Gwenda Bond

Memefied: The Next Big Thing?

Today I'm doing something I don't usually indulge in: a meme. Author of the super-fab debut novel Fair Coin and forthcoming follow-up Quantum Coin E.C. Myers tagged me to answer "Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing."

It's up to the taggee whether they want to talk about their current book, their next one, or what they're working on now. I figure everyone who reads this blog knows all about Blackwood by now and I'm not ready to talk yet about the secret book I'm currently revising, so I'm sharing a little bit about The Woken Gods. Right now, it's slated for release in July 2013 (ack! less than a year!).

Here goes. Be gentle. (And I'll be tagging some excellent authors at the end.)

What is the working title of your book?

The Woken Gods.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

There was a man with a suitcase full of them and it was the shiniest. I could tell you where he was, but then I’d have to kill you. Okay, not really. I’ve always loved mythology, but am sometimes frustrated by books where the gods feel too much like oversized humans. I also really love high stakes adventure, secret societies, family drama, libraries, and books where our world has experienced a major shift of some kind. Add into that mixture some of the concepts explored in Lewis Hyde’s brilliant nonfiction book Trickster Makes This World and the result is The Woken Gods.

What genre does your book fall under?

Urban fantasy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I am so bad at this, because I actually don’t stay that current about who are the hot young actors and actresses these days and I don’t use reference pics of actors when I’m writing. But, off the top of my head, maybe Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries could play the protagonist, Kyra Locke, because I do adore Nina Dobrev.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Ten years ago, the gods of ancient mythology awoke, all around the world. Now, in a transformed Washington, D.C., that has become the meeting ground for a no-longer-secret society and a council made up of the seven tricksters who are the gods’ main emissaries to humanity, a 17-year-old girl must find a mysterious missing relic and navigate intrigue involving dangerous gods to save her father.

(Two sentences. I cheated. Sue me.)

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About five months. But that’s a deceptive answer, because I’d previously written a couple of entire drafts I threw out before I finally managed to get the concept and story right. (At least, I hope they are.)

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Oh, I am really, really bad at this, and it's such a fraught question. So I'm going to go with American Gods meets Raiders of the Lost Ark*, but with a teen girl at the center and everyone aware of the gods and the society’s existence.

*Not a book, but go with it.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I think I already answered this one in the part about where the idea came from. Next!

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Did I mention there’s intrigue? And scary gods? And smart teenagers? And flying monsters, secret passages, and a ziggurat somewhere in D.C.?

Next up: Go read E.C.'s entry, and I'm tagging: a fabulous writer I met while at the Vermont MFA program Rachel Wilson (you're going to be hearing a LOT more about her and her debut Don't Touch!), and two of my fellow Strange Chemists, Sean Cummings (Poltergeeks! Out next week!) and A.E. Rought (Broken! Out in January!).

See y'all next week.

A New Interview!

The delightful Ria at Bibliotropic has just posted a new interview with me. She asked some good, tough questions about Blackwood and animals in books and living in Kentucky and immortality and what's next on the novel horizon from me. Check it out.

(And, yes, it's been added to the Giant Master List.)

Tuesday Hangovers & Nattering & You Want Some Bookmarks?

We had a lovely weekend with the Small Beer Press contingent--Kelly, Gavin and Ursula--and Karen Joy Fowler in town for the Kentucky Women Writers Conference. Topics discussed included: should we be the first to cosplay or start a tribute band based on The Casual Vacancy (related: I adore J.K. Rowling; she comes across as the smartest and classiest in every interview she does*), socialist credentials, and ice cream. It was LOVELY.

A few links of note:

• Holly Black answered a couple of Tumblr questions on writing, plot and originality, well worth your time.
• C.J. Redwine offers some smart advice for writers on dealing with inaccurate or mean reviews.
• Digital Book World piece on book discovery in a fragmented landscape.
• "The Measure Of What Is Possible" by Molly McArdle at The Rumpus.
• Libba Bray's Top 10 Horror Movies. 

Fabulous books I have read lately: Meljean Brook's Riveted (another excellent steampunk romance), Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken (gothic banter, ftw), and David Levithan's Every Day (just gorgeous).

A few Blackwood things, including free-to-a-good-home bookmarks:

• Nova Ren Suma is running a big international giveaway where you can win a featured debut of your choice, including Blackwood.
• A Fantastical Librarian review: "It turns out I was right to be excited, but I ended up loving the book for completely different reasons than I'd expected. For it wasn't the historical elements that drew me in or the theatrical aspects of the story; no, I got completely taken in by the story's female lead and titular character, Miranda Blackwood."
• Serendipity Reviews review: "I was totally hooked throughout the book. I really love how the author has interpreted this piece of history. An excellent debut where the author has taken a true story and completely made it her own by adding elements of magic and paranormal activity."
• Also, a little reminder that if you've recently read the book, you might be interested in my photoset from our Roanoke Island trip and/or my pinterest board for Blackwood.
• We're almost a month out from release now (ack! hard to believe!). It's a complete thrill when people get in touch to say they enjoyed the book, so please do if you're so inclined, and tell a friend, your favorite teen, a review site of your choice, etc. It is all much appreciated. We live in a complicated bookish world, and the best way to sell books is still through word of mouth. Thanks for any of that you do, and for reading the book. I hope I get to write lots more of them.
• AND, finally, I still have quite a lot of bookmarks, and it seems silly to keep them in the box behind my desk. If you're a librarian, teacher or bookseller (or similar) who'd like 50-100 (or some other number), get in touch. (And if you know same who you think would be interested, please pass this on to them.) They are lovely--this photo doesn't even really show how lovely (Christopher designed them); in reality they are glossy and beauteous and fine, fine bookmarks.

And now back to my previously scheduled cold and trying to catch up on All The Things.

Updated to add: I've seen some buzz about the part about unicorns in this New Yorker interview--it seems like a joke to me? Frankly, I find the need to comment on her make-up and the pop psychology moments and intellectual snarberry (snark meets snobbery) as far more worth getting mad over.

Dept. Of Nice Surprises On A Friday

Thanks to E.C. Myers for alerting me to this glow-inducing Blackwood shout-out from extraordinary writer and bookseller extraordinaire Kate Milford in the latest YA for Grownups column at the Atlantic. (Read her work, seriously.)

The list is "Teen Reads Better Than 'Fifty Shades' " (which, yes, some cheeky people have pointed out is probably most of them...), described thus:

"With a nod to the "sexy" books that got us started down this road—especially the Judy Blume canon, and especially Forever—this time, we offer up some contemporary books in which Y.A. authors are broaching adult-ish topics in ways that are not just sexy but also are just plain good writing, doing it, we dare say, better than the hyper-popular E.L. James.  "Some do have actual love scenes like Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Shiver, and Graceling," explains Angulo Chen, "but others are all about the emotional connection of being in love for the first time and giving in to those feelings of passion for a really breathtaking kiss, or an old-fashioned snogging session." With the help of her and some of our favorite Y.A. experts, we came up with a few recent and upcoming teen books to consider post-Fifty Shades. We're calling them the steamies."

Or "swoonies," which is probably more applicable to Blackwood, since the romance is more of the emotional connection, awkward moments, and nerdy conversation variety. Still, it makes me so happy to have it included. Anyway, go check out the whole thing! Seriously fine company. Friday made.

Thursday Hangovers

A few hangovers for today, little magpie links here and yon:

• A good piece at Time debunking the "Moonlighting curse" and fingers crossed that Castle pulls crossing the great relationship divide off and puts that fiction to bed. Ahem.
• Clear Eyes, Full Shelves on the Bowker study about YA buying habits. This is a really smart take, and I'm glad to see someone discussing the actual findings (that we can see without the full report; the misleading headline on the initial story did no one any favors). Scott Westerfeld was the first to point out (that I saw) that the study found adults are 55% of buyers, but accounting for 28% of YA sales. So teens are still buying the most YA books. The just-as-notable part of the study to me is the contention that adults are the ones largely driving e-book sales in YA. This makes sense. I'd also be very curious if when the summary mentions the early adoption of devices among these adults as being similar to the numbers among mystery and romance readers whether a lot of the adults probably *are* those genre readers, picking up a YA title here or there on their e-reader. I see all of this as good news, personally.
• "The Internet, Fan Culture, and Creators: A Blessing We Shouldn’t Turn Into a Curse."
• Laura Miller digs into some new research on the differences in the brain when pleasure reading or being analytical. Good stuff.
• The Brave Tart (congratulations to Stella on her book deal as well! you will want this cookbook, people) on the reality of art as job, speaking specifically to people who want to cook professionally but very applicable for lots of disciplines: "The critics themselves, in kitchen memoirs or reality shows, frame the issue in romantic language as if they can taste the passion, or lack thereof, in a chef’s work. The chefs too fall back on this trope, “well, I’m certainly not doing it for the money…” On and on we hear, you’ve gotta do what you love. Put your heart in it. Love what you do. But however much you love it, let’s be clear: this career will never love you back. It can’t. It’s not a person or a puppy, it’s a job."
• I love it when Jeff Ford cuts through the b.s. Snippet: "Fiction writing isn't about getting up on your soap box and lecturing the world about the way things should be. Fiction writing is first and foremost about describing experience. If you want to relay a big idea to readers, write an essay. If you want to write fiction, concentrate on what happens next. The secret to writing effective fiction is not to exert more control as you might want to in driving a car, but instead to exert less control, to take your hands off the wheel and let the characters and their stories lead you." Read the whole thing.

And a few of me-and-Blackwood-related things, but first thanks to everybody for the lovely feedback on yesterday's post:

• I'm over at Narratively Speaking (thanks for hosting!) describing a day in my writing life: "Get up, have breakfast, coffee. If a really good day, exert enough willpower to avoid looking at email or twitter until after morning writing session. If a less chipper one, check these things and hopefully not lose too much time to them, then start writing. Note: I always regret checking, and yet I still sometimes do it. Especially if there’s a chance of news. The flesh is weak." Go there for the rest.
• Jen Robinson's Book Page review: "Blackwood is an excellent choice for anyone looking for paranormal YA, mystery, or just something a little bit different. Unlike a number of other recent YA titles, the romantic elements are fairly low-key. I think this makes Blackwood particularly boy-friendly, and also a good crossover title for adult readers. Recommended for anyone who has ever wondered "what if" (13 and up)." (*BEAMS* Happy-making.)
• Feeling Fictional review: "Overall I have to say that Blackwood is a great debut and one that has me excited to see what Gwenda Bond will come up with next. If you're looking for a story that brings history to life and then puts a supernatural spin on it, a story that will keep you gripped and make you desperate to uncover the mystery then look no further." (Thank you!)

Sometimes You Need To Hear It

Last night we went out to Libba Bray's kick-off event for her tour in support of The Diviners (out now in all fine locations) at Joseph-Beth Booksellers (*blows kisses*). (Rest of schedule here, and definitely catch her if you can. I'll be at the final event in December at Oblong Books with Libba and Maureen Johnson, filling the riff-raff position.;-)

Every time I go to a book event, I'm reminded why I always vow to go to more. Not just because it's nice for the author if there are people there -- though it is; I've been very lucky so far not to have a crickets event yet (I'm sure it will happen) and so grateful to every person there -- but because there's often a moment when something that's said is just what I need to hear at any given moment as a writer.

I'm not and never will be making any claims at being some kind of expert on writing or anything just because I have now published a book. I still feel just as terrified (if not more so) and flummoxed and full of questions when I'm writing as I ever did. At one point last night someone asked a question, I think about advice for writers (but it might have been a different one) and Libba said read everything (YES, completely agree) and also, "Be brave." Paraphrasing, she talked about how a writer she admired said once that during the first draft we protect ourselves, and it's only in revision that we can go deeper, risk more. And that every book you write should change you, when you come out the other side.

Yes, yes, yes.

The book I'm revising, I see this all over it -- the protecting myself in the first draft. Much of it comes from the fact that, as usual, I didn't know the character(s) well enough in the first draft to be true to them. For me, so much of the first draft is just beginning to figure out what the book is, and making many wrong turns along the way. This particular book, which I don't want to talk about too specifically yet (hopefully someday I'll be able too), is near and dear to my heart. It's a bit of a departure (first person, for one) and the main character is something of a daredevil. I've been kicking myself because while she was daring, even in the first draft, she was also not daring in places where she should be -- that's a lot of what I'm working on in this revision. Because true daring? Requires vulnerability. Dropping shields, being open to injury, to falling, to failure... It requires caring enough to risk everything.

Just as being the kind of writer I want to be requires being brave enough to risk all that, too. Every time.

A reminder I needed to hear just when I needed to hear it.

Quick Update (Cover Story, Giveaway Tick-Tock, & Etc.!)

As you probably already know, there are a slew of excellent books coming out today--Libba Bray's The Diviners, Rae Carson's The Crown of Embers, and Malinda Lo's Adaptation (which I just praised in the most recent issue of Locus), to name three. I'll be snapping up copies and you should, too. And if you're local to Lexington, the one and only Libba Bray will be at Joseph-Beth tonight at 7 p.m. to kick off her book tour. We'll be there with bells on (well, not really, because that would be weird and possibly loud).

On the Blackwood front:

• I did a Cover Story for the excellent Melissa Walker's blog, in which you can get a peek at a piece of the art brief and hear about the first draft of the cover.
• Fantasy's Ink review: "I loved the dreary and sombre feel of the book, the plot had me from the beginning and it was a haunting take on the mystery of The Lost Colony." (Love the reviewing style at this blog--she breaks down and rates each major story element. Also, *beam.*)
• Always Lost in Stories review: "I loved how the two main characters Miranda and Phillips had to get past their fears and how they grew and changed throughout the book, especially how they grew to trust each other and rely on each other. I love a story with a slow building romantic sideline to it, and this book fits in with that." (Yay!)
• Bibliotropic review: "If you’re a fan of creative and geeky YA paranormal tales, this is definitely one to check out." (Note: Slightly spoilery. I'll be doing an interview to run here soon as well.)
• The Eloquent Page review: "The story does have a nicely creepy X-Files-esque vibe that is present in the entire narrative, this sets a good tone. The pacing works and the final reveal fits snuggly within the confines of the rest of the story.... If you enjoy supernatural teen dramas liked Teen Wolf or The Vampire Diaries then I think that Blackwood may be the book for you."
• I keep hearing (cough) good things about the audiobook, which is happy-making.
• Finally, today's the last day to enter the giveaway at Nova Ren Suma's as part of her Fall Debut Series: Handmade, supercute duct tape rose swag pen, signed copy of Blackwood, and some bonus bookmarks. Open until 8 p.m. EST.

Weekend Update

This weekend was a catch-up weekend, coming off the first week without travel (or a book party) for a while.  The office got cleaned, I read the (brilliant) novel of an old friend in manuscript, mountains of laundry monsters were slain, and we went out for a little light bookstalking, as you do. (Honestly, restraint to have waited this long--only because things have been so busy was I able to.) So, instead of a true and proper update, I'm annotating the weekend's instagrams...

At the local Barnes and Noble:

 

 

(Blur due to furtiveness, as for some reason I was a little nervous about being caught Photographing The Book--though I have found as a general rule that pretending something is forbidden always makes it more fun.)

And then at our largest local independent, the venerable and amazing Joseph-Beth Booksellers flagship store. You'll see one of the reasons I love them so (*waves to excellent, fabulous booksellers*):

 

 

(Why, yes, those are Blackwood bookmarks in the books along the back. ♥♥♥ I'll be doing an event there at 6 p.m. on October 30; can't wait. I love Lexington and its literary community.)

There are SO many fabulous books coming out this week, keep my little paperback debut in mind when you're at the bookstore if you haven't picked it up yet? *bats eyelashes*

Yesterday I finally got down to business on making my real and true revision plan for the secretish new book I'm working on. I have a full first draft, got lots of feedback on it months ago, and am now 15K into making it a presentable book. So, time to make a chart, which is how I spent the non-reading part of yesterday:

 

 

And the result:

 

 

Now I just have to follow it for the next monthish or so.

A couple of people have asked for some elaboration on this chart-making process, so I'll try to do that soon. Basically, it encapsulates the major plot developments and character arc. It's something I've only adopted this year (after first encountering at the Bat Cave retreat), but I really am finding it crucial at helping me feel less flail-y during revision. And you can repeat it however many times you need to. More on that to come, in case anyone else finds it useful.

And that's it for now, I do believe. I'm digging into the aforementioned revision this week, catching up on other things, juggling the usual, hoping for good news on a front or two, and there are several friends coming to town for events of various varieties, all by way of saying I may be relatively thin on the ground this week. 

In the meantime, there are three open Blackwood giveaways still going:

• Stacked giveaway - Signed copy of Blackwood, US/Canada only, open until the end of September.
• Ink Scratchers - Copy of Blackwood, UK only, open until Sept. 21 (and not many entries yet, so get cracking UKians!). 
• Nova Ren Suma's Fall Debut Series - Signed copy of Blackwood and swag duct tape rose pen, US only, open until Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. EST.

Enter and/or spread the word. And there'll be one more super prize pack giveaway with the *last t-shirt* coming up soon. Also, the audiobook is now up on the AudioGo site as well, both US and UK, and it's a little cheaper there at the moment than at Audible/Amazon.

It's back to work with me. Have a good week, everybody.

Playlist You Can Read To

Today I'm over at largehearted boy (one of my favorite, favorite blogs) contributing to the long-running and venerable Book Notes feature, wherein authors provide a playlist that relates to their latest work. I tried to pick some less obvious things to highlight, and you can even listen to the ten-song playlist on spotify.

Go forth, read and hear.

(And, yes, I've added this to the master list.)

Not A Blog Tour Giant Master List

I did not set up an official blog tour, but I thought I'd better make a post to house the things I have been doing.

I'm guessing some of you may be (hopefully!) more interested in reading some of these things now that the book is available for purchase and reading (in whatever format you like best, be it e-book, audiobook, or paper book--my personal favorite not least because the cover is so soft and the paper feels nice). I know I often want to go read interviews and things after I finish a book. If this is also your druthers, you're covered.

If you're more interested in reviews and press, links to those are housed on the Blackwood page.

I've divided the below into interviews and guest posts, in chronological order of when they were posted, first to last.

Update! Audiobookness & Events

Just a quick update to say it appears the audiobook version of Blackwood has landed on Amazon/Audible. I haven't had a chance to listen to anything except the sample, but it gave me a little chill (though I'm honestly not sure if I can bear to listen to my own book--suspect I will only want to revise it!). However, if audiobooks are your cup of tea and you check it out, let me know what you think.

Also, I've updated the events page with everything I expect through the end of the year--though it's always possible something else will pop up.

Most remaining events are in Lexington or Louisville and in October, with one (VERY!) exciting exception in December:

• Oct. 13 at 1:15 p.m.: The Younger Games: The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Writing YA Fiction panel at the Writer's Block Festival in Louisville, Ky. (with Gwenda Bond, Kelly Creagh, Katrina Kittle, and Matt Jaeger).
• Oct. 20 at 12:15 p.m.: Author's Luncheon and Signing at the Kentucky Reading Association Annual Conference in Lexington, Ky. (Registration required.)
• Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.: Reading/signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Ky. (Just set this up! Excited!)
• Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.: Hudson Valley YA Society at Oblong Books and Music in Rhinebeck, NY (with Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, and Gwenda Bond).

And a post with the master list of the "not a blog tour" stops so far related to the book will be going up after this one. Whee.

For everyone I owe stuff, I'm working on getting caught up, so soooon.

Wednesday Hangovers

Hey, look at this, a blog post about Other Things. Have I mentioned how much calmer I feel after just three days back into the routine of early morning writing? I LOVE the book I'm working on (though also heart-clenching terror I won't be able to do it justice, etc., as per usual). So all to the good. But now closing some tabs:

• I know I'm constantly saying what a great literary culture Lexington has--and particularly how fortunate we are in terms of bookstores and booksellers--but now I have proof I can point you to. Author Holly Goddard Jones is doing some interviews with some of our most fabulous bookstore people about what makes Lexington so special, as well as their experience in terms of events, the importance of handselling, etc. So far she's talked with Brooke Raby from Joseph-Beth Booksellers and Wyn Morris from Morris Book Shop. I adore them both. (Next up is Crystal Wilkinson from the Wild Fig--who's not only a bookstore owner, but an amazing writer.) These interviews are must-reads for authors, I think, or anyone who cares about books, really. I would have told you, pre-book coming out how important I thought booksellers are in the whole literary continuum, and that would have been EXTREMELY...but now having had a book come out, even still in the early stages, I realize they are Even More Important Than That. All the love for you, booksellers.
• If you haven't checked out Sara Zarr's podcast on and called The Creative Life, well, why not? Also, give her a nice ranking while you're at it. She'd like to expand to include artists and creative peeps from other disciplines, but she needs to establish a bigger following first.
• Andrew Karre saying very smart things--as usual--about the YA boom from an editorial perspective over at Mitali Perkins' blog. Snippet: "For me, genres are campfires around which artists gather, not ways of understanding an audience for art or entertainment."
• io9 covers The Great Geek Sexism Debate. Nora Jemisin also has a fantastic post. See also: Genevieve gives an important update on the fallout post-Readercon harassment; I am so proud this woman is my friend. She rocks.
• Catherine Linka on the importance of hooks. In stories, not clothing, natch.
• A tour de force piece of fashion writing from Movie Star Makeover on the pencil skirt. I loved this.
• Flying Parisian Houses at Messy Nessy Chic.

Over There!

Today I'm over at the brilliant writer Nova Ren Suma's blog. She kindly interviewed me as part of her Fall 2012 Debut Interview series, which I'm thrilled to be included in. Nova is such a fabulous writer, so supportive of others, and her blog never fails to be provocative and inspiring. Including her pretty graphic to the left, because PRETTY.

There's also a giveaway of a signed copy of Blackwood and a handmade duct tape rose pen (one of the last left!). You can easily enter by filling out a quick form and/or commenting.

So go on over and find out which writer ghosts I'd like to go on tour with.

 

Magic Pastries, Etcetera

Whew! And last night wraps up book events for now, though I've got a couple of others this fall and winter (and I'm hoping to add another local reading/signing at the utterly fabulous Joseph-Beth soon). (I haven't even really started to think about next year yet...guess I should. Drop me a line if you'd like to invite me somewhere.)

If you want a signed copy of Blackwood, for now the easiest thing is to call or email Morris Book Shop and they can hook you up. If you want it personalized, they can arrange that, too. (The Book Cellar in Chicago, Malaprop's in Asheville, and Downtown Books in Manteo should also have a few on hand.)

Mainly, this post is a thank you--to everyone who came out last night or to any of the events and to all the wonderful booksellers who have hosted events and/or who are handselling the book. To everyone who's buying copies, of course, and to those who're recommending it to others. You are all the best. To say I'm overwhelmed by your support would be to downplay my level of whelmed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Those of you who've already read the book will understand the significance of this, but for those who haven't: the Monas Hieroglyphica, the alchemical symbol created by John Dee, plays a significant role in Blackwood. So we made one out of cupcakes and donut holes--I like cupcakes, alchemists like donuts--for the launch party:

 

 

Apologies to John Dee, but it was delicious. There are a few more photos from the event here.

It was great fun, though a little like being at your own wedding in that I spent the night behind the table signing and chatting (no complaints here on that), so I have no idea how the mingling, eating, and imbibing portions of the evening went. (My elementary school librarian came two hours to the signing! My mom took a cell call during the q&a, but it turned out to be a book request from someone in my hometown! Lovely tweeps came out! Our YA book club finally managed a quorum, even if it wasn't an official meeting!) Hopefully everyone had a good time. And afterward we went for sushi with our dear friend Mandy. Then I ate a cupcake and slept like the dead.

Today I'm feeling like it's time to get back to work. I've got a long to-do list, including a new book that needs revising (not to mention The Woken Gods, which will need revising soon too). You may have noticed I'm not doing an official "blog tour," but just doing things here or there. I'll try to put up a post to collect links to all those things sometime this week so they can live in one central place. In the meantime, a few little links:

• I was over at the Overflowing Library yesterday, showing off our bookshelves on the Bookcase Showcase;
• Also yesterday I was in the Debut Author Spotlight at Book Chick City; and
• New review from Speculating on SpecFic: "Gwenda Bond’s debut novel is an intense read, perfect for YA readers who enjoy a darker kind of Fantasy. Blackwood is a perfect book for those bored with the usual paranormal aspects and want to try something new, and will be enjoyed by a wide audience because of its easily accessible themes."

Odds & Ends Of The Holy Crap! Variety

Weekenders, that is. I'm sure many of your daily papers have weekend entertainment sections and so does our Herald-Leader. I went out to get a hard copy, and must admit to a moment of surreal geek-out, because I have secretly always wanted to be in the Weekender, repository of cool arts news.

Surreal. Completely. And one last reminder: launch partyness will be happening at The Morris Book Shop (conveniently located in Chevy Chase) at 6 p.m.ish tomorrow night. An alchemical symbol made of donuts is in the works and you don't see that every day, now do you?

And Christopher just took this screenshot of the front page of Kentucky.com. EEP. (Typo in the buy line keeping me humble. But, hey, the important thing is that the link still works. Who knows how long it'll be like this? But holy. crap.)

And if you're not in Lexington, but are going out bookshopping this weekend, please keep Blackwood in mind. First week sales are always good, and it should be in many shops (because the Random House sales team are rock stars), but asking for it in ones where it isn't is always encouraged. (Ditto in the UK. And also consider release sister Kim Curran's Shift.) Buying a copy for yourself or your favorite teenager is also encouraged and makes kittens frolic through meadows (one kitten frolics per copy!). Also, I just discovered the Powell's site shows what's in stock in their stores as well as the warehouse. Had a moment of utter delight that my book is at Powell's stores--including two copies in the Airport store apparently (PDX visitors, you would be my favorite if bought and/or photographed these).

And lovely tweet I woke up to this morning: 

@gwenda you are featured on a Books Every Teen Should Read table at B&N. :D twitter.com/IBlogYouRead/s…

— Celine (@IBlogYouRead) September 7, 2012

YAY. As a first-time author, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate any and all support (and photos like this!). It's a very at-sea feeling this week, and you have made it awesome. I'm already completely overwhelmed and grateful. You guys are The Best.

A few new reviews and a guest post:

• Bibliophile Support Group review: "Here, Gwenda Bond provides us with a new story and likable leads that aren’t whimpering romantics or unrealistically stoic. Blackwood is an impressive, dark, yet undeniably fun, debut!"
• A Dream of Books review: "‘Blackwood’ is a terrific addition to the young-adult genre. Absolutely captivating, I loved not only the growing romance between misfits Miranda and Phillips but also the danger and intrigue of the events which unravelled on the island. The book was different to anything else I’ve read in recent months and Gwenda Bond is certainly an author I’ll be keeping my eye on."
• And the one and only Jenny Davidson, a favorite author and blogger of mine, is entirely too kind: "It definitely had something of the feel of my favorite Margaret Mahy novel The Changeover; both main characters and geographical settings are especially well-rendered." (I will take something of that feel and glow and glow, since I am not worthy.)
• And, last but not least, other people's books! I recommend five of my favorite literary heroines at Wondrous Reads.

Roundup, UK Release Day & Book Party Ahoy

It's UK publication day. Hurrah! Pip, pip! Etcetera.

Forgive me, UK friends. I'm a little tipped to the frazzled exhaustion end of the spectrum. I just looked around at the house when I walked in, which--let me tell you--after a few weeks of bouncing around here and there seems to have disintegrated into boxes, piles of books, and dog hair dust bunnies. So great to see Beth Revis again, to meet Meagan Spooner, Sarah Maas, and Susan Dennard (giveaway of all our books coming soon!), and to visit Malaprop's, as always, but I'm happy to say that Asheville is my last away stop for a bit. Order will soon be restored.

Some things:

• To celebrate UK release day, Jade at Ink Scratchers kindly did an interview with me and UK peeps can enter to win a copy of Blackwood.
• There's also a new, lengthy-ish interview over at My Bookish Ways, in which I talk about all sorts of madness--including my great love for Christopher Pike's Remember Me as a teen.
• Blackwood is sharing crazyfine company like Libba Bray's The Diviners and Malinda Lo's Adaptation on io9's Most Thrilling Science Fiction and Fantasy Books in September. Yay!
• Liz Burns reviews Blackwood over at her SLJ blog, A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy: "Other things I can say I love without being the spoiler queen: Miranda sewing and making her own clothes, and how that’s important to her as a character. The Blackwood family history. The small town feel. The way Blackwood captures a shore tourist town. (I grew up and live at the Jersey Shore, so loved her town / tourists bits.) The historical/supernatural mash up." (Liz is one of my go-to sources for recommendations, and one of my favorite reviewers to read, so particularly happy-dance-y over this one! And she really does do a fab job of avoiding spoilers.)
• Bookbitz review: "Blackwood blends the supernatural, the mysterious, and the everyday stress of being a teenager into a satisfying, and incredibly fun, story. What did happen to the Lost Colony? And will Miranda survive the truth?" *beams*
  

  photo by Katie Wardlow Decker
• Annnd our local daily paper, the Lexington Herald-Leader, did a profile story (thank you, Mary!), complete with a picture that I feel is even better with the context that my cheesy grin may be related to the fact that I said the following to the photographer (Katie Wardlow Decker, who was delightful) right before she took the shot: "I'll just lean here casually. Like I do this all the time. I just come here and lean against this shelf beside my book. Casually." I prefer hiding behind the book, like so, in this other shot from the story. (I have no excuse for babbling, however, except that I am admittedly a huge nerd. I did want to talk about the fact I'd been writing for ages though, because I hate the pervasiveness of the overnight success narrative. So, there.)

ANYWAY, the story is mainly to let local peoples know they should come to the launch party/signing at the most excellent Morris Book Shop on Saturday. There will be nibbles and donuts and a few prizes. It should be great fun! Come out if you can:

Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. : Blackwood Launch Party at the Morris Book Shop in Lexington, Ky.

And then everything will go back to normalish, right? Right. Or, rather, write. Because I miss it like crazy after a month of not writing.

It's A Real Live Book Day (All The Things! Including Asheville Event!)

So...today is The Day. The day in which a book I wrote, Blackwood, is Officially Published. (Manifold buying links at this page; so cheap--buy two! *ahem*)

I won't go into the story of the looong journey toward this, because there will be quite a few interviews and guest posts and such over the next couple of weeks that do that. Also, because it barely feels real, even though I've seen, signed, and watched books sold already. 

Mainly, I want to say thanks so much to everyone who has already supported my little book and/or me and to say I hope those of you who pick it up enjoy it. If you do, I'd be delighted if you tell a friend online or off, suggest it to your favorite teen, leave a review somewhere, or drop me a tweet to let me know. It was a fun book to write, and I hope it's a fun book to read.

If you want to know more about how Blackwood developed from a writing perspective, I'm over at Scalzi's giving The Big Idea behind it today. AND I'm also at Mary Robinette Kowal's talking about My Favorite Bit (conversational snippet alert).

Some links:

• Charlie Jane Anders (Hugo-award-winning author!) did brief video interviews with several authors--including me--at WorldCon about writing setbacks. Read and watch at io9.
• Thanks so much to the FABULOUS Kelly Jensen for coming out to the Angry Robot Author Showcase Event at the Book Cellar and hanging afterward. You can read her report and enter to win a signed copy of Blackwood at Stacked. (Yes, I was a little space cadet-y right after the q&a. *smile* ) It was an honor and pleasure to read with Kim Curran (whose excellent Shift is ALSO out today!), Chuck Wendig, and Adam Christopher at that event, and you should buy all their books. Many thanks to the Book Cellar--a truly gorgeous bookstore--for hosting us and to everyone who came. Yay!
• Tor.com review (with well-marked spoilers): "A very promising debut: I look forward to seeing what Gwenda Bond does next."
• Felicity Disco review: "The novel’s take on what caused the original disappearance was not what I expected, but it provided for a fascinating plot, and Miranda and Phillips are both great leads. (Yes, there’s a bit of romance, but they’re more concerned with NOT DYING most of the time.)"
• Popcorn Reads review: "I read it straight through because I couldn’t put it down – yep, another late night for me but so worth it! She got the historical elements dead-on and she nailed the island, and the paranormal/mystical elements were also perfect. I’m highly recommending this one, and not just for teens or young adults."
• Diary of a Bookworm review: "There was excellent tension, a seriously creepy villain and several plot twists I didn't see coming. But where Blackwood really excelled was with its two main characters, Miranda and Phillips. These two had fun dialogue, believable interactions and great chemistry."
• Civilian Reader review: "If you like your fiction with a dollop of suspense and an understated romance, then Blackwood is for you. This is a solid debut that has put Gwenda Bond onto my “Authors to Watch” List."

Last but not least, Asheville! I will be visiting you tomorrow as part of this event with fancy people:

• Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.: Unexpected Heroines: Girls Who Kick Butt, But Don't Fit In at Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, N.C., featuring Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, Meagan Spooner, Gwenda Bond, and Beth Revis. 

Come out!

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't say how great WorldCon was (if I had more time I'd do a full post about it!). It was a complete delight to see old friends and meet new ones, as usual. I was on a fun panel with excellent people (including the hilarious Leigh Bardugo), did a reading from Blackwood and the current draft of The Woken Gods, and got to hang out with Erica from excellent blog the Book Cellar afterward. It was also great fun to hang out with so many fellow Strange Chemistry authors. Here's a pic editor Amanda took of me, Kim, Cassandra Rose Clarke, and Julianna Scott in the bar on the first day:

Would love to see pictures if you encounter Blackwood in the wild!

On The Road Hangovers

Clearing out tabs annnnd go:

• A conversation with Cassie Clare and her dad Richard Rumelt; a fun read, and one with important takeaways about thinking strategically.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith has great tips for public speaking and panels.
• Katherine Ashe with a great guest post on the literary merit of romance.
• Cheryl Klein with a smart writing tip from the creators of South Park.
• Photos from the 1970s country music scene (Dolly!).
• My Bookish Ways top 25 most anticipated releases for September (which kindly includes Blackwood).

And a couple more Blackwood reviews--both from UK bloggers--that made me radioactively pleased:

• From Cara at the Tattooed Book (and Waterstones bookseller): "Blackwood is excellent, intelligent, YA aimed fantasy. For anyone struggling to keep a teenager engrossed in reading, or maybe even tempt them back after they've had a break, this is the kind of story that will reel them right back in!" (Yay!)
• And from Beth Kemp at Thoughts from the Hearthfire: "I picked the book up to have a quick flick through the beginning and rapidly found myself deep enough in to need to finish it (ahead of other review books that had arrived sooner - argh!). Thank goodness books don't feel jealousy!" (I would marry this review if I could! It describes exactly the book I wanted to write.)

Aside: I really love all the UK blogs I've discovered this year, and these two are both fab.

Okay, off to Chicago for things! Launch day nigh!

New Interview!

This interview is special, because one of my favorite up-and-coming writers Kat Howard conducted it for Subterranean Press.

I've been lucky enough to work with Subterranean on many behind-the-scenes things (in addition to the fun of being given the keys to the magazine for a YA experiment) for the past few years, and I think it says everything about how wonderful they are that celebrating Blackwood was their idea. Thank you.

And thanks to Kat -- who says lovely things about the book and asked great questions. I may have proposed John Dee as fashion designer, among more high-minded topics. You'll have to read it to find out.

In the realm of other awesome things of today, Morris Book Shop did some chalk art.

I feel really lucky to know so many wonderful people. Makes it a lot less easy to descend into panic with Official Release Day a week away. *gratitude*

Chicago! (Event and WorldCon Stuff)

Dearest lovely people of Chicago, we are coming to your city for WorldCon this week. YAY.

If you're not coming to the convention, but are in Chicago, then I have just the event for you (*makes hopeful puppy eyes*):

Friday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m.: Angry Robot Author Showcase at The Book Cellar, featuring Gwenda Bond, Adam Christopher, Kim Curran, and Chuck Wendig.

Here be copies of Blackwood (officially out Sept. 4!) and Shift (Kim Curran, ditto) and Seven Wonders (Adam Christopher) and Mockingbird (Chuck Wendig). And I'm sure it'll be a fun event. So, come out, see us authors, get a signed copy, chat for a bit. The bookstore sounds amazing, and the Chicago Reader looks to have a handy map--which you probably don't need if you're local, but WorldCon folks are more than welcome too, obviously. Also, I hear there's a gelato place nearby for after.

If you are coming to WorldCon, I'm doing a few things there too:

- Friday, Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m. (McCormick): Young Adult Trends panel (with Leigh Bardugo, Gwenda Bond, Aurora Celeste, Emily Jiang, Bryce Moore).

- Friday, Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. (Dusable): Reading. (I'll read from Blackwood, and maybe a little bit from the current draft of The Woken Gods. Quite possibly a Blackwood T-shirt will be given away. We'll see.)

- Sunday, Sept. 2 at 4:30 p.m. (Autograph tables): Signing.

And, yes, there will be copies of Blackwood available at the Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry table, which I'll probably stop by with some regularity, too. Every copy sold makes me beam and beam until an angel gets their wings. Every copy you buy and ask me to sign makes baby sloths somewhere do extremely cute things.

I'll also be at Christopher's programming items, whenever my schedule permits, and, of course, the bar. Come say hi.

Whee!

So, remember I put up that big laundry list of stuff yesterday and was all: That's everything! Nothing more to see here. Turns out, I lied. Because Blackwood is on this: 

io9 Fall Preview: This Fall's Must-Read Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

In fact, it's right there at the top of the list. *faints* (Thanks so much to io9, seriously.)

I apologize if this is incoherent, for I seem to have forgotten to take allergy medication this morning and have had less coffee than normal. AND I got less sleep than normal, because I was completely wired after the fabulous party put together by regional Random House rep extraordinaire (and generally wonderful person) Eileen so I could meet and hang out with booksellers from our three biggest local bookstores (how lucky is Lexington to have Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Morris Book Shop, and Barnes and Noble? very) and a few other excellent bookish types and talk Blackwood. There was a giant powerpoint presentation projected on the wall with slides from the pinterest board and of the book cover (!) and I signed many copies of the book. (Psst: Other Strange Chemistry authors, lots of your galleys were given out as well! Excitement!) At any rate, a super-super fun evening with a bunch of wonderful people.

Which is meaning a super-drowsy Friday...

But there are still more relevant links. My cup runneth over.

• Feeling honored by and swoony about this First Look at Heroes and Heartbreakers by Victoria Janssen: "The fantastical mystery of modern-day disappearances on the site of such a famous historical disappearance kept me turning the pages, but what I enjoyed most in this novel were the characters." <3
• PW covers the launch of Strange Chemistry and Soho Teen for yesterday's Children's Bookshelf.
• The Ranting Dragon put Blackwood at 4 (and Shift at 9, plus more fabulous company like Malinda Lo's Adaptation and Rae Carson's The Crown of Embers) on its Top 30 Most Anticipated Speculative Novels Released in September (plus awesome graphic).
• A very nice review at Ink Scratchers by Jade: "One of the best parts of this book was the romance, both Miranda and Phillips were fantastic characters on their own but when you put them together they make an awesome team. This is a relationship that develops slowly, considering how fast-paced this book is in places the development seems real."

I like that Miranda and Phillips are getting the romance love today. It makes me happy. But it's a little ironic, because I'm representing Team Stomp (aka action!) over at Rabid Reads today in the epic Stomp vs. Romp contest. I channeled Dear Aunt Gwenda to give five tips for surviving an action sequence. Excerpt: "No, if you have to be a villain, make it epic. Be the worst you possibly can--burn books of poetry, wear a false mustache and twirl it regularly, and remember the number one rule of villainous fashion (aka “Black is always the new black”)--and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get to survive two, three, maybe even a series’ worth of books."

Go read and vote Stomp if you're so inclined. There is also a giveaway you can enter for a signed copy of Blackwood. (Winners of other signed copies of Blackwood, they're coming as soon as my author copies show up...so VERY SOON. I resisted the impulse to steal copies last night...barely.)

Hope you guys all have an excellent weekend.

Newsies!

Okay, I was going to put up my WorldCon schedule and a reminder about the Chicago event today, but I'm leaving that till tomorrow or Monday. Because this is something I'm superexcited about.

Blackwood is going to be an audiobook!

That's right, lovelies, if you prefer to listen to your books, you'll be able to get Blackwood that way simultaneously with its release the first week of September. You can read the full press release from Angry Robot at the link above, but AudioGO will be doing the Strange Chemistry and Exhibit A imprint books, starting with Blackwood and Shift. I have known about this for a little while, so glad to be able to announce it.

The Blackwood audiobook will be voiced by Stephanie Cannon, whose samples are amazing AND who--in addition to acting and voice work--is also a professional stiltwalker. (Those of you who know my love of all things circus will understand how happy this makes me.)

A few other cool things:

Blackwood and Shift side by side in the latest SFX! It's real, guys, we actually made books! twitter.com/strangechem/st…

— Strange Chemistry (@strangechem) August 23, 2012

• SFX review! I'm honored for the book to be beside my release sister Kim Curran and her excellent Shift. You can embiggen the photo to read the whole reviews, but I kind of want to marry the part about "Bond's sassy prose"--I have always wanted to have sassy prose. *beams*
• I also kind of want to marry this review by Ole Imsen at Weirdmage's Reviews (which, btw, is in-depth, but not spoilery in the least):  "This is a great debut novel by Gwenda Bond, and it is a novel that deserves a place on the shelves of any Fantasy fan. And for those that are partial to Young Adult, this is a must buy."
• A couple more reviews: Josh at Rabid Reads ("Recommended if you like a tempestuous and criminal read redolent of salt-spray") and by Kevin Holtsberry at Collected Miscellany ("I think anyone who enjoys YA – particularly the paranormal romance side – will enjoy this debut.  It has a nice blend of action, mystery and romance and is creative and witty without trying to hard to be cute"). (I so appreciate all the guys who've read and reviewed the book--who says men won't read a book with a romance and a girl on the cover?)
• And thanks to everyone who spread the word and/or checked out Blackwood's excerpt this week (it has almost 1400 views as I post this--holy cats! nerves!).
• There's also a new short "Amazon Exclusive" essaylet on Blackwood's Amazon page about my inspiration for the book and how it came together.
• And, last but not least, while I was on the road last week I neglected to point to a new interview at Manga Maniac Cafe. (Question five was tough--this was a fun interview to do.)

For those who have asked: Blackwood's official release date is Sept. 4 in the U.S. and Sept. 6 in the UK. I do not know if copies will leak out early--except in Chicago next weekend--but please do send photos if you spot one. Eek!

And that's it for now, except to wish Amanda and everyone else on the other side of the pond a great launch party tonight at the British Museum. Go Team SC!

All The Elsewheres Are Here

Or something, because, honestly, I have these moments where I go: THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. I HAVE A BOOK COMING OUT .

And the rest of the time I feel like it's all imaginary.

The Strange Chemistry website has gotten a beeYOOtiful redesign from web guru and magican of all things technical and marketing and etc. at Angry Robot Darren Turpin. And today they've put up excerpts from all four the first SC books, including Blackwood. (This would be one of those moments where it FEELS REAL.) I'm attempting to embed it here, but you should go look at 'em all, like, share, if you feel so moved, etc.

(EEK! I hope you guys enjoy!)

 

Open publication - Free publishing - More blackwood

 

Something else that makes it feel scarily real? Holding an actual copy of the book. Like so:

 

 

Some other quick links:

• New happy-making review from Tsana's Reads and Reviews: "I really loved both the main characters in this book. They work well together, playing off each other as equals. Rather than having one be the damsel in distress, both had different talents which together help them save the day." (Yay!)
• And two more happy-making reviews: from Strangely Literary ("I think teens will enjoy this new tale and many of them will become intrigued with the history of Roanoke Island when they read the novel") and from my fellow SC author Sean Cummings ("...a breath of fresh air for those of us who are dead dog tired of brooding vampire boyfriends and shape-shifting were-things"; note: I can't wait to read Poltergeeks).
• And, last, a fab list of YA novels set on islands by Kelly Jensen, who was kind enough to include Blackwood. I have a complete thing for island books, and immediately noted the ones here I haven't read.

Signing Of The (Historical) Times (aka Roanoke Island Visit)

So, a trip report is merited, I think. Though I'm still a bit whirlwinded from the whole thing. Where to start?

Oh, yeah, THIS HAPPENED:

 

 

That would be me with several actors from The Lost Colony and the first-ever sold-in-a-bookstore copy of Blackwood. More on why this is basically the coolest thing that could have happened in a moment (though if you've already read the book, you understand).

Now that I've got that out of my system, I'll try to be more focused. Also, lots more photos ahead.

On the Road, Misc.

I was delighted when Stefan Fergus asked me to do an interview for his Civilian Reader site. It's up now--I reveal a dirty reading secret (sort of!) and talk about genre and writing habits and other such things. Check it out, if you're so inclined.

This "reviewaka" of Blackwood made me happy (and I just love the whole concept of reviewakas). Poetry meets brief reviews.

And, finally, we're on the road! Cue up the Johnny Cash and Jim White! Today we'll hit the Outer Banks. If you're down there (or know people there, spread the word), then do come by Downtown Books tomorrow afternoon, anytime from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Though you might want to come at 1 o'clock--when Eleanor Dare and John Borden from The Lost Colony will be in attendance in costume!)

For now, the interstate awaits.

Elsewhere-ing

The fabulous Kelly Jensen of the excellent blog Stacked invited me to be one half of a dual guest post that's up today on new-to-YA publishers--I'm talking about Strange Chemistry and my experience with them and Amy Spalding talks about hers with Entangled Publishing. A snippet from my portion:

Once Amanda started reading submissions, in the book went and we heard from her not that long after--she wanted it and she was really excited about it, though the Editorial Board (dreaded by all writers) still lay ahead. But the ed board said YES. Hallelujah, heavenly choirs, the usual. As a debut author at a small publisher, you can’t expect a “shut up, you’re buying this round” deal. BUT that’s also true as a debut author--or a midlist one, for that matter--at many larger publishers. Giant deals are far fewer than it seems. Really. 

So, a mix of my personal story and some publishing talk. Go thither to read the rest.

More Blackwooding

A few new things!

Although the book isn't officially out until September 4 here (and September 6 in the UK), my first event is this week. If you're in driving distance of Roanoke Island (or lucky enough to live down in the Outer Banks), come out! I'm super-excited about this one, and will be tweeting and photo-blogging and things on the way and while we're there, and possibly Christopher and I will even manage a little travelogue video when we return (with some expert assistance from our too-kind friend Mandy, if it happens). (Maybe the hashtag will be #CROATOAN? Oh, I think so.) Here's the details:

Thursday, Aug. 16 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.: Blackwood Pre-Release Signing at Duck's Cottage Downtown Books (105 Sir Walter Raleigh Street) in Manteo, N.C.

The bookstore has been so wonderful to work with, and I'm told there's a chance there may be a couple of exciting drop-ins from local folks...in costume(!). Fingers crossed, though no promises can be made. (Updated: Eleanor Dare and John Borden from The Lost Colony show will be in the house at 1 p.m. Yay!) But I can tell you that regardless the New World Festival of the Arts will also be going on downtown that day, so fun.

There's a post about all the places I'll be for the next month at the Strange Chemistry blog. (And, of course, here.)

Some new Blackwood reviews (with some leetle spoilers, if you care about that kind of thing--but nothing too spoilery):

• Publishers Weekly weighs in with a nice review: "Bond has created an engaging mythology and mystery involving alchemy, curses, and past lives." (Whew!)
• Official SFFWorld.com review from Rob Bedford is a recommend and I especially loved this: "Miranda’s a girl on whom a younger version of myself might have had a crush." (Yay!)
• The full Locus Magazine review by Faren Miller has also been posted online. (Meep!)

And the T-shirts arrived!

That's it for now. More soon!

Monday Hangovers

• It's been too me-me-me around here lately (okay, so this is my place, but STILL), so first off some links to elseplaces I've been collecting. (And then another me-me-me post. SORRY. It's book launch time. *runs around with hair on fire*)
• A fascinating map of Europe's "typogeography"  circa 1901.
• The most excellent Austin Kleon at PW on how his book tour made him fall in love with independent bookstores: "It took me going on this tour and discovering what independent bookstores have to offer to learn this lesson: the best salespeople are the ones who are in love. Whether they’re yours or not, if you love books, you can’t help selling them."
• And via Austin's tumblr, an interesting collection of "15 Rules for Success by Creative Industry Insiders." Good stuff there.
• Zoë Marriott with a typically great post on writing, this time tackling "rules" about pacing and other things that may lead to watered-down--rather than good--writing.
• "Everything is Fiction" by Keith Ridgway at the New Yorker: "I need to care about what I’m writing—whether about the characters, or about what they’re getting up to, or about the way they feel or experience their world. I know that my job is to create a perspective. And to impose it on the reader. And I know that in order to do that with any success at all I must in some mysterious way risk everything. If I don’t break my own heart in the writing of a book then I know I’ve done it wrong. I’m not entirely sure what that means. But I know what it feels like."
• Sara Zarr continues to share her journey in admirably open, honest fashion.
• Two links about Angry Robot's Clonefiles experiment, partnering with an independent bookstore in England to offer customers who buy Angry Robot physical copies a free digital copy, and the results: at FutureBook and the Digital Reader. I was particularly struck by the comments from the bookseller perspective, from Mark Thornton:"Suddenly indies are able to take their traditional strengths - edited and curated choice, personal service and recommends - and stick a 'plus digital' on the end. It is genuinely a game-changer. ... But Clonefiles has been much more important than that. It has allowed us to engage with customers and break the 'ereader taboo' with people coming into the shop." If you care about these things, well worth reading the whole pieces.
• And some good advice, as usual, from Gretchen Rubin:

Everyone's A Winner (+ Gratuitous Pets)

The YA Scavenger Hunt winners have been posted over at the main site, along with many individual winners.

Computing the results of my bonus contest was harrrd work here, taking a group effort. It started with Hemingway helping read the numbers of entries from the desk:

 

 

And that was only the beginning...

(Warning: Gratuitous pet photos ahead. Viewer caution is advised.)

Surreality

That would be waking to this lovely tweet featuring my beaming editor holding a finished copy of Blackwood!

Look what just arrived in the office: The VERY FIRST Strange Chemistry books, direct from the printer!yfrog.com/es5palpdj @gwenda

— Angry Robot Books (@angryrobotbooks) August 6, 2012

And then beaming editor Amanda sent along a fabulous review of Blackwood by Faren Miller in this month's Locus (!). An excerpt: 

"Offbeat and imaginative, Blackwood mingles past and present, dark forces with a hint of pulp SF, along with many kinds of drama — from Shakespearean revenge to an amphitheater show where the island’s legend is just an entertainment for passing tourists. Whether viewed as young adult, genre mix, or a first novel, it belongs with the year’s best."

*falls over dead*

Less than a month now until the official release.

*jumps up and down*

As you were.

p.s. One more pointer to the Waterstones interview for the week-day crowd.

Pencils Down & A New Interview

And so ended the great YA Scavenger Hunt of Summer 2012 with its bountiful prizes! Special content is being pulled down and winners are being calculated to be announced over at the main site in a couple of days.

The response to the Blackwood contest was shockingly fabulous, and now will result in some epic tallying on mine and my lovely assistant Mr. Rowe's part. I wasn't really thinking how we would calculate with so many entries...and so we will be doing by it hand with slips of paper, a certain number for each comment depending on how many entries you receive. I'll photo-document. (And I'll email the winner, as well as it being posted over at the main site.)

The delightful Kaylie Ashton (follow her!), who runs the YA Bluewater Reading Group at the Bluewater Waterstones, has posted an interview with me at the YA Bluewater blog. Kaylie asked great questions, and this was a fun one. It also yielded what I am calling right now as the truest thing I will ever say (perhaps because I did this interview mid-revision from draft zero to draft one of The Woken Gods; in other words, while mad):

Writing a novel is like chasing a whirlwind with a butterfly net. And, if you’re lucky, after a great deal of work managing to catch that whirlwind, which is actually a story, and then showing it to other people and hoping they say, “Oh, that’s a story,” and not, “What is that? It just looks like a big mess of stuff blowing around.”

Also? I compose a dream fictional character dinner party. Check it out if you're so inclined.

YA Scavenger Hunt! (And Bonus Contest!)

Welcome to this stop of the YA Scavenger Hunt extravaganza!

(I'm Gwenda Bond *wave* and my stop on the hunt is being hosted by Marley Gibson--so go there to see the title of my 2013 book and two prologue-y teasers from it. Eek! Note: Bonus content came down at the end of the hunt, but I added a little info at the end of this post.)

If you're new to the hunt, this tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or both! (Go for both! These are pretty amazing prize packages we're talking about here.) I'm a part of the BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team contest with a chance to win a whole different set of signed books.

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage. (And an extra round of *applause* for organizers extraordinaire Colleen Houck and Beth Revis.)

 

Coming Soon

Well, coming tomorrow to be exact -- the YA Scavenger Hunt will kick off, with all the participating authors' posts up no later than noon PST Aug. 1 and the competition running through noon PST Aug. 5. There are 54 participating authors, divided into two teams. People who want to play hop through the blogs on one or both teams, and gather some very easy-to-find info in order to enter for the grand prize of a signed book from each participating author on that team. Which is a pretty sweet prize package, not to mention a great way to find out about a whole bunch of new books and authors. If you're interested in playing, there's more info here on how to do that and the prizes. (Also, hats off to Colleen Houck and Beth Revis, awesome authors and awesome organizers of this whole thing.)

Lots of people also run bonus competitions, and I'll be running one here that involves completing a simple task and leaving a comment for a signed copy of Blackwood and a piece of special swag to be determined (but good, promise!).

Nattering part of this post...

I think one of the funnest things about this blog-stravaganza is that every author provides exclusive material for readers that is hosted by another author and ONLY live while the contest is on. For my exclusive material, I'm going to announce the title of my next book, turned in yesterday (squeak!), and will be giving a sneak peek at a couple of pieces of front matter that will let you get a sense of the world. I'm nervous/excited/eek about it. I'll add a link to that post at the bottom of this one when it goes up, for those of you who might be interested but aren't doing the whole hunt.

Funny story: The title I was going to be revealing a week ago for this book and the title that I'll be revealing tomorrow are...not the same. Titles are HARD, and it's best if everyone closely involved--editor, agent, sales team, other important types at the publisher, etcetera--likes the one that gets chosen. Some of us liked the first title, but it was not unanimous (spoiler alert: someone hated it and I don't think any of us really loved it). In a panic, I sent my list of every title I'd ever brainstormed or used for this book (including my "I don't have a title yet" standby--The Man on Lincoln's Nose, which, trivia alert, was the working title for North by Northwest) and lo! everyone ended up really liking one on my discard list much better than what we'd almost settled on. Including me, but I needed their confirmation. I do not trust my own judgment where title fu is concerned.

Anyway, I hope y'all like it too. (Squeak dieux!)

Title Reveal and Exclusive Sneak Peek Post: Here you go -- title and two bits of front matter-ness (read: we don't have flap copy yet!).

Updated to add: Special content is all down now. BUT... the book is a near future urban fantasy set in Washington, D.C., about a 17-year-old girl who must find a mysterious missing relic and navigate intrigue involving dangerous gods to save her father, and will be out sometime during the second half of 2013 from Strange Chemistry. And it's going to be called…

::drumroll::

THE WOKEN GODS.

So there you go!

Wednesday Hangovers

• Four more Margaret Mahy tributes that are not to be missed: from Elizabeth Knox (who also did a long-form documentary interview with Mahy a few years back);  from Kristin Cashore; from Karen Healey; and from Jolisa Gracewood. Alarmingly, I've seen several people say various brilliant works by Mahy are out of print here. U.S. publishers, get cracking.
• Love this cartoon advice at the Guardian from Tom Gauld on how to cope in these tough times.
• New Katherine Mansfield manuscript discovered.

And a few promo-type things:

• I started a pinterest board for Blackwood, if you're interested in seeing some of the history and real-world haunts therein. It will grow a bit more, and I'm going to make ones for the main characters--Phillips and Miranda--as well, over the next month. Pinning is a little bit addictive, but guessing you already knew that.
• Also, I'm SUPEREXCITED that I'm going to be heading down to Roanoke Island for a Blackwood pre-release signing on August 16 at Duck's Cottage Downtown Books in Manteo. The exact times are still being nailed down, but I'm hoping to be hanging out there most of the day, and there's an art festival going on too--so if you're nearby, day trip! Come and say hi and get an early copy of the book. There may be some other events added to the calendar soon. And I plan to pick up some excellent swag for a few extra-special release giveaways. *rubs hands together*
• And speaking of Strange Chemistry...since not everyone can make it to the August 23 official launch at the British Library (fancy, right?), they're running an online launch competition. You can get the details at this post, but basically all you have to do to enter is review, highlight, interview, etcetera, etcetera someone or something to do with the first batch of SC books and add the link to the Mister Linky. The winner will get their choice of a kindle or 12 months of free Strange Chemistry titles. You can't beat that.

Linky Business

Still on deadline(s) so just dropping in here with a few quick things.

First off, SFX has a great preview of the Strange Chemistry imprint today by way of a fab interview with editrix-in-chief Amanda Rutter. It includes some newsy-ness, including that the imprint will be going to two titles per month starting the second half of next year. Check it out.

My sadness at the news that Margaret Mahy has passed on is immense. What a brilliant, beautiful genius of a writer she was. I wrote about two of my favorites of her books a few years ago; I sense a reread coming on. (I actually just reread her Alchemy a week or so ago, and was reminded of the fabulous strangeness that permeates her work.) I also highly recommend Karen Healey's Strange Horizons column about her. I hate folding this into a post about other things, but I didn't want to let it go uncommented on. R.I.P.

And, finally, switching gears completely--I'm SO excited to be part of the Summer YA Scavenger Hunt, coming your way very soon. Like all the other authors, I'll be contributing a signed copy to the prize package. My special content will be some information about my next book, a reveal of the title (yes, it actually has one now!) and a little draft front matter. Behind the cut you can get a glimpse at the details on all the participating authors, courtesy of Colleen Houck. What company to be in!

Excuse My Dust

Yes, I'm afraid it's that time in revision/deadlineland (swarming deadlineland, really) when I fall off the map. I'm behind on email, and am trying to answer urgent stuff, but may not get caught up until early August when I will have finished/survived for now. Etc.

I might drop in here, but will likely be scarce for the next couple of weeks.

p.s. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes last week. You are all The Best.

p.p.s. Planning for Blackwood's release proceeds apace. Just added to the events calendar: an epic Angry Robot Author Showcase event on Friday, August 31, at 7 p.m. at one of Chicago's finest indie bookstores, The Book Cellar, with myself, Kim Curran, Adam Christopher, and Chuck Wendig all to be in attendance signing our shiny new September releases. During WorldCon, so come over, or if you're not World Con-ing but are in the vicinity of Chicago, come out!

Elsewhere (teeny update)

Today I'm over at the Strange Chemistry blog doing the All About the Books meme. Picking just one book for anything is so hard and my answers would probably change daily. That said, I only cheated a smidge on one or two categories--which is hardly cheating at all.

How I still adore that Spellbinders in Suspense cover.

Unrelated update:  I promise I'm not going to share every positive review (double promise!), but this one by Waterstone's bookseller Jane Sharp is kind of a day-maker (and not spoilery!). Like a little pre-birthday present.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Haven't watched the new Bunheads yet, but this week's discussion thread is here.
• "The mysterious coffins of Arthur's Seat."
• Lauren DeStefano on giving the kindness of respect.
• Erin Bowman on different types of cliffhangers and the purposes they can serve.
• Mette Harrison collects some pieces of wisdom from WIFYR 2012. All good stuff, and several bits of pure genius from Cynthia Leitich Smith, including: "Remember when Jennifer Grey fixed her nose and became as good-looking as every other actress? Don't take all the flaws out of a manuscript."
• Mary Robinette Kowal guests on the SFWA blog with a smart piece about outlining.
• An interesting post on metadata. (Via Sarah Rettger.)
• Matt Cheney serves up a brilliant setdown to Dwight Allen on that obnoxious piece about Stephen King with "Re: Your Stephen King Problem."
• Myra McEntire has put her fabulous UtopYA keynote address up: "That’s what writing is really about. You, and the page.  What you can produce, what you have the imagination to create, and what you have the dedication to perfect." Read the whole thing.
• Leila has started making a list of YA featuring alchemy; a topic near and dear to my heart, obviously. Go Team Alchemy.
• Serendipity Reviews profiles Strange Chemistry, including comments from editor Amanda Rutter and a bunch of us Strange Chemists on how much we love our robot/chemist overlords.
• For now, I leave you with Biodome Lynx Kitty.

First Draft Island

So, earlier this evening, kvetching about revision on twitter As You Do, I tweeted:

Thing that always cracks me up in my own early drafts: characters meant to be likable, but who are vaguely sinister instead. #fixety

— Gwenda Bond (@Gwenda) July 8, 2012

I picture this whole Early Draft Island filled with unintentionally shady characters who are actually lovely, but can't trust each other.

— Gwenda Bond (@Gwenda) July 8, 2012

And:

@Gwenda On my corner of the island, they spend far too much time raising one or both eyebrows. Also using gerunds after dialogue tags.

— Sarah Rettger (@SarahRettger) July 8, 2012

Which, of course, yes, so familiar here too. And then the fabulous Sarah says she can do maps in Paint. And then a bit later BEHOLD, the first draft of First Draft Island (!):

@gwenda There's still space for more landmarks... twitter.com/SarahRettger/s…

— Sarah Rettger (@SarahRettger) July 8, 2012

I simply could not let this go unshared, lost to the ever-shifting twitter cocktail hour sands.

Larger image of Sarah's brilliant mapping behind the cut:

Wrangling the Wild Year

Last night I started thinking about where I was this time last year and how much has changed since then.

We were in Vieques, on the only real and true vacation we've ever taken (thanks to Kim O'Donnel and Russ Walker for that, and a fabulous trip). I was just about to finish up a major revision of the novel that's now called Blackwood, and I was feeling a bit at sea about where I might be headed. Would I ever sell a book? I wasn't sure, but I knew I'd keep writing them regardless. I already had a little bit of a beginning of a new book to work on next, but I wasn't sure about it. And so, mostly, I was just trying to make that book--then called Strange Alchemy--as good as I possibly could at the time.

I'd been on my own with the dogs for the week before and hadn't slept much and had developed a theory that maybe I didn't need to sleep anymore, or only a couple of hours a night, something I refer to as "becoming Bill Clinton" (get your mind out of the gutter: this was because he famously didn't need much sleep; I envy people with this evolutionary advantage). Luckily, this insomniac mania wore off after a day at the beach on island time and I did not go insane and start believing I was Bill Clinton.

Anyway, my birthday was the following week, and I'm coming up on a birthday this week (Thursday, to be exact), so maybe that accounts for the stock-taking. But, also, sometimes I have a tendency to just keep working nonstop, which means not pausing to appreciate Something Big Happened.

It's hard not to notice, though, comparing this year and last year. I did sell a book (thank you thank you again to superagent Jenn and supereditor Amanda), and it will be out in two months. I'd be spending a lot more time worrying about whether or not people will like it (yes, okay, I'm still spending too much time doing that), but I have a second book to turn in soon. And I'm just about to start revising it, so that will happen. I love this book and it's sooo scary trying to make it what I want it to be and believe it can be (and on time). Both the love and the fear are necessary, and planning. Pause for gratuitous shot of desk prepped for revising (click through for annotated photo):

Anyway, long way of saying, I'm in a much different place this year...in some ways.

But the main thing I'm worried about now is the same thing I was worried about then. The focus is exactly the same: on making the book the best I can at this time, and then once that's done, writing another one. The focus is on the writing.

And when I think about the future and what I want for my career, sure, there are more specific things I'd like to happen. But mainly I just hope that I will be able to keep telling stories and that some of you (and some people who aren't you! total strangers who don't know I exist!) will get something valuable out of those stories through that magical collaboration of writer and reader.

I also want to say to those of you still in the query and/or submission stage that you know as well as I do the important thing is to keep working, because you never know. The imprint I'm being published by didn't exist yet at this time last year, but I feel SO incredibly lucky to have landed there. I pinch myself daily. And when I think, Hey, I sold a book and it will be in bookstores! Holy crap, Something Big Happened! what I also think is that it wasn't magic. It was something I worked really hard for, for a really long time. And, honestly? That feels like the biggest achievement. Giving up is easy. But it's not for writers, mostly. Writers risk failure and rejection every single day. It's not for cowards.

And at the end of the day I truly believe what matters most* is the same for all of us, sold and unsold, beginners and those well into their careers**: one word in front of the other. Keep moving. Keep writing. Keep trying our hardest to get better.

Meanwhile, I hope the surprises this year has in store are as good as last year's.

*'What matters most' is chosen carefully here. Obviously, we all have lots of concerns based on our careers and individual circumstances, but from my vantage this is nearly universal. It's the only part we truly have control over, so it better be.

**Although I could be wrong about this. It's entirely possible once you get further into your career you worry about bears or clown attacks.

Plottings & Plannings

Hello, my lovelies! Happy day before Independence Day, if you celebrate such. We mostly soothe Emma the Dog and wait for the horrorbooming to end (though we are going out to Celebrate Your Independents tonight at West Sixth, and you should too, if you're in the Lexington-ville area).

Wellll, my biggest news is that I finally finished the draft of the new book. It is a first draft (see this marvelous post about such by Susan Elliot Wright, spotted courtesy of the excellent Kim Curran), so mostly I'm taking a few days pause and then rolling up my sleeves to spend this month making it presentable by Looming Deadline. Then I shall gather the thoughts of smart people (most especially my fabulous genius editor) and attempt to make it Way Better Than Presentable.

In the meantime, I'm also trying to get Blackwood launching ducks of the promotional variety--really, there won't be any ducks (though there will be donuts)--lined up. Because, I don't know if you know this, but September 4 is SHOCKINGLY SOON. (I am shocked, at least.) Said lining up involved making a list today of everything cyber and real-life that I know I'm doing and that I might be doing. Which is where you come in:

Should you be interested in setting something up in either the online corners of the world or the real ones, let me know.

(I might be contacting you regardless, but I wanted to say it anyway.) I'll be adding at least a couple more things to the events page soon, but here it is for now.

My goal for all of this is to have fun--and for the season of promotional launchening to be fun and not obnoxious for y'all as well. To that end, ideas, cocktail recipes, requests, etcetera, are welcome and encouraged. Also, haikus about alchemy. Actually, maybe we'll save the haikus about alchemy for release day.

As you were.

Thursday Hangovers

Another crazy week, another crop of quick links.

• "25 Bone-Chilling Photos of Abandoned Places." (via Dave Schwartz, I think.)
• Want to age well? Letting go of regrets may be the key: "Perhaps it might be better for us to feel the pain of such missed opportunities when we are younger so that we learn from them and make better choices in the future.  But when we are older, the future gets smaller, and so do the opportunities to correct previous missteps.  So, as we age a more effective strategy is to let go of the things we’ll have little opportunity to fix."
• Oh, Nora Ephron, your wit and heart and writing will be missed. The NYT obituary (now that's a life) and some of her writing from the New Yorker. She was a big part of my discovering old movies when I was younger; I still remember staying up late to watch An Affair to Remember after seeing Sleepless in Seattle. And I love so many of her movies. Sadness, but, again, what a life.
• An interview with the ever-fascinating Junot Diaz. 
• Kelly posts at Stacked about ALA and ARCs, sparking a raging discussion in the comments and on twitter. Well worth following, though I'm sad the tone seems to be taking a turn for the dismaying.
• Sarah Maas makes a compelling Pinterest argument. Anyone got an invite to scoot my way? *makes productive procrastination-y eyes*
• An analysis of how starred reviews tally among Printz winners and honors, and how often the stars align with each other. Charts! Math! Very interesting.

Bunheads Chatter Chorus (Episode Three Edition)

And I've posted the thread for tonight's episode, which is:

Inherit the Wind. When Fanny's attorney gives her shocking news, she takes it hard and makes the situation more awkward for Michelle. Making matters worse, Michelle has a run-in with the law when she takes off in Hubbell's car to blow off steam, only to break down in the driveway of a handsome, local recluse. Meanwhile, the girls compete against other dance studios in an "ugliest feet" contest.

Last week was interesting, including lots more spot-the-Gilmore Girls-parallels: Black Swan Rory, a quick glimpse of a chef that better not be a Sookie analogue, etc. Now it sounds like we may get the Luke (and/or Christopher) analogue tonight. (I do like a handsome recluse, however.)

Anyway, you can find the discussion space for this one over at Facebook.

Friday Five of Random Chatter

1. Christopher is coming home today. YAY. In case you were wondering about the grossness sweepstakes (I know you were, c'mon), the dead bird count is holding steady at three. The tragic bird Okies seem to have gotten their tiny plan together to not fall out of trees into the Dust Bowl and/or Emma the Dog has been unlucky instead of wrathful. Whatever the case, I say again: YAY. Now if I could only stop yawning. (I did reveal on twitter the secret head-tapping trick of wakefulness, provided by Barb at a Wiscon, I believe. It works. At least temporarily. You just tap your scalp with your fingertips and ignore the strange looks. *taptaptap*)

2. So, I didn't finish the draft of the gods book this week, but I managed a respectable 7,000 words. The lion's chunk of that was on Sunday, which is possibly the only time I've ever drafted a chapter in a day. The rest was pecking away. But this was a week filled with family medical issues and hospital trips and ambient stress and running le household solo and tres dead birds and such. I'll take it. Annnd I'm finally in the home stretch, aka the last 10K (I hope this isn't one of those false horizon endings...), so next week should do it. Resisting panic, since I'm really looking forward to digging into the 1.0 to 1.5 or (with any luck) 2.0 draft. For once, I actually have a list of pre-notes for that first pass of revision. Speaking of which...

3. Terri Windling had a typically great collection of quotes (and Tilly photos) this morning in a post titled "The courage to be bad," which says it all, doesn't it? I tumblred a piece of it, and I just saw Kat Howard has a nice process post inspired by it too, in which she talks about how we learn to let go of that idea of perfection in first drafts as we get better at revision. And, yes, what she said. I think one of the most freeing things for me about the First Draft now is that unlike when I started out and would sometimes hand this off to C or others unvarnished as soon as I finished*, I now know that the Real and True First Draft is for my eyes only. It makes the writing go much easier to know no one will ever see it quite so messy, except me. (Barring the bus crash that is one of my greatest writerly fear fantasies; to have left a first draft on the desk and get hit by a bus is only topped by the thought of a half-done revision and getting hit by a bus.) And not that this first revision will be the only one by any means, but hopefully it will be enough to enable the REAL revision that will inevitably be necessary. I think the bones of this draft are pretty solid (the outline more or less held), but it needs some facial restruction and skin grafts and emo therapy here and there. As always. Not that I'm not half-panicked during a draft the whole time, because, believe me, I AM. But I feel like I've also learned to let go of the idea of solving all the problems (especially smaller ones) during a first draft. I can take it on faith now that if I keep writing, those little alarms in the subconscious about reveals or the fuzzy parts of the ending or characters who aren't quite right yet will present solutions or at least that solutions will be able to be teased out of the completed draft (almost goes without saying that's with the help of writer friends, agent and editor, but always worth saying, of course). Not to say I never stop and actively come up with solutions, but I'm way more comfortable rolling with uncertainty now. Once it's complete I can be more efficient about problem-solving. Maybe. Anyway, something I noticed and decided to natter about. Clearly.

4. Remind me of all this when I start panicking during the revision about how it will never be any good and there's no way I'm equal to the task, what is wrong with me for even trying this, etc. etc., okay? (Seriously, this book has been hard for lots of reasons. Because it's big and epic and *hard*, natch, but also perhaps because I'm writing it while careening toward the release of my debut novel--more fun with ambient stress!--and my worry has been deep at times, but now I'm back to loving it, and I just want to finish so I can Make It The Best I Can. Hallelujah. Not a moment too soon.) Those feelings are a completely normal and unavoidable stage, too.

5. But enough process-o-mancy. Some things well worth reading elsewhere: "it's who you are at the core" by Justine Musk (HELL YES); "10 Things I Learned on Book Tour" by Austin Kleon (good stuff in here applicable to lots of situations, not just touring); "The Incredible Resilience of Books" by Peter Osnos (the sky is the sky and cannot fall); Shannon Messenger on figuring out how to deal with reviews and best interact with review(er)s online as a debut author (to which I can only say, yes, and always thank you to anyone who reads my book--I commented there too); and, finally, the Books That Shaped America exhibit at my beloved LOC (thoughts on the list?).

Have a great weekend, everybody. *mwah*

(*Finished as in typed The End, not as in really finished. The whole problem. And, okay, so I totally did this to Beth Revis and Laurel Snyder at our retreat earlier this year, but I had no choice. It was an extreme situation, and there was No Time. Sorry, guys! I sure hope I don't get hit by a bus before I get around to taking another pass at that one.)

Tuesday Hangovers

• Nora Jemisin on magic not always needing to be rigidly codified, since it's, y'know, magic. Snippet: "Magic is the mysteries, into which not everyone is so lucky, or unlucky, as to be initiated. It can be affected by belief, the whims of the unseen, harsh language. And it is not. Supposed. To make. Sense. In fact, I think it’s coolest when it doesn’t."
• Holly Black on the write faster project's early results. Also: I bookmarked the recipe for red wine pasta, which sounds delish.
• A goodreads case study of book discovery.
• In praise of a good literary slap. (Via Leila.)
• NPR wants your nominations for best YA novels.
• G. Willow Wilson does a Book Notes for Alif the Unseen, one of my favorite novels of 2012 thus far, and a great one to pair with Matt Ruff's fabulous thriller The Mirage. (I also did a short interview with her about Alif for PW earlier this year.)
• Revision tips from Kristin Cashore.
• The one and only Ursula Le Guin on literature vs. genre. Snippet: "Anybody who reads a lot is, if you like, an addict. The people who put their initials on the fly-leaf of a library copy of a mystery so that they won’t keep checking the same book out over and over are story addicts. So is the ten-year-old with his nose in The Hobbit, oblivious to dinnertime or cataclysm. So is the old woman rereading War and Peace for the eighth time. So is the scholar who studies the Odyssey for forty years. The very quality of story is to hold, to fascinate. Ask the Wedding Guest to stop listening once the Ancient Mariner gets going. He can’t. He’s hooked. Sometimes you get hooked on mere plot, sometimes on mere familiarity and predictability, sometimes you get hooked on great stuff."

Bunheads Chatter Chorus

And tonight's episode is:

For Fanny. An unexpected occurence puts Michelle at odds with her new mother-in-law; Fanny's students prove to be an inspiration.

The Facebook discussion thread is right here.

Unrelated personal nattering: For those keeping a grossness tally of C's week away at le workshop (okay, that's just me, but I'm going to inflict it on you too), so far I've had to dispose of THREE dead birds from the back yard. Tragic bird family--seriously, they are the Okies of bird families, the back yard is the Dust Bowl, and Emma is the Steinbeckian wrath--keep building their nest where babies get washed out when it storms... Sadness. Especially when you have to intercept a half-golden retriever, half-basset hound who apparently got the retrieving gene loud and clear. Don't let her innocent mug fool you.

Cold-Blooded Killer* (aka Warm-Blooded Retriever)

Anyway, come over later and talk TV (and things that are infuriating said in interviews).

*Did I ever post Christopher's story about the teacher who told his seventh grade science class that: "Dogs are cold-blooded. How else are they able to sleep outside during the winter?"

Nutso Crazytown Week (With Bunheads Bonus)

Lalala, is my hair on fire or does it just feel that way? It just feels that way, I think. Whew.

Most of my week was spent writing a lengthy essay about one of my favorite book series, about which more once the TOC is public (and I find out if the essay turned out acceptably, of course). This involved much flipping around in copies of said beloved books, and a passel of post-it noting that is going to be a pain to remove when I finally get around to that. I like reading on my Nook fine, but I must admit more than once this week I thought that I couldn't even imagine trying to do the same sort of thing if I didn't have hard copies at hand.

And the rest of the week was eaten by pecking away on the draft of the gods book, which it's my Sworn Intention (before you, my sacred witnesses) to finish next week while Christopher's off in the mountains of North Carolina at Sycamore Hill and I'm a workshop widow. It shall be done, etc. Add to all this a sudden hospitalization in the family and a random act of vandalism last night where some jerk smashed the driver's side window of our car while it was parked on the street across from our house and...this has not been the soothing week of soothingness.

At all. But so it goes.

The one bright spot, however, was a sun appearing on the horizon of summer's barren TV landscape: Bunheads. It's early yet, and it could go the path of suck, but I fully loved the first episode. If you haven't heard about this show, it's by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and it's a major return to form. Yes, it shares commonalities with GG, but one) that's not a bad thing and two) I believe it'll grow into something very much its own. (The Bunheads of the title are ballerinas.)

Anyway, long-time blog readers may remember ye olde Gilmore Gossip Circle, in which we'd gather to gab in the comments after episodes. It was great fun. There have been other attempts made for other shows, but they tended to wane. Karen Meisner and I were chatting about Bunheads on Facebook (as we recently did during the ANTM finale, too) and decided to try and give the old analytical TV stop a revival...but since we've been doing the chats at Facebook and it's so much easier to comment there, I'm thinking that's where they'll be. I'll put up a public post there with a description of the week's episode on Monday evenings and link to it from here. If you're a Facebook hater (smart), then feel free to just comment here, though I suspect it will be rowdier over there.

So, if you're so inclined, join in next week's:

CHATTER CHORUS

And if you missed the premiere it's up online.

Monday Hangovers

• Happy Monday! As you can see (unless you're reading this in a feed reader), I did a little simplification makeover on the site over the weekend. This is because I'm all caught up on everything, have nothing to do...or the opposite of that, really. At some point I probably need to undertake a more elaborate spruce, but for now: Voila!
•  Haven't seen Prometheus yet, but very much enjoyed Chuck Wendig's analysis of its story lessons. 
• Stephanie Perkins with links to all the best commencement addresses. Motivational fuel.
• If you're in the Seattle area this June and July, you'll want to catch the Clarion West reading series. Here's the full schedule, featuring Connie Willis, GRRM, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, and others.
• I suspect everyone has already seen the divine Beth Revis's wonderful, smart post on responding to negative reviews, but just in case. Snippet: "If there are people in the world who hate puppies, Harry Potter, chocolate, and/or bacon, then there are people in the world who hate your book. Put in that perspective, things aren't so bad, huh?"
• The fascinating story of Dorothy Parker's ashes at the Rumpus.
• My editor pointed me to this little primer post on Roanoke (and other mysterious things) at The History Girls, "Lost Colonies and Phantom Towns," inspired by the recent finding in one of John White's maps. I continue to be nerdily happy about that. (I'm telling you, people, alchemy is next.)
• And, finally, the Summer Blog Blast Tour author interview bonanza is just kicking off. I'm putting the full schedule behind the cut. Check them out or be sorry.

Page 77 Tease & A Giveaway

There's a w-i-p meme going around, and so far I've seen it from Steph Burgis, Nora Jemisin, and Martha Wells, so hey, why not? The rules are:

1. Go to page 77 (or 7th) of your current ms
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

So, herewith, a little unedited taste of the gods book:

The tails of his suit jacket flapped in a gusty wind that ruffled the brown leaves above him. He swung his metal and bone cane in a slow circle, like he was out for a jaunt. But the casual air was fleeting. Gone entirely when he shook his head at her with forbidding disapproval, and stepped over so he stood in the center of the path, directly below the tip of the not-so-distant pyramid. His red eyes glimmered in the sun. He was blocking the way to Egypt House.

Kyra blinked, opening her mouth to alert Bree and Tam—

Oh, how I want to cheat and include the next line (and start rewriting!), but rules are rules.

I've also been remiss in not pointing out here that there's a supercool giveaway of a Blackwood pre-order being run by Candace at Lovey Dovey Books (who also did this great review of the book that made me grin like an idiot). If it gets up to 2,000 entries (!!!) she's going to throw in something extra special, so spread the word.

Whirlwinded (AKA, The Official Research-A-Palooza And BEA Report)

We set out late-ish Friday on the open road, or at least the interstate, armed with more books than we'd need and a big bag of snacks from the coop (dried mango, sesame sticks, trail mixy stuff, granola bars--you never know when you might have to trade organic food for gas or your life, so we were well-prepared) and several sets of maquest directions for the Epic Road Trip, June Edition. Such an epic drive seems to demand an epic post filled with parenthetical asides.

The first leg of the trip, of course, was Washington, D.C. ::pause during which we all sing the Magnetic Fields song, yet again:: And that's well photo-documented, because I was taking lots of reference photos. The ones on Flickr mostly aren't those, because I'm thinking tile patterns and trim would be...boring. Although they were fun to take. For example, I kept getting trapped on elevators at the Library of Congress photographing the detail above the doors. Many strange looks were given, including several from Christopher, who had to stand waiting for me to make the return trips. But at least I wasn't being mocked by this guy:

Anyway, I can't go into specifics just yet, but all this relates to the book that's due next month, which is set in an alternate version of D.C. More details on that coming, including a title...as soon as we settle on a good one. (Non-breaking news: Titles are HARD.) And we managed to see writer friends who live in the area--Craig Gidney and Jess Leader--which is always an excellent thing.

Then it was on to NYC--or, in reality, to New Jersey, where our hotel was--for BEA. We got in on Monday night, schlepped over to Penn Station and headed into town for the evening. Our first stop was meeting up with Genevieve Valentine, who we really can't ever see enough of, for drinks and dinner. Well, Christopher and Genevieve had dinner, and tempted me to eat bites of their delicious foodstuffs. Then we got The Best Cupcakes at Kyotofu, after Genevieve convinced me I could get mine in a container for later. Cupcake-for-Later = GENIUS when you have to take a train back out to New Jersey late at night. Super city-navigatrix Genevieve and Christopher then escorted me to my other dinner, and headed off to the Bookrageous party, followed by an exodus to a bar where they saw an actual fight. Literary fisticuffs were in the air, people. (Actually, the fighters weren't lit types. But still.)

Meanwhile I got to have the most fabulous dinner with Best Agent Ever Jennifer Laughran (alias: Literaticat) and a few of her other clients, Fiona Paul (aka Paula Stokes), Jo Whittemore, and Kate Messner. Here's a photo Jo had the waiter--who turned out to be a comic book fan, with good taste no less (Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol!)--take of us, in which it becomes apparent that I must have supernatural eye laser powers:

(Alas, I ditched the camera for the New York leg, so I have no pictures of my own.)

This was so much fun, I can't even. I'd have dinner with this group of ladies every night of the week. We closed the place down.

And then it was Tuesday, the first day of BEA.

Here's the thing about BEA: It can be soul--and feet--crushing if you let it...because it's a trade show. And trade shows are innately depressing. It is best looked at sideways and traversed quickly with an eye toward finding the people you want to see. I also pick up as little swag as possible (in fact, this time around nothing), because books are heavy and my bag already weighs a bazillion pounds. (Though I do wish Chronicle still gave away those great notepads from lo many BEAs ago, because I finally ran out.) (See also: Emily Gould's account for the Awl, which is both funny and accurate.) What saves BEA, of course, and makes it still fun is that while it's (yes) a trade show, it's a trade show for books. Which means there are lots of book people there--booksellers, publicists, editors, agents, sales reps, authors, bloggers, industry reporters--and book people really are the loveliest people. Plus, they understand that the grimness of a trade show is directly proportional to the amount of free booze (and parties) on offer.

And so while I understand the complaints about BEA and, oh boy, the terrible awfulness of the Javits Center, I also enjoy it. This year was my best time to date, although I missed seeing and meeting a bunch of people I'd have liked to because I was rarely on the floor and lower level cell service should be studied by black hole experts. But I did get to spend decent chunks of time with several people--Micol Ostow and Melissa Walker, Laura Miller (even better in person), and my PW editor Dick Donahue (who I'd never met, though we've been working together for years now). Sheila Ruth kindly invited me to grab post-show drinks with a group of bloggers; it was nice to hang out with people I've 'known' for so long online, like Sheila and Pam Coughlan.

Because I'd already bumped into my editor Amanda Rutter (who is ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND AMAZING--more on that in a moment), I knew that Osprey's most excellent product manager John Tintera had a Blackwood ARC for me...and so I was prepared and didn't burst into tears when he produced it at drinks.

You really can't see the beautiful shine to it in this photo, so I'll try to take a better shot later for proper admiration. (I hear the UK ARCs are matte, btw. I'm glad my book is getting the best of both ARC worlds.)

This was all followed by some of the best Korean bbq (or Korean/Japanese fusion bbq, actually) I've EVER ever had with Amanda and John, who I could go on and on about the sheer wonderfulness of. Just let me say, I can't imagine better folks to be working with. *happy sigh* (Christopher was off at a Liberty game, having his own fun.)

The next morning was meetings at Javits, and while "meetings at Javits" may sound like a circle of hell, in practice it was lovely, because aforementioned book people were involved in them. I was lucky enough to meet several of the sales team for Strange Chemistry here in the U.S.; a truly engaged, sharp, and delightful group. It was also the first time I've really gotten to talk about Blackwood with people who've read it (who I don't know, at least), and that was fun too. And I got to hear Amanda describe all the TERRIFIC-SOUNDING books on the list and the imprint's grand plans and bask in her savvy and clear passion for YA in general and Strange Chemistry in specific. *happy sigh dieux*

Also, the pirates from Bridge Publications randomly sat down at our table, mere moments after Olivia the Pig walked by. These two things would really only ever happen at BEA.

Christopher and I had a final lunch with Amanda and John, said our farewells, and returned to the open road, feeling a bit kamikaze about the eleven-hour drive ahead. It was mainly through beautiful mountain country, though--Maryland and West Virginia--and there was a spectacular sunset. We made it home around 3 a.m., having listened to what feels in retrospect like a thousand episodes of This American Life, Studio 360, Stephen Fry's Podgrams, and RadioLab. There are worse ways to spend eleven hours. There are definitely worse ways to spend six days.

And now I have a book to finish.

Final mapquest tally: 23 hrs 47 mins / 1453.25 miles.