Debra Driza's Blog, page 5

Blog Tour with Jen K. Blom and Possum Summer!

Blog Tour! Blog Tour!

My friend Jen K. Blom's debut comes out this month, a Middle Grade book called Possum Summer. It sounds EXACTLY like the type of book I gobbled up as a young girl, a book I can't wait to share it with my son. Orphaned possums being hidden in rooms? A little girl who despises her name–Princess–and insists on going by P? Awesome, right?

So, in order to spread the word about Jen's fabulous book, she's going to answer some questions below and, in turn, Princess–I mean, P–is going to ask me a few questions!

And here we go….

Welcome to the POSSUMS ARE AWESOME blog tour for the middle-grade book, POSSUM SUMMER, coming out THIS MONTH HOLY COW! (Have you preordered yet?)



Debra has allowed me to steal a day on her blog for my little blog tour … and of course P is with me. It seems I can't shake her. So I must say thanks first to D, and then onward and upward!

First off, a little about the book:

a lonely kid.

an orphaned baby possum.

a dad that says no way.

how do you kee p that kind of secret?

and what happens when you're found out?

Here we go!

DD: I'm fascinated to see if other writers are as scatter-brained as me, so I'd like to know if you write scenes out of order or in order and why?



JKB: Well, I am scatter-brained. Or maybe it's baby-brained? That being said, I write in order. Each scene normally creates the next and adds layers I couldn't get by writing this and that scene out of order. And usually I have a couple that I look forward to writing so much that I use them as candy for when I'm half-way through and thinking that the book is bunk.

DD: If you could be one animal, which would you choose and why?

JKB: HM. I think I would like to be … an earthworm. Sometimes all this higher-brained claptrap and thinking and introspection just doesn't work for me. Wouldn't it be nice to simply eat your way through your world, being able to regenerate yourself whenever you got cut in two, happily squiggling through whatever came your way? (Except for rain. That would be a bad part. Oh, and birds. Hmmm. It seems I need a rethink.) Unless earthworms also have higher-brained claptrap and thinking and introspection. In that case, I think I'd rather just be water or something.

DD: Since I lived in Oklahoma for a few years, I'm dying to know why you chose it for POSSUM SUMMER's setting?

JKB: Oklahoma is a beautiful place. It doesn't get enough appreciation, really. Anyone who didn't grow up there really looks at me oddly when I say that. The flatness has its appeal, the animals, the climate, the … most everything. It was the perfect place to make POSSUM SUMMER happen, because it quite simply was the only place I envisioned making it happen.

Princess: Oklahoma is THE BEST. You lived there, you know it!



JKB: P, this is Miss Deb. Deb, this is P.

P: Hello, Miss Deb! How are you? What do you like to eat, since you were once in Oklahoma?



DD: Anything with sugar in it. Seriously. I guess if I had to pick ONE thing, it would be … really good, warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

P: OH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. Those sound so good! I agree. You can't go wrong with cookies! Well, what do you like to do? You know, for fun?



DD: Dancing really badly to hip hop music.

P: That sounds so funny! My sister Mon can't dance for nothing, either. Realy embarrassing, lemme tell you. Well, tell me something really funny about you!



DD: Hmmm…how about that I got sent to the principal's office in 4th grade for jumping like a frog across the desks the second the teacher left the room? =D

P: See? SEEEEE??? Finally! A grown up that says what really happened when they were a kid? To hear my dad talk he was born and then was twenty years old! In honor of you as a 4th grader, I drew you as this:

P: I think that because you're so quick and spry – and you jump across desks so well, ha ha ha! – you're most definitely a jackrabbit! I love them and their big ears. The dogs never can catch them, and Jen says you have some beautiful dogs. Why, I'm looking for a dog —





**scuffle**

JKB: Thanks, man, for having me by! I appreciate it!

Jen K. Blom writes a bout animals, the land, and kids, not necessarily in that order. Her debut, POSSUM SUMMER , is available March 2011.





Just the thing to give to a kid to start their summer of reading off right! (Available from your local indie , Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Borders , or Book Depository !)

Seen the book trailer yet?





Want more POSSUMS ARE AWESOME blog tour tidbits? Go here and knock yourself out!

Thanks so much for joining us, Jen–can't wait for your book to come out! (Also, depending on the day, I'd be more than happy to hand my dogs over to P. Beautiful is as beautiful does. *glares at shredded cushions patio cushions*)

Mess? What mess?

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(sort-of) Weekly ARC Giveaway: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Read this book.

Okay, so I'm one week late with the next ARC Giveaway. In Debra-time, that's impressively close to the target date, so we'll roll with it.

I'm typing this up at the total last minute while my 3-yr-old pretends I'm a jungle gym, so please excuse me for brevity. Or mistakes. Or when you see OUCH! pop up in random spots.

Where She Went is Gayle Forman's eagerly awaited follow-up to If I Stay, and I have to say, I think I loved it even more than the first one.  This book is from Adam's perspective, and Adam is broken. And there's nothing I like better than a broken male character.

Wow, that makes me sound like a crazy, warped man-hater. When really I'm just warped.

Anyway, it's written in the author's powerful prose, and like her first one, alternates between real time and flashbacks, with just a touch of magical realism.  Plus, it's full of angry break-up songs, which made me think of Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill album, and that's always a good thing.

Angst angst angst

Okay, now I just need a contest.  How about…in the comments, tell me you at least went and READ Maureen Johnson's The Last Little Shelterbox fundraising post about helping disaster victims in New Zealand.  I won't ask if you donated or not but if you do, well, know that you are awesome and entitled to be addressed as Mr. or Ms. Awesomesauce for the remainder of the week.

Contest will close Tuesday at noon, PST.

And because it amuses me, here are a few keyword searches that led people to my blog recently:

"BREAST RASH PHOTOS"—Because nothing says Quality Writer's Blog like a few solid posts on breast rash.  Hmmmm.

"BRI SUE FIRST NAKED"—Obviously someone with ADD who got distracted from legal matters by more pressing needs

"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER FUR COAT"—Anytime I get a Buffy search, I'm stoked. Even if I'm now picturing a black fur coat with a massive picture of Buffy wielding a giant stake painted on it. In blood. Remeber that warped part?

"MY ASS BEAUTY"—For those in search of total body sparkle.

"PENIS"—Nice. Simple. I like it.

" SAHM PICTURE OF A NASTY HOUSE"—Finally, a legit reason to come to my blog!

Anyway, GO!  COMMENT!  WIN!  And…try not to search "my ass beauty."  Please.

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In which I talk about outlining (eek!), using real places for settings, and Hostess snack foods

I have a special announcement to make. For the first time, ever, in my entire life, I'm writing a novel based on an outline.

That's right. An outline. Something that implies organization. Pre-planning. Vision. Or perhaps more terrifyingly, something that DOES not imply pantsing my entire way through three-hundred plus pages.

No, I don't have a fever. (Unless you're talking about Bieber Fever, and that was totally forced upon me by Stephanie Kuehn and her Write Night avatars of death. You might be happy to know that I've posted so much in my private writing forum—like the kind I talk about here—that I've bypassed the Mr. Never Say Never avi in favor of that dude who asked his date if she likes daggers.)

Wait, what were we talking about again? Oh, right: outlines. So, I'm working from an outline. And I'm super excited. I'm super excited, until I sit down at the computer, poise my fingers over the keyboard, and realize…holy crap, I'M WRITING FROM AN OUTLINE.  That means writing my scenes in order. Or at least, I'm telling myself it does. I mean, it's probably sacrilegious to write out of order when you have the map to your entire book right there, flashing you with those big, professional-looking chapter headings.

But I can do this. I can write my scenes in order. So, I sit down at my computer again, poise my fingers over the keyboard, and realize…holy crap, I'M WRITING ABOUT A REAL PLACE THIS TIME, not a fictional town that exists only in my brain. A fictional town where any detail I provided was exactly correct because I got to make that junk up as I went.

In fact, the very first scene takes place in a real establishment, which takes place in a real city. Cool…all except the part where I've never been to this particular establishment before. This could present a slight problem. What if I say the wallpaper is purple with orange Ho-Hos, when really it's pink with lime green Twinkies?  The last thing I want to do is anger the locals because I jacked up their wallpaper in my book (though, if Neon Hostess is the wallpaper of choice there, I really think they need to direct their energy elsewhere).

How do all you writers who write about real places do it?  Do you own private Jets?  Possess super spy skills?  Have lots and lots of friends with cameras?

I will figure this out. Eventually. In the meantime, I have the oddest craving for brightly colored snack foods. Sno balls, anyone?

Yum?

And also–I posted this on facebook the other day, but it makes me smile, so I'm posting it here, too.  I often type while on the bed, and this is what Fergie and Skye do next to me:

Snuggle Buddies

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Don't Speak: On Writers and Angst and How to Deal

Is it just me, or does a ton of publishing advice lately seem to revolve around telling writers to glue their tongues to the roofs of their mouths? Rules. Everywhere you look, more and more rules. But these rules aren't about writing—at least, not as it pertains to drafting novels. They're more a list of what writers SHOULDN'T write about on the internet. A list of writer DON'Ts. Such as:

DON'T talk about the querying process

DON'T talk about the submission process

DON'T talk about agents

DON'T talk about books unless you LOVE them

DON'T talk about anything negative

DON'T talk

DON'T talk

DON'T talk

Zip it!

This might sound easy, simple, cake-esque. The truth is, it's not. Not at all.

Personally, I think it's unfortunate that we have this mindset, that talking about anything other than successes or double rainbows is taboo.

For one:

There are a lot of misconceptions out there regarding parts of the publishing process, especially if we're talking about going on submission to editors. Which makes sense, given how we're lectured up and down that what happens on sub, stays in Vegas. Or, yanno. But for me, this policy is problematic. It's problematic, because new authors going on sub for the first time only hear about the huge success stories—you know the ones, about the books that went to auction after, like, two minutes—and have NO CLUE about the more common stories. The ones where it takes weeks, months, years, even a second or third or fifth book to sell. And, if we writers follow The Rules, we have no way of accessing that information. Because we aren't allowed to take about it. See the problem yet? (for an amazing post by a writer who shared her submission journey, go to Natalie Whipple's blog)

For two:

Us writers? We're angsty creatures by nature. We can angst over things that most people wouldn't bother devoting even an eighth of a brain cell to. Things like, "I can't tell if my agent was mad at me in that last email—she didn't use any

Bottling up this angst? Not good. Not good at all. Not unless we want to trigger our own Writerpocalypse, which, while potentially far more colorful than the Snowpocalypse, would also involve a whole lot more clean-up. And bleach.

I'll be honest. Even WRITING this post makes me a little angsty. I worry I'll be labeled a troublemaker or a complainer or that-writer-who-used-the-word-agnst-way-too-many-times-in-one-post. No, honestly, that's just how it feels. Like once you decide to become a writer, you'd better run and sign up for a daily sunshine enema, because God forbid you ever mention you're experiencing any of those less-than-perfect feelings writers naturally feel once they get serious about…writing.

On a more serious note, I get that writers should be cautious online, and that no one wants to hear a constant stream of negativity. But at the same time, no one wants to feel like they're being smothered, either, or as a writer friend recently said, "sanitized." Or rendered voice-less. Writing is a socially isolating endeavor, and that leaves writers at a higher risk of certain health issues already. So angsting suffering in silence may not be the wisest solution.

My suggestion, and one that I hope satisfies both sides? Form a safe haven for yourself, a place where you can discuss the anxiety-ridden parts of being a writer without worrying about repercussions. I've actually created a list of "Writer Dos" to replace those "Writer Don'ts" because personally, I find "Dos" much more palatable.

DO group up with other writers, some of whom are at the same place in their publishing careers as you.

DO form a private discussion group (such as Google Groups), email list, or forum (such as invisionfree or forumotion.

DO make sure everyone knows the new forum and its contents are to remain PRIVATE, at the penalty of offenders having their Macs replaced with manual typewriters.

DO use that group to angst as needed. Vent and moan and groan all you want about querying and subbing and who wrote the most ridiculous book ever, and why, oh why, can't people STOP writing contemporaries set on YOUR PLANET until your book sells?

DO read all the information you can on what different publishing professionals say about online protocol. Read it, and then come to your own conclusions.

And if reaching out to other writers and honestly voicing my opinion here makes me a complainer? You know what? I can live with that.

Also, just because:

needs ketchup!

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Forget books…are popular songs promoting unhealthy relationships to teens?

A few weeks ago I was in my car with the kidlets, driving on the freeway and listening to the radio. My 7-yr-old son started singing along to one of the popular songs he recognized—Grenade by Bruno Mars—and even my 3-yr-old daughter chimed in. Now, I'd heard that song PLENTY of times before, but I guess I'd never paid attention to the lyrics. Something about those little kid voices really drove them home, though, and when that happened, my jaw pretty much hit the floorboard.

Whoa.

Now, if you're part of the YA community, you're undoubtedly aware of the heated debate over whether or not YA books should promote good role models and healthy relationships.  Love interests in particular, especially in paranormals, are hotly contested.  The classic example is Mr. Sparkle Pants himself, Edward. Is he a psycho, murderous stalker or the epitome of true love?

I'll leave that decision up to you.

I'm curious, though.  We talk about books a lot, but what about music?  Do you all ever ponder the messages about life and love being relayed in popular songs lately?  Do you think they're promoting unhealthy relationships?

For example, back to Grenade. Now, I know several people who think it's a great song. So romantic!  So sweet!

My thoughts, after listening to the lyrics spill from my children's mouths?  So obsessive!  So creepy!

No, really. Here are a few lyrics from this "romantic" and "sweet" song:

I'd catch a grenade for ya

Throw my hand on a blade for ya

I'd jump in front of a train for ya

You know I'd do anything for ya

I would go through all this pain

Take a bullet straight through my brain

Yes, I would die for you, baby

Um, okay. Because nothing says, "I love you" quite like flying body parts, spurting blood, and oozing bits of brain.

It goes on to say:

But you won't do the same

Yep. That's a little thing I like to call Not-Being-an-Obsessive-Crazy-Person.  Basically, the narrator of this song is lamenting the fact that his girlfriend will not engage in a Romeo-and-Juliet-mutual-suicide-pact kind of love with him.  You know what I say to that? BRAVO GIRLFRIEND!

Now, let's take a look at another popular song, this one by Eminen and Rihanna. First, the narrator talks about a physically abusive relationship but begs the girl to come back, promising to change. At the end, though, he says this:

I apologize

Even though I know it's lies

I'm tired of the games

I just want her back

I know I'm a liar

If she ever tries to f*cking leave again

I'mma tie her to the bed

And set the house on fire

Dude. Do you really need me to tell you all the ways in which threatening to burn your significant other to death is Not. Okay?

But—wait! It gets better! Here is S.O.'s response:

Just gonna stand there

And watch me burn

But that's alright

Because I like

The way it hurts

Note:  When your ex threatens to light you on fire, the appropriate response is not "oh, that's okay—I kind of like it."  No, it's RUN YOUR BUTT off to the nearest police station and get a restraining order, STAT!

(Obviously, these are just a couple of examples. I'm positive there are other disturbing send-your-girlfriend-up-in-flames songs out there, just like there are songs where turning your significant other into a pile of ash remains a no-no, too.)

Back to my kids. I wasn't sure how to handle it at first—should I turn every time those songs came on?  Quit listening to the radio with them altogether?  But that's not really my style.

Ultimately, my decision regarding songs is the same as the one I support for books.  I talked to both of my kids—especially the older one—about how ridiculous I found the ideas in those particular songs. We all had a good laugh, and now it's pretty much a running joke every time those songs come on.

What do you all think? If you think books with unhealthy relationships are problematic, do you extend this to songs as well?  And if so, how do you/would you handle it with kids?

Also, tune back in on Thursday, when I'll post another ARC giveaway!

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Divergent ARC Winner Announced!

And the winner is…lucky comment number 38!  Bri, email me at houndrat at yahoo dot com to claim your prize, WOOT!

Another ARC will go up for grabs this week–stay tuned!

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Angelfire winner announced and Divergent ARC Contest!!

…and the winner of the ANGELFIRE ARC is….

KARLA NELLENBACH!!!  Karla, send your address to houndrat at yahoo dot com  and I'll hook you up!

For the rest of you, sorry you didn't win. But never fear!  Your luck could change in the next ARC contest, which starts…nowish. And you really, REALLY want this one.  It's for Veronica Roth's DIVERGENT.

I had the pleasure of reading this book before Vee got agented, and it was fabulous. I read it again once I picked up the ARC ,  and it was even better.

Divergent is the kind of book that leaves you thinking about it long after you finish, the kind of book that makes you question your own character just as Veronica's Tris questioned hers.

It's the kind of book that will show you a stunning, stark version of Chicago in the future, a book that grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let go until you finish.

It's also the kind of book that makes you think boys who use numbers for names are hot, a book that makes you wonder…does Starbucks exist in the future?

Um. Anyway.  Here's the blurb:

One choice

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs, and determines your loyalties . . . forever.

Or, one choice can transform you.

In Veronica Roth's debut novel, Divergent , a perfect society unfolds into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals, and unexpected romance.

And here's the cover, this time with Fergie as the model (she was feeling left out):

Even Hounds Like Divergent!!!!

Now, here's the contest. Most of you eager to get your hands on this book know that Tris's choice involves picking one of the five factions that splits her society. Those factions are:

Candor (the honest)

Abnegation (the selfless)

Dauntless (the brave)

Amity (the peaceful)

Erudite (the intelligent)

Since the factions  revolve around virtues, I'd like to know:  which virtue is most important to you in a main character, and why?  (you can pick from the above or make up your own and extra kudos if you give a YA example).  Leave that in the comment section, and please, please, please, follow me on twitter by clicking the button on the top right (though again, I won't hunt you down and blow raspberries at you if you don't.  Probably.)

GOOD LUCK!!!  Contest ends at noon PST on Tuesday, February 1st.

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How procrastination can lead to a book deal. No, really.

So, some of you may remember that I mentioned my book deal was a bit atypical, and that I promised to share a few deets about how it all went down.

This is that post.

I would like to start by saying that I owe a lot to Absolute Write. If it weren't for that forum, I never would have procrastinated connected with so many writer friends, and without those writer friends, I might never have attended SCBWI last summer. See, the main reason I went was to meet all my fellow Young Adult writers from the boards in person and terrorize socialize with them in the flesh. Or, you know, in clothing.

So, I went to SCBWI. One of my roommates happened to be Veronica Roth, whose amazing, fabulous book Divergent had recently been picked up by Katherine Tegen Books at Harper Collins. (Shout out to the rest of my roomies Corrine Jackson, Steph Kuehn and Dawn Miller:  you know I love you, naked or not.  Also…suddenly thinking it's going to be harder to find roommates this year.  Hmmm.)   Another friend Kathleen Peacock (also a KT Books author–the awesome Hemlock comes out in 2012) couldn't attend and was bemoaning that fact—apparently, L.A. just isn't all that handy to Canada—because her editor Claudia Gabel would be there.

So me being the sweet, thoughtful kind of girl I am (snicker), I decided what better way to torture Kath show Kath she was dearly missed than take a photo with her editor and send it to her?

But I still almost missed Claudia's session. Why?  Because her session was about "book development," a concept that was completely foreign to me at that point in time. (Ironically, my group blog GotYA did a post on that very topic a day before I left for SCBWI, but I didn't get a chance to read it until I came back). Veronica wanted to attend Claudia's session, though, so I tagged along. Best call of the entire trip  (Well, except for the Wham! Medley on the Santa Monica pier. And learning naughty words via urban dictionary. Ahem.)

Anyway. The more Claudia talked, the more I sat up and listened.  First of all, she's so bubbly and enthusiastic, you can't help but give her your full attention. And second of all–WHOA! Was she saying that you could get paid to write books and actually have an editor guide you through the entire process?  REALLY?  Holy cow, how had I never heard of this before?

When I saw my agent at the conference, I asked her if I could send Claudia a writing sample, and she said if I was interested, to go for it.

About a month later, I did.  And then afterwards, promptly forgot about sending in the sample due to the vast chaos that is my life/house/brain.

Just before Thanksgiving, I was reminded by an email from Claudia. It said she had a new project that might be a good fit for me, and would I be interested in writing some sample scenes?

I was a little worried before I opened the proposal—I mean, what if I just didn't get it, or it was outside my range, or, or, or—but all my worries turned into excitement as I read. The concept was right up my alley and I found myself picturing scenes and getting into the main character's head almost immediately.

So I double-checked with my agent, got the okay, and wrote the scenes. I turned them in two weeks later and Claudia said to expect to hear from her the following week, at which point time started crawling along at the pace of a geriatric snail, just to ensure that I got to log in some good quality hours with my angst.  Thank you for that, time. No really. Because, you know, writers aren't nearly angsty enough as it is.

Honestly, I wasn't really expecting Claudia to get back to me so quickly. I'm sure we've all heard how editor time is like dog years, only reversed.  My expectation was, maybe, if I were REALLY lucky, to hear something early 2011.

Guess what?  Not only did Claudia get back to me that next week, but, oh-my-God, she also told me she loved my scenes!  After that, things moved really fast. By the following week, I had an offer to write the series. SQUEEE!

And after holding my hand throughout the process and letting her ears get drenched in angst, Taylor negotiated the deets.

So, there you have it—my book deal. Which, when I imagined it, totally wasn't how I expected everything to go down, but really, I couldn't be more thrilled. I can't tell you how in love I am with the concept I'm writing, not to mention the characters!  And it probably wouldn't have happened without procrastinationAbsolute Write, so thank you, AW!  (And Kath and Vee in particular. See, Kath, aren't you glad I sent you that photo now? Um, wait. Don't answer that.)

And, just because:

Kath, where are youuuuu....????

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ARCAPALOOZA: My trip to ALA Midwinter and contest for ANGELFIRE ARC

So, I mentioned on twitter awhile back that I was fortunate enough to attend one day of ALA Midwinter. Wow, am I glad I did!  Oh my gosh, you guys–the BOOKS!  Gorgeous, amazing, new-smelling books EVERYWHERE, just waiting to be fondled, er,  picked up and admired!  My only complaint?  My poor, aching shoulders! But that's just because I saw all the books and turned into a greed monster, stuffing my red bag full of all the YA offerings as fast as I could find them.

Seriously, though, the massive amount of bookage almost overwhelmed this first timer. Luckily, I met my agent Taylor Martindale and fellow writer Kirsten Hubbard there, and they showed me the ropes. (pssst, I also picked up a copy of Kirsten's Like Mandarin, and HOLY WOW!  Amazing!  But more on that coming soon!)

If I ever get the opportunity to attend another ALA (oooh, lookie there! New Orleans in June!), I will definitely employ a strategy.  Most of the ARCs weren't sitting out—you have to go up and ask the reps for specific titles or authors. So, if you get a chance to go, it's definitely worth your time to make a list of upcoming releases and their publishers, and then hang out around said publisher's display until you can ask for the precise books you would stab someone in the eye with your swag pencil over.

Ahem.

Anyway, here's a photo of a lovely model (my dog Skye—will work for kibble!) with some of the books I scored (no stabbing necessary!)

Yes, Skye looks sweet there, but in the next photo, you can tell what she's really thinking:

ARCs taste just like chicken!

(See that tongue?  Unfortunately, Skye takes the concept of "enjoying a good book" a bit differently than I do.  Bad dog.)

And now, it's time for ARCapalooza!  I'm going to be giving away at least one ARC a week until…well, until I'm done. (Sorry, but all my friends and family will tell you I'm not very good at scheduling. Suffice it to say that, based on the number of ARCs, the giveaway will go on for quite awhile.)

First ARC up?  ANGELFIRE by YARebel and imprint sister  Courtney Moulton.

I wouldn't eat it...REALLY!

This one is near and dear to my heart because I had the honor of knowing Courtney via a writing forum prior to her book deal with Katherine Tegen Books, and even got to read an earlier version of her story.  You want this one, you REALLY do.  Courtney's Ellie is a kickass heroine, and the world building is both unique and So. Freaking. Cool!  Here's the blurb:

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers—monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell—she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her—an assassin who has already killed her once.

To win, all you need to do is leave a comment and let me know what name you'd call yourself if you were a badass, sword-wielding slayer of the Grim.  Sure, it'd be great if you clicked the little link at the top right of my blog to follow me on twitter, but I'm not going to hunt you down or anything if you don't. (I might pout, but since you can't see me, so it probably won't be all that effective).

Good luck!  Contest ends this Thursday, January 27th, at noon PST.  Winner announced that night!  (Er, note:  if even the sight of dog hair makes your airway tighten in allergic reaction, this contest is probably not the one for you.  Skye says sorry.)

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Good news!!!

So, you know how I was MIA from the blog a lot at the end of last year?  Well, I was kind of busy. I can't tell you HOW EXCITED I am to finally share one of the things keeping me preoccupied:

WOO FREAKING HOO!!!!!

I know, right?  A BOOK DEAL?  I'm still in shock, too. But at least the PM announcement makes it feel slightly less surreal.  I'm so thankful for my wonderful agent, Taylor Martindale of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, who talked me off several ledges along the way, and Editor AwesomeSauce Claudia Gabel, who I'm so excited to work with, it's not even funny!

Also, this book deal was a bit atypical–you may have noticed it's not for my book on sub–and I'm looking forward to sharing my journey to publication with you!!!  Only, I have to run around SQUEEEING a little more first!

Stay tuned…..

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