Beth Revis's Blog, page 55

The Third iClue!

Are you keeping up with the mystery featuring Harley and Kayleigh from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE? If not, click here to start, read the first clue here, and the second clue here.



Today you get the last clue—and all the info you need to solve the mystery and enter for a grand prize of an iPod Touch! Also: there may or may not be kissing involved. To read the conclusion to the mystery, get the final clue, and feel all smart about yourself, just click here![image error]

iClue Updates

Ack! There's been some confusion about iClue, so I'm going to try to clear it up a bit...





It's a progressive story--so you start here for the opening, then here for the next bit, then here for the next bit. Tomorrow, the last part of the story is revealed.
When you read all the pieces of the story, you should be able to figure out the password to the contest entry that's located here.
I promise it's not hard--you'll be able to figure out the mystery if you read all the clues, and then you can enter for the big prize--an iPod Touch loaded with six books!
In the meantime, if you spread the word about iClue, you are ALSO entered for a chance to win all six books signed!
AND if you comment on the sites with clues, there is ANOTHER drawing for a signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE on BOTH the sites. So: chance 1 is here, chance 2 is here.
So...uh...that's a lot of ways to win stuff. You should probably go enter now. Let me run that down one more time, just for prizes:

Win an iPod Touch by solving mysteries

Win a signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by commenting

Win another signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by commenting

Win SIX SIGNED books by spreading the word

The Second iClue!

Are you keeping up with the mystery featuring Harley and Kayleigh from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE? If not, click here to start and read the first clue here.



To find the next clue—which features another character from the story as well as something forbidden on Godspeed, click here.

The First iClue!

Did you read the opening to a mystery featuring Harley and Kayleigh from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE? If not, click here. I know the story ended a bit abruptly, but fear not! The next bit of the story—and a very juicy clue—is ready for you today! Just head over to The Story Siren to find out what Kayleigh left for Harley to find…

iClue Mystery Launch! Kayleigh's Mystery

Hi guys! Welcome to the first week of the iClue Month Extravaganza! If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here for more info but the basic idea is this: all this week, I'm going to be posting a mystery dealing with the characters from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. If you solve the mystery, you'll get a password that will enter you for a grand prize of an iPod Touch! I hope you enjoy this week's mystery—and the mysteries from the awesome authors throughout the rest of the month!



BACKSTORY: One of my favorite characters who gets no face time at all in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is Kayleigh—Harley's girlfriend from before Amy wakes up. So for this mystery, I'm introducing you to the girl who won the artist's heart. This story takes place about three years before ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, when Elder was still a kid and Harley had just started to realize how much Kayleigh meant to him…



To read the story and get started on the mystery, click here to visit the official iClue site, then click on my name for this mystery. 



Check back every day this week for links to the clues so you can solve the mystery and enter for the grand prize of an iPod Touch! And don't forget--spread the word and you could win six signed copies of all our books!

Winner! Of Ruta Sepetys Prize Pack for BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY

I hope you all enjoyed learned more about BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY...this book is off to a fabulous launch, and I am so glad Ruta was able to sit down and really talk with us all!



So, without further ado, the winner of the prize pack is...



KATIE!

Congrats, Katie! Everyone else, I hope you'll pick up BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY for yourselves--it's a great, important read!

iClue--Solve Mysteries, Win Prizes

Do You iClue?

[image error] 6 Authors
6 Mysteries
6 Chances to Win an iTouch
As many of you know, one of my inspirations for floppies, the digital membrane screens the residents on Godspeed use like computers, was the touch-screen technology in an iPod Touch.



Which is one reason why I'm so glad to be participating in a contest where YOU get a chance to win one!



I'm working with The Reading Room (a book review site), a slew of amazing book bloggers and some of my all time favorite authors (Lisa & Laura Roecker, Mandy Hubbard, Adele Griffin, Kimberly Derting and Lee Nichols) to bring you an exciting new contest that will be running over the next 6 weeks. The grand prize is an iTouch loaded with 6 AMAZING eBooks from the participating authors.



Here's how it works:

Starting on April 4th a new author will be featured on the iClue Site each week.
The author will post their mystery on the site on Monday.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will post links to The Reading Room and two book bloggers who will be posting a special clue to help you solve the mystery.
Once you've solved the mystery you send us the correct solution using a form on the website.
If you enter the correct solution you get one entry into the contest.
Solve all 6 mysteries you get 6 entries to win the iTouch.
iClue launches next week (April 4th) with my mystery, featuring some of the characters from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Solve the mystery, get the password, and you'll get an entry to win an iPod Touch! So make sure you check back next week for this!



Meanwhile...we want to make sure to get the word out on this exciting month-long event! And that's where you come in...you, and six autographed books...









Help us spread the word, and you'll be entered for a prize to win six autographed books, one from each of us! There are lots of ways to enter!



You can tweet! 





You can blog!

(If you past the html code under the banner into your blog, it will automatically show up, all linked directly to the contest. If you put it into the post, be sure you're on the "edit html" tab of Blogger.)













<center><a href=http://bit.ly/icluecontest">&... border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GU...



You can spread the word however you like! And for every way you spread the word, we're going to enter you in a contest for a grand prize pack of all six of our books, signed! And don't forget to come back to the actual event for your chance to solve fun mysteries and win an iPod Touch!! (And yes--before you ask, the contest IS open internationally--both prizes!)



&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Ruta Sepetys's Writing Process

I didn't want this to get lost in the shuffle tomorrow--I'm going to be announcing a pretty big bit of awesome on the blog tomorrow, and I wanted to be sure that everyone had a chance to read Ruta's last post and not ignore it with the overlap of posts tomorrow. So I'm going to post Ruta's words of advice on writing now--remember, comment on this and the other four posts for a chance to win a big prize pack! Winner will be announced after Friday. And come back tomorrow for the huge awesome game/contest/amazing thing that's going to be posted!











To wrap up this week on BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY, I ask Ruta to tell us a little bit about her writing process. Here's her words of wisdom:

Well, I wouldn't call it a "process." It's more stream of consciousness. Unfortunately, I don't have large blocks of time to sit and write. I snatch bits and pieces of time whenever I can which often means in traffic, on planes, or very early in the morning. I always carry pen and paper with me.

I don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike. I may only have fifteen minutes on a particular day so I have to jump right in. I plow forward, even if what I'm writing is complete junk. I try to tap into a vein of emotion in the scene and as soon as I do, I'm locked in and off to the races.

I often write dialogue longhand. I'll visualize a scene in my mind (as if I'm watching a movie) and the characters will just start talking. I recently wrote two chapters of my latest book sitting on the edge of a hotel bathtub, scribbling on notepaper. Sometimes, while on long drives, I'll write by recording myself speaking narrative and dialogue into a voice recorder. So essentially, I just let it flow, whatever comes to mind. I'm a big reviser. In fact, maybe I'm more of a reviser than a writer!





Between Shades of Gray Prize Pack:Signed ARC of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAYSigned bookplateBookmarksMusic download card

All this week, I'll be posting about BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. Comment on a post, you get an entry for the random drawing. Five posts = five chances to comment and win. So come back every day this week for another chance to comment and win! 

Also, I thought it might be easier if I suggested some topics for comments--you don't have to comment on the following questions to enter (a simple "please enter me!" is fine), I just thought it might be fun to get a real discussion going.

Question 1: Writers, what's your process like?



Question 2: Readers, are there any remaining questions you wished Ruta had addressed?

Before the Book: Ruta Sepetys on Research

The thing about BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY--and all historical novels--is that (if they're going to be any good at all) they require copious amounts of research. It is clear from page one that Ruta loved the topic and was meticulous in her research. Today, I'm asking her about the story behind the story.





Where did you start with your research? You've clearly done a lot—interviews, history, etc. It seems overwhelming.



I started by researching historical materials that are available. Once I moved through those, I started going deeper and looking for people to interview and ways I could conduct research on my own.



Are there any parts of the story you wrote that directly reflect something from your research.



Oh definitely. Many of the experiences I describe in the novel were things survivors recounted. For example, the scene at the train station with the father's wedding ring, the boys smoking books, the owl, and the scene with the baby.



Is there anything from your research that you wished you could have included, but couldn't?



Yes, there was a scene that we had to cut out of the novel that I really loved. It explained exactly how all of the teachers wound up on Stalin's extermination list. Teachers were very high on the target list and I wish I could have included details about their situation.



What do you hope readers will take away from your book?



I hope readers feel that through examining these tragic parts of history and learning from mistakes of the past we create hope for a more just future. These three small countries have taught us a large lesson – how to speak when your voice has been extinguished.



What does your family think of your book?



My family has been incredibly supportive! My father fled from Lithuania when he was a young boy and I know he recognized the spirit and endurance of several characters in the book. It brought back a lot of memories.







Between Shades of Gray Prize Pack:Signed ARC of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAYSigned bookplateBookmarksMusic download card

All this week, I'll be posting about BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. Comment on a post, you get an entry for the random drawing. Five posts = five chances to comment and win. So come back every day this week for another chance to comment and win! 

Also, I thought it might be easier if I suggested some topics for comments--you don't have to comment on the following questions to enter (a simple "please enter me!" is fine), I just thought it might be fun to get a real discussion going.

Question 1: If you're a writer--historical fiction or not--do you have any tips for research?





Question 2: If you're a reader--what historical topic would you like to see a novel on?

A Peek Behind the Video for BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY

One of the first things that attracted me to BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY was an author video that Ruta did, describing the path she took to write and publish the book. It made me cry--I watched it three times in a row, and then turned around and shared the video with everyone I could. Here it is, in case you missed it the first time I posted it:









Can you tell us about the production of the video? How involved were you in the process?



I created the storyboard and was quite involved in the process. My husband filmed the interview footage of me, and also my father. The interview footage of the survivors came from a film called "Red Terror on the Amber Coast" by Domedia Productions. It's a wonderful movie about the Soviet occupation in the Baltics. Pirate Post Studios here in Franklin, TN created graphics and did all the amazing editing work. A fantastic film composer, Niels Bye Nielsen, scored the music for the video and created the opening sequence and visuals.



Did you know the survivors in the video? How well? How did you meet, contact, and interview them?



Irena Spakauskiene is one of the survivors who appear in the video. She spent hours and hours with me when I was in Lithuania and provided such vivid detail about her experience in the Arctic. A friend of mine in Lithuania, Linas, was also a great help and put me in touch with historians. The Museum of Genocide Victims in Vilnius assisted as well.



Were the interviews on the video done for the video, or is the video a reflection of the research you'd already conducted?



The video interviews with me were done for the video. The interview footage of the survivors came from a film called "Red Terror on the Amber Coast" by Domedia Productions.



At the end of the video, you broke down and cried—which made me cry, too. Can you tell us a little bit about your emotions at that time?



This story and the associated part of history has been in the dark for such a long time. The book didn't sell right away, but when Philomel and Penguin jumped on board their belief was unwavering. And then Penguin's sub-rights team and the international agents sold the book in over 22 countries. I can barely wrap my head around it. I'm so grateful and when I think of all of the people who thought this story would never be told I am overcome with emotion.








Between Shades of Gray Prize Pack:Signed ARC of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAYSigned bookplateBookmarksMusic download card

All this week, I'll be posting about BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. Comment on a post, you get an entry for the random drawing. Five posts = five chances to comment and win. So come back every day this week for another chance to comment and win! 


Also, I thought it might be easier if I suggested some topics for comments--you don't have to comment on the following questions to enter (a simple "please enter me!" is fine), I just thought it might be fun to get a real discussion going.

Question: I know you watched the video. If not, you better! So, what part touched you the most?