION). You can vote for one of those. The top 3 with the most votes will go onto the next round, one week from today, where the ULTIMATE WINNER will be chosen!
BUT WAIT. What if you look at them and say "hannah wtf you didn't choose THE BEST ONE"??
Well. After the poll (where you vote for ONE of the top ten covers) you will see a link to a slideshow of ALL of the covers. They're all labeled with "Contest Entry #14" or whatever. Each of those that was not chosen for the top 10 will have a spot on the second poll! That is the FAN FAVORITE poll. And whichever one of THOSE gets the most votes will also move on to the next round, to make a top 4! See? You can fix my mistakes!
You may only vote once, but PLEASE campaign as hard as you possibly can for your favorite cover whether in the comments here, on twitter, your own blog, facebook, wherever. And thank you so, so much for voting (and for entering, if you did!)
A quick recap:
--Below are my ten favorites of the covers I was sent. They're in random order. Most of them you can click to make them bigger, some were subbed to me kinda small.
--You can vote ONCE on ONE COVER.
--Below THAT poll is a link to a slideshow of ALL THE ENTRIES.
--Below THAT link is a poll with each of the entries that was not chosen.
--You can vote ONCE for ONE OF THOSE COVERS.
And here we go!
THE TOP 10
1)
2) (No, I am not really a NYT Bestselling author, but if the cover fits...) >
3)
4)
5)
(photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/badjonni/)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Free Blog Poll
Here is a link to the slideshow of ALL the covers (including the top 10). The poll below is for all the covers that were NOT chosen in the top 10. If it was in the top 10, it will not appear on this poll (notice there's no option for "Cover Contest #1" on this poll, because that one was chosen for the top 10). Please don't get the numbers in the slideshow confused with the numbered entries above! Just look underneath each picture in the slideshow for its number and use that.
THE SLIDESHOW
Free Blog Poll
July 27, 2011
ZOMBIE TAG ARC TOUR!
At long last...
here we go! I'll be sending out two different arcs at once, one to roughly west coast and one to roughly east coast! Hurray!
This means we have some extra time to to read. You'll notice I didn't put dates! That's because we have 13 people (I think? eh?) for each arc, and we have roughly 20 weeks until Zombie Tag comes out. So...try to send it out a week to a week and a half after you receive it. If you have to keep it longer, IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL. If the arc doesn't get to me until like a month after Zombie Tag comes out, eh, who cares? Just MAKE SURE IT GETS BACK. No losing the thing. You know the drill.
SO! The order is!
ARC #1
1. T.O., Ontario, Canada - Reut C.
2. Brunswick, OH - Lydia Sharp
3. Whitehall, PA - Cara Bes
4. Portland, ME - Lindsay Breen
5. Boston, MA - Grace Ausick
6. Manchester, NJ - MaryBeth
7. Bel Air, MD - Jessica
8. Philadelpiha, PA--Katie
9. Chesapeake, VA - Pam Harris
10. Gastonia, NC - Samantha Rae
11. Anderson, SC - Jeremy West
12. Memphis, TN - Allison Renner
13. Paragould, AR - Tabitha Michelle
ARC #2
1. Port Richey, FL - Sarah
2. Cape Coral, FL - Tracey M. Hansen
3. Dothan, AL - Amanda Baxter
4. Lake Charles, LA - Steph Campbell
5. Edinburg, TX - Jamie
6. Cleburne, TX - Marcy Funderburk
7. Dallas, TX - Jeannette
8. Dallas, TX - Kari
9. Los Angeles, CA - Ashlyn Rae
10. Coeur d'Alene, ID - Taylor
11. Brackendale, BC, Canada - Rebecca Christiansen
12. Thorsby, Alberta, Canada - Ambur
13. Alberta, Canada - Halli
Now. As soon as you've seen this, email me with THE FOLLOWING SUBJECT LINE--your arc number and then your number on the list. So if you are Grace, your subject line is "ARC #1, person 5." If you don't follow this format, I'll be all sweet to you but in my head I will be RAGING WITH FIRE.
Oh yeah I should give you my email address. until.hannah@gmail.com
In that email, put your address! Even if I already have your address from the Gone, Gone, Gone tour. Even if you've given me your address so many times for so many different things that I should have it memorized at this point. Give it to me again! I love your address! And I'll pass that along to the person who needs to send it to you, and hit you up with the address of the person you need to send yours to. Easy peasy, thanks to you guys organizing yourselves with the above subject lines! Yay!
One other thing that makes me rage with fire: having to chase people down. So please do not do that. I have to do it for the GGG tour already and it is so exhausting.
Don't forget to mark the thing up when you get it! As soon as I get addresses from our first two people, I'll scribble over two arcs and send them out! Thank you so much!!
here we go! I'll be sending out two different arcs at once, one to roughly west coast and one to roughly east coast! Hurray!
This means we have some extra time to to read. You'll notice I didn't put dates! That's because we have 13 people (I think? eh?) for each arc, and we have roughly 20 weeks until Zombie Tag comes out. So...try to send it out a week to a week and a half after you receive it. If you have to keep it longer, IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL. If the arc doesn't get to me until like a month after Zombie Tag comes out, eh, who cares? Just MAKE SURE IT GETS BACK. No losing the thing. You know the drill.
SO! The order is!
ARC #1
1. T.O., Ontario, Canada - Reut C.
2. Brunswick, OH - Lydia Sharp
3. Whitehall, PA - Cara Bes
4. Portland, ME - Lindsay Breen
5. Boston, MA - Grace Ausick
6. Manchester, NJ - MaryBeth
7. Bel Air, MD - Jessica
8. Philadelpiha, PA--Katie
9. Chesapeake, VA - Pam Harris
10. Gastonia, NC - Samantha Rae
11. Anderson, SC - Jeremy West
12. Memphis, TN - Allison Renner
13. Paragould, AR - Tabitha Michelle
ARC #2
1. Port Richey, FL - Sarah
2. Cape Coral, FL - Tracey M. Hansen
3. Dothan, AL - Amanda Baxter
4. Lake Charles, LA - Steph Campbell
5. Edinburg, TX - Jamie
6. Cleburne, TX - Marcy Funderburk
7. Dallas, TX - Jeannette
8. Dallas, TX - Kari
9. Los Angeles, CA - Ashlyn Rae
10. Coeur d'Alene, ID - Taylor
11. Brackendale, BC, Canada - Rebecca Christiansen
12. Thorsby, Alberta, Canada - Ambur
13. Alberta, Canada - Halli
Now. As soon as you've seen this, email me with THE FOLLOWING SUBJECT LINE--your arc number and then your number on the list. So if you are Grace, your subject line is "ARC #1, person 5." If you don't follow this format, I'll be all sweet to you but in my head I will be RAGING WITH FIRE.
Oh yeah I should give you my email address. until.hannah@gmail.com
In that email, put your address! Even if I already have your address from the Gone, Gone, Gone tour. Even if you've given me your address so many times for so many different things that I should have it memorized at this point. Give it to me again! I love your address! And I'll pass that along to the person who needs to send it to you, and hit you up with the address of the person you need to send yours to. Easy peasy, thanks to you guys organizing yourselves with the above subject lines! Yay!
One other thing that makes me rage with fire: having to chase people down. So please do not do that. I have to do it for the GGG tour already and it is so exhausting.
Don't forget to mark the thing up when you get it! As soon as I get addresses from our first two people, I'll scribble over two arcs and send them out! Thank you so much!!
