Sunday, February 27, 2011
Spring Cleaning Book Contest
This is why I need to spring clean.
That stack you see on the desk is one of two I need to fit into the shelves that line the walls of my office.Any holes you see on the shelves are the result of my pruning.
So I think I'm going to give away my leftovers in three batches. Ah! This feels productive already.
YA BATCH 1:
YA BATCH 2:
ADULT BATCH:
I think, um, to enter, you have to post a link to my blog somewhere -- on your twitter, facebook, blog, Mom's forehead -- with something defining like "I read this blog!" or "crazy author!" "I want to win books from here and she's making me post a link, tacky much!?" You know. Something like that. And then comment here or on the blogger version of the blog (your comment will be your entry) with where you posted it and tell me which stack you'd like to win and tell me what you'll do with the books if you win them. One entry per person.
Let's run it through . . . ummm . . . Tuesday morning, 9 a.m. EST. That's the 1st of March and an excellent time to end a Spring Cleaning Contest, I think.
I'm afraid it can only be open to U.S. readers or to international who can provide me a U.S. address, because these suckers are going to be sent media mail.
Okay, go! Also, vacuum! I am. You should too.
ETA: The stacks are getting higher as I go, by the way. I've just added one of the copies of THE VESPERTINE I found to stack #2. And also two copies of The Vampirates series. And HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY to the adult stack. It's dire.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Merry Sisters of Fate, Borders, & Secret Musicians
In other news, there's not too much more depressing than going to a Borders store-closing sale.
In other, other news, I spent Saturday in the studio both recording the music for the FOREVER book trailer music and watching one of the Secret Musicians record his version of "Summer Girl." (which he may be sharing in May, stay tuned). And yes, there are multiple Secret Musicians, both of which I'm very fond of, musically. One is recording a single version of "Summer Girl." The others are doing a version which will go with an alternative version of the FOREVER book trailer. I can't wait to share them.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
And I thought NASA was weird
But I was having a perfectly ordinary evening when I got a blast of e-mails and tweets including this photograph.
That's Jeopardy.
AND THAT'S ME AS A CLUE.
Now the only problem is trying to bathe Thing 1 & 2 while flapping my hands helplessly.
THING 1: May I have a bedtime snack?
ME: Go eat everything within reach in the pantry while Mama stands over here and flaps.
NYC Appearances in March - Teen Author Festival

The panel is on MARCH 19TH from 1-2 p.m, part of a three part series. Details here. Here's the complete list:
1:10 – 2:00: The Ties That Bind, Part One: The Struggle Against Darkness
Kim Harrington
Lisa McMann
Maggie Stiefvater
Robin Wasserman
2:00 – 2:45: The Ties That Bind, Part Two: Family Bonds
Melissa Kantor
Melina Marchetta
Alyssa Sheinmel
Natalie Standiford
Danette Vigilante
2:45 – 3:30: The Ties That Bind, Part Three: Friends and Community
Matt de la Pena
Torrey Maldonado
Michael Northrop
Leila Sales
And then the signing is at Books of Wonder on MARCH 20TH, details here. My slot is from 1-1:45 p.m. Because there are so many authors there, the place will be hopping, so I'll sign as many books as I can, but not the enormous stacks some folks bring to my individual signing (though I'm always glad to see the stacks, don't get me wrong). I'll also be bringing Linger tank-tops to the Books of Wonder signing and giving them away to the first 10 folks in line.
And here is the dazzling list of authors who will be at the signing. If this doesn't awe you, you don't have a pulse and I'm sorry for your undead self.
1-1:45
Lizabeth Zindel (A Girl, A Ghost, and the Hollywood Hills, Penguin)
Maryrose Wood (The Hidden Gallery, Harper)
Suzanne Weyn (Empty, Scholastic)
Danette Vigilante (The Trouble with Half a Moon, Penguin)
Maggie Stiefvater (Linger, Scholastic)
Natalie Standiford (Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters, Scholastic)
Mark Shulman (Scrawl, Roaring Brook)
Alyssa Sheinmel (The Beautiful Between, RH)
Kieran Scott (She’s So Dead to Us, S&S)
Leila Sales (Mostly Good Girls, S&S)
Patrick Ryan (Gemini Bites, Scholastic)
1:45-2:30
Marie Rutkoski (The Celestial Globe, FSG)
Lena Roy (Edges, FSG)
Michael Northrup (Trapped, Scholastic)
Sarah Mlynowski (Gimme a Call, RH)
Neesha Meminger (Jazz in Love, Ignite)
Terra Elan McVoy (After the Kiss, S&S)
Lisa McMann (Cryer’s Cross, S&S)
Kimberly Marcus (Exposed, RH)
Melina Marchetta (The Piper’s Son, Candlewick)
Torrey Maldonado (Secret Saturdays, Penguin)
Barry Lyga (Archvillain, Scholastic)
2:30-3:15
E. Lockhart (Real Live Boyfriends, RH)
Sarah Darer Littman (Life After, Scholastic)
David Levithan (Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, RH)
Melissa Kantor (The Darlings Are Forever, Hyperion)
Carla Jablonksi (Resistance, First Second)
Gwendolyn Heasley (Where I Belong, Harper)
Kim Harrington (Clarity, Scholastic)
Christopher Grant (Teenie, RH)
Margie Gelbwasser (Inconvenient, Flux)
Elizabeth Eulberg (Prom & Prejudice, Scholastic)
Helen Ellis (The Turning, Sourcebooks)
3:15-4
Daniel Ehrenhaft (Friend is Not a Verb, Harper)
Sarah Beth Durst (Enchanted Ivy, S&S)
Matt De La Pena (I Will Save You, RH)
Brent Crawford (Carter Finally Gets It, Hyperion)
Eireann Corrigan (Accomplice, Scholastic)
Susane Colasanti (Something Like Fate, Penguin)
Marina Budhos (Tell Us We’re Home, S&S)
Kate Brian (Book of Spells, S&S)
Philana Marie Boles (Glitz, Penguin)
Judy Blundell (Strings Attached, Scholastic)
Cathleen Bell (Little Blog on the Prairie, Bloomsbury)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Slick the Wonder Car
Which meant that by the time I got into the driveway, we were running a little late.
And that is when I made my first mistake.
Lover had just traded in his previous car, the Land Yacht, for something more fuel efficient. I had yet to try the new car, and in my infinite wisdom, I decided that this was the day to take it. The new car, which I named Slick the Wonder Car (without my husband’s knowledge) due to the fact that it is slick as a new-made dolphin, turned out to be more complicated than I thought.
I like to think I know as much about cars as the next person, but apparently not.
I sat in the driver’s seat, key in hand, Things 1 & 2 buckling up in the back seat, and that was when I first got a good look at the key. Normal keys have a key part, and then a fob part. Anything different from this is a perversion of nature.
Slick the Wonder Car was a perversion. There was no key and fob. There was only fob. I did not how to operate a vehicle in which there was only fob. In front of me, the clock informed me we were two minutes late. I moved the seat forward, because at least I was going somewhere then. No answer presented itself. What was I supposed to do with this keyless key? Panic, that’s what.
I stared at the fob, looking for buttons and knobs that would shoot out a key, feeling like I’d fallen into an 80s movie with Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock. USE THE SHELLS.
Three minutes late.
ME: There’s no key on the key!
CHILDREN: It just goes in! It just goes in!
ME: *frantically thinks that’s what she said, that’s what she said*
That’s when I saw a slot by the steering wheel. A curiously fob-shaped slot. I inseredt the fob with the dubious trust of someone using an unfamiliar ATM -- will I get this back later? -- and the car came to life.
Four minutes late.
ME: Drive! Drive!
My euphoria melted. Driving was a no go. Slick the Wonder Car informed me the parking brake was on. But I, for one, saw no parking brake. There was absolutely nothing useful looking in sight. There was nothing but smooth surfaces and leather as far as the eye could see. It was like a Lady Gaga photo shoot.
CHILDREN: Oh, great, we’re going to be late because Mama can’t drive!
And then I saw this.
First, I noticed that Lover had a Lego Batman as his co-pilot (that is two super heroes in one blog post! I think that’s a record!) And then I noticed a glowing red light next to a letter P. In movies, you aren’t supposed to hit the red glowing button, but Slick the Wonder Car gave me no options.
ZOOM! We careened from the driveway.
And that was when I notice the speedometer.
Now, in my normal life, when I’m not driving Loki, I drive an ordinary little Jetta. It has a speedometer that looks something like this.
But that was not what Slick the Wonder Car’s speedometer looked like. This was what it looked like.
So that was what was in front of me -- that, and the open road, and suddenly I was flashing back over every moment spent going over 72 miles per hour between the ages of 19 and 29. I could hear the riffling of the sheaves of speeding tickets. Hear once more “license and registration” in a dozen different vocal timbres.
I was Atticus Finch presented with a rifle. James Bond presented with a fashion model. I had seen this weapon and I knew how to use it.
You cannot put OMFG on a speedometer without expecting that Maggie is going to attempt OMFG at some point.
This is the part of the blog post where you all are expecting me to tell you about the ticket that I got on Valentine’s Day.
Turns out, for all the things that Slick the Wonder Car could do, it couldn’t move distracted ladies in Broncos, old men walking Pomeranians, or change the school zones to something more conducive to speeding.
I want my money back.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday Five. The Forever Edition
1. I mentioned before I'll be releasing a video of me reading the first few pages of FOREVER on Monday, Valentine's Day. Well, now Scholastic has given me the time and place: noon EST, on my Facebook page. So that's here. It will stay up indefinitely (some folks asked).
2. There were some rumors, after we got snowed in in Branson, that people were planning on eating me as food ran short on the retreat. I'm relieved to report that I was not eaten. But Jackson Pearce did make this video anyway.
3. And finally, in last retreat related news, here are the folks who were on the last live chat (including me). Natalie Standiford, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jackson Pearcce, and Dawn Metcalf. Thanks for the folks who came out to chat!
4. I will actually be blogging like a normal person in the week to come. But for now I'm just going to sit here and be happy there's no snow anywhere in sight.
5. I have no five.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Unfortunately, Branson Has Rendered Me Edible
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday's Live Chat & Tonight! Is! Me!
1. Jackson Pearce (SISTERS RED, SWEETLY)
2. me. (me)
3. Natalie Standiford (CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT)
4. Jeri Smith-Ready (SHADE, WICKED GAME)
5. Dawn Metcalf (LUMINOUS)
And last night's authors:
To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.
Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.Carrie Ryan - Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Carrie Ryan is a graduate of Williams College and Duke University School of Law. A former litigator, she now writes full time. She lives with her writer/lawyer fiance, two fat cats and one large puppy in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth is her first book and a companion, The Dead-Tossed Waves, will be released Spring 2010.Sonia Gensler - Sonia Gensler grew up in a small Tennessee town and spent her early adulthood collecting impractical degrees from various Midwestern universities. A former high school English teacher, she now writes full time in Oklahoma. So far, her husband and cat are putting up with this. The Revenant is her debut novel.
Monday, February 7, 2011
And YET MORE Live Chatting!
Like yesterday, I'm going to post the covers and bios of the authors who spoke last night, and again, I'm going to mention that five more authors from the retreat will be chatting tonight at 8 p.m. EST here. I'm not saying who, but these are the authors who have yet to appear on the chat and will appear either tonight or tomorrow night at 8 p.m. EST:
1. Jackson Pearce (SISTERS RED, SWEETLY)
2. me. (me)
3. Tessa Gratton (BLOOD MAGIC, coming May)
4. Natalie Standiford (CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT)
5. Carrie Ryan (FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH)
6. Jeri Smith-Ready (SHADE, WICKED GAME)
7. Julie Kagawa (THE IRON KING)
8. Julia Karr (XVI)
9. Jenny Moss (SHADOW, TAKING OFF)
10. Sonia Gesler (THE REVENANT)
11
Desperate for entertainment, Kiersten started writing shortly after having her first baby and hasn't stopped since. Being an author is quite literally a dream come true for a girl who spent every free childhood moment reading, and still spends most of her moments (free or otherwise) daydreaming.
She was homeschooled until she was fifteen, which has probably affected her world view in ways she can't fathom.
Also, she really, really likes parentheses. (Really.)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Last Night's Live Chat
Without further ado (There is frequently further ado on this blog, I've discovered), the authors from last night were:
Her short story "Ready to Wear" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008. Her debut novel, SHADOWED SUMMER, won The Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Children's Fiction, was a 2010 Edgar® Award Nominee, a VOYA Summer Reading selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and an ALAN Pick in 2009.
In her free time, she enjoys studying history, papermaking, and spending time with her husband and her two children. She lives in Indianapolis and welcomes you to visit her on the Web at www.saundramitchell.com.
So again, we'll be live again tonight at 8 p.m. here: www.livestream.com/jacksonpearce. Come ask questions!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Live Show with Authors tonight at 8:00 P.M. EST
1. Jackson Pearce (who's hosting -- thanks, Jackson) (SISTERS RED, SWEETLY)
2. me. (me)
3. Tessa Gratton (BLOOD MAGIC, coming May)
4. Natalie Standiford (CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT)
5. Beth Revis (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE)
6. Carrie Ryan (FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH)
7. Jeri Smith-Ready (SHADE, WICKED GAME)
8. Brenna Yovanoff (THE REPLACEMENT)
9. Julie Kagawa (THE IRON KING)
10. Julia Karr (XVI)
11. Sarah Darer Littman (LIFE, AFTER)
12. Kiersten White (PARANORMALCY)
13. Myra McEntire (HOURGLASS)
14. Jenny Moss (SHADOW, TAKING OFF)
15. Victoria Schwab (THE NEAR WITCH)
16. Saundra Mitchell (THE VESPERTINE)
17. Jackie Dolamore (MAGIC UNDER GLASS)
18. Sonia Gesler (THE REVENANT)
19. Dawn Metcalf (LUMINOUS)
So please come? The link is here: http://www.livestream.com/jacksonpearce.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Weird Posts About Writers' Retreats
Basically, since I organized this last retreat with me and 24 other authors, I've gotten such a bizarre range of e-mails and gotten sent such a strange array of blog posts referring to it that I feel like I should say something about it.
This is how I pick my invites for retreats.
- I'm going for harmony. You know how reality show producers cast folks they think are most likely to fight? I do the opposite. Every invite list I draft looks like a mix tape. I have to think that the songs go together. Because otherwise, one of those songs is going to end up hiding in her room for the entire retreat sobbing and rocking and I have that emotional blood on my hands. WHAT KIND OF A MONSTER DO YOU THINK I AM?
- I have to know you. I sort of feel like this should be obvious, but dude, I need to have some concept of whether or not you're going to kill me in my bed. I would never, ever pick some random person to come to one of these events. Also, like I said: harmony. I try to add personalities I think will fit in and enjoy the brand of conversation that's likely to fly around and to know that, I have to have actually communicated with you on a slightly less than cursory level.
- It's professional. Though we will have loads of fun at this particular retreat of Moose Head Wonder, it's also a professional thing where we talk about the industry. I have a few emails and comments from folks who expressed wistful sadness about not coming, since clearly we would be sitting around fangirling about each other's characters. True confession? I haven't read all of the authors' books that are coming to my retreat. We'll be talking industry and deadlines and creative processes, but probably very little about specific books. I try to add people I think think about the industry like I do.
- Ego. It's really easy to get a bruised ego as a creative person in a room full of people more and less successful than you. Bigger advances, better covers, better reviews, more books published, better looking editor -- so many things to compare yourself too. I invite people I think can stand the heat. And trust me. There's heat. When you're sitting next to someone at dinner and they're five years ahead in their career than you, the conversation needs to not be sulking, awe, or any degree of self-deprecating fangirling. If I add unpublished writers I know to the mix, I want to be relatively confident that they're not going to melt into ooze. Likewise, if I ask hotsy totsy authors to the mix, I want to be certain they check any ego at the door. We enter the door of the retreat, we're equals. This is the #1 reason I add someone to my list or take them off.
Okay, that said, these are NOT reasons I pick or exclude people:
- how famous you are
- how much I love your books
- how unfamous you are
- any sort of clique
- the size of your book deal
- whether or not you're published
- who you're published by
- who you're agented by
- whether or not you have an agent
- whether your blog/ hair/ face/ book/ etc. is shiny and beautiful
Basically, what I've been hearing is that people -- especially not invited people -- are regarding an invite to a Maggie Stiefvater retreat as a status symbol. And this annoys me. No decisions that I make over a pot of tea and a spoonful of cookie dough while dancing around listening to techno should be used to establish anyone self worth. The idea of it hurts my soul.
Now go out and create a writers' retreat.