This website will be here for at least a bit, but please visit GwendaBond.com and update your bookmarks to get the latest and greatest. It's much prettier too!
And you won't miss a thing. Go there now.
This website will be here for at least a bit, but please visit GwendaBond.com and update your bookmarks to get the latest and greatest. It's much prettier too!
And you won't miss a thing. Go there now.
So, hey, it turns out I can reveal the March 1 news early, because the review was posted online today. Here goes...
Lois Lane: Fallout got a STARRED REVIEW from Kirkus!
Kirkus! Snippet:
"This lighthearted and playful tone permeates the novel, making for a nifty investigative mystery akin to Veronica Mars or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Readers are in for a treat. A spectacular prose start for DC Comics' spectacular lady."
This is my first-ever starred review, and I reacted with complete class and composure when my editor called to tell me. I believe my exact words were: ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?
This is perhaps embarrassing to admit, but true and so I will tell you that mere days before I got this news I had told some friends that I'd come to terms with the fact that I would probably never be the kind of writer who got starred reviews. Thank you, universe, for proving me wrong. Lesson: Complaining works. ;-)
Well, all of you are winners in my book and in my heart. Thank you for being so excited for Fallout and being so game to participate in this impromptu contest. I'm a whimful creature, and so I didn't give you much warning. But it was so much fun to read everyone's posts and see your favorite Lois and Clark moments.
I thought I'd highlight a few of your super posts, before getting to the business of who is taking home this ARC:
I'm giving this baby away in a quick Galentine's/Valentine's #FalloutARC contest!
A photo posted by Gwenda Bond (@gwendabond) on Feb 13, 2015 at 6:23am PST
Here's a sampling of entries, and you can find links to a whole bunch more at twitter by searching the #FalloutARC hashtag (tumblr tags not cooperating as well for some reason, but I'm almost 100 percent certain I managed to track down all the posts made there).
Don't forget to enter @gwenda 's #falloutARC valentine's day contest http://t.co/8Yd1R4p2d4
— Maya (@mayak46) February 14, 2015
Lois Lane would be the best friend cuz she'd never let you talk down about yourself. & she'd bring the whiskey. #GalentinesDay #FalloutARC
— Aliza W. (@AlizaTweets) February 13, 2015
A photo posted by Marisa (@marisamay18) on Feb 13, 2015 at 7:44am PST
Today let's celebrate the great romances in the world. #1 is Clark Kent & his super woman Lois Lane #OTP #falloutarc pic.twitter.com/xkOjV6Dp72
— Aliza W. (@AlizaTweets) February 14, 2015
In a world of mendacity, Lois' search for truth & justice is heroic & awe inspiring. You can trust her. #FalloutARC
— Baudy Hallee (@baudyhallee) February 13, 2015
One of the great things about the relationship of Superman and Lois Lane; when she looks at him, she sees Clark Kent. #FalloutARC
— Superman (@All52Superman) February 14, 2015
Lois doesn't need saving, but it's always a comfort to know he'll always be there for her. #FalloutARC pic.twitter.com/MQOobri7IP
— Superman (@All52Superman) February 14, 2015
@Gwenda I wrote this last year for the release of the long awaited solo issue. http://t.co/IRIXwdYrUA #FalloutARC
— Shades of Limelight (@CertainshadesL) February 15, 2015
@Gwenda Going out on one of my favorite scenes ever at midnight. Thank you Gwenda! https://t.co/eWewaLfcTW #FalloutARC
— Shades of Limelight (@CertainshadesL) February 15, 2015
And last but not least, I loved this Tumblr gifset of reasons why Lois would make a great friend. Honestly, every single entry made me grin. You guys are the best valentines and galentines ever.
To choose the winner, I made a good old-fashioned paper drawing, giving every entry one slip. I wish you could all win, but there can be only one and that person is...
::drumroll comprised of clacking keyboards in a newsroom::
SHADES OF LIMELIGHT aka @CertainShadesL! DM me your address on twitter and your signed ARC will be en route tomorrow.
Thanks again to everyone, and you can always preorder the book if you haven't (something tells me most of you have). And there will be lots of news and sneak peeks and other things coming soon as we get closer and closer to release. Stay tuned! <3 <3 <3
Hi there! I'm back, after a week writing like mad in sunny Mexico on retreat with several of the smartest, most awesome ladies and writers I know--Holly Black, Cassie Clare, and Sarah Rees Brennan (along with some also awesome boys). And then I went straight from there to Winter Institute to do my first Lois Lane: Fallout event, meeting lots of wonderful, amazing booksellers, as well as the wonderful, amazing Capstone marketing ninjas Shannon and John, and seeing friends old and new. Especially glad I got to catch up with one of my oldest friends Ms. Kelly Link (whose new collection you have already purchased, RIGHT?), Maria Dahvana Headley (we have been ships passing in the convention bar night for years!), Megan Shepherd (who is very fancy), and Nova Ren Suma (her new book is just as amazing as you've heard and we got to share a signing table!), and and and so many other people I will miss someone and feel terrible.
It was a great time, is what I'm saying. And then as soon as I got home, my fabulous editor Beth called with a piece of AMAZING news that I can't tell you until March 1.
Post-signing photo from Winter Institute -- and keep reading for quick contest details to win a signed ARC of Fallout:
And what was I signing you might ask? Why, shiny brand-new for this occasion ARCs of Fallout, and I might have slipped one in my purse and hatched this plan for a quick Galentine's/Valentine's giveaway. Read on for how to enter!
I'm giving this baby away in a quick Galentine's/Valentine's #FalloutARC contest!
A photo posted by Gwenda Bond (@gwendabond) on Feb 13, 2015 at 6:23am PST
This contest will be open through midnight Eastern tomorrow night, US entrants only, and it's going to be supereasy to enter -- how easy?
1) In honor of Galentine's today, tweet or Tumblrize or Instagram a reason you think Lois Lane would make a great friend and use the hashtag #FalloutARC so I can find it.
2) In honor of Valentine's tomorrow, and Lois and Clark being the number one comics couple of all-time, tweet or Tumblrize a reason/fave gif or image set or Instagram about your favorite thing(s) about the Lois and Clark relationship and use the hashtag #FalloutARC so I can find it.
Each tagged post will count as an entry, and since this is only running a short time, feel free to make as many or as few as you want on whichever place is your fave. And if you don't win, still be EXCITED because it's out in May, which is SO CLOSE!
I'm so thrilled to be able to tell you guys that there will be more Cirque American--I got this news right at the end of the year, which made this both the best way to end 2014 and begin 2015. The Publishers Marketplace announcement:
GIRL ON A WIRE author Gwenda Bond's next Cirque American novel, in which a teen would-be magician auditions for the Cirque against the wishes of her famous magician father, and finds that perhaps there is more to her talent than she ever expected, again to Courtney Miller at Skyscape, for publication in Summer 2016, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
Just as Girl on a Wire allowed me to geek out about all things circus (my favorite) and wire-walking, this will allow me to continue to do that and also geek out about magic. Which is one of my favorite, favorite things. As much as I love it, though, it's undeniably a field where women get pushed off to the side, all too often The Lovely Assistant sharing in little of the actual spotlight. Well, the heroine of this book is no one's lovely assistant, and I can't wait to introduce you guys to her and some new characters. And, yes, although there will be a new central character, and a new mystery, the cast from Girl on a Wire will be there too--there will be more of Jules and Remy, Dita, and of course the Cirque itself. The working title of the book is Abracadabra Girl, but that may well change.
Also! Girl on a Wire is a Kindle Daily Deal today and you can snag it for $1.99!
One other little newsy item--the rights to Blackwood and The Woken Gods officially reverted to me at the end of the year (thank you for that, Angry Robot). So you can't presently get e-book editions of them anymore, though I'm sure used print copies are available and my local indie bookstores still have a stockpile on hand. Blackwood will probably return at some point this year. But I'm likely going to hang on to The Woken Gods until I can maybe tweak it a bit and write you a sequel; it may be a long while before I have time, but that's what I hope to do.
And that's it. I hope y'all are excited to return to the Cirque!
In fact, it was a good enough year that my head, heart, hands and at least one foot are in 2015 already--forward momentum is always a good thing. Or as Jules puts it in Girl on a Wire:
With motion comes purpose. With motion comes discovery.
But there's a value to taking stock and keeping a record too. And the amusement value of looking back from another year on, as I just did to last year's post (pretty on point, actually, though as always some things took longer to get to than I expected). I said last year that 2013 felt transitional, and it did. And so this past year, 2014, was more settled in many ways. Oh, sure, there was the usual anxiety and upheaval, but I also had a building sense that I was doing what I wanted to be, telling the stories I wanted to tell, with a better idea of how I want the story of my career and my life to take shape. Those are truly stories only we can tell, after all. On the practical side, it's also really nice to be paid well and have teams of people to work with who take care with and support your work.
I stopped feeling like some sort of fraud writer whose career would be snatched away--most days anyway--and like someone who just kept their eyes ahead and focused on doing the work. And that's my plan for 2015--to keep telling the stories I want to tell, while trying to get better at telling them, always, and to keep working with great people. I'm having more fun as a writer than I ever have, and I hope that translates to more fun for you as readers. Without you, I don't get to keep doing this. So please know your support means the world.
Another discovery? Lois Lane fans are truly the absolute best. I can't wait to get to share Fallout with you guys.
I only managed to finish two books last year, and one of them was a collaboration (which just got done literally yesterday, so cross everything; I'm really proud of that one). Amid doing a bunch of other things. There were swathes where not much writing got done, but that was tied to the not-good parts of 2014, which involved both my parents having serious surgeries at an overlapping time. They are both in much improved health now, and that's a huge relief and something I'm grateful for every day. (It also taught me a real lesson about how fragile my routines are and reaffirmed the lesson of always working ahead.) But I came out of the year with several projects I'd like to tackle at some point in the future and energy for the ones I'm working on now. And we took a marvelous trip to Portugal.
Writing stuff:
GIRL ON A WIRE - Thanks to all of you who've bought and read and recommended it to others. And please keep on doing so! It's hard to believe, but it's only been out for a handful of months and I've been too busy writing to do that much promotion, other than a few events and a tweet here or there. But people are still finding it, and that's all due to the publisher and you guys. The reception to this book makes my heart feel many sizes bigger. The Cirque thanks you guys. Significant events in blog posts: Kindle First launch and Release Day.
The announcement of LOIS LANE: FALLOUT - What a whirlwind that was! And we're just four months away from the official release now, y'all. Four. Months. I'm so grateful for the early reactions this book has gotten. Significant events in blog posts: The Secret is Out (!!!) and Media Round-Up. (Having been the recipient of many excellent Superman-themed T-shirts and sweaters and pajamas over the holidays, I'm hoping this is a hit at least partly so maybe we could get some more Lois-themed garb. Who's with me? Even just the cool name treatment from the cover. A girl can dream. ;-)
LOIS LANE: FALLOUT - This is going to be my year of Lois, and there'll be much ado from me around the launch, I'm sure. This is going to be a year of firsts--my first Winter Institute, my first BEA appearance, my first Many Other Things. I'm so so excited, still, to get to contribute to the legacy of one of the most iconic, incredible characters ever and, oh, do I hope you guys enjoy this book. Also, Lois is one of the funnest characters to write, period. When stuck, I just ask: What Would Lois Lane Do? Voila! Solution. Hashtag: #WWLLD
And I'll also be writing TWO MORE BOOKS in 2015 that I can't tell you about quite yet. (Hopefully soon, at least for one of them!) But there will be at least two new books by me for you in 2016. And I can't wait to get them written.
More surprises coming this spring! Including a completely revamped website (finally!). Other things I'm looking forward to: a retreat in Mexico in February and a retreat in South Carolina in April. I'm hoping life will also surprise me (and Christopher!) in good ways, and that maybe a leap I've been eyeing for a long while will become possible.
Other Significant Blog Posts of the Year:
I didn't blog that much last year, but there were a handful of longer posts people seemed to enjoy, in chronological order.
Happiest of New Year's to you all. I hope 2015 is a time of marvels.
A writer on the high wire of life.
Recent Comments