THE CURE FOR DREAMING Goodreads Giveaway

Good news! Amulet Books/Abrams is offering a giveaway for twenty advance reading copies (ARCs) of The Cure for Dreaming! To enter, head over to Goodreads and follow the instructions on the site. The giveaway runs until June 20, 2014, and it's open to U.S. and Canadian residents. Now, I've already heard from readers in other countries who were disappointed to learn that they're unable to enter. Rest assured, I have a feeling A&C Kids UK will eventually run international ARC giveaways, just as they did with In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

I haven't actually seen the ARCs for The Cure for Dreaming yet, but it sounds like they'll be available in June. If you're going to Book Expo America this week, I don't think the ARCs will be there, but you can stop by the Abrams Books booth, #2727, to be absolutely sure—and to check out their other Fall 2014 ARCs. Advance copies of The Cure for Dreaming will definitely be available at the ALA Annual Conference in June, as will I. Please see my Events page for my signing and speaking schedule.

I will list options for requesting ARCs as soon as I know they're available. The Cure for Dreaming should also be appearing on NetGalley in the coming weeks.

I can't believe early readers will be meeting this new book of mine soon! I can't wait to share it with everyone.

Ask Me Questions in My Q&A Group!

From now through Wednesday, July 10, I'll be available to answer questions at a Goodreads Q&A group. Feel free to ask me about In the Shadow of Blackbirds (including your burning spoilery questions), my characters, The Cure for Dreaming, and writing in general. I'm happy to answer.

Join the Q&A

Thank you, 2011!

I'm incredibly grateful for what happened to me in 2011. A few weeks ago I blogged about my long, grueling writing road, so if you read that post you already know this past year marked the end of my seemingly impossible journey to a publishing deal. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is now on Goodreads, and it's extremely satisfying to see people already taking an interest in my literary baby.  I'm so excited about all the behind-the-scenes preparations I'll be going through with this book in the coming year, and I can't wait to eventually share my characters with all of you.

To my agent, Barbara Poelle, and my editor, Maggie Lehrman: thank you from the bottom of my heart for making 2011 a year I'll never forget! I'll always remember the morning my daughter called to me out in the garage, "Mom, there's someone named Barbara calling. Isn't that your agent?" And Barbara's words, "Amulet put in an offer," were some of the five most magical words I've heard in my entire life.

I'm also grateful for meeting my fellow Lucky 13s authors, who'll also be debuting in 2013, and my fellow Amulet/Abrams authors. You guys are so talented and amazing, and I can't wait to have your books on my shelf! And, of course, I'm so thankful for all my friends and family who've been standing by me and cheering me on for literally decades.

The past year wasn't without its dark spots. I lost a very dear uncle who battled Alzheimer's for five years, and I witnessed my fourteen-year-old dog get attacked by a dog three times his size (our dog survived, but he took almost two months to recover from the bite wounds). The sweet seems to always come with the bitter.

I hope 2011 treated you well and you experienced more highs than lows. Let's now take a deep breath, gather our courage, and plunge straight into the awaiting adventures of 2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Is on Goodreads!

I've heard legends about a Goodreads Fairy who enters recently acquired books onto the Goodreads site. Well, I just discovered In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of her recent additions (click here to go to the novel's Goodreads page). Thank you, Goodreads Fairy!

If you have a Goodreads account, I would be honored, humbled, and grateful if you added In the Shadow of Blackbirds to your bookshelf to help me start spreading the news about the book. I'm working on getting myself added as a Goodreads author so you won't have to see that sad little "No Photo" face with the question mark on it.

In other news, I did indeed watch Hugo over the weekend, as I mentioned I would in last Friday's post. In that same post, I also bemoaned the lack of movies set during WWI, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the First World War played a large role in Hugo—more so than in the book, if I remember correctly. Martin Scorsese even wove actual WWI footage into the film.

Even if WWI hadn't been involved, Hugo was excellent. Read the novel first (it's a fast read), and then run out and treat yourself to the magic of the film.