Beth Revis's Blog, page 36

Like Falling in Love All Over Again

So I'm on book tour right now, and while it's been WONDERFUL to see so many people and talk with everyone and tour the lovely cities Penguin is sending me to and get to know Andrea, Marie, and Jessica better, it is also EXHAUSTING. So...I've not posted nearly as often as I usually do. But! I do want to take a moment to remind everyone of two things:




1) If you want signed copies of my books (or any of the other books by the lovely ladies on tour with me) we have signed stock at every single book store event, and they have copies available and are able to ship nationwide (and worldwide in the case of the larger stores). Please check out the list of tour stops and contact the store closest to you for signed copies.




2) Don't forget to enter my contest for ALL SEVEN BOOKS ON TOUR--SIGNED! You guys have officially brought the Facebook Likes for the Breathless Reads page over 2,500, so ALL SEVEN BOOKS are going to one grand prize winner! And true to my word, I've been collected some additional prizes along the way...so there will actually be multiple winners. I have badges already (YAY!) and hope to get some posters soon. Also, there might be ARCs involved. Just sayin'. Contest entry post is the one directly below this post.




OK! Onto the post!




So, last night PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was playing on the hotel movie channel, and it got me thinking about writing (surprise, surprise). I realized that the love in the movie is actually very similar to my different stages of writing a novel. I'm currently in the midst of rewriting SHADES OF EARTH (with a new! exciting! ending!), and it's put me firmly in Stage Three of the Falling In Love Writing Process.




How is writing like falling in love, Jane Austen Style?




Stage One: Lydia and Wickham




In PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, the stupid sister, Lydia, becomes infatuated with the horrid player Wickham. She makes a stupid decision to run off with him, which would have led to her "ruining" in society had Mr. Darcy not forced Wickham to marry her. Nevertheless, Lydia never sees anything wrong with Wickham and thinks that he's the most wonderful man on Earth, despite the fact that he's a complete and utter douche.




This is the first stage of writing, the final copy of the rough draft. When I first finish a novel, I look at it with starry eyes. It can do no wrong. I truly believe I will send it out to critique partners or my editor, and it will come back with nothing but gold stars and smiley faces on the manuscript. I have no idea that my manuscript is flawed; I see right past it all and believe it's nothing but good.




Which makes me as stupid as Lydia at this point.




Stage Two: Elizabeth and Darcy Hate




When Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy first meet, it's hate at first sight. They don't get along. They see nothing but each other's flaws. They want to utterly tear down the other one, and spend their time ranting at each other.




This is when I first start editing. I look at the book and wonder why I ever wrote such trash. I taste bile when I think about how I actually let other people READ it. Ugh. This thing needs to go in the trash. I might as well start over.




Sure, there might be a few redeeming qualities. After all, Elizabeth admits that Mr. Darcy is a handsome man, and polite. Maybe the manuscript needs an overhaul, but there are a few scenes that might be okay...after some time apart, I might start seeing a few glimmers of hope (just as Elizabeth started liking Darcy when they were separated)...




And this leads me straight to... Stage Three: Elizabeth and Darcy Love




There's a moment in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE where Elizabeth suddenly realizes that Mr. Darcy's not a complete tool. She recognizes that he's not perfect, but she's able to see past that to his intent, and realize that he's actually a good man. And perfect for her. Likewise, somewhere between editing/rewriting and finishing the new draft, I reach a moment where I can both see what was wrong before, but look past it to the beating heart of the story.




It's a magical moment, just like falling in (real) love. It's when I can see that the story's not perfect (no story ever is) but I'm reaching the point where it is perfect for me. I love it--really love it, not like Lydia loves Wickham. Lydia turns a blind eye to Wickham's faults, but Elizabeth doesn't--and neither do I. I see the faults, and I try to make them better, or I try to make the reader see that the faults are a part of the story. I am not afraid to chop off parts that don't work, I'm not afraid to admit that my opinion was wrong. I love it, and I want to make it better. And I believe in it.




This is the point where I'm at with SHADES OF EARTH right now. I went through the Lydia love--I actually expected to have just a few edits, lol! And for much of the past two months, I've been in the Hate mode. I couldn't see any value to the book at all, and I wanted nothing more than to throw it all away. But I'm back in love now, real love, and I've found the beating heart of the story, and all I want to do is relish in the words and sling them about like flower petals at a wedding.

A Breathless Giveaway!

I cannot believe that it's tour time again! I did the Breathless Reads tour last year as well, and it was amazingly awesome.



Long time readers of my blog know that I tend to celebrate good things with giveaways, and this year's tour celebration will be no different!



First, the prizes!



Signed copies of the books on tour:







Across the Universe

by me :)






Born Wicked

by Jessica Spotswood






Nightshade 

by Andrea Cremer






Legend

by Marie Lu




AND: You might have noticed that two authors on tour (myself and Andrea) have sequels out. If the entries for this contest reach 5,000 *or* the Breathless Reads Sampler download hits the top 100 list in either Amazon or BN *or* the Breathless Reads Facebook Page hits 2,500 likes, I will add THREE more books to this giveaway--the sequels to Across the Universe and Nightshade.











That's right: you could win up to SEVEN signed books! 

One prize-winner will take home EVERYTHING.




AND: If I pick up any goodies along the way--such as a signed Breathless Reads tour poster--I'll be sure to add it to the pot. And if I get more than one poster, I'll add those to send to multiple winners...




So, how do you enter? Simple. Basically, I want to make sure everyone knows about the tour. If these tours are successful, Penguin will keep doing them. As it's really important to me to spread the word, all the entries to the contest are linked to that.




In the Rafflecopter below, there are easy ways to spread the word via Tweet, Facebook, etc. Even if you're not online, you can simply tell a friend about the tour and enter that way. (And of course, multiple entries are welcome!)




Additionally, there are three things you can do to get extra entries.




(1) Post the Breathless Reads poster somewhere online, and link it back to the Breathless Reads page. Remember, if the page reaches 2,500 likes, I'm adding more books to the prize!









(2) Download the Sampler of the Breathless Reads books on either Kindle or Nook. Remember, if these hit the top 100 lists during the tour, I'm adding extra books to the prize haul!









To download a free chapter sampler, click here:

Kindle | Nook




(3) Actually come to one of the stops on the tour. Ask me for the codeword, and I'll tell you a secret word to plug into the Rafflecopter. I know this one's a little biased towards the people who can actually come to the stops, but I really want to give props to the people who come, and I've given everyone else other ways to enter. To find out where the stops are, click here.




Contest Details:


Open internationally
Must have parent/guardian's permission to enter if below age 18
Only entries in the Rafflecopter form below qualify as entries to the giveaway






a Rafflecopter giveaway
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IMPORTANT: Reschedule Event

Hi guys!



If you were planning on coming to see me and the lovely Megan Miranda in Asheville tonight at Malaprops Bookstore, the snow is putting a crimp in our plans! We are gong to have to reschedule the event to a later date. Don't drive if you don't have to!! The roads are slick, and there's a chance they will refreeze.



We hate doing this--we know people make plans and we hate having to re-arrange them. But we're afraid that people who come out...might not be able to get home.



I'll let you know when we reschedule :)



(And don't worry; this is only for TONIGHT'S event--this is not effecting any of my other scheduled events or the tour.)

Try Breathless Reads for Free!

If you've not read AtU yet--or any of these wonderful titles--check it out now! You can get sample chapters of all the ladies from the Breathless Reads tour (starting next week! squee!) for FREE, from either Kindle or Nook.



And speaking of free, dude, Penguin's doing so much to make this tour awesome. For example: tour badges!







Every person who comes to the event will get one (unless by chance they run out, but I don't think that'll happen). And you want one! Because (a) they are cool, (b) they give you an entry into a giveaway...including a free Samsung Galaxy Tablet!



So if you're anywhere near the tour stops, please come by! And don't think that you have to buy all the books or anything (although I will give you a hug if you do). Because you can still collect signatures--everyone who comes to the tour will also get a free poster, and we'd love to sign it for you!







(It is so pretty. And shiny!)



Basically, this is me saying that the Breathless Reads tour is going to be EPIC, and I really want to see you there!




For more information on the tour, 

click here!

To download a free chapter sampler,

click here:

Kindle  |  Nook

Winners all around!

Quick post! I did some giveaway last week, and have selected the winners! And one of them might be you, so check out below!



Winner of a SIGNED copy of TEMPEST by Julie Cross:




Jordan E. (I've already emailed you :)



Winner of a SIGNED copy of A MILLION SUNS for coming up with a clever plot twist:




(random drawing winner): @MilyHopeEc for this tweet 



And because I simply couldn't resist, there was one plot twist that made me laugh out loud--it was perfect for me, and so I want to give it a prize, too. Problem is? The entry was Anonymous. So, Anon, send me an email with your address so I can get you a prize! The winning anonymous entry is:

Amy steps foot onto Centauri earth to find a black cat named luna who tells her she is Sailor Centauri A and she has to save everyone from the megaverse. Oh, and Elder's tuxedo Mask for kicks....

PS: Tomorrow I'm doing a pod cast interview with AuthorsAreRockstars. Have a question for me? Ask it here! 

TWIST: And then the author goes insane & also

So, I've started working on revisions for SHADES OF EARTH. Basically, the idea is to make it the most mind-blowing, twistiest, awesomest book ever. And my attitude for this has been:







Which has also meant that very often my brain turns slowly into mush coming up with new twists and turns and attempts to make the book good for you. Also: I get ideas and many of them are crazy, and I have to sort the crazy from the non-crazy. Also also: the idea of becoming a crazy cat lady is starting to look nice, except I have dogs instead of cats, but the principle is still the same.



So what does a writer do when her brain is turning to mush and there are too many twists in there?



She turns to Twitter.



Things got out of hand.































































The good news is that by blowing off steam this way, I think I actually come up with the real twist that I'm going to try to use with the plot! And the other good news is that I had so much fun doing this that I thought, like any good party, lets just keep it going.



Have a crazy, funny plot twist or mash-up with another book/show/movie? Tweet it (@bethrevis or #newplot4SoE so I can find it) and/or post it here in the comments, and I'll enter you to win a signed copy of A MILLION SUNS! Enter as many times as you like (as long as you're coming up with new stuff, don't just spam this; it's supposed to be fun). Comments and tweets count. I'll either pick my favorite or--as is likely--there will be too many awesome ones and I can't pick, in which case I will just randomly pick one. Open internationally, we'll close this on Monday, unless I forget. Have I mentioned my brain = mush?

A Bookanista Interview: TEMPEST author Julie Cross

YOU
We can read all about your life from your bio in the jacket flap of your book. So, what's a completely random fact about you that most people don't know?

I took many, many years of ballet despite my short legs and flat feet. I find it hard to walk across a kitchen floor in my socks without doing a few pirouettes and if you look closely, you might catch me standing in first position. On the flip side of that, ballet is fluid and not as rhythmic as other forms of dance, so I'm totally the last one on the dance floor at a wedding and the first one off.



As a kid, what was your favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing up?

I can't pick just one…Babysitter's Club series, Number The Stars by Louis Lowry, Little Women.



In your book, TEMPEST, Jackson can travel through time. If you could travel through time, when would you go?

I'm going to get called a dork or jock for this but I'd go back to 1976 and watch Nadia Comaneci get the first perfect 10 in Olympic Gymnastics history….I know…total dork.




[image error] YOUR BOOK
It's the inevitable question: what inspired TEMPEST?

For me, it started with the love story…two people from very different backgrounds who have this amazing summer fling and get to the end thinking it was just for fun and then have to decide what it really means and accept the fact that you are always susceptible to falling in love whether you want to or not.



Most of this happens before TEMPEST begins and it's trickled in little bits throughout the book. But the love story alone wasn't big enough. I needed something epic and more original to add to this plot. That's where time travel came in. And then, just for fun, I tossed in the mysterious division of the CIA and some pretty crazy spies.



One of the great things about TEMPEST is the very realistic voice of your male lead. Could you tell us why you chose to tell the story from a boy's point of view, and how you made that voice so realistic?

I started writing from Jackson's point of view because he was the time traveler, but on the side, I wrote a lot from Holly's point of view as well. It became apparent early on that the story would be much more powerful if I stayed with Jackson because he's learning so much about himself and his abilities in the first half of the book. The reader truly gets to make all these discoveries right along side Jackson.



Getting my guy lead to sound realistic as a 19 year old dude was tricky at first. It really helped that my editor is a guy and I was sending chapters to him and anything too sappy, I'd kind of chicken out at the last minute and delete, knowing he'd probably roll his eyes…or possibly gag if he read those words. After that initial draft, I went back and figured how I had made those right choices with Jackson and how to continue doing that. It was a fun learning experience. I think of it a lot like acting. Playing a role that isn't anything like you.



Can you tell us a little bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing TEMPEST?

Tempest formed from a premise of another novel that I had written in the summer of 2009. My first novel. An agent requested that horrid manuscript then he became an editor before he was able to read it, but he still wanted to take a look at it. Of course, he agreed that it was horrid and passed on it. Later he came back to me and asked if I'd be interested in writing a YA time travel with that same premise. I sent a few chapters at a time and three and a half weeks later, I had a first draft of Tempest.



I was then offered a three book deal with Thomas Dunne Books and at that point, I went looking for an agent. Again. Because like most writers, I had done the query process with other manuscripts and received a good number of rejections. But technically there was never a query for Tempest. Suzie Townsend was nice enough to drop everything and read my manuscript overnight and luckily she loved it and offered to represent me.



If your reader could only take away one emotion, theme, or idea from TEMPEST, what would you want it to be?

This is a very hard question to answer because one of the best parts about writing Tempest and putting it out there for reviewers is that everyone seems to grasp onto to a different aspect as their favorite theme. A lot of people have commented on the family relationships and the drama that comes with those. I LOVED writing the scenes with Jackson and his twin sister, Courtney. Many people like the romance between Jackson and Holly and others really want more of geeky sidekick, Adam.



With all that said, I guess I'm going to quote something from the end of the book. It won't spoil the story, but is a theme right from the fourth chapter, "Have no regrets."






YOUR WRITING
What's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?

Publishing people are like the long lost siblings I've just discovered. When I first started writing, I think part of me believed agents were robots or computers or something and editors were from outer space and New York was this place you only go if you own a business suit and a priority boarding card for at least one airline. It surprised me how easy it was for me to get along with authors and people in publishing. Not just get along but share a passion with that different than anything else I've ever done.



Beyond the typical--never give up, believe in yourself--what would be the single best advice you'd like to give another writer?

If you don't have an agent or a book deal…no editors hammering for rewrites, no copyeditor making up every piece of your novel, then I'd say make sure writing is still fun for you. Not just fun, but you should be in love with it because if and when you do get to the published phase, you'll have plenty of things to stress about and whine about. Trust me.



What do you think are your strongest and weakest points in writing?

I would say character development and voice are what come the easiest for me. Also, first drafts. And I know lots of authors that feel the opposite. The weakest point for me is keeping the plot from getting too wide or veering off in another direction. I have a bit of an obsession with subplots.



DON'T FORGET: I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of this book! Just click here to enter.




To find out what the other Bookanistas are reading, click below:






Christine Fonseca  brings you a special Guestanista review of SPRINKLES AND SECRETS
Shannon Messenger delights in DEAD TO YOU – with giveaway
Beth Revis interviews TEMPEST author Julie Cross – with giveaway
Jessi Kirby takes a shine to the SURRENDER and new POSSESSSION covers
Stasia Ward Kehoe adores IN HONOR
Jen Hayley gushes over THE GIRL WHO LOVED A CITY
Veronica Rossi  is crazy for INCARNATE
Nikki Katz marvels at A MILLION SUNS
Gennifer Albin   is on fire over CINDER
Tracy Banghart  is all about THE OTHER LIFE
Jessica Love wonders at THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Hilary Wagner mourns over THE DEATH OF YORIK MORTWELL -- with giveaway

Review of Julie Cross's TEMPEST

So yesterday I told you all about my reading experience with TEMPEST by Julie Cross. Basically: I literally couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I was truly, sincerely worried about the life of a main character, and the fate of the narrator. Which is actually one of my favorite things about TEMPEST:



Julie Cross made me believe that any character--including the narrator--might not make it out of the story whole. 




This is a very hard thing to do as a writer. Basically, a reader goes into the book knowing that certain characters are safe. Of course the hero and heroine make it out of live! The standard reader goes into any novel believe this so fully that making the reader convinced that this might not actually be the case shows a very deft writing hand.



Of course, I didn't always love the characters. In fact, when I first met Jackson I would have been sort of okay if he bit the dust. He was honestly kind of a jerk--he's less than flattering (unfairly so, imo) to his girlfriend's roommate, and while his thoughts on sex and the things he notices is very believeable for a boy narrator, it didn't always endear him to me. Which is another thing I loved about the book:



The narrator, Jackson, truly changes from the first page to the last. 




This is another thing that I really respect, author to author. Again, the typical reader expects certain things--such as the character staying basically the same. I mean, you expect the main character to change some, or that a bad guy has an epiphany, Scrooge-style, by the end, but Jackson has a very interesting, and realistic, growth. He doesn't change all at once, nor does he become an angel--but throughout the story, through the course of his experiences, he changes from a somewhat cocky jerk to a guy who's honestly trying to do the right thing, but not sure he can make it.



And have I mentioned he's a guy? Because that's another thing I liked:



This is one of the most believable books with a boy narrator that I've ever read.




I've had my eye out for boy narrator since before I wrote Elder's POV, and I have to said: Julie nailed it. Jackson is boy, through-and-through. I really can't explain it, but I will say that there was never a moment I doubted Jackson's voice. He sounded real.



This is me basically fangirling in TEMPEST's general direction. And you should too! If you've not yet, make sure to enter my contest for a SIGNED copy of TEMPEST in my previous post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A Tempest is Brewing + Giveaway

As some of you know, I recently had the great pleasure of doing a signing at Books of Wonder, and one of the lovely ladies with me was Julie Cross:





That's her, second to the left! Thanks, SLJ, for posting the picture!

I got this book to read for review when I was grumpy. That's the nicest thing I can say about my attitude. I was terribly grumpy and prone to hate everything. The copy of the book I got had no cover, and very little description. I picked it up, expecting to hate the whole thing and continue being grumpy.



Instead, I loved it.



I devoured the whole book, totally caught in the story and enraptured by the world. It's a time travel book which, right there, should be a sign that I would love it, but the fact that this book (a) picked me up out of a serious reading slump, (b) made me quit being so grumpy, and (c) made me ignore everything to read for two days straight meant that I had to blurb it. So I did :)







"Julie Cross's thrilling debut is brimming with 




excitement, romance, and intrigue. 




I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!" 






That bit about not being able to turn the pages fast enough? That's actually true. There's a few scenes there where I got so anxious that I remember having my fingers caught between three or four pages, the faster to turn them with. And it was all I could do not to skip to the end and make sure everyone makes it out okay!










I'll be doing a more complete review and an interview with author Julie Cross in the next two days, but in the meantime, you can find out more about this book here:


GoodReads page (all the buy-the-book links are there)
Author blog
FREE downloadable short story set in the world of TEMPEST
Great review of the book by the LA Times


And since I really want to share this brilliant book with people, I'm giving away a SIGNED copy that I picked up at Books of Wonder just for you! Since Julie's a debut author, why not give her a shout-out in the comments to let her know how much you want to read her book, what you think of the cover or trailer, or just a good luck wish? (I'm not making this mandatory, I just think it'd be nice :)


Additional contest information:


Open internationally
Entrants must be 13 years old or older
Only one entry per person
Must enter in the Rafflecopter below to qualify
Contest closes on February 1, 2012





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