We Have a Winner!

We have a winner!

After a careful selection from Baby Girl . . .

I’m happy to announce that . . .

Thao Tran is the winner of the signed ARC of One Wish!!

Congratulations, Thao!

And thank you to everyone else who entered! Keep checking back, because I’m planning another giveaway soon!

Remember that One Wish can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934813052/ref=s9_sdps_c2_s1_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0R2FJTXB55PC0QPBP9FZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Or . . . check your local independent bookstore or Barnes and Noble after April 23rd!

Carrie Ryan is Here!

In continuing with the fabulous Debs Tour, today I have the fantastic Carrie Ryan on the blog!

About Carrie Ryan

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Carrie Ryan is a graduate of Williams College and Duke University School of Law. A former litigator, she now writes full time. She lives with her writer/lawyer fiancé, two fat cats and one large puppy in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

About The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is about a young girl named Mary growing up generations after an apocalypse in a village surrounded by fences protecting them from the Unconsecrated, zombie-like creatures inhabiting the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Cut off from the rest of the world and told they are the last survivors of the Return, every part of her life is controlled by the religious order called the Sisterhood. As Mary starts to fall in love with someone she shouldn’t, she learns the extent of the Sisterhood’s power and starts to discover more of their darkest secrets. When the security of the fences is threatened and her world is thrown into chaos, Mary must decide what she’s willing to risk to find out if there’s life beyond the Forest.

Sounds awesome, right? Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so:

"Mary's observant, careful narration pulls readers into a bleak but gripping story of survival and the endless capacity of humanity to persevere...Fresh and riveting."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

That review is starred, people. Starred.

But enough of that! On to the Interview!

Me: Without giving away too many spoilers, what is your favorite part of the novel/what was the part you had the most fun writing?

Carrie: All my favorite scenes are spoilers! There's a scene where one of the characters dies and it was really hard to write because I was just so sad but I also loved writing it because I got to pour all this emotion into it.

Me: Oh no! That sounds both terrible and exciting! P.S. Readers: if you want to know more about that spoiler, head to the FAQ section of Carrie’s website!! Back to the interview: So what kinds of writing projects are you currently working on? Or, if you aren't working on anything new, is there a different demographic/genre you wouldn't mind tackling in the future?

Carrie: Right now I'm revising the sequel/companion to The Forest of Hands and Teeth called The Dead-Tossed Waves which will be out in Spring 2010. I'm also just about to get started writing my Spring 2011 book.

Me: Excellent! I love sequels! And finally: who is your writing hero and why?

Carrie: I have so many writing heroes! One of my favorites is Christopher Pike because I loved reading his books as a teen. He taught me to love reading (and how to read fast!)

Oh My Goodness! I read one of his books when I was a pre-teen . . . I can still see this girl’s dead face pressed beneath the ice. It freaked me out!! Good choice, though. :)

Readers, you can visit Carrie at her home on the web: http://www.carrieryan.com.

And . . . The Forest of Hands and Teeth is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736819/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225030123&sr=8-1

Carrie will be chatting with Saundra Mitchell tomorrow at: http://www.saundramitchell.com/blog

Thank you so much for stopping by, Carrie!

ARC Giveaway!

With one month left until One Wish is released, I thought I would do a little giveaway!
I set up a fans page on Facebook. Anyone who joins the group by midnight (Eastern) on Saturday, March 28th will be automatically entered to win a signed ARC of One Wish!

The group is here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=63546590770&ref=nf

The winner will be chosen at random by the guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online . . . even though I haven’t asked him yet. He’ll do it for me, though: he always comes through.

Anyway . . . the winner will be notified on Monday, March 30th!!

Thanks y’all and Good Luck!


(Feel free to link this giveaway to your personal blog. The more the merrier!)

Heather Duffy-Stone is Here!

Today I have Heather Duffy-Stone on the blog! Heather is celebrating the release of her debut novel: THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU.

First. . . .

About This is What I Want to Tell You

The stories people tell are always about the things we left behind, and about the things we wish we could do again. The real story isn't about what you know; it's about what you wish you knew then. When my brother and my best friend fell in love—that was the end of everything I knew.

Fraternal twins Nadio and Noelle share a close connection—and as Noelle's best friend since they were five, Keeley Shipley fit perfectly into their world. But everything changes after Keeley spends the summer before junior year at Oxford. When Keeley returns, Nadio falls in love with her. Noelle, ripped apart by resentment, sees her as an ungrateful rich girl. But Keeley has a painful story that she can't tell yet. As Nadio and Keeley hide their romance, Noelle dives into something of her own—a destructive affair with an older boy.

Beautifully presented by dual narrators in a haunting stream of memories, this is the deeply moving story of how secrets can consume a friendship—and how love can heal it.

About Heather Duffy-Stone

Heather Duffy Stone writes stories and essays that are mostly inspired by high school—either her own or someone else’s. This Is What I Want to Tell You is her first novel. She has lived in Vermont, England, Los Angeles, rural New York and Rome, Italy. For now she cooks, sleeps, explores, writes and teaches in Brooklyn, New York.

On to the Interview!

Me: Without giving away too many spoilers, what is your favorite part of the novel/what was the part you had the most fun writing?

Heather: I absolutely love the very last scene—it was the first one I wrote. It’s where everything sort of comes together and falls apart. And I loved writing about the food and tattoos—those are at the heart of the book and the details were so much fun.

Me: What kind of writing projects are you currently working on? Or, if you aren't working on anything new, is there a different demographic/genre you wouldn't mind tackling in the future?

Heather: I’m working on a project right now about a girl who comes to spend the summer in New York with her father, who she’s never known. She meets someone—he’s a graffiti artist and a recent immigrant. He came to this country from a civil war and refugee camps and yet he can't be here legally. Over the course of the summer she learns many things about her father and about this boy—who ultimately creates his own identity and guides her through the city with his street art. It’s about their love story but its also about the immigration system and family and creating your own identity through your art. I’m really into it right now…

Me: That sounds amazing! And finally, who is your writing hero and why?

Heather: This question could have so many answers. My friends Hillery and Bianca are sisters and poets and writing infuses every aspect of their lives. I learned how to read growing up with them, and their mother who is a novelist, and how to let writing be a part of everything else that I do. I admire any writer who writes every day—I want to be able to do that. And actually, just this week I read with Eliot Schrefer, author of The School for Dangerous Girls—and he has such a range of voices, such a range of really successful projects and I really admire that.

Me: Awesome! Your friends sound fabulous!

Readers. . . .

You can visit Heather at her home on the web: http://www.heatherduffystone.com

And . . . THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/This-What-Want-Tell-You/dp/073871450X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231340145&sr=8-1

Heather will be chatting with Sydney Salter tomorrow at: http://www.mybignose.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for stopping by, Heather!

Looking for Divine Inspiration

I deleted the ending to my WIP (work in progress) last week, and I’ve tied a few things together since then, but I still haven’t found that big bang ending I’m looking for.

In fact, I only wrote like, 50 words last night. The majority of my writing time was spent staring at the computer screen with this fantastically blank expression on my face.

(Erg.)

Hate those days.

Am hoping for a bout of divine inspiration v. soon, even though I routinely tell my students that you can’t wait for inspiration to strike . . . you just have to write.

I. Am. Such. A. Hypocrite.

The good news is I’ve rediscovered The Cranberries. “Dreams” is my power song. Thank you, You Tube.

I seriously think a chick flick is in order: something fabulously YA, like “What a Girl Wants,” because, in my humble opinion, Colin Firth *is* divine enough to inspire.