The time there was a guy with antlers

When the Fierce Reads tour was announced as with a stop in San Diego, it was a sure thing. And then Macmillan asked me to be designated blogger and sent me a box filled with pretty books to giveaway AND set me up with an interview time with the

I met Michelle at Starbucks, as usual. We took over a couple of tables and waited until the ladies showed. 

Everyone showed up just after six. We decided to sit outside to not irritate the inside guests. 

As with the last interview I did, I intended to record this and then figure out some way to make it a sound file for you to choose whether or not you wanted to listen. As I am complete and total fail at technology, instead there is a wall of text. And to keep the wall of text as small as possible, I kept out all of the tangents and giggles. Just believe me when I say these four women are hilarious. If you want to get straight to the event, scroll past the block quote. 

What's the hardest book to write: your first or your last?

G: The second.  They buy a finished book and are like, "You're amazing!" and then you turn in your second one and they're like, "Wellllllll....we've revised our opinion." No, I'm joking, but I couldn't count on my hands anymore how many people I know who have had to rewrite their second book and I was one of them.  I flew through the third book and it got through revisions really fast and everyone loved it.  So for me, it was the second book.

J: I would have said the second book about three months ago, until I started writing the third book and it is impossible. I think the problem with the third book is that you have to solve every problem that you set up.  And through out, I've been very nice to my future self, going "Oh, future Jessica will deal with that. I'm going to set it up here and then she's going to solve it in a really cool way in the third book." Now I'm getting to those problems and I'm like, "Damn you, past Jessica!" so I'm going to say the third one.

L:  Book two was the most intense, but book three was the most challenging. I thought it was going to be the easiest because I had everything mapped out and I thought it would be the fun part. I knew where everything was going and I thought I would just enjoy myself.  And it could not have been less true. I think that in books one and two, you're opening doors and in book three, you're closing doors.  For me, that was sort of a new experience and not one that I enjoyed.

A: If you're comparing the first book to the last, I think they each have their challenges.  The new idea is always sexiest.  You run with it, you can do anything you want and it doesn't matter how crazy it is because the sky is the limit. But, like Jessica said, in the third book, you absolutely have to make everything make sense and if you weren't completely logical with some of your decision making, you have to deal with those consequences. By the same token, I didn't really have a hard time with the first or the third book. 

With the first book, there was no expectation.  I wrote the YA because my kids were bugging me to write a book that they could read. I just wrote it to have fun and with book two, I was kind of freaked out.  I didn't really expect that it would sell and then it did. And then it did kinda well and then it did better and people were excited for the second one.  That's when I realized that I was going to have to make lightening strike twice.

So, for me, I'd have to say that Outpost was the hardest to write because I was struggling with the weight of reader expectations and I was afraid that they wouldn't like it as much. I couldn't, from a plot sense, duplicate the excitement of discovery from Enclave because everything is brand new. In Outpost, you're returning to the world, they're getting the second look and maybe they'll look a little closer.  What I tried to do instead of offering breakneck, relentless action was I tried to intersperse that with more emotional development and emotional growth. Some people called that book slower, in comparison.  Some people liked that and said that it was good to get to know the characters and care about them.  It was an absolutely necessary maneuver because if you don't care about the characters, you don't care when I raise the stakes in book three. So, for me, book two was the toughest.

What is the most stressful thing about writing?

G: When you get out of the habit of doing it. I'm always like, "Oooh, I finished a book, I'm going to take a week off.  I'll start all of these sewing projects and I'll bake things and I'll take care of the children for once and I'll clean my house." The next thing you know, I've turned into some domestic person, which is not me. And then I'm like, "How do I write again? What do I do? What is a computer?" That is the hardest thing, just getting back into a groove if I left myself stop.

J: I think one of the most stressful things is when you sell a book on proposal. When I write a proposal, I feel like a rock star. They buy it and I'm thinking, "This is going to be EPIC!" You get to put all of the really cool stuff in a proposal, but you don't have to put all of the garbage that gets in the way of the cool stuff. Every time I turn in a book, I think they're going to say it isn't the book they bought.

A: If I can dovetail or piggy back or whatever on that answer, I hate selling on proposal. I find it stressful for slightly different reasons. Generally, I'm really excited when I write the proposal and the sample chapters and then I just want to finish it.  But then, I have to send it away and I have to wait.  I'll have other deadlines, but eventually I'll hear back.  They're going to buy it, but they don't actually need it until December, 2016;, so the book I'm really excited about, I can't write right now. By the time December comes along, I don't even want to write it any more. I don't even know what I was thinking or where I was trying to go with it.

L: For me, I have a very strong streak of self-doubt and that is sort of with me through everything. On the days where it gets the better of me, those are the worst days. Those are the days where I feel like a hack and a fraud and I regret every negative review I ever read because I have all of those voices that are like a Greek chorus saying, "That's right, you're terrible!"

What do you like more: drafting or revising?

G: Whatever I'm not doing at the time. "Oh, if only I were drafting and I could just create and I didn't have any notes!" When I'm drafting then it's, "This is terrible! When I revise, everything will be magical and I'll make everything beautiful!"

L: I like drafting more.

J: I like drafting more. Until about three months ago, when I started something called Book Three.

A: I say revising.  It takes so much more mental energy for me to create something out of nothing. Once I have a book, even if it's kind of crappy, I can work on it and work on it and work on it and I can make it not crappy. It's not as exhausting because I have a place to start.

Is it ever too late to start writing?

L: This actually drives me insane. Ask someone who didn't manage to write their first book until "late in life". No, it's not too late. I think one of the problems we have, not just in publishing, but in everything is this weird sort of festishization of youth and being the first to discover a talent. The fact is that there are a lot of writers and artists and even actors who started later in life. The only issue is that, if you're anything like me, you feel like you're going to have to play catch up forever because there are people who have backlists when they started at twenty-five years old. We live in a culture that celebrates youth and celebrates the first book, the first starring role, the first whatever it is.  That's not what is important. What's important is the story that you write and how you connect with your readers.

J: I've had people say that they're frustrated that they haven't hit that certain point by a certain age.  I think what's important is to not compare yourself to anyone else.  Everyone is on their own path and their own road to publishing or success or however you want to define what you want. If you start comparing yourself to people, you will just set yourself up to fail. I wanted to be published by a certain age too and I didn't get there.  Everyone gets there when they're meant to get there.

L: I have one more thing to say.  I think we do this tremendous disservice to kids when we say things like, "You're so smart for your age" "You're so talented for your age." because as some point, you stop being the youngest, smartest person in the room and you really need to learn who you are and to rely on your talent and hard work. I think it would be great if we could distance ourselves from this idea that somehow being a prodigy or having some inherent gift is somehow a great boon. A lot of people do publish when their really young and then never publish again. Or it takes them ten years to write another book because of all of the pressure. There's no right way to do it, just write the book.

A: I would add that we live in a culture that sort of glamorizes writing. From the outside, it looks extremely glamorous and it looks like an easy thing to do and an easy way to make money. I would ask anyone who is an aspiring writer: where do you see this going? What are your expectations? A lot of people who think they want to write, if they knew how many late nights, how many days in your pyjamas, how many showers you skip, you eat crackers and olives for a whole day... If they knew the reality of it instead of what's shown on Castle. I think he's been at his keyboard maybe twice in six years.

J: Well, even with Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. She's shopping all the time and she writes a column once a week. What does is pay? $25,000 a piece?

A: If you want to write because you love it and it's always been in the back of your head that you wanted to try it and you think you would enjoy it and you want to tell stories... if that's your parameter, then go for it. But, if you're expecting glamor and fame and buckets of money and your publisher to fly with you to Martha's Vineyard to have a holiday weekend... If their expectations are realistic, then absolutely. 

You get the call/email/letter saying that you're going to be published for the first time. What happens in the next five minutes?

A: Since I'm international, I got an IM from my agent saying "Are you there?" I was away when she sent it. I knew we had a proposal out. It had only been ten minutes, but she had gone to lunch. I sat there and stared at the IM for about an hour. She finally came back and said that we had an offer and it was a good offer and I wanted it.  I just started screaming and jumping around and crying because at that point, I had been trying for twenty years and I had around twelve books rejected. She was my third agent and I was at the point where I believed it just wasn't going to happen for me.

So, I burst into really loud, sobbing tears.  We had a part-time housekeeper, who came running in terror because she thought I was having a brain aneurysm.  I was snotting and crying and barking out in Spanish what happened and it's absolutely indecipherable. She calls my husband and she tells him that I'm having some sort of a fit. My husband calls me all panicked and I'm finally able to tell someone in English that I sold a book.  He asked to talk to the housekeeper so he could tell her that I wasn't dying. So, he does and then she just leaves! She didn't even congratulate me.

L: I was in Whole Foods and it was Thanksgiving time and I had had an idea that the way I was going to get through the waiting for the submissions was that I was going to cook and bake up a storm. I am neither a good cook or a good baker, so it was good to be challenging myself. I had a cart filled with groceries and I was standing in the produce section.  I didn't expect to hear from anyone and we had gotten an offer before Thanksgiving and I shrieked. Then I left my entire cart of groceries so I could go outside and hyperventilate on the curb. It was there when I got back.

J: I just remember it being really surreal. I think I expected to be more excited than I was, not that I wasn't excited, but I expected it to be some huge emotional fireworks.  I didn't know a lot about the publishing industry at that point, but it was for my first adult book and when she told me that we had an offer from St. Martins Press and I was like, "I've heard of them!" I was excited that I had heard of the publisher and figured that it must be good.  It didn't become real until later that night.  I was producing a really horrible indie film at the time and I went to the editing studio and told all of them that I got an offer on my book and they got excited.

G: It was the night of my son's fourth birthday on the night that the final offers came in from auction. We had taken him to Chuck E. Cheese because it had been a crazy month with submission and I didn't make any birthday plans.  I was feeling like a horrible mother and I had to sneak out and my agent and I had this whole conversation while I was standing behind one of the Chuck E. dolls. She was in a closet at some dinner for her father and we were trying to discuss the pros and cons of who to sign with and it was just a little ridiculous.

We finished the interview around 6:50 and I left them to take a few moments and get my eleventy billion books to have signed. [Thank you, Jennifer for saving seats!]  The ladies got to the store and the event started right at 7. After the store introduction, each author briefly talked about their book [it was the first time Ann had seen finished copies of Horde] and then the Q&A started.

 

What is the most drastic thing you've done for a deadline?

L: I killed a man

G: Because I needed to see how the blood pooled. 

L: I go into the bunker. I guess I just go into my house and give up any social life. Oh and I take a lot of showers because that's where I get ideas.  So I am very very clean.

J: I locked myself in a cabin for four days. 

L: I thought you were going to say a cabinet. 

G: I do that often. My husband will book me a hotel and I'll get a lot of words down. Actually, I'll write for about 5 hours and then I'll read a bunch of books. 

A: I tend to be really obsessive. The closer I get to finishing the more obsessive I'll get. I don't want to do anything else. That includes eating or sleeping or bathing or seeing my family. Sometimes my husband will poke me to make sure that I'm still alive. My record is 16k words in 24 hours. But my hands were tired and I had to take pain medication. I didn't know what day it was.

 

What's your process: pantser or plotter?
 

G: The first time I ever finished a book was with NaNo. That made me think I was a pantser. And then I had to write the second book. I came to the realization that it depends on the book. I'm currently working a historical book and I need to do research otherwise it's going to be a hot mess of things that didn't actually happen.

J: I'm a plotter. Anyone who follows me on all of the things know that I'm a big fan of Save the Cat. I say that I outline just so I can deviate from it. I'm like a plotter with a side of pantsing. 

L: I'm a plotter. Jessica says there's 15 beats and I have 12. There's a skeleton and it gets better. That helps me if I get stuck somewhere, I can go somewhere else. For example, in book two, I was planning on killing someone and I decided not to. I call it the reverse George RR Martin. 

A: Depends on whether or not I'm writing with my husband. We didn't talk about things beforehand and I got us started while he wrote a bunch of crap. I would tell him "No, you can't have them doing that there." and he would say, "Well, I just did." Instead of working on the scene, we fought. 

In conclusion, if I write with my husband, I have to plot because we'll fight. And I don't want to fight because I want to stay married. For myself, I'm more of a pantser. I need to know the end. If I don't know the ending, I don't know how to get there. 

 

Since Allegiant came out, there's been a lot of fan opinion, how do you guys plan for reader reaction?

 L: I think readers have the right to react however they want. And authors have the right to finish the way they want. The problem I have is when people say "if you do this, I'm going to punch you in the face or kill you". You can't please everyone. Forced creators make horrible product. 

A: You can react however you want, just don't bring it to my yard. You can write fan mail, but don't send me hate mail or chicken heads. I respect readers to have their own forums and opinions, but to start a discourse with the person who created it? What do you think is actually going to come of that?

J: What's the saying? Love and hate are different sides to the same coin. If you create something that makes that sort of reaction, it's amazing. When I get things in my head, like from reviews, I go to GoodReads and I read the one star reviews of my favorite book. It makes me realize that with a billion people in the world, there's always going to be someone who doesn't like it.

Have you ever created a character for your protagonist?

L: Sturmhond was the first character that actually leapt off the page and wouldn't shut up. There was so much darkness and OMG CAN I DO THIS? with every character. And Sturmhond says I got this. 

How did you build your magic?

L: It is sort of molecular chemistry. It answers the question of what happens if you take a gun to a magic fight. 

J: I tried to keep mine in a bit of a "it could happen". In the outline, I thought it would take maybe a page or two to tell her everything and then I found that I had to make up some of the technology to get what I needed.

G: Mine came from a painting [I didn't get the name!]. Or a series of paintings that show people at looms, weaving and the fabric is going out the window, creating the world. In all of them, there's one girl who is looking at the audience and I wanted to know what that girl was thinking. I like to sew and I love sci fi like Doctor Who and Star Trek. It took a lot of physics which would be surprising to my teachers. It started with what would the world look like and then what would the women think about this. 

A: The freaks started because I have an obsession with zombies. I've always been totally into zombies. When I was ten, I snuck into a movie and saw Night of the Comet. I came from a strict religious family, we were the last to get a microwave because it was run by demons. So, I snuck a lot of zombie stuff and it was inevitable that I was going to write something with zombies. And I did some research on genetics and genetic memory.

The signing started around 8:15.  They had all of the people who were standing go outside and start a line and the people who were sitting were asked to fold their chairs before getting in line.  Jennifer handed Michelle and I post-its for personalization and we tackled the line.  I also saw KEIKO and Crystal from the BN store in Vegas.

And this happened too... Yah. That guy is wearing antlers.

While we were waiting, we ended up getting behind the counter and chatting with Jennifer and Kate about a variety of things.  And then....Jennifer took Michelle and I to the super secret back room.  It was the first time I had been in the one at the San Diego location.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take anything without discussing it with Patrick first.  But to see it....sigh.

We eventually got in the line, at the back of it. When it was our turn, I ended up in a serious conversation about Doctor Who with Gennifer and Jessica [who has just started watching it]. See, Gennifer has the most amazing Doctor Who lunch box and it has River on it.  Somehow, that lunch box led to me showing them my tattoo and talking about how my license plate says TARRDUS [yah, that was the only spelling left]. Annnnnnd due to this captivating conversation, I didn't get any photos of the ladies signing my books.

So, here's just the books!

  

Then there was a bit of a photo shoot.  There were about 15 people left over to take photos.  First it was just the authors holding their books.  Leigh said it was like the paparazzi.  Gennifer said that someone should say "Marco" and everyone would know where to look. 

Michelle took a photo for me and then I thanked the four of them for taking the time to do the interview.  Jessica thanked me for driving down and I said that I lived about 15 minutes away and she said, "well then, never mind." And then thanked me [again] for driving to Vegas. Before we walked out, I also found Molly [who was their handler/publicist/tour manager/HBIC] and thanked her for letting me do the interview.

Ann, Leigh, Jessica and Gennifer are quite the charismatic group.  Their stories are funny and the camaraderie is delightful and entertaining.  I can't recommend them enough.

Now.....

Macmillan was awesome enough to send me this pretty stack of books to giveaway.  All of them are signed. I'm sorry, but this giveaway is US only.  It's a pretty hefty stack and I'm a little scared to find out what international shipping would cost me. 

There is a side note: I didn't get the arc of Unforgotten in time to take it with me, the one pictured in the stack is mine.  The arc is included in the giveaway, I just don't have it yet.  If it doesn't show up before the giveaway is over, it will be sent separately. Anyhoo.

Edit 11/5: I have found another stack of books from previous Fierce Reads tours and will be including them in this giveaway.  There will now be two winners. The first winner will win the books pictured above.  The second winner will win the books pictured below.  All of the books in the second group are signed, except for The Fallout.

Rules for the giveaway are under the "terms & conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time I wanted your questions

Hi guys! I have a bit of a challenge for you today....

See, next week is the Fierce Reads tour stop in San Diego and I'm going to be the designated blogger for Macmillan.  Besides them sending me all of the pretty books for a giveaway, they've so awesomely set up a chance for me to interview the authors!

I will be seeing:

Ann Aguirre

Gennifer Albin

Jessica Brody

Leigh Bardugo

It's all very exciting and maybe a little nerve wracking.  Instead of coming up with questions, I thought I would ask you guys to come up with some.  Is there anything you've always wanted to know about these four ladies?  Curious about their writing habits or favorite tv show or what their favorite drink from Starbucks is?  You tell me and I'll ask 'em.

Just leave a comment before the event on October 29th!

Oh and remember that comment about giveaway books?  Yep.  Here's the pretty stack Macmillan sent me today.  They'll be signed and up for grabs on the recap post.

Now... ask away!

The time it was like speed dating

I heard about the Summer of YA event on accident. I was scrolling through the events list on the BN website and just happened to see that Elizabeth Ross was having another signing. And when I clicked on the link to learn more about the event, it was a huge listing.

I ended up requesting the tickets, but wasn't sure if I was actually going to make it. 

On the day of the event, traffic was a nightmare and we got there around 1:40, with the event starting at 2. I checked in and got my wristband before I briefly ran into Thuy and Nicole. 

 

On my quest to get the books I needed, I ran into Jessica Brody and then saw Gretchen McNeil. After I purchased my books, I went to hover around by the start of the event area. 

 

It was announced that the wristband color coordinated with the balloon color of the table each person was assigned too. The groups of people would be staying at the table, the authors would be rotating around from table to table. 

While waiting for the event to start, I saw Lita and Colleen who work at the BN at The Grove. I started hearing that they event people changed their minds and the people would be the movers, instead of the authors. And then I finally met Alethea!

The event started around 2:20. Everyone was told to go over to the table that matched their wristband. First up was Sarah Skilton and Elizabeth Ross

 

Each author gave a brief synopsis of their book and then opened it up for everyone. I gave Elizabeth my copy of Belle Epoque and we started a conversation about Paris. 

 

 

I stood off to the side for a bit, trying to behave and follow the directions of not moving tables until told to. Buuuuuut, I couldn't do it. I took off my wristband and went over to the only other table I was looking for: Stacey Jay and Gretchen McNeil. 

They each had someone talking to them and they all left at the same time. I made the joke that I had them all to myself. 

I started telling Stacey about how I was trying to stalk her [Me to Gretchen: I don't want your input on this. Gretchen: I will just look over there.] at ALA for an arc of Romeo Redeemed and how Ava ended up getting it for me.  And she said, "You're the other Stacee!" I said that I was and she stood up to high five me. 

We briefly talked about her new book and how excited she was for it. Then people who followed the rules started coming over. 

 

 

I stepped over to Gretchen and we started talking about her two weeks off from revisions and topics for the upcoming non-sanctioned SCBWI panel she is planning. All I have to say about Gretchen is that if you haven't met her or read her books, you need to get on it. She is absolutely one of my favorite people. 

After a few minutes, there were even more people for both ladies, so I quickly said my goodbyes. I ended up leaving after that. 

 

Overall, it was a clever idea and the execution of it worked for the amount of authors and attendees. I really liked the approach to the speed dating and hope that there will be other events like it!

The time I took a day trip to Vegas

When I was offered designated blogger for the Vegas Fierce Reads tour stop, I was floored. I had already planned on driving out to Vegas, but Macmillan's offer made it so much sweeter.

We left San Diego around 9am. We had to stop for road snacks, so we were officially on the 15N at 9:30. 

11:30 found us at our first stop: the Flying J truck stop in Barstow. It was already 90+ degrees. More snacks were bought,then we were back on the road and I was back to my book. Driving to Vegas could be the most boring drive ever. Well, it rivals driving through Utah and Texas. 

Never done it? It's a lot of this...

 

Seriously. Miles and miles and miles of it. And then, all of a sudden, BAM!!

 

Our first stop was Gordon Ramsay's Pub & Grill. I've been a fan of Gordon for as long as I can remember, yet I've never eaten at one of his restaurants. 

 

We each ordered pub spots and they were worth every penny of the $17 they cost. 

 

They served the water in glass bottles with the restaurant name and logo etched on it. I offered to buy one, but they're not for sale. The awesome server I asked pointed to the empty bottles and told me he wouldn't stop me if I walked out with one. Alas, I didn't. 

Hubs gambled for a little bit, but we pretty much left right after eating. Neither of us knew where the B&N was located [we lived on the other side of town], so we wanted to head over to find it. 

We found the store and the event area as it was in the process of being set up. 

 

I introduced myself to the events manager, Crystal, and she told me that she was just about to go pick up the authors. She said they'd be back at the store around 6, [my meeting time was 6:15] so we could figure out the where then. 

From there, we just had time to kill...

We got back to the store at 5:45, but the event area hadn't changed too much. Chairs were not set up, so I waited off to the side with another woman who was attending the signing.  Just after 6pm, one of the employees asked if we were waiting for the event and offered chairs. She said we may have to move when they actually started setting up, but at least we'd be able to sit down. 

At 6:30, Crystal came over and told me that the ladies were in the cafe.

Now.  My initial plan was to record the entire interview and then post it here, so you could decide if you wanted to listen or not.  That didn't happen.  Below is the shortened and transcribed interview.  I took out most of the fun stuff, just because there were a lot of tangents, a lot of snark, a lot of laughing and a lot of Jessica singing One Direction songs.  Since I'm already making this a wall of text, I tried to narrow it down to just the answers.

Don't want to read? Scroll until you see a picture of candy. Oh. And the audio on my phone didn't pick up the very first question about desert islands...

What song best describes your writing process?

A: Tainted Love -- Marilyn Manson

J: Up All Night -- One Direction

E: #Beautiful, just to be silly. I don't know the lyrics, but it's for the title. I can't think of a better song.

L: Has to be something by Queen. Not Bohemian Rhapsody, not We Are the Champions.  I think we'll go with Princes of the Universe from Highlander.

What's the theme song for your book? [Thank you, Michelle for letting me take your questions!]

E: It's the End of the World as We Know It -- REM [Everyone: oooooh! Emmy wins!]

A: What is that song in Pretty in Pink? [cue conversation about different songs and Jessica singing] Ooh. The Promise by When in Rome.

J: Please Remember Me by Tim McGraw [more singing]. That's my first serious answer all day and I'm done now. That's all you get.

L: Every song I think of is a spoiler.  Wide Awake by Katy Perry. [someone said: That's a horrible song] Okay, I'm going with Tainted Love by Florence + the Machine.

What character other than your own do you want to hang out with?

E: Fire from the Graceling series. She would be so fun, just to go out and kick some ass.

L: Howl from Howl's Moving Castle.

A: Scarlett O'Hara.  I love her.  That's why my pen name is Anna Scarlett.

J: Park from Eleanor & Park.

Describe your book in 5 words.

Emmy just answered this question in my interview with her, so I said she didn't have to answer.  Everyone else wanted her to answer so they could have an idea.

E: Torque. Heart. Danger. Velocity. Family.

J: Some memories are better forgotten. [Everyone: Oooh, that's good.] Well, it's one of the tag lines.

A: I don't know...

L: Adventure. Romance. Darkness never dies.  [This started: sample choices such as "Adventure never dies. Buy me!" and "Buy this book right now" and "Who wants coffee? I brought cake!"]

A: Betrayal. Politics. That's a horribly boring word. Intrigue. Did you just say those were boring? I'm not playing this game anymore.

L: Now flip the table, Anna.

J: How about New York Times Bestseller Debut?

What's the weirdest thing you googled while researching?

A: How long do you stay unconscious when you chloroform someone?

E: How do you set a dislocated shoulder?

L: Maybe it's not very interesting, but a fun one was ancient hair dyes.

J: I know I have a more interesting one, but one I know I used was is personality in your DNA?

What sort of Hangover type shennanigans have you been up to while in Vegas?

L: Anna kidnapped a monkey.

J: We just got here.

E: I think you should ask us what will we do, because we haven't done anything yet.

L: I had blood pudding. Free blood pudding!

A: I almost knocked myself out in the shower. I dropped the soap, slipped on it and then hit my head.
 

At this point, Crystal came back over to the table and handed me chocolates with each of the book covers on a piece.  She gave me a set of them so I wouldn't have to dig through the bowls. We chatted for a few minutes longer, but the event was about to start, so I left them to have a few minutes to themselves.

Just after 7, Crystal introduced the authors and they started talking about their books. Then the Q&A started. 

 

For Emmy: Are we going to find out more about Astrid situation?

Plot described as handcuffed and thrown down the stairs, just finished draft of 3. Odd to go on tour for book 2, when book 3 was just finished. As a mother, hard to keep putting kids in danger. Wants to have a medivac take them to Hawaii.

What author would you want to write with?

A: John green. Just learn by sitting next to him. 

L: George RR martin. "Let's not work on our project, tell me how the series ends." 

J: Meg Cabot and James Dashner. [L: I would read that!] Exactly. 

E: Stephen King. 

Have you ever fangirled over an author?

E: Lish McBride. Acted like a 5 year old, wanted to hold hands and skip around. 

J: Friends with a lot of authors and still does it. At Leigh's launch party with Marie Lu and started to make bad puns about her book titles. The next day tweeted that she was sorry. 

L: Libba bray on a panel and didn't hear the first 10 minutes because she was next to Libba. The first time met George RR Martin, cried. Then met him again and he didn't remember, so acted really cool. 

A: No, I don't fangirl. Very shy. Can't approach authors because will take things too far. Maybe actually drool. 

 

 

How much did you know about your series when you started? 

L: S&B was first book, goal was just to finish. Halfway through, knew it wasn't the ending. Could potentially end, took notes for books 2 and 3 in case. Some things changed, planned on killing off a character in book 2 and they wouldn't let it happen. Does outline. 

J: Save the cat method. 15 beats to break down any great story. Doesn't start until the 15 beats are done. Outlines to have something to deviate from. 

E: Serious outliner. Can communicate with editor or publisher as to what the book will be. Every night when in the trenches, reads the scene that will be worked on tomorrow and will think about it. By the time computer is up and ready the next day, it's right there and is ready to write. 

A: Despise outline. Can't do it. Stops progress. Have you ever gotten in the shower with your bra on? Don't like to be told what to do, even if it's from herself. 

What was inspiration for book?

J: With Unremembered, an article about a girl who was the only survivor on a plane crash. Started brainstorming all sorts of crazy sci-fi things and it turned into the trilogy. 

E: Has a stew pot in the back of imagination. Adds stuff until it's ready. Male dynamics and power. Loves survival stuff. On dates, would say, "we have 6 hours to get out of Manhattan, what are we going to do and get?" One date said:  "drugs [meaning penicillin] and musical instruments." Ended up marrying him. 

L: Everything came from shadow fold. Fear of the dark never goes away. That second you can't find the light switch or a dark parking lot. What would happen if the darkness was real? What would it take to beat it? 

Takes daily inspiration. There's an idea that you'll get this BIG IDEA for a book and all of this inspiration and it's easy to write. 

A: Giant squid documentary and too much candy. 

 

Who were your writing inspirations? Is there a crazy weird thing that you saw that made it into your book?

L: George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, Frank Herbert. Stephen King. She named a lot. 

Snatches of dialogue will make it in, but will change. Relationship between David and Genya is based on friends. 

J: Suzanne Collins. Meg Cabot. JK Rowling. 

Choice of 2 boys. One was completely done. For the other, stole one from past, gave him the same name and car and aspirations. Hadn't talked to him since high school. Turned in manuscript and the next day, he messaged on Facebook asking "do you remember me?" Couldn't tell him that he was in the book. 

E: Remember the stew pot? Uses everything. Probably stuff from Anna tonight. Husband used to wake up and shimmy up neighbor's trees and would drink the hummingbird nectar. Wants to write that with 2 old women watching out the window for him. 

Tends to remember the last 5 books she reads. Kristen Cashore. Loved Eleanor & Park. 

A: The reason started writing was Stephenie Meyer. Said if this girl can write a book, I can do it. One day I'm going to meet her and she's going to give me a black eye that make up won't hide. 

A lot of pranks that were in the books were things she did. 

 

 

Do you have any advice for people who want to publish YA? 

A: Get people to read it and critique. Can't be your mom. Scariest thing was sending to a stranger and who wasn't afraid to hurt feelings. Find a group who will critique and not afraid to red pen. 

L: Choose readers wisely. Believing in a dream that is a crowded market place, etc. doesn't mean you won't do it. Need to be able to trust the person who reads. Keep your voice, but be open. Research agents. You don't take a shotgun approach, it's like a marriage. They're your champion and a fan of your work. 

J: Learn how to pitch your book. Write a summary in one page, then one paragraph then one sentence. If you can do that, you're ready. Need a 30 second pitch and you need to capture all of it. When you write a query letter, you'll have it. 

E: Started as an actor, worked at an unknown improv company that no one ever saw because they did school shows. Then started auditioning for movies and everyone thought she was a huge breakout star, but had been working on it for years. It's all practice. 

L: People always ask about self publishing. Your book that you turn in to publisher will be revised. And then with the editor will be revised. And that learning process is important. 

E: You can hear different models and see what works for people. 

J: There's not one true path. 

For Jessica: what's the biggest difference between writing other books and Unremembered?

Unremembered set in this time, but different world. Playing in this world can be boring. Wanted to make up own rules and own weapons. Can't say which is better to write because contemporary girl comedy comes natural. 

 

You have 30 minutes of free time. Do you write or read?

L: Watching reality tv isn't a option? If working, will only read non fiction and research. Only really reads when on tour. 

J: Read. Because 30 minutes isn't enough. Needs at least 3 hours. Would get really angry at you. If I have to pull away from the zone, I get cranky. 

E: Write. Guessing in the optimal zone: rested and just have this little gem and it's time to get the ladle out. 

A: Would read and write. When I start reading, I think "I can one up this person". 

Favorite book to movie. Not Harry Potter.

E: Children of Men

J: Really liked The Devil wears Prada. Thought the movie was so wonderfully done. 

L: Like Water for Chocolate. Incredibly visual and lived up to the book. Shawshank Redemption. The short story was her comfort read in high school. 

A: Gone with the Wind. Not many people have heard of it. Really liked to see Scarlett O'Hara come to life. Really entertained by her. 

What do you do when you have writers block?

E: Dealt with it when doing improv. Internal critic telling you your work is crap. If in a scene and thinking you're not funny, like a robot with a stone in your mechanics, has exercise. Tanya Harding was asked "How do you leave drama of real life off the ice?" Treeing: deep breath, hand on something made of wood, exhale. 

J: Step one: don't use the term writers block. Think it's a mental thing. I do sometimes get stuck. Step two: step away and do something else. Step three: write through it. Don't be afraid to write crap because it makes a great fertilizer. 

L: Agreed with everything said. Change things. The problem is when you get stuck. Try to type faster than think, go for a walk, dance break, a different scene, write a different POV. Also be kind to yourself. You're going to have bad days. Days where you think you're a fraud. 

A: Writers constipation. No matter how hard you push, only a little comes out. We've established that I like to one up people, so I read. 

 

 

What are you reading right now? 

E: Eleanor & Park. So excited for early tour event time on Sunday to be able to watch Game of Thrones finale.

J: The Selection. Just bought The Elite. Loves Nashville and New Girl and How I Met Your Mother.

L: Has different humor than everyone else. Three's Company was a tragedy. Loves Elementary. Didn't expect it to be good. Hannibal. Game of Thrones. 

A: Reading Pushing the Limits and loving it. Such messed up the characters, but not beyond repair. The Walking Dead. Terrified of the walkers and will fast forward to see if there are things that jump out. 

The signing started just after 8 and I waited until the very end since I had so many books. 

 

When the line dwindled, I jumped in. I chatted with each of the authors while getting things signed. However, with that many books [and being the last one], I was trying to hurry. Finally, I had Hubs feeding books to Leigh while I did the same with Anna. 

  

 

We then took a group photo before thanking everyone and then jumping in the car to start the drive home. 

 

Huge, mega, insane thanks [and eternal devotion] to Macmillan for the offer and to Emmy, Leigh, Jessica, and Anna for playing along. I had a blast.  

Now.  Part of the offer for being designated blogger means Macmillan sent me hardcover copies of each of the author's newest book for a giveaway.  Each book is signed!! 

Rules for the giveaway are listed under the "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was the YAppiest WonderCon

Going to WonderCon was an iffy thing. We couldn't decide if we were going or not. And then LeAnna asked if we could volunteer at the MGRB booth on Friday...

So we got passes for the weekend and figured why not.

Friday traffic was ridiculously light. We got to the convention center around 8am and got front row parking. We grabbed some breakfast and went to see about meeting everyone.

Since we had exhibitor badges, we were able to walk around before it opened to the public. We stopped at the booth and got pictures of LeAnna's awesome Tardis dress [that she made!!].

And then we went off in search of a bow tie and fez that I could wear.

Around 1:30, we went back to the MG booth to help with the line for Patrick Rothfuss. Patrick got there and was being awesome, taking themed photos with his fans. Hubs controlled the line and I flapped books and wrote out post-its for personalization.

Somehow the unicorn head came out and Emilio started dancing. Then Patrick put it on, making sure that his beard was sticking out.

And then of course there were costumes....

 

And things like this...

 

At some point we saw Jordan Hembrough [AKA: the Toy Hunter] at a booth filming a segment.  We stopped for a few moments to watch them film.  It was amusing to see them bring the box out, talk about it and then take the box away.  Only to do it again 30 seconds later.

I found some awesome Doctor Who lanyards and handmade hair bows.

And the most amazing metal bookmarks with River Song [yaaaaay!!!] and David Tennant on them.

Around 3:30, we called it a day.  We made one more pass around the convention center and headed home so we could miss the traffic.  I was dying to stay to see the early screening of the new Doctor Who episode, but we were getting up early for the YAppiest Day at Disneyland on Saturday.

We woke up early Saturday morning to fight Disneyland traffic, which is an entirely different thing. We were off the freeway around 7:20 and started the battle for parking.

We made it to the front gate right before 8am and found the group. All of the authors had on YAppiest Day shirts in bright blue. Cat handed out stickers and pins to everyone. There were shirts left over so, she gave me one.

The authors were doing a book drop giveaway. Each person had a copy of their book and would sign it and leave it somewhere, so there was some markers passing around in preparation. After about 20 minutes of waiting for everyone to show up, the authors took a group photo and we went inside.

The groups split off between Matterhorn and Space Mountain. We were in the Matterhorn group with Lish McBride, Jennifer Bosworth, Gretchen McNeil, Kasie West, Jessica Brody, Chris Howard, Elise Allen and Shannon Messenger.

 

      picture from Kasie West's twitter

We fast passed Space Mountain and hit Star Tours. In the line for Star Tours, Gretchen handed me this, making her book drop complete. [I was standing with her when she signed it and I told her that I was going to be following her around all day until she set it down.]

Kasie and Chris both left their books in the ride. We found out later through the Twitter hash tag that someone had taken them from lost and found to hide them again. We also learned that some of the authors from the second group had been stopped by the Disney police for leaving things behind.

From Star Tours, we headed to Indiana Jones. Lish and Chris had both never ridden the ride, so it was fun to see their reactions.

After Indy [Shannon did a book drop by the castle], we hit Space Mountain [Jessica did a book drop] and our group almost took an entire car. And then we headed to California Adventure.

We got fast passes for Tower of Terror [Jennifer left her book by the entrance] and went to ride California Screamin'. Where Chris took the best photo.

We had just over an hour to kill before we could ride Tower of Terror, so we grabbed some food and relaxed a bit. And then ended up grabbing fast passes for Soarin' over California before riding Tower of Terror.

Yes, my face is completely covered by Shannon's hand!

From there, Hubs and I decided that we were going to call it a day. We had a quick photo shoot with everyone before leaving.

Huge thanks to all of the authors who participated in this event. It was so much fun and a really unique way to hang out.

Now. The only person who didn't do a book drop was Lish. She gave me her copy to take home and do a giveaway with it. You get the signed book and bookmark from Lish and I'm including a YAppiest sticker and pin.

 

Rules for the giveaway are on the "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget

Good luck!!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway