Books I'm reading and looking forward to reading

I have so many books right now that I want to read. I mean, I always do, but right now, it just seems like I could sit and read for twelve hours a day for two weeks straight and I still wouldn't get everything read. 

This morning I'm working on a manuscript that I'm writing for fun. That's code for - it's really different and I have no idea what I'm doing and whether or not anyone would want to publish it but I'm writing it anyway. Because to keep writing interesting, we have to have projects that keep us interested. When I get a few pages of that done, I think I'll spend the rest of the day reading.

So here are just a few of the books I'm reading and excited to read soon. It's a mix of MG and YA - some are appropriate for younger kids, others are not. 

First, I want to mention the YA novel WILDMAN by J.C. Geiger that I just finished, which had SUCH a good ending. I love books that really nail the ending (maybe because endings are always the hardest for me).

J.C. Geiger lives in Oregon and this is his debut novel. From goodreads:

"How can a total stranger understand you better than the people you’ve known your entire life?”

When Lance’s ’93 Buick breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he tells himself Don’t panic. After all, he’s valedictorian of his class. First-chair trumpet player. Scholarship winner. Nothing can stop Lance Hendricks.

But the locals don’t know that. They don’t even know his name. Stuck in a small town, Lance could be anyone: a delinquent, a traveler, a maniac. One of the townies calls him Wildman, and a new world opens up.

He’s ordering drinks at a roadhouse. Jumping a train. Talking to an intriguing older girl who is asking about his future. And what he really wants. As one day blurs into the next, Lance finds himself drifting farther from home and closer to a girl who makes him feel a way he’s never felt before—like himself."

***

I'm in the middle of reading this nonfiction book called VINCENT AND THEO: The Van Gogh Brothers and enjoying it SO much:

From goodreads: "The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers' lives. Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend, Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Meticulously researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the love of the Van Gogh brothers."

I also started THE LAST TO DIE by Kelly Garrett recently, after attending Kelly's launch party in Portland, and am excited to get back to it. It's a murder mystery, and since I was playing around with one of those myself last summer, and may come back to it at some point, I'm especially interested.

***

From goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Harper Jacobs and her bored friends make a pact to engage in a series of not-quite illegal break-ins. They steal from each other's homes, sharing their keys and alarm codes. But they don't take anything that can't be replaced by some retail therapy, so it's okay. It's thrilling. It's bad. And for Harper, it's payback for something she can't put into words-something to help her deal with her alcoholic mother, her delusional father, and to forget the lies she told that got her druggie brother arrested. It's not like Daniel wasn't rehab bound anyway.

So everything is okay-until the bold but aggravating Alex, looking to up the ante, suggests they break into the home of a classmate. It's crossing a line, but Harper no longer cares. She's proud of it. Until one of the group turns up dead, and Harper comes face-to-face with the moral dilemma that will make or break her-and, if she makes the wrong choice, will get her killed.

***

Up next, the DRAGON WITH A CHOCOLATE HEART by Stephanie Burgis.

From goodreads: "Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw.

But she's still the fiercest creature in the mountains -- and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is get herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be conquering new territory in no time...won't she?"

***

And after that, CARAVEL by Stephanie Garber.

Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

***

And finally, I don't even have this book in my house yet, but I am SO excited to read it, based on the description and the fact that I've heard people talking about how they can't stop thinking about it after they read it. I have a feeling it's going to be one of those - I wish I'd written that type of books.

Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came. 

Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction, and the escape. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore. She can’t see her future.

Henry’s future isn’t looking too promising, either. His girlfriend dumped him. The bookstore is slipping away. And his family is breaking apart.

As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.

Too many books, too little time. Story of my life.

Bookshops around the world

I'm still in Texas, writing for just another day or so, and then I'm off to the Texas Library Association conference to sign some books for some wonderful librarians - yay!! The weather has turned stormy, so I'm glad we got some nice walks in when we did.

I'm working on two new projects that I won't say much about, since I've come to learn it's best for me to keep them close to my vest, so to speak, for as long as possible. Both projects are requiring quite a bit of research, which can be overwhelming sometimes, but also pretty fun.

I thought it'd be fun to share some images of bookstores I found while doing a search recently.

London, England

Rochester, England

Westport, Ireland

Paris, France

Don't you want to visit all of them? I sure do! This is where research gets very dangerous - it's fun to learn and discover so many things. But at some point, you have to stop and get back to writing. Just like I must do now.

Books and flowers

Before I share some pretty tulip pictures, have I mentioned here that MY SECRET GUIDE TO PARIS is now out in paperback? I don't think I have so here's a picture to prove it, right alongside THE GIRL IN THE TOWER that I snapped at Powell's when I was there.

And another book-related thing to share, SEALED WITH A SECRET comes out in just one month. I got a few early copies from my editor. Phoebe! London! Sisters! A magic spell!!

"With freedom, books, flowers and the moon,

who could not be happy?" ~ Oscar Wilde

On jumping to conclusions

Why are we so quick to jump to conclusions when it comes to books, movies, TV shows, etc.? This is something that completely baffles me. And the thing that's terrible is that I am guilty of it too!

Case in point: I was not going to watch "American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ" because I thought - why would I want to watch that when I watched the real thing unfold twenty-two years ago? But then a guy I went to school with and was in a play with in middle school told us all on facebook that he was playing the part of the polygraph tester in the first episode. See? That's him with the glasses. SITTING NEXT TO CUBA GOODING JR!! Cool, huh?

So I set my DVR to record the show. And fifteen minutes into the show, I was hooked. The writing was excellent, the acting superb. I have learned so many things I hadn't known all those years ago. The real case unfolded the year after my son was born. I was busy learning to juggle full-time work and an infant. I caught the highlights of the case and that was about it. Like, I don't think I knew how horribly mean the press was to Marcia Clark.

Anyway, the series wraps up this week and I never in a million years would have guessed that this show would be the highlight of my TV watching the past couple of months. But there you go.

Batman vs. Superman released a couple of weeks ago and everyone, for months, was so quick to judge Ben Affleck in that role. I didn't see the film when it came out but my husband and two sons did and my oldest son said Ben Affleck is his new favorite batman. I mean, imagine if he'd listened to all of those people saying bad stuff months before the movie was even released? He would have missed out on a movie that he really enjoyed.

And when it comes to books, we aren't any better. We dismiss books based on titles and covers so easily. Too easily. And on the other side of the coin, books that hit a home run with a title and a cover will often score big because we love cool things. Pretty things. Strange things. Whatever. If it makes us sit up and notice, that matters - a lot.

THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER by Leslye Walton (a novel for teens) is a book that hit it out of the park with the cover and title.

Another one that just came out recently (also for teens) - WINK, POPPY, MIDNIGHT by April Genevieve Tucholke. I haven't read it yet but I want to. I'm SO curious!!

I'm thinking about all of this as it relates to THE GIRL IN THE TOWER. Because I'm worried people assume they've heard this story before. That it's another Rapunzel story and gong-shoo, how boring, we certainly don't need another one of those.

I find myself wishing we'd gone with something a little more imaginative, a little less... telling, maybe. Because while it is a story about a girl in a tower, AT FIRST, it isn't only a story about that. It's also a story about the evil queen who is really a witch. And a story about the two hummingbirds, Peace and Pax, who try to help locate Violet's father. And a story about the family of minstrels who travel the land looking for Violet and her mother because they don't know where they are.

I'm not sure most people realize how difficult it is to title a book, and on top of that, to find an image that will do all the things a good cover should do. We do our best and then we hope for the best.

So the next time you find yourself jumping to conclusions about a book based on the title and/or cover, stop for a second and realize what it is you're doing. Of course, you may be right after all - the assumptions you make may turn out to be true. But often times, they aren't. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they almost didn't read FALLING FOR YOU because of the kissy-kissy cover, but were so glad they did after all, I'd have...about thirty dollars. Ha ha. But still, the fact that I feel like I've heard that thirty times? How many people actually did dismiss it because of the cover and never read it? We'll never know...

Are there any books you can think of that you almost dismissed because of the cover and/or title, and were later glad you didn't? I'd love to hear...

Ten 2016 MG Books to be Excited About!

My favorite kind of book is the kind that makes you laugh and/or cry! While it's hard to know for sure if these books will do that, based on the description and/or the author's previous works, these are the ones I'm betting on.

Middle-Grade Novels

The Pages Between Us by Lindsey Leavitt and Robin Mellom (HarperCollins, 2/9/16) - Told in letters, posters, blog posts, homework assignments, and more, The Pages Between Us is a totally fun, totally earnest snapshot of middle grade friendship—and what it truly means to be there for someone during the ups, downs, and everything in between. Piper and Olivia have been best friends since…well, forever. But they're distressed to find that their new middle school schedules aren't giving them enough together-time. Luckily, an idea sparks when Piper finds a cute, sparkly notebook to disguise as her "French Class" homework. It's genius—now the two BFFs can stick together all the time. And document their adventures—you know, for anthropology's sake. But as the two navigate the tricky new world of sixth grade, they realize that they may need to branch out more than they originally thought. Their notebook, once a life raft, begins to feel like a big responsibility. Can they grow up, without growing apart?



All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor (HarperCollins, Tegan Books, 3/1/16) - Eleven-year-old Perry must trade a prison that feels like home for a home that feels like a prison when an ambitious district attorney has him yanked from the minimum-security correctional facility where he was raised. While learning to navigate on the outside, Perry resolves to reunite with his mother, and in the process, discovers the deepest truths about his mother’s conviction.





Far From Fair by Elana K. Arnold (HMH Books for Young Readers, 3/1/16) - Odette Zyskowski has a list: Things That Aren’t Fair. At the top of the list is her parents’ decision to take the family on the road in an ugly RV they’ve nicknamed the Coach. There’s nothing fair about leaving California and living in the cramped Coach with her par­ents and exasperating younger brother, sharing one stupid cell phone among the four of them. And there’s definitely nothing fair about what they find when they reach Grandma Sissy's house, hundreds of miles later. Most days it seems as if everything in Odette’s life is far from fair. Is there a way for her to make things right?

The Girl in the Well is Me by Karen Rivers (Algonquin, 3/16/16) - Longing to be one of the popular girls in her new town, Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into their club. Now Kammie’s trapped in the dark, counting the hours, waiting to be rescued. (The Girls have gone for help, haven’t they?)  As hours pass, Kammie’s real-life predicament mixes with memories of the best and worst moments of her life so far, including the awful reasons her family moved to this new town in the first place. And as she begins to feel hungry and thirsty and light-headed, Kammie starts to imagine she has company, including a French-speaking coyote and goats that just might be zombies.



Booked by Kwame Alexander (HMH Books for Young Readers, 4/5/16) - In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel THE CROSSOVER,  soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read.  



Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung (Arthur A. Levine Books, 4/16/16) - The next person who compares Chloe Cho with famous violinist Abigail Yang is going to HEAR it. Chloe has just about had it with people not knowing the difference between someone who's Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. She's had it with people thinking that everything she does well -- getting good grades, winning first chair in the orchestra, et CETera -- are because she's ASIAN. Of course, her own parents don't want to have anything to DO with their Korean background. Any time Chloe asks them a question they change the subject. They seem perfectly happy to be the only Asian family in town. It's only when Chloe's with her best friend, Shelly, that she doesn't feel like a total alien. Then a new teacher comes to town: Ms. Lee. She's Korean American, and for the first time Chloe has a person to talk to who seems to understand completely. For Ms. Lee's class, Chloe finally gets to explore her family history. But what she unearths is light-years away from what she expected.

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner (Bloomsbury, 7/7/16) - A magic-fish fairy tale retelling set in a modern-day ice fishing community, THE SEVENTH WISH is the story of 12-year-old Charlie Brennan, who catches a wish-granting fish, only to find that her wishes go terribly (and hilariously) wrong at first. After things finally turn around, Charlie’s family discovers her older sister is struggling with addiction, and Charlie learns some things can’t be fixed, even with wishing.

Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles (Candlewick Press, 8/1/16) - "Please stop standing on the toilet seats" is one of many requests found in the "Suggestion Box" at Noah's small, rural middle school. Here, life seems pretty simple, especially for Noah's two best friends. Their biggest problems are avoiding girls who have crushes on them and figuring out how to dance during the fast part of "Stairway to Heaven." When it comes to girls, Ryan claims to know everything, and Sam doesn’t seem to know anything. But they both agree Noah's older sister Emma is perfect. Emma has always outshone Noah, and he's mostly OK with that. It's only in art class, where Noah is somehow able to coax beautiful forms out of blocks of clay, that he feels special. But the truth is, Emma is far from perfect. The family tip-toes around the issue, afraid The Thing They Don't Talk About could happen again. When Emma starts to show signs that she’s struggling, it's clear that nothing is going to be simple anytime soon. Noah will have to reconsider what’s important, who matters, and how to make his way in a complicated world where, it seems, his art isn’t the only thing that's still a work in progress.

Two Naomis by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich & Audrey Vernick (Balzer & Bray, 9/13/16) - Two girls of the same age, with the same name, live in the same city. And their parents are dating. They must learn how to forge their own identities and a new definition of family, even as they negotiate the preservation of their own routines and cultural traditions. 

Wish by Barbara O'Connor (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 11/1/16) Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.

Any middle-grade novels you're particularly excited about this year? Would love to hear about them!

Nominate Your Favorite Children's Books of 2015 for State Awards

Kate Messner, PB and MG author, recently shared the following information on Facebook and I thought I'd share the information here as well.

"What books did you love to pieces? Have you suggested them for your state's children's choice awards? These state lists make a huge difference for authors."

Click through to find out how to nominate books in your state:

Ohio’s Buckeye Award (students)

Pacific Northwest Young Readers Medal (children, teachers, parents, & librarians)

Hawaii’s Nene Award (teachers & librarians)

Maine Student Book Award (teachers & librarians)

Florida’s Sunshine State Young Readers Medal (teachers & librarians)

California Young Readers Medal (kids, parents, teachers, and librarians)

Grand Canyon Reader Award (students, teachers, & librarians in Arizona)

Colorado Children’s Book Award (teachers send students’ nominations!)

Georgia Children’s Book Award (teachers, kids, librarians, and parents)

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (must be registered to nominate)

Kentucky Bluegrass Award (any adult, with Kentucky teachers and librarians especially encouraged)

New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award (teachers, librarians, students)

New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment Book Award (librarians and teachers)

North Carolina Children’s Book Award (kids only!)

Oregon Readers Choice Award (students, teachers, and librarians)

Texas Bluebonnet Award (students, teachers, parents, librarians)

Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (nominations from teachers and librarians; nominations from students)

Virginia Readers’ Choice (teachers, students, and librarians)

Maryland’s Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (students, teachers, parents or other interested readers)

Mississippi’s Magnolia Book Award (any adult)

Reading a book, over and over again

I get a lot of notes from kids and teens that go something like, "I love this book so much, I've read it XX times."

And I'm always like, wow. That's a LOT. I mean, to me, anything over three times is a lot. I rarely re-read books, so I'm easily impressed, I think.

For the middle grade set, they often say this about IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES.

For the Young Adult crowd, the book that gets that kind of comment the most is CHASING BROOKLYN.

I'll usually respond with a thank you note, and say how glad I am that she's enjoyed the book. And I go on to tell her I do have other books, if she might be interested?

But it's kind of a strange thing - sometimes I don't think she really is interested. Because there will never be another book like THIS book. And I realize, of course she is right. A favorite book is a special thing. They probably do read other things, but for whatever reason, they return to their favorite books again and again.

We never know what might happen with a book when we're in the middle of creating it. Some end up being semi-hits, some are misses, and very rarely, they are hits far and wide. Once we release it, we hope the book finds someone (maybe a lot of someones) who likes and appreciates it. Every time I get a note from a reader telling me a book is a favorite, that she has chosen to spend countless hours emerged in the pages, I smile. No matter what else I do in my life, I am honored to have done that.

Sometimes I think about these books and what it is about them that makes readers feel this way about them. I think it's probably not one thing, but a lot of things rolled up together. It would be great if we could find the magic formula. But each book is unique and different and you just never know... With every book we read, we begin anew, to decide where this particular book falls on the list of favorites. Or least favorites, as the case may be.

After all, what fun would it be, really, if it was all predetermined, and we didn't have to do that? It's the beauty of reading - beginning each book and letting it take you on an unknown journey. The possibilities are endless - and I love that!

The power of the pre-order

Dear readers, I am going to tell you something you may not know.

Apparently, Ewoks speak Tibetan

What a surprise, right? (Ewoks might be my favorite thing about Star Wars, just FYI).

All right, so maybe I'm going to tell you two things you may not know. Are you ready for the second thing?

Pre-ordering a book is one of the very best things you can do for an author whose work you enjoy.

What does pre-ordering mean, exactly? It means ordering the book before its official release date. I'm pretty sure the most common way people pre-order a book is to buy it through an on-line retailer, but did you know you can also pre-order a book from your favorite independent bookstore? What's great about this is that it lets a local brick-and-mortar store know there is interest in this particular book. If they weren't going to carry it before, or were undecided, a pre-order (or two or three) may help them see the error of their ways.

Some independent bookstores have an on-line ordering system, and as soon as the book is up on their site, you can pre-order it. But you can also call the bookstore and pre-order it that way. I'm pretty certain that whatever works for you will work for them! They want to sell you the books you are excited about, trust me.

So why is the pre-order important? Because it makes the publisher happy to see pre-orders. And if the publisher is happy, good things might happen for the author. For example:

Pre-orders are crucial in helping a bookstore decide whether or not to carry a book. Yes, even the chain stores, because believe it or not, some books are NEVER picked up by the chains. Trust me, this is one of the worst things that can happen to an author. With solid pre-order numbers, the sales rep has a much easier time convincing stores to carry the book.

If another book the author has written is being considered by that publisher, pre-orders might help the publisher say yes to the next project.

If this book has a strong start, the author might get more publisher support/marketing dollars for the next book.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the NYT bestseller list. If a book is getting a lot of buzz and great reviews and there's a chance it could hit the list, pre-orders are vital in this situation, because pre-orders all count toward the first week's sales.

In short, pre-ordering a book is pretty much better than ordering a dozen cupcakes from Sprinkles Bakery and having them delivered to the author's home.

Better than cupcakes, people!! You know I don't say that lightly.

Okay, okay, so you really don't want to pre-order, for whatever reason. Maybe you don't have a credit card and are saving up your hard-earned babysitting money so you can buy the book when it comes out. (Anyone who buys books with their babysitting money is TOTALLY AWESOME, by the way). The next best thing you can do is buy the book in the first week or two that it's out. And then read it, and if you like it, tell all your friends about the book, too. I say this all the time - the best thing you can do for a book you love is to tell people about it. Tweet about it, talk about it, instagram it, whatever.

It's true that any time you buy a book, you are supporting the author, bookstores, the publishing industry, etc. and that is a *VERY* good thing.

But pre-orders? Better than cupcakes.

So there you go. A little Ewok trivia AND some things you may not have known about why pre-orders matter so much.

It's a trilogy!

A few final copies were delivered to me on Saturday.

So here is the latest book, Frosting and Friendship, cuddling up to the other two, It's Raining Cupcakes and Sprinkles and Secrets.

Three is definitely not a crowd in this instance, right?

Amanda Palmer and the Art of Asking

I'm going to post the TED talk with Amanda Palmer here because, wow, it is SO good! It is worth the 14 minutes of your time to watch it, I promise!

 

I love what she has to say about trust vs risk, and how it comes down to CONNECTION. The things her fans have done for her, all over the world, in the spirit of connection, is so very wonderful. It proves that there are a lot of good people in the world.

There should be no shame in asking for what we need sometimes. I try really hard to connect with my readers. I answer every e-mail, every letter, every facebook post, as many tweets as I can, because I honestly like being connected to my readers. It reminds me that what I do matters. And yet, when it's time for me to start promoting a new book, I dread it. I dread anything that remotely says - please, buy my book!

I think she's right - there is an art to asking. And I have not quite figured that art out yet. But I honestly want to learn, so if anyone has any tips, lay 'em on me!

I find it interesting that readers have no trouble asking me to continue to write my books, however. Perhaps it is because in the same sentence they often say something flattering, like: You are so awesome, please keep writing books. It's a compliment that way, yes? So maybe I should write back: And I think you are amazing, so please buy my books. :) I don't know - it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?

The thing is, and maybe this will sound corny, but when I get a note from a reader who says I love you and your work, I DO love them back. And I love that they felt moved enough to write to me. And mostly I wish we could just do this whole book business on a model of love, because wouldn't that be so much more pleasant? Alas, if only I could buy tea and cookies and dog food and college tuition and Lucy yoga pants with love.

I'll always keep writing. Whether or not a publisher will continue to buy them is the question. In a way, Amanda and I are a lot alike. My novels-in-verse are different. Her music is different. And what's hard is that different doesn't always sell the way "mainstream" does.

But the people who do buy, they've got a lot of love in their heart! So what do I do? I write another story. It's my way of saying, I love you too. And I hope and pray it's good enough to make an editor take a chance on it.

I'm happy for Amanda Palmer and all of her success. She seems like a lovely person. Plus, hello, she's married to Neil Gaiman, who is another very lovely person! (I saw him give his Newbery speech live at ALA a couple of years ago and he is so charming yet very down-to-earth too.)

Peace and love,
Lisa

AMAZING, FANTASTIC, SWEET ARC CONTEST

I have ARCs to give away!

ARCs are Advanced Review Copies of books that are coming out in the next few months but are not on the shelves yet.

Look what you could win!! (All descriptions are from worldcat.org).

The Program, by Suzanne Young

"When suicide becomes a worldwide epidemic, the only known cure is The Program, a treatment in which painful memories are erased, a fate worse than death to seventeen-year-old Sloane who knows that The Program will steal memories of her dead brother and boyfriend."

***

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

"When sixteen-year-old Mallory learns that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with his cyber "wife," she rebels against technology by following her grandmother's list of goals from 1962, with help from her younger sister, Ginnie."

***

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

"Ten years after surviving the tornado that killed his parents, Vane Weston, now seventeen, has no memory of that fateful day but dreams of a beautiful girl who, he now learns, is not only real, she is his guardian sylph, who harnesses the power of the wind."

***

Poison by Bridget Zinn

"When sixteen-year-old Kyra, a potions master, tries to save her kingdom by murdering the princess, who is also her best friend, the poisoned dart misses its mark and Kyra becomes a fugitive, pursued by the King's army and her ex-boyfriend Hal."

***

Sorry, U.S. residents only. I've decided to use rafflecopter to make it easier for people to enter, so one person will win all four ARCs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE DAY BEFORE is out in paperback!!

I tried to think of what I could do today to announce the paperback release of THE DAY BEFORE, besides telling you that it's summertime and this is the PERFECT SUMMER READ!!

That would be a very short blog post, however. So, here's what I've decided to do. There have been so many amazing reviews of this book over the past year, and I have collected a few of my favorite lines from some of them, (along with a link to the full review, of course) and hope that maybe if you've been on the fence about picking up this book, some of these lines might change your mind. I'm also going to write a reply to each of the lines I've chosen, to make it a bit more... fun! Okay, here we go:

"I'm always surprised by how Schroeder continues to dazzle me with heartfelt story after story." ~Tina at Fantastic Book Review (Read the full review HERE)

My response: Man, how much do I love the word dazzle? It is like one of my FAVORITE words. Say it three times fast: dazzle, dazzle, dazzle. Isn't it just so fun? Doesn't it make you want to get up and dance? No? Okay, well, personally, I love it. Thanks, Tina, for using that word in your review. 

"From an emotional perspective, I fell in love with Cade and Amber at the beach. I felt electrified along with the jellyfish, I mourned the loss of the damp sand, I wished for the smell of the ocean and the wind on my face and I cried when Cade wrapped himself up in the feel of the sea and distanced himself from Amber's worry." ~The Book Memoirs (Read the full review HERE)

My response: There is nothing more an author wants than for a reader to fall in love with the characters she writes about. The fact that the setting affected you so much is an added bonus. I want you to know, Amber and Cade love you too. Really! I talked to them yesterday, and they said to pass that along to you.

"I refuse to give any spoilers away to this story, because part of the magic of this book is the discovery of what tomorrow will bring for both characters. But I will say that what Amber faces is worth the stress she's feeling and it is something that has refused to leave my mind in the two months since I read this book." ~Ashley, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing (Read the full review HERE)

My response: Ashley, you have been such a huge supporter of this book, I can't even tell you how huge. I'm pretty sure half the copies I've sold up to this point have been because of you. I've said it before, but please know how much I appreciate you sharing the love you have for this book with others.

"I absolutely loved this book. It's such a compelling and beautiful story, and it ended up being completely different than what I was expecting. This is not a book about a great love story, or even a tragic one. It is about two people that find something unexpected in each other and give each other the courage to face whatever happens tomorrow." ~Rachel's Reading Timbits (Read the full review HERE) 

My response: Rachel, I really like how you nail what's at the heart and soul of this novel. I also think it's kind of amazing that you have a day job where you buy books for a Canadian wholesaler, because that means you read a LOT of books. I'm honored you used the precious "L" word in your blog post about my book.

"What does make me run for the hills, pull the covers over my head, and scream one of those high pitched 'girlie' screams though? Books written in verse. They terrify me! But all that was before I met Lisa Schroeder. I highly recommend this wonder of a story of how one day and one meeting can change everything." ~Laura at GalleySmith (Read the full review HERE)

My response: I wish verse novels didn't scare people, but they do. If you are someone, reading this post right now who has been scared to try one, well, here is living, breathing proof that you can read a verse novel and live to tell about it! Who knew, right? I'm glad I could help ease your fears, Laura!


And if you need one more reason to pick up the paperback of THE DAY BEFORE, then I have it! At the back of the book you'll find the FIRST TEN PAGES of my next YA novel, FALLING FOR YOU, to be released January, 2013.

You can order the book from any of these retailers:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell's
BooksAMillion
The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide)
Find an independent bookstore near you

I wish you all a happy summer full of good books and great memories!

Book Recommendation - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Have you read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE?

When it comes to YA, I'm partial to contemporary. I read other things, and often enjoy them, but I still find myself most excited about a new book by my favorite contemporary authors - John Green, Sara Zarr, Sarah Ockler, Lindsey Leavitt, to name a few.

But Laini Taylor's latest, a YA fantasy, I had been excited about reading for at least a good year. First of all, I know the girl has a magical way with words, as is evidenced by her DREAMDARK books as well as LIPS TOUCH. Second of all, there were so many cool things that piqued my interest as I read about the various parties held to celebrate the book, both here and in the UK. Wish bones? Teeth? Blue hair? Marionettes? I could go on and on! Finally, the early reviews raved about it. I mean, RAVED.

And so, a few weeks ago, I finally got to read it. I really have no words for how much I loved this book. The writing is gorgeous, and the story original and fascinating. The worlds she created blew me away. And the mysteries she weaved into the story kept me guessing, and when things were revealed toward the end, it all made perfect sense and yet, I hadn't seen any of it coming.

It's made PW's and Amazon's Best Books of 2011 lists and I'm sure we'll see it on many more lists to come. And rightly so.

I'm not one who gets into trilogies, most of the time. I read the first book, a year goes by, I can't remember much of what happened in the first book to care enough to read the second book. I can't tell you how many books I've read that were the first in a trilogy and then I never read beyond that first book. The exception to this would be THE HUNGER GAMES.

But this trilogy, I'm in it for the long haul. I cannot wait for the second book. Like, I'm DYING to read the next one.

I think Laini Taylor is one of the greatest writers of our time. Yes, I'm lucky to call Laini a friend, but just go and read all of the 5-star reviews on Amazon, and you'll see that many, MANY people feel the way I do. She is one very talented lady!

Don't miss this book. Seriously.