Penguin Teen is brilliant. Really, it hardly needs to be said: they are brilliant. And they prove it once again by extending the Breathless Reads program. This February, they used Breathless Reads to send me, Andrea Cremer, Jessica Spotswood, and Marie Lu on a national tour of awesome. And they've selected five new authors to induct into the Breathless Reads club--all awesome, all totally cool, and all very much breathless reads.

All this week, Breathless Reads will be announcing a new title for the Fall Breathless Reads. You can find out about each one on the Breathless Reads Facebook page or through the Publisher Weekly emails that are going out this week. One new title each day.

Today's title is ORIGIN by Jessica Khoury. Dude. I loved this book. I loved this book so much that I blurbed it:

"I loved Origin's action, romance, and mystery--and I couldn't stop thinking about the questions it raised."


You guys know I love a book that makes me think. It's probably no surprise that I'm happiest when a book will make me not just think about the plot, but also myself. ORIGIN totally does this. It forces you to question what you know is right and wrong, and the morality it raises is definitely the strength of this novel. It's what sucked me in--and I know when it comes out this fall, you'll feel the same way :)

If you'd like to get started, you can read a sample of ORIGIN for free right now. (Or, if I've embedded it correctly, below):
Breathless Reads Fall 2012 Sampler

Meanwhile, make sure to check out the Breathless Reads page every day this week for more info on the other wonderful titles that are going to be a part of this awesome program.

TODAY at 7pm, EST, the Breathless Reads girls (including me, squee!) will be doing a live online chat--and we'd love for you to participate--make comments, ask questions, demand my secret for the perfect chicken and dumplings, whatever you like!


If you'd like to participate, I *think* I've embedded the chat correctly here, so you can do it right here on the website. In case that doesn't work, though, you are also more than welcome to go to the Spreecast page here.



Remember: The reason why Penguin Teen does this sort of thing is because it wants to give you the things you want! So if you like chats like this, please let Penguin Teen know. I get to keep doing stuff like this with you, because you guys keep telling them you want it. If it helps, here's a tweet button so that you can thank Penguin Teen and also let others know about the chat tonight: Tweet #BreathlessChat

Got yourself an internet connection? Then you can come to the last Breathless Reads event--an online chat with all four authors!

We're using Spreecast to live-chat with everyone. It's super-simple to sign up (you can use Twitter or Facebook to do it), and you can ask questions by text in the COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS button near the bottom of the screen.

The event starts at 7pm EST--hope to see you there! For more information, click here.

Guys--if you're in the Chicago area, you simply must check out RT. Much of the event is ticketed, but this Saturday is Teen Day--which means you have a chance to meet DOZENS of AWESOME YA writers (including moi) for the low, low price of $25 for workshops and the Teen Party.

I can't even begin to list how cool this all is. So if you can come, make sure to check it out here for full details. 

Hope to see you!

I have more than a dozen tabs open on Chrome right now, which, of course, means it's time for another linkspam:

• A very insightful, intelligent, and interesting (yay for assonance!) article on gender, romance, and teens in YA science fiction by book critic and author Phoebe North, as well as another take by fellow League member, book critic, and author Lenore Appelhans. Be smart and read both and then contribute your thoughts to the discussion.
• The Real Fauxtographer (Margot Wood) did an amazingly lovely photo of one of the most popular scenes in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and it made me smile. (You should check out all her work--my personal fave is the one for Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH--the braids, yay! And also the non-book-based Superman at 60)
• This made me smile a silly smile: my book, casually mentioned in the NY Times. 
• Writing advice by CS Lewis, who is made of awesome.
• You have until April 17 to enter this giveaway for A MILLION SUNS--and there's a pretty in-depth interview with me there, too :)
• The birth of a book (via the marvelous and gorgeous Molly Quinn)
• I'm working on a post about music, so why not listen to this lovely song:

I'm happy to say that my friends across the pond can finally snag a copy of A MILLION SUNS there!

And, as you can see, A MILLION SUNS got a shiny new redesign in the UK. It's a lot more sci-fi-y, don't you think? It also definitely gets the feeling of being trapped on a spaceship--I love how much of the ship is actually shown on a close-up level. The nuts and bolts just emphasize it even more.

I hate that everyone in the UK had to wait a bit longer for the release than in the US/Canada, but I hope you find the book worth the wait. And I'd like to take this moment to give a shout-out to my wonderful UK publishers at Puffin/Penguin UK. They are fantastic people to work with, and I believe my book is in the best hands there. I'm so appreciative of all they've done help share the book in the UK!

And speaking of some of the awesome ways they've spread the word about A MILLION SUNS, be sure to check out a copy of BLISS magazine and SHOUT magazine soon, and you'll see a little bit of A MILLION SUNS there :) And BLISS magazine is currently hosting a giveaway so be sure to enter by April 12th for your chance to win a copy!

You can also read the first chapter of A MILLION SUNS online at the Guardian in the UK. Click here to be taken directly to the site and the excerpt. And if you're so inclined, you can also read my guest post on the Guardian about why I love writing dystopian fiction.

I'd also very much like to thank all the bloggers in the UK who've reviewed, chatted about the book, and more. You guys are awesome, and I couldn't be here without you. <3

Holy shizz, guys, I have gotten so far behind. And it's likely I'm going to continue to be a bit behind. I totally don't want to be that irresponsible author who never answers her email, but I'm kinda falling into that. If you've sent me an email that needs an answer, please do NOT feel bad about poking me and reminding me that I'm a loser and need to answer your email.

Meanwhile, here's where I'll be in April & May:

The problem with my site being hacked should now be fixed--please feel free to explore once again :)

I do apologize if the hack sent you anywhere unsavory. It seems as if the hacker got access through the server, so if you use Dream Host, you might want to check and see if your site has the subtle hack in it, too. And remember: change your passwords regularly, and make them super tricky to solve :)