Bye-Bye, 2013!

This year has been awesome in a lot of ways, but also kind of shitty in others and I can therefore say quite emphatically that I'm looking forward to 2014! 

But. This is not a post that will dwell on the rubbish parts. So here's me looking back at the best bits of my 2013. (And yes, I'll probably remember in a couple days that there were other best bits that I've forgotten to include. Oh, well.)

1. My son turned two this year. TWO. He might as well be twenty. Where does the time go?!

2. I rewatched pretty much all my favourite episodes of Doctor Who this year. That's a good forty episodes or so. At least twice. Which means my toddler is now a fan too. He can identify all the Doctors and comes running the moment he hears David Tennant's regeneration music; he only recently learned to say "please" and "thank you", but he's been able to say "Doctor" for months. (Yes, I am that parent who lets her child watch the Doctor change faces so that she can write her book. I AM NOT ASHAMED.)

3. Favourite book I read this year? I don't know! I've read so much great stuff this year and the problem is I'm quite fickle, which means the most favourite books that pop into my head are the ones I read and loved most recently and not necessarily the ones I loved the absolute most. But I'll have a stab at it and name a few: Sarah Rees Brennan's Untold, Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity (or did I read that one late last year? Damn it.) and both of Jenny Colgan's Rosie Hopkins sweetshop books (if you haven't read them, DO IT. They're so fuzzy and funny and awesome.) There are definitely others I've loved as much, but I just can't think of them right now!

4. I wrote a book. I started it in November of 2012, but it's very much my 2013 book. I've worked on it literally all year and am working on it even now. And I discovered today, on the very last day of the year (thanks, Wendy and Soumi!), that it's up on Goodreads. Yay! 

I have no confirmed title, cover or pub date to share with you yet, but I'm going to copy in the teaser here because hey, what a great way to bring in 2014!

To those who don't know better, Greymaren is a glittering city of order and great invention, its skyline spiked with spires and its shadows playing host to enchanted, dangerous markets where anything may be bought for the right price.

But beneath the city's surface is a much older and darker place: a city where the bitter winters can kill, where witches sometimes have the answers, where memories can be bought and sold and stolen, where mad mothers are locked away - and where Elizabeth Graves is about to risk everything to punish a thief.

Happy New Year, everyone!

How to Survive the Apocalypse, YA Style

Exactly what it says on the tin. Here's what I've learned from YA dystopian, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novels (mostly quite general, but there are a couple of specific books noted next to the lesson or example they inspired.)

1. The whole "safety in numbers" thing is a myth. If you're going to follow the YA Survival Guide, it would seem it's very, very unwise to hang around with more than a couple of other people. You'll start fighting for control (This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers), at least one of you is bound to be a lunatic, and - the clincher - it's so much easier to hide and go unnoticed when there are only a couple of you (The Outside by Laura Bickle)

2. But that's not to say all of you will survive anyway. Nope. Always remember that: even if there are only two or three of you, one of you is bound to be eaten/shot/killed in some other dramatic way (The Outside). So make sure it isn't you. Betray everyone around you if you have to and shoot innocent people if they're in your way. (Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins)

3. Go shopping. (Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer) The instant you get a whiff that something's up, be it from the news or because the moon's changed position or because you saw your formerly dead neighbour get up and start munching on a squirrel, go stock up on everything non-perishable. Tins, cans, bottles, you name it. Don't forget tons of bottled water and batteries for flashlights. Water and electric supplies inevitably go on the fritz when the apocalypse arrives. It's probably a good idea to keep a few weapons handy too. Apparently the apocalypse turns previously nice human beings into thieving, murdering scum and you're going to want to defend yourself.

4. Barricade yourself somewhere safe(ish). Supermarket, house with an awesome security system, wherever. Find a spot, take all the supplies you can possibly find with you, and lock yourself in. Waiting out the apocalypse seems to result in a lot less drama and a lot more survival than wandering the streets.

5. And once you've done that, don't let strangers in. I know, I know. Do you want to turn into that person? The horrible one in all the stories that doesn't let the intrepid and bleeding hero/heroine in? Probably not. But do you want to be the one who sweetly and trustingly lets the bleeding stranger in, only to then be killed and robbed? There is no such thing as an unpunished good deed in post-apocalyptic YA.

There you go: how to survive the apocalypse, with or without your conscience intact.

You're welcome.

Paper vs Ebooks

I come from a family of readers. My father reads avidly. My mother reads avidly. There are bookshelves of all shapes and sizes in my parents' house and I had my very own (tall) shelf by the time I was eight and it was full. Today, nothing's changed. My own house has four large bookcases and one small one for the toddler and they're all full and there are books stashed elsewhere. 

But. Funny thing I've noticed? I'm not buying as many as I used to. At least not on paper.

Let's flash back to six, seven, eight years ago (whenever the original Kindle first wandered onto the scene). My mother told me about it.

MUM: Isn't it cool, though? You can hold it in one hand and store hundreds of books on it!
ME: Nah. It's not the saaaame.

Me, I love paper. I love cracking a brand new spine and browsing bookshops and stroking shiny covers. There's a tactile joy with hardcovers and paperbacks that ebooks simply don't have.

But. I've grown to love ebooks too.

I always hear about how it's paper vs ebooks. Vs. Like it's got to be one or the other. Why? Why can't you have both?

Here's what it boils down to for me:

When I travel, I take ebooks with me. Always. I have the Kindle app on my phone and an ancient Kindle and one or both of them travel with me. Ebooks are an absolute godsend not only when I'm away from home, but also on the actual travelling part of the travel - long train journeys and long flights (not cars or buses. I can't read on either without feeling sick.)

As for home, well, that depends. A combination of impatience (I must have things IMMEDIATELY!) and a lack of space means I don't buy as many paperbacks and hardcovers as I used to. I also have a hierarchy for books.

1. I love the author/series and CANNOT WAIT to read the next book = paperback/hardcover pre-order
2. I remember reading a book years ago and loving it = paperback
3. This sounds really good, but I'm not sure = download the Kindle sample, then the book itself if I like the beginning
4. I read an ebook and fall absolutely in love with it = get a pretty paperback version for my bookshelf

#3 is obviously the most common.

My Kindle library will never replace my bookshelves, and one day I fully intend to have one of those libraries with sliding ladders like in Beauty and the Beast, but there is definitely room for ebooks in my life.

What about you? Are you an either/or reader? Or do you read a bit of both too?

Unspoken?

Hello, blogosphere! Just wanted to say: if anyone hasn't read Unspoken and its sequel Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan, go do it now! Funny, exciting fantasy with lots of dark things and romance.

Honestly, it's so very rare that I read a book (or series) and actually long to live in its world and be one of its characters. So I'm always excessively excited when it does happen!

Zero Title Ideas

Hello, everyone! Just a quick one today to share a few things.

I'm over at the brilliant Author Allsorts blog, talking about what it's like after you get the coveted book deal.

The US edition of The Lost Girl made it into the top 100 Kindle bestsellers today! I still can't quite believe that. I keep looking at it just to make sure I haven't imagined it (and obviously I've saved a screenshot, because it won't last!)

Crime thriller fans? Karin Slaughter's Will Trent books are awesome. I started the first one last week and am now on the third. They're so addictive.

9 Weeks of Reading

As promised last week, this post is going to be devoted to the books I read (and loved) while the Internet was away with the fairies. There's not actually as many as I thought there were, mostly because an awful lot of the books I read haven't made this list; I'm not going to list the books I didn't like or didn't finish.

So in no particular order...


Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
I love this book and nothing I say could adequately describe how I feel about it, so I'm just going to leave it at: clever, startling, heartbreaking.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
This is quite a dark book in some ways, and quite a sad book in others, but I spent most of it laughing out loud because Sarah Rees Brennan is just so. Very. Funny.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This wasn't the first time I read it, but I loved it all over again. Definitely a book full of awful things and really sad bits, but also all the warm fuzzies.

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot
It'd been years since I read a Princess Diaries book and it suddenly occurred to me that I never found out how it all ended! So I went and got it. Awww. It ended just the way I would have liked it to!

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Weird as anything, but also weirdly addictive. I couldn't stop. I had to know!

Chime by Franny Billingsley
I love this book so much. It's dark and magical and twisty and features a complicated heroine I absolutely adore.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
I couldn't put this down. It's another dark, twisty story and incredibly sad in parts. But it's also incredibly hopeful and ends with a lovely sense that the wrongs things have been put right.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I know, I know. Why did it take me so long? I wouldn't say I totally and absolutely loved it, because more often than not I was either a little lost with all the sciencey stuff or my wimpy little heart was breaking for how tiny these children were and how much Ender loved Valentine and all that, BUT. That. Twist. Is. Awesome.

ACID by Emma Pass
I can't actually remember if I read this right before the Great Internet Black Hole or during, but either way: it's an action-packed thriller. Normally I don't even like action-packed thrillers, but I couldn't stop reading this. I had to know how it would end. I had to know what would happen. I also love Emma's writing style.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
I would have expected nothing less from the author who broke my heart twice with If I Stay and Where She Went. This is less devastating, but is nevertheless romantic and sweet and sad.


There we go! I'm sure I've left something out and forgotten about something else, but oh well. Have you read any of these books? Do you have any favourite recent reads to recommend?

Five Random Things for March and Aprll

(YES! I'm back!)

1. WE HAVE INTERNET! We cancelled the old service and got a new one wired in and now it's up. I can't begin to tell you how happy this makes me. Now I work properly, I can stream stuff again, I can connect my iPad to the network and sync the notes I make there, I can use Skype or FaceTime on a decent-sized screen, I can play songs on repeat on Youtube, basically THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER.

2. The IPL is back. I hate it. Unfortunately my husband, brother and baby love it. Which is means it's on TV all. The. Bloody. Time.

3. Snow. Snow in April. Wtf?

4. BOOKS! Without the internet, I've had more time to read and have read some pretty awesome stuff in the last couple months. I'll post a proper list of the best ones next week, but for now my favourite new reads include the tenth Princess Diaries book (by Meg Cabot. I used the love the others when I was much younger, but somehow never got round to finishing the series), Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (clever and heartbreaking) and Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (I love that it's set in England and it's so, so funny).

5. My book. I've been writing my New Thing for something like four months now and I am still so very much in love with it. Whether my agent will love it too, however, is another question... but we'll see. Word count: 81k. I probably have another 25-30k to go.

Hope everyone is having a lovely week! What have you been up to lately? Read anything good?

Book of the Year

I know the year's not over yet, but I feel like this is the time I look back and think about everything I've read this year and narrow in on one particular book that really shone for me. And it's hard this year. There are a lot of great possibilities, like Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races (actually, I may have read that late last year, but I can't quite remember... either way it's fantastic) and This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers; there were a lot of exciting second or third installments in series I love; quite frankly, I read a ton of good books this year.

But I've managed, somehow, to pick one. And here it is, my book of the year.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

by Carol Rifka Brunt

1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.

(Summary from Goodreads)

If you haven't read this, please do. I don't think I've ever loved and hated a protagonist in such equal measure. I bawled my eyes out. Just sayin'. 

Did you read anything this year that really sparkled for you?

Go Look at: the United States of YA

Okay, I'm officially terrible. One week into my new schedule and I'm already late! I'm sorry!

To anyone who may be struggling with Sandy, I hope you're all okay.

Today I want to show you this incredibly awesome map made by EpicReads.com and posted over at their blog. If you read any YA at all (or write it!) you'll really love this one. It's a map of the US in books! I'm reposting the picture below (and yes, I do know it's virtually indecipherable but consider it a teaser. I couldn't get it any bigger without making it too big for Blogger!), but the original is over at EpicReads.com so do pop over and take a proper look - and if you like it, show them your love.

 
They're also putting together a Planet YA map (and right now EpicGirl's got The Lost Girl earmarked for India, yay!) so head over if you have any suggestions for young adult fiction in any country!

What cool things have you discovered this week?

It's PUB DAY!!

...I really don't know what else to say. I mean, really. What can I say? I've been waiting for this day for a very long time and now it's finally here. I'm not even going to try putting how I feel into words, it would just be a mess.

 

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive. 

THE LOST GIRL is out in stores today. Find out more and read the first chapter here. EpicReads.com also has an awesome Browse Inside feature for the book if you want to check that out! You can buy the book online at (click for the links)

Amazon

The Book Depository

Barnes & Noble

Indie Bound

Today marks the end of the TLG Blogpalooza and is also the last day you can possibly comment or enter the giveaway. So any entries coming in after tonight won't be counted! The winner will be announced on Friday.

I also need to say a few thank-yous. First to Steve, my long-suffering husband (who would also like me to tell you that he's very handsome and very clever), because he was the first person to ever read THE LOST GIRL, the first one to tell me it was something special, and the one who made me keep writing it when I (almost) gave up. And, of course, because he makes me eat when I forget to. Second, to my agent Melissa Sarver, for believing in the book, and in me, and for being so flippin' awesome at selling it! Third, to my editor Sara Sargent, who read the book and wanted it, who has promised to go to a bookstore and tweet me photos of the book, and who helped me make THE LOST GIRL the best it could possibly be.

And finally, I think I really owe the biggest thank you to all of you. For all the comments, and reviews, and emails, and tweets, and support, and love. You're all fantastic.

Okay. That's the mushy over.

IT'S PUB DAY! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Elephants Remember

I've always had a pretty good memory. I'm forgetful, i.e. I can wander into the kitchen, get distracted, and then can't remember what I went in there for in the first place, but I have a good long-term memory. I remember important dates, I can sing whole musicals (badly, it's true, but I can sing them nevertheless), and I remember almost everything about every book I've read and loved.

See the problem?

I love rereading my favourite books. Unfortunately, I'm never surprised twice. I always know what's coming. I've mentioned my love of Sherlock Holmes before. I also love practically everything Agatha Christie ever wrote. Only, remembering the who kind of takes some of the joy from a whodunnit, doesn't it? There are a few exceptions to this: Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek, for example. I've read that about ten times in the last two years alone and I never find it any less beautiful.

So, my strategies: put up with it and just reread the book. Or hold off on rereading the book for at least five years. Sigh.

Anyone else have this problem? What do you do to be surprised again? And is there a particular book you can reread till the cows come home and you'll still love it as much as you did the first time?

PS. A big thank you to everyone who's signed up for my LOST GIRL Pub Day Splash so far! If you're interested and haven't yet signed up, you can do so here. I'm giving things away!

Heroines and Help

I'm about halfway through Diana Peterfreund's FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS, which was inspired by Jane Austen's classic Persuasion. So far I love it, especially heroine Elliot, so expect to hear more from me about it when I'm finished!

I also promised last week that I'd create a place for people to sign up to the end of my LOST GIRL Blogpalooza. The fun starts in two weeks! As for the signup, basically: the palooza will wrap up on pub day, August 28th, and it would be lovely if it had a grand finish! So you can help me out by blogging about the book. A pub day splash! You can make a short announcement, or write a full post, or write a review (if you've read the book), whatever you want to do. I'd really, really appreciate it. (Don't worry, I'll email all the information you may need about a week before the post date.) 

Also: blogging about the book on pub day will earn you a whole lot of entries into my giveaway, so yay!

Anyway, here's where you can sign up to do this below. The form will also be available on the TLG Blogpalooza's page here.

Thanks, guys!

So what are you reading this week?

Ahhh, Holmes

I've made no secret of the fact that I love Sherlock Holmes: some of the old TV shows, inspired-bys like House, the new BBC adaptation, and, obviously, the original stories. In fact, I'm obsessed with pretty much anything Holmesy, except for those hideous stains upon filmmaking (otherwise known as the Robert Downey Jr. movies: sorry, fans!)

So when The House of Silk came out, I was excited and very, very doubtful. Excited because, you know, it's a NEW Sherlock Holmes novel and I really like Anthony Horowitz. Doubtful because, deep down, I suspected it wouldn't be all that great.

I was wrong. It's awesome. 

I read an awful lot of YA, being a YA author and all that, but that doesn't mean I don't read and love plenty of adult fiction too, and I read and loved this. Seriously, it is hands down the best thing I've read in the last few months.

So, yeah. Go read The House of Silk.

Anyone read it already?

(Thanks for all the lovely comments on my German cover and reviews last week, everyone! And thank you to those of you who gave me book reccs: I have several more amazing-sounding books on my to-read pile now.)

Curse of the Sequel

 
I don't think I'm the only one out there who thinks second books (or, indeed, movies!) disappoint. Sometimes they even plain old suck. Obviously I don't mean an author's second book overall (these are often better!), just the second in a series. Trilogies seem to be the worst offenders. Book 2 often ends up being filler. Or it's a good book, but it has to work twice as hard, because Book 1 has the advantage of being exciting and new, while Book 3 has the advantage of being the epic end to it all.

So, really, sometimes you have to feel sorry for Book 2, the tragic middle child of the whole family.

And to make Book 2 feel better, I've been trying to think of examples where the second book (or movie) was just as good or better than the first. (That's right, tragic middle child! You're just as special!) And I don't count sequels that were simply tacked on because the first one was so successful. They have to be part of the original story.

...I have nothing. Nothing. Seriously. My brain has frozen over today.

Can you think of any great or better second books/installments?

PS. Don't forget I'm giving away a signed ARC of THE LOST GIRL in ten days! So if you haven't commented on my cover reveal already, go do it soon!

 

It's time for the Catch Fire! blog party!

Before I launch into today's post, I just want to thank everyone for all the lovely comments about my cover reveal and ARC giveaway last week - you're the best!

And onwards. Today marks the release of blogger and author Alex J Cavanaugh's second book CassaFire, and he's having a massive blog party to celebrate - yay! If only cakes and cookies could be snatched through cyberspace... ah, well. Alex is also running a blog tour until the 9th of March and anyone who comments on his blog during that time could win a special goodie bag from his publisher, so pop over to his blog and check it out.

CassaFire

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities. 

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Bestseller.

Doesn't it sound cool? Alex's sci-fi/space opera is available now. Visit his blog for links to buy, more details, and a very very cool book trailer.

Congratulations on your release, Alex!

Love

...because I've had far too little sleep to be able to think of a cleverer title!

Happy Valentine's Day, bloggers and readers! It's the official day of romance, and roses, and other things beginning with R (okay, so I couldn't think of a third. Did you not see the part about the lack of sleep?) and though I personally think every day should be about romance, roses and R-things, today seems a particularly good time to talk about love stories.

So here are a few of my favourite romantic/love-filled/similarly-themed books-

1. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Unadventurous Lou becomes crippled Will's carer and everything changes. This is lovely. And it's a bawl-fest.

2. Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

A summer by the seaside. A girl who likes a boy. A boy who doesn't want to like the girl. Fun, funny and sweet.

3. Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

Bored, beautiful Donna meets a French pirate on the shore of a lonely Cornwall creek. This is passionate and heartbreaking and beautifully written. Love, love, love this one.

4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Boy meets girl. Except boy turns into a wolf when it gets too cold. Sweet, exciting, glorious. Many tears were shed. 

                   

5. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Boy meets girl. Except they don't quite 'meet' because they've known each other all their lives. They also happen to be brother and sister. It's controversial. But so wonderfully written, so wrenching, so amazing.

What are your favourite love stories?