Recent adventures

It's been a busy fall . . .


Right on the heels of the YA AdVANture tour, Tessa Gratton, Tara Hudson and I managed eleven library/school visits in five days. (The above photo was taken at the Blanchard Public Library.) We had a blast that week! It was hard to say goodbye at the end.


After appearances at OCTE and the Rose State Short Course on Writing, I moved on to Encyclomedia. The Brown Brothers of Perma-bound put together a series of appearances to benefit Moore schools impacted by the May tornado, and it was an honor to spend time with Gennifer Choldenko, Ann Hood, Ruta Sepetys, and Wendelin Van Draanen -- such incredibly classy ladies! (I enjoyed silly fun with them, too, as you can see above.)


Up next? My road trip to Tennessee. I enjoyed visits with friends and family (hooray for sweet nieces!), but also managed three library appearances. Many thanks go to Pam Ford at the Stewart County Library, Jean Nichols at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Library, and Kay French and Kaity at the Houston County Library. They all welcomed me so warmly, and the Houston County library even put on an English tea spread, with the added bonus of a spooky flower arrangement that matched The Dark Between (see above)!


The TN trip wrapped up with the Southern Festival of Books. My panel with Aprilynne Pike and Teal Haviland came off splendidly, and I had a great time visiting with my pal DeAnne, as well as Courtney Summers (who took the above photo), Carla Schooler, Myra McEntire and Sharon Cameron. (Here's Myra and I posing in front of some impressive buttocks.) And on Sunday night, I met up with DeAnne and friends (and eventually my brother) for drinks and snacks at a speakeasy! (Next time you're in Nashville, you simply must check out the Patterson House.)


This past weekend I enjoyed a relaxing and inspiring retreat by Lake Tenkiller in Tahlequah. My crit pals and I chatted, played word games, visited a Benedictine Abbey (!!!), critiqued, and set goals for our writing. My lovely friends also threw a little party for The Dark Between, complete with character cupcakes.

So . . . lots of travel and talking and fun. But now it's time to get back to my hermit hole and WRITE.

Stay tuned for giveaways featuring books from authors I've spent time with recently!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Catching my breath

Gosh, it's been a whirlwind lately.

First, in case you missed it, I wanted to share the "Behind the Scenes" video Steve and I made in Cambridge this past summer with the help of Harry, a grad student at Corpus Christi College. Though the video is expertly edited by Flatline Films, it soon will become very clear to you that Steve and I are not professional filmmakers. (Brace yourself for babbling and shaky cam!) Still, I'd love for you to see the setting of The Dark Between, and I know you'll be charmed by Harry.


My favorite part is the Monty Python-esque "Huge amounts of land" moment! Of course, Harry also shares details on murder, brothels, punting accidents, and somehow even manages to work Beyonce into the conversation.

So what else has been going on? Well . . .

-- I went on tour with Tessa Gratton, Tara Hudson, and Myra McEntire.


We hit Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. Tess recapped the trip for Publishers Weekly!

-- I had a wee launch party at Barnes & Noble in Norman, and a signing at Best of Books in Edmond.


We enjoyed a Dark Between cake at the "after party" in Norman, and at Best of Books there were Dark Between cookies created by Amber Loberg. :)

And this week, Tessa, Tara, and I will make 11 library visits in 5 days. Insanity, right? And yet, so cool! Here's a poster for our Blanchard stop (click to enlarge):


You can find all the details at the Pioneer Library System webpage or check the events calendar at my webpage.

Big Hugs to all of you who came to events! Hope to meet more readers in the coming days.

P.S. If you've read The Dark Between, would you please consider reviewing it at Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble? It doesn't have to be a long review or a 5 star review, just an honest assessment. (I've developed a thicker skin. Really.) This sort of thing helps tremendously, and I'd be ever so grateful.

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

The Dark Between Blog Tour and Scavenger Hunt!

The Dark Between is going on tour!

Join our 10 stops along the way to learn more about the book AND to enter for a chance to win a cool prize pack, including a finished hardcover copy of your very own.



Here are the tour stops (each will reveal a different codeword):

Sept. 2 - Mundie Moms
Sept. 3 - Candace's Book Blog
Sept. 4 - Once Upon a Twilight
Sept. 5 - Small Review
Sept. 6 - Reading Teen
Sept. 9 - Book Chic Club
Sept. 10 - The Story Siren
Sept. 11 - Ruby's Reads
Sept. 12 - Page Turners Blog
Sept. 13 - Icey Books

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR CODEWORD FOR EACH BLOG POST.

You are allowed up to TEN total entries (one for each correct code)!

Good luck, and thanks for your interest in The Dark Between!

Giveaway winners and AdVANture Tour!

Hey gang, by the totally random power of Random.org, these winners were selected to receive THE DARK BETWEEN goodie bags:

Staesh

Moirae(thefates)

Congrats to them, and thanks to everyone for entering!

More chances to win Dark Between goodies:

The Dark Between Blog Tour

Novel Novice's Haunted Flash Fiction contest

Today Tessa Gratton, Myra McEntire, Tara Hudson and I all converge in Dallas for the first stop of our YA AdVANture tour. (You should see our van. It is AWESOME. We'll post post pics.)

Updated tour details below. We'd love to see you!

Thursday, September 5, 7pm
Barnes & Noble
Stonebriar Center Mall
Frisco, TX 75034

Friday, September 6, 6pm
Barnes & Noble
11500 Financial Ctr Pkwy
Little Rock, AR 72211

Saturday, September 7, 7pm
The Booksellers at Laurelwood
387 Perkins Extd
Memphis, TN 38117

Sunday, September 8, 4pm
St. Louis Central Library (Teen Lounge)
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO
Event organized by Left Bank Books

Monday, September 9, 6:30pm
Mysteryscape
7309 W 80th St
Overland Park, KS 66204

Flying my geek flag at DragonCon -- a recap

What a weekend! Huge fan conventions like this can be very taxing for an introvert. There were times when I was torn between rage and panic at the teeming hordes, not to mention the soul-sucking heat and humidity. Fortunately, I had my best buddies with me, and I could always hide in the hotel room when things got too sweaty or overwhelming.

Highlights included:


Seeing my pals in their costumes. Above are Glenda and De as Sam and Dean from Supernatural, along with Michelle as the 5th Doctor. (Michelle had a photo op with Peter Davison, and he was quite impressed by her duds!)


Chatting and canoodling with Ioan Gruffudd (Horatio Hornblower!). SWOON. (Okay, so I paid for the photo. That doesn't cheapen the moment one bit! Well, not much anyway. . . I also had this photo taken with Julian Sands, whom I loved as George Emerson, Percy Shelley, and more!)


Finally meeting Robin Bridges and buddying up during the "Historical and Steampunk YA" panel. (We were the token historical writers.)


Having a laugh during the "Dark Themes in YA" panel with Victoria Schwab (seen above), Jonathan Maberry, and Michelle Hodkin. I was prepared to be intimidated, but it turned out such fun! (Photo courtesy of elisquared.)


Running into this Sherlock-costumed fellow, who was appropriately aloof and even put on a decent English accent.

Question: if you were to attend a fan convention, which actor/actress would you most like to meet? Which character would you like to dress up as?

I also was fortunate to meet many fabulous YA authors (in addition to the ones listed above) at various events--many of them IN COSTUME. It was kind of like a retreat, but we didn't even have to pretend that we were getting work done!

Two days of recovery, and then it's the YA AdVANture Tour!!!