You're Invited...to a Virtual Party Celebration!

I've always been told that when new parents have a baby, they do everything with that baby. Hundreds of photos, videos, record every moment, journals, etc. But by the time the parents have a second baby...they're just tired! They forget to fill out the baby book, they don't bother with as many photos.

I approached this year with the same fashion. A MILLION SUNS is my second baby...and boy am I tired! Did anyone care enough for me to bother with a launch party? Should I bother with another big thing on my website?

Well, being a second child myself, I decided that I didn't want to make A MILLION SUNS feel forgotten. (Also: friends of the book threatened mutiny if I forewent a party!) So in true Beth Revis fashion, we're going to celebrate the new year with a PARTY!! And because so many of you aren't in my local area, I wanted to make sure that everyone, no matter where you live, can participate.

Besides, you guys know the answer to this, right? When there's an option to party or not, you should...party hard!

So, I'm organizing the virtual party just like a real party. Which means there will be...

PARTY HOSTS

Every hour, from 8am until 5pm, there will be a new post on a new blog from around the blogosphere. Each post will have special content about the books, and a chance to win a prize! There will be direct links on Tuesday, when the party goes live, but the sites will be:

Hypable

YA Book Central

Mundie Moms

Novel Thoughts

Bookalicious

Page Turners

The Secret of the Stars

The League of Extraordinary Writers

PARTY GAMES

Secretly I think the best games are party games. So I'm building a game around the virtual party. I'll announce just what that game is on Tuesday, but let me assure you of two things:

(1) The game will be fun

(2) The game will involve an awesome grand prize

PARTY HANGOUT

But you don't just go to a party to play games and get prizes, right? Heck, half the fun of the party is hanging out with the other people at the party! 

So, during the live launch party, from 7-9pm, there will be live updates and tweets on Twitter, so you'll be able to participate in the launch party!

Make sure to follow @AMillionSuns, which will be manned by my husband during the launch party. He's going to transcribe highlights from the live launch party, take Twitter questions for us to answer directly at the event, and host some fun giveaways during the party.

There will also be an official chat room for Twitter. To join, all you have to do is sign into Twitter, then go to the TweetChat room here. You're welcome to check it out now, but it will be manned and live for the official chat from 7-9pm, Eastern Standard Time. I might pop in and out throughout January 10th to say hi to any early or late arrivals to the chat room, so please feel free to hangout at the official virtual hangout :)

Also: you can always just use the official launch hashtag to hangout, too: #amslaunch

PARTY FAVORS

 Let's see--party hosts, games, and hangouts. What am I missing? Oh, yeah! Giveaways!

At every single blog from the party hosts up above, you're going to have a chance to win a prize--it'll be a random drawing, and open internationally. Each stop will have a party favor to give to one commenter, and that party favor includes signed books, AtU swag, and stuff from...NASA! (heckyeah! NASA! Special thanks to Ex Libris Kate for donating the NASA goodies!)

But wait! There's MORE!

If you order A MILLION SUNS from my local indie bookstore, 

Fireside Books and Gifts,

you will also receive some special swag!

Everyone who orders their book from Fireside will get:

-a signed, personalized book (obviously)

-a poster

-a bookmark

and 

-a limited edition koi fish art print

But that's not all!

I have THREE more of these limited edition water bottles to give away, and 

I'll be giving them away at the launch party!

There will be a drawing--including both the people at the launch party

and the people who order it from Fireside--

and three winners will get one of these *extremely rare* water bottles!

You can order your signed and personalized copy of 

A MILLION SUNS

or

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

from Fireside here:

-Website: click here 

-Phone: 828-245-5188

-Facebook: click here

LA Times Review!

Guys, I'm sorry--I hate to toot my own horn, but I have to share this or I'll burst (also, I'm giving myself a bit of a waiver for the toot-my-own-horn-thing since the book comes out on Tuesday). The LA Times just did a great review of A MILLION SUNS, and it'll be printed in the Sunday edition! *flails about*

The review itself is a tad spoilery (and very spoilery if you've not read ACROSS THE UNIVERSE yet), but there's a piece of it that I just have to share:

Revis keeps the book moving with short chapters that invariably end with cliffhangers to leverage the time-is-nigh plot. She's also fond of killing off and drugging pivotal characters and threatening to defrost others as the ship hurtles toward its uncertain but inevitable future.

*happy sigh* It's like they just get me, you know? :D Hurrah for space murder and mayhem!!

Another favorite quote (which I love because I tried so hard to avoid the sophomore slump):

Oftentimes, the second book in a series struggles to live up to the expectations set in its kickoff, but not here. Revis has penned a fast-paced, action-packed follow-up with her dystopian, sci-fi thriller, "A Million Suns," that explores not only the nature of authority and loyalty but fear of the unknown and fulfilling one's personal destiny.

Does anyone know how I can snag a copy of the paper here on the East Coast?

What Kind of Burning Questions Do You Have?

I really want to know! Do you have any questions for me about ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, A MILLION SUNS, or even *gasp* SHADES OF EARTH?

I'll be posting the five best questions + answers in a special feature next week. Please let me know what you want to know!

Events!

You might have noticed that I only just now updated the News page of my website. I have been terribly remiss about my recent events (except on Facebook. I actually updated FB, yay!)

Which is sad-making because I actually have a ton of events that I want to tell you about. 2012 is the year of travel! And it's also the year of Beth-doesn't-want-to-do-events-alone-so-she-keeps-begging-authors-to-join-her-for-shizz.

FIRST: THE LAUNCH OF A MILLION SUNS! with special guests Stephanie Perkins and Carrie Ryan!

WHEN: January 10, at 7pm


WHERE: Fireside Books and Gifts, 111 Main Street, Forest City, NC. (Please note that this is a change in address from last year; the store moved to Main Street)


WHO: Me, Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door), and Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places).


WHAT: A launch part for A Million Suns PLUS special guests PLUS cake pops PLUS surprise prizes PLUS a virtual party at the same time PLUS MORE. (Seriously)

MORE: Guys, I'm so excited about this. Fireside is my home bookstore, and I love doing hometown events. Also, I get to do this one with Steph and Carrie, and that rocks. Additionally, this event will be special because it's happening at the same time as...

THE VIRTUAL PARTY, OPEN TO THE WHOLE FREAKING WORLD!!!!!!
(I think that needs some more exclamation marks, but I've hit my quota)


WHEN: January 10th, ALL DAY


WHERE: The World Wide Web, baby! And I mean world-wide!


WHO: Me & you & you & you & you....


WHAT: A VIRTUAL party online. More details on this will be revealed later today, but it involves:

• Party games (in the form of a blog hop updating hourly throughout the day)
• Party favors (in the form of prizes, open internationally, given out at each stop!)
• Socializing (in the form of a live Twitter chat-room going on at the same time as the launch party, so no matter where you are, you can participate! You'll be able to ask questions of all three authors, join in on the giveaways, get your book signed if you order through Fireside, and more!)

MORE: This is my way of bringing all of you guys, the wonderful people who've supported me this year, in on the biggest party of the year. We're doing all we can--including through Twitter, video, and more--to really make you feel as if you're a part of the event. And of course the best part of a party is the presents--so we're going to have plenty of those to give to you!)

But that's not my only event this month! Also, we have...

Five-Author Event in New York City

WHEN: January 17, from 6-8pm

WHERE: Books of Wonder Bookstore

WHO: Me, Julie Cross (Tempest), Megan Miranda (Fracture), Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places), and Maureen Lipinski (Shadow's Edge)

WHAT: A five-author panel as we discuss books, YA, writing, and more! Followed by a signing with all the authors.

MORE: I'm really stoked about this one, too! Not the least because I loved Tempest so much that I blurbed it. Seriously. I'm a sucker for time travel, but what really sold me on this story was the narrator. He starts out as a total (but realistic) jerk, and ends up doing his best to be a good guy. <3 Also: Fracture by Megan Miranda was full of twists and turns...and y'all know I'm a Carrie-fangirl...and I've not met Maureen yet, but I'm really looking forward to it!

And finally, for the month of January...

Meet Me & Lauren DeStefano at RJ Julia's Bookstore!

WHEN: January 18, at 7pm

WHERE: RJ Julia's Bookstore, CT

WHO: Me, Lauren DeStefano (Wither and the up-coming Fever)

WHAT: I suspect there will be shenanigans. Basically, we're going to talk and then sign books, and somewhere in there hilarity will ensure. 

MORE: Squee!! As much as I fangirl in Lauren's general direction, and despite the hundreds (I think) emails we've exchanged, we've never actually met in real life before! The building might implode from our combined forces. It's a worry. 

And that's January! The good news is, if you want to meet me in real life and I'm not coming near you this month...I'll be going on a huge tour in the middle of February. I've not been told that I'm allowed to let you guys know where I'm going, but I think it's safe to say that it'll be coast to coast, with some stops in the middle. Also, I'll be keeping up the tradition of not doing events solo, as this will be another group tour (yay!). If, by chance, you like authors who write books about witches, wolves, or dystopian worlds, then you're in luck! 

A FEVERish Giveaway!

Ugh. I know. That title is very very lame. Which is a shame because what I've got to showcase today is the opposite of lame.

Any ideas? Here's a clue...



Any more guesses?

How about this...

Or this...

That's right! Today I'm featuring the lovely Lauren DeStefano...and I'm following it up with a signed copy of BOTH books!


WITHER debuted last year with a huge fanfare--and justly deserved! It was an amazing book, both because of it's un-put-down-able-ness and because of the beautiful way in which it was written. Here's the thing. For me, if a book has a great plot that makes me keep turning the pages no matter what, I really like it. But if that book also adds on a truly beautiful language style...I'm in love. Very few books do this. Carrie Ryan's works...Neil Gaimon's...Victoria Schwab...these are the only authors I can think of off the top of my head with a similar mixture of amazing plot + beautiful writing style.

So, of course, I immediately began stalking Lauren. And then I begged her for FEVER. Guys. Seriously. BEGGED.


And my evil machinations worked! I totally snagged a copy of FEVER and devoured the whole thing in less than 24 hours.

Guys. GUYS. You need to read this series. No shizz. It's...amazing. *happy sigh*

Things I love about WITHER and FEVER:

• Rhine is a very realistic character. The decisions she makes when she's faced with them are either (a) exactly what I would do, or (b) not what I would do, but I understand why she would do it.
• There's a love triangle. Sort of. And I really only like sort-of-love-triangles. In WITHER, Rhine is forced into marriage against her will. Thing is? Her husband's not a douche. In a lot of ways, he's got just as real problems as Rhine--he's been lied to, and deceived, and he's only trying to find something that's real. And the boy Rhine thinks she might fall for? She's not sure. She's trapped. She's not willing to risk too many emotions here.
• In FEVER, the suck doesn't go away. By which I mean--Rhine's world changes...but it's still bad. Okay, so here's the thing. You know how HUNGER GAMES was always a little unbelievable because the bad districts were so bad, and the good ones so good? I mean...no distribution of wealth? Not everything's quite so black and white. Don't get me wrong, I loved HG, but I loved it more for the plot than the setting, yanno? Anyway, my point here is that in FEVER, there is striation. Gradiation. There a lot of shades of gray. Not just in the people, but the settings. What is right and what is wrong. Sometimes, the things you think are wrong...in this situation, with these people....it's right. Or sometimes, the things you think are right...aren't. Lauren takes these impossible people in an impossible world, and she gives them impossible situations, and she forces them to react to them.

Look, I'm babbling. Sorry. I tend to get babbly about books I love hardcore. 

So, want a copy? Of course you do! Up for grabs today is a copy of WITHER (signed!) and an ARC of FEVER (also signed!). Lauren donated this prize for the contest, so to get extra entries, I'm going to ask that you show her some love. These are totally optional, but I encourage you to thank her for the prize by doing some of these options (or in the comments!). 

TO ENTER: Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. All that is required is an email address (so I can contact the winner). The other things are optional. The contest is US only...sorry! The next contest will be international. Enter quick! This contest closes on Saturday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Challenges!

There's a fresh new year here, and it's time for some fresh new reading challenges!

Last year, I set myself a low bar--I figured I'd be doing well to read 35 books in a year. Imagine my surprise when I read nearly 50!

I credit the upsurge in reading to several things:

1. I got an e-reader. I had played with them before, but I thought I was getting the e-reader mostly to aid in quickly reading friends' manuscripts. I was shocked to discover that I actually read faster on an e-reader, and now prefer it as a format for many books. Additionally, it's so easy to snatch up samples, short stories, and on-sale books this way. Easily half of my reading this year was done with my e-reader, and I never would have started some of the giants (GRR Martin, anyone?) without the Kindle.
2. I got more books for free. There's something about being sent an ARC that makes me want to drop everything and read :)
3. I read more books of friends. I feel truly blessed to count some of my writer-idols as friends now, so of course I wanted to be sure I read every single title of theirs I could. Also, writer friends make great recommenders, too. After the last retreat I was on, I bought five more books before catching the flight home (on my Kindle, natch)!

So, this year, I wanted to challenge myself a little more, and set my GoodReads goal to 45. I think I should probably have set it to 50, but I want to write a little more this year than last, so I compromised. 

If you'd like to join the GoodReads 2012 Reading Challenge, sign up for it here!

But of course, there are also some great reading challenges online, too. This year, I'm going to try to participate in the Story Siren's 2012 Debut Author Challenge. This is a great challenge that features books written by debut authors. A debut year for an author is often one of the most important years--a successful debut can carry an author a long way. So support the new authors in the world and their baby books!

You can find out about the debut challenge here.

You can see January's debuts here.

The official challenge is to read 12 books...but I'm going to be slack and challenge myself to read six debut YA books in 2012.

But there's a new challenge that I just heard about recently (from The Hardcover Harlequin) that I also want to participate in. 

It's called the Sophomore Reading Challenge, and I'm really excited about it--partly because in just 10 days I'm looking at my own sophomore release! It's hard to believe that I'm on my second book release already...it all still feels so new! And from where I'm sitting, I feel just as fresh and inexperienced as last year, with my debut, so I definitely feel the love of having a challenge to continue supporting the authors you found last year in their debut year.

The Sophomore Reading Challenge is hosted by ChickLovesLit.com, and more details can be found here.

The official challenge is to read 10 sophomore novels, and she's got a great list of titles here. I'm going to stick with simplicity for myself, and challenge myself to read six sophomore titles this year.

What about you? What are your challenges for your reading life?

Goals and Dreams

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. When if when 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!

'Tis The Season of Giving

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?

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Have a wonderful new year!

Book 3 Title Reveal!

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!

Tis the Season for Giving!

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!
• Speaking of good odds--make sure you enter the first year celebration over at the League. We're each giving away a signed copy of our books, so the grand prize winner will get FIVE signed books! It's super simple to enter, and did I mention the good odds you've got there?
• The AtU fansite, Secret of the Stars is hosting a blog hop with your choice of one of my books as a prize!
• 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. 
• It's SO EASY to help out with this auction: just go here, pick your prize, and bid.

I think I've hit them all with this--feel free to post in the comments of other giveaways you'd like to share with people!

Pick Your Present! (Or: That's a lot of cows!)

So this happened:

We currently have over 1000 entries in the contest! Which means, of course, that there will be at least a $1000 donation to World Vision!

Check out World Vision and let me know what you think would be the best use of the donation! We can buy cows and goats and other livestock, or give micro loans to women, or put it towards share in a deep well, or...

Epic Giveaway of Epic is Back--and Twice as Big!

So last year I did a contest where I gave away 100 prizes. And this year, I got to thinking...how could I make that bigger?

By giving away 200 prizes instead.


And not only that, I'm going to give $1 to World Vision, an international charity that aids those in need, for every entry (up to 1,000 entries).

But wait. I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, let me show you the kinds of prizes up for grabs.

Or, actually, let's let YouTube show you...



The video gives you a sample of what's going on this month, but here it is in a little more detail:

200 Prize Giveaway!

You guys. There's a kitchen table under there.

Some prizes are even handmade! 

Remember Jennie, who made the charm bracelets earlier this year?

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:



<center><a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXYN0Naw2Ys/Tt7irZrCVqI/AAAAAAAACT8/GiosPQm-ug4/s1600/december+giveaway.jpg" width="150”" height="150" /></a></center>

Or you could tweet:
Tweet

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.

Stuck in the YA Scavenger Hunt?

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!)

Scavenger Hunt!

Did you get here from Leah Bobet's page? There's a linking error--if you got here from Leah, go instead to this website to continue the hunt.


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.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST!

The scavenger hunt is over! Thanks for playing!!

4-for-3 Sale

PS: the paperback is on sale at Amazon in a 4-for-3 promotion--buy any three qualifying books and get the fourth one free!

Linkspam

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!
• Two contests are going on right now!
• Christy's giving away 2 paperbacks of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and a pre-order of A MILLION SUNS
• The Intergalactic Galaxy did a great interview with me and are giving away a signed copy of AtU

And because I don't want to turn this into me, me, me, I have two things for you that are awesome.

ONE: this fantastic poem about being a writer.

TWO: David Tennant reading you a bedtime story.

Happy Book Birthday to AtU!

Happy Paperback Release, AtU!

*pets the pretty new cover*

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.

And as always:

Thank YOU.

An Interview with UNTRACEABLE author Shelli Johannes-Wells

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.

Turkey Soup & Dumplings

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.

Step Four: EAT!

Thankful for Dreams

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.

Shop Local, Get Swag and Signed Books

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.

Which is why, this year, I'm supporting my local economy with Small Business Saturday.



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!

WINNERS!

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...

This person, who is most grateful for DELTORA QUEST!

This person, who is most grateful for HARRY POTTER!

And also this person, who is also most grateful for HARRY POTTER!

The winner of the signed ACROSS THE UNIVERSE with swag and a box of Turkish Delight is...

This person, who is most grateful for ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS!

And...

drumroll please...

The winner of 19 signed books, swag, a box of Turkish Delight, and as much goodies as I can cram in the boxes is....

This librarian, who is most grateful for BOY MEETS BOY!!!

Congrats to all the winners, 

and thank you ALL for playing along!

Don't forget to check back in December for my next giveaway!

I've been prepping for this one for awhile,

and, it's even bigger.