There's something empowering about having dreams come true. In 2011, several of mine did. Some of it was luck (I bribed leprechauns to make the NY Times thing happen), some of it was hard work (editing kicks my tail). Some of it was magical (hello new friends!), some of it was shocking (book tour?! me?!), and much of it was tiring (see: editing, book tour), but there's not a single moment that I regret.
I cannot put into words how amazing 2011 was. It just was.
And now it's nearly 2012.
I'm really not much of one for resolutions. I've made too many impossible resolutions before. There were many years where my resolution was "get my book published," but, failing self-publication, that's not something you can completely control. When other people are involved in making a dream come true, some of it is out of your hands.
So instead of resolutions, I have goals and dreams. My goals are things that I can do. My dreams are things that I can only somewhat control. It's not stuff like "win the lottery!" It's more like stuff that I can work towards, but without a little luck or help from others, it won't happen.
I have three goals and three dreams.
One of each is very personal.
One goal will require work, but will definitely happen (unless my hands fall off).
One goal is incredibly boring.
One will be very, very, very hard. But it's a goal, not a dream, so I can do it.
One dream is one I think will very likely happen. One dream is one I think might never.
Want to know what they are?
I am totally stealing Nova Ren Suma's idea. I've written down my dreams and goals for 2012. Whenifwhen I accomplish each goal, I'll post it here. And we can celebrate together! :)
So...how about you? What are your goals and dreams? May they both come true in the new year!
Thank you all for entering my contest, spreading the word, and cheering me on. Thanks to you guys, we've raised $1,573 for World Vision.
And guys? That's pretty darn awesome, in my opinion.
But I know the question on most of your minds is: WHAT ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY?!
Well, as you know, there were 1,573 entries. And up there above is 200 prizes. With the addresses all carefully hidden from view. The point of the giveaway is to be a surprise--so if you win, it'll show up in your mailbox (for US residents, probably by the end of next week--international might have to wait a bit).
Here are some statistics for your viewing pleasure!
By pure chance, the very first person who entered won one of the big prizes.
At least three people that I talk to fairly regularly on Twitter won (I recognized the names as I was posting labels)
There were a little over 30 international winners, including 2 of the big prizes
The state with the most entries was... Texas! Washington, Virginia, and California were after that.
The city with the most entries was... Portland, Oregon!
The international country with the most entries was... Canada!
Last year, an old college buddy won a prize. This year, one of my college roomies won a prize! (But sorry, Lori, it was just a postcard.)
One of the winners was a former student at the high school I worked at, and although she wasn't in my classroom, one of her besties was, so I got to know her, too. I think she'll be surprised!
My husband still doesn't know how much it cost to mail these out. Let's keep it our little secret, k?
A MILLION SUNS comes out in *eep!* less than a month! This is the second book of the trilogy, and you might have noticed that we've kept the title of the third book a sekkrit, even though we've known the title since ACROSS THE UNIVERSE sold.
If you're a curious sort and would like to know what the title of the third and final book is, then you're in luck!! On the very last page of the finished copy of A MILLION SUNS, there's a page about the third book, and it includes the title. Here's what it looks like:
Wait a minute...what's all that smudged out part in the middle?
*evil grin*
That, my friends, is where the title is, and you'll have to wait for A MILLION SUNS to be released to see it!
...but if YOU want to know what the title of the third book is NOW, you can check out the reveal here. (click on the BOOK 3 TITLE tab on the left)
:)
Let me know what you think! And remember for those who've read the second book: no spoilers!
There are some great contests going on right now, and I wanted to be sure no one missed them.
You have until Monday to enter my 200-prize giveaway! We did make the 1000 entry goal, so I will be making a donation of at least $1000 to World Vision...but barring a sudden influx of a crazy number of entries, I think it's safe to say that I'll be donating a dollar for every entry, not just the first 1000.
Also: keep in mind that even though I've got about 1200 entries right now, there are 200 prizes...which means you have a one in six chance of winning something. Talk about your good odds!
Do you like puppies and kittens? Do you cry when Sarah McLachlin starts singing for the humane society on TV? Do you also like to have signed books of some of the hottest titles in YA? Then check out this charity auction.
After witnessing some animal cruelty, author Christine Johnson decided to do something about it, and launched a charity auction to support the Humane Society. Authors Diana Peterfreund and Carrie Ryan are matching donations, up to $1000 each.
She also made some custom bookmarks and star earrings!
(And remember: if you order from her store, use the code STARS for a discount!)
So. Pretty.
Also, some of you might recall that the character of Harley was based on a real student of mine, an artist herself who painted a koi for my classroom.
Her name is Charly White, and she agreed to help me out with my contest this year by contributing a very special painting: a koi fish by the original "Harley."
I've turned her painting into a limited edition print, and will be giving away 100 numbered copies of the print to this giveaway.
So, that said, let's go into a little more detail about these prizes!
One Grand Prize Winner:
ONE WINNER WILL GET:
-Signed hardcover of A MILLION SUNS
-Signed paperback of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
-Handmade star "Across the Universe" earrings
-Handmade A MILLION SUNS bookmark
-Limited edition print of koi fish
-Astronaut ice cream
-Limited edition metal AtU water bottle
-AtU rubber bracelet
-AtU pin button
-AtU poster
-Bookmarks and other swag
Two Runner Up Prizes:
TWO WINNERS WILL GET:
Everything the grand prize winner gets, minus the astronaut ice cream
Seven Custom Book Mark Prizes:
SEVEN WINNERS WILL GET:
-Signed paperback of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
-Handmade custom A MILLION SUNS bookmark
-Limited edition print of koi fish
-AtU pin buttons and rubber band bracelets
-Posters and swag
Seven Water Bottle Prizes:
SEVEN WINNERS WILL GET:
-Signed ARC of A MILLION SUNS
-Metal water bottles
-Limited edition print of koi fish
-Posters and swag
Three ARC Prizes:
THREE WINNERS WILL GET:
-Signed ARC of A MILLION SUNS
-Signed ARC of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
-Metal water bottle
-Limited edition print of koi fish
-Posters and swag
30 Signed Book Prizes:
THIRTY WINNERS WILL GET:
30 people will win either a signed ARCs of A MILLION SUNS or a signed paperbacks of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, plus a limited edition koi print, and swag.
Fifty Swag Packs:
FIFTY WINNERS WILL GET:
-Bookmarks
-Limited edition koi print
-Rubber band bracelets
-Posters and/or other swag
One Hundred Postcards:
Look, I know it's a bit lame to say that 100 prizes will be postcards, but dude.
They're shiny.
Seriously.
That Godspeed logo? Silver.
These are some awesome postcards.
So, how do you win all this awesome?
At the bottom of this post, there's a Google form. All you have to do is fill it out with your address. Then, at the end of the giveaway, I'm going to plug in all the addresses into my label maker over there, and the label maker is going to spit out addresses and I'm slapping them on the packages. And that's it.
This is a giveaway, not a contest. I just want to give you guys stuff. So you don't have to do anything extra or join on Facebook or follow me or spread the word or anything (although I'd appreciate it if you did). Your fate is in the hands of my label maker.
However, please do spread the word. It's not a requirement, but I would really appreciate it if you did because I will be giving $1 to World Vision for every entry (up to 1,000). World Vision is a really worthy charity, helping families and children in both the US and across the world. I encourage you to check the link out and think about donating yourself--but either way, I would also appreciate you telling other people about this giveaway, because the more entries I get, the more I'm adding to my annual donation to World Vision.
You can spread the word in several ways:
You could blog about it. Maybe include the video above? It's easy to share. Might I suggest including the graphic? I've included the HTML code for it, too:
Also: thank you to my publisher, Penguin/Razorbill! They donated a ton of the prizes above, including 20 paperbacks, all the ARCs, and the water bottles. If you want, I know they'd appreciate it if you followed on Facebook or Twitter. Again: not a requirement, just a way to thank the contributors of the prizes.
There's apparently been a few hiccups in the YA Scavenger Hunt. If you're stuck and can't figure out who you're missing for this awesome contest, go to this blog post by YASH founder Colleen Houck. At the bottom is a list of every participating author (each of whom is providing a prize for the winner of the hunt--which = nearly 40 signed books!) Still stuck? Tweet @ColleenHouck for help! (I'd help if I could, but I'm travelling!)
If you are just starting the hunt or if you got here from Lisa Bergen's page, then read on for your next clue!
On this hunt you will be able to gain access to exclusive bonus material, sign up for giveaways, and get an all access pass to top secret insider information. This fabulous sneak peek into what’s coming up in YA literature is for one day only!
As an extra bonus we’ve put together a puzzle with one keyword found on each website. Complete it and you will be eligible for a fantastic GRAND PRIZE which will include signed editions of books, signed bookmarks, jewelry, and many more exclusive gifts with at least one gift from EVERY AUTHOR!
Scavenger Hunt Puzzle
Directions: Copy and paste the puzzle at the end of this post onto a document or print it out and unscramble the words as you proceed through the Scavenger Hunt. Search for keywords, one on each website that will be highlighted in RED. When you are finished, fill out the Google form here.
Rules: To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit this filled in puzzle before noon on Dec 4th Pacific Time. All the keywords must be in the correct place and you must include your full name and address. Entries sent in without name and address will not be considered! International entries are accepted.
This is a very self-serving linkspam, and for that, I apologize. I just have things I want to tell you about, but since I'm not at home, no time to really do this well!
So...
For links to my blog posts about writing and reading on the Penguin blog, click here
December 1st! The YA Scavenger Hunt! It is coming! With a crap-ton of prizes + a never-before-revealed secret about A MILLION SUNS!
ATUFacts is updating daily...and I'm trying to reblog the details with extra insider information. So if you're the type who's curious about the hows and whys of a story (such as where a name come froms, or why a character does something) check it out!
The paperback of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is out now in America!
It features a:
Brand new cover!
Map of Godspeed
Sneak peek at A MILLION SUNS
A special-thank you and acknowledgements for early fans
and more!
Remember: if you would like a signed copy (oh, look, holidays are coming!) then you can order one through my local indie bookstore, Fireside Books and Gifts.
I was going to save this for a Bookanista day, but then I realized that (a) the Scavenger Hunt is happening on a Bookanista day and (b) today's Shelli's book birthday, so (c) let's share it today!
Today I've got with us Shelli Johannes-Wells, author of UNTRACEABLE. This book has had a somewhat unique path to publication, which you can read all about at Shelli's blog. I picked her brain a bit about the book, the publication, and more--hope you enjoy!
YOU
We can read all about your life from your bio in the jacket flap of your
book. So, what's a completely
random fact about you that most people don't know?
Excuse me, my whole life is not in my bio. I’m much more interesting than
that :)
I used to sing in a Blues/Jazz band and love to sing. Always wanted to
be a professional singer. So I sing A LOT. Drives my kids nuts because I make
up my own songs about mundane things. Yeah, I’m crazy that way.
As a kid, what was your
favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing up?
Pippi Longstocking has always stuck out to me. I loved how daring and
independent she was. I loved how secure she was with herself at that age. She
was so real.
I’ve always read thrillers and mysteries. When I was a teen, I used to
sneak my mom’s books – Iris Johansen, Steven King, James Patterson – whatever
thriller I could get my hands on. I loved the feeling of hiding under the
covers, reading until the wee hours of the night by flashlight b/c I could not
put the book down.
Your book, UNTRACEABLE,
takes place in the Smoky Mountains, an area you’re familiar with. Is anything
else from the book drawn from your life?
I always loved being outside when I was younger. I used to camp and
canoe with my parents. I got away from it in school and as I got older.
But my hubby is very into nature and the wilderness – goes camping on his own
in the deep dark forest. I slowly got back to nature and realize how much I was
missing. Today, if I have a hard day – I sit outside on the swing and let
Nature recenter me.
You’ve decided to
self-publish UNTRACEABLE—and make every step of the process, from the costs to
the emotions, public on your blog. What led you to make this decision?
After having four books go to acquisitions over an 8-year period,
including 2 years with a top literary agent, I never made it. After a long and hard decision making
process, I decided I was tired of putting my dreams in someone else’s hands and
I needed something positive to focus on. I was tired of focusing my writing around
a sale and just wanted to touch people. I felt confident I was good enough and
this book was good enough to do it on my own. I have a marketing background and
felt I could do all the packaging, distribution, and marketing on my own – and I
knew I would actually enjoy it. I wanted to see if I could do it and wanted to
test out some marketing ideas I had in the publishing biz. It started out as an
experiment. Now, it has become such a rewarding experience.
I’ve done this book my way and I’m proud of it.
YOUR BOOK
It's the
inevitable question: what inspired UNTRACEABLE?
Well, my husband came home from camping one weekend and said,
“Man I was so deep in the wilderness, a terrorist camp could be there and no
one would know.” I started the book just as that – about a terrorist cell in
the woods.
I know – embarrassing right? (ugh!)
Then I visited Cherokee, NC, and saw some atrocities
to nature that I wanted to change. While I rewrote my book from scratch, it was
important to me to make people think while creating a thrilling book – just
like the ones I used to read – while touching on a message that I felt was
important. I wanted to create a strong girl character, but keep her in today’s
world with no powers and no magic. That was important to me – I was always a
tomboy and loved to be outside so I felt there was a market for a wilderness
thriller.
One of the great things
about UNTRACEABLE is the focus on the environment—what led you to turn a
thriller into an environmental thriller?
Well, I don’t really like to say it’s an “environmental thriller”
because it is not preachy at all and sometimes people get turned off by an eco
or conservation book. This book is about a girl that loves nature, wants to
find her father, and stumbles on some crimes that she didn’t know existed. They
just happen to be crimes to nature that she wants to change. But I would not
call it an environmental thriller - though it does touch on some issues.
Can you tell us a little
bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing UNTRACEABLE?
I started Untraceable in 2007 (then
it was called Grace Under Fire) when I was prego with my son. In spring 2009,
my book got named in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel
award and was 1 of only 7 thrillers.
Shortly after that, my former agent picked me up on Untraceable. At the time, she felt my tween paranormal was more
marketable. So Untraceable was shelved 2009 and 2010 while we tried to sell the
other book. The tween went to acquisitions several times but never made it.
In early 2011, I worked with 2 top NY editors on Untraceable to be sure it was what it needed to be before my agent
submitted it. Last spring, it went out on a small round and even made it to an acquisition
board. Unfortunately, my agent and I parted before it could see 3 full rounds.
I queried other agents but since it had been seen by editors – I guess the book
was too tainted to be picked up – because I had a couple that wanted my WIP but
that was months from being finished and I was not going to give up on
Untraceable. I decided I could not lose by putting this book out myself.
If your reader could only
take away one emotion, theme, or idea from UNTRACEABLE, what would you want it
to be?
Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in. No matter the
risks. Oh and get back to nature. We have forgotten how beautiful it is by
hiding behind our computers.
YOUR WRITING
What's the most surprising
thing you've learned since becoming a writer?
How hard it is to take steps forward. Not only to get published but the
emotional drain of writing is exhausting. I love it but it is tough to pull out
what I need sometimes. It’s not an easy career and it’s definitely not the easy
way out.
Beyond the typical--never
give up; believe in yourself--what would be the single best advice you'd like
to give another writer?
Don’t write to the market. It is good to know and understand the
industry, but don’t get too sucked in – it can mess with your head and hurt
what you are writing by making you second-guess yourself.
What do you think are your
strongest and weakest points in writing?
I think I plot well and always go a way people don’t expect. I like that
in books I read so I don’t choose the easiest or expected way out.
I have a hard time nailing voice. It is the biggest challenge for me in
my work. And it always comes last for me.
Right, so if you're in America right now, you're probably already a little sick of Turkey. This is a variation of my Granny's chicken and dumplings recipe, is EXTRAORDINARILY tasty, and only requires a few ingredients. If it looks long and complicated, don't worry--it isn't. You'll leave most of this to cook on its own, without your fussing over it.
Here's what to do:
Turkey Soup & Dumplings
Step One: Broth
Take the turkey carcass--all the scraps, bones, innards, skin, and anything else you don't want to eat, and pop it in a large CrockPot. Cover it in water, and then just let it go all night long.
Step Two: Soup
Pour the liquid (it's all yellow and flavorful now) into a large stock pot. Throw out everything else.
Add to the stock pot:
Leftover turkey meat, ripped or cut into chunks
Leftover vegetables, whatever you have
Salt and pepper
Bay leaves, if you like that kind of thing
Bring all that to a boil. (If you don't have enough leftovers, I'll sometimes add in a bag of frozen mixed veg. If you don't have much liquid, just add some water or canned chicken stock.)
Step Three: Dumplings
Get about a cup of the broth from the soup and put it into a separate bowl. Let it cool down a little if it's very hot. Then add:
1 egg
1 cup of self-rising flour
Mix! You will probably need to add more flour as you go--you want to make a floury doughball.
Once the dough is all formed, then sprinkle some flour on the countertop. Mash the dough as thin as you can (some people use a rolling pin, but I'm not that fancy). Use lots and lots of flour--you don't want this to be sticky!
Cut the dough in 1 inch strips or so.
By now, your soup is boiling. Take a strip of dough, and pull it apart so it forms thinner pieces, and drop the pieces into the boiling soup. Use a wooden spoon to push the dough under the liquid--the dumpling should cook fairly quickly and will rise to the top. Do this for the entire batch of dough.
I have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season (for my international readers, it's American Thanksgiving tomorrow, the day we set aside to count our blessings).
I was just thinking about that this morning. It has been less than one year since my debut novel has been out...that's...that's just mind-boggling! It's so strange for me to be working on Book 3, when the first book's only been out a little more than 10 months. My life is completely different now from a year ago--my world's been turned upside down.
And that's something I'm grateful for--this mad, chaotic career, and the fact that I can make it a career.
And of course, I'm also grateful for my agent, who found for me the very best people I could work with--the entire team at Penguin/Razorbill. I want to send them heart-shaped cookies every day.
And none of it would mean anything without the people who picked up the book, who read it, who told their friend about it, who requested it at their library...there aren't enough heart-shaped cookies in the world to express that kind of gratitude.
But as I was thinking about this post, I realized something that came before all this, something I have always taken for granted.
I am thankful for the dream.
I have wanted to be a writer since elementary school. I remember when Mrs. Oliver taught me about dialog tags, and Mrs. Pearson read my unicorn story aloud to the class, and Mrs. Thompson gave me a purple pen to write my stories with. I read my first book aloud to Tina on the schoolbus. The dream grew in high school--I think I snagged my boyfriend-who-became-my-husband in part by writing a story where he was the knight in shining armor.
The dream of being a writer drove me like no other. I studied literature and scribbled stories and stayed up late at night and tried and tried and tried.
Stories became novels. Novels became submissions to agents. And submissions became rejections.
And that was a point where I started to hate the dream.
It sucks when what you want most in the world requires someone else to say yes. Because when the someone you need--an agent, a publisher, readers--say no a part of your soul, the part where you keep your dream, bleeds.
It took a long frexing time for my dream to come true. And somewhere between year five and ten, I seriously started to hate my dream. I had given up so much: time, money, thought, opportunities, peace of mind. And I had nothing to show for it but a broken dream. I almost gave up on it then.
But the dream was stronger than me. And I wrote what I thought might be my last book. And that was the book that made the dream come true.
There's a chance that, right now, you hate the dream, too. A few years ago, I would have erased that part of me from myself if I could have--I wanted to not care so much that it hurt. But I'm telling you now: be thankful for the dream.
Because some people don't have one.
When I was teaching, I saw many sad things. This is not a post about that. But I will say this: one of the very saddest things I saw when teaching was how many kids had no dream. My dream was such a huge part of my life from such an early age that it was nearly incomprehensible for me to understand what it was like for someone to not have one.
You could see the difference between a kid with a dream and one without one. The kid with a dream was focused. Maybe not focused on my class or the book I put in front of her face, but focused on something. It might be distant, it might be unreachable, but there was desire and drive behind those eyes.
And then there were some kids who had no dream. Ask them what they wanted, and they would say "to graduate." Or--and this happened, too--"to turn 16 so I can drop out." And sometimes: "nothing."
I--and all the other teachers--would try to entice them with new studies or interests. Try to suss out a dream. But a dream is not something one can just give to someone else. It has to fill you up and come from within. If your body is a ship, then the dream is the wind in the sails. No one can hold the wind, let alone make it. It's something that just is. Or...isn't.
Looking back, now, it's easy for me to say I'm thankful for my dream. But a few years ago, after ten years of trying and ten years of failing, after hundreds of rejections, I would have given anything to erase the dream. To just be normal and not care.
And how empty my life would be without it.
So let me tell you: if you have a dream--even one that might hurt now--be thankful for it. Steer your ship into that gale.
I love local stores. One of my favorite things about the town where I live is the Main Street. The Main Street at the town where I used to live...didn't exist. But my town has a really cute main street! (Funny side note, you can see part of it in the background of my interview online here.)
Also: I really think that a lot of America's problems might be solved if there was more shopping on Main Street. It doesn't take much to make a difference.
Now...IF you happen to be lacking an idea of something you'd like to order from a Small Business....might I recommend my favorite small business, Fireside Books and Gifts? Fireside is a great local store--right on Main Street, even!--and they ship books and fun local crafts worldwide.
And if you're wondering what you should get...why yes, this is a shameless plug...then might I suggest the paperback copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE?
Reason 1 to get the paperback:
Cool New Cover
You can't see all the detail here, but this cover is pretty sick.
There are little shiny details--like runway lights under Amy's feet, and around the text on the back--that make the whole cover just POP!
Reason 2:
Ship Map on One side, Stars on the Other!
I was really worried they wouldn't be able to put in the ship map...but it's there! Shiny! And stars!
Reason 3:
Your Name is In the Acknowledgements!
In case you didn't know, everyone who was a Facebook fan by 1/11/11 at 11:11am has their name listed in the acknowledgements! I'm SO grateful to my publisher for finding this unique way to thank the most important people in this set-up--YOU GUYS.
And also! The first chapter of A MILLION SUNS. :)
Reason 4:
I will give you free stuff!
Order from my local indie, Fireside Books and Gifts, and not only will you get a SIGNED copy (and personalized if you want it that way), but I will also slip as much swag as possible into the envelope! And I've got a ton of swag--posters, rubber band bracelets, and pins.
So yeah--this is totally my way of trying to talk you into buying local and picking up a paperback copy of AtU :) It officially releases on November 29th, but you can preorder now--and they'll be sent out as soon as they're signed, directly to you, with as much swag as I can fit in the envelope!
And oh, hey, while you're in the book ordering mood and all (heh. Like I'm ever not in the book ordering mood.) On the same day that my paperback comes out, so does another awesome title--LEGEND by Marie Lu! I was starting to feel dystopianed-out when I picked up this book, but the first chapter latched onto me and wouldn't let me put the book down.
There are some really cool features about this book--including dual POVs (which of course I love!), cool ink selections in the text, and four five-starred reviews from the big wigs! So whether you're just now dipping a toe in dystopian waters or you think you've read them all: definitely give this one a try!
Guys, this last contest was SO. MUCH. FUN. I hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did--I loved going to your blogs and checking out the books you loved...and I've added an inexorable amount of them to my TBR list! You guys really went above and beyond--I loved how many of you put so much thought into the book(s) you were truly the most grateful to have read. And it put a smile on my face to see the ones written by friends!
In addition to the Thanksgiving contest, I also have a contest for a signed copy of CROSSED by Ally Condie. And the winner of that one is... JEN @ MIDNIGHT BOOK REVIEWS!
But I know most of you are probably the most curious to see who won the big prizes for the Thanksgiving contest.
And I am cruel and like to extend your anxiety...
Hehehehe....
For the curious: the most popular book selected for this was HARRY POTTER. The second most popular book was one or more of the TWILIGHT books. Several of you picked classics, such as CATCHER IN THE RYE, but at least half of you picked books published in the last ten or so years (NIGHTSHADE was a popular title for that, as was the HUNGER GAMES books).
Of the winners: 1 person who won entered on the first day the contest was open, 1 person who won entered on the last day it was open. (Just thought that was a neat tid-bit.) I did moderate the winners and only selected winners who properly entered and followed the instructions.
OK, so there are five prizes total--3 signed copies of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE with swag, 1 signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE with swag and a box of Turkish Delight, and one Grand Prize winner of all 19 signed books.
We'll start small...
But since you had to tell me what book you're most grateful for in order to win, I thought it might be fun to make you click to see who won based on the book they're most grateful for.
The winners of the signed ACROSS THE UNIVERSE with swag are...
I've been under the weather lately (thanks husband!) and so rather than do productive things, like, you know, write a book, I've been sitting on the couch, going through two boxes of Kleenex, and browsing the interwebs.
ATU Facts is live! I'm really excited about this--to encourage people to read (or re-read) ATU Facts is a series of details about ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. The cool thing is that I was able to sneak in some details on hidden Easter eggs for AtU...and some (tiny, and marked) spoilers for A MILLION SUNS.
I had the very great pleasure of meeting Ally earlier this year and can say with certainty that she is one of the nicest, kindest people I know--and she writes beautiful books on top of that! I'm also pleased to say that today we're a part of the CROSSED blog tour--which includes a SIGNED copy of CROSSED for one reader!
Now, on to the interview! And don't forget to enter for a signed copy of CROSSED at the end!
YOU
We can read all about your life from your bio in the jacket flap of your book.
So, what's a completely random fact about you that most people don't know?
I don’t think most people have heard this
story:
When I was in college I had the biggest crush on
my husband but all the other girls in our dorm thought he was cute, too. He was
this really sweet, funny, athletic guy who also played guitar. So I had to find
a way to get his attention. I knew he was a runner so I dared him to run a
marathon with me. Of course, that meant that we “had” to go running together
almost every day. We ran our first marathon together back October of 1999. Two
weeks later, he proposed, and seven weeks after that, we got married. So it
totally worked. ;)
As a kid, what was your favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing
up?
Growing up, my favorite novel was Anne of Green
Gables. I read that book thirty-two times (I know because I marked the inside
cover of the paperback every time I finished). I wanted to be Anne so badly! I
still love that book and books like it (plucky heroines, gorgeous settings,
etc.). But now I also read more science fiction and fantasy than I once did.
In the MATCHED books, Cassia starts her journey towards freedom from the
Society in part because of a poem (“Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night” by
Dylan Thomas). Is there a poem or book that helped define you the way this poem
defines Cassia?
There’s a novel called Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner that my grandmother gave me
to read at some point in high school. When I read it, I was blown away by how
much I cared for the characters and by the beauty of Stegner’s writing. I’ve
read the novel several times since—in college during a senior course on
Stegner, during the time my husband was in grad school, after I had my second
baby, etc. It’s the kind of book you read over and over again and, each time,
you are taken with its beauty and torn apart by its truth. Crossing to Safety is a book I encountered when I was young and
that I’ll continue to re-read for the rest of my life. This novel changed the
way I looked at reading, writing, and myself, and that happens again each time
I revisit the book.
And a question from Twitter: What’s your
favorite cupcake flavor?
Ooh, good question. I think lemon. I’m on a big
citrus kick lately. Perhaps because winter has arrived here in Utah!
YOUR BOOK
I’ve loved learning about the influences from the real world that created the
world of MATCHED, such as being inspired by Zion canyon.
But Twitter (and I!) want to know: how did you come up with the idea for The
Society?
I often say that I got the idea for the Society
from my own experience being a parent. It’s really hard to know when to take
control and when to step back. I definitely struggle with that issue—when do
good intentions and protective instincts stop helping and start inhibiting? In
my mind, the Society did start out with the best of intentions but then started
holding on more and more tightly.
How was writing CROSSED different from writing
MATCHED? (Having just gotten off the sequel-writing train myself, I’d love to
learn from your wisdom or share in your misery!)
Oh, Beth, you are so awesome. I have no wisdom.
Every book is such a different beast from the one before and I am coming to
realize I know very little about anything. Writing CROSSED was different from
writing MATCHED for a lot of reasons. I added Ky’s point of view, gave the
novel an entirely different setting, etc. CROSSED was both the easiest and
hardest book I’ve ever written. It was easy because I cared deeply about the
characters, I knew the setting, and I knew how integral this journey was to the
rest of the series. It was difficult because I wanted so badly to get it right.
If your reader could only take away one emotion, theme, or idea from CROSSED,
what would you want it to be?
Honestly, I just want them to enjoy the book
and to find something in it that they feel rings true to them, to their own
life or experience. I always love it when I read a book and think, Yes. This
is how I feel too. If I reader feels that when reading something I’ve written, that is the ultimate
compliment.
YOUR WRITING
What's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?
Hmmm. I think that happened back in 2006 with
the publication of my first book. I learned that publication did not change me
as much as I thought it would—I think I imagined that, upon publication, I
would feel different. But I didn’t really. My work was still my work. My family
was still my family. I was still myself. Of course, it was beyond awesome to
see my book on a shelf and to have people actually reading my story!
I think that what I didn’t realize until after
it happened was that publication didn’t change me—but the writing itself does.
I hope that makes sense.
Beyond the typical--never give up, believe in yourself--what would be the
single best advice you'd like to give another writer?
Don’t forget to live your life. Don’t let
writing become your life.
At the end of the day, when I go to sleep, I now
and then will think, “Today was such a great writing day!” But usually it’s the
other things that are on my mind and on my heart. My kids, my husband, my
parents, etc., and how they’re all doing. Those are the things that are really
my life. My work is deeply, deeply important to me and feels very real to me.
But if it were all I had, I would be very lonely.
What do you think are your strongest and weakest points in writing?
I think my weakest point is that I never
outline. (I do take lots of notes—for example, when I started Book 3 in the
Matched Trilogy, I had 150 pages of notes and ideas from the first two books to
use in Book 3, but no formal outline.) I’ve tried to outline but it always ends
up being completely ineffective because I end up deviating so much from the
outline. But if I could do that well, it would probably save me so much grief
later—when writing sequels, for example! ;)
I think my strongest point is that I really care
about character development. I want my characters to feel and act very real. I
want them to change and grow in important ways, to do interesting things.
Thank you, Ally, for sharing your thoughts and ideas here!
And thank you, Penguin, for providing readers today with a SIGNED copy of CROSSED for one lucky winner!
In order to thank Penguin for providing the prize, I included ways to get extra entries for the giveaway by following or tweeting Penguin Teen. It's totally optional, but I wanted to give everyone a chance to thank Penguin for giving the prize.
