Meredith McCardle's Blog, page 2
May 1, 2014
Meet the Guardians: Green
We’re 5 days away from the release of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, which (as the name suggests) centers around a generation of eight time travelers employed by the US government. The Guardians travel through our history and tweak the past to improve the present. Enhancement, not alteration . . . or so they say . . . .
I hired an amazing artist named Liv to sketch pictures of the Guardians, and I’ll be posting one a day, each day before the launch! Be sure to check back each day for a chance to win an autographed hardcover of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Meet Green.
Code Name: Green.
Real name: 
Age: 18
Position: Guardian
Strengths: Ability to take charge, inquisitiveness.
Weaknesses: Inability to let others lead, arrogance
Quote from THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN: Green holds up a taser. “Don’t move!” he yells.
My hand fumbles for the chain of the necklace. I find the watch and snap it shut.
Green disappears, and I’m plunged into darkness. My body is yanked apart again as I fly up into the future. I scream. It hurts. It hurts so much.
April 30, 2014
Meet the Guardians: Yellow
We’re 6 days away from the release of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, which (as the name suggests) centers around a generation of eight time travelers employed by the US government. The Guardians travel through our history and tweak the past to improve the present. Enhancement, not alteration . . . or so they say . . . .
I hired an amazing artist named Liv to sketch pictures of the Guardians, and I’ll be posting one a day, each day before the launch! Be sure to check back each day for a chance to win an autographed hardcover of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Meet Yellow.
Code Name: Yellow.
Real name:
Age: 18
Position: Senior Guardian
Strengths: Loyalty to friends, fearlessness
Weaknesses: Tendency toward stand-offishness, can be close-minded
Quote from THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN: “Listen, I know you think I’m some prissy little wunderbitch who hates to break a nail, but I’ve been doing Tae Kwon Do since I was six. I can take one of them.”
(Confession: Yellow is my favorite character in this book.)
April 29, 2014
Meet the Guardians: Orange
We’re 7 days away from the release of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, which (as the name suggests) centers around a generation of eight time travelers employed by the US government. The Guardians travel through our history and tweak the past to improve the present. Enhancement, not alteration . . . or so they say . . . .
I hired an amazing artist named Liv to sketch pictures of the Guardians, and I’ll be posting one a day, each day before the launch! Be sure to check back each day for a chance to win an autographed hardcover of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Meet Orange.
Code Name: Orange.
Real name:
Age: Unknown. Mid to late 20s.
Position: Senior Guardian
Strengths: Being mysterious
Weaknesses: Unknown at present
Quote from THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN: “I don’t really know anything about Orange, except that he looks to be way older than everyone else, like Red. Midtwenties, maybe. He’s also never spoken to me, and I get the feeling that he resents my presence here.”
April 28, 2014
Meet the Guardians: Red
We’re 8 days away from the release of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, which (as the name suggests) centers around a generation of eight time travelers employed by the US government. The Guardians travel through our history and tweak the past to improve the present. Enhancement, not alteration . . . or so they say . . . .
I hired an amazing artist named Liv to sketch pictures of the Guardians, and I’ll be posting one a day, each day before the launch! Be sure to check back each day for a chance to win an autographed hardcover of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Meet Red.
Code Name: Red.
Real name:
Age: Unknown. Late 20s.
Position: Team leader, Annum Guard’s third generation
Strengths: Hiding his true feelings, taking charge in stressful situations
Weaknesses: Being too trusting of authority, not listening to instincts.
Quote from THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN: “And then for a second—one short but important split second—Red’s training fails him, and his eyebrows creep up a few hairs. That tells me everything. Red doesn’t know.”
April 23, 2014
What’s Up Wednesday: April 23 edition
What I’m Reading: At the moment? Emails, emails, and more emails. But I finished NEARLY GONE by Elle Cosimano over the weekend, and I loved it! Such a smart thriller with top-notch writing and a plot that keeps you guessing. Highly recommended!
What I’m Writing: My revision of Annum Guard 2 is done done DONE!! I sent it off to my editor on Monday. So now I’m responding to those buckets of emails I mentioned above, and getting reading for…
What Else I’ve Been Up To: THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN LAUNCHES IN 12 DAYS!
I’m going on a three-week blog tour, so I’m up to my eyeballs in interviews and guest posts and giveaways, but I wouldn’t change it for anything! And starting Monday, I’m also going to be running a pretty freaking awesome series on my blog (if I do say so myself). I had this idea and reached out to someone to see if she could help me make it a reality, and HOLY CRAP DID SHE MAKE IT A REALITY. I’ll remain (frustratingly?) vague, but let me just say that when I saw the finished product, I was completely blown away.
So watch for that, starting Monday! There will also be a chance to win an autographed hardcover of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN. Woot!
What’s Inspiring Me: Oh gosh, everything. Seriously, everything. I can’t wait for my book to be out there in the world. 12 days!!! I love everyone and everything. Mwah!
April 9, 2014
What’s Up Wednesday: April 9 edition
What I’m Reading: I just finished OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord last night, and I looooooooved it. It’s the perfect summer read.
What I’m Writing: Nothing! At least for a few days. My latest revision of Annum Guard 2 is in the hands of a few lovely critique partners, so I have a reprieve for like 72-96 hours. Huzzah!
What Else I’ve Been Up To: Planning this.
Woohoo, I’m having a launch party in a little over a month!! You’re all invited, of course. As is everyone you’ve ever met. Or just exchanged a glance with on the street. I don’t discriminate.
What’s Inspiring Me: My friends. I feel so, so lucky to have an amazing group of friends as I’m planning this launch event. One friend pledged to bake me upward of 200 cupcakes. Another threw in a gift card so I could buy a few cases of wine. I have more friends who’ve volunteered to help “work” the event.
I’ve suffered my fair share of setbacks lately, and I let myself fall into a funk because of it. But this week I summarily snapped out of it and reminded myself what’s really important: Surrounding yourself with friends and family who love and support you, no matter what. I’m so blessed. So really and truly blessed.
Also: Less than a month until THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN launches. Aaaaahhhh!!
March 31, 2014
More than you probably ever wanted to know about my writing process…
I was invited to be a part of the ”My Writing Process Blog Tour” by the ever-so-lovely Elodie Nowodazkij. Elodie is a French girl living in Germany, and spends a lot of time commuting. But it’s okay, but that’s how she gets writing done! Her debut novel, ONE TWO, THREE, about a former ballerina struggling in the wake of a career-ending car accident, releases in June. You can find Elodie on Twitter.
1. What am I working on? I’m knee deep in revisions for Annum Guard book 2. (Yes, STILL.) But before that, I was writing a very rough first draft of a novel that takes place in Prohibition-era Florida, and I really hope to get back to it soon. That one’s a departure for me. I normally write very fast-paced, action-y, go go go stories with complicated plots, and this new project is a much slower, voice-heavy, character study. It kind of scares the crap out of me, truthfully, but that’s how you grow, right?
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? Hmm. That’s a good question. I guess first we have to define my genre. Time travel? Does that count? I’ve learned that there’s really no wrong way to do time travel because, when it comes down to it, it’s fiction. You want your characters to be able to go back in time and change the past? Cool. You want your characters to be able to go back in time and whatever they do won’t change a thing? Cool also. (My characters do the former, for the record).
But I do suppose my time travel world differs from a lot of others. I set up a fairly complicated set of time travel rules in my book (which I’m totally kicking myself for now as I’m trying to work through a sequel). For instance, my characters have “catching up” to do when they travel back to the present. If they go back in time 25 years, every hour they spend in the past means two hours go by in the present. So if you leave for 1989 at 1 p.m. and stay for an hour, you won’t get back to 2014 until 3. And the further back in time you go, the more catch up time you have. Want to visit the year 1614? That’ll cost you. For every minute you spend there, you’ll lose about two days in the present. Want to catch Richard Burbage playing Hamlet? You’re giving up about 8 months of your life.
That’s just one of many rules my poor characters have to live by. . . .
3. Why do I write what I do? That’s . . . actually a very deep question. I write what I write because I can’t imagine having these voices just living in my head. Because there are certain stories walk into your brain and demand that you put them on paper.
That’s how it was for THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN. I know I’m becoming that girl at the cocktail party who tells the same story over and over again, but this book was inspired by a song—Iris Was a Pupil by Autechre. I couldn’t get the title of this song out of my head, and within days I’d spun almost the entire story in my head—the beginning, the twist that comes in the middle, the various characters arcs. It was a story I simply had to get down on paper, and I’m so glad I finally picked up the pen.
4. How does my writing process work? I actually wrote a very detailed blog post on that here, so I won’t rehash it, but I will say that it takes me approximately eleventh billion drafts before I get it right. That’s how I roll.
* * *
And now it’s my turn to pass the torch to three of my writing buddies and fellow Skyscape authors, who will share their writing processes next Monday!
After teaching and traveling internationally for ten years, Christina Farley started writing about her adventures, tossing in a little fiction for fun. This inspired her to write GILDED, a YA based on Korean mythology about a Korean-American girl who takes her destiny into her own hands. Besides writing, Christina loves traveling, running, driving too fast, and eating dark chocolate. Her debut YA, GILDED, was published by Skyscape/Amazon Children’s on March 1, 2014.
Jessie Humphries is a Full-time Mother, Part-time Attorney, Half-witted Writer, Full-blown Lunatic. She’s represented by the fabulous Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary. Her debut, KILLING RUBY ROSE, will be published by Amazon Children’s Publishing/Skyscape on May 1, 2014.
Lori M. Lee is an avid writer, reader, artist, and lover of unicorns. She should probably spend less time on the internet (but she won’t). She has a borderline obsessive fascination with unicorns, is fond of talking in capslock, and loves to write about magic, manipulation, and family. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, kids, and a friendly pit bull. Her debut, GATES OF THREAD AND STONE, will be published by Skyscape/Amazon Children’s on August 5, 2014.
March 24, 2014
My Top 7 Favorite 2014 Debut Covers
This was supposed to be a list of my top 5, but when I sat down to make a list, I wound up with a list of 15. I whittled it down and whittled it down, but I can’t whittle anymore, so stop trying to make me!
1. NO PLACE TO FALL by Jaye Robin Brown.
Doesn’t just looking at this cover make you happy? Like you want to hop in a car with your besties and road trip it somewhere? Yeah, me too.
2. FAR FROM YOU by Tess Sharpe
I love this cover more and more every time I see it. That one exploding light speaks volumes. It reminds me a lot of my favorite cover from 2013—Christa Desir’s FAULT LINE. Simple but powerful. Love.
3. BEWARE THE WILD by Natalie C. Parker
Isn’t this cover just deliciously dark? It takes place in the swamplands of Louisiana, and you totally get that from this cover. Plus, this is some of my favorite title treatment ever. The way the words bend through the trees, the WILD made to look like branches—loooooove. #typographygeek
4. FALLS THE SHADOW by Stefanie Gaither
EVIL (?) CLONES. This cover just screams evil clones. I’m loving the title treatment on this one too. I can’t wait to see it in person.
5. MIDNIGHT THIEF by Livia Blackburne
I’m starting to see a theme in my picks. The darker, the creepier, the better, and this cover falls right in line. I don’t know what that animal is, but I love how it’s staring me down, daring me to knock on the door. RAWR.
6. MARY: THE SUMMONING by Hillary Monahan
THIS COVER SCARES THE BEJEEZUS OUT OF ME. And I like it. Is this not the perfect cover for a Bloody Mary horror story? It is. It’s perfect.
7. CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge
Seriously one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. The dress, the stairs, the rose—it’s easy to get lost in the wonder of this cover. It also serves the perfect preview of Rosamund Hodge’s beautiful writing.
What are your favorite covers coming in 2014?
March 22, 2014
Meal Plan with Meredith: Week of March 24
You can find your handy-dandy shopping list right here: Meal Plan Week of March 24
Monday: Grilled Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut-Cilantro Rice
Photo © Bev Weidner
Tuesday: Fish en Papillote (Fish in Parchment Paper)
Photo © andwhatiate.com
Wednesday: Pasta Puttanesca
Photo © Food Network
Thursday: Chili Chicken and Kale Quinoa Bake
Photo (c) Plum Pie
Friday: Black Bean and Potato Nacho Plate
(The blogger behind Oh She Glows prefers her pictures not be used on other sites, but go ahead and click the link and try not to drool. I’ve made these many times before and they’re awesome.)
March 19, 2014
What’s Up Wednesday: March 19 edition
What I’m Reading: It’s slow going, friends, but I’m a few chapters into GILDED by Christina Farley, which I’m absolutely loving. It’s about a modern day girl wrapped up in a world of ancient Korean mythology, and it’s just awesome so far.
What I’m Writing: I got my edit letter for Annum Guard book 2 last week, so that’s pretty much been my entire life lately. I’m back to my old schedule of early mornings and late nights (and buckets of coffee). But my editor is kind of a genius, and her notes are so spot on perfect, and I’m really really excited to work on this book. It’s going to be a lot of work (understatement of the year), but I get butterflies when I think about what this book could become. I’ll get it there.
What Else I’ve Been Up To: So here’s a story for you. Last week, the family and I semi-spontaneously decided to head up to Disney World. I have a four-year-old daughter who is completely Frozen obsessed. She sings the songs on repeat, pretends to freeze things with her magic Elsa powers, and all around will not stop talking about this movie. So I knew we had to try to meet Anna and Elsa, who’ve set up shop at Epcot’s Norway Pavilion.
I also knew I was in for a wait. There have been articles in the papers and firsthand account from friends, readying me for a multi hours-long wait, but I did my research and found a blog post from someone who got to the park right when it opened, ran right to Norway, and didn’t have to wait too, too long. So I figured that would be my plan of attack.
I left the kids in the parking lot with my husband and lined up outside the gate at 9 when the park opened. At 9:05, I was through, sprinting with a few other crazed parents who had the same idea. (And can I just brag for a second that I was totally keeping pace with the 6’4″ dude who looked like a professional athlete?) And at 9:10, I arrived at Norway to be told that the wait at that point was FIVE MOTHEREFFING HOURS long. Already. Not cool, Disney.
Anyhow, my daughter was disappointed (because hellz no I was not waiting in that), but she conned her way into getting both the Anna and Elsa dresses from the gift shop, and then the most amazing thing happened, you guys. She changed into her Anna dress and was walking around the park when two girls who were probably about fifteen came up to her and bowed. “Princess Anna!” they said. “We’re so honored to meet you!” They asked her questions about her kingdom. They asked if they could get their picture taken with her. They thanked her for her time. And it totally made my daughter’s day.
“They thought I was Anna,” she nearly squealed to me after the girls had left.
It was such a moment of kindness. I’m so grateful for those two girls.
My girl and her dad.
What’s Inspiring Me: These song lyrics:
Dreams are like fish/You gots to keep on reeling.
(G Love & Special Sauce, Dreamin’)
This song came on in my car the other day, and then I was hit with the stark realization that I’ve sort of stopped reeling. I have a book debuting in less than two months (!!) and another under contract I’m working on, and I’ve let myself become complacent. But that’s not how it works, is it? No matter where you are—whether you’re just showing up to the pond or you’ve been there since dawn and already have a basket full of fish to show for it—you have to keep casting a new line and reeling it in.
And so I shall.
