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 left without my books

Michelle and I were looking for a reason to have a date and what better reason than a book signing. Abbi Glines, Colleen Hoover and Jamie McGuire were appearing at Mysterious Galaxy and we decided to go. We met up at 4:30 for coffee and we were in the story by 5pm. There were so so so many people already lining up in the store.

 

They announced that the authors were going to do a quick talk and Q&A and then everyone would be lined up for the signing. And then it was just time to wait. 

There were a lot of people. A lot. A lot. A lot. So many that when Rob starting handing out post it's for personalization, Michelle and I each took a stack and a marker and set out in opposite corners of the store to help. 

The ladies came out right at 7pm. They were introduced with information on their books. And then the talk began...

 

Jamie started talking about how her new book we as something different, but still had feels. She admitted that she had no idea what "the feels" were, but wanted to say that. 

Colleen said that she wasn't going be that chatty. Jamie said she was just trying to sell her books, so at the end of Colleen's and Abbi's self-introduction, they each said, "buy Red Hill".

Q&A started right away. 

To Abbi: Any chance you'll kill off Nan?

 

I like Rush and he's already lost a friend, so that would devastate him. I've already planned something for her, so I can't kill her.

 

Who's been your favorite character?

 

A: It has always been Beau Vincent. He taught me a lot of things. And then I wrote Harlow and she took the spot. She's different than any other character I've written and I love that.

J: Skeeter McGee is so much fun. He wasn't in the plans, he just happened and I'm so happy. 

C: I think it changes with every book. Right now, it's Ridge and I can't wait for you to meet him. 

For Jamie: the Beautiful Disaster movie, where is that?

 

J: We optioned it almost a year and a half ago. There's a script and I've read it and there's a producer attached to it. Just because there's an option, doesn't mean it'll be made. In February, the rights will revert back to me, so if they don't do anything by then...

For Colleen: any word on the Hopeless movie?

 

C: The script is being written now. 

For your latest books, what actor would play your male lead?

 

A: With actors who have done other things, you see them as those characters. I would want something new. 

J: I agree

C: I think casting would be so hard.

 

How much do the people in your immediate life get into the book? 

 

J: Travis is based on someone I had a huge crush on. And Red Hill is filled with people I know. I bring in people all the time. 

A: I don't. Ever. I'm afraid that people will read the book and know it's them. My mom has a complex because all of my moms are mean. 

C: I don't. I do have a few scenes that have happened in real life. 

Where did you get the name Halle at? 

 

J: Scarlett's daughters are basically my daughters. They got to see themselves in my eyes and it was really cool.

 

How hard was it to do self publishing?

 

J: It's not easy. The main thing is to do your research. Google is your friend. Don't expect someone to set everything aside to do it for you. 

How did all of you meet?

 

C: We've been good friends for about 2 years. 

A: I saw Beautiful Disaster on Amazon. I don't know how it happened. 

C: Back then there wasn't a lot of self published authors, so we would talk on Facebook. Now there's a big group. Now we're here promoting Red Hill. 

Do you think there was a pivotal point that made NA popular?

 

A: The books took over the NYT.

C: When I had to categorize my book on Amazon, I put poetry and drama. I didn't know what to put it under.

J: Beautiful Disaster was listed as women's fiction.

 

Do you guys answer the questions on FB?

 

A: Yes. If you stop asking questions, we'll think we need to stop writing. 

Hardest thing you've done for a deadline?

C: I turn my stuff in early. I do have a book due in January and I haven't done anything. I don't even know what it's going to be about.

A: I can top that. I have something due on 11/1 and I haven't written a word. I do know what it'll be about, though.

J: I can top that. I turned in my book in the morning and gave birth in the evening. I promised them it would be finished before I had my baby.

 

At this point, a friend started texting me about something that she sent me, so my notes sort of stopped.  Sorry. :(  In my defense, I don't think there were very many questions after the one I had.

The signing started around 7:30.  Beforehand, I had talked to Rob about Michelle and I dropping our books off to be signed.  He so awesomely said yes [seriously, I love this guy], so we were able to leave the masses [I can't even express how many people were there] and head home.  I'm convinced there are still peopled lined up right now.

 

These three ladies were a lot of fun.  There were giggles and a great crowd passionate about their books.  I wish I would have had the patience to wait through the line to actually meet them.
 

The time there were stories

I had planned on catching Kami at her date at The Grove. However, as I was expecting to be driving back from Arizona on that day, I wasn't entirely sure. And then a date was announced at MG a day later, so of course that's where I decided to go.

I met Michelle for a coffee date before hand and we actually behaved ourselves once we got into the store. For every copy of Unbreakable that was purchased, a raffle ticket was given and the grand prize was a $50 gift certificate to MG and swag!

 

As we were sitting down, Jennifer was handing out goodies. We got stickers and keychains and bracelets. And then, she handed me a free copy of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, after I convinced Michelle that I didn't need her to buy me a copy. 

 

The ladies came in around 6:45 and they posed with their books before the event started.

 

Lissa started out by telling everyone that Nancy and she were at the stop to celebrate Kami's launch. And then she gave a synopsis of Starters. 

 

Kami talked about setting up the swag box and how she had a lot of male readers and no one wanted jewelry. She then started talking about Unbreakable, the hot twins and the awesome-not-supernatural-skills they all have. 

Nancy then talked about how she worked at MG for a while and how she has written over 200 short stories. She also writes for Teen Wolf.

 

Kami and Nancy were talking about the blurb that Nancy gave for the book. Kami said that she wanted to blow it up and put it on the wall in her office because she loved it so much.

And then Kami started talking about how she did a segment where they videoed parts of her office. She did a school visit the day before and the video played in the background while she was there. She said it played for way to long...it was about 90 seconds long. Her kids have different views about the office. Her son wants the door to stay closed so his friends don't see the weird things and tell their moms. Her daughter wants to bring all of her Daisy Scouts over so they can see the stuff. 

Kami read from the book. She chose chapter 3 because it used to be chapter 1. Her editor said that maybe it should be changed so the reader can meet the person first. Kami said it didn't matter because they were going to die anyways.

 

And then Q&A started...

Is it different for you writing by yourself?

Yes. It's a lot different. I liked writing this book and I really like this book. I got to draw and design the symbols in the book and my family is from DC. I used an inspiration board this time and outlined a lot. I'm not touring alone, but the big difference is that with a partner you get instant feedback. Someone who will tell you, "ooh, I loved that". This time, I had to write pages and pages wondering if what I was writing really sucked. 

Kami to Nancy: what's the difference for you?

N: The difference is with the deadline. If you're running late, no one can help you on it. With working with a partner, while writing, you wonder if what you're writing will be something the partner likes.

 

Kami to Lissa: have you ever written with someone?

I have. The stuff I've written was tv stuff. I have a writing group that I love and will never leave. If anyone wants to start writing, I suggest getting a group. [Kami: you should talk about your background. Lissa: Nooo.]

Lissa, what is your background?

I've done a lot a traveling. I spent 2 years just going east. I was a kid whose parents never traveled. And my husband was known as cheap in the group of Swiss friends, so it was always a battle between a nice hotel or a crappy one. I use a lot of that in my books. 

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

N: It was my turn to work and I slept on the couch and I would set the oven timer for one hour of sleep. One hour of work, then one hour of sleep. 

K: Margie and I always make our deadlines together. No matter how much time you have, it's never enough. For this book, I only had 5 weeks. Mostly, I just stay up. I'll stay up until 4-5am and then sleep for a couple of hours. 

I type with three fingers. My assistant, Chloe, types really fast, so I've been dictating it to her. It works a lot better because I can't see the screen so I can't edit it. She'll only read back 2 sentences before forcing me to continue. 

I don't do word count, I go by pages. So I know some secrets about margins and how to add pages. And I think of the word count like sick days, we've got to have some banked. Beautiful Creatures was 158k words, so they must owe me around 90k.

 

What would your superpower be?

L: Flying. 

K: Flying would be the worst ever. I want to always sit next to the baby. I figure if something is going to happen, God isn't going to take the baby. The best flight I ever had was because I had a baby on one side and a nurse on the other. 

I'm really superstitious and I don't like 13s anywhere. I'd rather have 666 than a 13. [Insert story here about a hotel room ending in 13, rape structures, a man sleeping in the newly assigned room and Kami getting upgraded to the penthouse. I couldn't even get the entire thing down.] 

Kami picked did the raffle just before 8pm [I didn't win] and then we lined up for the signing part.  Michelle was first.  When we got up there, Kami encouraged us to take more swag.  When I handed my stack of arcs for Jaime & Erin, Kami asked if I was the pack mule. 

I didn't get a finished copy for myself because I got a signed arc at SDCC and I'm trying to keep things slightly under control.  But, I did get a copy and some swag for a giveaway at some point.

Kami has always been a lot of fun to see, but she was hilarious tonight.  There were so many stories that I couldn't keep up with to type up because I was laughing so hard.  I can only tell you that you should definitely pick up Unbreakable and if you can, go see her at an event.

The time it was all sass

Going to Gretchen McNeil's signing was always a given, especially when she was appearing with Kendare Blake. The event being held at MGRB was just a bonus. 

Michelle, Hubs, and I got to the store insanely early because traffic wasn't that bad. LeAnna let me go back to the super secret back room and I walked out with some titles I have really been coveting. We ended up leaving and wandering around some of the nearby stores [where I spent a small fortune on DVDs and nail polish] before going back. 

And then we waited.

 

As we waited, I realized that the amount of money that I spent on books, DVDs and nail polish could have gotten me a new Kate Spade purse. Gah. We were chatting it up and we heard as Gretchen walked by saying that she recognized all of the usual suspects.

Elana K. Arnold ended up coming over and I chatted with her for a minute. She told me about the secret special thing she's planning for her launch party of Splendor. 
 

 

The ladies were introduced around 7:40. Gretchen started out with an intro to 3:59. She had the idea sitting in traffic, to run the red light or not run the red light? It has two parallel casts that can interact with each other. It is really really really complicated and if she ever decides she wants to write something like it again, someone needs to hit her. 

Kendare gave an intro to Antigoddess.  She just recently got lines from the Iliad on her back because she's a psycho. With her MC, you can guarantee that her life is going to be ruined for the next 3 books. Actually wrote the book 3 different times and scrapped every one of them. 

Wrote the idea of the dying goddesses as as short stories. Wanted to work with Cassandra, but Cassandra didn't want to work with her. Brought Athena in, to shoulder some of it and when that happened, the story came together. 

Gretchen to Kendare: Did you start writing it before Anna? 

Before the Cassandra story, yes. Easy to work on because I wouldn't have separation anxiety from Cas and Anna. 

 

 

They talked about how neither of them read the finished book. Gretchen didn't actually have a page one rewrite for 3:59, but the notes on it were extensive. 

They voted on whether or not there would be a Q&A and a reading or just a Q&A. Since a lot of people decided not to vote, it was author's choice and they nixed the reading. 

Do you have a specific writing process? Have the idea and immediately get a pen and paper?

K: I give my ideas a brush off. Never fails when I'm working on something, there will be an amazing new idea. Can't be too mean to it because I'll be working on it eventually. Get to know the characters, think about it a lot. Once I find the start, I know it's time to write. 

G: Normally I open a word document and title it something and write a few sentences, save it and then close it. Then I'll go to amazon and make a wish list of books to do research on it. If it still seems like something to do [unicorns in the Sahara! It's like my little pony but with shoes!] then I'll work on it. 

I also like to research the market. I don't want to be the 5th person to write a Houdini book. I don't know what I'm going to do next, but I've got 5 ideas. 

 

Now that you're multi-published, can you sell a book on a concept?

K: I just had this conversation with my publisher. I was told that I can turn in a sample chapter and synopsis, but I don't. 

G: Possess was the only finished book I sold. Ten was sold on a synopsis and 6 chapters that all got scrapped. The two books that come out in 2014 and 2015 were sold from one page [for the first one] and one paragraph [for the second].  It's nice to have not done all of the work already. I work better with the figurative gun to my head. 

What was the line that you got tattooed?

It's from Hector's speech... [I didn't the entire quote and I didn't want to mangle it]

If you could be a character in each other's books, who would you be? 

K: Bridget from Possess 

G: Having a half Asian character in 2001 was interesting. The original girl was white with really big Keira Knightly round eyes and I was like, "Dear Harper Collins..."  I told them that if the book was published with that girl, I would not defend it. 

I would definitely want to be Athena. I have always had an Athena fetish, not in the sexual way...

 

Are there any other funny things that have happened to you when you've gone to publish?

G: Funny ha ha? Or funny ugh?

K: That's something I'm really going to have to think of. 

G: I've told the story about Christopher Pike a few times, but I'm going to tell it anyways.... [If you want to read the story about Christoper Pike, read it here]

K: I don't have anything like that. When we saw the first mock up for the cover for Anna, it looked like there were some female problems for Anna. It got fixed and it's fine. When the first mock up for Antigoddess came up, the blood was in the middle of the feather. What does that look like? My books have nothing to do with menstruation! My next book better have something to do with super ninja periods. 

What are you reading now?

G: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton ... It's really awesome. 

K: NOS4A2 by Joe hill. It has demon children with shark teeth, I love him and I'll say it: he's better than his dad. 
 

 

What's next for you?

G: You've already written all of them in the series, right?

K: Yes. They told me that they were going to come out every 7 months, so I freaked out and wrote everything and then they came back and said never mind. So now I can take my time with whatever I work on next. 

G: The Don't Get Mad series is about 4 girls from four different groups who have formed a secret society to get revenge against bullies, mean girls and teachers. 

After that, I'm not sure. I have some historical pieces, but who knows. 

After that question, they started signing. I was first in line, as always. Gretchen was up first and she started laughing when she saw me with 4 arcs of 3:59. ["I'm pretty sure I only gave you one."] Kendare started laughing and said that I had a lot of books and Gretchen said that I always had a lot of books and I was always first in line. 

And this is seriously the best inscription ever. 

 

When I got to Kendare, she asked about my blog. I gave her a card and she said that it looked familiar and she thinks she's been there before [squeeeeeee]. 

 

 

After chatting it up with LeAnna for a bit, we left. I absolutely adore Gretchen and her words and will go to any event of hers I can get to. Kendare is also a lot of fun and the combination of the two of them together are delightful and so so so sassy. 

I can't recommend them or their books enough. 

The time it was about friendship

Today's post as a Throne of Glass Ambassador focuses on friendship.  And what better way to discuss the relationships in Throne of Glass than to have two of my favorite people weigh in on the topic with me.

So, without further ado, please help me welcome Michelle and Christina to the blog!

Annnnnnnd, here we go.  First up?

Celaena/Dorian

Michelle: The friendship between Dorian and Celaena was surprisingly easy. While they both were held back by their social stature, they found commonalities that made their conversations easy. Not always in close proximity within each other, Dorian and Celaena always found humor and a laissez-faire attitude in their discussions. While Dorian was a crown prince, he never took his role too seriously when with Celaena. It reminds me of my friendships online. It’s easy to converse with many people, never including where you are from or what you do. It’s simple.

Christina: I appreciated the ease in which they fell into a playful friendship, even when there was the possibility for more between them lurking below the surface. Like Michelle said, when they were together, it was easy for both characters to forget their commitments to the crown and their obligations of their titles and just be who they wanted to be-- book lovers that came alive and closer together through their humor and snark. I feel like this is a quality that I share with Stacee and Michelle, and our friendship is strengthened because of our love for all things bookish and snarky.

Stacee: Yes.  What Michelle and Christina said.  For me, the relationship between Celaena and Dorian was a lot of fun.  They both got along so well and couple that with the flirty banter and I was sold.  My favorite scene between the two of them is the bag of candy scene.... If you've read it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  If you haven't, you have something to look forward to.

 

Celaena/Chaol:

Michelle: Celaena and Chaol was a friendship that needed to marinate. They are both warriors, fierce in their own right. They both have similar personalities, regardless of their background. And I think this is why their relationship became so strong and passionate. There’s something to be said about a relationship between two people who are linked in such a way that it transcends what can be seen at face value. There’s a link that just can’t be described. And this is the type of friendship that I have with Christina and Stacee. We know each other well enough to support one another, no matter what it is. We all come from different backgrounds, but we all share many commonalities. It’s a friendship that will last throughout the ages. (*Christina sniffles* That was beautiful, M. I heart you.) [S: A perfect example of how amazing Michelle is. All of the hugs, M.]

Christina: I think what drew me more to Chaol and Celaena’s friendship was the fact that he pushed her to be better, stronger, faster when others who knew her real identity were happy just to rely on that, and those that didn’t, doubted her drive and competitiveness at all because of her size. Sometimes you need a good kick in the ass, and for me, I appreciate someone that isn’t going to kiss my behind and only expect minimal effort from me when I’m capable of so much more. Chaol was that motivator for Celaena and because of that and their shared bond and warrior spirit, a deeper understanding of the other character was born between them. And I know we’re talking about friendship, but... Holy. Chemistry. Batman!

Stacee: Yes.  What Michelle and Christina said.  I loved the relationship between Celaena and Chaol because it was built out of respect for each other. He only wanted the best for Celaena and it would just shine through with every interaction the two of them had.  And like Christina so eloquently pointed out, holy chemistry indeed.

Celaena/Nehemia:

Michelle: Every now and then, nothing beats a friendship of the same sex. Celaena and Nehemia are both strong women, both filled with intelligence and knowledge. But with all of this strength, they both gravitate towards the emotional pull of women companionship. Whatever their topics of conversation, it was easy for them. May it be politics, magic, or the gentlemen in their life, Celaena and Nehemia found solidarity within each other. Once again, Christina and Stacee provide this for me. We swoon over literary boys (like Chaol and Dorian) and appreciate strong women (like Celaena and Nehemia).

Christina: Exactly everything that Michelle said! When Celaena felt like too much was on her plate and her mind was riddled with secrets, she found the best confidant in Nehemia. I think she was also able to respect Nehemia’s opinion because she shared so many of the strong-willed attributes and weaknesses that she found in herself. Besides, sometimes a girl just needs another girl because we get it on a level that guys, in general, will never be able to understand. We females are compassionate when it’s necessary, but we can just as easily bring hell and badassery to support our girls. That’s what I saw between these two and something I find myself in both of my fellow confidants.

Stacee: Yes.  What Michelle and Christina said. *sits in the corner and sobs from the feels*

Dorian/Chaol:

Michelle: Dorian and Chaol’s friendship is long-standing. They grew up with each other. They know the path that the other has taken. It is friendships like these that I yearn for. There is something to be said about knowing someone throughout all of their changes in life. Dorian knows Chaol’s challenges with his family, as does Chaol know the pressure of the royal path Dorian lives. There’s a bond that is like familial blood, but is stronger because it was a chosen bond. I’ve never had this, but I imagine it to be an amazing part of a friendship.

Christina: I, too, want this type of connection with another person-- to know the ins and outs of their mind, to be able have a conversation when no words are spoken aloud, and to be able to believe that this person will always have my back no matter the circumstance. Of all the pairings, I feel like I expect and rely on this friendship the most. They may not be blood brothers, but the tie that binds them is stronger than any familial one that I can think of, be it real life or fictional.

Stacee: Yes.  What Michelle and Christina said.  The friendship between Dorian and Chaol is dynamic.  Since Chaol has known Dorian since childhood, he has the ability to push Dorian in ways that other people can't.  This particular friendship is one that I'm eager to watch as the books progress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks, hugs and undying love for my bitches, Michelle and Christina: for helping me out here, for all of your support, and being my sounding board on almost everything [regardless of how ridiculous it is]. Words can't express how much I flove you both. 

You should definitely start stalking them check out their blogs and GoodReads pages:

Michelle:  Dark Faerie Tales -- GoodReads

Christina: The Book Hookup -- GoodReads

All of the amazing fan art photos came from Sarah's Pinterest page. There were so many pictures that I wanted to include... Definitely go check them out!

Now tell me, which relationship in Throne of Glass is your favorite?

The time I was talked into it

I didn't plan on going to Leigh's signing at MGRB once I knew that I was going to Vegas. I had arcs for Robin LaFevers and I wanted to get them signed, but I was more than happy just to drop them off. And then Michelle convinced me to go.

Michelle got to my apartment just before 3 and we left immediately. Traffic was bad, but not too bad for Friday. We got to MGRB around 5:30. Nicole was already there. We chatted for a minute, bought books, and then I took Michelle to the super secret back room. 

We ended up hanging out by one of the side tables in the event area and chatting about all thing books. Kristin came over and said hi and also let me borrow her copy of These Broken Stars. Around 6, Carlos and Nicole informed the small crowd that they were moving the event area to the middle of the store. 

I helped Carlos set up the rows and then asked if I could have priority seating. We ended up in the front row with Anasheh and Vivian.

 

The ladies got to the store at 7:40 and launched into how they decided to do the event together. They talked on twitter about packing for tour, and Robin wanted to be involved. Then Leigh asked her to join her at the event. 

Robin first asked the question about who in the audience was a reader and who in the audience wanted to learn about the writing process.

 

It started out as a conversation between Robin and Leigh. [And FYI: I didn't take down all of the questions. I thought there would be a lot of the same questions that were posted in the lengthy Vegas interview.]

Which your favorite character?

L: Sturmhond, he's a privateer, sort of the Han Solo character. He's actually the Lando character. Writing the second book was much scarier, no one was watching. He never struggles with "can I do this?" Spends less time worrying, not sure if power will corrupt him.

R: It's like asking which child is the favorite. Usually says whichever character is being written at the time.

 

 

R: Loves the subtext that Alina gets more beautiful as she uses her power. Was that intentional?

L: Magic is usually draining. Alina doesn't become stunning all of a sudden, she becomes the best version of herself. The message of the book that the scariest part of yourself is what makes you...[I didn't get this entire answer]

Beauty is a trigger issue for YA. There is something in the water in towns. There are zombies, but they're hot. Vampires? Especially hot.

Worked in makeup in Hollywood, knows what it's like to be beautiful and what it's like to lose it and what people will do to get it back. 

Oblivious pretty? Come on. Standard of beauty in high school is very narrow. The tall girl with gorgeous skin and glossy hair that doesn't know it until the hero comes around and tells her? No. 

R: Authors write half of the story. Readers fill in the other half. And writers have no control over what the readers will see.

 

The Q&A started then. Carlos raised his hand first and asked how Leigh had been since the last time they saw each other. 

If you had to pick one song for your writing process what would it be? 

L: Is there a song about getting punched in the face? "Blinding" by Florence + the Machine.

R: Is that question for both of us? "Roll away your stone" Mumford & Sons.  Every character has that process. 

What character would you want to be in each others books?

L: I love her heroines, but they have to go through so much. Can I be the God of Death? I would want to be in the convent, working alone. 

R: I want to be Sturmhond 

 

With the worlds that you both wrote, do you have an academic background in those fields?

R: I don't have an academic background. Wanted to be an author the entire time, time for graduation and all adults said to go to college. Lasted one year at school. Life long learner, passionate about the Middle Ages. 

L: Was an English major with a lot of history classes. Big history reader. Knew there wanted to be guns. What happens when you bring a fun to a magic fight. 

Do you ship the characters in your own books?

L: I ship everything. I'm team story. I can't get attached to anyone. And you shouldn't either.... I believe in every relationship and I have to serve the story more than the relationship. 

R: That is the best part of having different heroines. I can always ship them in the next book.

 

Would you ever consider writing from another POV?

L: The truth is that we could?

R: The abbesses POV. 

L: Darkling POV. Has written some, may release it, but not until after the trilogy is over. Likes to write bonus content, but doesn't want to have puzzle pieces, wants the original book to be able to stand alone. 

R: There are a lot of extra scenes on the website about the girls being trained. So happy that there are books to prove she needed the research just in case the government is watching. 

When the Q&A came to the end, Nicole came out and offered books to anyone who asked a question. It could be anything. After another 30 minutes or so, Leigh said that she had swag for the first 10 people who showed up. So I got this awesome bag:

The signing started then and the people who didn't have seats got to line up first. We got to line up next. 

Kelly was awesome and grabbed me some nail polish. She also took some of my books up with her, since we were asked to only take 3 at a time. 

I got to Robin first. We talked about my arc for Grave Mercy and how it didn't have a title page. She laughed and said it was made wrong and then amended her statement to say it was special. I thanked her for driving down from Santa Barbara and she thanked me for coming up. 

  

 

I got to Leigh and butted in on the conversation Michelle was having. We talked about her being at SDCC and how I would stalk her properly there. I told her that I had the giveaway book she signed in Vegas, but now I had the winner's name and just wanted to get it personalized. 

She happily did that, then I thanked her and left. 

We sort of made the rounds, saying goodbye and then made our way home. As always, Leigh and Robin are just absolutely amazing. I highly recommend seeing them as soon and as often as you can.

Soooo.  I have a couple of books up for grabs.  I got signed paperback copies of Shadow & Bone and Grave Mercy...

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

**Good Luck!!**

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