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.
