Sourcebooks Fire Launce Party!

Tonight, as part of the NYC Teen Author Festival, Sourcebooks Fire, the YA imprint of Sourcebooks, held their launch party at Books of Wonder in Manhattan. There were tables set up for autographs, a raffle to win Scourcebooks Fire books, food and entertainment provided by Tiger Beat!

Left to right: Natalie Standiford, Barney Miller, Daniel Ehrenhaft, and Libba Bray!!

I didn't take a regular camera, because I am a goof, but I had my phone and I managed to make a few short videos before my SD card filled up. I apologize for the poor quality.

The lovely Libba Bray

A blurry photo of Libba and Me

The last one is called YA and it was written by the band about the world of YA literature. If I can find the lyrics I will post them.

Book Giveaway!

The fabulous Elana Johnson is giving away 7 signed YA books, to celebrate her 700 followers! Go here to enter.

Contest: Win a book and/or Critique!

Weronika Janczuk, talented writer and publishing intern with Flux, is hosting yet another amazing contest opportunity!

From Weronika's Blog:

Thanks to my 500+ wonderful followers on Twitter, I can hold my first promised book giveaway. As aforementioned on Twitter as well, as soon as blog followers hit 200 I shall host another party.

I'm going to start small and go bigger with later giveaways.

(In the meantime, there is also an ongoing query and first ten pages critique opportunity- for everyone who enters!)

Deadline: Friday, 12:00pm EST

Prize #1

- Preorder for YA author Kiersten White's PARANOLMACY (HarperTeen/September 2010)

- Order of any book of winner's choice (reasonably priced) from Amazon

- Critique of First 50 Pages (Negotiable for Winners Without Pages)

- Blog Interview (You Visit Me!)

Prize #2

- Preorder for YA author Kiersten White's PARANOLMACY (HarperTeen/September 2010)
- Critique of First 50 Pages (Negotiable for Winners Without Pages)

- Blog Interview (You Visit Me!)

Prize #3

- Critique of First 50 Pages (Negotiable for Winners Without Pages)

Prize #4

- Critique of First 50 Pages (Negotiable for Winners Without Pages)

There will be more celebration and variety come 200 blog followers, so join up if you haven't already.

NYC Teen Author Festival!

I am STOKED for this one! I've marked in bold the events I will be attending, unless something terrible happens and I can't go.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&ref=ts&gid=56488781586

2010 NYC Teen Author Festival Schedule

Monday, 3/15 (NYPL, Tompkins Square Branch, 331 East 10th Street, 6pm):

First Draft to Final Draft – Talking About the Writing Process

featuring:
Gayle Forman
Daphne Grab
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah Mlynowski
Blake Nelson
Marie Rutkoski
Eliot Schrefer
Natalie Standiford



Tuesday, 3/16 (Barnes & Noble Tribeca, 97 Warren Street, 7pm):

Getting Inside the Mind of a Teen Boy

featuring:
Nick Burd
Matt de la Pena
Gordon Korman
David Levithan
Barry Lyga
Michael Northrup
Jon Skovron
Jake Wizner



Wednesday, 3/17 (Mulberry Street Branch, NYPL, 10 Jersey St, 6pm):

The Treasure Map to Going Bovine with Will Grayson(s)
(or, an evening of readers’ theater)

featuring:
Libba Bray
John Green
David Levithan
E. Lockhart



Thursday, 3/18 (Five Borough Read, 10am):

Authors read to high school students and the public in libraries across the city.

Manhattan:

Countee Cullen Branch, NYPL, 104 W 136th St

Donna Freitas
Eliot Schrefer
Rachel Vail
Lynn Weingarten
Ebony Wilkins


Jefferson Market Branch, NYPL, 425 6th Ave

Gabe Guarente
Carla Jablonksi
Kristen Kemp
Barry Lyga
Samantha Schutz


Muhlenburg Branch, NYPL, 209 W 23rd St

Emma McLaughlin
Lauren McLaughlin
Courtney Sheinmel
Jennifer Smith


Mulberry Street Branch, NYPL, 10 Jersey Street

Angie Frazier
Aimee Friedman
Alice Hoffman
Robin MacCready
Sarah Maclean
Amanda Marrone


Seward Park Branch, NYPL, 192 East Broadway

Cathleen Bell
Susane Colasanti
Matt De La Pena
Gayle Forman
Daphne Grab


Yorkville Branch, NYPL,, 222 East 79th St

Micol Ostow
Robin Palmer
Shani Petroff
Robyn Schneider
Abby Sher
Jake Wizner
Michelle Zink


Brooklyn:

Central Branch, Brooklyn Public Library, Dweck Auditorim, 10 Grand Army Plaza

Emily Horner
Melissa Kantor
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Matthue Roth
Siobhan Vivian
Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Melissa Walker
Robin Wasserman


Bronx:

Bronx Library Center, NYPL, 310 East Kingsbridge Road

Coe Booth
Sarah Darer Littman
Neesha Meminger
Maryrose Wood


Queens:

Broadway Branch, QPL, 40-20 Broadway, Long Island City

Jessica Blank
Sarah Burningham
Heather Duffy-Stone
Marianne Mancusi
Elizabeth Scott


Staten Island:

West New Brighton Branch, NYPL, 976 Castleon Avenue

Elizabeth Eulberg
David Levithan
Michael Northrup
Kieran Scott



Thursday Evening, 3/18 (Books of Wonder, 18 W 18th St, 6-8pm):

Sourcebooks Fire Launch Party

featuring authors Lisa Brown, Anne Eliot Crompton, Helen Ellis, Adele Griffin,
AND
the rocking tunes of Tiger Beat! (with Libba Bray, Dan Ehrenhaft, Barnabas Miller, and Natalie Standiford)



Friday, 3/19 (South Court, 42nd Street, 2-5 and 6-8:30)

NYC Teen Author Festival Symposium

Afternoon

2:00 Introduction

2:10 – 3:00: Using Genre to Tell the True Story of Adolescence

featuring:
Judy Blundell
Sarah Beth Durst
Lauren McLaughlin
Diana Peterfreund
Sara Shepard
Maggie Stiefvater
Robin Wasserman


3:00 – 3:30: Making a First Impression – 2010 Debut Authors

featuring:
Angie Frazier
Emily Horner
Alyssa Sheinmel
Ebony Wilkins


3:30 - 4:15: Grief, Loss, and the YA Novel

featuring:
Alexandra Bullen
Heather Duffy-Stone
Donna Freitas
Alice Hoffman
Sarah Darer Littman
Lisa Ann Sandell
Samantha Schutz


4:15 – 5: The Boy You Can’t Have

featuring:
Susane Colasanti
Elizabeth Eulberg
Robin Palmer
Elizabeth Scott
Melissa Walker
Maryrose Wood

5-6: Break

Evening

6:00 – A Tribute to Regina Hayes

featuring:
Sarah Dessen
Joy Peskin
Jacqueline Woodson


6:45 – 8:30: What it Feels Like for a Girl – Writing in a Teen Girl’s Voice

featuring:
Jessica Blank
Eireann Corrigan
Sarah Dessen
Jenny Han
Terra Elan McVoy
Siobhan Vivian
Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Jacqueline Woodson


Saturday, 3/20 (Bartos Forum, 42nd Street, 1pm):

Stuff for the Teen Age Event
Come check out Stuff for the Teen Age, The New York Public Library’s list of the hottest books, movies, music, and video games from 2009. Talk with your favorite authors. Rock out to your favorite songs. Have fun. Hear a very special presentation from keynote speaker, Libba Bray, the author of Going Bovine.


Sunday afternoon:
Books of Wonder Signing (2-6)

NOTE: Because of the number of authors, signings will be in shifts. Below is the approximate schedule, which is subject to change

2:00-2:45
Alma Alexander
Nora Baskin
Cathleen Davitt Bell
Judy Blundell
Libba Bray
Coe Booth
Elise Broach
Alexandra Bullen
Nick Burd
Sarah Burningham
Susane Colasanti
Matt De La Pena
Violet Haberdasher
Maggie Stiefvater

2:45-3:30
Tom Dolby
Heather Duffy-Stone
Sarah Beth Durst
Elizabeth Eulberg
Gayle Forman
Aimee Friedman
Jenny Han
Alice Hoffman
Carla Jablonksi
Melissa Kantor
Kristen Kemp
Michelle Knudsen
Peter Lerangis
David Levithan

3:30-4:15
Sarah Darer Littman
Barry Lyga
Robin MacCready
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah Maclean
Marianne Mancusi
Amanda Marrone
Wendy Mass
Lauren McLaughlin
Neesha Meminger
Sarah Mlynowski
Michael Northrup
Robin Palmer

4:15-5:00
Diana Peterfreund
Shani Petroff
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Matthue Roth
Marie Rutkoski
Lisa Ann Sandell
Samantha Schutz
Elizabeth Scott
Kieran Scott
Courtney Sheinmel
Sara Shepard
Abby Sher
Jon Skovron

5:00-5:45
Jennifer Smith
Natalie Standiford
Rachel Vail
David Van Etten
Siobhan Vivian
Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Melissa Walker
Robin Wasserman
Suzanne Weyn
Lynn Weingarten
Martin Wilson
Jake Wizner
Maryrose Wood
Michelle Zink


BONUS EVENTS:

Also keep in mind…

Before the Festival:

March 11: Blake Nelson and the Care Bears on Fire at Barnes & Noble, Union Square, 33 E 17th St, 7pm, for a night of reading and rock

After the Festival:

April 14: The Next Teen Author Reading Night, 6-7:30 at the Jefferson Market Branch of NYPL, 425 6th Ave, at 10th St.

Helen Ellis, The Turning
David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, Dedication
Sarah Mlynowski, Gimme a Call
Marie Rutkoski, The Celestial Globe
Elizabeth Scott, The Unwritten Rule
Rachel Vail, Brilliant
Adrienne Maria Vrettos, The Exile of Gigi Lane

In My Mailbox Week 5

In My Mailbox is brought to you by Kristi at The Story Siren.

This week, I have ICECORE by Matt Whyman, courtesy of The Latnier Gang Book Review Spot.

Product Description

Hypothermia is never far away.

When the shivering stops, that's when you should start to worry. It's your body's way of signaling that it's lost the battle to keep your blood warm. But by then you'll be too weak to retrace your steps. Chances are you'll be so confused and disoriented that you won't even recall what it was you were fleeing in the first place. All you'll want to do is lie down in the snow and close your eyes.

He's a seventeen-year-old British computer hacker who penetrated the security systems at Fort Knox for a laugh. But the American government was less than amused. Since his prank, gold bars have been landing in the hands of terrorists across the globe.

Now, Carl has found himself in a military prison deep in the Arctic and far off the grid. He's been caged alongside the world's most notorious terrorists, with no one to trust and no end in sight.

Carl Hobbes may not be a criminal mastermind, but if he wants to escape this subzero prison with his life, he'll have to start thinking like one.

About the Author

Matt Whyman is the author of such books as Icecore and Boy Kills Man, an ALA Quick Pick. He lives with his wife and four children in England.

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416949070
• ISBN-13: 978-1416949077

Win Incarceron by Catherine Fisher!

Reverie Book Reviews is hosting a contest. Prize: Hardcover copy of NYT Bestseller, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, AND a poster and a bookmark of the cover!

Visit Reverie Book Reviews to enter! Good luck!

Open to US residents only :(

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

There is an interesting cover story on this book here.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599903059
• ISBN-13: 978-1599903057

FROM JUSTINE'S WEBSITE:

DO NOT SPOIL THIS BOOK

Please don’t give away any of the twists and turns of Liar.

Liar is my first thriller. It’s from the point of view of a compulsive liar. And I mean compulsive. Micah’s been messing with my head for years and she’s about to mess with yours. You cannot believe a word she says, which means that her revelations cannot be taken at face value. So what you think is the big spoiler probably isn’t because there isn’t one big spoiler, there are many.

I’d be dead pleased if you could keep quiet about all of them.

I deliberately wrote the book to be read in at least two different ways. You may think you know what kind of book it is and what kind of person Micah is, but you’ll find other readers will disagree with you completely. There is no one right way to read this book. And that’s why I’m so keen for readers not to spoil it for others. Because I want each reader to come to their own conclusions.

Liar is as much a jigsaw puzzle as a novel, but one where the pieces can go together in many different ways. Writing it was a puzzle, too. I wrote it back to front and inside out. Not from start to finish, but scene by scene. As I wrote I shuffled scenes around, rewriting them with every move. It was one of the most enjoyable writing experiences of my career. I could feel my brain stretching as I wrote. (In a good way.) I hope reading it has the same effect on you.

Just don’t spoil it, okay?"

I won't spoil this book for you. Not just because Justine asked, but because it was such an incredible surprise to me, that I wouldn't dare ruin any of it for you.

Seventeen year old Micah is a compulsive liar. She always stays one step ahead of her lies, until her after-hours boyfriend is murdered, and her classmates and even the police start to suspect her.

I wish I could tell you more. All I can say is that LIAR will blow your mind. It is a must read.

Winner of Lisa Schroeder's IHY,YHM

And the winner of Lisa Schroeder's I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME (my personal copy! And the first book I have EVER parted with) is...

RAILA!!!!!!

Random Entry Selected:	9
Odds of Winning:	5 in 133
Entry Data:	5, Raila

I attended a live chat with Lisa on MundieMoms blog last night, some of you may also have attended, and when asked if she had any advice for aspiring authors, Lisa said this:

"My advice is to read a lot, and then write as much as you can. And when you are writing a story, don't worry about what others think. Write the story for YOU and write to see what will happen because YOU want to know. I get so many letters from teens trying to write and worried if it's "good enough" and a first draft is never good enough. It's about getting the story down and telling it to yourself, you know?"

Oh, we know. Thanks, Lisa! And thanks to all who entered my contest! *hugs*

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear hisvoice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she'scrazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Read the Cover Story at Melissa Walker's blog. Very sexy indeed.

from Amazon:

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; 1 edition (January 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416986189

Product Description

Love can be a dangerous thing....

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.

But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

I was very impressed with this book. It has been a long time since I read something so unique. Not only the character of Hanna, being biracial and manic depressive, but also with the town of Portero--the monsters, the Mortmaine. It was such a fun read; dark, sexy, daring and sometimes frightening, Reeves definitely brought sexy back to YA.

The Secret Year by Jennifer R Hubbard

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (January 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670011533

Product Description from amazon

Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia’s boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he’s desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

I fell in love with this book from the very beginning. It has a great voice and I loved that it was a love story, and not an overly sappy one, told from the boys point of view. Colt felt like a real boy to me the entire length of the novel. This is a great debut novel and it is definitely not to be missed.

Grapemo!

February 1st marks the start of Grapemo! The purpose of Grapemo, started by Jeannine at http://onegrapeshy.livejournal.com/349490.html (go there if you want to participate) is to set a goal, and keep it.

My 2010 Grapemo goal-- Finish a final draft of WIP #3.

And hopefully give it a title. I'm starting Grapemo with close to 10k words in the bank, and I am hoping to get 40k more. But word count really isn't what matters. Telling the story does. Here's a teaser:

So what do you do when your best friend is in love with you, and you might be falling for the strangest, possibly most dangerous boy you’ve ever met? You eat a crap-load of chocolate, binge on coffee for a week, and avoid both parties. At. All. Costs.

What's your Grapemo goal?