Virtual Launch Party!

Poor Adversary.  As my second-born book, it has to wear hand-me-down cover protectors and never feels like it's getting enough attention.

And Minder pinches it when I'm not looking.

But today is Adversary's day!   Happy launch day, Adversary!

In honor of today's release date, I'm having a giveaway.  Comment below by midnight (EDT) Wednesday, August 25th. I'll randomly select someone and send him or her a signed copy of Adversary.  Tell your friends on your blog, Facebook, etc., and send me the link. I'll enter you for an additional chance to win for every link you post. I'll also give you an extra chance if you're a follower, and an additional chance if you're a new follower (as of today, August 20th). Woohoo!  Free stuff!

And now, everyone gather 'round as little Adversary gazes in wonder at the tiny flame on top of the candle, then digs its little hands into the frosting.

"...Happy Launch Day to you!" 

Adversary's baby picture courtesy of Auntie Amazon.  

UPDATE: Oooh--check out today's interview on Cari's Book Blog! +1 chance for posting there, too, and another +1 if you become one of her followers. 

Bad Romance

I'm fighting a bad case of cliche-itis. I keep thinking in stock phrases, like...






Okay, ironically, there's no stock phrase for thinking in stock phrases. I usually don't get writer's block, but I do get this.  It makes me madder than a wet hen. 

Grrr...

I think it's related to having a song stuck in my head. Lady Gaga has been singing Bad Romance between my ears for the past four days. 

So, what's your writing illness?  Or...is writing the sickness itself?

Adversary comes out tomorrow!  I'll be signing copies at Pi-Con--we're having a signing party on Saturday night after the Broad Universe reading.  Just the thought of it makes me happier than a pig in slop.

*groan*

Anticipation

C'mon, fellow YA readers, you know what's coming next week. Chant it with me...
Mock-Ing-Jay!
Mock-Ing-Jay!
Mock-Ing-Jay!

I'm re-reading Hunger Games and Catching Fire this week. I love getting the next installment of a new series.  But, with Mockingjay coming out just four days after Adversary, I got to thinking about a problem with book series...

How do you keep the reader's knowledge of specifics--characters, relationships, past plot developments, and/or alternate history? If you write paranormal stuff, readers also need to know about special abilities or twists on cannon. Do your vampires sparkle in sunlight rather than bursting into flames? Do your werewolves change form with ambient temperature rather than moon-cycle?

If you don't refresh their memories, readers will be confused by some of the new plot ("Who's that guy, and what on earth is he doing?").  If you give them too much of a refresher as everything starts up again, your first chapters drag. 

In Adversary, I wrote a "Dear Reader" letter for the opening which gave a quick overview of the main characters, their abilities, Ganzfield, G-positives, and dodecamine. In Legacy, I've done the same, but also added a bit of information about the plot developments from the last book.  I've been making final revisions this week--it goes to the editor in the first week of September. I keep wondering which way to err. Too little info might confuse people, but too much might bore them or at least make them say, "I know this already!"  So, now I'm asking you:

When you read a series, do you prefer to have a lot of reminders in the opening chapters, or do you prefer to have the story pick up immediately and assume you know the details from the previous books?  

Thanks again to Lea at YA Book Queen for hosting my guest post yesterday, and thanks to all of you who clicked over and said hi!   

* Image copyright Jennifer Larson, http://www.an-architecture.com/2010/04/couch-cushion-architecture.html

 

* Wine not included. No, this isn't my living room; I found the picture on an architecture website.  Really.

Field Trip!

Hi folks,

Lea over at YA Book Queen has made up the guest room, put out the fancy towels, stocked up on little soaps shaped like seashells, and I've moved into her blog for the day.  Stop by and become a fan!

I'm Back!

I live in New Hampshire--a beautiful state of scenic mountains, idyllic lakes, and quiet woods.

But I went to New Jersey for my summer vacation. 

Sadly, several members of my family still reside in the Garden State. The Muthuhland. 'Joisey.

As in, "Oh my Gawd!  Did you get that at the Mawll?"

*sigh*

So, I came home from my vacation to find the Adversary ARCs sitting in a box in my hall.  Yes, they were supposed to have gone out WEEKS ago. I got them all into the mail today, and I'm chanelling my frustration into conquering Mt. Laundry, the scenic peak that currently dominates the floor of my kitchen. 

*double sigh*

On the good side, though, I have an upcoming book signing right here in scenic New Hampshire next week.

Borders 

76 Fort Eddy Rd., Concord, NH 03301  

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. 

They've got Minder in-stock now. I'll be reading from both Minder and Adversary, as well as signing both.  We'll have Zener cards and a t-shirt giveaway; it should be fun.

I'll also be doing a reading at Pi-Con in Connecticut at 5p.m. on Saturday, August 21st (Ellington Room).

Finally, two new Minder reviews came out in the past 24 hours:
Thanks Lea at YA Book Queen and Amanda at YA Highway!

Fun with Twilight

More vacation fun, and it's pretty clean, soundwise. Enjoy!

Barnes and Noble

Like Amazon, Barnes and Noble have their good points and bad points.

Right now, I LOVE the fact that their pre-order price for Legacy is only $8.76.

I'm NOT so thrilled with the fact that they've listed Spencer Hill Press as the AUTHOR of Adversary, which explains why I haven't seen it on my author page. I've got an email in to the corrections people, so we'll see what happens.

UPDATE: they've listed me as the author now (yay!), but it hasn't made its way through the system to my author page.

Finally, I came across this quote a few weeks ago, then saw it somewhere else, and now can't recall either source (although that lack of recall may be partially due to the fact that I'm writing this at 2:47 a.m.).

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."
– E.L. Doctorow

I'm considering embroidering it on a pillow--in my copious spare time.