Eric Lindstrom's Blog, page 3
December 28, 2016
Writer’s Digest Blog Post
I recently wrote a piece for Writer’s Digest called “Collaborating With Your Subconscious” about a subtle element in the writing process.
Thanks to Chuck Sambuchino, the Guide to Literary Agents editor, for inviting me and hosting.
It’s live today — check it out HERE.
The post Writer’s Digest Blog Post appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
December 2, 2016
Now in German, Wie ich dich sehe!
The German translation of Not If I See You First is called, How I See You.
Find it online at the Carlsen website: HERE.
The post Now in German, Wie ich dich sehe! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
November 1, 2016
“Not If I See You First” is out in Paperback – to celebrate, I’m Curating the November NOVLbox!
It’s a care package offered by TheNOVL. What’s inside? It’s a mystery! Not to me, because I got to pick out everything in it…I might have even made something myself to include. I promise it’s LOTS OF COOL STUFF for ten lucky readers to win at the end of November!
How do I get one?
To find out more and enter for a chance to win, go HERE!
Where can I find Not If I See You First?
If you’ve been waiting, the wait is over! Not If I See You First is now available in paperback in the US!
Check out your local bookstore, or find it online!
Here’s what readers are saying…
Editorial
“An unflinching exploration of trust, friendship, and grief.”
― Kirkus Reviews (starred review) and a Kirkus Best Teen Books of 2015 Selection (Full Review)
“This unique coming-of-age tale is off and running from the start.”
―Booklist
“Lindstrom’s realistic and humorous dialog breathes life into an eclectic cast of characters. Readers will laugh through tears, with the novel ending on a note of hope and maturity.”
―School Library Connection
“This is a nuanced, compassionate portrait of what it’s like to live with a disability and of a girl who’s much more than her limitations.”
―Horn Book Magazine Reviews
“Parker has just the right degree of acerbic wit to be likable even when she’s bitchy, and when she falls apart, her insight into her own character is heartbreaking.”
―BCCB
“Lindstrom adds a note of complexity to his gripping depiction of how Parker learns to trust and forgive.”
―Publishers Weekly (Full Review)
Authors
“Not If I See You First is thoughtful and honest, with characters that made me laugh, cry, and surprised me at every turn. It’s a book I’ll recommend for years to come.”
―Kody Keplinger, New York Times bestselling author of The DUFF and co-founder of Disability in KidLit (Full Review)
“This book is fierce, funny, and honest. And get ready for some of the most likable characters you’ve read in years.”
―Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist
“Bursting with complex, lovable, and, best of all, real characters, Not If I See You First is a beautiful story about love, loss, friendship, and the difference between looking at and truly seeing.”
―Jennifer Brown, author of Hate List
“Parker Grant is unforgettable: vivid, feisty, and absolutely loveable. This book broke my heart, but left me smiling.”
―Fiona Wood, author of Wildlife and Six Impossible Things
A Few Bloggers
“THIS IS MY BEST BOOK OF 2015! Mind-blowing. Beautiful. Superbly written.” — The Book’s Buzz (Full Review)
“Even though some of the specifics were different between me growing up (and maybe even now) and Parker Grant, it was like Mr. Lindstrom held up a mirror in front of my face, with the reflection screaming at me ‘THIS IS YOU!’” — Life Unscripted (Full Review)
“I absolutely loved this book. I cried, I laughed, I was enlightened by this book. I totally loved the lead character, she was brash, funny, witty, ballsy and oh so real. This is going on my top favorites of 2015 list.” — Bewitching Bibliophile (Full Review)
“Overall Not If I See You First was an emotionally charged debut that will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions and soon enough you won’t want it to end. I highly recommend this to literally everyone, go read it!” — Literary-ly Obsessed (Full Review)
Voted by Hamilton Public Library Teen readers Hamilton’s Top Novel 2016
Goodreads
The post “Not If I See You First” is out in Paperback – to celebrate, I’m Curating the November NOVLbox! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
October 4, 2016
Fall 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt!
Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt!
This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes in a scavenger hunt!
You not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one book from every author on my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online till Sunday!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I’m on the RED TEAM but there are also teams of many other colors. Enter them all to win different sets of books!
If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
HOW TO PLAY
Directions: Somewhere below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the RED TEAM, and then add them up.
Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.
Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, October 9th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
HOSTED AUTHOR!
Today, I am hosting Amy Christine Parker on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Amy is the author of the critically acclaimed GATED, ASTRAY, and most recently, SMASH AND GRAB. While she spends much of her time dreaming up new stories, she also likes to travel, go to the movies, and read scary stories late into the night—preferably under the covers with a flashlight. She writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and three very mischievous cats.
For the YA Scavenger Hunt, Amy is showcasing her latest novel, SMASH AND GRAB.
Ocean’s Eleven meets the star-crossed lovers of West Side Story. Grab some popcorn and get ready for an adrenaline-filled heist!
LEXI is a rich girl who loves a good rush. Whether it’s motorcycle racing or BASE jumping off a building in downtown Los Angeles, the only times she feels alive are when she and her friends are executing one of their dares. After her father’s arrest, Lexi doesn’t think twice about going undercover at his bank to steal the evidence that might clear his name. She enlists her hacker brother and her daredevil friends to plan a clever heist.
CHRISTIAN is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The local gang has blackmailed him and his friends into robbing banks, and he is desperate for a way out. When the boss promises that one really big job will be the last he ever has to do, Christian jumps at the chance for freedom. In fact, he’s just met a girl at the bank who might even prove useful. . . .
Two heists. One score. The only thing standing in their way is each other.
Told in alternating points of view, this caper is full of romance and fast-paced fun. Hand to fans of Perfect Chemistry, The Conspiracy of Us, and Heist Society.
Learn more about Amy and her books at www.amychristineparker.com or buy her books HERE.
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
I’ll let Amy describe her YA Scavenger Hunt Special Content…
“Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out my bonus content. Below is an excerpt from my latest novel, SMASH & GRAB. It is the first page or so of what I thought would be Chapter One. The main character, Lexi, is preparing to race her ex-boyfriend in an abandoned spillway directly inspired by the motorcycle chase scene in Terminator 2. It didn’t feel exactly right and in the end I decided to have her base jumping off of the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles, but it does give a good glimpse at what I was thinking about some of the characters. Hope you like it!”
SMASH & GRAB: First stab at the first chapter.
Keep out. Trespassers will be prosecuted.
The sign is directly in my face, right at eye level when I pull the metal cutters out of my backpack. I read it out loud and behind me Whitney snickers as she leans into my back, urging me forward. She’s covered in goose bumps and shivering because she is still wearing the sparkly silver cocktail dress she had on at dinner earlier at Mr. Chows. Then it made perfect sense. You have to make a statement at places like Mr. Chows, get people to notice you, but here and now, in the spillway we’re trying to do the exact opposite. We need to be at least a little stealthy. Good thing it’s too dark for anyone up on the overpass to really see her from this distance.
“Are you going in or what, slowpoke?” She huffs and then I hear the soft clicking sound her camera makes as she snaps a selfie in front of the gate and the sign.
“Are you mental? You put that up and there will be evidence that we were here.” I give her a pointed look as I work the metal cutters into place. I’m planning to snip the fence itself and not the oversized padlock. The metal there is less thick and easier to manage.
“Smile, princess,” Whitney says and her phone clicks again.
“You’re deleting those,” I say knowing full well that she’ll post the pic within the next three seconds and in four it’ll be reposted by nearly half the kids at school. I should be worried, but I’m not. This isn’t the first time we’ve done something mildly illegal. So far we’ve never been caught. In reality I’m not sure how many man hours the LAPD might actually put into a trespassing case, but my guess is not many.
Snip! Snip! Snip! Snip!
The lock and an uneven square of fencing drop to the dirt with a satisfying thud that is quickly swallowed up by a low set of cheers from the people lined up behind Whitney and me. The gate complains loudly as I push it open. We slip through as soon as the gap between it and the fence is wide enough for us to fit. My nerves are all on high alert, every sense heightened. I am awake the way you are when you know you’re doing something wrong. Which is to say no part of me is not here. In this moment. Aware. Something that never happens in the middle of say, chemistry class or at dinner with my parents or in any other moment of my life. Some part of me is always wandering then, stuck inside my own head, thinking about everything and nothing with my skin practically crawling over my bones with the need to not be still.
We walk down the dirt road that leads into the spillway. It’s dark with only the weak light of a dozen or so streetlights lined up on either of the streets above illuminating it. It smells a little rotting trash mixed with creek water the further down we go.
“You’re sure that they won’t fill it back up until morning?” I ask Elena.
“Of course I’m sure. Dad talked to the director who had it emptied. It’s supposed to stay this way until tomorrow afternoon in case they need to reshoot anything.”
Elena and Whitney’s dad directs himself and seems to know every single movie that’s shooting around town at any given time. Normally this isn’t something either of them keeps track of—unless there’s an unusually hot actor involved— and even then they’d rather run into him at a dozen different LA hot spots instead of lined up alongside a shoot with the rest of the groupies, but for what we’ve got planned, this is vital information. We wouldn’t want a wall of water rushing through here while we’re racing motorcycles down the spillway. I might be into fun and risky, but death defying not so much.
Elena catches up to Whitney and me and flanks my other side so I’m sandwiched between the both. Unlike Whitney, she isn’t dressed like we’re going out dancing later. She’s got on a black leather jacket and combat boots, both so new that they make creaking noises when she moves. She even sprung for a knit skull cap which she’s pulled over her meticulously relaxed and flat-ironed black hair at an angle that looks both tough and flirty. I almost laugh out loud. She looks like a character out of The Fast and Furious or something—street tough and edgy, or at least as edgy as a trust fund baby can look.
“Who are you supposed to be? Michelle Rodriquez? Cause even dressed like that it’s a stretch.” I say, bumping my arm playfully against hers. I get a strong whiff of warm leather mixed with some kind of floral perfume that tickles my nose and makes me want to cough.
“More like a female Vin Diesel,” she says and Whitney rolls her eyes. Her lips settle into a half amused smile—mirroring Elena’s expression. Even dressed as differently as they are, it’s hard to tell them apart. If they switched clothes and claimed to be one another, I would still be fooled for a few minutes despite our ten years of friendship. They have the same high cheekbones and silky smooth skin that—between their liberally applied body glitter and the street lights—looks almost coppery tonight.
I walk a little ahead, leading the way down to where the race will start. I shove the metal cutters back into my backpack and throw it over one shoulder. The spillway is dark at first, but my eyes adjust quickly and as we get closer I can see the remnants of the movie set that was here earlier today. There’s an overturned metal shopping cart at the bottom of the dirt road we’re on now and two rusted out trash barrels set out, the lingering smell of wood smoke still wafting off of them every time the breeze kicks up. I breathe in and try to savor it. I love that smell. It reminds me of fall and burning leaves—which is completely out of place for this time of year, this close to summer.
I trot out onto the flat expanse of cement that makes up this section of the spillway. To my left and right are overpasses, bridges that have center dividers supporting them that separate the spillway’s path into two, perfect for creating lanes for each racer. In less than ten minutes I will be riding across this cement, pushing Quinn’s motorcycle to its max speed and Noah will be so far back I won’t be able to separate his bike from the shadows. I will win and he will lose and then finally, finally maybe I will be able to see him and not feel weak and sick to my stomach.
To enter the contest for a chance to win books by me, Amy Christine Parker, and lots more, you need to know that my favorite number is 28! Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Clara Kensie, at her blog HERE.
Tweet #YASH
Leave a comment below before you go!
The post Fall 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
October 3, 2016
Now in Dutch, Wat Jij Niet Ziet!
The Dutch translation of Not If I See You First, has the intriguing title, What You Don’t See.
Find it online at the Gottmer website: HERE.
The post Now in Dutch, Wat Jij Niet Ziet! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
September 29, 2016
Now in Hebrew, להתראות מחר !
The Hebrew translation of Not If I See You First, in paperback, has the evocative title, See You Tomorrow.
Find it online at the Yediot Aharonot Books website: HERE.
The post Now in Hebrew, להתראות מחר ! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
August 18, 2016
The Assumptions We (Don’t Actually) Share
I won’t truck out a formal definition of “normal” because we all know what it means, right?
“I need some paper.”
“What kind?”
“Just plain paper. The regular kind.”
“Okay, here you go.”
“No, I mean normal paper. No lines or holes on the side. It’s for my printer.”
“Oh, that kind of ‘normal’ paper. Here’s some printer paper.”
“Thank you.”
This customer got frustrated. If he’d wanted paper with holes and lines, he’d have asked for binder paper. If he’d wanted grid squares on it, he’d have asked for graph paper. But he didn’t want any of those variations. He just wanted normal paper.
The clerk also got frustrated. The customer assumed that of the many different types of paper available, one kind was default and didn’t need a label. He also thought everyone else had the exact same assumptions. But the clerk had to ask “What kind?” because to her, normal paper doesn’t mean printer paper any more than normal ice cream means vanilla.
The customer might claim that printer paper is normal because it’s the most common. First off, the clerk sees kindergarten teachers buying construction paper, and artists buying big sketchbooks, so there’s no agreement on what’s most common. Secondly, normal doesn’t mean the most prevalent instance anyway. If it did, we would all think that “a normal person” means someone living in China.
But there are uses for normal that aren’t controversial, right?
“A bunch of carrots, please.”
“Here you go.”
“Wait, some of these are…I don’t know. I want carrots.”
“These are all carrots.”
“Some of them are yellow. This one’s purple.”
“You want only orange carrots? Okay, take these.”
“Not this one; it’s crooked and forked. I just want normal carrots, okay?”
Like before, this customer uses normal to mean most common, but this is only the case in his personal experience, not everyone’s. And unlike before, he’s also using the word normal to mean ideal. In his opinion, straight orange carrots are preferred, and what carrots ought to be. Anything else isn’t normal. He’s within his rights to want only straight orange carrots, but by assuming them to be normal and the only acceptable kind, he’s framing his assumptions as objective truth and dictating these terms to others.
Are there any assumptions about what’s normal that we do agree on? For example, the human genome includes eyes, and most people can see, so isn’t it okay to say that seeing is normal?
Even this is slippery. A significant number of people can see more acutely than 20/20. So why is 20/20 called “normal” vision? Since it’s not the strongest occurring acuity, is it because most people have 20/20 vision? Even if this were true, it still doesn’t constitute normal. If it did, then everyone would agree that normal people with normal vision means “people in China who don’t need glasses.”
Okay, but people whose legs are paralyzed, clearly their legs don’t work as designed. That’s not normal, right? Except there’s a different word for that: disabled. Imagine a world where an infection paralyzed the legs of everyone on the planet. Then we would say everyone was disabled; because they have legs which don’t function as intended. But it wouldn’t make sense to say no one in the world was normal. While the concept of normal can’t be reduced to refer to the majority of cases, it’s also meaningless if it applies to rare cases only.
Is normal a useful concept at all? Can it be employed without judging or marginalizing inappropriately? It can work if the reference is explicit. If my brother puts ketchup on his salad, I can say that’s not something I normally see. But if he keeps it up, that will change. Alternatively, my body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit when I’m not ill, but my mother’s was typically 99.1 degrees. So when my temperature went up to 99.1, we could say that wasn’t normal for me, but we couldn’t say the same for her.
More problematic is how normal has connotations of being good or desirable. If something is typical, it’s something generally encountered, and if it’s atypical, it’s rare. Neither one is positioned as good or bad. But abnormal implies undesirable or lesser. If I tell people my vision is abnormal, they ask what’s wrong with it, and when I tell them it’s more acute than 20/20, they usually say, “That’s not abnormal…it’s better than normal!”
So the concept of normal can be useful if everyone agrees on the criteria, but these can’t be assumed, and it’s uncommon for everyone to share the same assumptions. Arguments about too much political correctness try to frame the issue as being about people having thin skin, being too easily offended, or not respecting all views; but complaints about political correctness often come from people who just don’t like hearing that others don’t share their assumptions, or that their assumptions are harmful.
Yet it’s important to acknowledge that while necessary, questioning assumptions is hard. It takes thought, effort, and we need to help each other by providing context and encouragement, not just bashing offenders. To be constructive, but also because of how difficult it can be to identify what assumptions we’ve made, and all the ways they affect others.
For instance, in the above example of buying paper, there was another assumption which didn’t come up because both people assumed the same thing. If they hadn’t, the exchange would have had even more conflict. What was this unspoken assumption?
That printer paper, the normal kind anyway, is white.
The post The Assumptions We (Don’t Actually) Share appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
June 2, 2016
Now in French, Dis-Moi Si Tu Souris!
The French translation of Not If I See You First, in paperback, has the marvelous title, Tell Me If You Smile.
Find it online at the Éditions Nathan website: HERE.
Also check out the trailer: HERE.
The post Now in French, Dis-Moi Si Tu Souris! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
May 5, 2016
Paperback Edition in the UK!
The UK paperback of Not If I See You First is out today!
Find it online at the HarperCollinsUK website: HERE.
Coming to Australia and New Zealand in August, and the US in November!
The post Paperback Edition in the UK! appeared first on Eric Lindstrom Books.
April 26, 2016
An Unexpected Joy of Writing Novels
Writing novels and seeing them published has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. When I imagined successfully achieving it, I pictured finding my book on store shelves, seeing people online speaking well of my stories and characters, and selling enough of them to keep doing it.
Never did I imagine anything like this:
A fan from a middle school enjoyed my book and made her own cover for an art assignment. She decorated it with a model of the scarf Parker wears on her first day of junior year, and on the back cover she wrote a condensed version of Parker’s Rules. She also included braille on the cover, but instead of duplicating the braille on the published cover (which some readers have figured out doesn’t say the title), she wrote “Not if I See You First” in correct grade two braille.
I’ve been delighted to see various fan-created photos online for my book. And of course there’s a whole world of fan fiction and cosplay out there for the most successful books, but the furthest my imagination had gone was to hope people would enjoy my stories and want more. When I found these photos in my email, it was wonderful and completely unexpected.
Thank you so much for this, she-who-will-not-be-named! I’m very happy you liked Parker’s story, and I’m so grateful you shared your art project with me. 
