Richelle Mead's Blog, page 17
March 21, 2012
Chapter 1 of The Golden Lily
Surprise! I never like to give a heads-up that this stuff is coming. I think it's more fun (for me) to just unleash it without warning. :)
Head on over to Entertainment Weekly for Chapter 1 and a Q&A. Enjoy!
Head on over to Entertainment Weekly for Chapter 1 and a Q&A. Enjoy!
March 17, 2012
What's up, buttercup?
Glad you asked. Let's do a rundown of what's been going on around here lately because even I'm starting to lose track.
Travel!
My travel dates are starting to come together for 2012. Only a few are posted right now, but they're good ones. The soonest is the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Chicago in the second week of April. There's great programming for attendees (especially Teen Day), as well as a book fair I'll be signing at that's open to the public. Also hot off the presses: I'll be signing with the Smart Chicks in September in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. They're an awesome lineup of YA authors touring the US and Canada. You can find out about them and the RT Convention over at my Appearances Page. Keep checking there for updates, especially since the Golden Lily Tour will be announced soon. You can also join my mailing list to receive updates. The baby has my travel limited this year, so it'll be a while before I can go anywhere outside of the US.
FORETOLD
The other hot news is about Foretold, the anthology featuring the infamous Rose-and-Dimitri-in-Russia short story that was written in honor of a contest my readers helped me kind of win (until we got in trouble for flooding the website). Anyway, there are lots of other cool authors in it, and the cover was just revealed. Even more exciting, the release date was moved to August 28 in the U.S. Release dates in other countries vary by the publishers in those countries, so I don't have information about availability outside of the US right now.
Hmm. I could've sworn there was more news, but this is all that's coming to mind. If I think of the rest, I'll let you know!
Travel!
My travel dates are starting to come together for 2012. Only a few are posted right now, but they're good ones. The soonest is the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Chicago in the second week of April. There's great programming for attendees (especially Teen Day), as well as a book fair I'll be signing at that's open to the public. Also hot off the presses: I'll be signing with the Smart Chicks in September in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. They're an awesome lineup of YA authors touring the US and Canada. You can find out about them and the RT Convention over at my Appearances Page. Keep checking there for updates, especially since the Golden Lily Tour will be announced soon. You can also join my mailing list to receive updates. The baby has my travel limited this year, so it'll be a while before I can go anywhere outside of the US.
FORETOLD
The other hot news is about Foretold, the anthology featuring the infamous Rose-and-Dimitri-in-Russia short story that was written in honor of a contest my readers helped me kind of win (until we got in trouble for flooding the website). Anyway, there are lots of other cool authors in it, and the cover was just revealed. Even more exciting, the release date was moved to August 28 in the U.S. Release dates in other countries vary by the publishers in those countries, so I don't have information about availability outside of the US right now.
Hmm. I could've sworn there was more news, but this is all that's coming to mind. If I think of the rest, I'll let you know!
March 12, 2012
Lesson learned?
When I was in fourth grade, I got to participate in our local Young Authors Conference. As the name suggests, it was a coming-together of young authors from various schools in southwestern Michigan. Honestly, though, I don't remember much about what happened at the conference. In fact, as I type this, I'm now questioning if it was actually third grade. Well, that's not important. What I do remember is the "book" I wrote and a conversation I had with my teacher.
The book, entitled TWO BY TWO, was around ten pages long, written and illustrated by me, with about five sentences per page. It was made of 8.5 x 11 paper folded in half and wrapped in a catchy cover made of wallpaper. Here's the plot. It was about a cardinal and another bird that I referred to as a mackinaw, when I actually meant macaw. Except, what I actually drew was more like a cockatiel. (It's worth noting I have this book somewhere in storage, and if I was a diligent blogger, I'd find it and scan it...but I'm also a blogger with limited time). Anyway, these were girl birds, and they were pals. Throughout the course of the book, each of them builds a nest and lays eggs. Then, in the shocking ending, the eggs hatch into baby birds.
You're probably wondering where the title comes from. After all, doesn't two by two = four? Well, while I was painstakingly working on my rough draft, my teacher came by and started this conversation:
TEACHER: Your girl birds are having baby birds.
ME: Yes.
TEACHER: What are you missing?
ME: ...
TEACHER: What do girl birds need to make baby birds?
ME: ...
TEACHER: Boy birds.
ME: Oh.
And so, I had my first editorial experience.
My teacher had me write in a boy cardinal and a boy "mackinaw," whose gender I identified by making them wear ties. In the book, the boy birds meet the girl birds, and--this is a direct quote--"they mated." Now, why a 9-year-old would choose that ineloquent wording baffles me, though I think it was encouraged by my teacher. More baffling, if we're dealing with anthropomorphic birds here, why not just say "they got married"? Wouldn't that be more kid friendly?
I've thought a lot about this over the years, and I find I'm less concerned about the mating wording than I am about why it had to be put in. Why was my teacher so fixated on making sure I correctly detailed the rules of nature? I mean, it was a kid's book with tie-wearing birds. And if she was such a stickler for detail, why didn't she fact-check my erroneous bird species, hmm? As the news these days buzzes with social issues and women's right, a new thought has come to me.
Was she worried my book was promoting single motherhood? Or that my birds were lesbians?
It was the 1980s--not entirely backwards but certainly not as progressive as today. Was my early literature being censored with family values? Maybe I'm reading too much into it. All I know is that no hussy birds came out of that classroom that day--but that I now make my living writing about succubi. I wonder what that teacher would have to say now...
The book, entitled TWO BY TWO, was around ten pages long, written and illustrated by me, with about five sentences per page. It was made of 8.5 x 11 paper folded in half and wrapped in a catchy cover made of wallpaper. Here's the plot. It was about a cardinal and another bird that I referred to as a mackinaw, when I actually meant macaw. Except, what I actually drew was more like a cockatiel. (It's worth noting I have this book somewhere in storage, and if I was a diligent blogger, I'd find it and scan it...but I'm also a blogger with limited time). Anyway, these were girl birds, and they were pals. Throughout the course of the book, each of them builds a nest and lays eggs. Then, in the shocking ending, the eggs hatch into baby birds.
You're probably wondering where the title comes from. After all, doesn't two by two = four? Well, while I was painstakingly working on my rough draft, my teacher came by and started this conversation:
TEACHER: Your girl birds are having baby birds.
ME: Yes.
TEACHER: What are you missing?
ME: ...
TEACHER: What do girl birds need to make baby birds?
ME: ...
TEACHER: Boy birds.
ME: Oh.
And so, I had my first editorial experience.
My teacher had me write in a boy cardinal and a boy "mackinaw," whose gender I identified by making them wear ties. In the book, the boy birds meet the girl birds, and--this is a direct quote--"they mated." Now, why a 9-year-old would choose that ineloquent wording baffles me, though I think it was encouraged by my teacher. More baffling, if we're dealing with anthropomorphic birds here, why not just say "they got married"? Wouldn't that be more kid friendly?
I've thought a lot about this over the years, and I find I'm less concerned about the mating wording than I am about why it had to be put in. Why was my teacher so fixated on making sure I correctly detailed the rules of nature? I mean, it was a kid's book with tie-wearing birds. And if she was such a stickler for detail, why didn't she fact-check my erroneous bird species, hmm? As the news these days buzzes with social issues and women's right, a new thought has come to me.
Was she worried my book was promoting single motherhood? Or that my birds were lesbians?
It was the 1980s--not entirely backwards but certainly not as progressive as today. Was my early literature being censored with family values? Maybe I'm reading too much into it. All I know is that no hussy birds came out of that classroom that day--but that I now make my living writing about succubi. I wonder what that teacher would have to say now...
March 9, 2012
I broke Twitter
You guys, if you're following along with the Twitter party, Twitter just cut me off! With five minutes left, they just gave me a message saying I'm over my daily tweet limit and won't let me send any more. I have no idea how many questions I responded to, but I guess Twitter decided enough was enough. So sorry if I didn't get to yours. Thank you so much to everyone who came by!
March 7, 2012
Ain't no party like a Twitter party
To celebrate the app's release, I'll be having a Twitter party/chat on Thursday, March 8, from 3:30pm-4:30pm Pacific/6:30pm-7:30pm Eastern (use this Time Zone Converter to find out date and time for your location). My Twitter name is pretty easy: RichelleMead. I'll kick things off, but for the rest of the chat, you'll just want to follow and refresh hashtag #VAapp so that you can see who's asking the questions and who I'm answering. Don't worry - it'll make sense at the time.
Here are a few things to keep in mind for the chat:
1. Make sure to mark all your questions and comments with #VAapp. You can address them to @richellemead, but without the hash tag, no one else will be able to find them and read them.
2. If you've been to my past chats, you know I'm never able to answer everyone's questions. Things get crazy! So, if I don't answer yours, please don't be offended! I'll type as fast as I can. Follow the hash tag because if something is asked multiple times, I'll only answer it once. You might find your question was already answered. I also tend not to answer things that give away big book secrets ("Will so-and-so get together?"). :) And sometimes, questions start flooding in so rapidly that I unfortunately lose some of them.
3. If my answers are short, don't be offended either! Remember Twitter is only 140 characters (less with the hash tag). So, I'll have to keep it brief or possibly refer you to my website or FAQ, if there's an answer there.
4. The chat is to celebrate the app, but you can ask other things. If you do have app questions, though, this is a great time to ask because Penguin people will be around and tweeting to help with those.
Okay, I hope that covers everything! If you're on Twitter already, follow me and I'll give other reminders about the chat. If you've never used Twitter...well, you've got a couple days to figure it out. :)
Here are a few things to keep in mind for the chat:
1. Make sure to mark all your questions and comments with #VAapp. You can address them to @richellemead, but without the hash tag, no one else will be able to find them and read them.
2. If you've been to my past chats, you know I'm never able to answer everyone's questions. Things get crazy! So, if I don't answer yours, please don't be offended! I'll type as fast as I can. Follow the hash tag because if something is asked multiple times, I'll only answer it once. You might find your question was already answered. I also tend not to answer things that give away big book secrets ("Will so-and-so get together?"). :) And sometimes, questions start flooding in so rapidly that I unfortunately lose some of them.
3. If my answers are short, don't be offended either! Remember Twitter is only 140 characters (less with the hash tag). So, I'll have to keep it brief or possibly refer you to my website or FAQ, if there's an answer there.
4. The chat is to celebrate the app, but you can ask other things. If you do have app questions, though, this is a great time to ask because Penguin people will be around and tweeting to help with those.
Okay, I hope that covers everything! If you're on Twitter already, follow me and I'll give other reminders about the chat. If you've never used Twitter...well, you've got a couple days to figure it out. :)
March 2, 2012
App release day!
It's here! The World of Richelle Mead is out today. Apple users can head on over to the Apple store and download it for free. Hope you enjoy it!
In concluding the app tour, we've saved one of the best features for last: the chance for you to connect with VA fans around the world.
There are all sorts of ways to participate. The community space has a poll feature where you can cast your vote on all kinds of pressing questions (Team Dimitri or Team Adrian, perhaps?), get the latest news for VA and Bloodlines, and pull up a map that shows you where people are reading the books in the app around the globe! You'll also find links to some awesome VA and Bloodlines communities on Facebook, Ning and Twitter, and a share function that allows you to send info about the app to your friends.
In closing, here are a few apptastic links to get you going:
-A YouTube trailer for the app
-A Publishers Weekly article about the app
-App FAQ on the Bloodlines Facebook page
Thanks for hanging with me through the tour! I hope those who get it love it and that if it's not available for your device yet, it soon will be.
In concluding the app tour, we've saved one of the best features for last: the chance for you to connect with VA fans around the world.
There are all sorts of ways to participate. The community space has a poll feature where you can cast your vote on all kinds of pressing questions (Team Dimitri or Team Adrian, perhaps?), get the latest news for VA and Bloodlines, and pull up a map that shows you where people are reading the books in the app around the globe! You'll also find links to some awesome VA and Bloodlines communities on Facebook, Ning and Twitter, and a share function that allows you to send info about the app to your friends.
In closing, here are a few apptastic links to get you going:
-A YouTube trailer for the app
-A Publishers Weekly article about the app
-App FAQ on the Bloodlines Facebook page
Thanks for hanging with me through the tour! I hope those who get it love it and that if it's not available for your device yet, it soon will be.
March 1, 2012
App tour: between the pages
Yesterday's post about the World of Richelle Mead app discussed browsing and buying the books. But what happens then? Once you've purchased a copy of any of the books, or chosen to read a sample of one of them, a pretty copy of the book will open up for you. You can swipe left to turn the page, or jump forwards and backwards using the progress bar at the bottom.
If you look above, you'll see a red seal. Seals like this are placed in the margins throughout each of the books. If you click the seals, you'll gain access to the information hidden behind the page. These can be notes from me, behind-the-scenes information about characters and places mentioned within the text, photos, videos, and any community interactions that have been added to that location in the text. Red "R" seals indicate notes directly from me, purple "i" seals indicate other information, and community seals let you know when someone else has tweeted a particular passage or posted it to Facebook. Here's what it looks like when a seal is opened.
If you love something you've read, you can post about it directly to Facebook or Twitter. The app FAQ explains how and also answers a lot of common questions about availability and whatnot with the app. More questions will be added to their FAQ as time goes on, and the "app" tag below will take you to the rest of the app posts I've done.
One question that comes up a lot is if people who've purchased digital copies of the books in the past will be able to read the app editions. Unfortunately, the answer is no. A helpful way that it was explained to me is that the app is sort of functioning as its own e-reader. So, you can't import other e-copies, any more than you could read a Kindle book inside a Nook. Sorry about that! This goes for past copies from the iTunes store as well. So, if you want to read the enhanced versions of the books, you'll have to buy (or re-buy) them in the app. If you aren't able to buy new copies, you can wait for new books to come out. And remember, you can still use the other features of the apps for free, like the character section, without buying anything.
Tomorrow's release day!
If you look above, you'll see a red seal. Seals like this are placed in the margins throughout each of the books. If you click the seals, you'll gain access to the information hidden behind the page. These can be notes from me, behind-the-scenes information about characters and places mentioned within the text, photos, videos, and any community interactions that have been added to that location in the text. Red "R" seals indicate notes directly from me, purple "i" seals indicate other information, and community seals let you know when someone else has tweeted a particular passage or posted it to Facebook. Here's what it looks like when a seal is opened.
If you love something you've read, you can post about it directly to Facebook or Twitter. The app FAQ explains how and also answers a lot of common questions about availability and whatnot with the app. More questions will be added to their FAQ as time goes on, and the "app" tag below will take you to the rest of the app posts I've done.
One question that comes up a lot is if people who've purchased digital copies of the books in the past will be able to read the app editions. Unfortunately, the answer is no. A helpful way that it was explained to me is that the app is sort of functioning as its own e-reader. So, you can't import other e-copies, any more than you could read a Kindle book inside a Nook. Sorry about that! This goes for past copies from the iTunes store as well. So, if you want to read the enhanced versions of the books, you'll have to buy (or re-buy) them in the app. If you aren't able to buy new copies, you can wait for new books to come out. And remember, you can still use the other features of the apps for free, like the character section, without buying anything.
Tomorrow's release day!
February 29, 2012
App tour: we've got books and more books
Onward with the World of Richelle Mead app! The first place you'll land when you open the app is the bookshelf, which at the moment holds all the books in the Vampire Academy series (Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice) as well as Bloodlines. As more books are published in the Bloodlines series (like The Golden Lily), they will be added to the app.
You may notice that all the books have locks on them. A lock means that you haven't purchased a digital copy of that book within this app. This is one of the pay features of the app, but this doesn't mean you still can't peruse some of the books' features. Tapping any of the books will allow you to "pull" it off the shelf. You'll then have the option to buy the book within the app, read an excerpt of the book, or return to the shelf. If you swipe to the left, you can scroll through all of the books on the shelf, and if you tap any of the book covers, it will turn over and reveal the book's synopsis.
Once you've purchased a book within the app, the lock on that book will disappear. So, if you're someone who prefers digital formats, this is a handy way to collect them. These app editions also have some cool features, which is what we'll talk about tomorrow. And as always, more questions and answers are addressed by clicking the "app" tab below, reading Penguin's FAQ, or emailing yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com.
You may notice that all the books have locks on them. A lock means that you haven't purchased a digital copy of that book within this app. This is one of the pay features of the app, but this doesn't mean you still can't peruse some of the books' features. Tapping any of the books will allow you to "pull" it off the shelf. You'll then have the option to buy the book within the app, read an excerpt of the book, or return to the shelf. If you swipe to the left, you can scroll through all of the books on the shelf, and if you tap any of the book covers, it will turn over and reveal the book's synopsis.
Once you've purchased a book within the app, the lock on that book will disappear. So, if you're someone who prefers digital formats, this is a handy way to collect them. These app editions also have some cool features, which is what we'll talk about tomorrow. And as always, more questions and answers are addressed by clicking the "app" tab below, reading Penguin's FAQ, or emailing yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com.
February 28, 2012
Richelle Mead in the Richelle Mead app
Just a quick glimpse at the app today. Seeing as this is the World of Richelle Mead app, it makes sense that there's a Richelle section. Here you can get one-stop access to my Twitter and Facebook thoughts, as well as bio info, photos, etc. There have been an astonishing amount of videos shot of me since becoming an author (something I never expected in this career!), and a bunch of them are accessible through the app, with me discussing various aspects of the books and characters.
If you haven't seen the other app updates, click on the "app" tag below. And for questions about platforms, costs, availability, or anything else, be sure and check out the FAQ on the Bloodlines Global Facebook page or email yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com.
If you haven't seen the other app updates, click on the "app" tag below. And for questions about platforms, costs, availability, or anything else, be sure and check out the FAQ on the Bloodlines Global Facebook page or email yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com.
February 27, 2012
App tour: characters
So, here we go with more info about the World of Richelle Mead app that's coming at the end of this week. Before I get on to one of the best parts, I wanted to answer a recurring question: right now, the app will only be available for Apple products, like the iPhone and iPad. It may eventually come out for other platforms, but I'm not sure of the when's or if's.
Getting on to our app tour...one of the coolest parts is the characters section. Each of the thirteen main characters of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series are featured in a locket, with some pretty awesome pictures. Dimitri and Adrian fans will be pleased. :) (Though note, these are models cast for the app, not any movie!). You can click the locket to read the character's biographical information and quotes, or pull two lockets together until they light up to see the relationships between those two characters! If you try this and the lockets clang apart, don't worry--those characters don't have a relationship, and you should try again with another pairing.
This is one of the biggest differences between the iPhone version of the app and the iPad version. The lockets would be very tiny on the iPhone, so we've created a more straightforward matching system (see below) for the iPhone version, but all the information is the same.
If you have any questions on the app, remember to refer to the FAQ on the Bloodlines Global Facebook page, or email Penguin at yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com.
More tomorrow!
Getting on to our app tour...one of the coolest parts is the characters section. Each of the thirteen main characters of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series are featured in a locket, with some pretty awesome pictures. Dimitri and Adrian fans will be pleased. :) (Though note, these are models cast for the app, not any movie!). You can click the locket to read the character's biographical information and quotes, or pull two lockets together until they light up to see the relationships between those two characters! If you try this and the lockets clang apart, don't worry--those characters don't have a relationship, and you should try again with another pairing.
This is one of the biggest differences between the iPhone version of the app and the iPad version. The lockets would be very tiny on the iPhone, so we've created a more straightforward matching system (see below) for the iPhone version, but all the information is the same.
If you have any questions on the app, remember to refer to the FAQ on the Bloodlines Global Facebook page, or email Penguin at yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com.
More tomorrow!
