Sara B. Larson's Blog, page 5
December 5, 2013
1 Month until DEFY giveaway! (+ some AWESOME news!)
So, some of you may have seen my little teaser post on Twitter or FB about having good news to share....wanna know what it is??
I've been sitting on this news for a quite a while, so I'm pretty darn excited to finally get to tell you all that DEFY sold to Germany in an AUCTION earlier this year!!!!!!!
My book is going to get TRANSLATED into GERMAN and get a shiny German cover and everything!!! I'm so excited to have cbj Verlag (which is part of Random House) publish my book! Now...do any of my friends sprechen Sie Deutsch? :):)
I think this calls for a little Loki celebration!!
You're welcome.
There's no real reason why I added Thor to this post except that he's hot and I like to look at him.
That alone is worth celebrating, right? But that's not all...
There's only 1 month left until DEFY publishes (well, technically it'll be one month in two days, but that's a Saturday so I'm giving you a little jumpstart). You know what that means?? It's time for my last giveaway of an ARC of DEFY!!!
This month has gotten crazy in a hurry, so I'm making it super simple this time. Just a straightforward Rafflecopter giveaway. Do as many or as few options as you'd like, and boosh! You're entered!
This giveaway is open to US and Canada only.
This giveaway will run for one week, and I will announce the winner on Friday, December 13! (Do you think Friday the 13th will by your lucky day?? Better enter to find out!)
Good luck!!
Now I better get back to running around like a crazy person....
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I've been sitting on this news for a quite a while, so I'm pretty darn excited to finally get to tell you all that DEFY sold to Germany in an AUCTION earlier this year!!!!!!!
My book is going to get TRANSLATED into GERMAN and get a shiny German cover and everything!!! I'm so excited to have cbj Verlag (which is part of Random House) publish my book! Now...do any of my friends sprechen Sie Deutsch? :):)
I think this calls for a little Loki celebration!!
You're welcome.
There's no real reason why I added Thor to this post except that he's hot and I like to look at him.That alone is worth celebrating, right? But that's not all...
There's only 1 month left until DEFY publishes (well, technically it'll be one month in two days, but that's a Saturday so I'm giving you a little jumpstart). You know what that means?? It's time for my last giveaway of an ARC of DEFY!!!
This month has gotten crazy in a hurry, so I'm making it super simple this time. Just a straightforward Rafflecopter giveaway. Do as many or as few options as you'd like, and boosh! You're entered!
This giveaway is open to US and Canada only.
This giveaway will run for one week, and I will announce the winner on Friday, December 13! (Do you think Friday the 13th will by your lucky day?? Better enter to find out!)
Good luck!!
Now I better get back to running around like a crazy person....
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 28, 2013
Grateful
It's a beautiful (albeit smoggy) day here in SLC, UT. The sun is out, it's hovering around fifty degrees. Soon, I will be gorging on tons of delicious food.
But the real beauty of this day is the chance to reflect on the blessings in my life.
I'm not going to lie, this life is hard. It's full of trials. At least, my life has been. It's had its ups and its downs. Some of the downs have been very, very low. But if I try to look for the good, I can always find it in abundance.
Many of you have been reading this blog for years, following me through all sorts of trials and triumphs. There has been joy, there has been grief and pain. There have been tears of happiness and tears of sorrow.
In just over a month, a lifelong dream of mine will be coming true. I will be a published author with Scholastic. I remember as a little girl, reading The Babysitters Club and wishing I could be Stacey. I thought if I had diabetes and was from NYC, then people would like me. I signed all of my i's with a heart like her. I even pretended I had diabetes at school once in second grade, hoping it would win me more friends. (That was an #epicfail, btw.) Harry Potter is my favorite series of all time. And The Hunger Games is in a league of its own. Scholastic book fairs...I LOVED getting those flyers at school growing up. When I had sleepovers with my FarMor (my Swedish Grandma), she would take me to the mall to get something, and I always had her buy me books. Reading and writing have been a part of me my entire life.
And now, in just over a month, my book will be on a shelf with that same logo on the spine.
It is unbelievable. As I sit here writing this, I'm trying not to cry, and failing. (Unfortunately, I'm in a public place, too.)
Having a dream come true is an interesting thing. It's beautiful and amazing, but it's also hard in surprising ways. I've poured my heart and soul into this book, I've done everything I could to make it the best it could be. Am I perfect? No. Is my writing flawless? Of course not. But I tried my best, and I love these characters with my whole heart. I hope that many of you will, too. I know not everyone will and that's hard. It's hard to hear when people don't understand Alexa or Damian or Rylan the way I do. But that's also the beauty of writing a story and giving it to the world. It is no longer my story. Once you pick up that book, it becomes yours. You will meet these characters and experience their stories on your terms. My hope is that for some of you, you will lose yourself in Alexa's story, in her failures and triumphs. In her weaknesses and her strengths. This is a story of overcoming loss, of continuing on no matter what. It is a story of finding love amidst pain and fear, and it is a story of discovering true strength and the courage to overcome all obstacles on the path to the hope of a better future.
DEFY is preparing to spread its wings and take flight into the world. And that is both thrilling and terrifying. It is happiness and dreams-can-come-true and this-is-really-happening.
Not all of our dreams come true, this I know. God has blessed me with much in my life, but some of it has come at a great cost, and some blessings have not come at all, as much as I wish they had. But I do know that God loves me, and I know that all of the blessings in my life are from Him. I have an amazing husband. I have three beautiful, healthy children. There was a time when I thought I would never have children, and then a time when we had to face the reality that we might only have one. We have an angel in heaven, watching over us. And miraculously, I have two more gorgeous children, even though getting them here were some of the scariest trials I've endured. I want more babies, I wish I could have more. There may yet be another miracle or two in store for me, but I hardly even dare hope or pray for that. I don't want to be greedy and risk leaving my family without a Mommy. But as I sit here, thinking over my life so far I realize just how incredibly blessed I truly am.
I hope that all of you are with those you love today, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not. I hope you take the time every day to look for the good, because all of us are blessed in unique ways. Some blessings may only come after we do all that we can--as was the case with my dream of getting published. I struggled and worked for years and years to get here, but because I never gave up, I eventually had that dream come true.
And I am so grateful that I never gave up and never quit.
I am grateful for so much.
I am blessed.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
But the real beauty of this day is the chance to reflect on the blessings in my life.
I'm not going to lie, this life is hard. It's full of trials. At least, my life has been. It's had its ups and its downs. Some of the downs have been very, very low. But if I try to look for the good, I can always find it in abundance.
Many of you have been reading this blog for years, following me through all sorts of trials and triumphs. There has been joy, there has been grief and pain. There have been tears of happiness and tears of sorrow.
In just over a month, a lifelong dream of mine will be coming true. I will be a published author with Scholastic. I remember as a little girl, reading The Babysitters Club and wishing I could be Stacey. I thought if I had diabetes and was from NYC, then people would like me. I signed all of my i's with a heart like her. I even pretended I had diabetes at school once in second grade, hoping it would win me more friends. (That was an #epicfail, btw.) Harry Potter is my favorite series of all time. And The Hunger Games is in a league of its own. Scholastic book fairs...I LOVED getting those flyers at school growing up. When I had sleepovers with my FarMor (my Swedish Grandma), she would take me to the mall to get something, and I always had her buy me books. Reading and writing have been a part of me my entire life.
And now, in just over a month, my book will be on a shelf with that same logo on the spine.
It is unbelievable. As I sit here writing this, I'm trying not to cry, and failing. (Unfortunately, I'm in a public place, too.)
Having a dream come true is an interesting thing. It's beautiful and amazing, but it's also hard in surprising ways. I've poured my heart and soul into this book, I've done everything I could to make it the best it could be. Am I perfect? No. Is my writing flawless? Of course not. But I tried my best, and I love these characters with my whole heart. I hope that many of you will, too. I know not everyone will and that's hard. It's hard to hear when people don't understand Alexa or Damian or Rylan the way I do. But that's also the beauty of writing a story and giving it to the world. It is no longer my story. Once you pick up that book, it becomes yours. You will meet these characters and experience their stories on your terms. My hope is that for some of you, you will lose yourself in Alexa's story, in her failures and triumphs. In her weaknesses and her strengths. This is a story of overcoming loss, of continuing on no matter what. It is a story of finding love amidst pain and fear, and it is a story of discovering true strength and the courage to overcome all obstacles on the path to the hope of a better future.
DEFY is preparing to spread its wings and take flight into the world. And that is both thrilling and terrifying. It is happiness and dreams-can-come-true and this-is-really-happening.
Not all of our dreams come true, this I know. God has blessed me with much in my life, but some of it has come at a great cost, and some blessings have not come at all, as much as I wish they had. But I do know that God loves me, and I know that all of the blessings in my life are from Him. I have an amazing husband. I have three beautiful, healthy children. There was a time when I thought I would never have children, and then a time when we had to face the reality that we might only have one. We have an angel in heaven, watching over us. And miraculously, I have two more gorgeous children, even though getting them here were some of the scariest trials I've endured. I want more babies, I wish I could have more. There may yet be another miracle or two in store for me, but I hardly even dare hope or pray for that. I don't want to be greedy and risk leaving my family without a Mommy. But as I sit here, thinking over my life so far I realize just how incredibly blessed I truly am.
I hope that all of you are with those you love today, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not. I hope you take the time every day to look for the good, because all of us are blessed in unique ways. Some blessings may only come after we do all that we can--as was the case with my dream of getting published. I struggled and worked for years and years to get here, but because I never gave up, I eventually had that dream come true.
And I am so grateful that I never gave up and never quit.
I am grateful for so much.
I am blessed.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
November 20, 2013
Q&A
It's been a crazy two weeks, and it's not over yet! I'm so excited for the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm ready to rest and relax for a few days with my family.
Now, on to the Q&A!
Nikki asked: how much does the YA Valentines group help you? Or the benefits of being a YA Val?
Being a part of the YA Valentines has been a huge benefit and help! We are all there for each other, supporting each other through the ups and downs of debuting and just publishing in general. We are all so different, as are our books, but that's part of what makes it so great. I always know I can go to them and that they'll make me laugh, make me feel better, and that they'll understand. That's a huge thing as an author, which can feel very lonely sometimes. I'm so glad I have my Vals!
Katy asked: I would love some background on how you came up with the basic story idea for DEFY! How long it took you to write it, to query it, etc.
The inspiration came from a very dark place in my life, when someone I loved (my cousin's husband) had just passed away from cancer. He was just 24. The very first scene I wrote stemmed from that grief, and for a long time I thought that was all it was--an exercise in grief. But the characters wouldn't leave me alone so I kept going. However, about 7 or 8k words in, I hit a wall. I couldn't figure out where the plot needed to go. So I put it down. But again, the characters wouldn't leave me alone. When I finally figured out that one of them was keeping a major secret from me, the rest of the plot suddenly clicked into place and the rest of the book flew out of me. (I finished writing it 2 weeks after I figured out that one, integral secret.)
I'd been querying agents for almost 9 months (with two different books) after parting ways with my first agent in February of 2012. This was now October. But I knew DEFY was different. I started querying on Monday, about fifteen queries. Then on Tuesday night, I saw that an agent I liked had just re-opened to queries. I sent one off, and was shocked to get a full request ten minutes later. And even more shocked to get an email the next day before lunch, asking to talk to me about the book. I ended up receiving more than one offer. It was a dream situation. But TRUST ME, I've been through query hell (TWICE!) before this. If you count up all the queries from both times I searched for an agent, the rejections were probably well over 200. It was amazing to have everything move so fast with DEFY.
Andrea asked: How many books are you planning in the defy series/world? And what is your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?
There are 3 books in the DEFY series, with the second one coming out in January 2015!
One of my least favorite parts is when I'm on a roll or have some great inspiration/ideas and can't find the time to write and lose my momentum.
And one of my favorite parts is when I feel like I'm going to burst from excitement because everything is coming together the way I dreamed it would, and I've got the perfect music playing, and my heart is racing and I'm writing as fast as I can to get it all out before I lose my steam!
Thanks for the great questions you guys! We'll have to do this again soon! Hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me, DEFY, and my writing journey!
Now, on to the Q&A!
Nikki asked: how much does the YA Valentines group help you? Or the benefits of being a YA Val?
Being a part of the YA Valentines has been a huge benefit and help! We are all there for each other, supporting each other through the ups and downs of debuting and just publishing in general. We are all so different, as are our books, but that's part of what makes it so great. I always know I can go to them and that they'll make me laugh, make me feel better, and that they'll understand. That's a huge thing as an author, which can feel very lonely sometimes. I'm so glad I have my Vals!
Katy asked: I would love some background on how you came up with the basic story idea for DEFY! How long it took you to write it, to query it, etc.
The inspiration came from a very dark place in my life, when someone I loved (my cousin's husband) had just passed away from cancer. He was just 24. The very first scene I wrote stemmed from that grief, and for a long time I thought that was all it was--an exercise in grief. But the characters wouldn't leave me alone so I kept going. However, about 7 or 8k words in, I hit a wall. I couldn't figure out where the plot needed to go. So I put it down. But again, the characters wouldn't leave me alone. When I finally figured out that one of them was keeping a major secret from me, the rest of the plot suddenly clicked into place and the rest of the book flew out of me. (I finished writing it 2 weeks after I figured out that one, integral secret.)
I'd been querying agents for almost 9 months (with two different books) after parting ways with my first agent in February of 2012. This was now October. But I knew DEFY was different. I started querying on Monday, about fifteen queries. Then on Tuesday night, I saw that an agent I liked had just re-opened to queries. I sent one off, and was shocked to get a full request ten minutes later. And even more shocked to get an email the next day before lunch, asking to talk to me about the book. I ended up receiving more than one offer. It was a dream situation. But TRUST ME, I've been through query hell (TWICE!) before this. If you count up all the queries from both times I searched for an agent, the rejections were probably well over 200. It was amazing to have everything move so fast with DEFY.
Andrea asked: How many books are you planning in the defy series/world? And what is your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?
There are 3 books in the DEFY series, with the second one coming out in January 2015!
One of my least favorite parts is when I'm on a roll or have some great inspiration/ideas and can't find the time to write and lose my momentum.
And one of my favorite parts is when I feel like I'm going to burst from excitement because everything is coming together the way I dreamed it would, and I've got the perfect music playing, and my heart is racing and I'm writing as fast as I can to get it all out before I lose my steam!
Thanks for the great questions you guys! We'll have to do this again soon! Hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me, DEFY, and my writing journey!
November 14, 2013
Winner of MadLib + Something Awesome!
You guys, these MadLibs were SO hysterical! I was rolling on the floor laughing.
But, we'll get to that in a minute. First, I have some AWESOME news!
DEFY was selected for the Winter 2013-2014 Kids' Indie Next List!!!
I am SO unbelievably excited and honored to have my book be chosen for this list! I've seen so many wonderful books make the previous lists, and it still seems slightly surreal that DEFY is now one of them! THANK YOU for loving DEFY and choosing it for your list!!
I also want to take a quick moment to remind you of this Pre-Order Madness post. If you've already pre-ordered DEFY, make sure you click through to enter to possibly win an awesome THANK YOU gift! And if you're still thinking about it, click through to find out how to pre-order a signed/personalized copy of DEFY from my local bookseller, The King's English! (They're awesome, so I hope you'll help me support them--and you can get a signed/personalized book of your very own, even if I don't live anywhere near you!)
Okay, now, on to the MadLibs!
This was TOUGH you guys. I had to assemble a panel of judges to decide the winner. We laughed so hard at so many. We narrowed it down to the top three, and then, finally, we found our winner....
MadLib scene from DEFY (with some verbs changed for tense):
"Nice job, Alex. Don’t DROOL to the prince. We all know hecouldn’t use a YO-YO if his life depended on it.” Rylan SNORT-LAUGHED atme with an approving smile when I WINKED over to him and theother men who’d been watching.
I CARTWHEELED, modulating my tone to keep the sound of myamusement low and as BLUBBERY as possible. I’d been doing itfor so long, I didn’t even have to think about it anymore. Tryingto sound like a WHISKER was natural to me now. “When have I evercared what the prince thinks? The day I start taking advice aboutWHIRLING from him will be the day Marcel can finally beat me.”Rylan SHREDDED. “True. I think Marcel’s going to be feelingthat hit for a few days.”
“Well,” I replied, “it’s always good to give him a reminder ofwhy I’m going to beat him out for the captainship someday.” Ichucked my UNICORN through the air and Asher TICKLED it at the last second, just before it hit him in the chest.
I mean, how can you beat tickling a unicorn? We died laughing over that. Do you know who won yet? It was ANNE RILEY!! Congrats Anne! Email me your address so I can send you the signed ARC! :-)
Now, anyone curious to know what it really says in the book? Here you go!
The real version:
"Nice job, Alex. Don’t listen to the prince. We all know hecouldn’t use a sword if his life depended on it.” Rylan nodded atme with an approving smile when I walked over to him and theother men who’d been watching. I laughed, modulating my tone to keep the sound of myamusement low and as unfeminine as possible. I’d been doing itfor so long, I didn’t even have to think about it anymore. Tryingto sound like a boy was natural to me now. “When have I evercared what the prince thinks? The day I start taking advice aboutfighting from him will be the day Marcel can finally beat me.” Rylan laughed. “True. I think Marcel’s going to be feelingthat hit for a few days.” “Well,” I replied, “it’s always good to give him a reminder ofwhy I’m going to beat him out for the captainship someday.” Ichucked my sword through the air and Asher grabbed it at the lastsecond, just before it hit him in the chest.
Thanks again everyone for participating!
But, we'll get to that in a minute. First, I have some AWESOME news!
DEFY was selected for the Winter 2013-2014 Kids' Indie Next List!!!
I am SO unbelievably excited and honored to have my book be chosen for this list! I've seen so many wonderful books make the previous lists, and it still seems slightly surreal that DEFY is now one of them! THANK YOU for loving DEFY and choosing it for your list!!
I also want to take a quick moment to remind you of this Pre-Order Madness post. If you've already pre-ordered DEFY, make sure you click through to enter to possibly win an awesome THANK YOU gift! And if you're still thinking about it, click through to find out how to pre-order a signed/personalized copy of DEFY from my local bookseller, The King's English! (They're awesome, so I hope you'll help me support them--and you can get a signed/personalized book of your very own, even if I don't live anywhere near you!)
Okay, now, on to the MadLibs!
This was TOUGH you guys. I had to assemble a panel of judges to decide the winner. We laughed so hard at so many. We narrowed it down to the top three, and then, finally, we found our winner....
MadLib scene from DEFY (with some verbs changed for tense):
"Nice job, Alex. Don’t DROOL to the prince. We all know hecouldn’t use a YO-YO if his life depended on it.” Rylan SNORT-LAUGHED atme with an approving smile when I WINKED over to him and theother men who’d been watching.
I CARTWHEELED, modulating my tone to keep the sound of myamusement low and as BLUBBERY as possible. I’d been doing itfor so long, I didn’t even have to think about it anymore. Tryingto sound like a WHISKER was natural to me now. “When have I evercared what the prince thinks? The day I start taking advice aboutWHIRLING from him will be the day Marcel can finally beat me.”Rylan SHREDDED. “True. I think Marcel’s going to be feelingthat hit for a few days.”
“Well,” I replied, “it’s always good to give him a reminder ofwhy I’m going to beat him out for the captainship someday.” Ichucked my UNICORN through the air and Asher TICKLED it at the last second, just before it hit him in the chest.
I mean, how can you beat tickling a unicorn? We died laughing over that. Do you know who won yet? It was ANNE RILEY!! Congrats Anne! Email me your address so I can send you the signed ARC! :-)
Now, anyone curious to know what it really says in the book? Here you go!
The real version:
"Nice job, Alex. Don’t listen to the prince. We all know hecouldn’t use a sword if his life depended on it.” Rylan nodded atme with an approving smile when I walked over to him and theother men who’d been watching. I laughed, modulating my tone to keep the sound of myamusement low and as unfeminine as possible. I’d been doing itfor so long, I didn’t even have to think about it anymore. Tryingto sound like a boy was natural to me now. “When have I evercared what the prince thinks? The day I start taking advice aboutfighting from him will be the day Marcel can finally beat me.” Rylan laughed. “True. I think Marcel’s going to be feelingthat hit for a few days.” “Well,” I replied, “it’s always good to give him a reminder ofwhy I’m going to beat him out for the captainship someday.” Ichucked my sword through the air and Asher grabbed it at the lastsecond, just before it hit him in the chest.
Thanks again everyone for participating!
November 7, 2013
2 MONTHS until DEFY ARC Contest!
Have you looked at the date yet today? It's November 7th.
NOVEMBER 7TH MEANS IT'S ONLY 2 MONTHS UNTIL DEFY IS OUT!!
*ahem* Sorry about that outburst. I'm only a *little* bit excited.
But, hey, there's reason for you to be excited, too! That means it's time for another DEFY arc giveaway!
This time, I'm making it much easier. This idea was submitted by Nikki Wang--congrats Nikki!! (please email me your info, so I can send you the DEFY swag you've won!) Her idea was to do a mad-lib with a scene from DEFY. So fun, right?
Okay, here goes! All you need to do is write your answers in your comment:
For example, if the first one were a noun, I'd write in my commment: "1. Noun = (the noun I picked)" then "2. adjective = (adjective I picked)" and so on until you did them all.
I will pick the best one, post it for your enjoyment and that person will win the arc!
Easy, peasy right?
Here are your options--I tried to make this easy, so hopefully everyone can participate.
1. VERB2. NOUN3. VERB4. VERB5. VERB6. ADJECTIVE7. NOUN8. VERB9. VERB10. NOUN11. VERB
Remember to leave your responses in the comments. You have until Wednesday, November 13 at midnight to enter!
Also--don't forget, if you've already pre-ordered DEFY, or if you're thinking about it, you have a chance to win one of two pretty awesome THANK YOU packs--details can be found in THIS POST. (Including info on how to pre-order a signed copy of DEFY!)
Good luck everyone, and happy Mad-Libbing! (is that even a word?)
NOVEMBER 7TH MEANS IT'S ONLY 2 MONTHS UNTIL DEFY IS OUT!!
*ahem* Sorry about that outburst. I'm only a *little* bit excited.
But, hey, there's reason for you to be excited, too! That means it's time for another DEFY arc giveaway!
This time, I'm making it much easier. This idea was submitted by Nikki Wang--congrats Nikki!! (please email me your info, so I can send you the DEFY swag you've won!) Her idea was to do a mad-lib with a scene from DEFY. So fun, right?
Okay, here goes! All you need to do is write your answers in your comment:
For example, if the first one were a noun, I'd write in my commment: "1. Noun = (the noun I picked)" then "2. adjective = (adjective I picked)" and so on until you did them all.
I will pick the best one, post it for your enjoyment and that person will win the arc!
Easy, peasy right?
Here are your options--I tried to make this easy, so hopefully everyone can participate.
1. VERB2. NOUN3. VERB4. VERB5. VERB6. ADJECTIVE7. NOUN8. VERB9. VERB10. NOUN11. VERB
Remember to leave your responses in the comments. You have until Wednesday, November 13 at midnight to enter!
Also--don't forget, if you've already pre-ordered DEFY, or if you're thinking about it, you have a chance to win one of two pretty awesome THANK YOU packs--details can be found in THIS POST. (Including info on how to pre-order a signed copy of DEFY!)
Good luck everyone, and happy Mad-Libbing! (is that even a word?)
November 4, 2013
Pre-order Madness (aka my way of saying THANK YOU!)
It's hard to believe that yesterday was near 70 and beautiful. Today, I'm sitting at my "desk" (aka, my dining table...if you don't believe me, go HERE) staring out at a blizzard. Oh, Utah. I guess we had a nice October, so I can't complain too much. It is November after all, so it's time for winter to come.
Whether you are excited for snow or not, there is one reason you can be really excited it's November--that means it's only 2 months until DEFY comes out!! Can you believe it? In just over 2 months, my little baby book will be out in the world!
There's intrigue, magic, sword-fighting, hot boys, a totally fierce heroine, hot boys, a kingdom set in the jungle, hot boys... *stares off into the distance, dreaming of the hot boys*
Oh! You're still here. *ahem* Sorry about that! Anyway... On to the point of this post...
I know that some of you have already pre-ordered DEFY--which just blows me away with gratitude!! That means SO so much to an author, especially a debut author. I'm also guessing that there might be a few more of you out there who are on the fence, trying to decide if you want to pre-order or not. I know that's a big decision to make--to buy something you haven't read, especially when it's the first book in a series.
So I've decided to do something as a way of saying "THANK YOU" to those who already have pre-ordered--and to those who hadn't decided yet, maybe it will be the extra boost you are hoping for to make your decision.
Anyone who pre-orders my book before January 7, 2014 can enter the Rafflecopter drawing (below) to be entered to win one of two "thank-you prizes!!"
One Grand Prize winner will get to choose between getting a signed ARC or a signed hardcover of DEFY + a swag pack made of awesome! You can keep the extra book, or use it for your own giveaway, or gift it to a friend, or whatever you want! Now, why would you want the ARC instead of the hardcover? Well, because there's a little surprise in my ARC that you might want to see. When I got my ARCs, I had no idea it would be there either. I opened it up to look through it and saw an extra page--a letter from my editor, talking about her first experience reading DEFY and why she loves it so much! It pretty much made me cry. So, if you'd like to be able to read that letter, you can choose the ARC. Or if you'd rather have a signed first-edition of the hardcover, then pick that!
PLUS a second lucky winner will also get chosen for another swag pack made of awesome!!
Wanna see what that swag pack will be? Here you go:
A this is teen "I read YA" bag (Scholastic gave these away at BEA last year, and there are only a few left in the world--how cool is that?!), a beautiful DEFY button (this picture doesn't do it justice AT ALL), a signed bookmark, a signed postcard, and surprise treat in the bag!!
Pretty cool, right?
(Psst...For those of you who live by me and might come to my launch party on January 7th at The King's English, I will be doing a raflle with these same swag prizes--except there might also be a few bigger surprises in the bags...like possibly some ARCs of debuts coming out next year! So if you live close by, mark your calendars!)
***And speaking of The King's English--if you want to increase your chances of getting a signed copy (like, by 100%), if you pre-order through them, The King's English will have me sign/personalize your book the night of my launch party and ship it to you! How awesome, right?? GO HERE and you can order online, or you can call them to place your order (801-484-9100). Make sure to specify that you want it signed and/or personalized!***
This contest will run through DEFY's release, on January 7th, 2014 (when it will no longer be possible to pre-order). ;)
Again, whether you pre-order or not, I can't thank you all enough for your support and excitement for DEFY. It means more than you could ever know!! *huge, awkward hugs*
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Whether you are excited for snow or not, there is one reason you can be really excited it's November--that means it's only 2 months until DEFY comes out!! Can you believe it? In just over 2 months, my little baby book will be out in the world!
There's intrigue, magic, sword-fighting, hot boys, a totally fierce heroine, hot boys, a kingdom set in the jungle, hot boys... *stares off into the distance, dreaming of the hot boys*
Oh! You're still here. *ahem* Sorry about that! Anyway... On to the point of this post...
I know that some of you have already pre-ordered DEFY--which just blows me away with gratitude!! That means SO so much to an author, especially a debut author. I'm also guessing that there might be a few more of you out there who are on the fence, trying to decide if you want to pre-order or not. I know that's a big decision to make--to buy something you haven't read, especially when it's the first book in a series.
So I've decided to do something as a way of saying "THANK YOU" to those who already have pre-ordered--and to those who hadn't decided yet, maybe it will be the extra boost you are hoping for to make your decision.
Anyone who pre-orders my book before January 7, 2014 can enter the Rafflecopter drawing (below) to be entered to win one of two "thank-you prizes!!"
One Grand Prize winner will get to choose between getting a signed ARC or a signed hardcover of DEFY + a swag pack made of awesome! You can keep the extra book, or use it for your own giveaway, or gift it to a friend, or whatever you want! Now, why would you want the ARC instead of the hardcover? Well, because there's a little surprise in my ARC that you might want to see. When I got my ARCs, I had no idea it would be there either. I opened it up to look through it and saw an extra page--a letter from my editor, talking about her first experience reading DEFY and why she loves it so much! It pretty much made me cry. So, if you'd like to be able to read that letter, you can choose the ARC. Or if you'd rather have a signed first-edition of the hardcover, then pick that!
PLUS a second lucky winner will also get chosen for another swag pack made of awesome!!
Wanna see what that swag pack will be? Here you go:
A this is teen "I read YA" bag (Scholastic gave these away at BEA last year, and there are only a few left in the world--how cool is that?!), a beautiful DEFY button (this picture doesn't do it justice AT ALL), a signed bookmark, a signed postcard, and surprise treat in the bag!!Pretty cool, right?
(Psst...For those of you who live by me and might come to my launch party on January 7th at The King's English, I will be doing a raflle with these same swag prizes--except there might also be a few bigger surprises in the bags...like possibly some ARCs of debuts coming out next year! So if you live close by, mark your calendars!)
***And speaking of The King's English--if you want to increase your chances of getting a signed copy (like, by 100%), if you pre-order through them, The King's English will have me sign/personalize your book the night of my launch party and ship it to you! How awesome, right?? GO HERE and you can order online, or you can call them to place your order (801-484-9100). Make sure to specify that you want it signed and/or personalized!***
This contest will run through DEFY's release, on January 7th, 2014 (when it will no longer be possible to pre-order). ;)
Again, whether you pre-order or not, I can't thank you all enough for your support and excitement for DEFY. It means more than you could ever know!! *huge, awkward hugs*
a Rafflecopter giveaway
October 28, 2013
Strong reactions
*disclaimer* There are no plot spoilers in this post, however there ARE emotional responses discussed, so if you wish to avoid ANY possible reference to a certain third book in a certain trilogy with a main character named Tris, you may want to read this after you've finished the book. *warning over*
So I'm still in recovery mode over here today. I read a certain book last weekend, and without being too spoilery, it left me feeling a little shell-shocked. I'm sure you've heard (unless your head is under a rock or you have adamantly been refusing to look at anything online) that reactions to this book have been VERY strong, and not all of them have been positive.
As an author, my reaction is complicated. I think many reviews that I've seen have been knee-jerk reactions. But I've forced myself to sit on this for a bit, to think it through--to let the immediate strong emotions to simmer a bit. Whether you like the ending or not, there is one thing I think we can all agree on, Veronica Roth is an amazing author. If she weren't, she wouldn't have elicited this strong of a response by what she chose to do. And she wrote a fantastic (and brave) response to the questions about the ending of her series HERE.
As authors, we are constantly making choices. We are trying to stay true to the story in our hearts, and the voices of our characters in our heads. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the fact that reading is so subjective is simultaneously one of the most wonderful and terrifying aspects of being an author. No author, not even J.K. Rowling, can make every reader happy with what happens within the pages of their book. (Although she's probably come the closest of any author I've read.) But she still has the one and two star reviews, and people who were mad about one thing or another in the Harry Potter series. On the whole though, most authors don't come anywhere near the kind of universal adoration that her books received. Do we all dream of that? Probably. I think we'd be lying if we said no.
The bottom line is that both Roth and Rowling accomplished something great: they elicited very strong reactions in their readers, and that means they made us care. And not just care, but care deeply.
Here's a true confession. I don't know if it's because of my internal editor, or just that I read SO MUCH, or being a writer myself, but for some reason, it has become incredibly hard to make me cry in a book. The only two fiction novels that have done it (that I can think of off the top of my head, and excluding writing my own, which can be very emotional) in the last ten years were The Deathly Hallows and Code Name Verity. Until last weekend. So, what does that mean to me? Regardless of whether I liked or didn't like the ending, Veronica Roth made me cry, and that means she did something right.
With my own book on the verge of being released (just over two months left!!), I have both excitement and trepidation for what lies ahead. I know that not everyone will understand my story the way I intended it to be understood, and not everyone will love my characters the way I love them. That's just the nature of our jobs as authors. We give our readers our best effort, we give them a piece of us, and they take and do with it what they will. Even though I know that, I also know it will still be hard to see or hear about negative reviews. Our books are such a part of us, that of course it stings if someone doesn't "get" them, or if they did but still didn't like it. (I wrote another post about that recently that you can read HERE.) But I also know that there will be those out there who will meet Alexa and Marcel, Rylan and Damian, and they will fall in love with all of them. Maybe some of you will even come to love them the way I do. And that is what sharing my book with the world is all about.
We all have books that reached out to us, past our minds, straight into our hearts and souls. The books that transported us out of our own lives to reside, at least for a time, somewhere else. Somewhere different. Somewhere unique and wonderful, with characters who felt completely real to us. We yearned with those characters, we ached with them. We triumphed with them. We fell in love right alongside them. And we warred with the need to finish and the desire to savor the experience, as we flipped page after page after page, our hearts racing.
That's what I hope for the most. I long to have someone, somewhere experience that through the pages of DEFY. But second to that, I hope that you feel something when you read it. Whether you love it or hate it, devour it or want to throw it at the wall, my job as a writer is to make you feel. Veronica Roth did that, J.K. Rowling did, Elizabeth Wein, and so many others--and all in different ways. I could compile a huge list here of authors who I admire and whose books have touched my life and inspired me, but this post is long enough.
In the end, that's what it all comes down to, isn't it? The desire to understand each other better, to feel connected, or validated, or not quite so alone, even if it's through a boy wizard, or a WWII POW, or a girl living in factions in an experimental future society. Or maybe even a young woman forced to disguise herself and use her skills at sword-fighting to carve out the best life she can, in the depths of a jungle kingdom immersed in a brutal war against magic.
So tell me, what are some of the books that have touched you the most--or made you feel the strongest reactions?
So I'm still in recovery mode over here today. I read a certain book last weekend, and without being too spoilery, it left me feeling a little shell-shocked. I'm sure you've heard (unless your head is under a rock or you have adamantly been refusing to look at anything online) that reactions to this book have been VERY strong, and not all of them have been positive.
As an author, my reaction is complicated. I think many reviews that I've seen have been knee-jerk reactions. But I've forced myself to sit on this for a bit, to think it through--to let the immediate strong emotions to simmer a bit. Whether you like the ending or not, there is one thing I think we can all agree on, Veronica Roth is an amazing author. If she weren't, she wouldn't have elicited this strong of a response by what she chose to do. And she wrote a fantastic (and brave) response to the questions about the ending of her series HERE.
As authors, we are constantly making choices. We are trying to stay true to the story in our hearts, and the voices of our characters in our heads. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the fact that reading is so subjective is simultaneously one of the most wonderful and terrifying aspects of being an author. No author, not even J.K. Rowling, can make every reader happy with what happens within the pages of their book. (Although she's probably come the closest of any author I've read.) But she still has the one and two star reviews, and people who were mad about one thing or another in the Harry Potter series. On the whole though, most authors don't come anywhere near the kind of universal adoration that her books received. Do we all dream of that? Probably. I think we'd be lying if we said no.
The bottom line is that both Roth and Rowling accomplished something great: they elicited very strong reactions in their readers, and that means they made us care. And not just care, but care deeply.
Here's a true confession. I don't know if it's because of my internal editor, or just that I read SO MUCH, or being a writer myself, but for some reason, it has become incredibly hard to make me cry in a book. The only two fiction novels that have done it (that I can think of off the top of my head, and excluding writing my own, which can be very emotional) in the last ten years were The Deathly Hallows and Code Name Verity. Until last weekend. So, what does that mean to me? Regardless of whether I liked or didn't like the ending, Veronica Roth made me cry, and that means she did something right.
With my own book on the verge of being released (just over two months left!!), I have both excitement and trepidation for what lies ahead. I know that not everyone will understand my story the way I intended it to be understood, and not everyone will love my characters the way I love them. That's just the nature of our jobs as authors. We give our readers our best effort, we give them a piece of us, and they take and do with it what they will. Even though I know that, I also know it will still be hard to see or hear about negative reviews. Our books are such a part of us, that of course it stings if someone doesn't "get" them, or if they did but still didn't like it. (I wrote another post about that recently that you can read HERE.) But I also know that there will be those out there who will meet Alexa and Marcel, Rylan and Damian, and they will fall in love with all of them. Maybe some of you will even come to love them the way I do. And that is what sharing my book with the world is all about.
We all have books that reached out to us, past our minds, straight into our hearts and souls. The books that transported us out of our own lives to reside, at least for a time, somewhere else. Somewhere different. Somewhere unique and wonderful, with characters who felt completely real to us. We yearned with those characters, we ached with them. We triumphed with them. We fell in love right alongside them. And we warred with the need to finish and the desire to savor the experience, as we flipped page after page after page, our hearts racing.
That's what I hope for the most. I long to have someone, somewhere experience that through the pages of DEFY. But second to that, I hope that you feel something when you read it. Whether you love it or hate it, devour it or want to throw it at the wall, my job as a writer is to make you feel. Veronica Roth did that, J.K. Rowling did, Elizabeth Wein, and so many others--and all in different ways. I could compile a huge list here of authors who I admire and whose books have touched my life and inspired me, but this post is long enough.
In the end, that's what it all comes down to, isn't it? The desire to understand each other better, to feel connected, or validated, or not quite so alone, even if it's through a boy wizard, or a WWII POW, or a girl living in factions in an experimental future society. Or maybe even a young woman forced to disguise herself and use her skills at sword-fighting to carve out the best life she can, in the depths of a jungle kingdom immersed in a brutal war against magic.
So tell me, what are some of the books that have touched you the most--or made you feel the strongest reactions?
October 25, 2013
And the winner is....
It was a very tight race! (Which was expected because all the covers were just WOW. So amazing!)
But there can only be one winner...
And the mock cover you all chose was....
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Cover #1 by Heather Senter!!!
Congratulations Heather!!! And thank you for creating such a gorgeous mock-cover for DEFY! I hope you enjoy the book!! Make sure to email me your address and I'll get it out to you as soon as possible.
Thanks again everyone for participating! And don't forget, if you didn't win, there is a goodreads giveaway being hosted by This Is Teen that runs until Nov. 1! CLICK HERE
And I will be hosting another giveaway next month as well, so watch for that! (And this one will be much easier to to do, for us non-artistic types.)
Happy Friday and happy reading!
But there can only be one winner...
And the mock cover you all chose was....
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Cover #1 by Heather Senter!!!
Congratulations Heather!!! And thank you for creating such a gorgeous mock-cover for DEFY! I hope you enjoy the book!! Make sure to email me your address and I'll get it out to you as soon as possible.
Thanks again everyone for participating! And don't forget, if you didn't win, there is a goodreads giveaway being hosted by This Is Teen that runs until Nov. 1! CLICK HERE
And I will be hosting another giveaway next month as well, so watch for that! (And this one will be much easier to to do, for us non-artistic types.)
Happy Friday and happy reading!
October 21, 2013
DEFY ARC Winner + a vote
Wow, thank you for the amazing response for my DEFY arc giveaway!! I still can't believe we're almost down to 2 months until my book is out there in the wild! But for two lucky people, they won't have to wait any longer to read Alexa's story...
Rafflecopter has spoken and the winner of the first DEFY ARC is....
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Entry 121: AMIE!!!!
YAY!! Congratulations!!! *throws confetti*
Check your inbox! (You have one week to respond, or I will have to pick a new winner. So hurry and write back!)
And now, for the cover contest....
You guys are just too dang talented!! I am blown away by these awesome mock-covers, and honestly, I just can't choose one by myself, because I love them all!
So, here's what's going to happen. I'm putting it to a vote. Here are your choices, numbered in no particular order. Please vote in the comments, by saying which cover (by number) you like the best. The artist with the most votes by Friday afternoon at 12:00 (noon) MST, will be the winner of the second DEFY arc!!
Are you ready for this??? Here they are!
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There you have them!! Can you see why I had such a hard time?!?! Absolutely amazing and unique--every one of them!
So now it's your turn to decide the fate of our entries. Which one will win? It's up to you! Good luck!!
Rafflecopter has spoken and the winner of the first DEFY ARC is....
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Entry 121: AMIE!!!!
YAY!! Congratulations!!! *throws confetti*
Check your inbox! (You have one week to respond, or I will have to pick a new winner. So hurry and write back!)
And now, for the cover contest....
You guys are just too dang talented!! I am blown away by these awesome mock-covers, and honestly, I just can't choose one by myself, because I love them all!
So, here's what's going to happen. I'm putting it to a vote. Here are your choices, numbered in no particular order. Please vote in the comments, by saying which cover (by number) you like the best. The artist with the most votes by Friday afternoon at 12:00 (noon) MST, will be the winner of the second DEFY arc!!
Are you ready for this??? Here they are!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
There you have them!! Can you see why I had such a hard time?!?! Absolutely amazing and unique--every one of them!
So now it's your turn to decide the fate of our entries. Which one will win? It's up to you! Good luck!!
October 7, 2013
3 months until DEFY comes out ARC GIVEAWAY!!
Well, it's hard to believe it, but we're down to 3 months until DEFY comes out as of today October 7!!
So, as promised, I'm doing my first DEFY ARC giveaway to celebrate! Last week, I gave you the chance to win DEFY swag by giving me an idea of what to do for the giveaway...but there were quite a few good options to choose from. I wish I could have picked them all, but there were too many. However, instead of just picking one, since there's three months left until the book comes out, I choose three!
Yep. 3.
Here's how it will work: I'm going to do a giveaway each month until DEFY releases, and each month I'm going to use one of the three ideas I picked.
First up is Nova Lee's idea to have you make a mock cover of DEFY! (Nova Lee, make sure and message me your address so I can send you the DEFY swag you won!)
Now, let me just say, I LOVE my cover. It's so perfect for my book. But her idea sounded like a lot of fun--to see what all of you amazingly talented artists/photoshop geniuses/etc. can come up with! (Especially since I have absolutely no artistic talent at all...sorry, but there won't be any cool doodles in any of my signed books. Unless you like stick figures.) However, those of you who are like me, and don't have artistic talent--don't give up yet! Keep reading until the end.
Anyone who does wish to try their hand at the mock cover contest, you will have two weeks to do it--the contest ends at midnight on October 20th, the winner will be announced the week of the 21st. I picked this idea first because it's going to take more effort, and I figured it would be better to do it before the holidays all start to hit and life gets insanely busy.
Here is the goodreads summary to help you decide how to design your cover:
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?
And here is the actual cover art, to show you what Scholastic came up with:
Oh, how I love this cover!! It's so perfect on so many levels.
Once your cover art is ready, please post the image on your blog, or tweet a picture of it to me (@SaraBLarson), or you can tag me on a Facebook post of the cover you create. Just make sure you link to me somehow so I can see that you did it and enter it in the contest. I will pick ONE cover, the that I love the most and think is the best fit for DEFY, to win a signed ARC of DEFY!!
Now, like I said, I know not everyone has artistic talent (especially since I'm one of them), so I've decided that in order to make it fair, I'm also going to do a regular rafflecopter giveaway for a SECOND ARC of DEFY. Yes, you will all have 2 chances to win!! Just do however many options you want below, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
I can't wait to see what you all come up with!! And remember, if you don't win either ARC of DEFY this month, don't give up--there are two more contests coming up in November and December!
*(This contest is open to US/Canada residents only, as per my publisher's instructions.)*
GOOD LUCK and happy cover-making! :-)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
So, as promised, I'm doing my first DEFY ARC giveaway to celebrate! Last week, I gave you the chance to win DEFY swag by giving me an idea of what to do for the giveaway...but there were quite a few good options to choose from. I wish I could have picked them all, but there were too many. However, instead of just picking one, since there's three months left until the book comes out, I choose three!
Yep. 3.
Here's how it will work: I'm going to do a giveaway each month until DEFY releases, and each month I'm going to use one of the three ideas I picked.
First up is Nova Lee's idea to have you make a mock cover of DEFY! (Nova Lee, make sure and message me your address so I can send you the DEFY swag you won!)
Now, let me just say, I LOVE my cover. It's so perfect for my book. But her idea sounded like a lot of fun--to see what all of you amazingly talented artists/photoshop geniuses/etc. can come up with! (Especially since I have absolutely no artistic talent at all...sorry, but there won't be any cool doodles in any of my signed books. Unless you like stick figures.) However, those of you who are like me, and don't have artistic talent--don't give up yet! Keep reading until the end.
Anyone who does wish to try their hand at the mock cover contest, you will have two weeks to do it--the contest ends at midnight on October 20th, the winner will be announced the week of the 21st. I picked this idea first because it's going to take more effort, and I figured it would be better to do it before the holidays all start to hit and life gets insanely busy.
Here is the goodreads summary to help you decide how to design your cover:
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?
And here is the actual cover art, to show you what Scholastic came up with:
Oh, how I love this cover!! It's so perfect on so many levels.
Once your cover art is ready, please post the image on your blog, or tweet a picture of it to me (@SaraBLarson), or you can tag me on a Facebook post of the cover you create. Just make sure you link to me somehow so I can see that you did it and enter it in the contest. I will pick ONE cover, the that I love the most and think is the best fit for DEFY, to win a signed ARC of DEFY!!
Now, like I said, I know not everyone has artistic talent (especially since I'm one of them), so I've decided that in order to make it fair, I'm also going to do a regular rafflecopter giveaway for a SECOND ARC of DEFY. Yes, you will all have 2 chances to win!! Just do however many options you want below, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
I can't wait to see what you all come up with!! And remember, if you don't win either ARC of DEFY this month, don't give up--there are two more contests coming up in November and December!
*(This contest is open to US/Canada residents only, as per my publisher's instructions.)*
GOOD LUCK and happy cover-making! :-)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
