Summer Slump

Did any of you ever go to summer school?  I took Home Ec. when I was about twelve, and then squeezed in my economics requirement in college during a torturous six weeks about which the only thing I can remember is that the teacher in the next room always had a pot of coffee going and didn't mind if I raided it.

I think I become brain dead in summer.  Something about the sunshine.  The long days.  The desire for everything to slow down a little.  This year, however, I'm trying to crank out a first draft of Book 3, so that languidness just can't happen.  But it is, with the blog.

I have no idea what to write about.  I'm going to keep up the Friday Five as best I can, because I love talking to other authors.  But other than that, my well is depleted.  So I'm taking the question to you:

What do you want to know?


Anything I haven't covered?  Details about GILT?  Tudor gossip?  My latest historical obsession?  Anything?  Let me know, and I'll pull myself up my my elastic summer bootstraps and see what I can do!

Friday Four!

It's Friday and I don't have a Friday Five!  Forgive me, my friends, and let me offer instead a Friday Four.

As some of you know, I'm spending this weekend touring with some of the Stages on Pages authors, Stasia Ward Kehoe, Gretchen McNeil, Elise Allen and Kim Culbertson.  Can I just say here that these ladies are amazing?  They come from a variety of backgrounds and a variety of locations, but the one thing they all have in common is a love of the arts and a love of writing.  We spend our evenings talking books and theater, dance and music, art and life with teenagers, retirees, booksellers, librarians and anyone else who will join us, and it is always inspiring and always delightful.

THE FOUR:

Stasia Ward Kehoe is the author of AUDITION, a novel in verse about a ballerina from a small town who is chosen as a scholarship student to a big-city ballet school.  Gorgeous writing.  Amazing characters.  And Stasia is an absolute dream to know as a person.

Gretchen McNeil is the author of POSSESS, the story of a teen exorcist in San Francisco.  I have had to stop reading this book at least five times now because it scares the pee out of me.  But I'm determined to finish.  Her new novel, TEN, will be out in September, and is a retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None - ten teens stuck on an island with a serial killer.  Chilling.

Elise Allen is the author of POPULAZZI and co-author with Hilary Duff for the Elixir series.  POPULAZZI is the story of a girl navigating her way through a new school during her junior year with the help of the best friend she had to leave behind.  Her friend's advice?  Climb The Ladder and become the most popular girl in school.

Kim Culbertson is the author of INSTRUCTIONS FOR A BROKEN HEART and SONGS FROM A TEENAGE NOMAD.  I've only read Instructions, and loved the account of a girl on school trip to Italy, learning to heal after the betrayal of her boyfriend (who happens to be on the trip as well. With his new girlfriend.)  Amazing prose, and Kim deftly shows the transformation of girl to artist through the visions of Italy.

These are four to watch out for, my friends.  And if you ever hear they're speaking near you (with or without me!), make the trip.  It's worth it.

Stages on Pages Tour!

The amazing authors of the Stages on Pages tour have invited me along for their Northern California events!  There will be readings and giveaways and possibly song and dance (though probably not from me!)  I'm honored and humbled to be included in such talented company.  If you are anywhere near the following venues, please make the journey to come and see them (I mean us!) and say hello.

Wednesday, MAY 30 from 3:30-5 PM
Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont, CA
Elise Allen, Stasia Kehoe, Katherine Longshore & Gretchen McNeil
*Win a bundle of novels by Stages on Pages authors*


Thursday, MAY 31 at 6:30 PM
Center for the Arts, Grass Valley, CA
in conjunction with The Bookseller
Elise Allen, Kim Culbertson, Stasia Kehoe, Katherine Longshore & Gretchen McNeil
*In a lovely theater space, these authors may not just read, they may dance...and sing (hear that, opera buffs?)*

Friday, JUNE 1 at 7:00 PM
Towne Center Books, Pleasanton, CA
Elisa Allen, Stasia Kehoe, Katherine Longshore & Gretchen McNeil
*Attention aspiring writers: We'll be meeting up for dinner and spilling secrets about the writing biz (keep watching our Facebook Page for 5 pm restaurant details)*

Saturday, JUNE 2 at 11:00 AM
Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
Elise Allen, Kim Culbertson, Stasia Kehoe, Katherine Longshore & Gretchen McNeil
*Get ready to put the authors ON THE SPOT and WIN books, swag, and even a 20-page manuscript critique!*

Friday Five -- Mike Jung

 Mike Jung is a fellow Apocalypsies author and northern Californian, as well as the author of GEEKS, GIRLS AND SECRET IDENTITIES, coming from Scholastic on October 1, as well as a contributor to DEAR TEEN ME, an anthology of letters from authors to their teen selves (coming November 1 from Zest Books).  I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him at my local SCBWI conference this spring, and look forward to the next time!

THE FIVE:

1.  What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

The obvious answer is “a giant pile of money,” but would that really improve the quality of my life? The truly meaningful things in my life have nothing to do with money, but are all about people, emotional experiences, creative exploration, internal reflection, etc. Sure, I’d love to be able to support my friends and colleagues in the industry by buying more books.  Yes, my broken-down subcompact car isn’t meeting my transportation needs in the most effortless way. All right, I’d give my left arm for a personal office devoted entirely to my writing career.

Does that really mean a giant pile of money would improve the quality of my life. YES, obviously. But that makes me sound like such a materialistic chowderhead! So instead of “a big pile of money” I’m gonna say a complete set of All-Clad cookware. The heat distribution in those pans is flipping amazing. They’re really expensive, though – buying a full set means spending a giant pile of mon—huh. Wait a minute…

2.  What is your guiltiest pleasure? 

For years I tried to up my quotient of hipster music snobbery, which introduced me to some really great music but was toxic for my intellectual and emotional health. One person’s guilty pleasure is another person’s cultural touchstone, so who am I to say what’s universally good or bad? I haven’t entirely shaken those attitudes, unfortunately, but a number of years ago I heard about Richard Thompson’s 1000 Years of Music tour. In the course of a single show he plays every kind of music under the sun, including “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears, and apparently he does it straight, no irony, no mockery, no sarcasm. So, following his example, I’ll profess my fondness for Avril Lavigne’s breakout hit, “Complicated.” I love that song. I might learn to play it just so I can record myself performing it for a vlog post.

3.  What is the worst job you’ve done?

A couple of buddies and I spent one desolate summer working on the assembly line in a Worcestershire sauce factory. We’d empty crates of garlic onto a table, sort through them for assorted garbage (of which there was quite a variety – pens! Already-chewed gum! An entire pack of cigarettes!), push the garlic into the hopper of a huge industrial garlic press, cap the resulting barrels of garlic juice, and roll the barrels into a storage room. The smell was incredible - I’d drive home with the windows rolled all the way down, leave my shoes outside, and stuff my work clothes into a sealed plastic bag until laundry day. On the plus side, none of us were attacked by vampires that summer.

4.  What one word do you think describes you best?

Hmm. That’s a tough one…I’d say “creative,” but geez, that makes me sound a lot more together and self-assured than I actually am. I could also say “expressive,” but aaargh, that doesn’t capture the complexity of it all! I’m profoundly introverted, but is that THE word? How about conflicted? Self-contradictory? Indecisive?

5. What is your favorite word?

I’ve always had a fondness for “defenestration.” “Hornswoggle” is another good one, and I’ve made liberal use of “troglodyte” in my Facebook status updates. “Gobsmacked” also has its own peculiar kind of aesthetic appeal, as does “fisticuffs.”

ABOUT GEEKS, GIRLS AND SECRET IDENTITIES:

Vincent Wu is Captain Stupendous’s No. 1 Fan, but even he has to admit that Captain Stupendous has been a little off lately. During Professor Mayhem’s latest attack, Captain Stupendous barely made it out alive – although he did manage to save Vincent from a giant monster robot. It’s Vincent’s dream come true… until he finds out Captain Stupendous’s secret identity: It’s Polly Winnicott-Lee, the girl Vincent happens to have a crush on.

Captain Stupendous’s powers were recently transferred to Polly in a fluke accident, and so while she has all of his super strength and super speed, she doesn’t know how to use them, and she definitely doesn’t know all the strengths and weaknesses of his many nemeses. But Vincent and his friends are just the right fan club to train up their favorite superhero before he (she?) has to face Professor Mayhem again. And if they make it through this battle for the safety of Copperplate City, Vincent might just get up the courage to ask Polly on a date.

You can preorder GEEKS here.

ABOUT MIKE:

You want to follow him on Twitter.

Mike's Facebook page.

Mike's blog.

Introducing Henry -- And Contest Winners!

Thanks to all of you who came to the online launch party!  It was a blast, and you were so polite - you haven't left  thing for me to clean up.  If you want to see photos or know more about the in-store launch party, check out the recap over at the YA Muses.

Welcome to the final installment of the Tudor Tuesdays blog tour for GILT.  It is my great pleasure to wrap up this seven-week hop about Henry's wives with a mini-biography of Henry himself.

No matter how you picture Henry VIII, he makes an impression. Old, fat, toting a turkey leg. Or sitting back on his throne with a sexy expression a la Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He captures the imagination. Even 450 years after his death, the man has charisma.

 

Henry wasn't expected to be king. His father came to the throne after years of civil war and the death of the last English king to be killed in battle. Henry VII wanted to create the next English Golden age and so named his first son Arthur.  A new King Arthur for a new Camelot.

Henry, as second son, was expected to sit back, stay quiet, and become an academic.

Can you imagine how well that expectation fit our Henry?

But Arthur died at age fifteen. And suddenly Henry was England's golden hope.

Henry came to the throne just two months shy of his eighteenth birthday. He married his brother's widow, Katherine of Aragon, and ushered in the Renaissance.  He filled his court with music, games, dancing, art and learning. He showed all the markings of a King to be remembered.

But Henry also had something to prove. He wanted to be a hero, like Henry V, and alternately went to war and made loving peace treaties with French. He railed against Luther and the birth of the Reformation, writing a counterargument to the 95 Theses and earning himself the title of Defender of the Faith. And all the love of the Pope.

Which he lost when he broke with the Catholic Church during his divorce from Katherine and subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn.

Henry declared himself supreme head of the Church of England and ushered in the Reformation with a passion. Henry VIII changed the world.

But Henry not only wanted to be known, he wanted to be succeeded. Katherine had one daughter who lived. Mary. Anne looked set to follow the same pattern with her one child, Elizabeth. But the history of female rulers in England was shaky at best, terrifying at worst. Henry wanted a son.

So he remarried. Jane Seymour gave him a son. And died.

The final ten years of Henry's reign were troubled by reform and anti-reformists, bloodshed and unfortunate wives. Anne of Cleves didn't please him. Catherine Howard cheated on him. Catherine Parr took care of him as he grew sick and died.

Henry VIII is known for his six wives and a history of executing anyone who disagreed with or displeased him. In reality, he could be as generous as he was brutal. He was a visionary as well as the tyrant. A man–with all of those flaws and passions–as well as King.

So, it's up to you. See him as the bloated megalomaniacal icon handed us by cartoons, media, and his own later history. Or see him as the young, brash, idealistic heartthrob of his youth.

Despite what I wrote in GILT, I know which image I prefer!

I'm also delighted to announce the winners of both the Tudor Tuesdays giveaway and the Launch Party giveaway!

The Tudor Tuesdays winners of a copy of GILT each (chosen by Rafflecopter) are:

Christina Franke
Christina Torres-Salas
Cassondra Ott

The Launch Party winners (chosen by Rafflecopter) are:

GILT bag, signed copy and ARC: Kristen Michelle
Signed copy of GILT plus an ARC: J. Anderson Coats
GILT swag pack (including Sephora lipstick) and ARC: Noely Jeleen Balmeo

Congratulations to all of you, and thank you for following the tour and coming by the blog!

Friday Five -- Katherine Longshore

I've subjected so many other authors to the Friday Five, I figured I should try it myself.  It's actually harder than it looks...

THE FIVE:

1.  What is your earliest memory?

A dream.  I was outside a house with a white picket fence, looking at a little yellow bird high up in a tree.  I said, “Hello, little birdie!” and it turned into a monster and attacked me.  I must have been four.

2.  What would your super power be?

I’d like to be right.  All.  The.  Time.

3.  What is your most unappealing habit?

Wanting to be right all the time.

4.  What is your greatest fear?

Indifference.

5.  If you knew you would be stranded on a desert island, which book, piece of music, and snack food would you take with you?

WOLF HALL, by Hilary Mantel, because I’ve only read it once and I’d hate to die without reading it again.  Ode to Joy by Beethoven.  Even if I got sick of it, it would make me feel better.  And Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

Online Launch Party!

Today GILT will be in bookstores.  And on Saturday, the Avid Reader in Davis will be hosting a party for the launch.  But I wanted to be able to celebrate with all the wonderful bloggers and writers and readers I've met online since I started this crazy journey.  So starting today, I'm having a GILT launch party right here on the blog!

Come in, grab a drink and a virtual cupcake and tell me all about your favorite kings and queens of English history!  Visit the YA Muses blog all week to read what my closest writing friends have to say about GILT.  Follow the Tudor Tuesdays blog tour to read about Henry's queens.  Head over to Goodreads for a chance to win one of 15 copies.  And get ready for door prizes.

I have three to give away internationally!

Each prize will include one of three fabulous ARCs of upcoming novels donated by Penguin:

NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS, by Dayna Lorentz
AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE by Kat Rosenfield
RIFT, by Andrea Cremer

First prize is a signed copy of GILT, all wrapped up in a limited edition GILT canvas tote (plus an ARC!):

Second prize is a signed copy of GILT, plus an ARC!

Third prize is a GILT swag pack, including a specially-selected Sephora lipstick that I carefully matched to the color on the cover. (PS - It looks great on!) Plus an ARC!

All you have to do is enter below:
Winners will be announced next week!