Beth Revis's Blog, page 23
February 21, 2013
Questions for Shades of Earth!
Got questions about SHADES OF EARTH
or anything else in the Godspeed Universe?
I'll be doing a live chat on Twitter
TODAY
at 7pm EST.
Just use the #ShadesofEarth hashtag to participate!
or anything else in the Godspeed Universe?
I'll be doing a live chat on Twitter
TODAY
at 7pm EST.
Just use the #ShadesofEarth hashtag to participate!

Published on February 21, 2013 09:33
February 20, 2013
Breathless Reads Tour Recap!
Hey! Got questions about SHADES OF EARTH or anything else in the Godspeed Universe? I'll be doing a live chat on Twitter this Thursday, February 21, at 7pm EST. Just use the #ShadesofEarth hashtag to participate!
Whew! The tour this year was AMAZING and I am so so so honored to have been a part of it. Even if tour = no sleep, I'd gladly give it up in order to meet all the wonderful people and readers I got a chance to share the tour with.
This year, the tour was split up into east and west coast. Which meant I had to make grabby hands at Andrea, Marie, Brenna, and Jessica K as they flew west, but I got to have Jessica S., Elizabeth (aka Bertie), Fiona, and Morgan with me the whole time, and got to have a stop with Lili Peloquin (author of THE INNOCENTS) and Adrienne Kress (author of THE FRIDAY SOCIETY).
First up! Chapel Hill! As a true North Carolinian, I cannot help but associate Chapel Hill with UNC. And as a red-blooded member of the Wolfpack (NCSU REPRESENT), entering enemy territory was strange and scary. But Flyleaf Books was wonderful, and made our first event special.
Love this display!
And in attendance were some of my favorite people! First up there's Taylor and Hailey--who you might recognize as Tailor and Haylee, two of the Shippers killed in A MILLION SUNS. Yup! These lovely, wonderful ladies are former students of mine (all grown up andconquering China going to college now!)
And I got to see Lori and Britne, two of my awesome friends from college (we missed you Melissa!) Britne also lent me her name so I could kill her off in A MILLION SUNS, for which I'm extremely grateful :)
After Chapel Hill, the girls and I roadtripped to Greenville, SC--and I drove! I have to say, I'm really glad that the roads were pretty empty, because I kept drifting through different lanes. The conversation in the car was just so amazing! I didn't want to miss anything!
In Greenville, we went to Fiction Addiction, a lovely local bookstore that is awesome. And I got to see some of my favorite readers there, too (hi k8! hi Lizzie! hi Allison! hi everyone else!). And I also got to see my husband, yay!
A panoramic shot of the panel: Fiona Paul (VENOM), Bertie Richards (BLACK CITY), our moderator Fran, Jessica Spotswood (BORN WICKED), me, and Morgan Rhodes (FALLING KINGDOMS).
A typical picture of me: smiling, with my hands nothing but a blur.
I talk with my hands a lot!
And I LOVED these shoes by Allison!! Look! It's the universe! On her feet!
Me and Jess hamming it up for the camera! She is too cute.
After Greenville, we hopped a plane to the sunny and warm MIAMI! YAY! But in the airport, we started doing something that entertained us all the way through the rest of the tour: playing the game of British People Eat Weird Things.
So, if you didn't know, Bertie (Elizabeth Richards) is from England. Which meant that every time she spoke for the first time at an event, everyone in the crowd gasped in awe. But it also meant that she liked STRANGE THINGS to eat. Her favorite food? Yorkshire pudding. Which isn't pudding. It also isn't Yorkshire. I'm not sure what it is, just what it's not.
So anyway, in the airport, Bertie was eating some sort of British thing. They are called Twiglets. They are named after wood. And they taste like burnt.
She looks innocent here.
But she is not.
We all tried Twiglets. But Jess's face pretty much sums up the taste perfectly:
Later, I got Bertie to try a Fruit Roll-Up. Which, guys, she had never even heard of! Her face when she peeled away the plastic was hilarious.
I told her that I tend to bunch it up and take bites, and she thought I meant stuff the whole thing in your mouth and chew for ten years. This was also hilarious. I wish I had a video.
It totally continued to fascinate me about what stuff Bertie didn't have in England! Tootsie Pops! She'd never seen a Tootsie Pop before! (We corrected this, no worries.)
SO! Miami! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1. Hialeah Education Academy. This was by far one of the best schools I've ever visited. The students were so respectful and polite, and the staff were amazingly supportive of reading. I am still in awe of how wonderful these kids were. Each of the kids were already on track to become police officers, fire fighters, or EMT professionals--and they had such focused, determined goals for their lives. It was wonderful to see.
2. Books & Books = a fabulously awesome bookstore. There's a space invader inside! (Not like a real one, but like the street art kind.)
3. Books & Books is lovely inside. Seriously. This is a bookstore I could live in.
4. Also? They gave us wine before the event. Cheers!
5. And the crowd of people there were simply wonderful! So many quality people :)
6. And Lorena! Lorena gets ALL THE LOVE. First, her dress. It's made of STARS AND GALAXIES. Second: the painting. The painting!!! She made me a painting like the one in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE--Harley floating in the stars with a koi around his ankles. AHHHHH!!!!!
After we sadly departed from Miami, we flew to the fabulous metropolis of Memphis. It also happened to be Valentine's Day, so we dressed for the occasion!
Morgan, Bertie, Fiona, Jess, and me all in shades of pink and red!
When we finally checked into our hotel, I discovered that my wonderful husband had sent me the perfect gift during tour: an Edible Arrangement! (Which was also super special as, just that morning, I'd broken my engagement ring while in the security line for the airport.)
I was going to share, and then I accidentally ate it all.
The only downside of Memphis was this guy, who sawed concrete for three solid hours directly outside my window.
The bookstore, btw, was wonderful. They had beautiful posters hanging throughout the store:
And cupcakes for everyone:
And a fabulous display! It really never gets old, seeing your book in a bookstore.
Additionally, the moderator in Memphis was an editor at Justine Magazine, and as this is one of my favorite magazines (and features awesome things like YA books and models who are real girls and not anorexic sticks), I was extra happy.
We left Memphis next for New York City! I had a perfect view of the city as we landed in Newark, but, unfortunately, it was hazy and I didn't get a great shot.
And I got to see my fabulous-amazing-wonderful-editor-who-I-adore! The entire trip alone was worth it to see her again :)
At Books of Wonder (which really is full of wonder), we hooked up with Lili Peloquin, author of THE INNOCENTS. She is fabulous and funny and I wish we could have kidnapped her for the entire time. She also left me a secret message in the book she signed for me, but I am not showing you! (It's secret.)
Photo taken from the Books of Wonder tumblr.
I didn't realize it until the next morning--just before I checked out--that my hotel had a fab view of the Empire State Building. *sigh* Wish I could have stayed in the city longer!!
But too soon we were off--by train this time--to Madison, Connecticut. RJ Julia's is a lovely bookstore I've had the pleasure of being at before, and was so happy to visit it again.
Dear Editors: I swear we worked on the train. We totally did not play on Twitter and Instagram.
And lest you think an author's life is uber-glamourous: our only option for lunch that day was Chinese take-out. I kid you not. We are high-rollers.
RJ Julia had a group of fabulous teenagers who interviewed us prior to the event. The girls were so well informed and professional--it was an honor being interviewed by them!
During the event, I snapped this photo of the crowd. It gives you a really great bird's eye view of what it was like in my seat, looking out at the crowd before us and the lovely ladies I shared the tour with
And! Connecticut is where I got to see one of my favoritest people in the world, Lauren DeStefano! Whose name I still can't pronounce correctly, but who loves me anyway. In fact, she loves me so much that when she realized my engagement ring had broken, she promptly proposed and drew a new ring on my finger. We're getting married in the spring and are registered at Tiffany's. :p
And I also got to see the lovely Jen from Hypable--I adore this lady :) I'm very glad we kidnapped her during the Ash to Nash tour!
But, sadly, we had to say farewell to Bertie and Fiona after this event. Too soon! I tried to stuff Bertie into my suitcase and take her with me to the south (she still hasn't tried hush puppies or grits!) but, sadly, she has these things like a "husband" and a "life" to return to in England, so she left.
Our last group photo! *sniffles*
And, finally, for the last stop, Jess, Morgan and I met up with Adrienne Kress (THE FRIDAY SOCIETY) for an event in Toronto, Ontario! But getting there was...something of an adventure. Say hello to the smallest plane I've ever ridden on: it had only 18 seats total, and our flight attendant was also the co-pilot. It was so small that they couldn't even fit all the luggage on board the plane and Morgan's got left behind!
But, the harrowing ride in the tiny death trap of doom was worth it: because at the end of that flight (I swear, we almost barrel-rolled into the landing) was Toronto!
I kept calling this the Toronto Spire, but BookNerdCanada assured me this was the CN Tower :)
The event in Canada was a little different from the other events we did. It was more of a day-long party (sponsored through Faze Magazine) that was all about the girls: they had make-up stations, girl-empowerment messages, musicians and bands, and tons of prizes. It was definitely different from anything I'd done before!
And! They made cupcakes for us that featured our book covers!
I totally took a bite out of my book!
It was tasty!
Also, it was Morgan's birthday, so we had a cake (decorated with macaroons!) and the entire audience sang to her :)
It was sort of surreal to be here--seriously, it was like a rock concert / make-up party / book event all rolled into one. It was awesome, though, to see the girls get so excited about the bands and books, though.
This is Jesse Giddings--probably the fan favorite of the day. Also in attendance, music-wise,
was Brendn (who is partial to Justin Beiber covers), and Eleven Past One, who rocked.
Jessica and I in the green room under the stage. Jesse was rocking out over us, and the entire room thrummed with music.
Basically, the event was scheduled like this: band, authors, band, authors, band, authors. Jess and I went on stage after Jesse, so we got to see them from the backstage before going out.
Look at this crowd, guys! It's...amazing! So many girls! So many readers! I was totally gobsmacked, being up there, looking at everyone listening to us as we talk about our favorite books and inspiring messages.
After the Canadian event, we had a chance to go out to dinner with the fab Penguin Canada peeps, including Adrienne Kress, who is way too pretty! In this pic, I'm propped up on Jess's shoulder because, in reality, I'm already asleep (it was a long day, yo!).
So that was my week! It was basically a week of fun, talk, books, and no-sleep...and I couldn't be happier to have been blessed to be a part of it! It was seriously just so much fun, and so wonderful to meet (an re-meet!) so many awesome readers. If you were there: thank you. It really means a lot to me that you came. And if you couldn't be there, I know you were in spirit, and hopefully we'll make a stop in your town soon!
Thanks again everyone! And remember: if you still have something you want to talk about in the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE world, I'll be a part of a Twitter chat tomorrow at 7pm EST. Just use #ShadesofEarth in your hashtag!
Whew! The tour this year was AMAZING and I am so so so honored to have been a part of it. Even if tour = no sleep, I'd gladly give it up in order to meet all the wonderful people and readers I got a chance to share the tour with.

This year, the tour was split up into east and west coast. Which meant I had to make grabby hands at Andrea, Marie, Brenna, and Jessica K as they flew west, but I got to have Jessica S., Elizabeth (aka Bertie), Fiona, and Morgan with me the whole time, and got to have a stop with Lili Peloquin (author of THE INNOCENTS) and Adrienne Kress (author of THE FRIDAY SOCIETY).
First up! Chapel Hill! As a true North Carolinian, I cannot help but associate Chapel Hill with UNC. And as a red-blooded member of the Wolfpack (NCSU REPRESENT), entering enemy territory was strange and scary. But Flyleaf Books was wonderful, and made our first event special.

Love this display!
And in attendance were some of my favorite people! First up there's Taylor and Hailey--who you might recognize as Tailor and Haylee, two of the Shippers killed in A MILLION SUNS. Yup! These lovely, wonderful ladies are former students of mine (all grown up and

And I got to see Lori and Britne, two of my awesome friends from college (we missed you Melissa!) Britne also lent me her name so I could kill her off in A MILLION SUNS, for which I'm extremely grateful :)

After Chapel Hill, the girls and I roadtripped to Greenville, SC--and I drove! I have to say, I'm really glad that the roads were pretty empty, because I kept drifting through different lanes. The conversation in the car was just so amazing! I didn't want to miss anything!
In Greenville, we went to Fiction Addiction, a lovely local bookstore that is awesome. And I got to see some of my favorite readers there, too (hi k8! hi Lizzie! hi Allison! hi everyone else!). And I also got to see my husband, yay!

A panoramic shot of the panel: Fiona Paul (VENOM), Bertie Richards (BLACK CITY), our moderator Fran, Jessica Spotswood (BORN WICKED), me, and Morgan Rhodes (FALLING KINGDOMS).

A typical picture of me: smiling, with my hands nothing but a blur.
I talk with my hands a lot!
And I LOVED these shoes by Allison!! Look! It's the universe! On her feet!


Me and Jess hamming it up for the camera! She is too cute.
After Greenville, we hopped a plane to the sunny and warm MIAMI! YAY! But in the airport, we started doing something that entertained us all the way through the rest of the tour: playing the game of British People Eat Weird Things.
So, if you didn't know, Bertie (Elizabeth Richards) is from England. Which meant that every time she spoke for the first time at an event, everyone in the crowd gasped in awe. But it also meant that she liked STRANGE THINGS to eat. Her favorite food? Yorkshire pudding. Which isn't pudding. It also isn't Yorkshire. I'm not sure what it is, just what it's not.
So anyway, in the airport, Bertie was eating some sort of British thing. They are called Twiglets. They are named after wood. And they taste like burnt.

She looks innocent here.
But she is not.
We all tried Twiglets. But Jess's face pretty much sums up the taste perfectly:

Later, I got Bertie to try a Fruit Roll-Up. Which, guys, she had never even heard of! Her face when she peeled away the plastic was hilarious.

I told her that I tend to bunch it up and take bites, and she thought I meant stuff the whole thing in your mouth and chew for ten years. This was also hilarious. I wish I had a video.

It totally continued to fascinate me about what stuff Bertie didn't have in England! Tootsie Pops! She'd never seen a Tootsie Pop before! (We corrected this, no worries.)
SO! Miami! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1. Hialeah Education Academy. This was by far one of the best schools I've ever visited. The students were so respectful and polite, and the staff were amazingly supportive of reading. I am still in awe of how wonderful these kids were. Each of the kids were already on track to become police officers, fire fighters, or EMT professionals--and they had such focused, determined goals for their lives. It was wonderful to see.
2. Books & Books = a fabulously awesome bookstore. There's a space invader inside! (Not like a real one, but like the street art kind.)

3. Books & Books is lovely inside. Seriously. This is a bookstore I could live in.

4. Also? They gave us wine before the event. Cheers!

5. And the crowd of people there were simply wonderful! So many quality people :)

6. And Lorena! Lorena gets ALL THE LOVE. First, her dress. It's made of STARS AND GALAXIES. Second: the painting. The painting!!! She made me a painting like the one in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE--Harley floating in the stars with a koi around his ankles. AHHHHH!!!!!

After we sadly departed from Miami, we flew to the fabulous metropolis of Memphis. It also happened to be Valentine's Day, so we dressed for the occasion!

Morgan, Bertie, Fiona, Jess, and me all in shades of pink and red!
When we finally checked into our hotel, I discovered that my wonderful husband had sent me the perfect gift during tour: an Edible Arrangement! (Which was also super special as, just that morning, I'd broken my engagement ring while in the security line for the airport.)


I was going to share, and then I accidentally ate it all.
The only downside of Memphis was this guy, who sawed concrete for three solid hours directly outside my window.

The bookstore, btw, was wonderful. They had beautiful posters hanging throughout the store:

And cupcakes for everyone:

And a fabulous display! It really never gets old, seeing your book in a bookstore.

Additionally, the moderator in Memphis was an editor at Justine Magazine, and as this is one of my favorite magazines (and features awesome things like YA books and models who are real girls and not anorexic sticks), I was extra happy.
We left Memphis next for New York City! I had a perfect view of the city as we landed in Newark, but, unfortunately, it was hazy and I didn't get a great shot.

And I got to see my fabulous-amazing-wonderful-editor-who-I-adore! The entire trip alone was worth it to see her again :)

At Books of Wonder (which really is full of wonder), we hooked up with Lili Peloquin, author of THE INNOCENTS. She is fabulous and funny and I wish we could have kidnapped her for the entire time. She also left me a secret message in the book she signed for me, but I am not showing you! (It's secret.)

Photo taken from the Books of Wonder tumblr.
I didn't realize it until the next morning--just before I checked out--that my hotel had a fab view of the Empire State Building. *sigh* Wish I could have stayed in the city longer!!

But too soon we were off--by train this time--to Madison, Connecticut. RJ Julia's is a lovely bookstore I've had the pleasure of being at before, and was so happy to visit it again.

Dear Editors: I swear we worked on the train. We totally did not play on Twitter and Instagram.

And lest you think an author's life is uber-glamourous: our only option for lunch that day was Chinese take-out. I kid you not. We are high-rollers.

RJ Julia had a group of fabulous teenagers who interviewed us prior to the event. The girls were so well informed and professional--it was an honor being interviewed by them!

During the event, I snapped this photo of the crowd. It gives you a really great bird's eye view of what it was like in my seat, looking out at the crowd before us and the lovely ladies I shared the tour with

And! Connecticut is where I got to see one of my favoritest people in the world, Lauren DeStefano! Whose name I still can't pronounce correctly, but who loves me anyway. In fact, she loves me so much that when she realized my engagement ring had broken, she promptly proposed and drew a new ring on my finger. We're getting married in the spring and are registered at Tiffany's. :p

And I also got to see the lovely Jen from Hypable--I adore this lady :) I'm very glad we kidnapped her during the Ash to Nash tour!

But, sadly, we had to say farewell to Bertie and Fiona after this event. Too soon! I tried to stuff Bertie into my suitcase and take her with me to the south (she still hasn't tried hush puppies or grits!) but, sadly, she has these things like a "husband" and a "life" to return to in England, so she left.

Our last group photo! *sniffles*

And, finally, for the last stop, Jess, Morgan and I met up with Adrienne Kress (THE FRIDAY SOCIETY) for an event in Toronto, Ontario! But getting there was...something of an adventure. Say hello to the smallest plane I've ever ridden on: it had only 18 seats total, and our flight attendant was also the co-pilot. It was so small that they couldn't even fit all the luggage on board the plane and Morgan's got left behind!


But, the harrowing ride in the tiny death trap of doom was worth it: because at the end of that flight (I swear, we almost barrel-rolled into the landing) was Toronto!

I kept calling this the Toronto Spire, but BookNerdCanada assured me this was the CN Tower :)
The event in Canada was a little different from the other events we did. It was more of a day-long party (sponsored through Faze Magazine) that was all about the girls: they had make-up stations, girl-empowerment messages, musicians and bands, and tons of prizes. It was definitely different from anything I'd done before!
And! They made cupcakes for us that featured our book covers!


I totally took a bite out of my book!

It was tasty!
Also, it was Morgan's birthday, so we had a cake (decorated with macaroons!) and the entire audience sang to her :)

It was sort of surreal to be here--seriously, it was like a rock concert / make-up party / book event all rolled into one. It was awesome, though, to see the girls get so excited about the bands and books, though.

This is Jesse Giddings--probably the fan favorite of the day. Also in attendance, music-wise,
was Brendn (who is partial to Justin Beiber covers), and Eleven Past One, who rocked.

Jessica and I in the green room under the stage. Jesse was rocking out over us, and the entire room thrummed with music.

Basically, the event was scheduled like this: band, authors, band, authors, band, authors. Jess and I went on stage after Jesse, so we got to see them from the backstage before going out.

Look at this crowd, guys! It's...amazing! So many girls! So many readers! I was totally gobsmacked, being up there, looking at everyone listening to us as we talk about our favorite books and inspiring messages.

After the Canadian event, we had a chance to go out to dinner with the fab Penguin Canada peeps, including Adrienne Kress, who is way too pretty! In this pic, I'm propped up on Jess's shoulder because, in reality, I'm already asleep (it was a long day, yo!).
So that was my week! It was basically a week of fun, talk, books, and no-sleep...and I couldn't be happier to have been blessed to be a part of it! It was seriously just so much fun, and so wonderful to meet (an re-meet!) so many awesome readers. If you were there: thank you. It really means a lot to me that you came. And if you couldn't be there, I know you were in spirit, and hopefully we'll make a stop in your town soon!
Thanks again everyone! And remember: if you still have something you want to talk about in the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE world, I'll be a part of a Twitter chat tomorrow at 7pm EST. Just use #ShadesofEarth in your hashtag!

Published on February 20, 2013 10:05
February 19, 2013
Shards & Ashes Book Birthday!
Whew! I just got back from tour (like, yesterday) and it was crazypants awesome. I promise a blog post recap, complete with pictures, SOON, but for now, I have another happy announcement! Today is the release date of SHARDS & ASHES, an amazing dystopian anthology I'm thrilled to be a part of.
As you can see, there are a ton of amazing authors included in the antho. And I've read most of them--and they are brilliant. This is one anthology you do not want to miss.
As for my story--it's called "Love is a Choice." It's all about Orion, and how he chose to give up his title as Elder to become the rogue he is in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. There's a new character there, one I like dearly (and who was named after Meg in A WRINKLE IN TIME). The thing I love about this story is that it really gave me a chance to show the reader exactly what Orion did to become who he was, and why.
Midnight Book Girl reviewed the whole antho, and this is what she had to say about my story:
If you'd like to snag your copy right now, you can--it's out today! You can add it to GoodReads here, or purchase it here (links to all retailers).
And, of course, you could win it... :)
Tweet and/or comment below and enter in the Rafflecopter, and you can win a copy of SHARDS & ASHES for your own! (And I'll even sign my story for you!) This contest IS open internationally, and if we get more than 250 entries, I'll give away another copy. More than 500? I'll give away three copies. And so on and so forth... ;) But hurry! The contest is only open for a week!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
(If the Rafflecopter isn't working, click here.)
Hey! Got questions about SHADES OF EARTH or anything else in the Godspeed Universe? I'll be doing a live chat on Twitter this Thursday, February 21, at 7pm EST. Just use the #ShadesofEarth hashtag to participate!

As you can see, there are a ton of amazing authors included in the antho. And I've read most of them--and they are brilliant. This is one anthology you do not want to miss.
As for my story--it's called "Love is a Choice." It's all about Orion, and how he chose to give up his title as Elder to become the rogue he is in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. There's a new character there, one I like dearly (and who was named after Meg in A WRINKLE IN TIME). The thing I love about this story is that it really gave me a chance to show the reader exactly what Orion did to become who he was, and why.
Midnight Book Girl reviewed the whole antho, and this is what she had to say about my story:
I liked Across the Universe, but to be honest, I found Orion's story even more compelling! I loved learning his history and how he evolved from Elder to Orion.
If you'd like to snag your copy right now, you can--it's out today! You can add it to GoodReads here, or purchase it here (links to all retailers).
And, of course, you could win it... :)
Tweet and/or comment below and enter in the Rafflecopter, and you can win a copy of SHARDS & ASHES for your own! (And I'll even sign my story for you!) This contest IS open internationally, and if we get more than 250 entries, I'll give away another copy. More than 500? I'll give away three copies. And so on and so forth... ;) But hurry! The contest is only open for a week!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
(If the Rafflecopter isn't working, click here.)
Hey! Got questions about SHADES OF EARTH or anything else in the Godspeed Universe? I'll be doing a live chat on Twitter this Thursday, February 21, at 7pm EST. Just use the #ShadesofEarth hashtag to participate!

Published on February 19, 2013 07:21
Pay it Forward Contest Winners
You guys know I celebrate things with contests...but before I announce a new one, I'm going to announce the winner of the Pay It Forward contest. Drumroll please....congratulations to:
Grand-Prize Winner:
Janelle R.
Runner Up Winners of 15 Signed SHADES OF EARTH:
Olivia W.
Ambur H.
Becca
Vivien
Keanna
Brit K.
Maria L.
Sarena T.
Anna W.
Amanda T.
Kaela E.
Ashley
Jenni M.
Litza
Maithilee K.
Runner Up Winners of 5 Signed A MILLION SUNS:
Melissa S. (full disclosure--I am friends with Melissa! But the drawing was done randomly through Rafflecopter and Random.org)
Des
Kelly M.
Liz
Denise B.
Emails asking for addresses are in the mail right now! Congrats to ALL the winners, and thank you for playing along!
Grand-Prize Winner:
Janelle R.
Runner Up Winners of 15 Signed SHADES OF EARTH:
Olivia W.
Ambur H.
Becca
Vivien
Keanna
Brit K.
Maria L.
Sarena T.
Anna W.
Amanda T.
Kaela E.
Ashley
Jenni M.
Litza
Maithilee K.
Runner Up Winners of 5 Signed A MILLION SUNS:
Melissa S. (full disclosure--I am friends with Melissa! But the drawing was done randomly through Rafflecopter and Random.org)
Des
Kelly M.
Liz
Denise B.
Emails asking for addresses are in the mail right now! Congrats to ALL the winners, and thank you for playing along!

Published on February 19, 2013 06:22
February 10, 2013
An Amazing Work of Fan Art for SHADES OF EARTH
I seriously cannot express how beautiful this work of art is. When it opened on my laptop, I was utterly speechless. Artist Aghnia Mardiyah is only 17 years old perfectly captures a moment that happens near the end of the final book of the trilogy (which means you might not want to read much more about it if you fear spoilers for Shades of Earth--I'm going to talk specifically about just why this art is so wonderful, and that will totally give away the ending of the book).
By Aghnia Maydiyah, via Tumblr
As you can see, it's stunningly well made--I've always thought you can tell a good artist by the eyes and nose, and clearly Aghnia has talent! Not only that, but the emotion is so evident. It's not just in the tear leaking from Amy's eyes--you see so little of her face here, but it's obvious that she's witnessing something tragic.
But if you look at the quote Aghnia put with painting, you'll see just why Amy's so distraught:
This is the moment--the exact, precise moment--when Amy sees Elder's ship blow up. Look into the eyes--you can see the explosion mirrored there. And! The oval irises and clear-blue color of eyes that show Amy is becoming a hybrid! Such precision and careful attention!
Of course, I adore the detail here, but again, the thing that really grabs me is the emotion of this painting. Grief and shock and horror are so hard to illustrate well and accurately, and Aghnia nailed it. This is exactly the way I saw Amy in my mind when she witnessed the ship's explosion. She doesn't wail or break down. She just watches it, and the horror of it dawns with the fading of the explosion's aftermath. It's the sort of grief that doesn't pour out from you in extremes; it's the sort of grief that hollows you out inside.
And that is exactly what Aghnia's shown so brilliantly with this painting.
Brava, Aghnia! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for illustrating one of the saddest scenes of my book and sharing it with me (and everyone!). I am so honored.

By Aghnia Maydiyah, via Tumblr
As you can see, it's stunningly well made--I've always thought you can tell a good artist by the eyes and nose, and clearly Aghnia has talent! Not only that, but the emotion is so evident. It's not just in the tear leaking from Amy's eyes--you see so little of her face here, but it's obvious that she's witnessing something tragic.
But if you look at the quote Aghnia put with painting, you'll see just why Amy's so distraught:
There is, against the dark sky, a brief flash of light. it is filled with colors, like a nebula or the aurora borealis, bursting like a popped bubble.
Nothing else.
Just Light.
And then it’s gone.
And then he’s gone.
This is the moment--the exact, precise moment--when Amy sees Elder's ship blow up. Look into the eyes--you can see the explosion mirrored there. And! The oval irises and clear-blue color of eyes that show Amy is becoming a hybrid! Such precision and careful attention!
Of course, I adore the detail here, but again, the thing that really grabs me is the emotion of this painting. Grief and shock and horror are so hard to illustrate well and accurately, and Aghnia nailed it. This is exactly the way I saw Amy in my mind when she witnessed the ship's explosion. She doesn't wail or break down. She just watches it, and the horror of it dawns with the fading of the explosion's aftermath. It's the sort of grief that doesn't pour out from you in extremes; it's the sort of grief that hollows you out inside.
And that is exactly what Aghnia's shown so brilliantly with this painting.
Brava, Aghnia! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for illustrating one of the saddest scenes of my book and sharing it with me (and everyone!). I am so honored.

Published on February 10, 2013 13:26
February 8, 2013
Boston Tour Stop Cancelled
I really really wanted to go to Boston guys. You have history! And books! And readers! And...
...a mother-frexing blizzard. With a projected 3 or more feet of snow and a storm the Weather Channel is calling "historically massive" (too words that are somewhat intimidating when combined), we've had to cancel the Boston Tour stop, which had been scheduled for Sunday, right in the middle of the storm.
This does not at all effect the rest of the tour. And Boston. I promise I will get to your city. Eventually. When it quits snowing. Which, judging from the Weather Channel, might be never. But look on the bright side! Now you're Narnia. Under the White Witch. Hmmm....maybe not much of a bright side...
Stay safe, Boston--and NY, CT, PA, MA, and all the other areas effected by the storm!

...a mother-frexing blizzard. With a projected 3 or more feet of snow and a storm the Weather Channel is calling "historically massive" (too words that are somewhat intimidating when combined), we've had to cancel the Boston Tour stop, which had been scheduled for Sunday, right in the middle of the storm.
This does not at all effect the rest of the tour. And Boston. I promise I will get to your city. Eventually. When it quits snowing. Which, judging from the Weather Channel, might be never. But look on the bright side! Now you're Narnia. Under the White Witch. Hmmm....maybe not much of a bright side...
Stay safe, Boston--and NY, CT, PA, MA, and all the other areas effected by the storm!

Published on February 08, 2013 12:32
February 7, 2013
Breathless Reads Tour!

It's that time of year again! Tour time! This Saturday, I'm off for the awesome annual Breathless Reads Tour, and I sincerely cannot wait to meet the new girls and get to the bookstores and meet the readers and eat nothing but room service food until I'm sick of it and get so tired that I forget about what city I'm in at least once.
I would love to see you! Here's where I'll be all next week:
10 February: Boston stop at Wellesley Books.
11 February: Chapel Hill, NC stop at Flyleaf Books, 7pm.
12 February: Greenville, SC stop at Fiction Addiction, 6:30pm.
13 February: Miami stop at Books & Books.
14 February: Memphis stop at The Booksellers at Laurelwood.
15 February: New York City stop at Books of Wonder, 6pm.
16 February: Madison, CT stop at RJ Julia Booksellers.
AND! Don't forget CANADA!
17 February: Toronto, Canada. This event is a giant day of fun starting at 2pm at The Opera House in downtown Toronto. You can find more information, including (free!) registration information here.
GUYS! This is going to be EPIC. I really hope to see you there. And PS: I do plan on snagging copies of everyone's books, so expect a giveaway...soon! And speaking of giveaways, don't forget to enter this one: just snap a picture of yourself (or your pet or whatever) with a copy of one of my books, and you're entered to win NINE signed, awesome books!
Annnndddd....If you're going to the GREENVILLE, SC, stop, you might just win an awesome extra prize! Since this store is close enough for my husband to drive down (and to bring an extra book, which is hard to do in carry-on luggage), I'm going to do an extra giveaway just at Fiction Addiction, the Greenville Tour Stop.
To win, all you have to do is BE THERE. That's it! We'll pick someone randomly from the audience to win!
What do you win? Oh, just this:

An advanced reader copy (ARC) of SHARDS & ASHES, an anthology of dystopian lit that contains stories by me, Veronica Roth, Kami Garcia, Margie Stohl, Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Ryan, and MORE.
So--come to the Greenville stop for a chance to win this! Remember, this stop does require tickets--but the purchase price of your ticket can go towards the purchase on any of the books on the tour stop (more info here).

Published on February 07, 2013 11:19
February 4, 2013
New Covers!
We're going for a new, retro theme on the covers! What do you think?
Aren't they great? They're a throw-back to the old classic sci-fi magazines (don't you love the "magazine titles"? And the plot summaries on the front?)
...okay, okay, okay. These aren't real! :) I found the Pulp-O-Mizer through author Janni Lee Simner and just couldn't help but make up some mock pulp covers of the AtU series. What do you think?
(Oh, and PS: You can make your own here!)



Aren't they great? They're a throw-back to the old classic sci-fi magazines (don't you love the "magazine titles"? And the plot summaries on the front?)
...okay, okay, okay. These aren't real! :) I found the Pulp-O-Mizer through author Janni Lee Simner and just couldn't help but make up some mock pulp covers of the AtU series. What do you think?
(Oh, and PS: You can make your own here!)

Published on February 04, 2013 17:09
Writing Tip: On Research and Planning
I don't plan my novels.
Like, not at all.
Except that I sort of do.
Yesterday and the day before, I had two events in Asheville, and at both I was asked about my process. I usually turn it into a bit of a joke:
Which, honestly, is true. But it's also sort of not.
So here's the thing. I have enough of an outline for a synopsis -usually about a page or more. Which means I know the highlights--the main characters, the biggest plot points, a sort of mystery/solution. That is all very vague, and it's also very flexible.
Once I have that--remember, it's not really more than about a page--I start doing research. This is where Scrivener becomes so invaluable to me--it's such an easy way to stay organized and on top of the research. A lot of this part of the story is figuring out who the characters are before the start of the novel. Very little of this stuff ends up in the actual book.
I make character sheets and setting sheets for the story--all the key locations as well as the key characters. This stuff will often just start with the name of a character, and then, as I write, I fill in the details more and more. For example, for my new main character's mother, I knew I wanted her to have a terminal disease. So I started with just her name, and the note that she was sick. As the story progressed, I realized I needed more details for her disease, so I also now have a folder for her fictional disease, complete with symptoms, treatments, etc.
Same with setting. This new story will be set on a real place, so I had to get the size of the city right, as well as things like distance between it and another city. I started with a map of the country, with arrows pointing out the places I wanted to include in the story. Then the city. I broke it up to include different areas (i.e. rich neighborhood, poor neighborhood). I have a somewhat unique form of transportation, so I added a section there for it.
Again, all of this starts out pretty vague--often just a few little details that I want to include. This means that I still write the story as I go--I just add more details into the sheets as I think of them (and as they become necessary to the story).
In Scrivener, I also have a few additional sections that are invaluable to me:
I'll go back to Drafts later. For now, I want to talk about Ideas and Research. For Ideas, I add in any big things that I think of as they come. For plot, I currently have a scene in that document that I'd like to include by the end--a short conversation that I think is very telling of two characters. If you've read Shades of Earth, an example of this is the conversation Emma has about what home is--I had the idea for that conversation before I even started writing the book (which is why Emma is French, so she can use the words she mentions), and kept that short conversation in the Ideas folder until I got to a point where I could put it in the story. Not all the ideas I get can be used, and typically, this list of ideas is no more than a hand full of scenes. But because I write in order, if I have an idea for a scene that comes later in the book, I jot it down here so I don't forget it later.
You'll also notice I have a Save the Cat folder. I've found that the awesome writing book, Save the Cat, is more helpful to me when I revise (perhaps because I don't like outlines!). In that folder, I have a simplified form of Blake Snyder's chart of the stages of plot, and when I finish my draft, I'm going to compare it to the highlights of plot in that chart.
In Research, I have many more documents than what you see here--but I cut them out so as to avoid spoilers. This is where the notes I gather go. Often, I just cut-and-paste articles (with links so I can find them again for reference). I tend to look at research as a down-the-rabbit-hole adventure--I write about things that fascinate me, so I seek out the information that I find fascinating, and pick up tidbits to put in the book.
I also have my proposal in there--so I don't lose track of the original idea, which is very easy to do.
Going back to the Drafts folder: because I make it up as I go, I tend to have to rewrite. And rewrite. And rewrite. And that's where drafts come in. That current folder--Draft: Jan2013--has almost 25,000 words in it.
I just started the book over. I realized the tech wasn't techy enough, and not enough a part of my characters lives. I'd not done the research on the mom's illness, so I didn't have those details right. And a pivotal turning point in that draft was...lame. It involved dog kid-napping. Like I said, lame. So I moved all of that into the draft folder and started over--but I'm writing now with a split screen. The original draft is on the bottom, the new draft is on the top. I can cut-and-paste from one draft to the next for the scenes that don't need altering. I re-read as I go, fixing things up.
Above is an actual screenshot of the novel I'm currently working on. You can see in the top left, that I've only re-written up to chapter 5. In the deleted drafts, I'd reached chapter 16. The top part of the split screen is a section from the new Chapter 1; the bottom half is a section of the old Chapter 1. I write in the top section, cutting and pasting in a few scenes from the bottom that still work. The numbering of the chapters is often different--for this rewrite, I'm holistically deleting the current chapters 5-7, and adding in an entirely different chapter 2.
It's a lot of work to write this way, but it's the best way for me to work. It's a lot of building something up, smashing it down, and building it up again. It's very cyclical; it's very time-consuming. I'm sure there are more efficient ways...but they don't work for me.
The reason I'm going into so much depth here is that I don't want to give anyone the impression that writing without an outline is easy, or that I just sit down and write, and it's perfect the way it is. I do just sit down and write...but then I delete and rewrite. Again and again.
Like, not at all.
Except that I sort of do.
Yesterday and the day before, I had two events in Asheville, and at both I was asked about my process. I usually turn it into a bit of a joke:
Audience Member: How do you plan your novels?
Me: I don't. I just write, and if stuff gets boring, I blow something up or kill off a character.
Which, honestly, is true. But it's also sort of not.
So here's the thing. I have enough of an outline for a synopsis -usually about a page or more. Which means I know the highlights--the main characters, the biggest plot points, a sort of mystery/solution. That is all very vague, and it's also very flexible.
Once I have that--remember, it's not really more than about a page--I start doing research. This is where Scrivener becomes so invaluable to me--it's such an easy way to stay organized and on top of the research. A lot of this part of the story is figuring out who the characters are before the start of the novel. Very little of this stuff ends up in the actual book.
I make character sheets and setting sheets for the story--all the key locations as well as the key characters. This stuff will often just start with the name of a character, and then, as I write, I fill in the details more and more. For example, for my new main character's mother, I knew I wanted her to have a terminal disease. So I started with just her name, and the note that she was sick. As the story progressed, I realized I needed more details for her disease, so I also now have a folder for her fictional disease, complete with symptoms, treatments, etc.
Same with setting. This new story will be set on a real place, so I had to get the size of the city right, as well as things like distance between it and another city. I started with a map of the country, with arrows pointing out the places I wanted to include in the story. Then the city. I broke it up to include different areas (i.e. rich neighborhood, poor neighborhood). I have a somewhat unique form of transportation, so I added a section there for it.
Again, all of this starts out pretty vague--often just a few little details that I want to include. This means that I still write the story as I go--I just add more details into the sheets as I think of them (and as they become necessary to the story).
In Scrivener, I also have a few additional sections that are invaluable to me:

I'll go back to Drafts later. For now, I want to talk about Ideas and Research. For Ideas, I add in any big things that I think of as they come. For plot, I currently have a scene in that document that I'd like to include by the end--a short conversation that I think is very telling of two characters. If you've read Shades of Earth, an example of this is the conversation Emma has about what home is--I had the idea for that conversation before I even started writing the book (which is why Emma is French, so she can use the words she mentions), and kept that short conversation in the Ideas folder until I got to a point where I could put it in the story. Not all the ideas I get can be used, and typically, this list of ideas is no more than a hand full of scenes. But because I write in order, if I have an idea for a scene that comes later in the book, I jot it down here so I don't forget it later.
You'll also notice I have a Save the Cat folder. I've found that the awesome writing book, Save the Cat, is more helpful to me when I revise (perhaps because I don't like outlines!). In that folder, I have a simplified form of Blake Snyder's chart of the stages of plot, and when I finish my draft, I'm going to compare it to the highlights of plot in that chart.
In Research, I have many more documents than what you see here--but I cut them out so as to avoid spoilers. This is where the notes I gather go. Often, I just cut-and-paste articles (with links so I can find them again for reference). I tend to look at research as a down-the-rabbit-hole adventure--I write about things that fascinate me, so I seek out the information that I find fascinating, and pick up tidbits to put in the book.
I also have my proposal in there--so I don't lose track of the original idea, which is very easy to do.
Going back to the Drafts folder: because I make it up as I go, I tend to have to rewrite. And rewrite. And rewrite. And that's where drafts come in. That current folder--Draft: Jan2013--has almost 25,000 words in it.
I just started the book over. I realized the tech wasn't techy enough, and not enough a part of my characters lives. I'd not done the research on the mom's illness, so I didn't have those details right. And a pivotal turning point in that draft was...lame. It involved dog kid-napping. Like I said, lame. So I moved all of that into the draft folder and started over--but I'm writing now with a split screen. The original draft is on the bottom, the new draft is on the top. I can cut-and-paste from one draft to the next for the scenes that don't need altering. I re-read as I go, fixing things up.

Above is an actual screenshot of the novel I'm currently working on. You can see in the top left, that I've only re-written up to chapter 5. In the deleted drafts, I'd reached chapter 16. The top part of the split screen is a section from the new Chapter 1; the bottom half is a section of the old Chapter 1. I write in the top section, cutting and pasting in a few scenes from the bottom that still work. The numbering of the chapters is often different--for this rewrite, I'm holistically deleting the current chapters 5-7, and adding in an entirely different chapter 2.
It's a lot of work to write this way, but it's the best way for me to work. It's a lot of building something up, smashing it down, and building it up again. It's very cyclical; it's very time-consuming. I'm sure there are more efficient ways...but they don't work for me.
The reason I'm going into so much depth here is that I don't want to give anyone the impression that writing without an outline is easy, or that I just sit down and write, and it's perfect the way it is. I do just sit down and write...but then I delete and rewrite. Again and again.

Published on February 04, 2013 14:55
January 28, 2013
Pay It Forward Contest & January Announcements
A note about last week: Thank you all again for understanding my event cancellation. I'm getting bookplates in the mail to Charlottesville this week, and everything else should be back on schedule.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
If you live in the Asheville area, I hope I see you at Malaprops with Victoria Schwab, Lenore Appelhans, Megan Shepherd, and a new addition: Meagan Spooner! Details here.
Here's a video I did to help celebrate Victoria Schwab's release of THE ARCHIVED--I talk about a moment in my own history that changed my life.
And PS, here's a video of an awesome review of SHADES OF EARTH by the awesome CassJayTuck. There's a knife in it, which is my favorite part.
And speaking of reviews, if you're on the fence about the first two books, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and A MILLION SUNS (also here), I really liked the reviews up at Bookshelves of Doom, and they're pretty spoiler-free for those two books.
Want to see what my writing desk looks like during the (rare) times it's clean? And also enter to win a complete signed trilogy? Then check out Meagan Spooner's interview with me on the Write Space.
I did a guest post on io9 about building a new planet in a sci-fi world, and if you're interested in that sort of thing, you can check it out here.
I also did a guest post for the Happily Ever After blog on USA Today, and you can see why sci fi world with explosions go well with kissing by reading it here.
Canada, you're the best. Thank you for adding SHADES OF EARTH to the Must Read List for 2013.
Also? Seventeen Magazine, I love you like whoa. Thanks for picking SHADES OF EARTH as a book club pick of the month
And finally, Ms. Literati's published an interview with me that's all about writing advice, so if you're a writer (or just curious), read it here.
CONTEST!
And now, finally, I'm going to announce my final SHADES OF EARTH related contest for the foreseeable future! I've just been so grateful to everyone for all the support and love you've shown me, and that's where this contest came from.
Just in case you can't view the video, here's the simple version of what the giveaway is:
There are 21 prizes. One grandprize winner will get a complete signed trilogy, plus two ARCs of anthologies I'm a part of, plus a signed copy of all the books by the lovely ladies who helped me celebrate my launch. Fifteen runners-up will win a signed hardback of SHADES OF EARTH, and five other runners-up will win a signed paperback of A MILLION SUNS.
To enter for the grand prize pack or the fifteen signed SHADES OF EARTH, just take a picture of yourself with your copy of SHADES OF EARTH. Library copies, e-books, and hardback copies count--but ARCs don't. You can also pose the book with your dog, in your neighborhood, or anywhere else except in a bookstore. Post the picture online and include the link to it here. You can post it on Twitter, Facebook (if it's public so I can check it), on your blog, Instagram, whatever.
To enter for the five signed copies of A MILLION SUNS, do the same thing, except pose with the first book, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. This prize pack is specifically designed for people who've only read the first book and need to catch up with the rest.
If you want to keep the "pay-it-forward" theme going, you can donate your original copy of the book to someone else (such as a friend, school, or library) if you win--but that's not required.
Unfortunately, this contest is open to US/Canada only. I recently spent more than $200 on postage to foreign nations for previous contests, and I can't do that again for a bit. I hope you understand. If you have an American friend who can accept the package for you, you can enter--as long as I have an American/Canadian address to ship to.
There is only one way to get an extra point--let me know if I can post your picture online or not. You answer does NOT effect your chances of winning--I just want to know if you'd mind me sharing your pic on my website.
You can enter both contests, as long as you post two pictures.
This contest will run through February 17th--which gives you a chance to enter if you come to one of my book tour stops for Breathless Reads!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
If you live in the Asheville area, I hope I see you at Malaprops with Victoria Schwab, Lenore Appelhans, Megan Shepherd, and a new addition: Meagan Spooner! Details here.
Here's a video I did to help celebrate Victoria Schwab's release of THE ARCHIVED--I talk about a moment in my own history that changed my life.
And PS, here's a video of an awesome review of SHADES OF EARTH by the awesome CassJayTuck. There's a knife in it, which is my favorite part.
And speaking of reviews, if you're on the fence about the first two books, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and A MILLION SUNS (also here), I really liked the reviews up at Bookshelves of Doom, and they're pretty spoiler-free for those two books.
Want to see what my writing desk looks like during the (rare) times it's clean? And also enter to win a complete signed trilogy? Then check out Meagan Spooner's interview with me on the Write Space.
I did a guest post on io9 about building a new planet in a sci-fi world, and if you're interested in that sort of thing, you can check it out here.
I also did a guest post for the Happily Ever After blog on USA Today, and you can see why sci fi world with explosions go well with kissing by reading it here.
Canada, you're the best. Thank you for adding SHADES OF EARTH to the Must Read List for 2013.
Also? Seventeen Magazine, I love you like whoa. Thanks for picking SHADES OF EARTH as a book club pick of the month
And finally, Ms. Literati's published an interview with me that's all about writing advice, so if you're a writer (or just curious), read it here.
CONTEST!
And now, finally, I'm going to announce my final SHADES OF EARTH related contest for the foreseeable future! I've just been so grateful to everyone for all the support and love you've shown me, and that's where this contest came from.
Just in case you can't view the video, here's the simple version of what the giveaway is:
There are 21 prizes. One grandprize winner will get a complete signed trilogy, plus two ARCs of anthologies I'm a part of, plus a signed copy of all the books by the lovely ladies who helped me celebrate my launch. Fifteen runners-up will win a signed hardback of SHADES OF EARTH, and five other runners-up will win a signed paperback of A MILLION SUNS.
To enter for the grand prize pack or the fifteen signed SHADES OF EARTH, just take a picture of yourself with your copy of SHADES OF EARTH. Library copies, e-books, and hardback copies count--but ARCs don't. You can also pose the book with your dog, in your neighborhood, or anywhere else except in a bookstore. Post the picture online and include the link to it here. You can post it on Twitter, Facebook (if it's public so I can check it), on your blog, Instagram, whatever.
To enter for the five signed copies of A MILLION SUNS, do the same thing, except pose with the first book, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. This prize pack is specifically designed for people who've only read the first book and need to catch up with the rest.
If you want to keep the "pay-it-forward" theme going, you can donate your original copy of the book to someone else (such as a friend, school, or library) if you win--but that's not required.
Unfortunately, this contest is open to US/Canada only. I recently spent more than $200 on postage to foreign nations for previous contests, and I can't do that again for a bit. I hope you understand. If you have an American friend who can accept the package for you, you can enter--as long as I have an American/Canadian address to ship to.
There is only one way to get an extra point--let me know if I can post your picture online or not. You answer does NOT effect your chances of winning--I just want to know if you'd mind me sharing your pic on my website.
You can enter both contests, as long as you post two pictures.
This contest will run through February 17th--which gives you a chance to enter if you come to one of my book tour stops for Breathless Reads!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Published on January 28, 2013 15:28