I get to edit another book!!

I love reading a book that completely rocks me. A book that makes me wonder if I have stable footing or if Im even standing on firm ground. A book that makes me have ALL THE FEELS & leaves me in the wake of this just remarkable state of post-reading bliss.

A month ago, I found a book while trolling the forums as a ninja agent on WriteOnCon that just blew me away! The query needed some work, which I tried to fix some, but the story stuck with me for days. So, I requested. It was a great decision because that book is remarkable!! In fact, it's very rare that I get emotional in books (I can count the times!) and this one left me in a heap on the stairs, unable to form full sentences for at least twenty minutes. (You can ask Patricia!.) It's a contemporary book--one of the inaugural titles for Spencer Hill Contemporary which launches next year.

Here's the blurb from PM:

Sarah Guillory's RECLAIMED, in which a girl determined to flee her small town finds a reason to stay when she falls in love with twin brothers, one who can't remember his past and the other who doesn't want him to remember, told in three alternating points of view, to Danielle Ellison & Patricia Riley at Spencer Hill Contemp, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2013, by Rebecca Mancini at RightsMix (World).

It actually releases October 2013--the same time as most of my other projects! I am very happy to add RECLAIMED to my list. I can't wait to work with Sarah & share this amazing story with all of you!

Make sure you go congratulate Sarah on twitter: @SGuillory262 & check out her post!

Where I've Been Hiding

*peeks around corner* Well, hello there!!

I’ve abandoned blogging at my own blog. It’s really sad, and I promise it’s unintentional. Life has been crazy. So much so that after a lot of consideration, I’ve decided NOT to host the YA Spooktacular this year. I was planning on it. I spent some time figuring out what I would want to do, and then I got wind of MANY other Halloween events. I think there's enough going on this year that you don’t need the YA Spooktacular. In fact, I sincerely hope there's another blogger out there who wants to take what I've done for the past two years and run with it! I'd love to help out—but I can't plan it. (I can barely blog!!) If anyone wants to, email or tweet me. Because I'd love to pass it on! 

Anyway, what have I been doing?

Well, so many things. 

I live in the DC-area now! That's a fun change. Working, enjoying people, trying to figure it out beyond that because I still have no idea. (Nothing new there!)

Most of my life has consisted of every and all things Spencer Hill Press. I'm editing three books (maybe four by the time you read this—more on that later!) I'm the Intern Wrangler, which means that I'm "in charge" of a whole (or most of) an Intern Fleet of editors and readers and Copy Editors and…it's a lot. But it's exciting and going to be so much fun to get everyone plugged in.) I've also been working with Patricia and Kate to re-structure some things. Basically, it's been A LOT. While I didn't have a job after my move, I spent the whole summer working on SHP stuff and it always seemed like there was more to do. So that.

I've been writing. A very good amount of writing. 

I finished a whole MS, which is in it's second round of edits and about to go out into the query-world. I don't feel like that's right. I feel like I *just* did that, which I guess I did. It's sorta weird. The last MS was a book that I poured my soul into, and the current one is too, but in very different ways. (Funny how books can do that!) Where the last was all dark and beautiful brokenness., the new is all snark and magic. I love it. 

I'm also writing a new WIP that’s a dual POV Contemp. I love it in other ways that don't even touch the previous ones. This one I just LOVE my MCs and it's only because of them I can tell this story. Contemp is different. It's not about building the world, because it's already built, it's about building the characters in the world. Their struggles can be simple, but if it means life or death to them then it means life or death to the reader—but only if you build the character. It's an interesting balance. 

Once I finish that—which I'm hoping will happen through/by/in November (fool's wish, I know!)--then I'm going back to that dark/beautiful broken one to do a few revisions. There are some improvements I want to make for the pure reason that someone pointed them out & they were smart suggestions, and I love that story.

That's where I've been hiding. 

How are all of you?? Update me!

*note: less than one hour after posting this, I decided that I will do the revisions before I work on the current WIP. Just b/c I already know it and that's a smarter decision. Hopefully*

MIRAGE book tour: On Writing a Series by Kristi Cook (guest post)

Today, I get to be part of the tour for MIRAGE by Kristi Cook which is hosted by Books Complete Me. Not only am I excited because I love Kristi--I'm also excited because MIRAGE was a really enjoyable read where the characters are stretched further and developed more and I love spending time with them. On the tour today, Kristi has a guest post for us about what it's like writing a series. So without further adeiu, here's Kristi!

Now that MIRAGE, the second book in the Winterhaven Series, has hit the shelves, it’s time for me to focus on finishing the third and last book in the series (alas, still untitled). And let me tell you….there are so many emotions involved in writing the final book in a series!

Let’s see: I’m excited to share the last piece of Violet’s story with readers, and to finally answer the question, “Will Aidan find his cure in time?” I’m nervous about wrapping up all the loose ends I’ve left open, and about giving readers who’ve stuck with me a satisfying ending. I’m sad about the prospect of saying goodbye to the cast of characters I’ve come to love, and even sadder about the prospect of writing a certain scene, that’s…well, going to break my heart to write.

Writing this book is hard. Really hard. I mean, I knew it would be, but I didn’t quite expect all these conflicting emotions hitting me at once. To paraphrase Violet in HAVEN (book #1), “You’ve got all that going on in your head at one time?” And the answer is yes. Yes, I do.

And the Winterhaven Series is just a three book series. I can only imagine what must have been going through J.K. Rowling’s head as she wrote the seventh Harry Potter book! As a reader, I could barely come to terms with the idea of saying goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. What must it have been like for Rowling?! (no, really—I don’t want to know!)

So, I can say with 100% certainty that the Winterhaven Series is just a trilogy. The third book will be the last. Oh, I understand how easy it is to get seduced by the idea of writing a much longer series, one that stretches on for years and years. After all, in some ways (not every way, mind you—trust me on this!), it’s easier. The world is already built, the characters fleshed out. It’s easy to slip back into Violet’s head—into her voice—and continue her story. Diving back into the Winterhaven world, for me, is like slipping into my favorite pair of pajamas, all comfy and warm and familiar. Ahhhh……

But I know that the more time I spend with Violet, Aidan, and their friends, the harder it will be to let them go. I know I need to make a clean break. Move on. Let some new characters take up residence in my head.

But hey, I’m not there yet. It’s not time. I’ve still got chapters to write, people to kill, loose ends to tie
up! Seriously, folks, I’m loving every second I’m spending in the Winterhaven world, and I hope you are, too!

I know I am! Thanks so much Kristi for letting be part of the celebration for MIRAGE.  To check out the other stops on the tour, just go here. 

Find Kristi and The Winterhaven Series online: Amazon / Barnes & Noble /Goodreads / Author Website / Twitter 

We're also having a giveaway! You can win: 1 signed ARC of MIRAGE, 1 signed finished copy of MIRAGE, and 1 signed poster of MIRAGE.  All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter info below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Today I get to be part of the book tour for ALL THESE LIVES by Sarah Wylie, which is hosted by Books Complete Me. Here's a little about the book, which drops on June 5th.

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky.  She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal.  And Jena is wasting away.  


To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives.  Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one.  Someone like Jena.  But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization.  Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all.  Maybe she really only ever had one.

Since Dani believes she has nine lives, each blog on the tour will talk about one of nine things that you will love about this book. I'm very pleased to feature number three of the Nine Things You'll Love about All These Lives....and number three is Jack Penner.

In the book, Dani has a friend named Jack Penner. Even his name is pretty hot right? hehe. Here are nine things you'll love about Jack. (Because everyone loves a hot boy.)

1. Jack Penner is surprising. Contrary to how "quarterback" his name sounds, he does not play football. He is not popular. He is not anything except himself.  I like that. 
2. Jack says great lines like "A bag of chips? Really? Of all the things to come between us..." which make me chuckle to myself. And fangirl a little.
3. Jack's mom irons his jeans, which are just a little too short for him. 
4. Jack is miserable at video games. BUT you would totally want to be lost in the woods with him, because he doesn't need matches to start a fire. hehehe
5. He knows Spanish (at least, when he's not writing notes to Dani in the margin of his notebook!) And he's a great partner to have for a math project when you just don't feel like doing it. 
6. He wears Star Wars socks. Which, I completely LOVE about him. This is when he stole my heart. 
7. He thinks flirting is when Dani calls him "hot stuff" and "sweet thang" and Dani does it to make him uncomfortable. It's adorable too. 
8. He saves girls who make bad decisions so they don't make worse ones.
9. He likes libraries. :) *winkwink*

There's more to love about Jack Penner and All These Lives!! Check out some of the other things to love about this book by going to these blogs!

5/21 – Books Complete Me

5/22 – A Good Addiction

5/23 – Reading Lark

5/24 – Frenzy of Noise (You are here now!)

5/25 – I Am a Reader Not a Writer

5/28 – The Story Siren

5/29 – Once Upon a Twilight

5/30 – Books With Bite

5/31 – Supernatural Snark

6/1 – Portrait of a Book

And there's an awesome giveaway where you can win a signed copy of ALL THESE LIVES, 3 bookmarks for ATL and your choice of ANY 3 Apocalypsies books! That's awesome. All you need to do to enter is fill out the info over on SARAH'S BLOG. Giveaway ends at 11:00 pm EST on June 8, 2012. Good luck.

Go discover what to love about All These Lives. And don't miss adorable Jack Penner!

The Ash-Born Boy

As a lover of all things  The Near Witch  (and Victoria Schwab) today is an exciting day. Have  you wondered about Cole? Cole, the mysterious boy with a dark eyes and a burnt cloak. Cole, who has a different name and a past that we never learn. Cole, who's beautiful and angst-ridden and intriguing? The stranger in a town with no strangers...

Well await no longer. The Ash-born Boy is available today---and the paperback copy of The Near Witch is as well. (Note: You should buy that because there is a bonus chapter for The Archived in the back! eek!)

Before he came to Near... 
Before he met Lexi... 
Before they faced the witch... 
Who was the boy named Cole? 


Follow us to Dale, a city on a hill, where in a matter of days fire will devour everything. Meet the Lord and Lady, and their son, the boy destined to inherit all...until everything turns to ash. 


It's time to learn the truth behind the stranger's story.

Click here to read The Ash-born Boy and have all your questions answered, all your worries ceased, and maybe even, have your heart broken a little. But don't worry, because it's beautiful.

I've already read this and I promise, promise, that it is amazing! Go check it out!! And buy The Near Witch in paperback!! 

Ignoring the Clues

I've been writing Hotboyalicious (not real title) for a few months now. One chilly weekend in February I only had 10k--and now on this chilly day in May I have 50k. But for months now (seriously, months) I've been stuck. (That should have been a clue.) I would write a chapter or half a chapter and be so completely stuck. The idea that was so warm and loud in my head, suddenly chilled. That's not to say this doesn't happen--because it does--but when it does you have to ask why. (This is a clue also.) But I didn't ask why. I didn't stop to figure out what was going on beneath the surface of my story. I kept writing. 

I would write until I got stuck, then complain about being stuck for days, then take action (which usually consisted of brainstorming my problem with my roommate, Derrick) and then I'd have a miraculous breakthrough and bust out 3k and then another chapter and then...I'd be stuck again. And repeat the cycle. I knew, I knew, something was wrong with the story--but I had NO IDEA what it was.  (Sidenote: I think sometimes I did know the problem, but I didn't want to admit it. This should've also been a clue.)

>>READ THE REST OF THIS POST >>

Blog Tour: The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

About the book: 

         A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both. 
        Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she's in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever. 
        For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn't what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora's eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

My Review: 

I don't read a lot of adult fiction, but I found The Chaperone to be an enjoyable story with a great time period and characters. We got to see the 1920s as they were developing--with turmoil and questions and secret societies. As someone who really enjoys the time period, The Chaperone presents and builds a great glimpse into the time period. Every detail felt perfect and helped to build a picture in my head. 

The book takes the real story of actress Louise Brooks--but before she was an actress. Here, Louise Brooks is a fifteen year old girl about to start her journey to eventual stardom in the big city. Already Louise is outspoken, changed by the culture with short hair and short dresses. So when Cora is chosen to escort the girl to the city, both characters are thrown in the new life around them and the budding society that's overtaking the women of the 1920s. But each girl has another reason for going to New York.

It's because of these girls that the story comes to life. Not only was the insight into Louise Brooks' lively and inventive, she was also very connectable as a lost and lonely girl. (So much like the celebrities we sometimes see today.) But even more, Louise was challenging to Cora. 

And, although the story seems to be about the young Louise, it's really Cora's story.  For it's Cora who has a history and a secret. And Cora who never really got to be the child. She's strong and insightful, yet very much lost in her own way and even more, searching for answers. Cora goes against the grain of society; she wants to be something more than she is allowed or supposed to be. I love that in a story. The characters really jump off the pages and find a special spot in your heart. The journey we see these characters go on together--and separately--really make the story come alive. 

 I think anyone who likes historical fiction or stories filled with well-developed characters and a time period will enjoy The Chaperone. I don't think this novel should be classified by adult or young adult--for that's one that every woman searching for something else, whether in the past, present or future. I think it's something everyone can relate to.

About the author:

About Laura Laura Moriarty earned a degree in social work before returning for her M.A. in Creative Writing at the University of Kansas. She was the recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship for Creative Writing at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and is now a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Kansas. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and is at work on her next novel.

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

Published by Riverhead Books, ISBN 978-1594487019

Hardcover, 384 pages

Publication date: June 5, 2012

This blog tour was hosted by TLC book tours. All comments here are of my own opinion. 

If you want to check out more of the stops on the tour, click here.