Sarvenaz Tash's Blog, page 19

MG Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Interview with Joanne Levy

I'm pleased as punch to bring you today's interview with author Joanne Levy who penned the hilarious just-about-to-be-released Small Medium at Large.

First of all, I'll wait while you marvel at that astounding title.

Secondly, you should know the book itself is as funny, charming and wonderful as the title suggests.

Thirdly, Joanne and I have a lot in common. We're both in the Class of 2K12. We're both Bloomsbury MG authors. And we both have sassy ghosts* in our debuts! Currently, we are hard a...

Free MAPMAKER Bookplates!

I'm mailing out signed The Mapmaker and the Ghost bookplates (and bookmarks) to the first 20 people who fill out the Google form below!

They appear like so:



Ready to stick into your own copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost...or anywhere you fancy, really. I have one peeking out of the suit pocket of my life-sized poster of David Tennant. (Okay, not really...but as soon as I make the leap and purchase said poster, you know it's going to happen.)

Just fill out the below with your name and address. U...

A Publishing Timeline

One question I've been asked a lot recently is the most surprising part of getting a book deal. I have a few answers to this, but the most obvious one is how long everything takes. Before I went on this journey, I honestly had no clue what the timing of things would be (and here is where I thank the Apocalypsies for answering my panicked "Should this be taking this long?"s with a resounding yes).

So, in case it's of some interest, I started jotting down when major milestones happened in the ge...

5 Events in 5 Days: A Recap

I live in New York, but I've never attended BEA before nor have I participated in any sort of ancillary activity even. Last week was something we call "diving into the deep end." From Sunday to Thursday, I had 5 events in 5 days! This means I skipped the gym and ate pretty poorly, but, let's face it -- it was all worth it.

Here is a little recap of what might be my craziest book-related week yet.

Sunday: Book Revue
Book Revue is one of the country's largest independent bookstores. It also happen...

June Event Extravaganza!

Next week is Book Expo America (BEA) week in New York City which means that much of publishing descends upon the Big Apple for a weeklong discussion and celebration of books, books and more books.

Since I live in New York, and since this is my first BEA as a published author, next week will be a bit of an event extravaganza for me. 5 events in 5 days to be exact. And guess what? You're invited to all of them! So if you're around, feel free to pick and choose what looks most appealing to you. T...

Dreamcasting 'The Mapmaker and the Ghost'

Now that quite a few people have read The Mapmaker and the Ghost, I feel like I can finally share my dreamcast for the (maybe-one-day-there'll-actually-be-a) movie!

Now, this is a little tricky because my characters average at around 11 years old, and there aren't a lot of 11-year-old actors to choose from. With that in mind, I've decided to eschew the laws of time and cast any actor from any era. Why? Because I have a 200-year-old ghost roaming around my book, that's why!

Without further ado:

G...

Hey Jealousy

First of all, you're welcome for getting that awesome Gin Blossoms song stuck in your head. I even have a bonus treat for you at the end of this post...

Second of all...I've been thinking about this post for a while and the right way to say what I want to without coming across sounding like an ungrateful jerk.

So...jealousy. Or envy. One of the seven sins, dontcha know. It's also, I think, a very complex, very common emotion and one I want to address from the point-of-view of a writer.

In all ho...

SLJ Reviews Mapmaker: 'Page-Turning Adventure'

A few months ago, I received my very first print review from Library Media Connection. (It was a good one).

And now, I just received my very second...from School Library Journal. Without further ado...

Gr 3-6—When her best friend moves away, 11-year-old Goldenrod Moram tries to think of a project that will keep her busy during the long summer before school starts. She loves looking at and making maps and she idolizes Lewis and Clark. She decides to create a map of her town and convinces her mot...

How Do I Get Published? The (Very) Basics

I've done a handful of author events over the past few weeks and at every one I've had at least one writer ask me about the steps to take to get published.

So I thought maybe there are some people looking for this sort of information. And, hey, maybe you've somehow stumbled upon my blog while doing it! (In which case, hai, fellow writer).

So here are my 10 very basic short answers to "What do I do to get published?" And, of course, take everything with a grain of salt as there are no real "step...

The YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes!

We did this in January and it was so much fun that we're doing it again! Please note that this race begins on Wednesday, May 2 at noon EST. If it's before then, don't enter yet as your entry won't get counted.

So...welcome to the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes: a blog hop with 50+ debut authors involving a ton of prizes like books, swag, gift certificates and more (including a signed hardcover copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost)!

How does it work, you might ask? Well, first, make sure you...