End of the Year Shamelessness

The end of the world the year is upon us.  Well, almost.  But I figured I'd better hedge my bets just in case the Mayans were right.

I am totally, utterly kidding.

But this is the last Shameless Saturday post of 2012, marking four years that I've been bringing you these updates.  It's still an honor to be able to share the deals and awards, reviews and appearances, cover reveals and trailer debuts of this very talented group of writers.

I'm getting mushy.

*shakes it off*

Anyway, here we go with the last bits of awesome this year, but don't worry, I'll be back January 5th with a whole new list!

THE CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet is featured in a School Library Journal list of middle-grade fantasy books, and in some very fancy company.  Go Anne!

Speaking of end of year lists, THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen has been named by Publisher's Weekly as one of the Best Books of 2012, to the New York Times Notable Books of 2012 list, and was a finalist in the Goodreads Best of 2012 Middle Grade List. It was also a silver award winner from the National Parenting Publication awards, and is part of the poll for MTV's "Best Novel of 2012." That's quite a rock star list!

And we have several Inkies on the Kirkus Top 100 Teen Books of 2012 list: THE CRIMSON CROWN by Cinda Williams Chima, GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers and THE BROKEN LANDS by Kate Milford!

Even my own little book TEN made a couple of lists this year, landing on the Los Angeles Public Library's list of Best Teen Books for 2012 and the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers.  Go me!

William Alexander's GOBLIN SECRETS recently won the National Book Award (I just love saying that!) but he's not done yet.  GOBLIN SECRETS just picked up an Earphones Award for audiobook narration.  Guess who narrated the book?  William.  Show off.  :D

Leah Cypess has some sparkly news. HarperTeen Impulse will be e-publishing a short NIGHTSPELL prequel in July 2013. The novelette is called Buried Above Ground, "in which the ghost of a nobleman's mistress sets out to solve her own murder but is not prepared for the secrets she uncovers." (Publisher's Marketplace)

Anna Staniszeski also has new e-book content: a free short story prequel called My Very UnFairy Tale Life: Jenny's First Adventure, available on Smashwords and Kobo (and it will soon be up on BN and iTunes).

Here's the description:

How does an average girl become a magical adventurer, anyway? Find out in this short prequel to My Very UnFairy Tale Life! (Includes fun UnFairy bonus content!

And it wouldn't be an end of the world the year post without a book trailer, would it? Here's the newly debuted trailer for PROPHESY by Ellen Oh!

The Crimson Crown Interview

congrats, carl, on winning a copy of The Crimson Crown! thanks to all who participated! cheers, cindy
 
cindy: Cinda, it is an honor and pleasure to interview you for your final book in the Seven Realms Series: The Crimson Crown. I admit that I read this thick book in less than a day, incapable of savoring it slowly. I simply had to know what would happen to these favorite characters of mine NOW! You did not disappoint, and ended the series so fabulously. Many congratulations to you! 

We discussed your writing process when I interviewed you a year ago for The Gray Wolf Throne. I, myself, feel very bereft now that the series is done. How did you feel while writing this final book in the tetralogy? 

Cinda: This book was amazingly satisfying to write, since I'd been waiting so very long to write some of the scenes in it. I had a good head start on it when I finished The Gray Wolf Throne, since by the time I realized that I couldn't finish the story in three books, I already had a third of The Crimson Crown written (it was originally supposed to be a trilogy.) Although there were lots of editorial revisions along the way, I always had a clear vision of where I was going, though at times I wasn't sure how I was going to get there. Much like my characters, I suppose. After all I've put them through, I think they deserve a bit of a rest while I work on my Heir Chronicles spinoff. But I may yet return to the Seven Realms. 

cindy: It's always reassuring for me when I learn about the writing process of authors I admire. We all struggle through our processes! I read in a recent interview with you that you don't believe themes come first in novels, that they arise when you write the story. I do believe that often, what we find important personally can make its way onto the page. Looking back on the series, what do you think are some major themes in these books? And are you surprised by any? 

Cinda: All of my stories are about transformation--I find great comfort in the notion that we are constantly transforming ourselves. That it's never too late to go in a different direction, that we're never "finished" in terms of growth and change. When teens ask me what I would be if I were not a writer, I tell them that I've already been those things, and now is my time to be a writer. It's been such fun watching Han and Raisa transform over the course of the four books into the adults they're meant to be. And that's the job of adolescence. 

I'm intrigued by the notion of power and the effect it has on character. Many of the wizards in my stories are arrogant, ruthless people because they are powerful and they are used to having their own way. But there are always people who exceed our expectations. Who succeed against all odds. That's Han Alister. 

cindy: I think you tackled both themes of transformation and power fantastically. Han changed so much, but Raisa also grew. I realize after finishing this fantastic series that I don't know your journey to becoming an author. I know you have a background in nutrition. But how long have you been writing, and what prompted you to try and become published in the first place? (For me, it was a major change in my life--becoming a mother and staying at home full time. I needed to have something to call my own again, and it was writing!) 

Cinda: I was not a strong student in the early grades, but I wrote a poem in third grade, and my teacher praised it and hung it up at the science fair, and I thought, "Maybe I'm good at this." I've been writing, off and on, ever since. I wrote my first novels when I was in junior high, but got away from fiction when I was working my way through college. Too much nonfiction to write! 

Like you, I returned to writing when my children were small. It wasn't that I needed something else to do--I was working full time in nutrition--but I was experiencing so many new emotions as a parent that I felt the need to "get things down." I wrote personal essays and feature articles on health and parenting for the Cleveland newspapers. When my sons were thirteen and sixteen, I decided to return to fiction. I wanted to write something my sons would enjoy reading. I had an idea about a high school student in Ohio who learns he's among the last of a guild of magical warriors. That story became my first published novel, The Warrior Heir. 

cindy: Teachers are amazing, and it truly only takes a word of encouragement at the right time for a child I think, to change their life in a way. And I really loved The Warrior Heir--I didn't realize that was your debut! What will you miss the most about writing this series, Cinda? 

Cinda: Writing is like any other job--it's the people you miss the most when you move on.So I'll miss spending every day with those characters. The good news is that I'll be revisiting some old friends with a return to the Heir Chronicles. Also, it's always difficult to go from a polished, pretty final draft to an ugly first draft. Or, even worse, work on both at the same time, which is what you have to do when you write a book a year. 

cindy: Rough drafts are so painful for me, too! Could you tell us what other fantastic reads we have to look forward to from you in the near future? 

Cinda: Right now I'm working on two new books in the Heir Chronicles, a spinoff that involves new characters as well as old. The first will likely be called The Enchanter Heir, and is scheduled for a fall, 2013 release. 

cindy: Sounds fantastic! And since I already asked the pastry question, what is a favorite snack or indulgence of yours while you are writing? 

Cinda: Once I've satisfied my morning coffee addiction, I drink Market Spice tea from the Pike Place market--I drink it iced, all day long. As far as snacks go, I love love love popcorn, but don't usually eat it while writing (I don't want to get butter all over the keyboard.) 

cindy: I'm intrigued by the iced spice tea! I love iced teas myself. Thank you so much for stopping by as interviewee in your busy schedule, Cinda! 

Learn more about Cinda at her official website!

Cinda's publisher has been kind enough to donate a copy of The Crimson Crown for a giveaway!! 

1. Simply comment to enter for one point (include EMAIL). 
2. Tweet, facebook status, or blog about this interview and contest with a link to this post for +1 point. 
3. Become a follower to Enchanted Inkpot for another +1. 

Three points total! Ships to US addresses only. 

I will choose a random winner on Wednesday, 1/2/2013 and post name at top of this entry that day. Good luck!! 

Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow, 2009), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. The sequel to Silver Phoenix, titled Fury of the Phoenix, was released in April 2011. Her first published short story is featured in Diverse Energies, a multicultural YA dystopian anthology from Tu Books (October 2012). Cindy is also a Chinese brush painting student of over a decade. Visit her website at www.cindypon.com.

YA at World Fantasy Con!

Last Thursday, almost 700 authors, illustrators, editors, booksellers and fans descended on my home town of Toronto for the 38^th annual World Fantasy Convention.  Grey weather from the tail end of Hurricane Sandy could not dampen the mood, although unfortunately some of the attendees had to cancel at the last minute due to the storm. 

From Thursday through Sunday, our days and nights were packed with lectures, readings, panels, book signings and parties.  As I did with last year’s wrap-up, I must begin with an apology.  So much was going on concurrently that no WFC attendee could possibly take it all in, and no two attendees would ever have the same experience—so I hope readers will understand that this is just a taste of what went on during those fabulous four days. 

These were some of the panels and discussions that I enjoyed, but I hope other attendees will tell us their favourites in the comments section—and post links to their pics!

Young Adult Urban Fantasy

with Joel Sutherland, Holly Black, Isobelle Carmody, Charles de Lint, Alyxandra Harvey, and Leah Petersen.

Authors Holly Black and Alyxandra Harvey

 Author Gillian Chan and Author/Librarian Joel Sutherland

Canadian Librarian Joel Sutherland led this lively discussion about the appeal of YA urban fantasy.  “Urban fantasy is gateway fantasy!” Holly Black said, making the point that a realistic, contemporary setting can be less intimidating to those new to the fantasy genres. 

Charles de Lint, considered by many to be one of the inventors of urban fantasy, surprised everyone by saying he didn’t use the term when describing his own work; he preferred the expression “mythic fantasy” because, although his books usually have a contemporary setting, they don’t always take place in a city, and to him the city is a key element of urban fantasy.  Most of the panel agreed, and certainly a city setting is crucial to many seminal works of YA urban fantasy such as Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. As Holly Black put it: “The city is the new forest; the city is now the place we go to be transformed.” 

When panelists were asked why they wrote YA and not adult urban fantasy, Leah Petersen summed it up perfectly: “Because YA is about firsts—first kisses, first love, first coming into your magic…  Teens are doing these things for the first time—and I love to write about that.”

Garth Nix Reading from Clariel

Sabriel, Nix’s lyric high fantasy about a female necromancer (or “abhorsen”) who puts the walking dead back in their graves, is wildly popular, as are its two sequels.  However, the forth book, Clariel, has been a long time coming—and Nix’s readers were beginning to get restless.  As one fan on Goodreads put it: “If I die before this book comes out, Garth, I assure you that no Abhorsen will be able to prevent me from coming back for it.”

I’m happy to report that Clariel exists.  Nix read the prologue and first chapter to an enthusiastic audience and told us that the book would be out in 2014.

Artist Guest of Honour, Richard A. Kirk

At some World Fantasy Cons it’s hard to remember that it’s not all about the writers—but Richard A. Kirk never let us forget that fantasy illustrators are also honoured and represented at the event.  Not only our programs, but even our con badges and pocket guides were covered with his strange and surreal drawings. Alternately beautiful and nightmarish, Kirk’s work never fails to be arresting, from his illustrations of Clive Barker novels to his album covers for the rock band Korn.  (Also, I was on the Our Selves, Our Monsters panel with him and I can attest that he is an utterly lovely man.) If you have a few minutes, take a look at the galleries on his website.

Diversity and Difference in YA Fantasy

with Kathy Sullivan, Cinda Williams Chima, Megan Crewe, EC Myers and Cheryl Rainfield

Although the panel began by discussing some alarming events, such as the recent cover whitewashing of books by Justine Larbalestier and Jaclyn Dolamore, they were mostly optimistic about the changing views about diversity and difference in YA lit.  We’re seeing more main characters of colour, such as Crewe’s heroine in The Way We Fall and in books by authors like Malinda Lo
and Cindy Pon. 

Rainfield has summed up the talk on her blog and included an excellent booklist.

Authors Cheryl Rainfield, Megan Crewe and Kathy Sullivan

Charles de Lint’s Jam Sessions

On both the Friday and Saturday nights, author and musician Charles de Lint played impromptu folk music for World Fantasy Con attendees with a variety of other artists.  It was a great way to decompress after a long and busy day.

Author Charles de Lint

Author/Illustrator Martin Springett

Romancing the Monster

with Nancy Kilpatrick, Patricia Briggs, Sephira Giron, Maureen McGowan and Chris Szego

This panel dug beneath labels like “dark fantasy” and “paranormal romance” to see what lay below.  What we learned: monsters have rules, real humans don’t—dating a vampire has specific risks, but the risks of dating humans are amorphous and undefined.  So is dating a vampire safer than dating a man?  “It’s very appealing to be able to turn a beast into someone that loves you,” Patricia Briggs commented.  “That’s a lot of power.” Nancy Kilpatrick had the last word when an audience member asked if the panelists got turned on while they wrote.  “If I’m not turned on, I’m not doing it right!” she said.

Authors Nancy Kilpatrick & Sephira Giron, bookseller Chris Szego and authors Patricia Briggs & Maureen McGowan

 Some Favourite Quotes from the Conference

Authors Mette Harrison and Cinda Williams Chima

“If you think teenagers aren’t having sex, I wish you’d been my parents.”  Laura Anne Giman when asked whether there was too much sex in YA.

“Horror is the literature of hopelessness; fantasy is the literature of hope.”  Patricia Briggs.  (Horror writer Sephira Giron disagreed!)

“In horror you survive; in fantasy you triumph.”  Tanya Huff

“When I picture urban fantasy, I think of the bastard love child between fantasy and romance.” S. M. Stirling

“If you can remove the romance and still have a plot it’s urban fantasy; if you can’t, it’s paranormal romance.” Ginjer Buchanan

“Reality is a crutch for people who can’t handle fantasy.” Geoff Hart

“One of the great things about fantasy is that it is metaphor actualized.  (In a changeling story) not only do you feel alien; you are alien.”  Holly Black

“For me, fantasy is a way into philosophy; it’s the way to grapple with the big questions.”  Isobelle Carmody

The dealers' room

The World Fantasy Awards

Finally, on Sunday afternoon we all got into our finery for the World Fantasy Awards Banquet.  Winners were:

Life Achievement
Alan Garner
and George R.R. Martin

Novel
Osama by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)


Novella

“A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong” by K.J. Parker (Subterranean Winter 2011)


Short Story

“The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11

Anthology

The Weird by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Corvus; Tor, published May 2012)


Collection

The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon and Subterranean Press

Lena Coakley’s first novel, Witchlanders, was called “one stunning teen debut” by Kirkus Reviews and won the SCBWI Crystal Kite award for the Americas.  It is a 2013 MYRCA nominee and a 2013 OLA White Pine nominee.  Lena is also the author of two children’s picture books and the former administrative director of CANSCAIP. Learn more about her at www.lenacoakley.com

The Inkies at World Fantasy Con

The 2012 World Fantasy Convention starts today in Toronto, and naturally the Inkies are involved!  Here's where and when you can find Enchanted Inkpot members at the convention:

 

Thursday Nov 1st

Lena Coakley is on the Our Monsters, Ourselves panel at 9pm, with James Alan Gardner, Ellen Datlow, Christopher Golden, Richard A. Kirk, and Holly Phillips. 

Saturday Nov 3rd

Cinda Williams Chima and Megan Crewe are on the Diversity and Difference in YA Fantasy panel at 3pm, with Kathy Sullivan, Eugene Myers, Cheryl Rainfield, and Ysabeau Wilce.


Enchanted Inkpot readers may also be interested in checking out the Young Adult Urban Fantasy Panel at 10am on Friday, which includes Holly Black and Charles de Lint!

The full convention schedule can be found here.

LOTS of Shamelessness!!!

I've got a ton of news today, mostly because I accidentally skipped a week in there somehow.  OOPS!  I've been on the road promoting TEN and, well, I'm old and forgetful.  ;)

Anyway, enough excuses.  Here we go!

The BIG NEWS this week - we have some finalist for HUGE AWARDS!!!!

William Alexander's GOBLIN SECRETS is a finalist for the National Book Award!

Lena Coakley's WITCHLANDERS and Megan Crewe's THE WAY WE FALL have just been nominated for a White Pine award, Canada's children's choice award for teen readers.  And it just so happens that WITCHLANDERS is now available in paperback.  How convenient!

Inkies are so talented.

As if to emphasize that, DIVERSE ENERGIES, an anthology featuring Ellen Oh and Cindy Pon, is now on sale!  Booklist gave it an amazing review:

It starts off with a fabulous one-two punch: Ellen Oh’s devastating “The Last Day,” about a future global war and the horrific Hiroshima-like aftermath; then “Freshee’s Frogurt,” a wild, violent, and funny excerpt from Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse (2011). In general, the subsequent stories fall on the more thoughtful, brainy side of the sf spectrum. Two standouts are Paolo Bacigalupi’s “A Pocket Full of Dharma,” about the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama on a portable storage drive; and Cindy Pon’s “Blue Skies,” a wistful have/have-not tale from a smog-filthed future Taipei. A solid introduction to a number of highly talented writers.

Speaking of talent, Amy Butler Greenfield is sharing her blurbs for CHANTRESS and they are quite a line up:

“Wonderfully felt, seen, and dreamed, Greenfield’s debut fantasy is an enchanted read.” - Franny Billingsley, National Book Award finalist and author of CHIME

“Chantress is one of those rare books that’s so beautifully written you want to read it slowly and savor every word, but the story is so compelling you want to race through the pages! I loved it.” - Mary Pearson, author of THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX and THE FOX INHERITANCE

“With a spirited heroine, fearsome monsters, and luminous worldbuilding, this story had me hooked from the first page. CHANTRESS is truly enchanting.” - Jessica Spotswood, author of BORN WICKED

“Chantress is like the best kind of magic – absorbing, mysterious, and delightful.” - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award winning author of WHEN YOU REACH ME, FIRST LIGHT and LIAR & SPY

“A pure and elevated pleasure, like strawberries of the perfect ripeness or a gorgeous aria.” - Katherine Sturtevant, author of AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR and A TRUE AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE

“Chantress is a beguiling and mesmerizing story, full of mystery and song. From the first word, I was enchanted by Amy Butler Greenfield’s unique twist on English history and by her compelling, magical, and loveable heroine, Lucy.” - Nancy Werlin, NYT-bestselling author of IMPOSSIBLE and EXTRAORDINARY

And last but never least,Cinda Chima Williams's THE CRIMSON CROWEN launches October 23, 2012! It's the fourth book in the Seven Realms series and Cinda will be traveling the world--er--the eastern U.S. You can find author tour information here.

End of Summer Shamelessness

Summer may be over, but it's still hot here in Southern California, and for Inkies around the country who have some hot, hot news to share!

P.J. Hoover's debut with Tor SOLSTICE has a beautiful cover along with a wonderful blurb from Cynthia Leitich Smith!

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

An imaginative melding of mythology and dystopia, Solstice is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover.

Awesome, right? And the blurb from Cynthia Leitich Smith:

“Solstice is one red-hot read—it intrigues, sizzles, and satisfies.” —Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times bestselling author

The fantastic trailer for THE CRIMSON CROWN by Cinda Williams Chima is now live, featuring an original song by Roto. Check it out before you can see it theaters this fall!

Cinda's not the only one with a brand shiny new trailer. Grace Lin's STARRY RIVER THE SKY (which now has 5 starred reviews) is also live!

So amazing. Both of them!

Speaking of reviews, DIVERSE ENERGIES, a multicultural YA dystopian anthology (Tu Books) has a new one. The anthology features short stories by our own Ellen Oh and Cindy Pon, as well as award winning authors such as Ken Liu, Paolo Bacigalupi and Ursula Le Guin. Kirkus gave Diverse Energies a very positive review in their October 1 issue:

As the title promises, this sophisticated science-fiction anthology is diverse in nearly every sense of the word... Readers will find poor children working in mines and factories, a have-not yao boy kidnapping a rich you girl and a girl reeling as the world inexplicably changes around her, and no one else notices. Although many stories imagine bleak futures, their tones are refreshingly varied... Careful, curious readers will be rewarded, though probably not comforted, by the many realities and futures imagined here.

Yep, that's a win!

And last, I announced a new book deal a couple of weeks ago, for 2014 and 2015. Not fantasy, but I thought I'd let you know anyway.

Author of POSSESS, TEN and the upcoming 3:59, Gretchen McNeil's new Don't Get Mad series, GET EVEN and GET DIRTY, pitched as Revenge meets The Breakfast Club, about four girls who form a secret revenge society for bullied classmates which goes well until one of their targets turns up dead, to Kristin Daly Rens at Balzer & Bray, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown (NA).

And that's all the awesomeness for this week!!!!

HOLY SHAMELESSNESS, BATMAN!!!

Seriously, we are EXPLODING with shamelessness this week: lists, sales, appearances AND a cover reveal.  But you'll have to wait for that one...

This week, books by two Inkies, GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers and THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen were named to the 2012 ABC Best Books for Children.

Elizabeth C. Bunce has two books receiving accolades this week.  LIAR'S MOON has been named a 2012 Kansas Notable Book by the State Library of Kansas. This is Elizabeth's third such award - a rare achievement for a Kansas author. In addition, STARCROSSED is one of 25 books for young adults included on Oprah's 2012 Summer Reading List at Oprah.com.

MORE FABULOUS LISTS!!!  Cinda Chima Williams's fall release, The Crimson Crown, was named to Kirkus Reviews' Top Ten Children's and Teen Books for Fall!

I have a small announcement of my own this week, ahem:

Gretchen McNeil's POSSESS, in which a teen exorcist must find a way to stop the wave of demonic possessions sweeping her town, to Sebastian Aloi's La Lune Entertainment and Carly Norris, by Holly Frederick at Curtis Brown.

Hee.

Now, on to appearances!  Lena Coakley will be speaking at two conferences this fall.  From October 19-21she will be attending the SCBWI Fall Retreat in Ottawa, where she will be giving a talk entitled Write the Book That Will Change Your Life about how writers can navigate the fine line between following the market and following their passion.  There she will also be receiving her 2012 Crystal Kite Award for the Americas region.  On November 7th, Lena will be giving an intensive workshop on writing fantasy at the 28th annual CANSCAIP Packaging Your Imagination conference.  She will cover general writing techniques such as plotting and character building, as well as techniques specific to fantasy such as worldbuilding.

Plus Caroline Hooton will be at DragonCon 31st August - 3rd September and I'm doing a number of YA panels, including:

- Whitewashing of YA - A look at minorities and their portrayal in YA;
- Beyond Hunger Games: Dystopias in YA
- Under The Covers - What is an Author's Best Friend?
- My Monster Boyfriend - What is the Special appeal of the supernatural love interest, be it demons, angels, vampires, ghosts or aliens?

Okay, I know you've been waiting.  Ready for the cover reveal?  Here's the much anticipated sequel to Anna Staniszewski's MY VERY UN-FAIRY TALE LIFE, MY EPIC FAIRY TALE FAIL!!!!!

PHEW!  Crazy week, right?  We're so awesome.  :)

TechnoFail Shamelessness

Sorry this post is a day late! Somehow I lost all my files with the shameless updates for this week, and had to beg everyone to resend. But the issue has been resolved, so here we go!

NOTE: We have not one, not two, but THREE amazing cover reveals today. But I'm saving those for last. Because I'm mean like that.

We're going to start with review news this week, and not just because my own book TEN features in. Ha! Kate Milford's new release THE BROKEN LANDS "landed" (see what I did there?) a fantastic Kirkus review:

"Two teens race against time to thwart the forces of evil in this prequel to The Boneshaker (2010).

The Broken Land is a hotel where much crucial action takes place, but it is also an apt description of the United States in 1877. The Civil War has scarred the country, and Reconstruction has ended. “Folks are angry, still,” orphan Sam is told. “Folks are scared and folks feel like punishing each other, and I don’t think many of ’em are clear about what they’re mad for.” It is also a time of technological marvels like the Brooklyn Bridge, although this particular wonder has come with a price for young Sam. After losing his father to illness brought on by work on the bridge, Sam finds himself working as a cardsharp in Coney Island. He becomes the unlikely ally of Jin, a Chinese girl working with a team to provide fireworks at Broken Land, as they find themselves resisting a figure seeking to establish his own Hell. This seamless blend of fantasy and historical fiction is ripe with rich, gritty detail. Best of all, it is populated by a vast array of unusual characters: Along with Sam and Jin, there's Tom, a former member of the U.S. Colored Troops, and Susannah, a biracial woman who may hold the key to victory.

Readers will be captivated."

Kirkus was a busy little beaver this week, because TEN also got a fab review. I'm cutting out some of the more spoilery stuff because I think they added a bit too much plottage to the review, but here's the rest:

A scary gorefest of murder and mayhem, not for the faint of heart.

Clues are just amorphous enough to sustain the mystery, and since mistakes are lethal, the suspense is high.

For murder-mystery fans, there's more than enough horror and gore to sustain this effort (and several more), making for a breathless read. (Mystery/horror. 14 & up)

Yeah, I'm happy. Then right on that review, I found out I was a Top Pick in the September issue of Romantic Times!

TEN
by Gretchen McNeil

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Young Adult

RT Rating

You want to read this book. McNeil incorporates all the thrills and chills of a horror movie into this fast-paced, gripping tale. With its quippy dialogue, it’s like reading Scream. This reviewer got the willies while reading Ten on a sunny afternoon. 

A party on a secluded island has Meg’s (slightly unstable) friend Minnie totally excited. Meg is less thrilled, especially once she finds out that TJ, the crush she and Minnie share, will also be attending. A storm isolates the teens, and even the hosts don’t show. Then, one of the guests commits suicide … or does she? (BALZER + BRAY, Sep., 304 pp., $17.99, ISBN: 9780062118783, HC, 13 & Up)

Hee.

I'm sure you've all seen the NPR short list of Best Ever Young Adult Novels, but did you notice there were THREE Inkies on there? Congrats to THE SEVEN REALMS series by Cinda Williams Chima, ASH by Malinda Lo, and GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers! So go vote NOW!

In foreign rights news, Kate Coombs' The Runaway Princess, has been translated to Japanese and is now available in Japan

I promised cover reveals, and here they are! First, the gorgeous cover for Kate Milford's THE KAIROS MECHANISM. The image is by Andrea Offermann, the artist behind THE BROKEN LANDS and THE BONESHAKER, and our own inkie Lisa Amowitz handled turning it into a cover.

Cindy Pon and Ellen Oh are both featured in DIVERSE ENERGIES, a multicultural YA dystopian anthology published by Tu Books (November 2012).

And William Alexander has a cover to share as well! For GHOULISH SONG!

PHEW!!! So glad I was able to reassemble all that info. See you in two weeks!