Krista Van Dolzer's Blog, page 22

Book Recommendation: THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE by Julie Berry

Longtime critique partner Jeni and I have been trading book recommendations lately, and THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE was her latest suggestion. The cover perfectly captures the tone of the book, so feel free to stare at it for a while before you read on.

When the odious headmistress of St. Etheldreda's School for Young Ladies and her oily brother keel over dead after Sunday dinner, the young ladies of the aforementioned school know that, if they sound the alarm, they'll be in...

A Dream Eclipsed

A week or two ago, an amazing thing happened: I held a finished book in my hands, and it had my name on it. The first copies of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING are hot off the press, and the always gracious Shauna was kind enough to send one to me.

It was definitely a cool moment (or even a stupendous one), but in the ensuing days and weeks, that high has tapered off, and I've gone back to feeling mostly ambivalent about the upcoming release. I'm about to fulfill a lifelong dream--and after h...

"Five Ways to Bring Place and Time Alive" on the NaNoWriMo Blog

In case you missed it last week, The NaNoWriMo Blog featured my guest post on Friday as part of their "Choose Your Camp" series. I shared a few tips on beefing up your setting, so feel free to check those out.

Also, today is the last day to enter to win one of three signed ARCs of DON'T VOTE FOR ME over at Kidliterati. It looks like the odds are pretty good, so get your name into that drawing!

Interview with an Art Director: John Aardema on DON'T VOTE FOR ME's Cover

I'm so pleased to welcome John Aardema, art director at Sourcebooks, for a much-anticipated interview (or at least I've been anticipating it for the last couple of weeks). When I asked the great folks over at Kidliterati to reveal DON'T VOTE FOR ME's cover, I knew I wanted to offer some bonus content. I immediately thought of interviewing the cover designer, and Mr. Aardema was kind enough to agree. So check out the cover reveal (where I'm giving away THREE SIGNED ARCS), then pop back ov...

And the Winner Is...

Valerie Bodden!

Congratulations, Valerie! Please e-mail me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address and the person or persons you'd like the title page addressed to.

If you didn't win, you can still pre-order a copy of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING from your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookstore. And if you want it signed, you can pre-order a copy from The King's English Bookshop, and I'll sign it while I'm there!

When You Don't Look Like Your Dead People

My maternal grandparents, Jose Junius Ramos and Elsie Marie Sorenson, are two of my heroes. They met in 1950 at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was stationed as a special agent with the Counter Intelligence Corps and she worked as a secretary. They eloped a year later (to Nevada, no less--woo!).


In many ways, they were polar opposites. He was the oldest of nine children; she was an only child. He was raised in a staunch Catholic home; she was brought up in an inactive Mormon one...

The Worst

It probably won't surprise you that I was a high-strung student. School was something I was very good at, and I took it VERY seriously.

That said, my grades weren't perfect. The first term of my freshman year, the last assignment in biology was to turn in our binders. We were supposed to organize our papers, create dividers and a table of contents, and, last but not least, "decorate." I had no problem with the organizing--I'd been doing that all term--and though I thought it was silly, I added...

Want to Win an ARC of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING?

I'm thrilled to give away an ARC of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING (affectionately known as Steve). This is one of those posts you imagine yourself writing, so it doesn't quite feel real.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below. THIS CONTEST IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY--I will ship one of the ARCs currently sitting on my dresser anywhere in this wide world--and closes in three weeks, on Wednesday, March 4, at 11:59 p.m. EST. I'll announce the winner the next day, exactly two months...

Who Won RED BUTTERFLY?

Keturah Lamb, that's who!

Congratulations, Keturah! Please e-mail me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address, and I'll get your RED BUTTERFLY ordered.

In related news, though I don't generally do back-to-back giveaways on the blog, I think it's about time to get rid of an ARC of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING, so don't wander too far off...

Agent-Author Chat: Renee Nyen and Laurie Litwin

As THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING's release draws nearer, I've decided to pull back on the blog's agent-related content, but I haven't been able to give up "Agent-Author Chat," which has always been my favorite of my interview series. I love hearing what an agent loves about an author's work and how they came to work together, so it's especially fitting that this latest installment features Renee Nyen of kt literary and her newest client, Laurie Litwin, who connected through last August's r...