Interview Week: Marie Lu, author of LEGEND

Welcome to Interview Week!

All this week, I'm interviewing awesome authors--and giving away a copy of their book! Come back each day this week for another author and another chance to win an awesome book.

Quick Stats on Today's Author:

• Marie Lu is the debut author of LEGEND
• The sequel, PRODIGY, will come out later this year, and I cannot wait!!
• I was lucky enough to tour with Marie, and I totally kept trying to steal her computer so I could get a sneak peek of PRODIGY
• Marie's hero, Day, originally had three sisters and first appeared in novel Marie was writing in high school. You can learn more about it here: http://marielu.org/story1.html
• Marie also has excellent taste in tights. Just saying.

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 was bitten by a rat when I was three. On my eyelid. I know. I like to think of it as my Spiderman moment, though, and that someday my superpowers will manifest. Especially since I was born in the year of the Rat. That’s got to be some sort of good luck, right?

As a kid, what was your favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing up? 

My absolute favorite book as a kid was Mattimeo, part of Brian Jacques’s Redwall series. It was my first introduction into the world of fantasy and sci-fi, and I have to say that my reading tastes haven’t changed all that much!

In your book, LEGEND, there’s dystopian government that rules with an iron fist. Because I had the pleasure of touring with you, I happen to know that you have a little experience with controlling governments. Can you tell us about this?

(Beth's note: I totally devised this question on purpose because I think Marie has a cool story that goes with this! Advantage to touring: accumulating insider info, lol!)

Beth knows all sorts of random secrets about me…. :) Anyway, yes—I’ve definitely experience some dystopian things when growing up, although my mom was the one who actually lived through the Cultural Revolution in China (a true, full-blown dystopia). I was born in China and left for the States in 1989, when I was five years old. At the time, I lived in Beijing with my aunt, and our home was a few blocks away from Tiananmen Square. The students in the square protested for a couple of months leading up to the actual massacre, and for us locals, it was something of a sightseeing event. My aunt would take me out to the square every weekend or so to see what the students were up to. I have vague recollections of the white statue of liberty they erected in the square. I was actually at the square on the day of the massacre, although I think the shooting didn’t happen until later that night. I distinctly remember seeing the tanks out in the streets, and that kindergarten was canceled the following day. Of course, I didn’t understand the full magnitude of this event until I was older, but a Tiananmen Square-inspired scene does appear in Legend.

YOUR BOOK

It's the inevitable question: what inspired LEGEND? 

One day in 2009, I was sprawled on the carpet in my living room and lazily watching TV (this is how I daydream), and the movie version of Les Miserables was on. As I watched the criminal Jean Valjean face off against police detective Javert, I started thinking about how fun it would be to write a teenage version of this premise: a sharp young criminal versus an equally formidable teen detective. The thing that inspired Legend’s dystopian setting was when I saw a map online of what the world would look like if all of our freshwater ice melted and our oceans rose 100 meters. It was a fascinating, terrifying map, and since I live in Los Angeles, I immediately thought about what a half-flooded LA would be like.

One of the things that stood out to me in LEGEND was the strong theme of love—and not just romantic love. Both June and Day have strong ties to their families. Is love in varied forms a theme you intended to bring in, or was it a happy accident while writing.

I think a lot of the love themes came into the story by accident, although I can totally see why they snuck onto the page. I’m an only child (a product of China’s One Child policy!), and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. As a result, almost everything I write involves strong sibling friendships, rivalries, and/or dark pasts.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing & publishing LEGEND?

Oh man—Beth knows my looooong road to publication. Legend was my fifth manuscript. At the time, I had another (unpublished) story that my agent was pitching, and while we slowly received rejections back on it, I distracted myself by writing Legend. Legend came relatively quickly to me—the first draft took about 5 months, and then my agent and I did two big revisions on it. I’d say the whole writing process took about 9 months. We sent it out in late summer of 2010 and it sold at auction a couple of weeks later. Considering that I pitched my very first manuscript when I was fifteen, I’d say it only took two weeks and twelve years!

If your reader could only take away one emotion, theme, or idea from LEGEND, what would you want it to be?

Day’s motto in the book is: ‘Walk in the light’. I suppose this is the takeaway idea from the story—to Day, ‘walking in the light’ means seeking out the truth and refusing to take the world around you at face value. Not everything is as it seems in the real world, either, and I hope people always seek to find out how their everyday decisions really impact their society. ‘Walking in the light’ also symbolizes doing the right thing and being a moral person, even when you’re surrounded by darkness.

YOUR WRITING

What's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?

I’ve learned that there are so many more elements to a writer’s job than just writing, something I never really considered until Legend sold. There’s the marketing and promotion, chatting with readers, touring, meeting people, traveling….all wonderful and fun things, but definitely unexpected!

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 be afraid to write a bad book. Sometimes you have to squeeze all the bad stuff out before you can get to the good stuff, and don’t be intimidated by the idea that you have to set aside something that just isn’t working and begin on an entirely new story. Staring at a blank page is one of the most terrifying sights a writer can see, but you have to be able to let go of bad writing.

What do you think are your strongest and weakest points in writing?

I think my strongest point might be character creation, only because I’m borderline obsessive-compulsive about it. My character profile sheets are ridiculously long and I have to know as much as I possibly can about all of my characters before I can start writing. I know silly things like their blood types and hexadecimal color codes for their skin/hair/eye colors. I have no idea why. My weakest point? Outlining. I suck so hard at outlining. Every time I attempt one, I veer off by the fourth chapter because my characters have wandered off onto their own path, leaving me to scramble after them. It makes for some very haphazard first drafts.

 And now for a giveaway! Leave a comment with your email address below to be entered to win a ARC copy of LEGEND--and it's SIGNED! One winner will be picked next Monday; sorry, but this needs to be North America only. 

Interview Week, Saundra Mitchell, author of THE SPRINGSWEET

Welcome to Interview Week!

All this week, I'm interviewing awesome authors--and giving away a copy of their book! Come back each day this week for another author and another chance to win an awesome book.

Quick Stats on Today's Author:

• Saundra Mitchell is the author of THE SPRINGSWEET, as well as THE VESPERTINE and SHADOWED SUMMER.
• She is also the author of BREATHKEPT, which you can download for free here
• Saundra does interviews on her blog, too, and one of the interview questions she uses came from iCarly, which immediately makes her 20% cooler in my book.
• If you're an aspiring author, you must check out Saundra's resources on publicity and marketing

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 absolutely don't recommend this, but I hitchhiked from Helena, MT to Los Angeles, CA with a guy who would, several years later, become my husband. We learned several things during that trip.

1) If kids could drive, we would have been to LA in 8 hours. 2) Mormons are incredibly nice even if they can't give you a ride. 3) Los Angeles will (used to?) pay for bus tickets to send you anywhere in the US, if that meant you wouldn't be homeless in their city.

As a kid, what was your favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing up?

My favorite books in order of development were BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, THE OUTSIDERS, IT and THE SILVER KISS. You'll note that the first two books are about poor kids who escape into their imagination and into books. The second two books are about people who escape the darkness in their lives through magic...

And every single one of them has a body count. Which is my motto—it's not a book without a body count. I still read books like these (and I try to write books like these, they all inspired me so much.) I re-read these particular books every so often and even though I see them differently each time because I've grown up a little more, they still move me.

In your books THE VESPERTINE and THE SPRINGSWEET, the main characters live in a historical world close to our own America in the turn of the century—but with a touch of magic. If you could, would you live in this world and time period?

Nooooooo. Not in a million years. I'm fascinated by the past. I love history and archaeology. It gives me genuine pleasure to the past, and to try to bring it to life. But I really like living in a world with plumbing and antibiotics.

But the universe? I'm not entirely sure I don't live in this universe; you probably live there, too! People may well have strange, unaccountable abilities, and magic quite possibly moves the earth. I've seen some remarkable, inexplicable things in my time. I'm not prepared to say there's no magic in the world.

YOUR BOOK

It's the inevitable question: what inspired THE SPRINGSWEET? 

My best friend. I sold THE VESPERTINE as a standalone, so going into THE SPRINGSWEET, I only knew two things: it would be about Zora, and it had to have water and earth in it. Other than that, it was all open. 

I originally wanted to set it in 1893 in Chicago, because of the World's Fair. Chicago just didn't mesh with earth and water, though—it's more of a fire and air kind of town.

So I decided since I was writing a novel about my best friend's favorite character, that I would write a novel that catered to her tastes. As many things she loved, as I could reasonably fit into the framework—and that meant writing a western.

As soon as I started my research, I came across a book called HEARTS WEST, about mail order brides during the western expansion. And I knew then exactly where the book would go.

From the dedication to the acks, this book is a love letter to my best friend. ILU WENDI!

Can you tell us a little bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing & publishing THE SPRINGSWEET? 

As mentioned, I had no idea that I would get to write a sequel for THE VESPERTINE. I sold that one in December of 2009, about seven months after we started submitting it to editors. It was a one book deal, and I went through the entire revision process with my editor before turning in a proposal for THE SPRINGSWEET.

So it went something like, THE VESPERTINE went out in March 2009 for submission. It was acquired in December 2009. I got my revision letter, I think, in February of 2010. All revisions on THE VESPERTINE were complete and I submitted my proposal for THE SPRINGSWEET in April 2010.

So I actually wrote the first three chapters of THE SPRINGSWEET in spring of 2010. I didn't get an answer until July of 2010. As soon as Houghton picked it up, I started writing again. I finished the first draft and the round of beta critiques by mid-October, 2010 and turned it in to my editor.

I got my revision letter for THE SPRINGSWEET in March 2011, and I think I finished my revisions by June 2011. I saw parts of the phtotoshoot for the cover in September, and the final cover came in October, I believe.

It comes out April 17, 2012, so it's been a three-year process total to get the book to the shelves, but about two years total for THE SPRINGSWEET alone. So for anybody out there fantasizing about the fast track, I apologize. Even the fast track in publishing is pretty slow!

If your reader could only take away one emotion, theme, or idea from THE SPRINGSWEET, what would you want it to be?

No matter what happens, or how your plans change, you can begin again. You can always begin again.

YOUR WRITING

What's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?

What revision really is. Before my first novel was published, I thought revising was polishing, maybe moving some words around or adding a bit here or there to perfect a finished piece. Now I know those are line edits, which come much later.

Revision—real revision—often means deleting some, most or all of the original draft to get to the real blood and bones. Revision has more in common with cleaning fish than it does polishing the silver.

Beyond the typical--never give up, believe in yourself--what would be the single best advice you'd like to give another writer?

Writing and publishing are two different things. Writing is art; publishing is business. They intersect, sometimes in amazing and terrible ways, but they're not the same thing.

So my best advice to aspiring authors is to remember that once you sell your words, you're not doing art anymore. Think long and hard about whether you want to go into business,.Writing will always be there, whether you publish or not.

What do you think are your strongest and weakest points in writing? 

I think I'm particularly good at atmosphere and dialogue. I love creating places and voices.

My books aren't as plot-oriented as they could be, though. And my endings come fast [screenwriting style!] which bugs a lot of people.

I've done a lot of thinking lately how I can shift the beats in my books a little. It can be tricky, though. I don't want to bore anyone by adding the wrong things!

An important note about the prize for today's post: you'll be receiving an ARC of THE SPRINGSWEET. ARCs are Advanced Reader Copies, and they're not final. Saundra has written  an open letter about this edition of the book: neither line 3 nor 4 on page 249 appear in the final book. 

And now for a giveaway! Leave a comment with your email address below to be entered to win a copy of THE SPRINGSWEET! Note: I had previously thought this was signed, but just realized it isn't; I'll let the winner know when it's announced. One winner will be picked next Monday; sorry, but this needs to be North America only. 

Interview Week: Marrissa Meyer, author of CINDER

Welcome to Interview Week!

All this week, I'm interviewing awesome authors--and giving away a copy of their book! Come back each day this week for another author and another chance to win an awesome book.

Quick Stats on Today's Author:

• Marissa Meyer is the debut author of CINDER
• Marissa recently posted about her Spanish book cover, which is, frankly, stunning.
• Marissa is, like me, a total Sailor Moon fan! Hurrah!
• Cinder, the eponymous heroine, reminded me of greasemonkey Kaylee from Firefly, which you all know is a epic thing.  

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?

When I was in 4th grade, my class performed Shakespeare’s Macbeth (I was Hecate, the head witch). This began a period of a few years in which I thought I wanted to be a playwright and would force my cousin to act out skits with me in front of our parents. Good times.     

As a kid, what was your favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing up?

I had plenty of favorites, but I probably read “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” more than any other. I was enchanted with the idea of an entire chocolate paradise. Of course, I’m still enchanted by that idea! I still love Charlie, but these days my reading list typically leans more into young adult, mostly because I’m a big fan of some romance in my reading material.

Your book, CINDER, is a futuristic take on the old classic fairy tale of Cinderella. Is Cinderella your favorite fairy tale? If not—which one is? Why?

Cinderella is definitely one of my favorite tales – largely because it’s a story that everyone, from every time and place and culture, can associate with. The desire to improve our station in life is definitely a universal one. That said, I don’t think it’s possible for me to choose an all-time favorite fairy tale. It seems to change by the hour!

YOUR BOOK

It's the inevitable question: what inspired CINDER? 

I had the idea to write a series of science-fiction fairy tales after entering a writing contest with a futuristic retelling of Puss in Boots. Months later, as I was falling asleep, I had a vision of Cinderella running down the palace steps… but instead of losing a shoe, her whole foot fell off. Cyborg Cinderella! It was too good to ignore.

One of the great things about CINDER is the threat of the Lunars.  This is such a refreshing tale on the “evil queen” of fairy tales, and you did a great job in making her character both realistic and deliciously bad. Can you tell us how you developed the Lunars and where the idea came from?

Thank you! The Lunars developed over many drafts. In the earliest version, they had super crazy powers – like being able to shoot lightning bolts and fireballs out of their hands (no doubt harking back to my obsession with sword-and-sorcery as a teen… or maybe Sailor Moon). After awhile, though, their powers started to change into the more subtle (yet creepier) powers of mind-control and manipulation. Then at one point I thought that maybe I should have some sort of scientific explanation for the Lunar power, so I did some research on military experimentation for crowd control, which is how I stumbled on the idea of bioelectricity and how it could, potentially, be used to manipulate people’s thoughts. And bam! The Lunars were born.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing & publishing CINDER?

I wrote the first draft of CINDER in just two weeks – it was part of a contest, the prize for which was a walk-on role in Star Trek. (I didn’t win.) After that, it took me about two years to rewrite and revise, during which I also wrote the first drafts of Books 2 and 3. Once it came time to start submitting it, though, everything happened really fast. I signed with the first agent I queried. Two weeks later, she submitted the book on a Friday and we had our first offer the following Monday. It was insane. Fourteen months later, the book was published. So it took a little over three years from idea to bookshelves.

If your reader could only take away one emotion, theme, or idea from CINDER, what would you want it to be?

Anticipation for Book 2!

YOUR WRITING

What's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?

How hard it is to write when it’s your job! When I was working full time, I got very good at using up every spare moment to write, even if it was only recording thoughts at a red light or working feverishly during my lunch breaks. Now that I’m a full-time writer, though, I too often feel like I have all the time in the world! Which means I use that time very poorly. It can be quite detrimental, but I’m happy to say that sixteen months after quitting the day job, I think I’m finally starting to get a hang of this full-time writing gig.

What do you think are your strongest and weakest points in writing?

Stongest: I’m neurotically goal-oriented. If I say I’m going to write 150,000 words in a month, I’m darn well going to do it! I’m nothing if not determined.

Weakest: Balance. Which kind of goes hand-in-hand with that neurotically goal-oriented thing. When I have it in my head to do something, all the rest of my life tends to fall by the wayside. It seems that every time I finish up a project (say, the a draft on the novel), I have to spend a couple weeks just trying to get my life back in order. Trying to balance writing and promotion and socializing and healthy habits and upkeeping the house… I’m not so good at that.

Beyond the typical--never give up, believe in yourself--what would be the single best advice you'd like to give another writer?

I don’t believe in writer’s block, but I do believe that there are some days when our brains require extra goading. For that, I think it’s important to have some sort of mental trick that works for you, every time. For me, it’s bringing my laptop into bed with me, lighting a candle, and enjoying a glass of wine. Yes, it’s akin to mental bribery, but it always makes me relax and enjoy the writing process again. For some, it might be playing a mood-music playlist or putting on a special writing sweater or reading the acknowledgments pages of their favorite books. Whatever inspires you to get back to work is a trick worth having in your arsenal!

 And now for a giveaway! Leave a comment with your email address below to be entered to win a copy of CINDER--and it's SIGNED! One winner will be picked next Monday; sorry, but this needs to be North America only. 

Interview Week: Cole Gibsen, author of KATANA

Welcome to Interview Week!

All this week, I'm interviewing awesome authors--and giving away a copy of their book! Come back each day this week for another author and another chance to win an awesome book.

Quick Stats on Today's Author:

• Cole Gibsen is the debut author of KATANA
• Her blog has the awesome name "Hair Dye and Samurai"
• Cole is also the author of BREATHLESS
• Cole claims to not be a ninja, but I'm not sure I believe that.

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?

Last year, after Dragoncon, I was sitting in an Applebees in the Atlanta airport when I saw Nicholas Brendan walk by. Much to my brother and husband’s embarrassment, I screamed, “I LOVE YOU, NICHOLAS BRENDAN!” at the top of my lungs. He smiled and waved. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, I grabbed my brother’s girlfriend and—like stealthy ninja—the two of us stalked Nicholas all the way to his gate.  (Okay, maybe not like ninja. He totally saw us and I think was on the verge of calling security.)

As a kid, what was your favorite book? Have your tastes changed since growing up?

My favorite book was, without a doubt, Bunnicula by James Howe. Twenty years later, I’m still go fangirl over vegetable-draining vampire bunnies. Seriously. Who doesn’t?

In your book, KATANA, the main character Rileigh finds herself thrown into a world of martial arts and ninjas. Does this draw from any passions in your own life? Are you secretly a ninja?!

Two things to know about me:

1. I absolutely adore martial arts.

2. I suck at martial arts.

Seriously. I’ve taken several different styles (karate, taekwondo, kick boxing, tai chi, etc.) and I’m terrible at them all.

It wasn’t until I received my second black eye and split lip that I decided it would be more fun (not to mention better for my heath) to write about martial arts instead of actually doing martial arts.

YOUR BOOK

It's the inevitable question: what inspired KATANA? 

The above black eye and split lip. After having my ass handed to me in yet another sparring match, I remember looking at a poster of Bruce Lee on the wall and wishing his spirit would possess me so I could kick a little butt for once.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. But it did get me thinking about the possibility of a spirit granting sudden martial arts expertise. That was when the idea for KATANA was born.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about the process--particularly the timeline--of writing & publishing KATANA?

Oh boy. I definitely wasn’t one of those overnight success stories you sometimes read about. It took me two books, two years, and over two hundred rejection letters before I landed my agent. After that it took me another year of revisions and submissions before I had my first offer. It would then take another two years before KATANA would sit on a bookstore shelf.

If your reader could only take away one emotion, theme, or idea from KATANA, what would you want it to be?

Fun. When was seventeen, I was kicked out of my house and lived out of my car for a short time. During that period, my only source of entertainment came from the books I checked out from the library. It was those books that got me through that difficult time by allowing me to forget about my problems for a short while. If my book can do the same by giving a teenager a couple of laughs or allowing them to temporarily forget about their problems, then I accomplished what I set out to do.

YOUR WRITING

What's the most surprising thing you've learned since becoming a writer?

Patience. I’ve never been a patient person and I hate going into situations that I can’t control. This does not bode well for a career in publishing.

My agent told me that the slogan for publishing should be, “Hurry up and wait!” and truer words have never been spoken. At first, the whole thing made me a little crazy. Luckily, I’ve since found my inner Zen about the waiting game. And when I do find myself starting to crack, I’ve found that wine helps. A lot.

Beyond the typical--never give up, believe in yourself--what would be the single best advice you'd like to give another writer?

Read books in the genre you plan to write. And then read some more. And after that, read some more. 

What do you think are your strongest and weakest points in writing?

Wow. That’s a really tough question to answer about yourself. I don’t know if it’s my strongest point per say, but one of my favorite things to write is snarky dialogue. I also enjoy writing out a good fight scene.

As far a weak points, when I read books by other authors, some of them have such talent for creating vivid imagery with setting. I’d love to improve in that area.

 And now for a giveaway! Leave a comment with your email address below to be entered to win a copy of KATANA! One winner will be picked next Monday; sorry, but this needs to be North America only. 

On Communication

I've been a bit incommunicado lately, and I totally apologize! First, A MILLION SUNS came out. Then I had to rewrite SHADES OF EARTH. Then I did a series of travel and writing retreats (more on those later) which required a lot of work and not much time for writing blog posts, answering emails, and updating Twitter. The long and the short of it: I'm behind on all forms of communication.

But! All this week! There will be an interview with a different author each day--followed by a giveaway of a (usually signed) book by each author! Hurrah!

I'm still way behind on Twitter and email though :)

Breathless Reads Fall Tour

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.

Guest Post by Saundra Mitchell, Author of Springsweet

Today I have the very great pleasure of introducing you to Saundra Mitchell, author of the historical magical novel THE SPRINGSWEET. She's such a sweet author and a whizz at marketing--if you're not already following her blog and reading her books, get on that! Check out her post below for a chance to win both of her historical novels and a copy of A MILLION SUNS!

----------------

"Do you know what I've missed since coming here? Books. I do miss reading novels, don't you?"

-Zora, The Springsweet

Pretty much every writer started out as a reader; now that we're writers, we can't help but write about people who love books. Sometimes IN the books. It's meta upon meta, but it makes perfect sense to us.

To celebrate books, Saundra Mitchell's blog tour is all about sharing two great things that go great together: books + free.  And in this case, whiplash- one minute, you're enjoying a strange, dark future in A MILLION SUNS, the next, you're whipped back to magic on the prairie in 1891.

Get your whiplash for free. Enter to win a copy of  A MILLION SUNS, and a signed set of Saundra's THE VESPERTINE and THE SPRINGSWEET. All you have to do is comment in this entry, and leave an e-mail address where we can contact you. (US & Canadian residents only, please.)

And tell us about your favorite book, too. Growing a TBR pile is the best gardening there is!

THE SPRINGSWEET
A Companion to The Vespertine
by Saundra Mitchell
Hardcover & E-book

From Harcourt

“A lovely historical romance takes readers back to the 1890 Oklahoma territory. (T)he author conjures a convincing picture of life on the Oklahoma prairie, painting an absorbing portrait of the landscape and of the people there. A high-quality, absorbing drama.”

– Kirkus Reviews, 02/01/12

It’s a long way from Baltimore to Oklahoma Territory. But Zora Stewart will go any distance to put the tragic events of her sixteenth summer behind her. So this city girl heads to the tiny frontier town of West Glory to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going.

When another Baltimorean shows up in West Glory, Zora couldn’t be more surprised. Theo de la Croix made the long trip out west hoping to court Zora, whom he has long admired from afar.

But Zora has developed an attraction to a rather less respectable fellow: Emerson Birch, a rough-mannered young “sooner” whose fertile land is coveted.

As Zora begins to suspect that there may be more than luck behind Emerson’s good land, she discovers an extraordinary, astonishing power of her own: the ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a “springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land.

Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.

THE SPRINGSWEET

is available at Indiebound |Amazon| Barnes & Noble

Saundra Mitchell has been a phone psychic, a car salesperson, a denture-deliverer and a layout waxer. She's dodged trains, endured basic training, and hitchhiked from Montana to California. She teaches herself languages, raises children, and makes paper for fun. She's the author of Shadowed Summer, The Vespertine, The Springsweet, and the forthcoming The Elementals and Mistwalker. She's also the editor of the forthcoming YA anthology Defy the Dark. She always picks truth; dares are too easy.

#BreathlessChat

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

Today! #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.

Chicago Area Event of WIN

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!

Link Spam

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:

UK Release of A Million Suns!

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

“All the twists, turns and secrets made A Million Suns so exciting!  I was hooked to every single word.” 5 stars ***** (The Book Addicted Girl blog)

“Revis has an amazing way of heightening tension and anticipation. This is definitely what you'd call a page turner” (Stepping Out of the Page blog)

“I couldn't put the book down” (Reading Between the Lines blog)

News & Events

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:

RT Convention, Chicago, IL

April 11-15

Events:

Science Fiction: Popular Tropes & Themes & How to Write SF That Dazzles

With: Ann Aguire, Cindy Holby, Isabo Kelly, Cindy Spencer Pape, Lineea Sinclair, and me

Wednesday, April 11th, 1pm

Young Adult: Post-apocalytic and Near Future YA

With: David McInnis Gill, Carrie Ryan, Margie Stohl, Rosemary Clement-Moore, and me

Thursday, April 12th, 10am

Young Adult: Wasting My Time: Making Sense of the Changing Landscape

With: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Saundra Mitchell, Deborah Schneider, Margie Stohl, Melissa Marr, and me

Friday, April 13th, 10am

Meet the Authors at the Book Fair

YA Author Alley

Friday, April 13th, 10:45-2:00

From Spark to Fire: Interactive World and Character-Building Workshop

With: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Nancy Holder, Veronica Roth, Margie Stohl, and me

Friday, April 13th, 2:30-3:30

Teen Day Party

Lower Level: International Ballroom

6:15-7:30pm

You can download a full schedule of the RT Convention here.

Bookstore Events:

Date: April 26, 7pm

With: Alan Gratz, Carrie Ryan, Gwenda Bond, Kristin Tubb, Laurel Snyder, Megan Miranda, Megan Shepherd, Tiffany Trent

A low-key, informal discussion and Q&A about writing and YA literature

Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville, NC

Date: May 1, 7pm

With: Stephanie Perkins, Kiersten White, Megan Miranda

Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville, NC

Date: May 2, 6:30pm

Just me :)

City Lights Bookstore, Sylva, NC

Hacked Fixed!

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 :)

Website Hacked

Please do NOT go to my main webpage--bethrevis.com--as it appears to have been hacked. It redirects to unsavory sites or has a scam pop-up.

I'm working on this and will let you know as soon as the site itself is fixed.

Edit: This doesn't seem to affect any page but the main one (bethrevis.com)--i.e., not this blog, not the other pages in the website. But if you do have any trouble, please let me know ASAP.

The Top Three Things You've Learned

As many of you know, I'm a member of the debut novelist group The Elevensies. But we're no longer in the year 2011...and we're no longer debuts. Surely we've learned something in that time. I recently asked the group to list out the top three things they've learned in their debut years. If you're currently a debut--or if you want to be a debut one day--I hope these mini-lists of advice help you out!


First, my advice:
1. It's not the kind of swag you get, but how you use it.
2. New goal: never do another event by myself (more authors = more fun & less stress!)
3. Sometimes it's easier to rewrite the book than revise it.


Here's what the rest of the Elevensies had to say:

Julia Karr
TRUTH
1. Don't be stressed, you're doing this because you love to write. 
2. A good editor is worth their weight in gold.
3. Keep writing the stories you want to tell.


Helen Landalf
FLYAWAY
1. The revisions you do before the sale are only the beginning.
2. Promoting is just another phase of the writing process - embrace it!
3. Always write the book that challenges you.



Tessa Gratton
THE BLOOD KEEPER
1. The Internet is not God.
2. I can't control what people say about my book, what marketing it does or doesn't get, or gravity, but I CAN control my reactions to everything.
3. Save all your receipts. ALL OF THEM.

Sara Bennett Wealer
RIVAL
1. Dedicate a BIG chunk of your advance for promo (more than you think you'll need).
2. There will be disappointments--sometimes big ones; have tissues and a shoulder to cry on handy. 
3. Always be working on something new!


Angie Smibert
THE FORGETTING CURVE
1. Invest in a good office chair. You'll be spending a lot of time in it.
2. Don't get caught up in marketing. No one really knows what works.
3. Always be writing.

Tommy Greenwald
CHARLIE JOE JACKSON
1. Editors are slow but wonderful.
2. Try not to obsess over things beyond your control.
3. When you do obsess over things beyond your control, have chocolate handy.

Kiki Hamilton
THE FAERIE RING
1. Write for the love of the story only you can tell.
2. Embrace book bloggers - they are AWESOME.
3. Believe in yourself. Never waver. If you want it bad enough - you can find a way to make it happen.

Terry Lynn Johnson
DOGSLED DREAMS
1. Patience! The waiting. Never. Ends.
2. Write your next book while you're waiting.
3. Did I mention the waiting?

Dawn Metcalf
LUMINOUS
1. Thou shalt not stress about things over which you have no control, be it cover art, marketing, sales numbers, promo, the migration of editors and agents, or other mysteries of the publishing universe.
2. Meet lots of people, online and in-person, and keep in touch! These wonderful human beings are your lifelines to sanity.
3. Write the next book that inspires you.

Kristi Cook
HAVEN
1. A book is never really "done" until the editor pries it from your hot little hands
2. Writing an 80K word book is easier than writing a 5 page synopsis
3. Worrying about all the stuff you *can't* control will drive you nuts. Instead, focus on what you *can* control--writing a really good book!

Lisa Desrochers
LAST RITE
1. There is nothing more valuable than a honest critique partner who gets your writing.
2. Don't stress about the stuff that's out of your control. (Like covers.)
3. Find some awesome writerly friends who will hug you when you need it.

Clete Barrett Smith
ALIENS ON VACATION
1. Librarians, teachers and children's booksellers--in addition to being the best people in the world--are largely responsible for getting your book into the hands of kids. Treat them accordingly.
2. Learn to enjoy the public speaking that goes along with book promotion.
3. Your (possibly lifelong) goal of being a published author has been accomplished. Congrats! Now it's time to set new writing goals.

Elana Johnson
POSSESSION
1. It's never too early to start the next book, series or no series.
2. Spend more time writing than promoting.
3. Learn to say no.