Immortal: Love Stories with Bite, edited by P.C. Cast (BenBella) is being re-released (with a new cover--shown here--and a new short story by Rachel Vincent) at stores nation-wide on Oct. 6!This vampire-themed YA anthology will also include short stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kristin Cast, Rachel Caine, Tanith Lee, Nancy Holder, Richelle Mead, Rachel Vincent, and Claudia Gray.
Read a PDF excerpt, which includes a peek at my own contribution, "Haunted Love."
Some of you may remember that this anthology was released exclusively to Borders/Walden last year, so if you weren't able to get a copy then, your opportunity is just around the corner!
Cynsational Giveaways
Enter to win a contributor-signed copy of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown, 2009)! From the promotional copy:
"Acclaimed authors Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best-selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.
"With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers.
"Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on."
My short story, "The Wrath of Dawn," co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith, is included in the collection, and we are happy to sign and personalize the book, if the winner so desires.
"Acclaimed authors Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best-selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.
"With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers."Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on."
My short story, "The Wrath of Dawn," co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith, is included in the collection, and we are happy to sign and personalize the book, if the winner so desires.
To enter this giveaway, email me (scroll and click envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Geektastic" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, and MySpace readers are welcome to just message me with the name in the header). Deadline: Sept. 30.
Spooky Winners
The winners of the Eternal audio (Listening Library, 2009) were Erica at Emmet O'Neal Library in Alabama and Jake in New York.
More Giveaways
Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon Giveaway from Miss Attitude at Reading in Color. Deadline: Sept. 5. Read a Cynsations interview with Cindy.
More NewsHappy Writer Appreciation Week! Literary agent Nathan Bransford says: "It's sometimes a thankless pursuit with uncertain odds, so this week: let's hear it for the writers out there, published and unpublished." Note: first in a series of posts. Read a Cynsations interview with Nathan.
Details by Brian Yansky at Brian's Blog: Random thoughts on the art and craft of fiction writing. Peek: "It’s not enough just to stuff a scene with generic sights, sounds, smells, etc. They have to be ones that add to what the scene is doing, what the character is experiencing." See also Brian's post, Subtle But Savage. Peek: "You move a little too slow or a little too fast, you arrive a second too soon or a second too late, and you fail. You do it all right and you have the chance for success." Read a Cynsations interview with Brian.
Membership Reminder: Oct 1 last day to join from Lindsey Leavitt at 2010: A Book Odyssey. Peek: "Because we'd like a little huddle time before our debut year begins, the tenners will no long be accepting new members after Oct. 1. That means if you are a debut author and have been holding off on joining, now is the time. After Oct. 1, we will not look at requests."
Round-Table Discussion: Agents with Linda Joy Singleton, Joni Sensel, and Parker Peevyhouse and Round-Table Discussion Continues with P.J. Hoover and Jo Whittemore from The Spectacle. Note: insights on their own agent-acquisition process. Read Cynsations interviews with P.J. and Jo.
What Are You Reading? by Sarah Aronson from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "My appetite is pretty simple. In every book, the plots are truly dictated by what that character wants. Yes, they are character driven, but they all...." Note: the first post in a week-long discussion. See also Helen Hemphill on The Anatomy of a Page-Turner as she takes a look at The Hunger Games (2008) and Catching Fire (2009), both by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), and Kelly Bingham on The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick, 2008).Pacifiers or Catalysts: Your Choice from Kristi Holl at Writers First Aid. Peek: "The next time you feel anxious about your writing and want to fill your time with something to soothe the fear, why not try a positive change agent?" See also Borrowing Habits, Forget About Age, and Running on Parallel Tracks from Kristi.
What makes a successful writer? by Glenda Larke from Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels. Peek: "So when people ask me, 'When should I give up?', I am genuinely puzzled. Why would they want to give up? Don't they enjoy what they do? Isn't writing stories what it's all about?" Source Elizabeth Scott, who also recommends Where Children's Authors Work from Janette Rallison's Blog.
Reminder: Kid's Book Revisions: Online Class and Manuscript Help: taught by Harold Underdown and Eileen Robinson. Now taking registrations for a September to November session. Peek: "We are experienced children's book editors, working together to teach an online manuscript revision class three or four times annually. We also provide a variety of editorial services." Note: "late registration through Labor Day is available!" More personally: during my apprenticeship, Harold critiqued the first full novel manuscript I'd ever written and helped put me on the path to publishing success! Read a Cynsations interview with Harold.
Screening Room
Congratulations to Jessica Verday on the release of The Hollow (Simon Pulse, 2009)! Read The Story Behind The Story and a PDF of chapter one.
Check out the book trailer for Devouring: Solstice by Simon Holt (Little, Brown, 2009).
Reminder
Vote now for Teens Top Ten!: "Teens will vote online from Aug. 24 through Sept. 18 at www.ala.org/teenstopten for their favorite books. The winners of the 2009 Teens' Top Ten will be announced in a webcast featuring WWE Superstars and Divas during Teen Read Week, Oct. 18-24. Tell your book group, youth organizations you work with, and any other groups you know that work with teens to come to www.ala.org/teenstopten between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18 and vote." Note: I'm honored to report that Eternal (Candlewick, 2009) has been included among the 25 nominees!
More PersonallyOf late, I've been on deadline with Blessed (Candlewick, 2011), which I'll be sending to my editor on Tuesday! Yay!
When I'm self-editing, I tend to migrate around the house. Even a slight shift in environment helps me to focus. Here are a few shots of my reading/editing space on the sleeping porch.
Here's Mercury, the alpha gray tabby, sleeping on a blanket that Grandma Melba gave me years ago and is one of my all-time favorite things.
Mercury is later joined by Bashi, the smaller of the gray tabbies, who's half resting on the manuscript, and Blizzard Bentley, the friendly snow beast.
The fourth and most high-strung writer kitty, Galileo "Leo," always needs his own space, but doesn't stray far.
Here's a closer look at Leo!I have no idea how people write without cats. Or read either, for that matter!
See Kit Lit: Children's Literature for Human Kittens and Official Writer Feline Biographies. Note: these are the most popular pages on the main site for elementary classroom visitors.
Thanks to author-teacher Debbie Gonzales for featuring my books in her photo at Simple Saturdays: Private Pen Pals. Read a Cynsations interview with Debbie, and learn more about her latest venture, The Student Author Book Publishing Program. Note: here, Debbie (white shirt) is featured with fellow Austin writer Erin Edwards.
Thanks to pal Liz Garton Scanlon at Liz In Ink for cheering Eternal (Candlewick, 2009). Liz says: "I love the cover, I love the alternating viewpoints, and I love being totally shocked at the end of a good book!" Note: Liz's latest picture book is All The World, illustrated by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, 2009)--don't miss it! Here, Liz is pictured with Austin SCBWI RA Tim Crow.Just FYI, Cynsations will not post on Labor Day, but will return on Tuesday!
Even More Personally
Cheers to my very cute husband and sometimes co-author, Greg Leitich Smith, on our 15th wedding anniversary, which is today! We met at The University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor and married in Kansas City two and a half years later. Here, Greg is working on his work-in-progress at the Cedar Park (Texas) Public Library.Cynsational Events
SCBWI-Illinois' Fifth Annual Prairie Writer's Day: Brick by Brick: The Architecture of Our Stories will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. Speakers include: Stacy Cantor, associate editor at Walker; Nick Eliopulos, associate editor at Random House; T.S. Ferguson, assistant editor at Little, Brown; Yolanda LeRoy, editorial director at Charlesbridge; Cynthia Leitich Smith, award-winning author and Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty member; and Michael Stearns, agent and co-founder of Upstart Crow Literary. Read Cynsations interviews with Yolanda and Michael. Note: Mark has recently changed literary agencies.
Texas Events
"The Main Elements of Story: Plot, Character, Setting, and Theme" with author Chris Eboch sponsored by Austin SCBWI is scheduled for Oct. 10. Attendees will receive a $10 discount when registering for the local January 2010 conference. Seating is limited. Registration opens July 6. Note: Austin SCBWI events often sell out. From the author site: Chris has a new series, Haunted, debuting August 2009 [from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin] with two books: The Ghost on the Stairs and The Riverboat Phantom. Note: last I heard, there were only 10 more spots available!Jessica Lee Anderson (Border Crossings (Milkweed, 2009)) and P.J. Hoover (The Forgotten Worlds Book 2: The Navel of the World (CBAY, 2009)) will have a joint book release party at 2 p.m. Oct. 18 at BookPeople. Read previous Cynsations interviews with Jessica and P.J.
