Brendan Reichs's Blog, page 4
August 3, 2016
THE #NEMESIS COVER REVEAL: 8/4/16 ON TOR.COM!
It’s finally here! Check out the #NEMESIS book cover tomorrow afternoon on Tor.com! I am pretty freaking excited about it, folks. PRETTY. FREAKING. EXCITED.
July 28, 2016
Comic-Con 2016 Photos!
A blast was had by all! Check out these piping hot pics over what was a whirlwind four day convention. I think I enjoy this event more than any other in the calendar year, mainly because you can both work and be a fan geek at exactly the same time. Plus, there were a LOT of great authors to hang out with both at the convention and in lovely San Diego. Enjoy!
March 29, 2016
YA SCAVENGER HUNT SPRING 2016 – TEAM BLUE!
Spring 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt!
This is my third hunt, and by now I’m a savvy veteran. There are NINE mind-blowing YA author teams currently lurking on the internet, stuffed with cool bonus materials and pee-your-pants-great giveaways. I’m part of #TeamBLUE. We super bad.
SPECIAL NOTE: I’m doing a separate giveaway at the bottom!
This is the greatest thing ever, right? The hunt runs from March 29th through April 3rd, beginning and ending at noon Pacific time. All #Virals fans are required to test the waters. Prizes! Deleted and bonus scenes! Sneak peeks, including a new one from the Virals short story, SPIKE, which can be purchased alone or as part of the Virals short story collection TRACE EVIDENCE. It’s out there on #TeamBLUE, AT THIS VERY MOMENT people. CHOP CHOP.
ABOUT THE HUNT: If you’ve never done this before, the scavenger hunt runs like a giant author website circle, one connecting to the next, introducing you to YA writers and their books along the way. There are tons of prizes including a grand prize for each team: a signed book from every single author in that group! For more information and hunt updates, sign up for news on the #YASH website. Get to work, my fellow book nerds. There’s a brave new world out there. You have six days!
NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF: I’m hosting Kate Karyus Quinn.
I could talk about her for 85 days straight. SARAH AHIERS
February 5, 2016
Hey, Look! It’s Me on The News! #TraceEvidence
Here’s me talking Trace Evidence and Nemesis with Kristen Miranda on CBS News at Noon. Scintillating!
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January 28, 2016
SPIKE Story Sample! In TRACE EVIDENCE — Available Now!
Here’s a quick taste of Spike, included in our Virals short story collection Trace Evidence, available now. This story is set after the events of Terminal, people. Answers await!
They were all clearly dead.
Every flower, every centerpiece.
Wilted petals. Broken, flaccid stems. Murky brown water filled the bottom of each crystal vase, soiling the white rocks artfully placed within. The same horror repeated throughout the ballroom.
I gasped, a hand shooting to my forehead. “What happened to the lilies?”
We stood at the entrance to the ballroom, surveying the carnage. The reception was scheduled to begin immediately after the outdoor church service, but now the decorations were only appropriate for a gothic rave. All the dying plants gave me the chills.
“I came in here to stash my mother’s purse, and found this.” Hiram’s nose crinkled in a grimace. “It even smells bad. Like the Walking Dead crashed your dad’s wedding.”
“This makes no sense!” Shelton was tugging an earlobe. “I saw this room like forty-five minutes ago, and everything looked great. They even had those Mag League snobs in here taking pictures. The place was perfect.”
“Where are the stupid florists?” I spat. We were the only ones present at the moment.
“They left a while back,” Ben said disgustedly. “I saw them go. The head guy told your aunt Tempe that everything was all set up.”
“Oh boy.” I covered my eyes. “What do we do?”
Whitney had designed and planned everything, forgoing a full-time wedding coordinator. Despite the hundreds of tiny details involved, she hadn’t wanted anyone else “in the way” at her nuptials. While no one doubted her ability to handle the task—Whitney was born to dream up and execute extravagant events—her dictatorial micromanagement had left a leadership vacuum here on the big day. Kit’s mother, Harry, was supposed to be coordinating the vendors, but she’d proven hopeless at it, so Aunt Tempe and some of the other ladies were helping out.
Hi blew out a breath. “I’m no flower scientist, but I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to last longer than a half hour. Methinks you’re entitled to a refund.”
“Like that’ll do us any good.” I thought of Whitney, still nervously prepping upstairs, and my stomach dropped through my shoes. “You guys, Whitney will not be able to handle this. She’s a mess already. When she sees Stephen King’s floral arrangements . . .”
Hi snorted. “That actually might be funny. We could YouTube it.”
He yelped as Ben smacked the back of his head.
“We have to fix this.” I pressed my fists to my forehead, thinking. “Should we call the
florists back? I don’t have their number, plus their shop is all the way in Mount Pleasant. And they won’t have a truckload of backup centerpieces just lying around, anyway. Or even the same flowers.”
“A different place?” Ben suggested doubtfully. “Somewhere close? Or maybe we could snag the flowers for the outdoor service, and swap them in here?”
Shelton shook his head. “In front of all those people? Everyone would freak. And then the actual wedding would look like trash.”
“Shoot!” I stomped a foot. “No one can fix this in time. Two hundred white lilies don’t fall from the sky!”
“No,” Hi said seriously. “They grow in the ground.”
I gave him a nasty look, but Shelton’s clap grabbed my attention.
“That’s it!” He smiled wide, then pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room.
ORDER HERE!
SPIKE Story Sample! In TRACE EVIDENCE Releasing 2/2/16!
Here’s a quick taste of Spike, included in our Virals short story collection Trace Evidence, releasing Tuesday. This story is set after the events of Terminal, people. Answers await!
They were all clearly dead.
Every flower, every centerpiece.
Wilted petals. Broken, flaccid stems. Murky brown water filled the bottom of each crystal vase, soiling the white rocks artfully placed within. The same horror repeated throughout the ballroom.
I gasped, a hand shooting to my forehead. “What happened to the lilies?”
We stood at the entrance to the ballroom, surveying the carnage. The reception was scheduled to begin immediately after the outdoor church service, but now the decorations were only appropriate for a gothic rave. All the dying plants gave me the chills.
“I came in here to stash my mother’s purse, and found this.” Hiram’s nose crinkled in a grimace. “It even smells bad. Like the Walking Dead crashed your dad’s wedding.”
“This makes no sense!” Shelton was tugging an earlobe. “I saw this room like forty-five minutes ago, and everything looked great. They even had those Mag League snobs in here taking pictures. The place was perfect.”
“Where are the stupid florists?” I spat. We were the only ones present at the moment.
“They left a while back,” Ben said disgustedly. “I saw them go. The head guy told your aunt Tempe that everything was all set up.”
“Oh boy.” I covered my eyes. “What do we do?”
Whitney had designed and planned everything, forgoing a full-time wedding coordinator. Despite the hundreds of tiny details involved, she hadn’t wanted anyone else “in the way” at her nuptials. While no one doubted her ability to handle the task—Whitney was born to dream up and execute extravagant events—her dictatorial micromanagement had left a leadership vacuum here on the big day. Kit’s mother, Harry, was supposed to be coordinating the vendors, but she’d proven hopeless at it, so Aunt Tempe and some of the other ladies were helping out.
Hi blew out a breath. “I’m no flower scientist, but I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to last longer than a half hour. Methinks you’re entitled to a refund.”
“Like that’ll do us any good.” I thought of Whitney, still nervously prepping upstairs, and my stomach dropped through my shoes. “You guys, Whitney will not be able to handle this. She’s a mess already. When she sees Stephen King’s floral arrangements . . .”
Hi snorted. “That actually might be funny. We could YouTube it.”
He yelped as Ben smacked the back of his head.
“We have to fix this.” I pressed my fists to my forehead, thinking. “Should we call the
florists back? I don’t have their number, plus their shop is all the way in Mount Pleasant. And they won’t have a truckload of backup centerpieces just lying around, anyway. Or even the same flowers.”
“A different place?” Ben suggested doubtfully. “Somewhere close? Or maybe we could snag the flowers for the outdoor service, and swap them in here?”
Shelton shook his head. “In front of all those people? Everyone would freak. And then the actual wedding would look like trash.”
“Shoot!” I stomped a foot. “No one can fix this in time. Two hundred white lilies don’t fall from the sky!”
“No,” Hi said seriously. “They grow in the ground.”
I gave him a nasty look, but Shelton’s clap grabbed my attention.
“That’s it!” He smiled wide, then pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room.
ORDER HERE!
November 18, 2015
Check me out on This Creative Life with Sara Zarr
I did a podcast! FANCY. It was a blast, with a great host (and good friend!), the incomparable Sara Zarr. Listen here: http://www.sarazarr.com/archives/4662
October 1, 2015
FALL 2015 YA SCAVENGER HUNT — TEAM TEAL!
Welcome to the Fall 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt!
This is my second hunt, and by now I’m a grizzled veteran. There are eight mind-blowing YA author teams currently on your interwebs, chock full of cool bonus materials and killer giveaways. I’m part of #TeamTEAL. We are super bad.
SPECIAL NOTE: I’m doing a separate giveaway at the bottom!
Pretty rad, huh? This hunt runs from October 1st through October 4th, beginning and ending at noon Pacific time. All Virals fans must give it a whirl. Prizes! Deleted and bonus scenes! Sneak peaks, including one from me from the new Virals short story, SPIKE, releasing February 2, 2016, in the Virals short story collection TRACE EVIDENCE. It’s out there on #TeamTEAL, RIGHT NOW people. Get looking.
ABOUT THE HUNT: If you’ve never done this before, the scavenger hunt runs like a giant blog circle, one connecting to the next, introducing you to new YA authors and books along the way. There are tons of prizes including a grand prize for each team: a signed book from each author in that group! For more information and hunt updates, sign up for news on the #YASH website. Get cracking, book sleuths. There’s a whole new world out there. You have three days!
OKAY NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF: For this hunt, I’m hosting JOSEPHINE ANGELINI. 
Between the 2 of us, she’s an excellent author. Josephine SHARI BECKER.
September 14, 2015
SUPER-FANS CREATE LIVE-ACTION VIRALS MOVIE!
An awestruck slow-clap for Canadian super-fan Emma Cleland and her six friends Stephanie, Sarah, Victoria, Arden, Sarah and Ben — The 7 Kids On The Block — for making Virals into an actual movie. I’ll let Emma explain their amazing accomplishment herself:
This process took us a year and four months. I typed your book into a script, we found our own costumes and locations and used our own camera and editing software to make this possible. We switched Ben, Hiram and Shelton into Beth, Harriet and Shelby as we did not have any male actors. We filmed at various locations, including schools, Western University, malls and parks and even an old house from 1870. It was a ton of hard work and we have been wanting to contact you for some time now to show you as well as thank you for making this awesome series. My friends and I have been reading the Virals series for a long time now and have all your books.
This is top-shelf work, people. I can’t thank them enough for their efforts. So without further ado, I present their film (all content from The 7 Kids on the Block!). Enjoy!
July 27, 2015
TRACE EVIDENCE COVER REVEAL!!!
Here’s the brand-spanking-new cover for the upcoming Virals short story collection TRACE EVIDENCE, which will include Shift, Swipe, Shock, and Spike (set after the events of Terminal). It releases February 2, 2016. PRE-ORDER NOW!
