Heather Davis's Blog, page 5

Sequel News for Never Cry Werewolf

So many fans of Never Cry Werewolf have written to me requesting a sequel that I have finally decided to publish it myself.

Sometimes by Moonlight: A Novella will be an original e-book arriving in just a few weeks.  It's the first time I've indie pubbed anything, but I'm super excited to share the further adventures of Shelby and Austin with the world.  You guys were right — the story just had to continue…

Amazing artist Asha Hossain created an awesome cover for me, and here's a little blurb about the book:

SOMETIMES BY MOONLIGHT (Book Two of Never Cry Werewolf)

It's bad enough that the guy Shelby fell in love with at brat camp last summer had a dark secret, but helping him protect it has come at a huge cost. It's goodbye, Beverly Hills mansion; hello, creepy Swiss boarding school.

What could be worse than doing time at Steinfelder Academy for Girls? Not hearing a word from her summer boyfriend, Austin Bridges III. Shelby's not even sure that the sacrifice she made for him meant anything, especially after she spies him in the tabloids with a European pop princess. But Austin's more than your average son-of-a-rockstar werewolf hottie, and his connection to Shelby is stronger than she realizes.

As the days grow darker and the school prepares for Holiday break, Austin arrives to explain the real reasons he's stayed away. Suddenly, Shelby begins to understand her improved senses, her need for moonlight, and her growing hunger. Now trapped at Steinfelder, with its ties to an ancient, bloody brotherhood, Shelby realizes that loving Austin will cost her more than she could have imagined.

A dangerous full moon approaches for Shelby and Austin in this e-book novella sequel to the popular Young Adult romance Never Cry Werewolf.

By mid-June, you'll be able to download the novella at Kindle and Smashwords.  I'll let you know the exact publishing date and provide you with links as soon as I have them.  The planned price is $3.99.

Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who loved Never Cry Werewolf and wrote to tell me so.  You are the reason I'm putting out Sometimes by Moonlight.  I hope you're going to enjoy it!

Love and Light,

Heather

You Need Good Friends…

I jumped at the chance to don a colorful wig for the launch of my good friend Liz Gallagher's second YA novel, MY NOT-SO-STILL LIFE, which came out last week.  Ok, maybe jumped is too strong a word.  How about I relished the opportunity to go totally smurfy-punk rock in honor of her main character Vanessa, who uses her hair and body as a canvas and expression of her individuality?  Hmm… that's a long sentence.  Oh well.

So I was a little like Liz's protagonist Vanessa in high school.  Though I never went with blue hair, I did go orange crew cut, short with black streaks, even shorter with big Robert Smith bangs that I used to braid and put a tiny bow in.  And then, about junior year, I just decided it was all too much trouble.  I got some crap for not having cool hair or dressing in all black, like my "bat caver" friends, the precursor to modern goths.  One mean alternative girl orbiting our circle even called me "Rainbow Brite" because my thrift store sweaters were in oranges, moss greens, browns, yellows.  Lame.  She was a really angry person.  I hope she's nicer now.

Anyway, the thing I learned then is that your true friends, friends like my buddy Liz Gallagher now, don't care how you dress or what you listen to or what your hair looks like.  You like hanging out together because you can be your true selves, you can be who you are on the inside.  I know that sounds a little after-school special (which I don't even think they have anymore) but it's really true.  It's not about being cool, it's about being you.  And if you want to have blue hair, or pierce your nose, or wear circus stripe tights, do it.

I hope you'll check out Liz's new book, which is a companion novel to her critically acclaimed debut, THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE.  MY NOT-SO-STILL LIFE is a quick, touching read that stays with you.  In the story, Vanessa desperately tries to grow up and change her life and her friends' lives, but finds out that sometimes it's worth being where you are — that you should enjoy the part of life that you're in and let your friends (and yourself) be who you are at that moment.

Here's a link to where you can find MY NOT-SO-STILL LIFE — I hope you'll check it out!

Hugs,

Heather

Back to the real world…

So, the trip to Italy was so amazing that I didn't want to leave.  I was very sad on my last night in Rome, and even sadder on the ride to the airport to fly home.

First of all, the city is unbelievably cool.  Around every corner, you find history, or literally chunks of history.  Ruins, rebuilds, places that have been there for a thousand years.  Adding to its coolness, the people who live in Rome are citizens of the world, as corny as that phrase is,  and seem genuinely interested in what you think, what your experiences have been.  They're a curious group.

Of course, Rome is a mob scene at all the "touristy" sites – like the fountains and the Colosseum, but I found pockets of space and quiet there — like in the beautiful Villa Borghese Gardens, which is sort of like their Central Park.  The buses are crazy.  They come (kind of) on schedules, but unless you're at a stop with an electronic reader board, you really won't know when they'll arrive.  You can walk lots of places.  And you do get lost there — that's part of the experience.  Luckily, I'm learning Italian, so I could ask basic directions and find my way around pretty well.

It was interesting being there by myself.  I could go where I wanted to go or laze in the beautiful apartment I rented.  I could eat when and where I wanted to.  I was the captain of my ship — so if I got lost or happened upon something cool to see, I adjusted the course.  If I had been there with someone else it would have been fun, too — but on my own, I was able to travel and savor things at my own pace.

I met some really great people in Rome, and I can't wait to go back on another trip.  There's a lot to explore there, and so many more things to do and see.  I didn't eat nearly enough gelato.  I didn't get enough Italian sun (it rained most of the trip).  I didn't have enough time, in general.

It was inspiring, though.  I did some writing while I was there, and I did some deep thinking about what it means to be a writer.  I feel so fortunate to be in this place in my life, where I have time to spend on stories I care about.  On books that I want to bring to my readers.  I'm encouraged by my need to get the words down, and more than ever, it seems like I'm doing something I'm meant to do.  La vita e bella.

Hugs,

Heather

Upcoming Travel

Hey, lovely readers ~

I'm going to be on the road, traveling to Italy next week.  It's the first time I've really been there (I don't count a stop in a Milan train station during college) and the very first time I've traveled internationally to a place where I didn't know a soul.  It will be an adventure to be sure.  I'm excited!

I plan to post a time or two if possible.  For sure, when I'm back I'll give you the whole rundown on the trip and what it was like to be on my own.  I've been studying Italian since last September, so I'm hoping that my language skills are enough to navigate the bus system and buy gelato.  (Simple goals are the best ones, you know.)

I wish all of you a great Passover or Easter, whichever you celebrate — or just a happy spring!

alla prossima,

Heather

RT Teen Day Rocked!

Ohmigosh, you guys!  I'm just back from the RT Booklovers Convention in Los Angeles, where they had their first ever Teen Day Event.  It was so awesome!

First, there was a great dinner at Melissa de la Cruz's home in Hollywood.  Rubbing shoulders with writers like Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kimberly Derting, Sophie Jordan, Carrie Ryan, and my buzz girls, Dona Sarkar, Tina Ferraro, Marley Gibson, and Tera Lynn Chids was so fun.  Just eavesdropping on conversations was intense.  And, when you're hearing Holly Black and Carrie Ryan working out some plot issue, let me tell you, you drop everything and listen up!

There may have (allegedly) been an awkward moment between yours truly and Miss Black.  I don't want to go into details, but let's just say I'm a huge Tithe and Valiant fan, and also a big fan girl dork. *blushes*

Melissa de la Cruz's home was gorgeous, of course – and she is just about the sweetest bestselling author you'd ever want to meet.  Here I am wrapped in a blanket (pink with dots on it) because it is chilly out on the porch, but man, what a wonderful night.

It's hard to top that, but my swanky YA author friend Dona Sarkar took me out to dinner the next night in Hollywood and we sat a table away from Johnny Depp.  Totally. Not. Lying.  You're not allowed to take pictures in that restaurant, which I understand, but when we got outside we totally squealed and then giggled all the way home.  Oh, Hollywood, you're so… Hollywood.

My next favorite time at the convention was Saturday, when I got to meet tons of you READERS at the book fair.  And then, I had to read aloud at the Author's Speed Reading event, which was well attended by teens, too.  I started off with a joke about how "I'm the girl who throws up on book report day," which is pretty much true — and then I started reading the scene from The Clearing where Henry Briggs meets Amy for the first time.

By the end, I had stopped shaking at the podium, but my heart was still threatening to beat through my chest.  I'm not sure why, but reading from my work is so much harder than being my normal, clowny self.  I guess it's the feeling that I'm putting the real me out there, the hidden me you find in my work.  Luckily, the audience was super sweet and understanding.

When all the authors were done reading, I decided to play "Oprah" and help us take audience questions — that was my favorite part. (Again, being clowny me!)

But speaking of favorite parts — there was a final Teen Party to cap off the day's events.  Both of my publishers, HarperTeen and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, donated my books for the teen swag bags.  Attendees got a bunch of assorted books and it was really cool to see how excited they were to receive mine.  I loved meeting readers and making new friends at that event.  Next year, the RT Booklovers Convention is going to be in Chicago, IL.  I hope some of your Midwesterner folks can make it to the Teen Day.  I'm hoping to be there!

So, whew!  Can you tell it was an exhausting, but wonderful weekend?  It's kind of a weird job to be an author, alone at your office making up stories – I mean, great, but weird.  The part where you get to meet people who read your books and can't wait for the next one is just surreal.  I'm so thankful for you guys who are enjoying my novels!  Meeting some of you is like buttercream icing on the top of a red velvet cake.

Hugs,

 

Heather

 

The Clearing is a Rita Award Finalist!

 

It's crazy good news — The Clearing is a finalist for the RWA's Rita Award!  This is like the Golden Globes for the romance world, and The Clearing really is pure Young Adult romance.

You can see all the finalists at this link:

http://www.rwa.org/cs/2011_rita_and_gh_finalists_announcement

Hugs,

 

Heather

New Website Launched!

I'm so excited to launch a new version of my website over at www.heatherdavisbooks.com
It's built on Wordpress and since it has a built in blog, I'll likely be blogging over there from now on.

Thank you for following me here on this blog for all these months!


Heather

New Website Launched

If you've reached this blog post, then you know that I've launched my new website!  I'm excited to have more room to post, including a space for reader questions and comments, and info on school visits and events.  Yay!  I'm hoping that you'll enjoy reading more info about my books and my writing life.

In other news, my trusty assistant Harper and I have just turned in page proofs of my fall book, Wherever You Go.  She's great with finding typos in the text, though her notes are a little illegible…

Hugs,

Heather

Wherever You Go – Cover Released!

I am so excited to share the cover for my new book, Wherever You Go.   This is my fall book for Harcourt – expected release date is November 14th.

It's another story with a theme of moving on.  It follows Holly, a seventeen year-old who's caring for her Alzeimer's-stricken grandfather and her kid sister while trying to get over the death of her boyfriend, Rob.  When she discovers that Rob's ghost is trying to communicate through her grandfather, she must face the hardest part of losing someone – letting go.

If you want to read a short synopsis, you can find it over on the Books Pages of this new site — here.

Hugs,

Heather

Cover Reveal: WHEREVER YOU GO

Here it is - the cover for my November 2011 book, Wherever You Go!

I really like it - especially since the amazing Laini Taylor so graciously provided a cover quote for me.

Here's a brief synopsis of the book:

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer's-stricken grandfather doesn't help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob's ghost is watching over her. He isn't happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob, Wherever You Go is is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light.


Thanks for joining me for the reveal!


Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com