Summer Shamelessness

Well, Inkpot fans, it's officially summer!  That means hot days, reading by the pool, and a whole new batch of shameless news from your favorite Inkpot writers!

National Book Award winner William Alexander has a new book out and GHOULISH SONG is already racking up some award nominations of its own: it's a finalist for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature!

Speaking of new books coming out, P.J. Hoover's new book TUT: THE STORY OF MY IMMORTAL LIFE (Starscape/Macmillan, September 16, 2014) got an awesome Kirkus review!  Here's my favorite line:

"the tension between Tut and creepy Horemheb is a well-placed and -paced plot driver.  A pyramid history buffs and fantasy fans will delight in excavating."

Awesome.

Not done yet!  Elizabeth Bird released her Newbery/Caldecott 2015: The Summer Prediction Edition and you might just recognize #5 on the list: THE GREENGLASS HOUSE by Kate Milford!

And last but very much not least, Laurisa White Reyes has a new book coming out this week! CONTACT, a YA thriller about a girl who uploads people's psyches with a single touch, comes out on June 23rd with Hallowed Ink Press. It will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble & Indiebound.

I can tell you personally - this book is amazing.

And that's it!  Go grab your favorite book and enjoy the summer sunshine.  I'll be back soon with more!

Shameless Weekend!!!

I really should just change the name of this post to "SHAMELESS DAYS THAT START WITH 'S'" since the number of times I don't get to it until Sunday is growing exponentially.

Don't judge me.  :D

I'm here now!  And I have fabulous Inkie news to share!!!!

The cover for Book Two of Dawn Metcalf's the Twixt, INVISIBLE is now live!  AND AWESOME!

I do so love a cover reveal.

Inkie Katherine Catmull and her co-authors Stefan Bachmann, Claire Legrand, and Emma Trevayne won a Kirkus star for their collection of scary middle-grade short-short stories, THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: 36 TALES BRIEF AND SINISTER, out May 27.

Kate Milford has two pieces of news.  1) The Kickstarter campaign for her short novel, BLUECROWNE, was successful and was funded! It'll be completed and published in May. The info on the campaign is here, with instructions for preordering the book.

2) GREENGLASS HOUSE, which comes out from Clarion in August, just received its first official review and a star from Booklist. It was called:

"an enchanting, empowering, and cozy read." 

Which I think means you should buy it.

And last but not least, the trailer for Amy Butler Greenfield's CHANTRESS ALCHEMY was released this week!  Amy did the reveal on Thursday over at Mundie Moms, where there’s a final copy giveaway, which you should definitely check out.  CHANTRESS ALCHEMY comes out May 6th.

Shameless Memory

Yeah, my memory is less shameless and more shameful these days. I totally forgot to post these lovely updates last weekend! Although I think you'll all cut me some slack. In addition to moving into a new house (tomorrow) I'm in the home stretch of one of the craziest deadlines of my writing career (writing and editing a complete draft of my next book in 8 weeks...) So yeah, my brain is mush.

But enough about me!!!

First up, the very lovely Dawn Metcalf has a new book deal to announce!

Natashya Wilson at Harlequin Teen has bought INVIOLATE and INVINCIBLE by Dawn Metcalf, the third and fourth titles in the Twixt series for teens. The books will continue the story of a girl who is accidentally marked by a mysterious boy to whom she becomes indelibly bound, finding herself caught between the world of the Folk and the world of humans. Publication is scheduled for summer 2015 and summer 2016; Sarah Davies of the Greenhouse Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.

How awesome is that? You can read more about Dawn's new books, along with her experiences finding a new agent, and having two books pushed back several months, over at her blog.

Meanwhile, THE SHADOW THRONE, the final book of the Ascendance trilogy by Jennifer Nielsen, is in stores now! Kirkus says, "From one cliffhanging episode to the next, wily Jaron’s rebellious, undisciplined spirit carries the day as he battles to save everything he holds dear." I know all of Jennifer's fans have been waiting with bated breath for this finale. I know I have!

So that's it for this week. I'll actually be back next week with another set of updates...as long as I survive all the chaos. Ciao!

Back in the Shameless Groove!

I'm back! <guitar chord>  Back in the Shameless groove...

Sorry, that's one of my husband's favorite songs, and it seemed only appropriate to mark my return to Shameless Saturday posts here at the Inkpot!

First off, you read that correctly. HUSBAND. Part of my absence was my marriage late last fall, and subsequent much-needed honeymoon! Another factor was a hellacious set of revisions for my fourth book that took like twice as long as normal. I barely finished them before my wedding. So yeah, the fall was...stressful!

But enough about me. We have some shameless news to promote!

Shall we start out with a bang and announce a new book deal for Shelley Moore Thomas? Why yes, I think we should!

Sarah Zhang at Boyds Mills Press has acquired two picture books by Shelley Moore Thomas: Kitten Wants a Puppy and There Are No Dragons in This Book. In the first book, a kitten can't understand why she isn't allowed to have a puppy and a few other not so cat-like things, and in Dragons, an interactive book, readers search for dragons that aren't there (or are they?).

I can already tell you that Kitten Wants a Puppy is going to be on my bookshelf.

And Leah Cypess has two amazing something somethings to share! (1) Teen Vogue put Death Sworn on its list of "The 15 Most Exciting YA Books Coming Out This Year."

(2) Death Sworn got a starred review from Kirkus: “A thoughtful exploration of identity and responsibility wrapped in a twisty, suspenseful mystery and set in a gorgeously realized fantasy world.” - Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW)

Death Sworn hits shelves this March!

So, just a sprinkling of news for my first weekend back, but I have a strange feeling that 2014 is going to be...amazing.

It's the Weekend - I Can Still Be Shameless!

After a massive YA author event and two birthday parties yesterday (er, attended, not thrown) I dropped the ball on Saturday Shamelessness.  But it's still the weekend, so I figure, it counts.

We've got another awards winner here in the Inkpot! Katie Carroll's YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND took second place in the June You Gotta Read cover contest.  And you can see why.  Gorgeous!

More great reviews for Ellen Booraem’s TEXTING THE UNDERWORLD, which comes out August 15. Publishers Weekly called the story of a boy visited by a young banshee “affecting, funny, and provocative,” while The Horn Book praised it for “complex characters, a moving story line centered on family and courage, and plenty of exciting moments.” Ellen starts a three-week blog tour August 5 at The Childrens Book Review with a guest post about banshees, the Irish ancestral spirits who wail as death approaches.

And last but not least, we have a NEW INKIE BOOK coming out this week!!!!

INDELIBLE by Dawn Metcalf hits shelves JUNE 30th!!!!

You definitely want to check this one out!

That's all for this installment.  Next week, many of us will be gathering at SCBWI LA.  We'll be sure to post photos!!!!

The Stork Brought Shamelessness!

Our first announcement has nothing to do with publishing.  Kate Milford has a new debut, only it's not a book.  She has a new addition to the family, not the bookshelf.  She welcomed Griffin Walter Milford to the family on June 13th.  Yay!  A new (potential) Inkie!!!

We have another launch, of the more tradition book variety.  P.J. Hoover's SOLSTICE hit shelves this month, and she has a blow out party to celebrate!  Man, I wish I could have been there.

And in just five short weeks, we have another Inkie book launch: Dawn Metcalf's INDELIBLE!  For now, we have this amazing trailer:

In celebration, Dawn is running a battery of contests including a giveaway of an annotated, cartoon illustrated copy of Indelible arc to celebrate the book trailer launch, a Show Me Your Ink contest for temp tattoos and downloadbale surprise, and Win A Shiny Copy of Indelible contest.  Not enough?  Well, there's also a Goodreads Giveaway going on via Harlequin Teen.

In addition to all the wonderful Inkie books out there, we've had another just announced! From Publisher's Marketplace:

Martina Boone¹s Southern gothic trilogy‹with a dash of magic‹following Barrie, a teen sent to live with her dead mother¹s twin on a decaying plantation where she discovers a centuries-old feud and dark secrets that require making peace with the local spirits, who may not be as welcoming as the sunlit boy who steals Barrie's heart, to Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse in a pre-empt by Kent Wolf at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (World).

YAY MARTINA!!! To celebrate, she's got her Friday Giveaway over at Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing, so be sure to check it out!

No joke, we've got a metric ton of book cover reveals today!  Let's start with Leah Cypess's DEATHSWORN!

RIGHT?  HOW AWESOME IS THAT?????

And if her awesome new cover isn't enough, her Nightspell prequel e-novella, BURIED ABOVE GROUND will be published on July 2 by HarperImpulse, selling for $1.99 on all platforms.''

Here's the summary from the publisher:

"In the kingdom of Ghostland, every murdered soul comes back as a ghost, and every ghost has only one desire—vengeance. Emilie had everything she’d ever wanted—beautiful dresses, a perfectly decorated room, a party every night, and the eye of a nobleman. But then she’s killed. And now she’ll stop at nothing to find out who did it. No one in the palace of Ghostland is above suspicion—not even the people closest to her. This haunting fantasy novella is filled with supernatural thrills and surprising plot twists.

HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas, with new releases the first Tuesday of each month.

And we have YET ANOTHER cover reveal!  It's for THE SHADOW THRONE, the third book in Jennifer Nielsen's acclaimed Ascendance series, on sale March 1, 2014!

Speaking of the Ascendance series, THE FALSE PRINCE, Book 1in the series, is a finalist for YALSA's Teen Top Ten List. Voting will take place this fall.  Also, James Patterson lists THE FALSE PRINCE as one of his summer reading recommendations for Barnes & Noble.  How cool is that?

Adding to the list of "things that are cool," Nancy Holder also has a new story out in the world, this time in THE LIVING DEAD anthology from Orbit, UK.

Here's how she described her story to me:

Zombie gets crucified during the Oberammergau Passion Play. God is displeased. Black Plague ensues.

Must read. Must read now.

Phew, I think that's it!  What a wacky week of wondefulness, yes?  Yes.

Embarrassed by the Shamelessness

So apparently its been like a month since I did a Shameless Saturday post. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?  I swear I'm losing my marbles, on deadline for this new book.

Whatever.  I'm here now, right?  DOESN'T THAT COUNT FOR SOMETHING???

On with it.

Book Expo America 2013 is rapidly approaching, and several Inkies will be in attendance. Lisa Amowitz will be signing BREAKING GLASS at the Spencer Hill Pres booth #2567 on Thursday, May 30th at 9:00am.  Dawn Metcalf will be stopping by the Harlequin Teen booth #1238 on Thursday, May 30th.  Amy Butler Greenfield will be at Simon & Schuster's blogger preview party Tuesday night, May 28th.  And I will be signing copies of 3:59 at Table 12 in the autographing area Thursday, May 30th at 10:30am.  Yeah, BEA is going to be nuts!

We've got a cover reveal!!!

The cover and title for the sixth book in Scholastic's INFINITY RING series has been released. BEHIND ENEMY LINES by Jennifer Nielsen, takes our heroes, Dak, Sera, and Riq into the heart of World War 2 where they must help the allies succeed with a most dangerous spy plan that will either chance the course of the war, or else destroy any hope for victory and freedom. It will be released on November 26, 2013.  Wanna see?

In addition, Jennifer's THE FALSE PRINCE is a double 2013 Whitney Award winner for Best Middle Grade Book of 2013 and also Best Overall Youth Book of 2013. In addition, it is a nominated title for Yalsa's Teens' Top Ten books!  Phew.  That's a lot of news!!!!

Speaking of awards, both THE CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet and THE EXCEPTIONALS by Erin Cashman are on the Bankstreet Best Children's Books of the Year list, 2013 edition! Plus, Lena Coakley's Witchlanders was named an Honour Book for Canada's White Pine Award at the Forest of Trees, Festival of Reading, Canada's largest children's literature festival. And Goodreads named Amy Butler Greenfield's CHANTRESS one of its top 6 "Movers and Shakers" for May YA releases. Plus there's a swag and finished copy giveaway running at thoughtsandroses.blogspot.com this week.

We've got some great news for brand news books here at the Inkpot. Ellen Booraem’s TEXTING THE UNDERWORLD, due out in August, got its first journal review—and it has a star attached! Noting that the book has death as its major theme, Kirkus Reviews said:

“Booraem applies a light touch to her heavy subject . . . . But she doesn’t avoid staring death in the face, saddling her likably unlikely hero with an agonizing decision that, though framed in fantasy, is all too gut-punchingly real. Like Conor, readers will emerge from this adventure a little better equipped for heroism.”

Makes me want to snatch it up!

On the announcement side of things, new Inkie Katherine Catmull and three other middle-grade authors, Stefan Bachmann, Claire Legrand, and Emma Trevayne, have been posting creepy/spooky/unnerving short-short pieces at EntertheCabinet.com since January 1. This week Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins) announced that they will publish a collection of the stories, tentatively titled THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, in summer 2014.

And on the debut side of things, Lisa Gail Green's THE BINDING STONE (the first book in the Djinn series) is now available on Amazon!

Lisa also has amazing blurbs from both Nancy Holder and Lisa Desrochers!

"I dream of Lisa Gail Green! The Binding Stone is magical in so many ways. My Djinn asks for my third wish? The sequel, of course!" - NYT bestselling author Nancy Holder

"Genies like you’ve never seen them, THE BINDING STONE is a wild ride of treachery and deception. For my first wish, I’d like a sequel, please." - PERSONAL DEMONS author Lisa Desrochers

Rock on.

See what happens when I forget to post?  Things get crazy.

Spring Shameless Awakening!

Spring has sprung!  Well, here in sunny Los Angeles at least. I think part of the country is still snowed in.

Sorry about that.

But if your skies are grey and you snow shovel still in use, you can still bask in the glory of our shamelessness!!!!

Jennifer Nielsen is back with a couple of awesomes for this week's shameless post:

1. THE FALSE PRINCE is an Honor Book for the 2013 E.B. White Read-Aloud Award.
2. It has also been nominated as a Global Read Aloud Book for 2013, and we'd all appreciate it if you'd hit that link and go vote for THE FALSE PRINCE!!!

Dawn Metcalf is having an exclusive arc giveaway for YA Book Bloggers in her "I ♥ Book Bloggers!" Giveaway featuring a signed INDELIBLE arc & swag! Information on her blog at http://dawn-metcalf.livejournal.com/151937.html, official form at http://bit.ly/10NimUz.

If you're really going winter weather stir crazy, maybe you should book a trip to Los Angeles this summer?  The annual SCBWI LA conference is just around the corner, and our very own Mike Jung (aka Emperor Mike) will be on faculty this year!  Definitely a reason to sign up, in my very humble opinion!

Martina Boone and Adventures in YA Pub made the Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers. Also, as always, they have a giveaway every Friday and S.T. Underdahl will be guest mentoring the May First Five Pages Workshop which will open for subs on the 4th if writers want to get their mss ready. And finally, and most importantly, they're doing a May Pitch +250 contest starting April 28th. The judges involved are absolutely stellar, a list of amazingness never to be surpassed.  Er, did I mention I'm one of them?  :D

Speaking of me, I've updated my appearances schedule for May and holy moly, I'm going to be a busy girl.  You can catch me at Romantic Times Booklovers' Convention, Book Expo America (signing Thursday, May 31 at 10:30am at Table 12!), and the Ontario Teen Book Festival, just to name a few!  If you're there, please come say HELLO!

Belated Shamelessness

I was supposed to post this last week.  Lest you think that's becoming rather a broken record response with dear bubble-headed Gretchen, I have a decent excuse this time.

I got engaged last weekend.

:D

The authors in today's post have been very understanding of having to wait an extra week for me to toot their horns.  They deserve a round of applause!

First off, a cover reveal!  This is AIRE by Lena Goldfinch, designed by her and another talented Inkie, Lisa Amowitz!!!

AIRE is available now!

Dawn Metcalf has ARCS of INDELIBLE and she's giving them away!  Trust me, you want to win one. Look for them on Goodreads, Netgalley, at BEA and contests at www.dawnmetcalf.com!

Speaking of new works, Laura Williams McCaffrey has a new fantasy short story out on YA Literature Network's site, which pretty much looks totally and utterly amazing.

There's an Inkie out there getting mad love from Kirkus!  Yes, Kirkus!!!!  A BOX OF GARGOYLES, the sequel to Anne Nesbet's much ballyhooed THE CABINET OF EARTHS, earned a starred review in this month's issue! This is my favorite line:

"A flavorful mille-feuille with equally tasty layers of dark magic, light comedy, and salty determination." 

A BOX OF GARGOYLES hits shelves May 14th.

And last but not least, there's a new First Five Pages Workshop this week, run by our own Martina Boone.  Check it out!

That's it for me this week.  I'll just be over here in the corner, staring at my shiny ring!

Shameless Oopsie!!!

I think I totally forgot to post last week.  My brain is...old.  :)

Portlandians and Horror fans! Our very own Nancy Holder will be one of the Guests of Honor at the 2014 World Horror Convention in Portland, Oregon, May 8-11.  Make your travel arrangements now!

Dawn Metcalf's INDELIBLE is available for pre-order.  You should probably just order it now. You know you want to.

We have some fabulous award and reading list news this week, starting with Leah Cypess, whose short story "Nanny's Day" (Asimov's 3/12) was nominated for a Nebula Award.  HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

Not to be outdone, THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer A. Nielsen has made yet another awards list, this time earning the 2012 Cybil Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy!

Speaking of short lists, Kate Milford's THE BROKEN LANDS is on the Locus Recommended Reading List in company that makes me want to pass out cold. Way to go, Kate!!

In foreign rights news, P. J. Hoover's The Forgotten Worlds trilogy has sold in Hungary!!! THE EMERALD TABLET, THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD, and THE NECROPOLIS, sold to Fonix by Lex Copyright Office, on behalf of Taryn Fagerness Agency and Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Oh yeah.  I had a cover reveal.  HA! TOTALLY FORGOT THAT ONE!!!!  Here's the cover for 3:59, my sci fi parallel universe dopperganger horror novel due out September 17th from Balzer + Bray.  :)

Selfish Shamelessness?

I love posting the bi-monthly shameless updates here at the Inkpot.  I really do.  I get to (a) keep track of everyone's good news and (b) sing their praises to the highest heights!  It's awesome.

But I do have a one problem with it: what to do when I have good news to share.

I've shared news before, but I usually tuck it into the bottom of the post.  I don't know, I just feel weird about it, you know?  Like it's not part of my job so sing my own praises.

That said, I'm slightly uncomfortable about announcing my own good news.  Especially when it's something cool like this.

TEN is a 2013 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, as chosen by ALA and YALSA.  I'm not used to making lists, so this is kind of new territory for me, so I'm kind of smiling from ear to ear.  I hope you'll forgive my self-promotion.

Enough about me.  How about a new cover for Jennifer Nielsen's THE FALSE PRINCE?

The paperback was released this past week with this amazing new cover. Book 2 of the series, THE RUNAWAY KING, will be released on March 1. Can't wait!

And we've got another amazing announcement!!! Amy Butler Greenfield is thrilled and honored to have fabulous new blurb for CHANTRESS (McElderry/S&S, May 2013) from one of her favorite writers:

“I simply loved it. It was a delicious journey into a fantasy world that mingles music, magic, altered British history, and romance.” (Cinda Chima, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Realms Series and The Heir Chronicles)

How awesome is that?

So, a short Shameless week, but full of awesome. As they all are. :D

Happy Shameless New Year!!!

2012 was a banner year for the Inkpot - releases, awards, new book sales, critical acclaim.  How can we possibly top that?

Our bi-monthly shameless posts will show you!!!!

Case in point, or first shameless post of 2013 is just chuck full of awesomeness.  Don't believe me?  Take a look!

Starting off with a bang, featuring the cover release for Dawn Metcalf's INDELIBLE, he first in a new series from Harlequin Teen, which will hit shelves July 2013!

There's a new blog on the scene for 2013!  Lisa Amowitz, along with author Michelle McLean, has founded the new Scene 13 blog to showcase and highlight 2013 releases. In total there are 29 members including Inkies Lena Goldfinch, PJ Hoover, Ellen Booraem, Lisa Gail Green and Hilari Bell.

Speaking of Lisa Gail Green, she recently announced her 2013 debut THE BINDING STONE, the first in her Djinn series. Check back here for more updates!

We love collaborative Inkie efforts here in the Inkpot, so we're proud as punch about all the rave reviews for DIVERSE ENERGIES, a multicultural YA dystopian anthology featuring works by Cindy Pon and Ellen Oh.  Here are the latest reviews:

from VOYA:

Teen angst in the future makes for a very popular genre and this well-written collection should prove popular if promoted to the The Hunger Games or Divergent series crowd.

from Publisher's Weekly:

While there's not a single misfire in this anthology, particular works stand out. Ellen Oh's "The Last Day" takes place in a world torn apart by a decades-long war...and Cindy Pon's "Blue Skies" is almost painful in its longing for escape. Not only do these stories feature racially diverse casts, set all over the world or in space, some have gay and lesbian protagonists, giving readers plenty with which to identify.

Amazing!

More accolades for Anne Nesbet's THE CABINET OF EARTHS which appears on the Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best" list for 2012 and is a Finalist for the 2012 Cybils award for Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade), along with Jennifer Nielsen's wonderful book, THE
FALSE PRINCE.

And to top it all off, Shannon Hale just put THE CABINET OF EARTHS on her list of "'Girl'
books that boys love"!

Which dovetails into our big finale here with perhaps the most exciting news of all. Paramount Pictures has announced it has contracted with Bryan Cogman, story editor for HBO's GAME OF THRONES series, to adapt the screenplay for Jennifer Nielsen's THE FALSE PRINCE.  HBO?  GAME OF THRONES?  OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See?  2013 is going to give 2012 a run for it's money...  :)

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!

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD SHAMELESSNESS!!!

We're starting out with ridiculously exciting news!!!  This year's winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature is...

WILLIAM ALEXANDER 

for 

GOBLIN SECRETS!

Plus there's an amazing interview with Will in Publisher's Weekly.  We pretty much couldn't be more excited.  You should have seen the email chain that went through the Inkies group.  It was epic.

But that's not all the news we have today. The new YA edition of Lena Goldfinch's fantasy novella, THE LANGUAGE OF SOULS, is now available as an ebook (print forthcoming). And yes, there's a cover reveal!!!

Nancy Holder has accepted a position as writer in residence at Odyssey, a six-week intensive science fiction and fantasy workshop held at St. Anselm college in New Hampshire. The workshop runs from June 10-July 19, 2013.

She will also serve on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program at their campus in Dingle, Ireland, in July of 2013. For those of you who haven't been, the Dingle Peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  So yes, I'm ridiculously jealous.

Hilari Bell's first four novels have been re-released as ebooks! You can look for SONGS OF POWER, NAVOHAR, A MATTER OF PROFIT and THE WIZARD TEST, wherever ebooks are sold. And if you check out her Facebook page, you can get a Smashwords coupon to get any one of those books free.

And that's it!

"It."  WILL WON THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD!!!!  *flails*

:)

Shaker of Shamelessness

I have no idea what a "shaker of shamelessness" might be, but it sounded cool.

:D

Anyway...

We're going to start off with a cover reveal, woo hoo! THE RUNAWAY KING, the sequel to THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen, is just ten kinds of awesome!

To celebrate the announcement, she is giving away a signed ARC to a reader who wants it NOW! Enter for a chance to win at http://tinyurl.com/csavhh2

Not only that, but THE FALSE PRINCE has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, as one of the best middle grade books of the year. If you want to vote for that book (or any of the nominees in all twenty categories), you can find it here.

Stay calm, I have more covers to reveal!!!!!

Megan Crewe has not one, but TWO cover reveals! THE WAY WE FALL and THE LIVES WE LOST have a brand new look!

Speaking of covers, Lisa Amowitz has an announcement!

Lisa Amowitz's VISION, the first in The Finder series, in which a young man discovers that an ability to read the objects he touches is linked to his migraines; when a murder rocks his sleepy town, he must use his newfound gift to track the killer and discovers a shocking truth connected to his own troubled past, plus a sequel, to Vikki Ciaffone at Spencer Hill Press, by Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider.

In addition, Lisa's cover design business is in full swing.  The cover reveal for EXTRACTED (The Lost Imperials, Book One)!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about Superstorm Sandy that slammed the east coast this week.  Our own Anne Nesbet weathered the storm in Philadelphia, camped out in her daughter's dorm room. Then she came back to California to find ARCs of A BOX OF GARGOYLES, which means she also have a cover!

Lastly, not a cover reveal, but an AWESOME new book deal announcement from Anna Staniszewski!

MY VERY UN-FAIRY TALE LIFE author Anna Staniszewski’s next two novels, THE DIRT DIARY and THE DIRT WAR, about a fourteen-year-old girl who joins up with her mom’s house-cleaning business, only to find herself inside the homes of the most popular kids in school—and stumbling across their secrets, again to Aubrey Poole at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, by Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World English).

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.

Two & Twenty Dark Tales: An Interview with Georgia McBride

Two and Twenty Dark Tales is a YA anthology of Mother Goose retellings edited by Georgia McBride and Michelle Zink, and published by McBride's own Month9Books. Some of the stories read like secret histories, as though the familiar nursery rhymes are eroded fragments of something much older and darker. Some play with the actual history of the rhyme; Nancy Holder's "The Lion and the Unicorn" offers new and sinister explanations for the witchy obsessions of King James. Other stories shift the rhymes into contemporary settings and entirely new layers of meaning; Gretchen McNeil's "Tick, Tock" has cell phones, pop culture references, and imperiled babysitters.

The Inkpot: Last year the critic Meghan Cox Gurdon complained of "Darkness Too Visible" in the Wall Street Journal. Notable responses to that pearl-clutching editorial include Maureen Johnson's in The Guardian and Sherman Alexie's in the WSJ. Can you recap for us how Two and Twenty Dark Tales came out of that controversy?

Georgia McBride: I have always thought fairy tales and lullabies were dark, especially Mother Goose Rhymes. When I was asked to respond to the article, I talked about how dark Disney stories are, and yet, parents don't seem to mind dark cartoons or fairy tales so long as there is a happy ending. I listed themes like death, servitude, blackmail, starvation, imprisonment, abduction, poisoning, murder and more in these stories. I began to think then that we had it all wrong, that YA hasn't become dark. That lullabies sung sweetly can soothe and relax us, but just beneath many of them is a hint of something... dark. We grow up with these stories as the foundation for our imagination. YA literature is the natural extension of this dark foundation. And that is how my idea to do dark retellings of Mother Goose rhymes came about.

Define darkness. What is a "dark retelling"?

GM: I asked my writers to take the rhymes they were most fond of and imagine the darkest motivations behind them. Why is Wee Willie Winkie running through the town in his pajamas in the middle of the night? Why would Humpty Dumpty, so frail a being, climb so high atop a wall? And why would Jill push Jack down the hill? We all know that is what REALLY happened.

Talk about the importance of unhappy endings. 

GM: Painting happy endings to tragic and worrisome stories does not always allow for the reader to calm the unsettling feeling of some stories--because the reader knows it isn't authentic. Some stories are supposed to end badly. Some stories are supposed to be told at night, with all the lights on, or around the campfire. Some stories are meant to be dark.

The protagonist in Leah Cypess' "Clockwork" learns courage from years of living as a mouse, and she faces down a predatory witch because she's used to that kind of fear by now. She draws power from her mousey powerlessness. What other sorts of power are explored in these tales? What sorts of power do you want your readers to notice and take away with them? 

GM: That is one of my favorite stories from the anthology. It sends a powerful message indeed. There are themes of powerlessness throughout the anthology, but it is that feeling that often forces the characters to act. Sometimes the acts are heroic and courageous and, at other times, in the case of Humpty Dumpty, readers will be left in tears. Other important themes in the anthology are love, loss, fear, and, of course, magic! Wouldn't we all love to have a bit of magic?

What's your own earliest memory of Mother Goose rhymes? Which rhymes have continued to haunt you into adulthood and parenthood?

GM: My parents always sang Mother Goose Rhymes to us like “Ring Around the Roses,” and read rhymes such as Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty. I continue to be haunted by questions surrounding Jack and Jill's possible sibling rivalry and the troublesome Humpty Dumpty. It sparked me to tell Humpty's story in poem format in the anthology. Every time I think about poor Humpty, it brings me to tears.

This unique collaboration’s proceeds (from the first 5,000 copies sold) will be donated to YALitChat.org, an organization that fosters the advancement, reading, writing and acceptance of young adult literature worldwide.  

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!!!!

Featuring GRETCHEN MCNEIL and TEN!

Today I am so happy to feature our very own Gretchen McNeil and her brand new book, TEN! TEN just released yesterday. Woot! Woot!

For those of you who have not yet read the book, head to your favorite bookstore pronto and buy it! You don't want to miss it. And trust me, it will keep you up all night :)

Gretchen joins us today to talk about herself, her books, and all the good things in life!

 Hi, Gretchen!

 *****

PJH: You’ve just run into an old classmate from high school and you tell them your latest book just came out. They ask what it’s about. What do you say?

GMcN: Ten teens trapped on an island with a serial killer. It's an homage to Agatha Christie's masterpiece And Then There Were None, in a throwback style to the Christopher Pike novels I loved as a teen.


PJH: I'd love to hear about the writing process for TEN? Did you plan a bunch ahead of time? Are you a quick first drafter? Do you spend gobs of time revising? How does the writing mind of Gretchen McNeil work?

GMcN: I write quickly, which came in handy for this book. I had to write the first draft of TEN in ten weeks, due to deadlines for my publisher. So there was literally no room for error. I had a tight outline, which did vary somewhat from the final product, but at least gave me a strong guide to follow. In the end, I wrote the first draft in eight weeks, had some trusted friends read it and give me feedback, spent a week revising and sent it off.

TEN by Gretchen McNeil (Balzer & Bray, September 18, 2012)

PJH: Tell us about the research! Did you seriously research a bunch of killing methods online? Did the FBI come after you? What's the craziest thing you discovered in your research stage?

GMcN: Oh, I'm sure my Google searches have landed me on some sort of government watch list. The trickiest part of TEN is coming up with unique ways to kill people. I realize that makes me sound like Dexter, but it's true! Can't just have the same old, same old.

The craziest thing I discovered is that you can actually electrocute someone using a generator, some jumper cables and a doorknob. That's all I'm saying.


PJH: You are doing an amazing job of marketing this book! It's everywhere. When it comes to marketing, what do you think makes the biggest difference in whether a book is successful?

GMcN: The biggest difference is getting your book in front of people and I've found that word of mouth can really accomplish that. One person who reads and loves your book tells ten others. If only five of them read it and love it, but each tells ten more people, etc. etc. Well, you get the picture.

POSSESS by Gretchen McNeil (Balzer & Bray, 2011)

PJH: What is next? WIPs? Future publications? Please tell all!

GMcN: Next up is my Fall 2013 release 3:59, a parallel universe doppelganger story about two girls who are the same girl but different, who discover that their parallel worlds connect every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. After that, I just announced my next two books, GET EVEN and GET DIRTY, books 1 and 2 in the Don't Get Mad series, for 2014 and 2015. I pitched them 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.

PJH: Thanks so much, Gretchen!

****

About TEN:

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, both of which involve Kamiak High’s most eligible bachelor, T.J. Fletcher. But what starts out as a fun-filled weekend turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly, people are dying and the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
 

*****

Praise for TEN:

"TEN is a real page turner! Gretchen McNeil knows how to plot a thriller: Her setup is flawless and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat." – Christopher Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the THIRST series and REMEMBER ME

"Gretchen McNeil's TEN is my new number one! I jumped at every creaking floorboard in my house and on the page. This is sure to be a teen thriller classic!" – Nancy Holder, Bram Stoker Award winning author of THE SCREAMING SEASON

"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." – Top Pick in Romantic Times, September 2012

"A scary gorefest of murder and mayhem, not for the faint of heart [...] a breathless read." – Kirkus

"Agatha Christie meets Gossip Girl [...] in McNeil’s (Possess) throwback to old-school thrillers [...] has all the hallmarks of a traditional slasher flick, including imprudent sex, gory slayings, and dramatic revelations." – Publisher's Weekly

****

Bio:
Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, writer and clown. Her YA horror POSSESS debuted with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins in 2011. Her follow up TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer – will be released September 18, 2012, and her third novel 3:59, sci fi doppelganger horror is scheduled for Fall 2013. Gretchen's new YA contemporary series Don't Get Mad (Revenge meets The Breakfast Club) begins Fall 2014 with GET EVEN, followed by the sequel GET DIRTY in 2015, also with Bazler + Bray.

Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. Gretchen blogs with The Enchanted Inkpot and is a founding member of the vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as "Monday."

*****

P. J. Hoover is the author of the upcoming dystopia/mythology YA book, SOLSTICE (Tor Teen, June 2013), the upcoming Egyptian mythology MG book, TUT (Tor Children's, Winter 2014), and the middle-grade SFF series, THE FORGOTTEN WORLDS BOOKS (CBAY, 2008-2010). You can read more about her and her books on P. J.'s website or blog.

Day Late and a Dollar Shameless

I apologize.

Last week, I completely forgot the Shameless Saturday post.  This week, I'm a day late.  Ugh.  My brain is leaking like a sieve these days!

But it's okay.  I'm here.  Now.  And I've got some awesome news to share!!!

Starting off with books that are new on the shelves, the amazing Nancy Holder has a new book in stores. VANQUISHED, the third book in her YA dark fantasy Crusade series, is on sale now!

I love that we get to do cover releases here on the Inkpot and Amy Butler Greenfield is thrilled to finally be able to share the cover for CHANTRESS (McElderry, May 2013). Seriously, people, this cover is freaking GORGEOUS! Cannot wait to get my hands on it!!!

We've got two three set of Inkie appearances coming up.  Laura McCaffrey will be joining Tanya Lee Stone, Sarah Aronson, and Laurie Halse Anderson as faculty for the Children's Writing Intensive at Stone Spirit Farm, offered through The Learning Collaborative of Bethany, CT, on Oct 18-22, 2012.

Bay Area residents, be sure to check out the SF in SF reading with Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon next Saturday, September 15 at 7pm at The Variety Preview Room 582 Market Street at Montgomery (1st Floor of the Hobart Building). Malinda will ready from her latest YA Sci Fi Thriller ADAPTATION and Cindy will read from SILVER PHOENIX and FURY OF THE PHOENIX. Signing following.

I'll also be in SF, in my first official signing for TEN, at Books Inc. Opera Plaza Friday, September 21st at 7pm.  I'll be joining by Michelle Gagnon (DON'T TURN AROUND) and Jessica Shirvington (ENTICE.)  The next day, Saturday, September 22nd, I'll be on a contemporary YA panel at the Sonoma Book Festival with Corrine Jackson (IF I LIE) and Dana Einhardt (THE SUMMER I LEARNED TO FLY) and 11:30am.  Then on Sunday, September 23rd I have my Los Angeles launch event for TEN at 2:30pm at Mysterious Galaxy, Redondo Beach.  Yeah, I'm a slacker.  :D

You can check out these and all my fall appearances on my blog.

Grace Lin is back with a new book.  Her October release STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY has gotten not one, not two but three starred reviews! Check them out on her blog.

In foreign rights news, Korean rights have sold for Jennifer Nielsen's THE FALSE PRINCE, making it the eighth language licensed. THE FALSE PRINCE was also named as one of the Best Books of 2012 on both the Middle Grade and the Young Adult lists at TheBestBooksOf.com.

And last, er, I always get embarrassed talking about my own news.  But I'm finally able to share the book trailer for TEN (Balzer + Bray, September 18.)  Warning: it's creepy.

See? I WARNED YOU!!!!

In addition, I just launched my guerrilla street team The Army of Ten, where you can sign up and win some amazing prizes, including books, swag and a meet and greet with me!  :)