Beth Revis's Blog, page 49

Ash2Nash: A Southern Book Tour!

GUYS. GUYS. GUYS. I am sooooo thrilled to tell you about my latest project: a book tour in my own backyard! You can find out more about it here, and you can be entered to win SIX SIGNED BOOKS while you're at it!!





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Myra, Victoria, and Beth are thrilled about bringing a tour to their local areas--from Asheville, NC, to Nashville, TN. We'd love it if you came out to see us, and we want to make sure that everyone in the area knows about it!



But we know that not everyone gets to have a tour stop in their backyard. So, we're going to bring the tour to YOU. With signed books, straight from the tour, mailed straight to YOU.



We're going to be adding to the prize pack as we go, but so far we're happy to say that these will be included, all of which will be SIGNED by the author!





SIGNED hardback copy

SIGNED hardback copy

SIGNED hardback copy



SIGNED hardback copy



SIGNED ARC copy

Signed copy PLUS a signed poster!

SIGNED hardback copy



That's right! SEVEN SIGNED BOOKS + a signed poster + more swag + some fun things that we're going to pick up on the way. THIS PRIZE PACK IS HUGE!!!



To enter: help us spread the word & fill out the form below!





There are lots of way to help us spread the word! You can do something as simple as tell a friend, but we want as many people as possible to come to our tour and find out about it. 





So, tell a friend about it!





Or...tweet!





Or...Facebook!









Or...blog! You could either make a post about it or share our widget!



Get the <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/ash2n... Tour</a> widget and many other <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/"&a... free widgets</a> at <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com"&am...! Not seeing a widget? (<a href="http://docs.widgetbox.com/using-widge... info</a>)

Additional contest information:Open to the US & Canada only--sorry, but the authors have to pay shipping themselves.
Entrants must be 13 years old or older
To be entered, you must fill out the form below
Contest closes on August 12, 2011




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You Know What Goes Well With 4th of July BBQs?

Ice cream.



Especially ASTRONAUT ice cream.



Don't forget to enter! And I'm not going to say more, but THIS WEEK would be a GOOD week to keep an eye on that there fan page. You know, if you're curious about any upcoming COVERS for any upcoming SEQUELS or anything...

The Secret of the Stars Revealed!

Guys. GUYS. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.





SecretOfTheStars.com

This is...this is a fansite. For ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Made by fans. 

*dies of joy*

I mean, yeah, there's the Official Fansite, but that's run by my publisher. Secret of the Stars is run by Megan and Mindy, two book bffs who are amazing and wonderful and charming. They came up with the idea of a fansite on their own, and I am just in awe of what an awesome job they did!

Megan and Mindy have lots of amazing stuff already up on the website. There's Operation Elder, their drive to get people to read the book.







And they're hosting a Read-a-Long. Read the book alongside them for fun discussions (maybe a few secrets from me), and a chance to win lots of prizes! They have a whole schedule, starting July 5, and they have a TON of prizes to give away!



The whole thing looks AMAZING and I'm really and truly in awe of them--and incredibly touched that they made such a wonderful website! Please, please, please go over and check the site out!!



I almost forgot the best part: They're kicking the site off today with a bang--and a contest for a signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE + swag! Just visit the page and fill out the form to win!



Also, I'm thinking that it would be great to give them some exclusive content, or a really neat prize to share with everyone. Are there any AtU questions or secrets you're dying to know, or a prize you'd love to have? Let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to make it work!





That said, let's make the comment area of this post a spoiler zone--please feel free to post spoilery questions that you'd like an answer to. If you want to stay spoiler free, please email your suggestions to me at bethrevis@gmail.com.

Author Interview: Matt Blackstone, author of A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE

Today I'm celebrating the launch of a fellow Bookanista's book launch! Matt Blackstone's novel, A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE will be released in just a few days, so be sure to check it out!



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'm bad at following directions, I run marathons, I have a stuffed animal named Flopsy, I coach my school's tennis team, I find the smell of Australian Gold sunblock to be glorious and intoxicating, I rode elephants in Thailand (and learned that elephants' breath smells the opposite of glorious and intoxicating); I planned on skydiving until watching an introductory video that said six times, "We are not responsible if you die"; my favorite color was red, then green, then blue, then black and now whichever color my wife tells me to wear; I am not related to magician Harry Blackstone, the investors at the Blackstone Group, the hotelier at the Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel, or the founders of Blackstone Wine; I caught my first foul ball at a game two years ago and I still get made fun of for my celebratory dance; I dance with my hands balled up fists, except when I do The Worm; I have a younger brother who unfortunately is bigger and stronger than I am; I hate grape jelly and love crunchy peanut butter; my Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor says I have a deviated septum; I am a proud member of the Lake Owego Polar Bear Club; I can hold my breath underwater for 16 minutes less than David Blaine; my favorite baseball player is Matt Stairs, he is 43 years old; I find it hilarious that as kids we used whoopee cushions and now we have a Big Fart Button on our phone.



Oh, you wanted one random fact? Told you I'm bad at following directions.



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



At age 5, my favorite was definitely Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Alexander is such a whiner, but you gotta feel for him: gum in his hair, getting smushed in the back of the car . . . life in Australia probably would be better.



Honorable Mentions:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Sam Who Never Forgets by Eve Rice. I now realize that my four favorite children's books are about screw-ups. Alexander and Sam are forgetful, and Max is a troublemaker. I'm not sure if I'd categorize my kid-self as a forgetful troublemaker, but I sure loved reading about them.



My tastes haven't changed all that much, as I'm now immersed in YA novels that feature a host of loopy, loony characters who like to stir the pot. And plot.



You're also a high school English teacher. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to writing while teaching?



Advantages



My 9th grade students inspire my characters with delightfully awkward goofiness
I can test out my writing with the target audience.
I can leave by 4 pm, except during tennis season.




Disadvantages



I need to wake up at 6 am to get to school on time. If I want to write, I'm up by 4.
Editing essays, in addition to editing my own work, gets tedious.
I'm a very patient man, which is why I got into this profession in the first place, but 12 hours each day with teenagers (9 hours of teaching and then coaching them, 3 hours of writing about them) is a lot of time. (No, I'm not a parent of teenagers yet. Those of you who are deserve to be knighted.)




YOUR BOOK

It's the inevitable question: what inspired A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE?

Teachers often say that loud, disruptive students are thorns in their sides but most would admit that the truly dangerous ones—dangerous, at least, to themselves—are the quiet, aloof ones who fly under the radar because they nod politely at their teachers. They play the game well, well enough to get promoted, but they are anything but well.



A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE is the result of seeing a growing number of my students isolate themselves. Rene's rituals and magical thinking exemplify what it means to be mentally ill, or at least socially inept, in a high school setting that demands academic prowess and social fluency. I wrote this book to offer hope to wild card teenagers (what teen isn't a wild card these days?) or those who begrudge their parents (sometimes deservedly so), question conformity, and feel so desperate and alone that the only safe place is inside their heads. But what if even that place isn't safe?



One of the great things about A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE is that the main character suffers from OCD. Can you tell us about why you gave this affliction to your hero, Rene?

Because it's so scary and dangerous and serious, yet so accessible and universal. Unless you're Ryan Seacrest, you've panicked at some point in your life, uncontrollably so, sweating through your shirt. And we all have our quirks, our "things," our obsessions that we cling to for comfort, especially when we're stressed. So we all can relate to Rene on some level. Except for Ryan Seacrest. (With his oceanic name, his suave hair, and a job that makes other people panic, I can't imagine him ever freaking out. I don't think he's human. But I can't prove it. Yet.)



Can you tell us a little bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE?

The first draft was surprisingly quick—about six weeks. I started it on a train ride and couldn't type fast enough. Then next day, I took it with me on a family vacation to Mexico, where I typed at the beach, at the pool, on local sweaty bumpy buses to and from Chichen Itza, on the plane ride home, and then every morning and night until I finished. I spent two months revising it before I sent it off, mumbling a prayer at the mailbox. Editing was slower than I'd imagined, but I enjoyed every step of the process.



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

Hope. Things are never as bad as things may seem. Except when they are.



But even then, you've gotta hope.





YOUR WRITINGWhat's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?How long it takes for a book to be published. And how often I get to the keyboard and think, "Holy crap, my powers are gone! What happened to my ability to write complete sentences?"



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

Momentum is everything. Write every day. I find that if I take days off in the middle of a project, I lose the voices of my characters and am less motivated to push through.



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

Strength: creativity, especially in my characters.



Weakness: There's isn't enough room on the internet galaxy for this list.





Thank you for stopping by, Matt! To find out what the other Bookanistas are posting about, check here:



Elana Johnson adores A Need So Beautiful
LiLa Roecker is gaga for Are You Going to Kiss Me Now?
Christine Fonseca interviews YA Fiction for Dummies author Deborah Halverson – with giveaway
Beth Revis interviews A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie author Matt Blackstone
Carolina Valdez Miller is wowed by Wildfire – with giveaway
Shana Silver gushes over Hourglass
Jen Hayley delves into Divergent
Rosemary Clement-Moore thinks Chime is divine
Stasia Ward Kehoe has applause for Trauma Queen

IT'S HERE!

In case you checked earlier and didn't see it...the cover's online now! Just click here to see it!!!



Ah!! I hope you love it as much as I do!!



And don't forget to enter below so we can celebrate together with astronaut ice cream! :D

Cover Reveal!

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT TODAY.



You know why?



Because today you get to see the new cover for the paperback of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE! The cover is being revealed exclusively at the official Facebook page--and to entice you to go over and check it out, I would like to bribe you with....ICE CREAM!





That's right...ASTRONAUT ICE CREAM!!! I've got five packs of astronaut ice cream, and I'll be sending them out to five winners. And one winner will also get a little something extra, inspired straight from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.



When Amy first starts living on the ship Godspeed, I wanted to show how different it was. In an early scene, Amy goes to the shower, which isn't entirely like our showers:

It takes me a moment to figure out the shower. There are buttons, not knobs, and more steam than water pours from small mesh squares embedded in the walls of the shower stall. Two bars of soap line a tiny shelf near the top of the shower. There are no shampoo or conditioner bottles, but the round bar of soap lathers in my hair when I test it.

The shampoo bar is something that exists now, not in the far-distant future. I first heard about them from the store Lush, but quickly found my way over to Etsy, where I found a fantastic seller who makes the best shampoo bars I've ever had. If you've never tried solid shampoo, it's so amazing--it cleans much better than bottled liquid shampoo.



And I'm giving away a bar to one of the winners of today's giveaway so the winner can try it out for him (or her) self! And it's scented lemon-lavender, the same scent that Amy uses!



To enter: visit the Facebook page and check out the new cover! (And let Razorbill know what you think of it!) Then fill out the form below :)



Additional contest information:Open internationally
Entrants must be 13 years old or older
Only one entry per person
Contest closes on July 11, 2011
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Bookanista Feature: Jodi Meadow's INCARNATE

The bad news: we have a long way to wait until we get to read Jodi Meadows's INCARNATE.

The good news: I've already read it hahahaha! 

The good news: We have a beeeeeeeeeee-yoooooooo-tiful cover to stare at until INCARNATE is released in early 2012! And Jodi is giving away hand-knitted mitts as prizes until then! 





I mean, just check out that cover. So pretty. The colors are amazing--and butterfly, a very symbolic image in the book, looks perfect here.



Go ahead. Stare.



Want to find out what the other Bookanistas are loving this week? 



Elana Johnson adores HourglassBeth Revis has cover love for IncarnateShana Silver swoons over SupernaturallyRosemary Clement-Moore jumps for JinxStasia Ward Kehoe praises PossessionGretchen McNeil is giddy about MoonglassSarah Frances Hardy brags about The Grandma Book

You Know You're Curious!

Sorry I've been a tad MIA on the blog lately. It's for two very good reasons:



I have tons of cool things I'm dying to tell you about! But...I can't. So I'm just sitting here, keeping my mouth shut.
I'm, you know, working. On stuff.
In the mean time: if you have any love at all for Harry Potter, you know you're curious about this. Whatcha think it is?! We'll find out tomorrow!!

Testing...& Author Visits

So, I've been getting lots of requests for visits lately! Yay! But...as some of these visits would be something that I would pay for myself, I want to make sure I'm going somewhere where I can have maximum impact. After a bit of research (and thanks to someone on Twitter--I've lost the tweet, but thank you!) I found a website called Eventful that makes widgets where you can demand an event in your area! I thought I'd give it a spin here--so if you'd like to see me in your city, bookstore, or school, please let me know here! Likewise, if this widget doesn't work for you or something, please also let me know and I'll come up with a different way to do this...





View all Beth Revis tour dates

SOLSTICE Celebration!

PJ Hoover is celebrating the release of SOLSTICE with an epic book tour! Check more out on Twitter by tweeting the hashtag #Solstice. 





You can check out the stops of the tour here, or you can read a free sample of the book (which is only $2.99) by clicking here.



Book description:

Where Mythology and Dystopia meet...



Piper's world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom.



But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she's drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she's ever known.





SOLSTICE is available as a $2.99 ebook (paperbacks should be available in the next week or two) from:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Solstice-ebook/dp/B004ZF804E/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304621416&sr=1-5&tag=wwwpjhooverco-20

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Solstice/PJ-Hoover/e/2940012467874

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57682