Sarvenaz Tash's Blog, page 16

Books I Love: 'The Night Circus'

In a strange turn of events, I've been feeling a little restless and uninspired with my reading lately.

I think there's been a lot going on in my personal and professional and writing life that I'm trying to figure out and that has transpired over to my reading habits. I've just been reading much slower and feeling a little less inclined to pick up books than usual. Which, honestly, is usually how I gauge that I'm feeling off-kilter. If I don't much feel like reading...something is definitely...

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway of 'The Mapmaker and the Ghost'

The Goodreads giveaway of The Mapmaker and the Ghost is going on for a few more days. There are two paperbacks up for grabs...and I'll even sign them!

You can enter right through the handy dandy widget found below.

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Schools & Libraries: Win a Free Copy of 'The Mapmaker & the Ghost' + Study Guide, Swag

Update: All the books have now been claimed. If you signed up, look for your package in the mail soon!

I've been staring at my box of author copies of The Mapmaker and the Ghost paperbacks for the past week, wondering what I'm going to do with them.
Free to a good home...
And I think I've hit on a grand idea.

I'm doing this:
1. Because I owe SO MUCH to both my school libraries and public libraries (seriously, I would not be a writer without them).

2. Because there is nothing I would love more than...

Debuts I Love: 'Poison' & 'Bruised'

I recently read two brand new 2013 debut YA books that I can't stop thinking about, so I figured I might as well gush about them here. And they really couldn't be more different from one another.

The first one is Bruised by Sarah Skilton. Bruised is a dark and complex contemporary story about a Tae Kwon Do expert named Imogen who freezes up at the moment when she needs her training the most -- during an armed robbery. How Imogen deals with this life-altering event is surprising, realistic and...

Celebrating the Release of Bridget Zinn's 'Poison'

Bridget Zinn was a member of the Apocalypsies, just like me, and her debut YA novel, Poison, releases tomorrow, March 12th.

Here is the fantastic cover:


And here is the scrumptious synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former...

The Paperback of 'Mapmaker' Is Coming...and It Has a New Cover!

You heard right! On March 26th, get ready for the backpack-friendly, totally tote-able paperback edition of The Mapmaker and the Ghost. Available at a bookstore or online retailer near you!

And guess what? The paperback edition has a NEW cover. Well, sorta. If you've been following me for a while you might recognize...THIS:


Why, yes! That is my original, beloved cover back -- for real -- on the paperback! I absolutely adored this cover and am so glad I'll get to finally see it on bookshelves.

Oh...

2013 Resolutions

It's 2013!

Hurray!! Happy New Year! [virtual confetti]

This year I will:

1. Finish the WIP I started in January of 2012. It's something very different for me (historical YA), and I'm very excited about the story. But, you know, it needs to get written first before I can think about any further steps.

2. Get married. As long as I can survive the rest of this wedding planning process, which has slowly gone from fun to bonkers. Being engaged was exciting but I'm more than ready to move on from it.

3. ...

The Best Thing I Did as a Debut Author

My debut year is almost over. It was an absolute whirlwind.

Soon there will be other writers experiencing the wonder and madness of their debut years. I could sit and wax long and lyrical about everything I learned this year. (Truthfully, I could also wax long and lyrical about all the questions I still have.)

Still, I know there are things all debut authors have to see and experience for themselves: you really wouldn't believe me if I told ya!

That being said, there is one solitary piece of adv...

It's an Honor Just to be Nominated

I know the title of this post sounds like schmaltz people say in Oscar red carpet interviews...but it's actually quite true!

Yesterday, I found out that The Mapmaker and the Ghost was nominated for Best Middle Grade Fantasy 2012 and Best Middle Grade Paranormal 2012 in the YA Books Central Choice Awards. I was also nominated for Favorite Middle Grade Author 2012.

Looking at some of the books that Mapmaker is keeping company with (and I've read quite a few of them), I truly am honored. Not to me...

Holiday Giveaway: Free Signed Bookplates and Bookmarks!

For the record, I love the holidays, and I especially love the holidays in New York. I am a simple girl in a lot of ways: give me some colored lights and tinsel and life is basically peachy keen.

But I digress.

Need a stocking stuffer or Hanukkah gift? I'm giving away free signed Mapmaker and the Ghost bookplates and bookmarks to the first 20 people who sign up using the form below. (U.S. addresses only please). And, just so you know, the bookmark has a special code that will lead you to some e...