Sarah Skilton's Blog, page 3

Happy Book Birthday, Nonuplet Style!

Here's what people are saying about BRUISED, my contemporary YA novel, out today:

"Offering psychological drama and an introduction to martial-arts code of behavior, the book has a meaningful message about power, control, and the internal bruises carried by victims." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Her story is compelling, and readers will stick with her as new insights bring about a believable shift in her behavior…This distinctive debut will be appreciated by fans of contemporary fiction....

Teen Author Reading Night Tomorrow at Downtown Los Angeles Public Library

On Thursday, February 28th (tomorrow!), I'll be participating in the LAPL's Teen Author Reading Night alongside Amy Spalding (THE REECE MALCOLM LIST), Jessica Brody (UNREMEMBERED), and Michelle Gagnon (DONT TURN AROUND), and hosted by Cecil Castellucci.

We'll be reading excerpts from our new novels, chatting about books in general, and answering questions. Tomorrow also marks the one-year anniversary of the downtown library's Teen Author Reading Nights program. Doors open at 6:30; event starts...

Creating Great Dialogue in YA Books

What were you up to in fall of 2011? I apparently did an online video interview with Author Learning Center. It was uploaded this past week, so care to take a trip down memory lane with me?

In the below video, I discuss writing dialogue in YA books.

Fun facts: In late 2011, I was pregnant and had very short hair. I know! Crazy!

"What the...?!" Wednesday #3: What Goes Into Planning a Launch Party?

I should probably explain what a launch party is first.

A launch party is a way for an author to celebrate the release of his or her book and get the word out to the community that a local writer has made good [aka lives among them and can't be trusted not to eavesdrop]. The party takes place at a book store so the author can sign copies for friends, family, and (gasp) strangers.

Some authors like to include a reading or Q&A session before the signing. Some authors provide raffles, trivia g...

Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (Sorry. Really.) BRUISED Links

Here's my latest book news:

1. BRUISED received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

2. The book comes out in 1 month! You can pre-order it all sorts of ways.

3. I have one last ARC (advance readers copy) and I'm giving it away on GoodReads.

4. Read an exclusive excerpt from the book at Alice Marvel's site.

5. "Readers in Wonderland" blog reviewed BRUISED as part of their Debut Author Challenge series.

6. If you take a picture of BRUISED out in the wild (aka at a library or a bookstore) a...

"What The...?!" Wednesday #2: What is ALA, and What is the ALA Conference?

Funny you should ask, as I happen to have spent this weekend at the ALA Conference in Seattle.

There will be pictures and everything. Hold on to your hats!


(Okay but seriously feel free to jump in with your own questions anytime. This one's kind of a gimmee.) ------>

Anyway, ALA stands for the American Library Association, and the ALA Conference is a week-long event in which librarians, publishers, authors, book reviewers, book bloggers, school teachers, publicists, marketing directors, avid...

"What The...?!" Wednesday #1: Why Does Publishing Take So Long?

Oh, does it take long? I hadn't noticed.

Har. Hee! Whee.

Back in 2010, when I jumped up and down and told my friends and family I'd sold my book, they thought that meant it was going to be in bookstores within the month. "When can I get it?" they asked, sweetly, naively. "Next week?"

"Spring 2013," I said, and felt a perverse joy in watching their eyes glaze over.

"Whaaaaa? Why does it take so long?"

My experience happens to be with traditional publishing, so I can only speak to that, but I hope...

Introducing "What The...! Wednesdays"

Considering that...

A) It's not Wednesday but Thursday that I'm typing this
B) I have no topics pre-selected for tonight anyway

...I'll understand if the title of this post is confusing. Last year I updated my blog (almost) every Thursday, but for 2013, I'm moving to Wednesdays, for a new series I like to call "What The...! Wednesdays." On "WTW"s, I'll be answering questions about books, publishing, agents, editing, and anything else I feel equipped to explain / pontificate on now that my book i...

Art Designer Maria Middleton Talks About The Cover for BRUISED & More!

I'm extremely excited to post the following behind-the-scenes interview with Maria T. Middleton, the talented Associate Art Director at Abrams Books.

Welcome, Maria!Before I ever knew she'd be designing the cover for my book, I'd admired her breathtaking work on such stand-out titles as SHINE and BLISS by Lauren Myracle, SPLINTERED by AG Howard, and ONE DAY AND ONE AMAZING MORNING ON ORANGE STREET by Joanne Rocklin. Check them out:


Here's Maria in her own words about her process, and how she ca...

Year in Review: 2012

This year, I ...

1) Reproduced

The End!

Okay, while that was more than enough excitement for the year, it would also make this my shortest blog post ever, which means I may as well have Tweeted it instead (and probably will).

So here are some more stats.

This year, I...

1) Reproduced

2) Sold my second Young Adult novel, High and Dry, to Amulet Books

3) Read 46 books (27 Young Adult or Middle Grade; 2 Non-Fiction;13 Adult; 4 Graphic Novels). Next year I hope to read more Non-Fiction as...