Beth Revis's Blog, page 2
September 1, 2016
A Day in the Life
One of the fun questions I get a lot is what is an average day in the life for me, as a writer? I usually give a glib answer: at home, no pants, laptop on the couch. And it's true--but really, a "day in the life" is much more difficult.
And when I really think about this question, it usually comes from people who aren't published yet, who want to know what it's like. But the thing is--it's different for everyone. And it's different based on where you are in the process. So I thought I'd give you several different days in the lives of me as a writer.
2001
I'm a college sophomore at this point, and an RA, living by myself. I'm not much into partying and I'm pretty introverted. I'm considering taking a creative writing class, but I know they do a lot of short stories, and I don't really write short stories so I try one. It turns into my first novel.
Typical day:
Morning: sleep in, catch breakfast just before it closes at the dining hall, because breakfast at the dining hall is amazingMidday: most classes. Write notes about my story during boring classes in the margins of my notebook.Afternoon: hang out in the grassy field quad at campus between classes, think of new plot turnsEvening: before bed, after television and hanging out with friends, write for an hour or two. I never had a schedule--this was all for fun, and eventually, I had a whole book
2004
I'm in grad school now, and I've been writing a book a year since the first one. It's still fun, but I've started thinking about publishing. I sent the other books out for potential publication, but nothing came of it, and I wasn't too disheartened (and I didn't try that hard either). But I was starting to really, really want publication. I already had my BA in English education and my teaching certification, but I also wasn't really sure I wanted to be a teacher forever. I had dreams of landing a pub deal and never having to "work" a day in my life. These dreams were huge, because I had only inflatable furniture and ate a lot of Hamburger Helper (sometimes minus the hamburger) and ramen.
Typical day:
Morning-afternoon: go to library or read for my master's thesis. I was doing a two-year program in one year because I could only afford one year. So I did all my classes plus my master's defense simultaneously.Evening: I was also too poor for television. So instead of watching TV, I switched from writing my thesis to writing my novel. It was a lot of words, but it was also the book of my heart, and I loved it, and I believed in it. This is the one, I would whisper to myself, when I finally collapsed into bed, usually around 3am.2006Spoiler alert: it wasn't the one. And neither was the one after it. And my dreams of being the next JK Rowling and living in a castle while I casually wrote didn't come true. I was still writing a book a year, but my writing was starting to feel futile. Instead, I got a job. I liked the job--some days I even loved it--but it was also really, really hard.
Typical day, Monday-Friday:5am: Wake up and get ready for work. Go over lesson plans--as a new teacher, I was still struggling to know what worked and didn't, what would fill a day or leave me with 30 bored 16-year-olds on my hands.6:30am-4:30pm: I was on. I was a very active teacher, and I didn't do anything during this time but teach. On days when I ran a club or grades were due, I wouldn't leave the school until an extra hour had passed. And while, yes, I had a planning period, I also never really got much planning done. I usually had to grade or attend training sessions or pull together resources or wait for copying machine or a myriad of other things.6:30pm: I was almost always back home by this point--and exhausted. I'd scrape together a meal and allow myself about an hour of "dead" time.7:00-11:00pm: This time was spent typically grading papers or planning the next day's work. If I had a rare time when I didn't need to do this, sometimes I would just stare at the wall and think about the good ol' days when I didn't have to work to exhaustion. Typical day, Weekends or Vacation:One of the fantastic things about teaching is the summers off. And there are periodic breaks around holidays that are quite well planned. I'd usually take at least one day to detox, but then:Write 5-10k per day while I could. I would write until my fingers ached. I would write until I could barely see straight. I literally typed the letters off my keyboard and had to replace it. In between writing, I was researching. Sometimes for the book--but more often on agents and publishers, the ins and outs of publishing. I read every agent blog, I joined social networks specifically to connect with pros, and I enmeshed myself in the world.I also joined critique groups and found critique partners. The books before were written for me but with the magical belief that I would have to do no work to become rich and famous. I was now focused on the work side of publishing. I knew that this would be about more than just good stories; there was a business side, and I needed to really revise and get better at writing. Some of the partnerships with critique readers I made then are still maintained today.Important note: At this point in time, I'm still too poor to afford television, and internet is pretty crappy. If I had had great television and Netflix then, would I have found the time to work? I don't know. Writing was my entertainment, in part because I enjoyed it, and in part because I had nothing else.2009When I started my job teaching, I expected to be there only a year. It's been five years now. I'm married now. I have a mortgage now. I know enough about the business to know that even if I break out, I'll likely still have to work. But as my new husband and I are trying to evaluate a budget and a savings account, I'm starting to realize just how much time and money has passed, how I really have nothing to show for it. I've still written a book a year in this time--although my typical day of writing has changed, my work production hasn't. It's just now I'm not sure it's worth it.
But I had one more story to tell. And that story was Across the Universe.
Typical day, Monday-Friday:5:00am: I'm getting far, far better at this teaching gig thing, but my hours are still crazy as I now live further away from the school and have a longer drive. So I still wake up crazy early, but I spend the forty-five minute drive to work thinking about what I need to write.7:00-8:15am: I also have first period planning, which is a blessing, Sweet Jesus. So I spend my morning jotting down the notes of what I thought about while driving. This process--thinking for a long time before I actually write--has become ingrained in me and made me a better writer, and it started with this schedule.8:15am-4:00pm: Teaching. I am focused in my job and only occasionally give the kids a movie day to distract them while I write.7pm-midnight: Write. As discouraged as I am, I love this story, and I foresake television and time with the husband to work on it. 2010Book deal! I got my agent at the end of 2009 and my deal at the beginning of 2010 (Across the Universe was published in the beginning of 2011), and it was amazing. I still remember sitting in the parking lot of the school, taking notes with a notepad on my steering wheel, fielding calls in my car because I knew with my long drive, I wouldn't get home before 5, and I couldn't take a call on the road because there's no cell signal. Crazy.
But then edits came.
And it quickly became apparent that there was simply not enough time in the day to do everything. By this point, I actually enjoyed teaching and I loved the kids, but the big edits for my manuscript of Across the Universe were due the same day student grades--and their ten page essay evaluations--were due. Before, I could write on my schedule, and it wasn't a big deal if I took May off--I could make up for it in June. Now? Now I had another schedule to work with, and they clashed. Horribly.
May:4:30am: wake up, drive to work, sometimes speaking notes into my phone because I knew I couldn't waste time5:30am: I'm often the first to school and unlock the big outer doors to get in. I turn on the lights and rush to make sure I have everything I need for the day, then open up my word file and write/edit as much as I can.7:00-8:15am: Morning planning period. I typed furiously. Most of my coworkers assumed I was a lesson-plan fiend. I wasn't.8:15-4:00pm: Luckily, I also taught yearbook during this time. The kids knew I had a book deal. I would get calls from my agent or editor in the middle of the day, and all the kids would shout Shh! Shh! Mrs. Revis has to talk on the phone! and I'd crouch at my desk and try to juggle a pen and paper and an eye on the door in case the principal came in.5:30pm-whenever: Get home. Maybe see husband? Lock self away and work. And work. Collapse. By that time, it was obvious I could no longer continue working both jobs, so I quit teaching. Which meant I now had to worry about things like privatized health care and self employed IRAs and hiring a tax guy because I had no idea what I was doing.
But also, suddenly, school was out (forever!) and my first book was done. This was when I normally would be writing, since it was summer break, but I was no longer a teacher, so summer break was no longer a thing. Also I'd just finished a book, was I really supposed to immediately jump into another one? The answer was yes (although I admit to slacking off rather a lot that summer because freedom). Since that first free summer, my daily life depends entirely on what stage of writing I'm in:
Pre-Drafting:
I don't actually get many ideas for novels--at least not many that stick. When I do get an idea, I tend to sit on it and think a lot. I casually research--casual, because I'm just curious about the subject. This casual (but constant) research turns into obsession which eventually turns into a book. This stage can last for months. This means all that time I sit around reading Wikipedia and Cracked and Reddit is crucial to the process. Really.Drafting:First: I don't write every day. Some people do. I am not one of those people. I write in bursts, probably because I learned to write while I had a day job that didn't allow me to write every day. So while drafting, I may write a big chunk one day, and then take two days off. Or three. Maybe four if something good is on Netflix. I don't stress about it. At the end of the month, I have the same amount of words by writing sporadically as I would if I was writing daily.I tend to write the most on the edges of the day: morning and late at night. I write the happiest at the start of the book--the first 30,000 or so words is easiest. I'll brew coffee and then forget about it because I'm so wrapped up in the words.At this stage--early in the writing--I likely have a book that's recently wrapped (the project before this one). So a part of my writing time, especially in these early days, will be used for promo. I spend mornings online, working on social media, updating things, etc. This also tends to be the time when I'm booked for travel and promo. So all of this flies out the window when I have to go do events or festivals--which I love, but travel eats at writing time. One day of travel = three days of not writing (one day to pack/plan, one day to travel, one day to recoup from travel). Minimum.The next 30,000 is not the easiest. I write more into the middle of the day. I definitely drink the coffee. I start making charts on paper, or brainstorming. I find excuses to not work. The yard needs to be mowed. The car's oil needs changing. Better schedule a dental cleaning. The last 30,000 are a mix of sudden inspiration--write all day! 10,000 words in one day!--followed by crashing-and-burning. I'll write a huge chunk one day and nothing else for the rest of the week, during which I will lament and cry and think I'm a failure. I blow through the coffee until my heart starts doing a weird rhythm. If there's also a deadline--and now, there usually is--I force myself to not get distracted, but I am also on an internal panic pretty much 24/7. Revising:
Revising for me usually means rewriting. Which is not fun. And it usually means ~month deadline, as I'm working with editors, not critique partners. So revising/rewriting process starts with getting an edit letter. After reading the edit letter, I usually get mad (she didn't think the book was perfect as it is!) and then I usually switch from coffee to beer. I like to work with lists. I immediately cross out all the positive compliments in the edit letter and highlight everything that needs to be changed because who doesn't love depression. I then list the changes I agree with (90%) on one side of a paper, and brainstorm ideas of how to change things to make those edits happen on the other side.This is focus-time. I'm like a bulldog during revision. Nose to the grindstone. This is all work, no play. I open Scrivener and use the split screen function. Old draft on top, new draft on bottom. I cut and paste what I can, rewrite what I have to, following the plan of attack I made with the edit letter. During this time, my husband usually has to remind me to eat and bathe. When I'm forced to go out, I hiss at the sunlight. I usually try to avoid all travel during this time, which is usually about a month, but if I have to travel, I do so grumpily and half-distracted.Minor Edits:After the big rewrite (if I'm lucky and don't need another big rewrite), it's time for what I consider the minor edits--line edits and copy edits. How crucial they are, and how much time I'm given to do them, varies, but I find this part of the process easiest. It's usually all done in Word, with track changes, and I just make sure to set aside some time and get them done as quickly as possible. But also during this time, I've restarted the process. I've learned that I can't take breaks. So, while I'm wrapping up edits on Project A, I've definitely started the pre-drafting casual research process for Project B...and these days, I've actually layered my days so that my schedule looks more like this:Minor edits for Project ADrafting new Project B (especially if it's in the early stages--later stages take more focus)Pre-drafting research/idea building for Project CAnd also during this time--which is getting closer to release date--I'm really focused on marketing. So a big chunk of daily "writing" time is actually spent:Brainstorming new ideas to market this book. During the final edits, the book is freshest and "finalest" in my mind, and I do my best ideas for marketing then.I plot out a three month plan--the month before, during, and after publication. This is mostly when I plot out how to do things online for promo, such as blog giveaways, Facebook campaigns, Twitter giveaways, etc. This is when I shop for giveaway ideas and design swag and online promo (like quotes for Instagram). This is also when I start looking at what kind of in-person promo I need to do, and start setting that up. Launch parties at Malaprops, joining with other authors to do driving book tours, reaching out to festivals near that time.And, while I'm doing all this, so is my publicist. She's booking me guest spots on online and print venues, speaking gigs, and book festivals as well--so my calendar rapidly gets full during this time. This is the time when I say "yes!" to everything in a panic that I need to do it all for the upcoming book release...and then I'll grumpily say "no!" to everything when I get burnt out. It's a never-ending cycle. The only time I focus entirely on one project is when I'm revising/rewriting. That step takes such single-minded focus that I can't do anything (including eating/bathing) during that time.
But wait! I have a baby now! How has my schedule changed?
...not that much. I write more in the mornings and less in the evening than I used to (because I go to bed earlier). I travel less. I'm on social media less. But beyond that, my schedule hasn't changed. The books are the most important thing, and I'm working on those as much, if not more, than before.
Writing is my job. Just because I do it at home (where there is now also a baby) doesn't make it less my job. No one would question me taking eight hours a day to go to a school and teach, or do some other job. No one should question me taking eight hours a day to stay home and do this job.
During the "easy" phases of early drafting or when I'm just working on marketing materials, I allow myself to get baby-distracted easily. I go on walks with the stroller or play with the baby or take day trips. The advantage of working at home. But when I'm in the "hard" phases of revision/rewriting or I'm up against a deadline, I let the husband or my mom take care of the baby, and I do my job.
And some days...I don't. Some days, the baby screamed all day and all night and is still screaming and now also throwing food at me and pooping everywhere and the dogs are being jerks and the husband's as burnt out as I am. Some days, when the baby naps, so do I. Some days, I don't even open my laptop. And that's okay.
Because the next day, I'm going to kick ass.
And when I really think about this question, it usually comes from people who aren't published yet, who want to know what it's like. But the thing is--it's different for everyone. And it's different based on where you are in the process. So I thought I'd give you several different days in the lives of me as a writer.
2001
I'm a college sophomore at this point, and an RA, living by myself. I'm not much into partying and I'm pretty introverted. I'm considering taking a creative writing class, but I know they do a lot of short stories, and I don't really write short stories so I try one. It turns into my first novel.
Typical day:
Morning: sleep in, catch breakfast just before it closes at the dining hall, because breakfast at the dining hall is amazingMidday: most classes. Write notes about my story during boring classes in the margins of my notebook.Afternoon: hang out in the grassy field quad at campus between classes, think of new plot turnsEvening: before bed, after television and hanging out with friends, write for an hour or two. I never had a schedule--this was all for fun, and eventually, I had a whole book
2004
I'm in grad school now, and I've been writing a book a year since the first one. It's still fun, but I've started thinking about publishing. I sent the other books out for potential publication, but nothing came of it, and I wasn't too disheartened (and I didn't try that hard either). But I was starting to really, really want publication. I already had my BA in English education and my teaching certification, but I also wasn't really sure I wanted to be a teacher forever. I had dreams of landing a pub deal and never having to "work" a day in my life. These dreams were huge, because I had only inflatable furniture and ate a lot of Hamburger Helper (sometimes minus the hamburger) and ramen.
Typical day:
Morning-afternoon: go to library or read for my master's thesis. I was doing a two-year program in one year because I could only afford one year. So I did all my classes plus my master's defense simultaneously.Evening: I was also too poor for television. So instead of watching TV, I switched from writing my thesis to writing my novel. It was a lot of words, but it was also the book of my heart, and I loved it, and I believed in it. This is the one, I would whisper to myself, when I finally collapsed into bed, usually around 3am.2006Spoiler alert: it wasn't the one. And neither was the one after it. And my dreams of being the next JK Rowling and living in a castle while I casually wrote didn't come true. I was still writing a book a year, but my writing was starting to feel futile. Instead, I got a job. I liked the job--some days I even loved it--but it was also really, really hard.
Typical day, Monday-Friday:5am: Wake up and get ready for work. Go over lesson plans--as a new teacher, I was still struggling to know what worked and didn't, what would fill a day or leave me with 30 bored 16-year-olds on my hands.6:30am-4:30pm: I was on. I was a very active teacher, and I didn't do anything during this time but teach. On days when I ran a club or grades were due, I wouldn't leave the school until an extra hour had passed. And while, yes, I had a planning period, I also never really got much planning done. I usually had to grade or attend training sessions or pull together resources or wait for copying machine or a myriad of other things.6:30pm: I was almost always back home by this point--and exhausted. I'd scrape together a meal and allow myself about an hour of "dead" time.7:00-11:00pm: This time was spent typically grading papers or planning the next day's work. If I had a rare time when I didn't need to do this, sometimes I would just stare at the wall and think about the good ol' days when I didn't have to work to exhaustion. Typical day, Weekends or Vacation:One of the fantastic things about teaching is the summers off. And there are periodic breaks around holidays that are quite well planned. I'd usually take at least one day to detox, but then:Write 5-10k per day while I could. I would write until my fingers ached. I would write until I could barely see straight. I literally typed the letters off my keyboard and had to replace it. In between writing, I was researching. Sometimes for the book--but more often on agents and publishers, the ins and outs of publishing. I read every agent blog, I joined social networks specifically to connect with pros, and I enmeshed myself in the world.I also joined critique groups and found critique partners. The books before were written for me but with the magical belief that I would have to do no work to become rich and famous. I was now focused on the work side of publishing. I knew that this would be about more than just good stories; there was a business side, and I needed to really revise and get better at writing. Some of the partnerships with critique readers I made then are still maintained today.Important note: At this point in time, I'm still too poor to afford television, and internet is pretty crappy. If I had had great television and Netflix then, would I have found the time to work? I don't know. Writing was my entertainment, in part because I enjoyed it, and in part because I had nothing else.2009When I started my job teaching, I expected to be there only a year. It's been five years now. I'm married now. I have a mortgage now. I know enough about the business to know that even if I break out, I'll likely still have to work. But as my new husband and I are trying to evaluate a budget and a savings account, I'm starting to realize just how much time and money has passed, how I really have nothing to show for it. I've still written a book a year in this time--although my typical day of writing has changed, my work production hasn't. It's just now I'm not sure it's worth it.
But I had one more story to tell. And that story was Across the Universe.
Typical day, Monday-Friday:5:00am: I'm getting far, far better at this teaching gig thing, but my hours are still crazy as I now live further away from the school and have a longer drive. So I still wake up crazy early, but I spend the forty-five minute drive to work thinking about what I need to write.7:00-8:15am: I also have first period planning, which is a blessing, Sweet Jesus. So I spend my morning jotting down the notes of what I thought about while driving. This process--thinking for a long time before I actually write--has become ingrained in me and made me a better writer, and it started with this schedule.8:15am-4:00pm: Teaching. I am focused in my job and only occasionally give the kids a movie day to distract them while I write.7pm-midnight: Write. As discouraged as I am, I love this story, and I foresake television and time with the husband to work on it. 2010Book deal! I got my agent at the end of 2009 and my deal at the beginning of 2010 (Across the Universe was published in the beginning of 2011), and it was amazing. I still remember sitting in the parking lot of the school, taking notes with a notepad on my steering wheel, fielding calls in my car because I knew with my long drive, I wouldn't get home before 5, and I couldn't take a call on the road because there's no cell signal. Crazy.
But then edits came.
And it quickly became apparent that there was simply not enough time in the day to do everything. By this point, I actually enjoyed teaching and I loved the kids, but the big edits for my manuscript of Across the Universe were due the same day student grades--and their ten page essay evaluations--were due. Before, I could write on my schedule, and it wasn't a big deal if I took May off--I could make up for it in June. Now? Now I had another schedule to work with, and they clashed. Horribly.
May:4:30am: wake up, drive to work, sometimes speaking notes into my phone because I knew I couldn't waste time5:30am: I'm often the first to school and unlock the big outer doors to get in. I turn on the lights and rush to make sure I have everything I need for the day, then open up my word file and write/edit as much as I can.7:00-8:15am: Morning planning period. I typed furiously. Most of my coworkers assumed I was a lesson-plan fiend. I wasn't.8:15-4:00pm: Luckily, I also taught yearbook during this time. The kids knew I had a book deal. I would get calls from my agent or editor in the middle of the day, and all the kids would shout Shh! Shh! Mrs. Revis has to talk on the phone! and I'd crouch at my desk and try to juggle a pen and paper and an eye on the door in case the principal came in.5:30pm-whenever: Get home. Maybe see husband? Lock self away and work. And work. Collapse. By that time, it was obvious I could no longer continue working both jobs, so I quit teaching. Which meant I now had to worry about things like privatized health care and self employed IRAs and hiring a tax guy because I had no idea what I was doing.
But also, suddenly, school was out (forever!) and my first book was done. This was when I normally would be writing, since it was summer break, but I was no longer a teacher, so summer break was no longer a thing. Also I'd just finished a book, was I really supposed to immediately jump into another one? The answer was yes (although I admit to slacking off rather a lot that summer because freedom). Since that first free summer, my daily life depends entirely on what stage of writing I'm in:
Pre-Drafting:
I don't actually get many ideas for novels--at least not many that stick. When I do get an idea, I tend to sit on it and think a lot. I casually research--casual, because I'm just curious about the subject. This casual (but constant) research turns into obsession which eventually turns into a book. This stage can last for months. This means all that time I sit around reading Wikipedia and Cracked and Reddit is crucial to the process. Really.Drafting:First: I don't write every day. Some people do. I am not one of those people. I write in bursts, probably because I learned to write while I had a day job that didn't allow me to write every day. So while drafting, I may write a big chunk one day, and then take two days off. Or three. Maybe four if something good is on Netflix. I don't stress about it. At the end of the month, I have the same amount of words by writing sporadically as I would if I was writing daily.I tend to write the most on the edges of the day: morning and late at night. I write the happiest at the start of the book--the first 30,000 or so words is easiest. I'll brew coffee and then forget about it because I'm so wrapped up in the words.At this stage--early in the writing--I likely have a book that's recently wrapped (the project before this one). So a part of my writing time, especially in these early days, will be used for promo. I spend mornings online, working on social media, updating things, etc. This also tends to be the time when I'm booked for travel and promo. So all of this flies out the window when I have to go do events or festivals--which I love, but travel eats at writing time. One day of travel = three days of not writing (one day to pack/plan, one day to travel, one day to recoup from travel). Minimum.The next 30,000 is not the easiest. I write more into the middle of the day. I definitely drink the coffee. I start making charts on paper, or brainstorming. I find excuses to not work. The yard needs to be mowed. The car's oil needs changing. Better schedule a dental cleaning. The last 30,000 are a mix of sudden inspiration--write all day! 10,000 words in one day!--followed by crashing-and-burning. I'll write a huge chunk one day and nothing else for the rest of the week, during which I will lament and cry and think I'm a failure. I blow through the coffee until my heart starts doing a weird rhythm. If there's also a deadline--and now, there usually is--I force myself to not get distracted, but I am also on an internal panic pretty much 24/7. Revising:
Revising for me usually means rewriting. Which is not fun. And it usually means ~month deadline, as I'm working with editors, not critique partners. So revising/rewriting process starts with getting an edit letter. After reading the edit letter, I usually get mad (she didn't think the book was perfect as it is!) and then I usually switch from coffee to beer. I like to work with lists. I immediately cross out all the positive compliments in the edit letter and highlight everything that needs to be changed because who doesn't love depression. I then list the changes I agree with (90%) on one side of a paper, and brainstorm ideas of how to change things to make those edits happen on the other side.This is focus-time. I'm like a bulldog during revision. Nose to the grindstone. This is all work, no play. I open Scrivener and use the split screen function. Old draft on top, new draft on bottom. I cut and paste what I can, rewrite what I have to, following the plan of attack I made with the edit letter. During this time, my husband usually has to remind me to eat and bathe. When I'm forced to go out, I hiss at the sunlight. I usually try to avoid all travel during this time, which is usually about a month, but if I have to travel, I do so grumpily and half-distracted.Minor Edits:After the big rewrite (if I'm lucky and don't need another big rewrite), it's time for what I consider the minor edits--line edits and copy edits. How crucial they are, and how much time I'm given to do them, varies, but I find this part of the process easiest. It's usually all done in Word, with track changes, and I just make sure to set aside some time and get them done as quickly as possible. But also during this time, I've restarted the process. I've learned that I can't take breaks. So, while I'm wrapping up edits on Project A, I've definitely started the pre-drafting casual research process for Project B...and these days, I've actually layered my days so that my schedule looks more like this:Minor edits for Project ADrafting new Project B (especially if it's in the early stages--later stages take more focus)Pre-drafting research/idea building for Project CAnd also during this time--which is getting closer to release date--I'm really focused on marketing. So a big chunk of daily "writing" time is actually spent:Brainstorming new ideas to market this book. During the final edits, the book is freshest and "finalest" in my mind, and I do my best ideas for marketing then.I plot out a three month plan--the month before, during, and after publication. This is mostly when I plot out how to do things online for promo, such as blog giveaways, Facebook campaigns, Twitter giveaways, etc. This is when I shop for giveaway ideas and design swag and online promo (like quotes for Instagram). This is also when I start looking at what kind of in-person promo I need to do, and start setting that up. Launch parties at Malaprops, joining with other authors to do driving book tours, reaching out to festivals near that time.And, while I'm doing all this, so is my publicist. She's booking me guest spots on online and print venues, speaking gigs, and book festivals as well--so my calendar rapidly gets full during this time. This is the time when I say "yes!" to everything in a panic that I need to do it all for the upcoming book release...and then I'll grumpily say "no!" to everything when I get burnt out. It's a never-ending cycle. The only time I focus entirely on one project is when I'm revising/rewriting. That step takes such single-minded focus that I can't do anything (including eating/bathing) during that time.
But wait! I have a baby now! How has my schedule changed?
...not that much. I write more in the mornings and less in the evening than I used to (because I go to bed earlier). I travel less. I'm on social media less. But beyond that, my schedule hasn't changed. The books are the most important thing, and I'm working on those as much, if not more, than before.
Writing is my job. Just because I do it at home (where there is now also a baby) doesn't make it less my job. No one would question me taking eight hours a day to go to a school and teach, or do some other job. No one should question me taking eight hours a day to stay home and do this job.
During the "easy" phases of early drafting or when I'm just working on marketing materials, I allow myself to get baby-distracted easily. I go on walks with the stroller or play with the baby or take day trips. The advantage of working at home. But when I'm in the "hard" phases of revision/rewriting or I'm up against a deadline, I let the husband or my mom take care of the baby, and I do my job.
And some days...I don't. Some days, the baby screamed all day and all night and is still screaming and now also throwing food at me and pooping everywhere and the dogs are being jerks and the husband's as burnt out as I am. Some days, when the baby naps, so do I. Some days, I don't even open my laptop. And that's okay.
Because the next day, I'm going to kick ass.
August 5, 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU Book Tour, Days 7-10: Dangerous Ladies!! Featuring NASA and Awesome Bookstores
I loved taking the train into Washington, DC, to get to my next tour stops. Why isn't train travel more prevalent?! I'm so sick of planes...give me a good train any day of the week.
Also, aren't train stations beautiful? So classy.
And the first thing I saw when I stepped out of Union Station was this beauty.
For the last half of my tour, I hooked up with the Dangerous Ladies book tour. This group of amazing ladies made this tour so. Much. Fun.
[image error]
Five cheers for the five Dangerous Ladies on tour!
From left to right: Me, author of A World Without You; Renee Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and the Dawn; Megan Shepherd, author of The Cage; Gwenda Bond, author of Lois Lane: Fall Out; Megan Miranda, author of The Safest Lies.
Our first stop was at Hooray for Books! Everything about this store made me smile, from the beautiful book display on that cute table...
...to the adorable frog prince on the sign...
...and especially the delicious cookie they gave us!
The next day, I roped some of the girls on tour with me into heading out to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center! HUGE shout-out of gratitude to Janine K Spendlove for introducing me to Maggie--make sure you check both their work out in anthologies by Silence in the Library Press!
Maggie was gracious enough to take me, Renee, and Megan M on a tour of the campus, and it was amazing.
Right now, the project at NASA Goddard Center that I was most interested in was the James Webb Space Telescope. This beaut is being launched in 2018, and will be a hundred times more powerful than Hubble. Hubble, you know, the beautiful telescope that got us all the amazing images of our universe? A hundred times more powerful than that.
Selfie with Hubble picsI'll admit to not knowing that much about the James Webb Space Telescope before this trip. Fortunately, we had a Nobel prize-winning scientist, John Mather, standing by to explain all the amazing things this telescope can do.
You guys, I don't even know my life. Sometimes I look at myself and think, How? How did I get so lucky that I got to go on a tour of a NASA facility with a Nobel-prize winning scientist answering my dumb questions?!
Also? I have to point out that the mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope are golden and look like a honeycomb, and all I could think about every time I saw it was The Body Electric! And! And! Nobel-prize-winning-scientist John Mather said that the telescope was so strong it could see a bumblebee on the moon, and my brain said Ella! Ella and the Body Electric and beeeeeesssss!!!!
Okay, serious time. What you're looking at here is one of the world's largest clean rooms. An entire wall is made of air filters, and everyone in the room has to wear full-body suits after taking an air bath. They even duct tape their gloves to their suits.
The telescope is under that silver rectangle thing in the above photo--the scientists on the ground floor are working on it. We didn't get that great of a view of the actual telescope, but you can see it at all angles on these videos.
No big deal, just watching scientists shoot lasers at mirrors to test for a space telescope, you know, a regular Tuesday.
So the telescope is made of mirrors like the one above (telescope mirror selfie for the win!). The actual metal of the mirrors is beryllium, plated in gold. Unrelatedly, they told me I couldn't touch the telescope because (a) beryllium is poisonous and also (b) touching the mirrors would mess everything up and lol they're too smart to let me into the clean room with the real telescope.
Here's a small mock-up of what the mirror will look like (the painted hive on the wall is lifesize). Don't the gold mirrors look like a honeycomb?
And the silver surfboards below--these are heat shields. The bottom of the telescope will face the sun (always), but the top of the telescope must be cold so as not to mess up the mirrors. The solution? These heat shields.
The material was amazing. Thinner than tin foil, but basically unrippable.
Renee had to test it to make sure. NASA and Renee-approved.
Of course, once the telescope is complete, it's going to have to go through some tests. See that behemoth above? It's big enough to hold the telescope in a sterile environment.
And this thing? Basically a shaker table. Put the telescope and shake, shake, shake...and hope it doesn't break apart. But they have to make sure it'll survive the trip up into space. (Once in orbit, the telescope will be pretty stable...it's getting there that's the dangerous part.)
And this giant room? Well, check out those huge speakers and subwoofers built in the wall, designed to blast the telescope and make sure it can't be sound-damaged.
The Goddard Center is about more than just the James Webb Telescope (although, I must admit some partiality towards that beauty). There's a giant centrifuge room big enough to spin cars at such a high force it would kill a person.
I know. I asked if I could ride in it. Between this and beryllium, seems like I don't have good NASA survival instincts.
There are also these very cool (ha! pun!) thermal vacuum chambers that can test smaller telescopes and satellites. (You can see the blue top of one here.)
After checking out the telescopes, we got to explore the robotic branch of Goddard.
It was fascinating, particularly the Asteroid Redirect Mission.
In the picture above, the big black thing is a boulder from an asteroid. A potentially Earth-killing asteroid (think: dinosaur extinction). The Asteroid Redirect Mission will spot these giant asteroid 20-30 years before they reach Earth, and then send this giant robot out to the asteroid. It'll pluck a boulder from the asteroid, then start orbiting the asteroid to redirect its path. Crazy cool, right?! More info here.
Another project this group is working on is retrofitting current satellites to be refueled. A lot of the space telescopes that were sent out before were never meant to be refueled because, frankly, we didn't know how refuel them.
They're perfectly good telescopes, but they're running out of fuel. This mission is to send a giant robotic arm that will service the telescope and retrofit it to be able to take fuel. It's basically a gas can and a robotic arm and that's awesome.
After exploring all of NASA's cool missions at the Goddard Center, Renee, Megan, Maggie, and I went over to the jamboree that was being held, showcasing more of NASA's missions. The one that particularly grabbed me was the cryogenics branch--because of Amy and Elder in Across the Universe, obviously--but also because they were offering cryogenic ice cream! :)
There was also a scavenger hunt going on--which Megan, Renee, and I were of absolutely no use--but it led us to this cool little stop...
John's Nobel Prize for Physics! I've never seen one in real life before--that was super cool! Also, fun FYI, the Nobel Prize is the only Pokestop on campus, which means I got to get a Pokestop that only NASA employees can get...
It's the little things in life. (Also, note that the NASA crew are apparently Team Instinct?)
Afterwards, we checked out the Visitor's Center, where we took a selfie in front of Saturn...
Checked out a piece of the moon that was recovered as part of the Apollo 14 mission...
...and I got trapped in the Gemini Command Module.
They also had a cool room that showcased the sun, and I stood in front of it and claimed myself queen of the solar system.
All in all, an amazing day! I loved getting to discover all the missions, from the robotic arms to the telescope that is surely going to blow our minds in just a few short years.
The only Star Wars vending machine at NASA (very appropriate). On NASA days, Renee and I wear Star Wars shirts (we mocked Megan soundly for not having one with her).
Of course, that's not the only thing we had to do that day! After all the science that NASA could stuff in our brains, we had to dash off for our next event, this one at the wonderful One More Page Books!
This happened to be the only stop where all five of the Dangerous Ladies could meet up, so it was extra special. Also new bestie Rae was there.
After a fantastic event, we went out to eat and then begged Renee, who is queen of beauty, to give us make overs! I told her to "go crazy" with my look, no holds barred :)
Yay!
The next day, we drove down to Richmond, VA, to go to The Fountain Bookstore. I've been aching to go here forever; this is one of those bookstores I've heard about in an almost legendary way.
And the stop was amazing.
Not only did we have a standing-room-only, almost-to-the-street turn out, but we sold out of A World Without You! And the people were so graciously kind. Our host even made a fantastic card game for us to play--the YA literary version of Cards Against Humanity. It was hilarious!
I also got to meet fellow Razorbill author Sarah Marsh! We're both writing about necromancers, whee!
We tried to stop by the Poe house to show our respects to the "Nevermore" author, but alas, time was too short, and this was as close as we got on our way to Chapel Hill!
Flyleaf Books hosted us, and we had a blast--they're always so wonderful! And in the back room, they had copies of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child...but they didn't let me steal a box at all!
Don't worry--I've got my copy and will be reading it this weekend...at the Read Up Greenville Book Festival! Hope to see you all there!
Remember! It's not too late to enter my giveaway--check out my last post for more details!
Also, aren't train stations beautiful? So classy.
And the first thing I saw when I stepped out of Union Station was this beauty.For the last half of my tour, I hooked up with the Dangerous Ladies book tour. This group of amazing ladies made this tour so. Much. Fun.
[image error]
Five cheers for the five Dangerous Ladies on tour!
From left to right: Me, author of A World Without You; Renee Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and the Dawn; Megan Shepherd, author of The Cage; Gwenda Bond, author of Lois Lane: Fall Out; Megan Miranda, author of The Safest Lies.
Our first stop was at Hooray for Books! Everything about this store made me smile, from the beautiful book display on that cute table...
...to the adorable frog prince on the sign...
...and especially the delicious cookie they gave us!
The next day, I roped some of the girls on tour with me into heading out to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center! HUGE shout-out of gratitude to Janine K Spendlove for introducing me to Maggie--make sure you check both their work out in anthologies by Silence in the Library Press!
Maggie was gracious enough to take me, Renee, and Megan M on a tour of the campus, and it was amazing.
Right now, the project at NASA Goddard Center that I was most interested in was the James Webb Space Telescope. This beaut is being launched in 2018, and will be a hundred times more powerful than Hubble. Hubble, you know, the beautiful telescope that got us all the amazing images of our universe? A hundred times more powerful than that.
Selfie with Hubble picsI'll admit to not knowing that much about the James Webb Space Telescope before this trip. Fortunately, we had a Nobel prize-winning scientist, John Mather, standing by to explain all the amazing things this telescope can do. 
You guys, I don't even know my life. Sometimes I look at myself and think, How? How did I get so lucky that I got to go on a tour of a NASA facility with a Nobel-prize winning scientist answering my dumb questions?!
Also? I have to point out that the mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope are golden and look like a honeycomb, and all I could think about every time I saw it was The Body Electric! And! And! Nobel-prize-winning-scientist John Mather said that the telescope was so strong it could see a bumblebee on the moon, and my brain said Ella! Ella and the Body Electric and beeeeeesssss!!!!
Okay, serious time. What you're looking at here is one of the world's largest clean rooms. An entire wall is made of air filters, and everyone in the room has to wear full-body suits after taking an air bath. They even duct tape their gloves to their suits.
The telescope is under that silver rectangle thing in the above photo--the scientists on the ground floor are working on it. We didn't get that great of a view of the actual telescope, but you can see it at all angles on these videos.
No big deal, just watching scientists shoot lasers at mirrors to test for a space telescope, you know, a regular Tuesday.
So the telescope is made of mirrors like the one above (telescope mirror selfie for the win!). The actual metal of the mirrors is beryllium, plated in gold. Unrelatedly, they told me I couldn't touch the telescope because (a) beryllium is poisonous and also (b) touching the mirrors would mess everything up and lol they're too smart to let me into the clean room with the real telescope.
Here's a small mock-up of what the mirror will look like (the painted hive on the wall is lifesize). Don't the gold mirrors look like a honeycomb?
And the silver surfboards below--these are heat shields. The bottom of the telescope will face the sun (always), but the top of the telescope must be cold so as not to mess up the mirrors. The solution? These heat shields.
The material was amazing. Thinner than tin foil, but basically unrippable.
Renee had to test it to make sure. NASA and Renee-approved.
Of course, once the telescope is complete, it's going to have to go through some tests. See that behemoth above? It's big enough to hold the telescope in a sterile environment.
And this thing? Basically a shaker table. Put the telescope and shake, shake, shake...and hope it doesn't break apart. But they have to make sure it'll survive the trip up into space. (Once in orbit, the telescope will be pretty stable...it's getting there that's the dangerous part.)
And this giant room? Well, check out those huge speakers and subwoofers built in the wall, designed to blast the telescope and make sure it can't be sound-damaged.
The Goddard Center is about more than just the James Webb Telescope (although, I must admit some partiality towards that beauty). There's a giant centrifuge room big enough to spin cars at such a high force it would kill a person.
I know. I asked if I could ride in it. Between this and beryllium, seems like I don't have good NASA survival instincts.
There are also these very cool (ha! pun!) thermal vacuum chambers that can test smaller telescopes and satellites. (You can see the blue top of one here.)
After checking out the telescopes, we got to explore the robotic branch of Goddard.
It was fascinating, particularly the Asteroid Redirect Mission.
In the picture above, the big black thing is a boulder from an asteroid. A potentially Earth-killing asteroid (think: dinosaur extinction). The Asteroid Redirect Mission will spot these giant asteroid 20-30 years before they reach Earth, and then send this giant robot out to the asteroid. It'll pluck a boulder from the asteroid, then start orbiting the asteroid to redirect its path. Crazy cool, right?! More info here.
Another project this group is working on is retrofitting current satellites to be refueled. A lot of the space telescopes that were sent out before were never meant to be refueled because, frankly, we didn't know how refuel them.
They're perfectly good telescopes, but they're running out of fuel. This mission is to send a giant robotic arm that will service the telescope and retrofit it to be able to take fuel. It's basically a gas can and a robotic arm and that's awesome.
After exploring all of NASA's cool missions at the Goddard Center, Renee, Megan, Maggie, and I went over to the jamboree that was being held, showcasing more of NASA's missions. The one that particularly grabbed me was the cryogenics branch--because of Amy and Elder in Across the Universe, obviously--but also because they were offering cryogenic ice cream! :)
There was also a scavenger hunt going on--which Megan, Renee, and I were of absolutely no use--but it led us to this cool little stop...
John's Nobel Prize for Physics! I've never seen one in real life before--that was super cool! Also, fun FYI, the Nobel Prize is the only Pokestop on campus, which means I got to get a Pokestop that only NASA employees can get...
It's the little things in life. (Also, note that the NASA crew are apparently Team Instinct?)
Afterwards, we checked out the Visitor's Center, where we took a selfie in front of Saturn...
Checked out a piece of the moon that was recovered as part of the Apollo 14 mission...
...and I got trapped in the Gemini Command Module.
They also had a cool room that showcased the sun, and I stood in front of it and claimed myself queen of the solar system.
All in all, an amazing day! I loved getting to discover all the missions, from the robotic arms to the telescope that is surely going to blow our minds in just a few short years.
The only Star Wars vending machine at NASA (very appropriate). On NASA days, Renee and I wear Star Wars shirts (we mocked Megan soundly for not having one with her).
Of course, that's not the only thing we had to do that day! After all the science that NASA could stuff in our brains, we had to dash off for our next event, this one at the wonderful One More Page Books!
This happened to be the only stop where all five of the Dangerous Ladies could meet up, so it was extra special. Also new bestie Rae was there.
After a fantastic event, we went out to eat and then begged Renee, who is queen of beauty, to give us make overs! I told her to "go crazy" with my look, no holds barred :)
Yay!
The next day, we drove down to Richmond, VA, to go to The Fountain Bookstore. I've been aching to go here forever; this is one of those bookstores I've heard about in an almost legendary way.
And the stop was amazing.
Not only did we have a standing-room-only, almost-to-the-street turn out, but we sold out of A World Without You! And the people were so graciously kind. Our host even made a fantastic card game for us to play--the YA literary version of Cards Against Humanity. It was hilarious!
I also got to meet fellow Razorbill author Sarah Marsh! We're both writing about necromancers, whee!
We tried to stop by the Poe house to show our respects to the "Nevermore" author, but alas, time was too short, and this was as close as we got on our way to Chapel Hill!
Flyleaf Books hosted us, and we had a blast--they're always so wonderful! And in the back room, they had copies of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child...but they didn't let me steal a box at all!
Don't worry--I've got my copy and will be reading it this weekend...at the Read Up Greenville Book Festival! Hope to see you all there!
Remember! It's not too late to enter my giveaway--check out my last post for more details!
August 4, 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU Book Tour, Days 5 & 6: Connecticut and New York City
After all the sightseeing and recording and mac and cheese from the Boston area, it was kind of a relief to take the train to Connecticut for a well-deserved day off with bestie and fellow author Lauren DeStefano.
The view from my lovely hotel. All the spires of churches and Yale University looked like little outcroppings of magic, no?
For dinner, we went to Louis' Lunch, which, according to legend, is where cheeseburgers were invented. They take the recipe to heart, serving them exactly the same way as they did in the old days:
White bread, tomatoes, and onion. No ketchup.
You can see a bit of the bread toaster and burger griller in this pic, but by far the best thing about it was the two men cooking and serving. They were a riot!
After my short break, we got an early train and hitched a ride to New York City!
Taking the train meant we ended up at Grand Central Station; it's always so wonderful to step off a train and into this gorgeous station. I love the constellations looking down on all the people scurrying about. Anyone else ever notice that the Orion constellation is right next to the bee? (low key Across the Universe and The Body Electric reference ftw!)
First things first--before we even were able to properly check into the hotel, my mom and I hoofed it over to Times Square for her to check out the bustling center of the city. We saw where the New Year's Eve ball is...
...and then bumped into the singing Naked Cowboy...
...before I got her some cheesecake at Junior's. After that, we went back to the hotel where I got ready for my event at my beloved Books of Wonder.
I had my mom with me, which is my excuse for taking the classic cheesy shot of author-with-sign ;)
The brilliant author of Rock Fall, Everyone Dies, Lindsay Ribar, hosted me for the event, and it was a blast. Lindsay's one of the best people I know, and I adored sharing the stage with her--almost as much as I adored her latest book, which is hilarious and heart breaking and brilliant! (Psst: signed copies of both our books are available from Books of Wonder!)
And whoops! I think I forgot to grab my own picture of the event, so shout-out to Books of Wonder for recording it (and thanks for letting me steal it)...
After the event, I had to take my mom to the Empire State Building. We got there at the perfect time, just a few minutes before the sun was going to set. So we have brilliant evening photographs...
The top of the tower
Freedom Tower + the Statue of Liberty
Me and the Mother
...and then before we even made it all the way around the top, we got beautiful nighttime shots of the city.
The Chrysler Building
Downtown
The Empire State Building from the street level The next morning, we went to Eataly, a huge Italian market. The cheese display alone is drool-worthy:
Then we walked around Madison Square Park for a bit. It really is perfectly located, with a fantastic view of the Empire State Building on one side...
...and the lovely Flat Iron Building on the other. One day. One day I will get to go inside this briallint building, and it will be amazing.
Afterwards, I got to hang out with my fantastic and amazing agent, Merrilee Heifetz. (Ignore the goofy smile on my face--I just am so happy to be around her!) And I got to meet with my foreign rights agent (who is working hard to get A World Without You to other countries!) and meet Merrilee's new assistant, Allie, who is happiness in human form.
After lunch, my mom and I split ways so that I could continue the book tour elsewhere and she could meet up with family. I had a lovely long and rainy train ride as I continued south, perfect weather for getting a bit of writing work done.
And when the train finally stopped, four hours later, I was in Washington, DC, ready to start the next leg of my tour!
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy!
And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
And hey! Why not get yourself a fancy signed copy of the book?
The view from my lovely hotel. All the spires of churches and Yale University looked like little outcroppings of magic, no?
For dinner, we went to Louis' Lunch, which, according to legend, is where cheeseburgers were invented. They take the recipe to heart, serving them exactly the same way as they did in the old days:
White bread, tomatoes, and onion. No ketchup.
You can see a bit of the bread toaster and burger griller in this pic, but by far the best thing about it was the two men cooking and serving. They were a riot!
After my short break, we got an early train and hitched a ride to New York City!
Taking the train meant we ended up at Grand Central Station; it's always so wonderful to step off a train and into this gorgeous station. I love the constellations looking down on all the people scurrying about. Anyone else ever notice that the Orion constellation is right next to the bee? (low key Across the Universe and The Body Electric reference ftw!)
First things first--before we even were able to properly check into the hotel, my mom and I hoofed it over to Times Square for her to check out the bustling center of the city. We saw where the New Year's Eve ball is...
...and then bumped into the singing Naked Cowboy...
...before I got her some cheesecake at Junior's. After that, we went back to the hotel where I got ready for my event at my beloved Books of Wonder.
I had my mom with me, which is my excuse for taking the classic cheesy shot of author-with-sign ;)
The brilliant author of Rock Fall, Everyone Dies, Lindsay Ribar, hosted me for the event, and it was a blast. Lindsay's one of the best people I know, and I adored sharing the stage with her--almost as much as I adored her latest book, which is hilarious and heart breaking and brilliant! (Psst: signed copies of both our books are available from Books of Wonder!)
And whoops! I think I forgot to grab my own picture of the event, so shout-out to Books of Wonder for recording it (and thanks for letting me steal it)...
After the event, I had to take my mom to the Empire State Building. We got there at the perfect time, just a few minutes before the sun was going to set. So we have brilliant evening photographs...
The top of the tower
Freedom Tower + the Statue of Liberty
Me and the Mother...and then before we even made it all the way around the top, we got beautiful nighttime shots of the city.
The Chrysler Building
Downtown
The Empire State Building from the street level The next morning, we went to Eataly, a huge Italian market. The cheese display alone is drool-worthy:
Then we walked around Madison Square Park for a bit. It really is perfectly located, with a fantastic view of the Empire State Building on one side...
...and the lovely Flat Iron Building on the other. One day. One day I will get to go inside this briallint building, and it will be amazing.
Afterwards, I got to hang out with my fantastic and amazing agent, Merrilee Heifetz. (Ignore the goofy smile on my face--I just am so happy to be around her!) And I got to meet with my foreign rights agent (who is working hard to get A World Without You to other countries!) and meet Merrilee's new assistant, Allie, who is happiness in human form.
After lunch, my mom and I split ways so that I could continue the book tour elsewhere and she could meet up with family. I had a lovely long and rainy train ride as I continued south, perfect weather for getting a bit of writing work done.
And when the train finally stopped, four hours later, I was in Washington, DC, ready to start the next leg of my tour!
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy! And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
And hey! Why not get yourself a fancy signed copy of the book?
August 3, 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU Book Tour, Day 4: Boston, MA
Welcome to Day Four of my book/research tour!
Boston was actually not in my original manuscript--or my original plan. It wasn't until much later in the writing process, when Phoebe became a narrating character and I realized I needed a moment with her outside her home that I thought to have her go with her mother into Boston.
And since I dragged my own mother with me on this trip, I was really glad that I got to share Boston with her. We took the ferry from Salem (to avoid parking in the city), and that was an excellent choice.
In A World Without You, Phoebe's mom takes her out for an adventure day, driving down to Faneuil Hall for some shopping. It's not that huge of a scene, but it honestly took me days to research--I was fascinated by the idea of Faneuil Hall, but needed to get the feel right, you know?
And while I knew that Faneuil (and the nearby markets) were now basically shopping centers, I didn't realize that the top portion of Faneuil was and sometimes still is used for politics. Frederick Douglass and Lucy Stone both spoke up for more freedoms here.
But basically, Faneuil is now a part of a couple of market buildings full of shops and delicious food.
And I was especially happy to be able to explore it with my mother.
Although short, the scene in A World Without You is important because it shows Phoebe and her mother in a rare moment alone together. It was my way of showing their love, and so it was even more special that I got to share it with my own mother.
Also, I sort of loved how--much like on Plum Island--my research seemed eerily to come to life around me. Like I said before, the scene with Phoebe and her mother in Faneuil Hall is really short, but in it, Phoebe casually checks out a sundress and considers buying it. And as my mother and I were walking between the market buildings, a saleslady tried to get us to buy some sundresses!
Another thing Phoebe and her mom do is cruise through the Quincy Market and try to out do each other in tasty foods. You guys. You guys. There's basically an entire building that's one big food court and it's full of things that involve melted cheese and gelato and chocolate and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Also? Totally without prompting, my mom picked a mac and cheese stall for lunch proving (a) that we're totally related, and (b) another eerie connection with A World Without You as that's what Phoebe and her mom end up getting too. (Or maybe not eerie, because why would anyone pick anything else when mac and cheese is on the menu?)
After checking out Faneuil and the other marketplaces, Mom and I started on the Freedom Trail. This brick line meanders around the city, pausing at places where important things in the American Revolution happened.
Of course, the first thing I gravitated to was the cemeteries.
The above gravestone was noted for being so ornate; do you recognize all the tombstone symbols carved into it?
I don't care what happens to my body, but I want a cool gravestone, y'all.
Here's one we couldn't figure out, even when we asked park rangers about it. Some of the graves of revolutionaries were covered in coins. Why? No idea. Just...coins. Coins all over.
Apparently, this gravestone helped inspire Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter. The crest on the side may have inspired the large red "A" Hester had to wear.
Sam Adams grave was located just in front of...
...the graves of the victims of the Boston Massacre. Which happened just a few blocks away, marked by this circle embedded in the ground in front of the Old State Building.
I remember very vividly how in my old text book, there were political cartoons and illustrations of the Boston Massacre--and they were brutally graphic. And yet, being in this spot and seeing the graves--and hearing more of what really happened, outside of propoganda--was hugely powerful.
Fun note! On the balcony in the Old State Building above, they read the Declaration of Independence to the people gathered below.
But back to the graves! Aren't they beautiful?
I particularly liked the skull design of this one...probably the most vividly realistic of the lot.
John Hancock had a large monument in the cemetery to match his large signature on the Declaration of Independence...
And I loved the symbolic winged time that decorated the wall outside the cemetary, too.
Another fun fact! The graves were originally kept by a groundskeeper who also kept his cows in the walled cemetery, at least until people started complaining about all the cow poo filling the area up.
So after a long day of walking the trail, dragging my mom through graveyards, and nerding out over history, we decided to hop onto a whale watching boat!
I know what you're thinking: whale watching in Boston? I thought I'd never see whales outside of Canada and Alaska, but honestly, it was such a great experience here! The boat tour was about three hours long (I know), and it was potentially my favorite thing.
Apparently, there's a well-known feeding ground for humpback whales off the coast, and the tour--run by the aquarium--took us straight there. It wasn't long before we started seeing puffs of white water on the surface...
And then we saw three humpback whales--and they seemed intent on saying hi!
When I tell you these whales got close, I'm vastly underselling you the experience. They were so close that they moved our boat. They were so close that I could look them in the eye. They were so close that, had I been on the lower deck, I would have felt the mist from their blowing.
This whale became my very best friend. We're going on vacation together later.
I kept trying and trying to get one of those classic pictures of the tail splashing back into the sea, and I kept being a second off...
But I did get a great shot of a whale shooting straight up from the water to try to scare off the birds that were circling it (and stealing its lunch).
That is a mother flipping whale telling off a bunch of mother flipping birds and its face is right there.
In the end, I did get my tail picture ;) And on the boat ride back to shore, the scientists on board showed us what baleen looks and feels like.
Once we got back, we hung out at the market for a little while longer, then snagged a duck tour of the harbor--everyone's top recommendation.
After a long day of sightseeing and whale watching, it was sort of a relief to take the ferry back to our car and call it a night. As we left, I turned around and snapped this picture of Boston at sunset...a fitting end to a day full of history, family, and whale bffs.
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy!
And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
And hey! Why not get yourself a fancy signed copy of the book?
Boston was actually not in my original manuscript--or my original plan. It wasn't until much later in the writing process, when Phoebe became a narrating character and I realized I needed a moment with her outside her home that I thought to have her go with her mother into Boston.
And since I dragged my own mother with me on this trip, I was really glad that I got to share Boston with her. We took the ferry from Salem (to avoid parking in the city), and that was an excellent choice.
In A World Without You, Phoebe's mom takes her out for an adventure day, driving down to Faneuil Hall for some shopping. It's not that huge of a scene, but it honestly took me days to research--I was fascinated by the idea of Faneuil Hall, but needed to get the feel right, you know?
And while I knew that Faneuil (and the nearby markets) were now basically shopping centers, I didn't realize that the top portion of Faneuil was and sometimes still is used for politics. Frederick Douglass and Lucy Stone both spoke up for more freedoms here.
But basically, Faneuil is now a part of a couple of market buildings full of shops and delicious food.
And I was especially happy to be able to explore it with my mother.
Although short, the scene in A World Without You is important because it shows Phoebe and her mother in a rare moment alone together. It was my way of showing their love, and so it was even more special that I got to share it with my own mother.
Also, I sort of loved how--much like on Plum Island--my research seemed eerily to come to life around me. Like I said before, the scene with Phoebe and her mother in Faneuil Hall is really short, but in it, Phoebe casually checks out a sundress and considers buying it. And as my mother and I were walking between the market buildings, a saleslady tried to get us to buy some sundresses!
Another thing Phoebe and her mom do is cruise through the Quincy Market and try to out do each other in tasty foods. You guys. You guys. There's basically an entire building that's one big food court and it's full of things that involve melted cheese and gelato and chocolate and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Also? Totally without prompting, my mom picked a mac and cheese stall for lunch proving (a) that we're totally related, and (b) another eerie connection with A World Without You as that's what Phoebe and her mom end up getting too. (Or maybe not eerie, because why would anyone pick anything else when mac and cheese is on the menu?)
After checking out Faneuil and the other marketplaces, Mom and I started on the Freedom Trail. This brick line meanders around the city, pausing at places where important things in the American Revolution happened.
Of course, the first thing I gravitated to was the cemeteries.
The above gravestone was noted for being so ornate; do you recognize all the tombstone symbols carved into it?
I don't care what happens to my body, but I want a cool gravestone, y'all.
Here's one we couldn't figure out, even when we asked park rangers about it. Some of the graves of revolutionaries were covered in coins. Why? No idea. Just...coins. Coins all over.
Apparently, this gravestone helped inspire Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter. The crest on the side may have inspired the large red "A" Hester had to wear.
Sam Adams grave was located just in front of...
...the graves of the victims of the Boston Massacre. Which happened just a few blocks away, marked by this circle embedded in the ground in front of the Old State Building.
I remember very vividly how in my old text book, there were political cartoons and illustrations of the Boston Massacre--and they were brutally graphic. And yet, being in this spot and seeing the graves--and hearing more of what really happened, outside of propoganda--was hugely powerful.
Fun note! On the balcony in the Old State Building above, they read the Declaration of Independence to the people gathered below.
But back to the graves! Aren't they beautiful?
I particularly liked the skull design of this one...probably the most vividly realistic of the lot.
John Hancock had a large monument in the cemetery to match his large signature on the Declaration of Independence...
And I loved the symbolic winged time that decorated the wall outside the cemetary, too.
Another fun fact! The graves were originally kept by a groundskeeper who also kept his cows in the walled cemetery, at least until people started complaining about all the cow poo filling the area up.
So after a long day of walking the trail, dragging my mom through graveyards, and nerding out over history, we decided to hop onto a whale watching boat!
I know what you're thinking: whale watching in Boston? I thought I'd never see whales outside of Canada and Alaska, but honestly, it was such a great experience here! The boat tour was about three hours long (I know), and it was potentially my favorite thing.
Apparently, there's a well-known feeding ground for humpback whales off the coast, and the tour--run by the aquarium--took us straight there. It wasn't long before we started seeing puffs of white water on the surface...
And then we saw three humpback whales--and they seemed intent on saying hi!
When I tell you these whales got close, I'm vastly underselling you the experience. They were so close that they moved our boat. They were so close that I could look them in the eye. They were so close that, had I been on the lower deck, I would have felt the mist from their blowing.
This whale became my very best friend. We're going on vacation together later.
I kept trying and trying to get one of those classic pictures of the tail splashing back into the sea, and I kept being a second off...
But I did get a great shot of a whale shooting straight up from the water to try to scare off the birds that were circling it (and stealing its lunch).
That is a mother flipping whale telling off a bunch of mother flipping birds and its face is right there.
In the end, I did get my tail picture ;) And on the boat ride back to shore, the scientists on board showed us what baleen looks and feels like.
Once we got back, we hung out at the market for a little while longer, then snagged a duck tour of the harbor--everyone's top recommendation.
After a long day of sightseeing and whale watching, it was sort of a relief to take the ferry back to our car and call it a night. As we left, I turned around and snapped this picture of Boston at sunset...a fitting end to a day full of history, family, and whale bffs.
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy! And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
And hey! Why not get yourself a fancy signed copy of the book?
August 2, 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU Book Tour, Day 3: Salem, MA
I chose to set A World Without You in New England for several different reasons. I was first formulating the idea for the novel during a different signing at Wellesley Books, located just outside of Boston. When I was searching for an island to place my fictional school, I discovered Plum Island (which I talked about in yesterday's post). But there was also a time and place I'd long been fascinated with...
Salem, Massachusetts.
I have long been fascinated by the heart of the Salem Witch Trials, and when I started writing this strange little book featuring time travel and super powers, I knew I wanted to include Salem.
In the novel, Bo's girlfriend, Sofía, gets stuck in the past...in Salem...during the witch trials...and she has the power to turn invisible, but not the ability to control it. Additionally, she's Latina with dark skin, features that the Puritans didn't really look too kindly upon (see also: Tituba).
Fortunately, all of the Salem events in A World Without You take place during the past--because modern Salem was nothing like what I expected it to be! Here in North Carolina, we have the recreated village of Old Salem (similar to Colonial Williamsburg) where people dress in period costumes and showcase the age. Everything's kind of contained in a historical district, and you meander around and learn stuff.
That was...not really the case of Salem, MA. The town was sprawling--historical buildings weren't all grouped together in one small area, but spread out over miles, with many blocks of nonhistorical stuff between. And there was a strange mix of historical nautical stuff sponsored by the national park service and very commercial witch stuff put on by everyone else.
These beautiful figurehead carvings were interspersed throughout the town, and were a reminder that Salem was first and foremost a nautical city.
Of course, the reason most tourists come to Salem is for the witch history, and there was a healthy mix of truly historical landmarks, accurate museums and tours, and purely sensational nonsense (all of which I'm all on board for, tbh).
Early on we discovered the Burying Point, the oldest graveyard in Salem, dating back to 1637. It's believed that some of the original colonists were buried in the area, but their graves were unmarked in order to disguise just how many people had died and avoid looking weak to the Native Americans.
Anyone who knows me knows I love cemeteries. The older the better.
One of the first tombstones I found was that of Justice John Hathorne, who presided over many of the Salem Witch Trials as judge.
Fun fact! Author Nathaniel Hawthorne is related to the Justice, but was so disgusted by his ancestor's participation in the Witch Trials that he changed the spelling of his own last name.
I loved the markings on many of the tombstones--particularly the winged skull, a reminder that life is fleeting, which adorned so many of them.
I was also smitten with the phrasing--many of the tombstones stated "here lies the body" of someone; it's a slight deviation from our more common "here lies," but a significant note.
Near the back of the graveyard, behind an old house that belonged to Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife, I found the grave of Nathaniel Mather, brother to Cotton Mather. Cotton was a fascinating character--a scientist who provided significant research in hybridization and supported innoculations to prevent diseases, but who also was a full-hearted supported of the Salem Witch Trials.
I seriously could have spent all day in the cemetery. I look at old tombstones like these broken, faded ones caged next to a big tree, and all I see are stories that have been forgotten, waiting to be rediscovered...
On the other side of the cemetery is the official memorial park. A tree-lined park is surrounded by twenty stone benches, each representing a different victim of the Trials. The park was dedicated by author and humanitarian Elie Wiesel. It's easy to get caught up in the sensationalism of the Witch Trials--and the countless "spooky" tours and "mystic" crap being peddled all around add to this--but it's hugely important to remember that there are real people beneath the graves.
One of the things I liked best during my tour of Salem was a re-enactment play called Cry Innocent. In it, actors dressed in period costumes re-enact an actual trial, using actual transcripts. The audience is the jury and casts a vote at the end deciding whether Bridget Bishop is innocent or a witch.
Our jury voted 12-11 on Bridget's innocence...but the actress told us in an afterward how Bridget was ultimately found guilty of witchcraft and hanged for her crimes.
I really loved how interactive this play was--the actors sat amongst the audience, and the stage wasn't a stage so much as a trial room. Periodically, the trial would "pause" so that the audience could interrogate Bridget or the witnesses against her, or ask for clarification from the judge (Justice Hawthorne).
But what really stuck with me was just how...unjust the whole trial was. How can you prove you're not a witch? How can you prove you believe--or don't believe--anything?
And just to add to how truly weird the world and time and history are, here I am playing Pokemon Go just before the re-enactment trial began... the future is strange, yo.
Aside from the Witch Trials, one of the real people who is best remembered in Salem is author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Best known for The Scarlet Letter (which I've written many an essay on in my time), Hawthorne is also the author of several other books.
And, for awhile, he worked here:
The Custom House overlooked the water, and Hawthorne worked as a surveyor here. Anyone who's had to suffer through The Scarlet Letter may recognize this building (and the eagle) from the (omg so long and boring) preface at the beginning of the novel.
What I loved? The story that Hawthorne was actually kind of terrible at his job, was fired after his political buddies left office, and spent time he was supposed to be working at his job instead working on his novels. This made me love Hawthorne way more than any of his actual books.
The little sign says that the above quill was one that was very likely used by Hawthorne while he wrote his books, and the desk below was Hawthorne's own.
I expected to find all kinds of information about the Witch Trials at Salem, but in all honesty, aside from experiencing Cry Innocent and getting a stronger feel of the layout of the town, there were two things that really surprised me. One was learning about the House of Seven Gables, made famous in the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel of the same name.
We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so all you get is this exterior shot. I'll be honest--I'm not really a fan of Hawthorne, and the only reason we toured this house is because, well...it was there and we had the time. But man, I'm glad I did! It wasn't the architecture that got me--although seven gables is seven more than my house has. It wasn't the period decorations, or even the history.
It was the mother-flipping secret passage.
Look, I like old houses. But I've never seen a cooler, better hidden, more secrety secret passage than the one that's in this house. It's so well hidden I don't think I'd ever find it on my own, and even once you did find it, it's pretty awesome. The passage is hidden behind the wood closet by the fireplace--a door opens out of the wall when you press it just right, revealing a very narrow staircase that is more like a ladder in some spots and takes you up into the gabled attic. It's a tight squeeze--I had to hold my messenger bag over my head to go up!--and the rooms in the attic are the most untouched of the house. Believed to be bedrooms for servants, the thing that fascinated me was the tally marks scratched into the walls...
After this historical and literarily-significant house, the other thing I learned about Salem that I'd not know before was the Derby House. Well--the house wasn't that shocking (and we couldn't go in). What was shocking was learning about the Derby family of Salem--America's first millionaires. It's hard to believe, but Salem was once one of the wealthiest cities in America, and home to the wealthiest man. And this little house was his "starter home" as he amassed his fortunes...
While Salem was nothing like I expected, I loved discovering some of its secrets!
After visiting Salem, I made a mad dash through insane traffic (you guys were not kidding about Massachusetts traffic!) in order to get to my second signing. Hosted by the Wellesley Free Library in conjunction with Wellesley Books, I got the chance to discuss relationships in literature with Julie Berry, Lori Goldstein, and Emily Ross!
And across from the library was this castle-like structure (which I think was city hall?). It would make an excellent Berkshire Academy, no?
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy!
And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
And hey! Why not get yourself a fancy signed copy of the book?
Salem, Massachusetts.
I have long been fascinated by the heart of the Salem Witch Trials, and when I started writing this strange little book featuring time travel and super powers, I knew I wanted to include Salem.
In the novel, Bo's girlfriend, Sofía, gets stuck in the past...in Salem...during the witch trials...and she has the power to turn invisible, but not the ability to control it. Additionally, she's Latina with dark skin, features that the Puritans didn't really look too kindly upon (see also: Tituba).
Fortunately, all of the Salem events in A World Without You take place during the past--because modern Salem was nothing like what I expected it to be! Here in North Carolina, we have the recreated village of Old Salem (similar to Colonial Williamsburg) where people dress in period costumes and showcase the age. Everything's kind of contained in a historical district, and you meander around and learn stuff.
That was...not really the case of Salem, MA. The town was sprawling--historical buildings weren't all grouped together in one small area, but spread out over miles, with many blocks of nonhistorical stuff between. And there was a strange mix of historical nautical stuff sponsored by the national park service and very commercial witch stuff put on by everyone else.
These beautiful figurehead carvings were interspersed throughout the town, and were a reminder that Salem was first and foremost a nautical city.
Of course, the reason most tourists come to Salem is for the witch history, and there was a healthy mix of truly historical landmarks, accurate museums and tours, and purely sensational nonsense (all of which I'm all on board for, tbh).
Early on we discovered the Burying Point, the oldest graveyard in Salem, dating back to 1637. It's believed that some of the original colonists were buried in the area, but their graves were unmarked in order to disguise just how many people had died and avoid looking weak to the Native Americans.
Anyone who knows me knows I love cemeteries. The older the better.
One of the first tombstones I found was that of Justice John Hathorne, who presided over many of the Salem Witch Trials as judge.
Fun fact! Author Nathaniel Hawthorne is related to the Justice, but was so disgusted by his ancestor's participation in the Witch Trials that he changed the spelling of his own last name.
I loved the markings on many of the tombstones--particularly the winged skull, a reminder that life is fleeting, which adorned so many of them.
I was also smitten with the phrasing--many of the tombstones stated "here lies the body" of someone; it's a slight deviation from our more common "here lies," but a significant note.
Near the back of the graveyard, behind an old house that belonged to Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife, I found the grave of Nathaniel Mather, brother to Cotton Mather. Cotton was a fascinating character--a scientist who provided significant research in hybridization and supported innoculations to prevent diseases, but who also was a full-hearted supported of the Salem Witch Trials.
I seriously could have spent all day in the cemetery. I look at old tombstones like these broken, faded ones caged next to a big tree, and all I see are stories that have been forgotten, waiting to be rediscovered...
On the other side of the cemetery is the official memorial park. A tree-lined park is surrounded by twenty stone benches, each representing a different victim of the Trials. The park was dedicated by author and humanitarian Elie Wiesel. It's easy to get caught up in the sensationalism of the Witch Trials--and the countless "spooky" tours and "mystic" crap being peddled all around add to this--but it's hugely important to remember that there are real people beneath the graves.
One of the things I liked best during my tour of Salem was a re-enactment play called Cry Innocent. In it, actors dressed in period costumes re-enact an actual trial, using actual transcripts. The audience is the jury and casts a vote at the end deciding whether Bridget Bishop is innocent or a witch.
Our jury voted 12-11 on Bridget's innocence...but the actress told us in an afterward how Bridget was ultimately found guilty of witchcraft and hanged for her crimes.
I really loved how interactive this play was--the actors sat amongst the audience, and the stage wasn't a stage so much as a trial room. Periodically, the trial would "pause" so that the audience could interrogate Bridget or the witnesses against her, or ask for clarification from the judge (Justice Hawthorne).
But what really stuck with me was just how...unjust the whole trial was. How can you prove you're not a witch? How can you prove you believe--or don't believe--anything?
And just to add to how truly weird the world and time and history are, here I am playing Pokemon Go just before the re-enactment trial began... the future is strange, yo.
Aside from the Witch Trials, one of the real people who is best remembered in Salem is author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Best known for The Scarlet Letter (which I've written many an essay on in my time), Hawthorne is also the author of several other books.
And, for awhile, he worked here:
The Custom House overlooked the water, and Hawthorne worked as a surveyor here. Anyone who's had to suffer through The Scarlet Letter may recognize this building (and the eagle) from the (omg so long and boring) preface at the beginning of the novel.
What I loved? The story that Hawthorne was actually kind of terrible at his job, was fired after his political buddies left office, and spent time he was supposed to be working at his job instead working on his novels. This made me love Hawthorne way more than any of his actual books.
The little sign says that the above quill was one that was very likely used by Hawthorne while he wrote his books, and the desk below was Hawthorne's own.
I expected to find all kinds of information about the Witch Trials at Salem, but in all honesty, aside from experiencing Cry Innocent and getting a stronger feel of the layout of the town, there were two things that really surprised me. One was learning about the House of Seven Gables, made famous in the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel of the same name.
We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so all you get is this exterior shot. I'll be honest--I'm not really a fan of Hawthorne, and the only reason we toured this house is because, well...it was there and we had the time. But man, I'm glad I did! It wasn't the architecture that got me--although seven gables is seven more than my house has. It wasn't the period decorations, or even the history.
It was the mother-flipping secret passage.
Look, I like old houses. But I've never seen a cooler, better hidden, more secrety secret passage than the one that's in this house. It's so well hidden I don't think I'd ever find it on my own, and even once you did find it, it's pretty awesome. The passage is hidden behind the wood closet by the fireplace--a door opens out of the wall when you press it just right, revealing a very narrow staircase that is more like a ladder in some spots and takes you up into the gabled attic. It's a tight squeeze--I had to hold my messenger bag over my head to go up!--and the rooms in the attic are the most untouched of the house. Believed to be bedrooms for servants, the thing that fascinated me was the tally marks scratched into the walls...
After this historical and literarily-significant house, the other thing I learned about Salem that I'd not know before was the Derby House. Well--the house wasn't that shocking (and we couldn't go in). What was shocking was learning about the Derby family of Salem--America's first millionaires. It's hard to believe, but Salem was once one of the wealthiest cities in America, and home to the wealthiest man. And this little house was his "starter home" as he amassed his fortunes...
While Salem was nothing like I expected, I loved discovering some of its secrets!
After visiting Salem, I made a mad dash through insane traffic (you guys were not kidding about Massachusetts traffic!) in order to get to my second signing. Hosted by the Wellesley Free Library in conjunction with Wellesley Books, I got the chance to discuss relationships in literature with Julie Berry, Lori Goldstein, and Emily Ross!
And across from the library was this castle-like structure (which I think was city hall?). It would make an excellent Berkshire Academy, no?
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy! And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
And hey! Why not get yourself a fancy signed copy of the book?
August 1, 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU Book Tour, Day 2: Plum Island
Like I said in my last post, this year's book tour was a little different--since A World Without You was set in New England and my tour started there, I decided to take a few days to explore the area where it was set.
In A World Without You, Bo's school is located at the end of Pear Island. This was based on an actual island in Massachusetts called Plum Island. It's located just outside of Ipswich; half the island is residential and the lower half is a national park and wildlife refuge. In A World Without You, I added Berkshire Academy--the location of most of the book.
It honestly wasn't easy getting the setting right when I was basing it on a real place that I'd never been to before. I studied as much as I could--examining Google maps, creeping on people's vacation photographs, and even contacting the park service office for details. But nothing beat actually exploring the island.
I was actually very grateful for the fact that my research hadn't failed me. Stepping onto Plum Island was a little surreal. Sure, there wasn't a giant X-Men-style mansion/school, but everything else was pretty spot on. I particularly loved how the boardwalks snaked through the sandy, marshy part of the island, where the bird reserves were.
This view made my heart sing--when you read A World Without You, there's a scene where Bo sees two men from the past riding horseback through the marshy area. It was so hard for me to evaluate, based on books and notes, how likely this scene would be--I needed beach + water + grass + marsh + the right feel...and this right here was it. It's crazy to see something that I made up come to life, even if it was based on a real place. I don't know; it felt a little magic.
We climbed an observation tower to get a better look at the island, and I picked the spot where Berkshire Academy should be, if it were real.
And just over the scrub brush, you could the ocean. Even in July, it felt a little chilly--exactly as Bo complained about ;)
You can just see Ipswich and the neighboring towns in the distance. The mainland wasn't really that far away, but the island still felt very isolated--perfect for Berkshire.
Did you think of images like this when you read about Berkshire and Pear Island in A World Without You?
After the observation tower, we made our way down to the beach. This is at the very southern tip of the island, and the spot you're looking at is exactly where I'd put Berkshire Academy. Imagine a giant mansion made of brick with a curving driveway and a big sign out front, with Bo and Sofía inside...
To the left, the ocean. To the right, an imaginary school for superheroes ;)
We went exploring the beach for a bit--I can never refuse the sea--and I loved the shells that littered the sand.
I found a pair for Bo and Sofía.
I love this contrast--the vegatation and greenary on the left, the sand and ocean on the right. This is exactly how I envisioned Pear Island while writing it.
My mom then had the brilliant idea to write a message in the sand. Pretend Berkshire Academy is in the background...
It says, Hello Beautiful! This was the original title of A World Without You--in the first draft, Bo wrote letters to Sofía that started off with "Hello, Beautiful," and so I titled the novel after that.
Here I am, on the beach of the island where I based A World Without You, standing in front of where Berkshire Academy should be, with the original title of the book at my feet.
My job is awesome. Below is one of the boardwalks connecting the beach to the boardwalk. It looks right, but this is the part that most deviated from my imagination while writing A World Without You. Truth be told, I based those boardwalks more on some I had already been on in West Virginia, in cranberry country. But I love a good boardwalk, and this one, I think, should go right past the fireplace ruins described in A World Without You.
Can't you just see this boardwalk ending right at the fireplace?
One of the things Plum Island (and therefore my fictional Pear Island) is well known for is birds. It's a wildlife rufuge, and a well known location for bird photography. Bo is pretty dismissive of people who do this, but the birdwatchers I ran across were delightful. They tried very hard to tell me about the local birds, but alas, I am not very bird-orientated, so I just got a few picks of these lovely flocks of birds that swooped like a dark cloud over the marsh water.
Most of the boardwalks were closed due to a special bird nesting nearby, so I wasn't able to really explore the island as I wished to. One of the things I particularly wanted to discover was the ruins of an old polio camp that are located on the island.
This surprises a lot of people--in A World Without You, there's an old "sick kids' camp" as Bo calls it. This is because on the real Plum Island, Sea Haven Camp was a popular place for children with polio in the 40s and 50s. I've been able to look at a few pictures of the ruins (which may be lost to time now; I'm not sure), and I based the sick kids' camp on Pear Island off of this unique feature.
As best as I could tell, the polio camp was likely somewhere around this area. Even if it's not, this is the type of landscape I envisioned when describing my own camp in A World Without You. The slightly rolling hills, the grass overtaking the sand, the scrub brush...just image some abandoned cabins and a small pool area here...
As the sun set over my first day on tour, I couldn't help but be amazed by Plum Island. I loved how beautifully magnificent the landscape was, but what really struck me was how it was so vividly close to what I imagined my own Pear Island to be. I'd spent hours and hours researching the island, but when I actually felt it, it was so cool to see it come to life.
I know Plum Island is a real place, and I knew it when I invent Pear Island. But to see something that you'd only before seen in your head was a little bit miraculous.
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy!
And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
In A World Without You, Bo's school is located at the end of Pear Island. This was based on an actual island in Massachusetts called Plum Island. It's located just outside of Ipswich; half the island is residential and the lower half is a national park and wildlife refuge. In A World Without You, I added Berkshire Academy--the location of most of the book.
It honestly wasn't easy getting the setting right when I was basing it on a real place that I'd never been to before. I studied as much as I could--examining Google maps, creeping on people's vacation photographs, and even contacting the park service office for details. But nothing beat actually exploring the island.
I was actually very grateful for the fact that my research hadn't failed me. Stepping onto Plum Island was a little surreal. Sure, there wasn't a giant X-Men-style mansion/school, but everything else was pretty spot on. I particularly loved how the boardwalks snaked through the sandy, marshy part of the island, where the bird reserves were.
This view made my heart sing--when you read A World Without You, there's a scene where Bo sees two men from the past riding horseback through the marshy area. It was so hard for me to evaluate, based on books and notes, how likely this scene would be--I needed beach + water + grass + marsh + the right feel...and this right here was it. It's crazy to see something that I made up come to life, even if it was based on a real place. I don't know; it felt a little magic.
We climbed an observation tower to get a better look at the island, and I picked the spot where Berkshire Academy should be, if it were real.
And just over the scrub brush, you could the ocean. Even in July, it felt a little chilly--exactly as Bo complained about ;)
You can just see Ipswich and the neighboring towns in the distance. The mainland wasn't really that far away, but the island still felt very isolated--perfect for Berkshire.
Did you think of images like this when you read about Berkshire and Pear Island in A World Without You?
After the observation tower, we made our way down to the beach. This is at the very southern tip of the island, and the spot you're looking at is exactly where I'd put Berkshire Academy. Imagine a giant mansion made of brick with a curving driveway and a big sign out front, with Bo and Sofía inside...
To the left, the ocean. To the right, an imaginary school for superheroes ;)
We went exploring the beach for a bit--I can never refuse the sea--and I loved the shells that littered the sand.
I found a pair for Bo and Sofía.
I love this contrast--the vegatation and greenary on the left, the sand and ocean on the right. This is exactly how I envisioned Pear Island while writing it.
My mom then had the brilliant idea to write a message in the sand. Pretend Berkshire Academy is in the background...
It says, Hello Beautiful! This was the original title of A World Without You--in the first draft, Bo wrote letters to Sofía that started off with "Hello, Beautiful," and so I titled the novel after that.
Here I am, on the beach of the island where I based A World Without You, standing in front of where Berkshire Academy should be, with the original title of the book at my feet.
My job is awesome. Below is one of the boardwalks connecting the beach to the boardwalk. It looks right, but this is the part that most deviated from my imagination while writing A World Without You. Truth be told, I based those boardwalks more on some I had already been on in West Virginia, in cranberry country. But I love a good boardwalk, and this one, I think, should go right past the fireplace ruins described in A World Without You.
Can't you just see this boardwalk ending right at the fireplace?
One of the things Plum Island (and therefore my fictional Pear Island) is well known for is birds. It's a wildlife rufuge, and a well known location for bird photography. Bo is pretty dismissive of people who do this, but the birdwatchers I ran across were delightful. They tried very hard to tell me about the local birds, but alas, I am not very bird-orientated, so I just got a few picks of these lovely flocks of birds that swooped like a dark cloud over the marsh water.
Most of the boardwalks were closed due to a special bird nesting nearby, so I wasn't able to really explore the island as I wished to. One of the things I particularly wanted to discover was the ruins of an old polio camp that are located on the island.
This surprises a lot of people--in A World Without You, there's an old "sick kids' camp" as Bo calls it. This is because on the real Plum Island, Sea Haven Camp was a popular place for children with polio in the 40s and 50s. I've been able to look at a few pictures of the ruins (which may be lost to time now; I'm not sure), and I based the sick kids' camp on Pear Island off of this unique feature.
As best as I could tell, the polio camp was likely somewhere around this area. Even if it's not, this is the type of landscape I envisioned when describing my own camp in A World Without You. The slightly rolling hills, the grass overtaking the sand, the scrub brush...just image some abandoned cabins and a small pool area here...
As the sun set over my first day on tour, I couldn't help but be amazed by Plum Island. I loved how beautifully magnificent the landscape was, but what really struck me was how it was so vividly close to what I imagined my own Pear Island to be. I'd spent hours and hours researching the island, but when I actually felt it, it was so cool to see it come to life.
I know Plum Island is a real place, and I knew it when I invent Pear Island. But to see something that you'd only before seen in your head was a little bit miraculous.
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy! And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
July 31, 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU Book Tour, Day 1: Asheville
I am finally back home from book tour, and it's been awesome! Super glad to be home in the land of staying-in-AC-all-day, but still had a hugely fantastic time on tour!
This tour was a little different from my past ones. Before I picked up with the Dangerous Ladies group, I took a little detour up to New England so that I could tour some of the places where
A World Without You
takes place. I set the book in the Boston-area for a few reasons--proximity to the Salem Witch Trials, after a book event at Wellesley Books where the weather seemed just right for my setting, the convenient location of Plum Island. I did as much research as I could with books and the internet, but this is the first time I actually got a chance to visit the areas where the book was actually set! (And don't worry--I took lots of pics and videos, and will be posting them over the next few days.)
Of course, before I did any of that, I had to have a launch party! And the good people at Malaprops were gracious enough to host me and my little book. (Also: it's not too late! You can always get signed copies of any of my books directly through Malaprops!)
Malaprops is one of my favorite bookstores in the whole world, and I'm so happy to call them my book home. They really did a fantastic job with the launch party! There was a beautiful cupcake cake...
But what was far more important to me was all the beautiful people who came!
Not gonna lie--I'm always paranoid about throwing a party and no one showing up. (This directly stems back to my disastrous childhood birthday parties don't ask.) So when Malaprops started setting up extra chairs for people because there weren't enough seats...you guys. Thank you.
And speaking of thanks, huge thanks to the amazing Alexa Duncan who co-hosted the event with me and interviewed me on A World Without You. She is amazing, y'all, and you need her smart, feminist, sci fi books now.
Of course, another benefit of doing a launch party at Malaprops is that the bookstore is perfectly positioned to capture two Pokestops without moving a muscle. Plus someone set off two lures, which meant I had to sneak in a few captures...
It was just too tempting! I mean, check this out!
But in all seriousness, y'all, it was an amazing night. Celebrating this book with friends and family was the perfect way to launch A World Without You, a story that is deeply connected to my own past and future, one that wouldn't exist without the connections I share with the people I love. You guys are the very, very best.
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy!
And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
This tour was a little different from my past ones. Before I picked up with the Dangerous Ladies group, I took a little detour up to New England so that I could tour some of the places where
A World Without You
takes place. I set the book in the Boston-area for a few reasons--proximity to the Salem Witch Trials, after a book event at Wellesley Books where the weather seemed just right for my setting, the convenient location of Plum Island. I did as much research as I could with books and the internet, but this is the first time I actually got a chance to visit the areas where the book was actually set! (And don't worry--I took lots of pics and videos, and will be posting them over the next few days.)Of course, before I did any of that, I had to have a launch party! And the good people at Malaprops were gracious enough to host me and my little book. (Also: it's not too late! You can always get signed copies of any of my books directly through Malaprops!)
Malaprops is one of my favorite bookstores in the whole world, and I'm so happy to call them my book home. They really did a fantastic job with the launch party! There was a beautiful cupcake cake...
But what was far more important to me was all the beautiful people who came!
Not gonna lie--I'm always paranoid about throwing a party and no one showing up. (This directly stems back to my disastrous childhood birthday parties don't ask.) So when Malaprops started setting up extra chairs for people because there weren't enough seats...you guys. Thank you.
And speaking of thanks, huge thanks to the amazing Alexa Duncan who co-hosted the event with me and interviewed me on A World Without You. She is amazing, y'all, and you need her smart, feminist, sci fi books now.
Of course, another benefit of doing a launch party at Malaprops is that the bookstore is perfectly positioned to capture two Pokestops without moving a muscle. Plus someone set off two lures, which meant I had to sneak in a few captures...
It was just too tempting! I mean, check this out!
But in all seriousness, y'all, it was an amazing night. Celebrating this book with friends and family was the perfect way to launch A World Without You, a story that is deeply connected to my own past and future, one that wouldn't exist without the connections I share with the people I love. You guys are the very, very best.
Stick around all this week for more updates and travelogue of my recent tour--including a literal whale, a makeover, and a naked cowboy! And don't forget to enter my on-going giveaway--100 people who take a photograph of A World Without You and post it online will get a free surprise gift in the mail!
More details and entry form are located here.
July 19, 2016
Post a Pic, Get a Prize!
So, A World Without You is officially out, and I'm officially on book tour! My full schedule is available here, but if you're in: Boston area, NYC, Washington DC area, Richmond VA, or Chapel Hill NC, I hope you come see me!I hope you grabbed a copy or checked it out from your library. As my way of thanking you, I ordered 100 secret...somethings. Little gifts. To get one, just fill out the form. I'll be selecting a random 100 people from the addresses below and sending them a special gift in the mail!
To enter, just post a picture of A World Without You on a public social media forum (such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram) with the hashtag #AWorldWithoutYou, then submit the link and your mailing address in the form below. Open internationally, submit link by August 10. I'll randomly select 100 mailing addresses to mail the special gift to...and will send extra swag to as many people as I can until my postage budget runs out :)
Caveat: This does need to be a picture of the actual book, not just the flat cover image. You can post a picture of the actual book in anyway you want--a selfie with the book, a picture of it in a bookstore or library, or the book loaded up on your ereader. Get creative! I'll RT some of my faves :)
The gift is a secret--I want people to get a special surprise in the mail!--but it's a simple, fun thing that I think you'll like :)
Loading...
July 12, 2016
On Blurbs, Giveaways, and Getting Goodies with Preorders
Before we get to the big giveaway at the bottom of this post, I wanted to make sure everyone knew how to preorder A World Without You from all the various places that are featuring the book.
GET A WORLD WITHOUT YOU + 2 MORE BOOKS + SURPRISE GOODIES FROM QUARTERLY
What you get:A hardback of A World Without You that includes handwritten annotations by meA signed bookplate for A World Without YouTwo additional books that I've hand selected to be included with the boxA personal letter by me explaining some of the secrets in the book and why I selected the contents of the boxExtra goodies that are unique and tie directly back to the box and the booksCost: $50. I know that's steep, but you're getting three books and all the extra bonus gifts--trust me, it's worth it.
How to get it:Go to the Quarterly website hereHint! If you subscribe to the NetGalley newsletter, check out the coupon code that was in it for this box!!Buy a subscription (don't worry--if you only want this box, it's super easy to cancel and not get any more).Need more info? I posted about it here.
GET A SIGNED, STAMPED BOOK + ART CARD PRINT FROM MALAPROPS
What you get:A hardcover copy of A World Without You That is signedAnd stamped with a special one-signing-only stampA beautiful art card designed by Hafsah at IceyDesigns featuring a quote from the bookSwag!Cost: Just the cost of the book and shipping, if you're getting it shipped. The extra goodies are included for free.
How to get it: Go to the Malaprops website page hereAdd to your cart. If you want your book personalized, make sure you add a note during the check out process--I'll write whatever you want me to write! More info available here!
GET A SIGNED BOOK FROM 25 LOCAL INDIE BOOKSTORES
What you get:A hardcover copy of A World Without YouA signed bookplate that matchesSome bookstores are offering additional swag!Cost: Just the cost of the book!
How to get it:My publisher, Penguin, and I have teamed up with 25 bookstores across the nation to offer this special promo. Just go to your local indie bookstore and look for the quote card designed by IceyDesigns pictures above. If they have the quote card on display, they have signed books for you!HEY! It's super important to support your local bookstores and businesses. If you ♥ books, support your bookstores!More info--and a list of bookstores--here!
GET THE BOOK + MY ETERNAL THANKS FROM WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD
You want my book? I super ♥ you! Here's everywhere else you can get it:Your library! If they don't have it, just ask--it's free for you to get books from your library, but every time one of my books is checked out, it makes my publisher happy and eager to buy future books from me, so win-win!Amazon: Buy the hardbackBuy the ebookBarnes & Noble:Buy the hardbackBuy the ebookChapters Indigo: hardbackKobo: ebookiBooks: ebookBook Depository: With free shipping internationally!Now on to the giveaway! Win SEVEN books...and four of them are SIGNED!
This feels like the little book that could. A World Without You is something of a departure for me--darker, realer, more personal. But I think it's going to find a home on bookshelves, and I couldn't be happier.
Of course, no book exists in a bubble. I couldn't write this one without immense help from my agent, my editor and publisher, my family, my friends. My past. People who are no longer with us; people who have just joined my family.
Today, I want to take a moment and thank some people--and thank you by holding a giveaway in honor of the authors who believed in me from the very start and who so graciously endorsed my book before it was a book.
When authors are asked to go out and find other authors to blurb their book, there's a universal panic!panic!panic! alarm that goes through their heads. What if no one likes it? What if they hate it? (That last one, btw, totally happened to me with AtU...an author actually rejected me so hard she told me she hated the book and wished it wasn't being published.) There's an extra layer of anxiety, knowing that one's peers are deeply analyzing whether or not a book is worthy of their praise. So emailing or phoning other authors, hat in hand, hoping they'll like your book is incredibly nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, I have wonderful friends and colleagues who graced me with blurbs, and so to honor and thank them, I'm holding a giveaway for their books. Many of them are signed (!!!), and you'll also get a copy of A World Without You and a copy of another bonus novel that inspired me. Open internationally, closes July 17th.
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken Win a hardcover of this book, signed by the author! I have been a fan of Alex's work since The Darkest Minds, and I love Passenger even more. Time travel and swoony-ness and pirates and adventure and ahhhhh!!!
When she graced this blurb for the front cover of A World Without You, I almost fell over:
“A heartrending, beautifully complex look at mental illness, life, and loss. I tore through the pages, and, days later, this story still has a hold on me.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds series and Passenger
More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera Win a hardcover of this book, signed by the author! Adam's debut knocked my socks off. I loved the premise--a boy who lives in a world where select memories can be erased wants to erase being gay. But it was the end of this novel that really blew me away. Adam took risks with this book--you will not expect that conclusion, I promise!
It is my great honor that he read A World Without You and said:
"A painfully brilliant and transporting read. This novel has the rare superpower to change and save lives." —Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not
The Love the Split the World by Emily Henry Win a hardcover of this book! When I first saw this book, I had immediate cover and title envy. How perfect is it? But then I heard what it was about--a boy named Beau (my Bo would get along well with him) and a very twisted fate. This one picks up speed and never stops until the end.
I'm so glad this Beau-author read my Bo-book :)
"A World Without You tackles grief, mental illness, and family dynamics with both grace and generosity. I fell in love with Bo’s story of perseverance in the face of seemingly endless struggle and was left brimming with hope. Readers will emerge from this book a little stronger than when they entered.” —Emily Henry, author of The Love That Split the World
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin Win a hardcover of this book! Confession time: A World Without You wouldn't exist without The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone. Period. It's this specific book by Adele that made me think my story was possible. In it, a young artist dies far too soon, and through the transcripts by loved ones and articles about her, the reader peels back the layers of this mysterious girl's life.
This book meant so much to me, on a deeply personal level. The fact that Adele gives my book a seal of approval means more than I can say.
“Beth Revis delivers us an astonishing shape-shifter of a tale that dazzles and startles at every tense turn. Themes of love, secrets, and heartbreak are woven into a taut and bewitching narrative that will pull you in and not let you go. Don't forget to breathe.” —Adele Griffin, author of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone
The Program by Suzanne Young Win a hardcover of this book! I could not put this book down. Could not. I got an ebook of The Program when it first came out, and read the entire book straight through in one night, staying up until 3am to finish. I was terrified for the characters, fascinated by the premise, and my eyes were crying so hard I had to take multiple breaks. This book is about an epidemic of suicide, and the lengths we go to try to save someone...even if it means controlling them.
Suzanne is epic, and I'm so lucky to know her.
“A World Without You is a beautiful, devastating, mind-bending adventure.” —Suzanne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Program series
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman Win a signed hardcover of this book! This is a book that deeply inspired me. Neal wrote this book with his son, who suffers from schizophrenia, and the text is layered with drawings he made while undergoing treatment. The story itself is twisted and strange--much like the mind--but there are flashes of clarity for both the reader and the narrator. This National Book Award Winner is truly a masterpiece.
To thank the books that have inspired me and the authors who've supported me, I'm giving away a box full of their books to one lucky winner.
Rules!Open internationallyCloses July 19--the day the book comes out!One winner gets all seven books--four signed by the authors!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
GET A WORLD WITHOUT YOU + 2 MORE BOOKS + SURPRISE GOODIES FROM QUARTERLY
What you get:A hardback of A World Without You that includes handwritten annotations by meA signed bookplate for A World Without YouTwo additional books that I've hand selected to be included with the boxA personal letter by me explaining some of the secrets in the book and why I selected the contents of the boxExtra goodies that are unique and tie directly back to the box and the booksCost: $50. I know that's steep, but you're getting three books and all the extra bonus gifts--trust me, it's worth it.
How to get it:Go to the Quarterly website hereHint! If you subscribe to the NetGalley newsletter, check out the coupon code that was in it for this box!!Buy a subscription (don't worry--if you only want this box, it's super easy to cancel and not get any more).Need more info? I posted about it here.
GET A SIGNED, STAMPED BOOK + ART CARD PRINT FROM MALAPROPS
What you get:A hardcover copy of A World Without You That is signedAnd stamped with a special one-signing-only stampA beautiful art card designed by Hafsah at IceyDesigns featuring a quote from the bookSwag!Cost: Just the cost of the book and shipping, if you're getting it shipped. The extra goodies are included for free.
How to get it: Go to the Malaprops website page hereAdd to your cart. If you want your book personalized, make sure you add a note during the check out process--I'll write whatever you want me to write! More info available here!
GET A SIGNED BOOK FROM 25 LOCAL INDIE BOOKSTORES
What you get:A hardcover copy of A World Without YouA signed bookplate that matchesSome bookstores are offering additional swag!Cost: Just the cost of the book!
How to get it:My publisher, Penguin, and I have teamed up with 25 bookstores across the nation to offer this special promo. Just go to your local indie bookstore and look for the quote card designed by IceyDesigns pictures above. If they have the quote card on display, they have signed books for you!HEY! It's super important to support your local bookstores and businesses. If you ♥ books, support your bookstores!More info--and a list of bookstores--here!
GET THE BOOK + MY ETERNAL THANKS FROM WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD
You want my book? I super ♥ you! Here's everywhere else you can get it:Your library! If they don't have it, just ask--it's free for you to get books from your library, but every time one of my books is checked out, it makes my publisher happy and eager to buy future books from me, so win-win!Amazon: Buy the hardbackBuy the ebookBarnes & Noble:Buy the hardbackBuy the ebookChapters Indigo: hardbackKobo: ebookiBooks: ebookBook Depository: With free shipping internationally!Now on to the giveaway! Win SEVEN books...and four of them are SIGNED!
This feels like the little book that could. A World Without You is something of a departure for me--darker, realer, more personal. But I think it's going to find a home on bookshelves, and I couldn't be happier.Of course, no book exists in a bubble. I couldn't write this one without immense help from my agent, my editor and publisher, my family, my friends. My past. People who are no longer with us; people who have just joined my family.
Today, I want to take a moment and thank some people--and thank you by holding a giveaway in honor of the authors who believed in me from the very start and who so graciously endorsed my book before it was a book.
When authors are asked to go out and find other authors to blurb their book, there's a universal panic!panic!panic! alarm that goes through their heads. What if no one likes it? What if they hate it? (That last one, btw, totally happened to me with AtU...an author actually rejected me so hard she told me she hated the book and wished it wasn't being published.) There's an extra layer of anxiety, knowing that one's peers are deeply analyzing whether or not a book is worthy of their praise. So emailing or phoning other authors, hat in hand, hoping they'll like your book is incredibly nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, I have wonderful friends and colleagues who graced me with blurbs, and so to honor and thank them, I'm holding a giveaway for their books. Many of them are signed (!!!), and you'll also get a copy of A World Without You and a copy of another bonus novel that inspired me. Open internationally, closes July 17th.
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken Win a hardcover of this book, signed by the author! I have been a fan of Alex's work since The Darkest Minds, and I love Passenger even more. Time travel and swoony-ness and pirates and adventure and ahhhhh!!!
When she graced this blurb for the front cover of A World Without You, I almost fell over:
“A heartrending, beautifully complex look at mental illness, life, and loss. I tore through the pages, and, days later, this story still has a hold on me.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds series and Passenger
More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera Win a hardcover of this book, signed by the author! Adam's debut knocked my socks off. I loved the premise--a boy who lives in a world where select memories can be erased wants to erase being gay. But it was the end of this novel that really blew me away. Adam took risks with this book--you will not expect that conclusion, I promise!
It is my great honor that he read A World Without You and said:
"A painfully brilliant and transporting read. This novel has the rare superpower to change and save lives." —Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not
The Love the Split the World by Emily Henry Win a hardcover of this book! When I first saw this book, I had immediate cover and title envy. How perfect is it? But then I heard what it was about--a boy named Beau (my Bo would get along well with him) and a very twisted fate. This one picks up speed and never stops until the end.
I'm so glad this Beau-author read my Bo-book :)
"A World Without You tackles grief, mental illness, and family dynamics with both grace and generosity. I fell in love with Bo’s story of perseverance in the face of seemingly endless struggle and was left brimming with hope. Readers will emerge from this book a little stronger than when they entered.” —Emily Henry, author of The Love That Split the World
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin Win a hardcover of this book! Confession time: A World Without You wouldn't exist without The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone. Period. It's this specific book by Adele that made me think my story was possible. In it, a young artist dies far too soon, and through the transcripts by loved ones and articles about her, the reader peels back the layers of this mysterious girl's life.
This book meant so much to me, on a deeply personal level. The fact that Adele gives my book a seal of approval means more than I can say.
“Beth Revis delivers us an astonishing shape-shifter of a tale that dazzles and startles at every tense turn. Themes of love, secrets, and heartbreak are woven into a taut and bewitching narrative that will pull you in and not let you go. Don't forget to breathe.” —Adele Griffin, author of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone
The Program by Suzanne Young Win a hardcover of this book! I could not put this book down. Could not. I got an ebook of The Program when it first came out, and read the entire book straight through in one night, staying up until 3am to finish. I was terrified for the characters, fascinated by the premise, and my eyes were crying so hard I had to take multiple breaks. This book is about an epidemic of suicide, and the lengths we go to try to save someone...even if it means controlling them.
Suzanne is epic, and I'm so lucky to know her.
“A World Without You is a beautiful, devastating, mind-bending adventure.” —Suzanne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Program series
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman Win a signed hardcover of this book! This is a book that deeply inspired me. Neal wrote this book with his son, who suffers from schizophrenia, and the text is layered with drawings he made while undergoing treatment. The story itself is twisted and strange--much like the mind--but there are flashes of clarity for both the reader and the narrator. This National Book Award Winner is truly a masterpiece.
To thank the books that have inspired me and the authors who've supported me, I'm giving away a box full of their books to one lucky winner.
Rules!Open internationallyCloses July 19--the day the book comes out!One winner gets all seven books--four signed by the authors!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 30, 2016
Quarterly Subscription Box Curation Revealed!
A few weeks ago, my editor told me that a subscription box was interested in featuring A World Without You in their next shipment. The wonderful people at Quarterly had noticed the book, and wanted to make a box themed around it.
My reaction was not subtle:
Here's the thing. I have this list of secret things I really, really hope will happen. One of those things has already happened this year (but I can't talk about it yet). So I sort of figured my good luck for this year had already been cashed in. Because one of the other things that I have secretly really hoped would happen?
To be featured in a subscription box.
I subscribe to a few boxes (including Quarterly's!), and every time I see an unboxing online or get my own box, I wonder what it would be like to see my box inside a subscription box.
And this July, I get to find out.
Quarterly's YA Literature box is just amazing, you guys. I've loved seeing how these boxes develop, and when Quarterly says I've curated it, they really mean it. This was not a casual thing. Every. Single. Item in the book, from the other books to the extra goodies, was picked through a careful selection process. I spent days looking for exactly the right items, developing the theme, selecting the other books. I wanted to pick books that fit with the theme, but that also were maybe not a title everyone had already heard of.
I can't tell you what the other two books in the box are, but I can tell you that, like A World Without You, they are strange. Not everything is as it seems. There is sadness and hope and love and fear in all three books. They're not really science fiction, but they are weird. They each have a twist, or a new direction, or a surprise, or just something that's not quite right. And that's why I love them, and I think you will too.
And the products that are being included with the box...I'm so excited about them that I actually ordered my own box so I could get them! The Quarterly people were such a dream to work with--they were the ones who hunted down something that had a little extra detail of wonderful when I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
In additional to the goodies and the three books, I've worked hard with Quarterly to make A World Without You special for the box. There's a personal letter from me, describing the theme and why it means so much to me. The books will come with a signed bookplate, and--this is really amazing--they're all annotated with 15 handwritten notes detailing hidden allusions, connections within the story, background on characters and more.
It's basically like getting extras on a DVD. These annotations were my way of highlighting some of the most important scenes in the book, and pointing out stuff that is often ignored and hidden.
I am so, so grateful to Quarterly for making this possible. They've turned A World Without You from a book into an experience. And they've made sure that the boxes will ship on July 18th--so no one will have to wait and everyone will get the book when it's officially released!
If you'd like to sign up for the Literary YA Box, all you have to do is click here (before they're sold out!). Your subscription will start with this box, and it's easy to cancel any time if you choose to do so.
![[image error]](http://bethrevis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/DangerousLadies2.0Tour.jpg){kind=link}