Beth Revis's Blog, page 39

You're Invited...to a Virtual Party Celebration!

I've always been told that when new parents have a baby, they do everything with that baby. Hundreds of photos, videos, record every moment, journals, etc. But by the time the parents have a second baby...they're just tired! They forget to fill out the baby book, they don't bother with as many photos.



I approached this year with the same fashion. A MILLION SUNS is my second baby...and boy am I tired! Did anyone care enough for me to bother with a launch party? Should I bother with another big thing on my website?



Well, being a second child myself, I decided that I didn't want to make A MILLION SUNS feel forgotten. (Also: friends of the book threatened mutiny if I forewent a party!) So in true Beth Revis fashion, we're going to celebrate the new year with a PARTY!! And because so many of you aren't in my local area, I wanted to make sure that everyone, no matter where you live, can participate.



Besides, you guys know the answer to this, right? When there's an option to party or not, you should...




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I had to use this .gif; it had stars in the background.

So, I'm organizing the virtual party just like a real party. Which means there will be...



PARTY HOSTS

Every hour, from 8am until 5pm, there will be a new post on a new blog from around the blogosphere. Each post will have special content about the books, and a chance to win a prize! There will be direct links on Tuesday, when the party goes live, but the sites will be:




Hypable

YA Book Central

Mundie Moms

Novel Thoughts

Bookalicious

Page Turners

The Secret of the Stars

The League of Extraordinary Writers




PARTY GAMES

Secretly I think the best games are party games. So I'm building a game around the virtual party. I'll announce just what that game is on Tuesday, but let me assure you of two things:




(1) The game will be fun

(2) The game will involve an awesome grand prize




PARTY HANGOUT

But you don't just go to a party to play games and get prizes, right? Heck, half the fun of the party is hanging out with the other people at the party! 




So, during the live launch party, from 7-9pm, there will be live updates and tweets on Twitter, so you'll be able to participate in the launch party!




Make sure to follow @AMillionSuns, which will be manned by my husband during the launch party. He's going to transcribe highlights from the live launch party, take Twitter questions for us to answer directly at the event, and host some fun giveaways during the party.




There will also be an official chat room for Twitter. To join, all you have to do is sign into Twitter, then go to the TweetChat room here. You're welcome to check it out now, but it will be manned and live for the official chat from 7-9pm, Eastern Standard Time. I might pop in and out throughout January 10th to say hi to any early or late arrivals to the chat room, so please feel free to hangout at the official virtual hangout :)




Also: you can always just use the official launch hashtag to hangout, too: #amslaunch




PARTY FAVORS

 Let's see--party hosts, games, and hangouts. What am I missing? Oh, yeah! Giveaways!




At every single blog from the party hosts up above, you're going to have a chance to win a prize--it'll be a random drawing, and open internationally. Each stop will have a party favor to give to one commenter, and that party favor includes signed books, AtU swag, and stuff from...NASA! (heckyeah! NASA! Special thanks to Ex Libris Kate for donating the NASA goodies!)




But wait! There's MORE!

If you order A MILLION SUNS from my local indie bookstore, 

Fireside Books and Gifts,

you will also receive some special swag!









Everyone who orders their book from Fireside will get:

-a signed, personalized book (obviously)

-a poster

-a bookmark

and 

-a limited edition koi fish art print








But that's not all!

I have THREE more of these limited edition water bottles to give away, and 

I'll be giving them away at the launch party!

There will be a drawing--including both the people at the launch party

and the people who order it from Fireside--

and three winners will get one of these *extremely rare* water bottles!




You can order your signed and personalized copy of 

A MILLION SUNS

or

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

from Fireside here:




-Website: click here 

-Phone: 828-245-5188

-Facebook: click here

LA Times Review!

Guys, I'm sorry--I hate to toot my own horn, but I have to share this or I'll burst (also, I'm giving myself a bit of a waiver for the toot-my-own-horn-thing since the book comes out on Tuesday). The LA Times just did a great review of A MILLION SUNS, and it'll be printed in the Sunday edition! *flails about*



The review itself is a tad spoilery (and very spoilery if you've not read ACROSS THE UNIVERSE yet), but there's a piece of it that I just have to share:

Revis keeps the book moving with short chapters that invariably end with cliffhangers to leverage the time-is-nigh plot. She's also fond of killing off and drugging pivotal characters and threatening to defrost others as the ship hurtles toward its uncertain but inevitable future.

*happy sigh* It's like they just get me, you know? :D Hurrah for space murder and mayhem!!



Another favorite quote (which I love because I tried so hard to avoid the sophomore slump):

Oftentimes, the second book in a series struggles to live up to the expectations set in its kickoff, but not here. Revis has penned a fast-paced, action-packed follow-up with her dystopian, sci-fi thriller, "A Million Suns," that explores not only the nature of authority and loyalty but fear of the unknown and fulfilling one's personal destiny.

Does anyone know how I can snag a copy of the paper here on the East Coast?

What Kind of Burning Questions Do You Have?

I really want to know! Do you have any questions for me about ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, A MILLION SUNS, or even *gasp* SHADES OF EARTH?



I'll be posting the five best questions + answers in a special feature next week. Please let me know what you want to know!

Events!

You might have noticed that I only just now updated the News page of my website. I have been terribly remiss about my recent events (except on Facebook. I actually updated FB, yay!)



Which is sad-making because I actually have a ton of events that I want to tell you about. 2012 is the year of travel! And it's also the year of Beth-doesn't-want-to-do-events-alone-so-she-keeps-begging-authors-to-join-her-for-shizz.



FIRST: THE LAUNCH OF A MILLION SUNS! with special guests Stephanie Perkins and Carrie Ryan!



WHEN: January 10, at 7pm




WHERE: Fireside Books and Gifts, 111 Main Street, Forest City, NC. (Please note that this is a change in address from last year; the store moved to Main Street)




WHO: Me, Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door), and Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places).




WHAT: A launch part for A Million Suns PLUS special guests PLUS cake pops PLUS surprise prizes PLUS a virtual party at the same time PLUS MORE. (Seriously)



MORE: Guys, I'm so excited about this. Fireside is my home bookstore, and I love doing hometown events. Also, I get to do this one with Steph and Carrie, and that rocks. Additionally, this event will be special because it's happening at the same time as...



THE VIRTUAL PARTY, OPEN TO THE WHOLE FREAKING WORLD!!!!!!

(I think that needs some more exclamation marks, but I've hit my quota)




WHEN: January 10th, ALL DAY




WHERE: The World Wide Web, baby! And I mean world-wide!




WHO: Me & you & you & you & you....




WHAT: A VIRTUAL party online. More details on this will be revealed later today, but it involves:




Party games (in the form of a blog hop updating hourly throughout the day)
Party favors (in the form of prizes, open internationally, given out at each stop!)
Socializing (in the form of a live Twitter chat-room going on at the same time as the launch party, so no matter where you are, you can participate! You'll be able to ask questions of all three authors, join in on the giveaways, get your book signed if you order through Fireside, and more!)


MORE: This is my way of bringing all of you guys, the wonderful people who've supported me this year, in on the biggest party of the year. We're doing all we can--including through Twitter, video, and more--to really make you feel as if you're a part of the event. And of course the best part of a party is the presents--so we're going to have plenty of those to give to you!)




But that's not my only event this month! Also, we have...






Five-Author Event in New York City




WHEN: January 17, from 6-8pm




WHERE: Books of Wonder Bookstore




WHO: Me, Julie Cross (Tempest), Megan Miranda (Fracture), Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places), and Maureen Lipinski (Shadow's Edge)




WHAT: A five-author panel as we discuss books, YA, writing, and more! Followed by a signing with all the authors.




MORE: I'm really stoked about this one, too! Not the least because I loved Tempest so much that I blurbed it. Seriously. I'm a sucker for time travel, but what really sold me on this story was the narrator. He starts out as a total (but realistic) jerk, and ends up doing his best to be a good guy. <3 Also: Fracture by Megan Miranda was full of twists and turns...and y'all know I'm a Carrie-fangirl...and I've not met Maureen yet, but I'm really looking forward to it!




And finally, for the month of January...







Meet Me & Lauren DeStefano at RJ Julia's Bookstore!




WHEN: January 18, at 7pm




WHERE: RJ Julia's Bookstore, CT




WHO: Me, Lauren DeStefano (Wither and the up-coming Fever)




WHAT: I suspect there will be shenanigans. Basically, we're going to talk and then sign books, and somewhere in there hilarity will ensure. 




MORE: Squee!! As much as I fangirl in Lauren's general direction, and despite the hundreds (I think) emails we've exchanged, we've never actually met in real life before! The building might implode from our combined forces. It's a worry. 





And that's January! The good news is, if you want to meet me in real life and I'm not coming near you this month...I'll be going on a huge tour in the middle of February. I've not been told that I'm allowed to let you guys know where I'm going, but I think it's safe to say that it'll be coast to coast, with some stops in the middle. Also, I'll be keeping up the tradition of not doing events solo, as this will be another group tour (yay!). If, by chance, you like authors who write books about witches, wolves, or dystopian worlds, then you're in luck! 

A FEVERish Giveaway!

Ugh. I know. That title is very very lame. Which is a shame because what I've got to showcase today is the opposite of lame.



Any ideas? Here's a clue...
















Any more guesses?



How about this...







Or this...





That's right! Today I'm featuring the lovely Lauren DeStefano...and I'm following it up with a signed copy of BOTH books!




WITHER debuted last year with a huge fanfare--and justly deserved! It was an amazing book, both because of it's un-put-down-able-ness and because of the beautiful way in which it was written. Here's the thing. For me, if a book has a great plot that makes me keep turning the pages no matter what, I really like it. But if that book also adds on a truly beautiful language style...I'm in love. Very few books do this. Carrie Ryan's works...Neil Gaimon's...Victoria Schwab...these are the only authors I can think of off the top of my head with a similar mixture of amazing plot + beautiful writing style.



So, of course, I immediately began stalking Lauren. And then I begged her for FEVER. Guys. Seriously. BEGGED.




And my evil machinations worked! I totally snagged a copy of FEVER and devoured the whole thing in less than 24 hours.



Guys. GUYS. You need to read this series. No shizz. It's...amazing. *happy sigh*



Things I love about WITHER and FEVER:




Rhine is a very realistic character. The decisions she makes when she's faced with them are either (a) exactly what I would do, or (b) not what I would do, but I understand why she would do it.
There's a love triangle. Sort of. And I really only like sort-of-love-triangles. In WITHER, Rhine is forced into marriage against her will. Thing is? Her husband's not a douche. In a lot of ways, he's got just as real problems as Rhine--he's been lied to, and deceived, and he's only trying to find something that's real. And the boy Rhine thinks she might fall for? She's not sure. She's trapped. She's not willing to risk too many emotions here.
In FEVER, the suck doesn't go away. By which I mean--Rhine's world changes...but it's still bad. Okay, so here's the thing. You know how HUNGER GAMES was always a little unbelievable because the bad districts were so bad, and the good ones so good? I mean...no distribution of wealth? Not everything's quite so black and white. Don't get me wrong, I loved HG, but I loved it more for the plot than the setting, yanno? Anyway, my point here is that in FEVER, there is striation. Gradiation. There a lot of shades of gray. Not just in the people, but the settings. What is right and what is wrong. Sometimes, the things you think are wrong...in this situation, with these people....it's right. Or sometimes, the things you think are right...aren't. Lauren takes these impossible people in an impossible world, and she gives them impossible situations, and she forces them to react to them.


Look, I'm babbling. Sorry. I tend to get babbly about books I love hardcore. 




So, want a copy? Of course you do! Up for grabs today is a copy of WITHER (signed!) and an ARC of FEVER (also signed!). Lauren donated this prize for the contest, so to get extra entries, I'm going to ask that you show her some love. These are totally optional, but I encourage you to thank her for the prize by doing some of these options (or in the comments!). 




TO ENTER: Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. All that is required is an email address (so I can contact the winner). The other things are optional. The contest is US only...sorry! The next contest will be international. Enter quick! This contest closes on Saturday.




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Reading Challenges!

There's a fresh new year here, and it's time for some fresh new reading challenges!



Last year, I set myself a low bar--I figured I'd be doing well to read 35 books in a year. Imagine my surprise when I read nearly 50!



I credit the upsurge in reading to several things:




I got an e-reader. I had played with them before, but I thought I was getting the e-reader mostly to aid in quickly reading friends' manuscripts. I was shocked to discover that I actually read faster on an e-reader, and now prefer it as a format for many books. Additionally, it's so easy to snatch up samples, short stories, and on-sale books this way. Easily half of my reading this year was done with my e-reader, and I never would have started some of the giants (GRR Martin, anyone?) without the Kindle.
I got more books for free. There's something about being sent an ARC that makes me want to drop everything and read :)
I read more books of friends. I feel truly blessed to count some of my writer-idols as friends now, so of course I wanted to be sure I read every single title of theirs I could. Also, writer friends make great recommenders, too. After the last retreat I was on, I bought five more books before catching the flight home (on my Kindle, natch)!


So, this year, I wanted to challenge myself a little more, and set my GoodReads goal to 45. I think I should probably have set it to 50, but I want to write a little more this year than last, so I compromised. 




If you'd like to join the GoodReads 2012 Reading Challenge, sign up for it here!




But of course, there are also some great reading challenges online, too. This year, I'm going to try to participate in the Story Siren's 2012 Debut Author Challenge. This is a great challenge that features books written by debut authors. A debut year for an author is often one of the most important years--a successful debut can carry an author a long way. So support the new authors in the world and their baby books!




You can find out about the debut challenge here.

You can see January's debuts here.




The official challenge is to read 12 books...but I'm going to be slack and challenge myself to read six debut YA books in 2012.






But there's a new challenge that I just heard about recently (from The Hardcover Harlequin) that I also want to participate in. 




It's called the Sophomore Reading Challenge, and I'm really excited about it--partly because in just 10 days I'm looking at my own sophomore release! It's hard to believe that I'm on my second book release already...it all still feels so new! And from where I'm sitting, I feel just as fresh and inexperienced as last year, with my debut, so I definitely feel the love of having a challenge to continue supporting the authors you found last year in their debut year.




The Sophomore Reading Challenge is hosted by ChickLovesLit.com, and more details can be found here.




The official challenge is to read 10 sophomore novels, and she's got a great list of titles here. I'm going to stick with simplicity for myself, and challenge myself to read six sophomore titles this year.




What about you? What are your challenges for your reading life?

Goals and Dreams

There's something empowering about having dreams come true. In 2011, several of mine did. Some of it was luck (I bribed leprechauns to make the NY Times thing happen), some of it was hard work (editing kicks my tail). Some of it was magical (hello new friends!), some of it was shocking (book tour?! me?!), and much of it was tiring (see: editing, book tour), but there's not a single moment that I regret.



I cannot put into words how amazing 2011 was. It just was.




And now it's nearly 2012.



I'm really not much of one for resolutions. I've made too many impossible resolutions before. There were many years where my resolution was "get my book published," but, failing self-publication, that's not something you can completely control. When other people are involved in making a dream come true, some of it is out of your hands.



So instead of resolutions, I have goals and dreams. My goals are things that I can do. My dreams are things that I can only somewhat control. It's not stuff like "win the lottery!" It's more like stuff that I can work towards, but without a little luck or help from others, it won't happen.



I have three goals and three dreams.


One of each is very personal.
One goal will require work, but will definitely happen (unless my hands fall off).
One goal is incredibly boring.
One will be very, very, very hard. But it's a goal, not a dream, so I can do it.
One dream is one I think will very likely happen. One dream is one I think might never.


Want to know what they are?









I am totally stealing Nova Ren Suma's idea. I've written down my dreams and goals for 2012. When if when I accomplish each goal, I'll post it here. And we can celebrate together! :)



So...how about you? What are your goals and dreams? May they both come true in the new year!

'Tis The Season of Giving

Thank you all for entering my contest, spreading the word, and cheering me on. Thanks to you guys, we've raised $1,573 for World Vision.







And guys? That's pretty darn awesome, in my opinion.



But I know the question on most of your minds is: WHAT ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY?!







Well, as you know, there were 1,573 entries. And up there above is 200 prizes. With the addresses all carefully hidden from view. The point of the giveaway is to be a surprise--so if you win, it'll show up in your mailbox (for US residents, probably by the end of next week--international might have to wait a bit).



Here are some statistics for your viewing pleasure!




By pure chance, the very first person who entered won one of the big prizes.
At least three people that I talk to fairly regularly on Twitter won (I recognized the names as I was posting labels)
There were a little over 30 international winners, including 2 of the big prizes
The state with the most entries was... Texas! Washington, Virginia, and California were after that.
The city with the most entries was... Portland, Oregon!
The international country with the most entries was... Canada!
Last year, an old college buddy won a prize. This year, one of my college roomies won a prize! (But sorry, Lori, it was just a postcard.)
One of the winners was a former student at the high school I worked at, and although she wasn't in my classroom, one of her besties was, so I got to know her, too. I think she'll be surprised!
My husband still doesn't know how much it cost to mail these out. Let's keep it our little secret, k?


Happy Holidays Everyone!

Have a wonderful new year!

Book 3 Title Reveal!

A MILLION SUNS comes out in *eep!* less than a month! This is the second book of the trilogy, and you might have noticed that we've kept the title of the third book a sekkrit, even though we've known the title since ACROSS THE UNIVERSE sold.



If you're a curious sort and would like to know what the title of the third and final book is, then you're in luck!! On the very last page of the finished copy of A MILLION SUNS, there's a page about the third book, and it includes the title. Here's what it looks like:







Wait a minute...what's all that smudged out part in the middle?




*evil grin*



That, my friends, is where the title is, and you'll have to wait for A MILLION SUNS to be released to see it!



...but if YOU want to know what the title of the third book is NOW, you can check out the reveal here. (click on the BOOK 3 TITLE tab on the left)



:)



Let me know what you think! And remember for those who've read the second book: no spoilers!

Tis the Season for Giving!

There are some great contests going on right now, and I wanted to be sure no one missed them.




You have until Monday to enter my 200-prize giveaway! We did make the 1000 entry goal, so I will be making a donation of at least $1000 to World Vision...but barring a sudden influx of a crazy number of entries, I think it's safe to say that I'll be donating a dollar for every entry, not just the first 1000. 

Also: keep in mind that even though I've got about 1200 entries right now, there are 200 prizes...which means you have a one in six chance of winning something. Talk about your good odds!

Speaking of good odds--make sure you enter the first year celebration over at the League. We're each giving away a signed copy of our books, so the grand prize winner will get FIVE signed books! It's super simple to enter, and did I mention the good odds you've got there?
The AtU fansite, Secret of the Stars is hosting a blog hop with your choice of one of my books as a prize!
Do you like puppies and kittens? Do you cry when Sarah McLachlin starts singing for the humane society on TV? Do you also like to have signed books of some of the hottest titles in YA? Then check out this charity auction. 

After witnessing some animal cruelty, author Christine Johnson decided to do something about it, and launched a charity auction to support the Humane Society. Authors Diana Peterfreund and Carrie Ryan are matching donations, up to $1000 each. 
It's SO EASY to help out with this auction: just go here, pick your prize, and bid.



I think I've hit them all with this--feel free to post in the comments of other giveaways you'd like to share with people!