Jennifer A. Nielsen's Blog, page 26
August 14, 2016
Movie Update (+ Winners)
The winners from last week’s drawing are:
*** Patience *** Mia Clement *** Jamin B *** Ambri Miller ***
If you didn’t win, there are still two more chances to enter until THE SCOURGE is released, so be sure to put your comments below!
So another six months have passed, and I know many of you are curious about any developments on the movie! Well…
As I’ve warned, it won’t be much of an update. The news is…there isn’t much news.
Another screenwriter has been brought on for continuing script revisions, so although everything continues to move forward, that script is not yet ready for Paramount to make any decision.
This means the movie is not yet green-lit, but it isn’t a no either. It’s merely a “let’s see how the script looks in six months.”
So check back in with me in February and we’ll see! Fingers crossed!
Since there isn’t enough to report on there, let me update you on all other projects that I’m working on, in order of deadlines:
HORIZON 2: The first draft is done and I’m working on rewrites. It’ll be ready long before its October deadline. Book 1 by Scott Westerfeld will come out on Dec 27, and it is SO COOL. Read more about it here.
THE TRAITOR’S GAME 1: I’ve gone through several drafts, but am currently experimenting with a major rewrite idea. If it works, it’ll take me a couple of weeks to revise. I’ll be tight on my October deadline. Also, I need to decide if Traitor’s Game is a series title, or book title. If it’s the former, then I need a book title. Hmm. You can read more about this book here.
WRATH OF THE STORM: This final book of the Mark of the Thief series has my favorite ending I’ve ever written into a book. It’s 100% completed and will be released at the end of January 2017. I’ll talk more about this book soon. Read more about it here:
SUPER SECRET PROJECT 1: All I can say now is that this is another 20th Century historical. I’ve started on the early research, but I’m not yet ready for an outline. I hope the deadline isn’t anytime soon.
SUPER SECRET PROJECT 2: All I can say about this one is that it exists. You can read more about this project nowhere. At least…not yet. 
August 7, 2016
Can’t Avoid Trouble? (+ Winners)
The winners from last week’s giveaway are:
*** Sasia *** Natalie Burlew *** Olivia G ***
If you didn’t win this week, no worries – your past entries still accumulate to help your odds of winning next week!
For this week, I was thinking about one of my favorite scenes from THE SCOURGE. Ani has gotten herself into trouble again, and the punishment is loss of a meal. Weevil is asking her about it, but she doesn’t want him to know what she plans to do while he’s eating.
I turned to him, using as much anger as possible to make him go away. “Maybe I’m not hungry because the Scourge has taken my appetite! Maybe I’m not like you, someone who begins thinking about his second meal before he’s even finished his first. Maybe I don’t like the food here! Not everything happens because I’m in trouble!”
Weevil looked taken aback at first, then nodded at me with a smile. “You must’ve really done something wrong. All right, I’ll go eat. Can you at least manage to stay out of trouble until I finish?”
No, I thought. That was definitely not my plan.
“Yes,” I said.
To enter this week’s contest, answer this question: What personality trait do you think makes a person most likely to get into trouble? For example, curiosity? Defiance? Laziness? What trait of yours most often gets you into trouble (unless you never do)?
THE SCOURGE will be released in just over three weeks! I hope you are planning to check it out!
August 1, 2016
Poll Results (+ Winners)
The winners from this past week’s giveaway are:
*** McKenna Gleed *** Ana cs *** Celine Fuchs ***
Congratulations to all who won! If your name isn’t above, remember that all past entries still accumulate for future wins so keep on trying!
I promised to post the results of the poll from a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for everyone who voted. It was fun and helpful to me as a writer, so I appreciate your input. Here’s what you said:
My favorite books…
A. Have a lot of romance. (17%)
B. Have a little romance. (74%)
C. Blech! Romance? No way! (9%)
The book series that first introduced me to Jennifer Nielsen was…
A. Elliot and the Goblin War (Underworld Chronicles) (1%)
B. The False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy) (89%)
C. Mark of the Thief (Mark of the Thief series) (3%)
D. A Night Divided (6%)
E. Something else (0%)
F. Who is Jennifer Nielsen? (1%)
From Jennifer Nielsen, I would most like to see…
A. More medieval fantasy (42%)
B. More fantasy in a different time period (27%)
C. More historical (23%)
D. A completely new genre (7%)
E. A picture of Jennifer Nielsen – seriously, who is she? (1%)
The thing I most look forward to in a Jennifer Nielsen book is…
A. Humor (15%)
B. Fast-paced adventure (15%)
C. Characters I love (35%)
D. Unexpected twists (31%)
E. Something else (3%)
F. Honestly, I’m not sure how I even got to this website. (1%)
Most of the books I read come from…
A. Libraries (49%)
B. My local bookstore (21%)
C. School book fair (2%)
D. Amazon (23%)
E. Other online place (3%)
F. Stealing, borrowing, or other means. Really, just stealing. (2%)
Based on your responses, I think the books I already have coming up for you are going to be exactly what you’re hoping for! In my current release schedule is more medieval fantasy, another historical, and something in a genre brand new for me. One has a lot of romance, another has a little, and a third has almost none. They all have characters I hope you’ll love, and the usual things you’d expect from any of my books. I can’t wait to introduce you to them!
However, for now – did you know it’s August, and at the end of this month, THE SCOURGE is going to be released! So for this week’s entries, I am asking you to tell people about it:
A. On your favorite social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. My Twitter and Instagram handle is @nielsenwriter, but if you can’t or don’t tag me in, just let me know that you’ve talked about the book in the comments below.
B. Add the book on Goodreads here.
C. If you aren’t on social media, then you need to tell someone about the book. But not just say, “Hey, stuffed animal friend of mine, THE SCOURGE releases this month.” Tell your local librarian, a friend who might be interested in one of my books, someone who asks what you want for your approaching birthday, or anyone you think might want a great end-of-summer read!
D. Pre-order the book from your local bookstore, online, or put your name on the waiting list for it at your library.
Post in comments which you did, A, B, C, and/or D. I’ll trust you. Because you’re one of my readers, so I already know you’re awesome!
July 25, 2016
The Friend Test (+ Winners)
Winners from last week’s contest are:
*** Melinda Fant *** Jane Baird *** Shadan A *** Finny JA. Z. ***
If your name isn’t there, no worries! Summer isn’t over, so this contest isn’t over. Past entries still accumulate for future wins so keep on entering!
This week’s contest focuses on friendship, a common theme in my books. Whether between Sage and Imogen or Mott, Roden, or Tobias. Between Nic, Aurelia, and Crispus. Or Gerta and Anna. And now, Ani and Weevil.
My stories explore loyalty, the test of a friendship’s limits, and the price and rewards of a true friend.
In THE SCOURGE, there is a scene where Ani is facing a stiff punishment and Weevil offers to take the punishment for her. In an attempt to separate them, Warden Gossel says he will give the punishment to whoever can prove themselves to be the worst friend. Here is an excerpt (edited for length):
“I’m the worse friend,” Weevil said. “I make fun of Ani’s singing every chance I get. You have no idea how bad it is, how it drives you to wish you were deaf, just to get away from it. A better friend would overlook her singing, but I never do.”
He always did. Whether Gossel knew it or not, Weevil was proving again how great he was to me. Of course he teased me about my singing. Everyone else just covered their ears and tried to ignore me.
“Anyway, I can still do worse,” Weevil continued. “There was this one day, a couple of weeks ago, when you looked really pretty. I should’ve told you. That’s the kind of things girls like to hear, right?”
“I don’t care about that,” I whispered. But I knew exactly which day he meant. Even if he’d wanted to compliment my looks, there had been no chance for it before I hurried him out the door. I didn’t want him to know where I was going. I still didn’t want him to know.
“I never tell you those things,” Weevil said. “Such as how much I admire the person you are, your strength and your courage to do anything you believe is right. I used to think I wouldn’t say those things because it might embarrass you. But that’s not it. I don’t say those things because it’d embarrass me. That’s not a good friend.”
“I don’t say them to you either,” I said. “And that never matters because we’re friends. We already know that about each other.”
“You seem to be a very good friend,” Gossel said to me. “But when all is laid open, is he an equal friend back?”
“I’m not,” Weevil said. “The other night, when we escaped the cell, I wasn’t far away when Warden Brogg recaptured you. I would’ve helped if I could, but there was nothing I could do. A good friend would never have left you alone in that cell.”
“I hoped you would go back home,” I said. “I didn’t want you back in that cell with me, and certainly didn’t want you here now. I wish you had not come back.”
And at the same time, it was my greatest wish, to never have to be here without him.
“The decision is made, then,” Gossel said to me. “You are the better friend because you had hoped to spare him from the Colony.” He turned to Weevil. “Raise your hand, grub, palm out.”
I had hoped our game wouldn’t get this far, but it had. I whispered, “I did want to spare him.” Now tears formed in my eyes. “I am the worse friend. I said I can prove it, and I will.”
Here is the question to answer in the comments below: Simply tell me about something a person did for you to prove how great a friend they are.
To find out how Ani proves herself to be the worse friend, you’ll have to read THE SCOURGE. It will be released on August 30th. Please ask your local library to order in a copy, or you can pre-order your own at any of these links!
July 17, 2016
Fun Poll (+ Winners)
The winners of last week’s giveaway are:
*** Elise *** Jeevan *** Daniel ***
If you didn’t win, no worries – your past entries still count toward a win, and another giveaway is below!
Let’s have some fun this week! There are no right or wrong answers – I’m just looking for opinions, and maybe your answers will influence my future books!
Post your answers below in this format: 1 (A), 2 (C), 3 (B) etc, with whatever letters you choose.
My favorite books…
A. Have a lot of romance.
B. Have a little romance.
C. Blech! Romance? No way!
The book series that first introduced me to Jennifer Nielsen was…
A. Elliot and the Goblin War (Underworld Chronicles)
B. The False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy)
C. Mark of the Thief (Mark of the Thief series)
D. A Night Divided
E. Something else
F. Who is Jennifer Nielsen?
From Jennifer Nielsen, I would most like to see…
A. More medieval fantasy
B. More fantasy in a different time period
C. More historicals
D. A completely new genre
E. A picture of Jennifer Nielsen – seriously, who is she?
The thing I most look forward to in a Jennifer Nielsen book is…
A. Humor
B. Fast-paced adventure
C. Characters I love
D. Unexpected twists
E. Something else
F. Honestly, I’m not sure how I even got to this website.
Most of the books I read come from…
A. Libraries
B. My local bookstore
C. School book fair
D. Amazon
E. Other online place
F. Stealing, borrowing, or other means. Really, just stealing.
Okay – I look forward to hearing your answers in the comments below! For anyone who is curious, next week, I’ll post the responses.
As a reminder, THE SCOURGE will be released on August 30th. You can pre-order your copy at your favorite bookstore, or online here:
July 11, 2016
SCOURGE Question (+ Winners)
The winners from last week’s blog post are:
Faith Roys *** Matthew Blake *** Mia
I’ve sent you an email to confirm. If you did not win, no worries, your entries from the past week still count for future wins!
To enter this week, read the excerpt below and then answer the question at the bottom in the comments:
(At the beginning of this scene, Ani is placed in a cage as punishment for something she did to Della, another person on the quarantine island. But Weevil sneaks her out for the night. Gossel is one of the crueler wardens on the island.)
“Stop this,” I said. “It shouldn’t be either of us in that cage. The truth is that I was always going to be punished because of what I did to Della—all the rest was just Gossel’s game for his own entertainment. He told me they want to break us, that they have to break everyone here in the Colony.”
“Then the best thing is to make them think you’re broken,” Weevil said. “We have to stay out of trouble.”
My smile turned mischievous as I glanced back at him. “Now when have you ever known me to stay out of trouble?”
In return, he only frowned at me. “You should try it, for once. There’s a building south of us, probably where we heard all that movement last night. It’s called the infirmary, though from what I’ve heard, nobody who goes in there is ever seen again. You keep getting in trouble, and that’s where you’ll end up.”
“I’m still curious about those noises we heard.”
“No you’re not, and it’d be best if you forget you ever heard them. Listen, people will be waking up soon. You need to get back in that cage before you’re spotted.”
QUESTION: If people go into the infirmary but never go out, what do you think happens to them? Do they:
A) Get better in there and are taken back home?
B) Die in there and are secretly buried?
C) Something else? If so, then what happens to them?
THE SCOURGE will be released on August 30th. You can pre-order you copy at your favorite bookstore, or online here:
July 3, 2016
Traitor’s Game (+ Winners)
Congratulations to the winners from last week!
Kimber * * * * Emily Welte * * * * Tasneem W
Emails have been sent! If you didn’t win, no worries – your entries so far will accumulate for future entries, so continue to enter each week!
This week in Publisher’s Weekly, an announcement went out about the new series I’m working on to follow Mark of the Thief. Here it is:
Lisa Sandell at Scholastic Press has acquired Jennifer A. Nielsen’s new series, The Traitor’s Game, in which a privileged girl is forced by the rebellion to obtain the one item capable of bringing down her own country, but ends up discovering a secret far more dangerous. The first book in the trilogy is set for spring 2018; Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
I am ridiculously excited about this series and will tell you a lot more about it over the next year. I’ve completed the first draft already but a lot more editing is needed.
For this week’s giveaway, let’s have some fun. THE SCOURGE will release on August 30th. Instead of a comment, post an emoji that best represents what you think THE SCOURGE will be like.
June 26, 2016
Music of THE SCOURGE (+ Winners)
Congratulations to the Week 3 Winners of the Massive Summer Giveaway! Emails have been sent to you. If you didn’t win, don’t worry – your previous entries are still part of the contest, and this week’s contest is listed below!
Hailey V *** Ava *** Vitoria *** Brayley
This week, I want to tell you about the two songs that were a big part of writing THE SCOURGE. Whatever their original meanings, they folded nicely into the story hatching in my imagination.
First is “Breaking the Habit” by Linkin Park. SCOURGE’s central heroine, Ani Mells, is constantly trying to stay out of trouble, and failing. I think a main point of the song: “I don’t know why I instigate and say what I don’t mean. I don’t know how I got this way, I’ll never be all right” is something Ani would constantly be thinking.
For example, in this scene below (I can’t tell you what Ani was about to dare to do. Gossel is a warden of the quarantine island.):
“Don’t you dare,” Gossel warned me, raising his pistol.
I backed farther from him and shouted, “Resist them! They have to break you first! But they will never break me!”
Or maybe they would. A warden grabbed my waist and clubbed me across the back with his fist. Weevil yelled and reached for me, but a warden had him too.
I struggled as best as I could, but the warden was stronger than me. They were dragging us toward the yard, and I had a feeling that this time, my punishment wouldn’t be as easy as being stuck in a cage.
The other song is “I’m Gonna Be” (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. This is the song for Weevil, the main hero of the story and Ani’s best friend. He is one of my all-time favorite characters, simply for his absolute devotion to her as a friend.
I can’t tell you why Ani is so tired, but you’ll see this scene is a direct reference to the Proclaimers’ song.
Weevil drummed his fingers against the cave walls to think. He said, “We’ll find a way off this island, I promise. Once we leave the caves, I’ll look for a boat while you continue resting.”
I didn’t even argue. “A rest sounds nice. I climbed a mountain for you today, Weevil. A thousand-mile mountain.”
He brushed a hand over mine. “And if it takes walking this island a thousand times, I will find us a way home. Now sleep.”
For the first time, possibly ever, I obeyed him without argument. If I were not so tired, I would have argued, and probably won. Yet as I fell asleep, I decided that he deserved to win, maybe just this once.
To enter this week’s contest, can you tell me in the comments below about a song that has inspired a story in your imagination? Or one that tells a story you love?
Remember that THE SCOURGE will be released on August 30th! You can pre-order your copy today or ask your favorite librarian to order in a copy with your name at the top of the waiting list!
June 19, 2016
Wrath of the Storm (+ Winners)
First, here are the winners of last week’s HORIZON-themed contest:
** Larisa ** Mary ** Emily C ** Sammy **
If that’s not you, don’t worry! Your past entries are still in the drawing and there are several giveaway weeks left! Keep trying!
Today’s news is BIG! Big like, I have received sooo many emails asking about this, that I am excited to finally be able to give an actual answer!
If you’ve been reading the MARK OF THE THIEF series, then you know the second book, RISE OF THE WOLF, ends with Nic in a rather precarious situation. That has prompted a number of “Please tell me there will be a third book!” emails.
So here’s the thing.
Yes, there will be a third book.
It will be released on January 31, 2017.
And the cover and title are below.
To enter this week’s drawing, all you need to do is tell me in the comments below what you think about the cover and title.
BONUS entry if you post the cover on your favorite social media (Facebook, Instagram, whatever – but you need to tag me in or tell me you’ve done it in comments), and/or send the following tweet:
See the cover and title for the 3rd MARK OF THE THIEF book by @nielsenwriter! Coming on 1/31/17, it’s called… https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
p.s. I promise to get back to SCOURGE updates soon! It’s less than 70 days from release! Seriously, I think you all will love this book, but it’s going to be a crazy few weeks of random but important news – I’m not even finished yet!
June 12, 2016
Winners on the HORIZON
The first four winners of the Massive Summer Giveaway are:
Bryce Christiansen
James (runawaybear@hotmail.com)
Katie C (runawaybear@hotmail.com)
Areeba F (hay.flinch@gmail.com)
Check your emails! Requests for what you want to win are handled on a first come first served basis. If you didn’t win, your entries from this past week are still in the running.
This week, we’re taking a break from THE SCOURGE (which you should totally just pre-order or ask your library to pre-order) to discuss a big announcement that dropped this week. And I mean, big!
Beginning in January 2017, Scholastic will release a brand new multi-platform series called HORIZON. Book 1 will be written by Scott Westerfeld, internationally bestselling author of books such as The Uglies, Leviathan, and Zeroes (one of my favorite reads this year!).
I will be writing book 2, which will release in September 2017. I expect to begin writing my book this very week, and I can’t wait to start!
I think the cover and title for book 1 are going to be announced soon, and trust me, they are awesome!!!
From the Publisher’s Weekly article, HORIZON “opens as a diverse group of kids step from the wreckage of a plane crash to find themselves stranded, at odds with one another, and threatened by curious and terrifying creatures.”
So to enter the contest in comments below, the question of the week is:
If you were part of a small group of plane crash survivors, what is the very first thing you would do after exiting the plane?
