Michelle Zink's Blog, page 57

Thursday Night Write – Open Mic

[image error]Time for another edition of Open Mic! I'm sorry I flaked on you guys last week, but being on the road for the Ghost and Graves Tour just wrecked my blogging schedule. I'm back now and will try to get back on track.

Since so many of you are taking part in NaNoWriMo this month, I'm going to declare November Open Mic Month on Thursday Night Write.

Because the last thing you guys need is a prompt to write MORE, am I right?

I've also opened a thread for NaNo in the MZ Forums so you guys can commiserate during your crazy writing sprees. I'll try to stop in a cheer you on from time to time!

In the meantime, feel free to post here for Open Mic. You know the rules; 300 words or less of your original poem, short story, or novel excerpt. And if you post something of your own, don't forget to comment someone else's post. Writers of all ages and experience are welcome to play.

Now. Ready… Set… Write! You can do it!

Loser!

That would be me. Not you.

And only because I've been so MIA. I totally owe you guys pictures and such from the Ghosts & Graves Tour (which was awesome!), but I'm still trying to catch up and get everything back in order at home. I met so many amazing people, though, and had such a wonderful time with Jessica Verday. Rebekah and I have many hilarious road trip stories. I'll definitely catch you guys up SOO.

For now, I know many of you are doing NaNoWriMo. I'm sending you all wishes for free-flowing stories and a month of brilliance. I should be back to the normal blog schedule in time for this week's Thursday Night Write!

Crooked Still, Star Wars, and Insecurity

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This week's Anonymous Teen Reader is Echo! Sorry it's a day late, but I'm on the road right now with Jessica Verday, author of The Hollow, and it's always hard to update my site when I'm not at home.

We're uploading pictures of the Ghosts and Graves Tour as we speak. I'll try to post a little tour update with some of the pics tomorrow!

I've known this particular Anonymous Teen Reader for some time. She's one of my favorites, and I know you're going to love getting to know her.

JUST THE FACTS

Interview Code Name (you choose!); Echo

Current country of residence; United States

Male or female? Female

Age; 19 (not sure how I feel about leaving my teenage years behind) (aw, it gets better hon, I promise!)



ABOUT THE BOOKS

How many books, on average, do you read a month? 10+, depending on my workload.

Favorite kind of book and why; I love a good fantasy because it has the ability to completely transport and surround you in the impossible.

Name the single most important factor in your decision to purchase a book; The plot summary. If it doesn't seem interesting the rest of the book probably won't be either. (scary, since most authors don't have a hand in writing their own summary!)

What makes you feel like you're reading or have read a truly amazing book? If when I put it down I'm still thinking about it. I read The Left Hand of Darkness this summer and couldn't stop turning it over in my head for the next week or two.

How important is a friend's recommendation in your decision to purchase a book? It depends which friend. I have some who know my preferences and have amazing taste themselves whose recommendations I take seriously. Others… not so much.

Thing you'd like to see more or less of in the YA genre; Less of the repetitive derivative paranormal romance. Please!

What's your biggest pet peeve in a book? When the lead female character is a complete doormat with no identity of her own. I have a special soapbox reserved for rants about that topic.

Paperback or hardcover? Whatever I can get my hands on :)

Series or stand-alone? Both

ALL ABOUT YOU

What music do you most often listen to? A very strange combination of Josh Groban, singer-songwriter (Missy Higgins rocks my world), and progressive neo-bluegrass.

Name your favorite band; Right now I'm loving Crooked Still

Best movie of all time? I adore The Jane Austen Book Club, but Star Wars (the originals) holds a special place in my heart. (yes! We're big Star Wars geeks in our house!)

Without naming names, tell us a little about your group of friends; They are the most amazing, intelligent and driven people who let me geek out and join in. They're the type of people who would come without a second of hesitation if I needed them at 4 am.

What's your biggest concern about the world right now and/or the people in it? That we are too caught up in our own prejudices to see others for the beautiful humans they are. In a country that prides itself on a foundation of equality and rights, why do we still have citizens who are denied basic human rights?

Someone gives you a million dollars, no strings attached. What do you do with it? First, I would make sure I have enough to cover college and graduate school. Then I would set some aside to start preparing for the future/real world, to perhaps use for retirement or as a downpayment on a home. I would also take a few trips somewhere, perhaps to South America. The rest I would divide between charities, one of which being my public library at home so they could buy some desperately needed new books.

You can live for one year in any place in the world. Where do you go and why? I would live in Finland and finally learn the language. My grandmother was born there and I have so much family that still lives in the country. One of biggest regrets is never learning to speak Finnish. Besides, the country is absolutely beautiful.

Have you ever "Hidden" someone on your Facebook feed? If so, why? No, but I've thought about it.

Do you get along with your family? Either way, tell us why. I do get along with them, most of the time ;) I'm an only child and have just always been very close with my parents; we generally talk every day. I'm totally a daddy's girl and love him to death. I tell my mom everything, in fact sometimes I think that I overshare…

What is one thing most people don't know about you? I am profoundly insecure, despite knowing I shouldn't be.

Name your biggest secret fear. Failure and not living up to my potential

Name something you like about yourself. I love that I speak up for what I believe in.

What one thing would you like to know about other teens? Why the need to label everyone?

A Little Something to Ease Your Transition…

from the weekend to Monday.

Being Alone

My good friend, Jenny, sent this to me the other day and I just have to share it.

It's a really beautiful homage to being alone.

Friday Poll – Is It Possible to Date Outside Your Social Circle?

[image error]Rebekah and I have been talking a lot about social circles and the impact they have on your friendships and relationships in high school.

If you move around a lot like I did as a teenager, you get the chance to reinvent yourself fairly often. But if you live in a small town, it's a lot harder. What if you were into sports when you were in middle school and now, in high school, you're really into music? Do you still have anything in common with your old friends? Do you still even LIKE each other? What if you do, but you'd also like to get to know people with a similar love for music? What if all your friends have gotten into hardcore partying when the truth is, you'd just as soon chill with a few friends, some great conversation, and a good movie?

It gets even trickier when it comes to relationships. What if you've been in the same circle for years, and there's really no one of the opposite sex that interests you anymore? What if, instead, you find yourself interested in a quiet girl you don't know very well in Science? Or a brainy comic that always makes you laugh in History?

Because here's the thing; if we're doing things right as we move through life – always learning and growing – the people who suit us in 6th grade may not be the people who suit us in as Freshmen in high school. And the guys who seem perfect for us in 9th grade might not be at all what we want or need in 11th.

I think bridging the gap is totally worth it. As an adult, the circle of friends I had in high school has NOTHING to do with the friends I ended up with. I was kind of preppy. Growing up in Southern California, I spent a lot of time dating surfers and attending beach parties where I did my share of (underage) drinking around bonfires. Now, I have friends who tell me stories about being geeks, band nerds, punk rockers, and stoners. We all get along great, enjoy sharing our varied experiences, and have so much in common you'd never dream that we were so different in high school. And as an adult, I've dated guys from every end of the spectrum. I can honestly say that there are plenty of men that I wouldn't have considered dating in high school but who ended up being perfect for me as an adult. It makes me sad in a way, because I missed out on a lot of great people in high school.

What do you guys think? Is it possible to bridge the gap and date someone outside your social circle? And once you do get to know the guy or girl you've had your eye on, is it possible to sustain a relationship with them when you run in different circles?

Weigh in with the Friday Poll! And if you have tips for getting to know people outside your usual circle of friends, please share in the comments!

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Thursday Night Write – and News!

[image error]Why, yes, it IS time for Thursday Night Write!

But first, an announcement. My next book deal was just announced in the Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf. You can flip over and read if you want, but the announcement reads;

Nancy Conescu at Dutton Children's Books has bought world rights to an untitled YA novel by Prophecy of the Sisters author Michelle Zink. In the book, 16-year-old Helen Cartwright discovers, after her parents are murdered, that she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and to be good, because temptation is hard to resist, even for an angel. Publication is planned for spring 2012. Steven Malk at Writers House did the two-book deal.

I'm SUPER excited about this opportunity with Penguin and the book mentioned in the announcement. You know that sooper sekrit mission I was on last week? I was in the City meeting with the people at Dutton Children's (an imprint of Penguin). And can I just say that I was beyond impressed? Not only are they incredibly passionate and knowledgeable, they are doing some truly innovative things with marketing. I SO feel like we're on the same wavelength, and I'm super excited to work together with them to promote my new books.

As for the first book, it's a little something I call Sexy Victorian/Steampunk Lite. If you liked my story in Kiss Me Deadly, I think you'll LOVE this new one. And it comes out Spring of 2012, only about six months after the release of Circle of Fire. So you guys will have not one, but TWO books from me in that 12-month period.

Aaaanyway, in honor of my news, let's use the fireworks prompt above for TNW. Same rules; give yourself 30 minutes to write whatever comes to mind using this prompt. Then post for comment, making sure to comment at least one other post as well. You can post your piece anytime between now and Sunday night. Writers of all ages and experience are welcome to play.

Oh! And don't forget to check out last night's blog post and give me your input for new content here on the site. I'm totally listening!

It's All About You – And Rebekah

[image error]Tonight, it's all about you. But first, it has to be about Rebekah.

That's because she's going to accompany me on the Ghosts & Graves Tour next week for the NY and PA leg, and I have to give her credit where credit is due. Many of you know that she's my Personal Assistant, but I feel like when I say that people think, "Yeah, right! Personal Assistant as in she helps you out when you ask."

But it's not like that, and I need to give her a little shout-out tonight. First of all, it IS a paid position. I was preparing to hire someone part-time to be my assistant when she offered. I figured if I was going to pay someone else for the work, I should pay her, too. And it is becoming an increasingly large job.

Rebekah answers emails at prophecypress@aol.com and replies to requests for swag, interviews, etc. She organizes my office and the many foreign edition of the Prophecy Trilogy (there are over 20 editions published in over 30 countries), the loads of swag I purchase compulsively throughout the year for my near-constant giveaways, and the mountains and mountains of paperwork, both business-related and personal, that would take over my life without her. She packages swag and book donations, addresses the boxes, and corresponds with people when things go awry and something isn't received. She cruises the internet to see what's going on, both with Prophecy and with other books in the genre, offering suggestions for marketing and promotion.

She also gives me permission to step back when I need to, which has become quite often.

She even dresses up for events when the situation calls for it, as she did in this picture above when we were doing a Steampunk take on Prophecy for the launch party last year.

She designs postcards, flyers, and posters and she mails them to bookstores, schools, and libraries, making sure that I sign everything and include a note to make it more personal. She accompanies me on events, packs the stuff I need, organizes it when we arrive at the venue. She flaps books for readers standing in line to get their books signed and puts a post-it in the front with the person's name (just like my publicist) so I don't have to worry about misspelling it when I sign. She gets me water, food, and anything else I need to be comfortable while "on" for my readers.

And she does it all while maintaining an academically rigorous course load in high school and keeping up with her art (she's an incredible artist) and a significant amount of reading (she's reading Under The Dome right now).

So when I say she's my PA, I mean it in every sense of the word. She's just FANTASTIC at it in every way (so fantastic, in fact, that my editor has already offered to write her a letter of recommendation should she ever decide to compete for one of the very few internships available at at the big publishing houses in the City). I owe her a huge debt of gratitude. I always have fun hanging out with her. She's one of those rare people who enjoys every new experience, laughs from the heart, and displays an inspiring amount of compassion for every human being. But she's become indispensable to me in so many ways on a professional level as well.

So thank you, Doll. You're the very best, and I have NO idea what I'd do without you. You've got brains, beauty, style, and class. I feel so fortunate to have you as both my daughter AND my Personal Assistant.

And now, it's all about you, dear reader.

That's because I'm considering some changes to the content of my site (not the design, as I just got this gorgeous on a couple of months ago), and I want to ask for your input. I've always tried to gear my site to you. I don't talk too much about writing because so many writers are doing it (probably better than I could). Ditto publishing. Instead, I've tried to chat with you guys on a more personal level about things that I think interest you.

What else do we need here? What would you like to see? Do you like the Friday Poll and the Anonymous Teen Reader feature? Do you enjoy Thursday Night Write? Is it fun to see pics of gorgeous dresses and jewelry? What else can I bring to the table for YOU? Would you be interested in a guest post feature where adults – librarians, readers, writers, booksellers – share their experiences in high school? Would you like to hear more about the books I'm reading? Or do we just want to talk more about the guys from Vampire Diaries (well, we don't watch TV, but you guys can talk and I'll listen!)?

:D

Seriously! This is your chance to tell me what you'd like to see here. Please share freely in the comments section and I promise to take it all into consideration when I make changes.

I

A Song for Rebekah

But this one's not for those of you who don't like bad language.

If that doesn't put you off, it's one of the best covers of all time. And tonight it's going out to my daughter. She knows why.

;)

Friday Poll – Stop Messing with my Moms?

Today's Friday Poll was sparked by the video below. I totally heart this kid! I'll wait while you watch the video (or at least some of it) and then I'll explain.

The video is adorable, but it got me to thinking about the various ways guys show interest in a girl. I do have to wonder if they really think yelling obscenities out the window of a car is going to score them a date, but hey! What do I know? I'll let you guys weigh in on the Friday Poll!

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