Photos and News from my First IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Appearance

Photo by fellow 2013 debut author,
Amy Tintera (Reboot).

I had the opportunity to spend this past weekend at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, and I was overwhelmed by the excitement brewing for In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

On Saturday afternoon, I signed advance copies of the novel in the ABRAMS booth from 2:00-3:30, and I was stunned to see actual lines forming to meet me. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by! I met librarians, bloggers, teen readers, fellow authors, college students, and numerous other avid book readers. It was absolutely wonderful.

In the afternoon, I met fellow Lucky 13s members Kristen Kittscher (The Wig in the Window), Amy Tintera (Reboot), Lenore Appelhans (Level 2), and Sarah Skilton (Bruised, also by Amulet Books/ABRAMS). Plus I had coffee with fellow Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks author Katherine Longshore (Gilt, Tarnish). All these authors are highly talented and as nice as can be.

Sarah Skilton and me.

I ate a lovely dinner with ABRAMS staff members and authors, as well as Seattle-area booksellers. Then I was back to signing at the booth the following morning.

I also had the opportunity to speak about In the Shadow of Blackbirds twice, once in the conference's Book Buzz theater, and once at a librarian luncheon, at which I met nearly fifty enthusiastic librarians from across the U.S. Here are some photos from Book Buzz:

Tom Angleberger chats about Art2-D2.

Sarah Skilton discusses Bruised.

My In the Shadow of Blackbirds talk (with Jason Wells, Cecily Kaiser, & Maggie Lehrman of ABRAMS).
Photo by Sarah Skilton.

And here are photos of some of the talented people who have been helping me turn In the Shadow of Blackbirds into a reality.

My editor, Maggie Lehrman (left), and my ABRAMS publicist, Laura Mihalick.

A shot of me in the booth with Maggie Lehrman.

Thanks so much to ABRAMS Books for allowing In the Shadow of Blackbirds and me to be a part of ALA Midwinter 2013!

Book Soundtracks & Music for a Haunted World

This week at The Lucky 13s, we're sharing book soundtracks for our 2013 releases.

If it seems a little early to be discussing such a thing for novels you won't be reading for at least another year, keep in mind that author soundtracks usually consist of songs that inspire writers during the actual writing process. Sometimes a single song can trigger an idea for an entire novel. As we revise our upcoming releases and prepare to launch them into the world, it often helps to go back to the music that influenced us in the first place.

Without revealing anything about the plot that wasn't mentioned in last week's Publishers Marketplace announcement, I've included my In the Shadow of Blackbird soundtrack as my debut Lucky 13s post:

http://thelucky13s.blogspot.com/2011/11/music-for-haunted-world.html

Even though the novel is set in 1918, I'm featuring songs that span from 1914 to 2010, and I'm explaining how they helped me dig into my characters' emotional depths.

The Lucky 13s

I joined The Lucky 13s, a group of children's and young adult fiction authors debuting in 2013. That year might seem eons away right now, but 2013 books will have cover reveals, advance review copy giveaways, and other fun treats during the next twelve-plus months. Furthermore, all year long we'll be interviewing The Apocalypsies, kid-lit authors with debuts in 2012.

In honor of the 13th day of the month today, we Lucky 13s are offering 13-word summaries of our books. If you want a glimpse into your reading future, head on over for a taste of 2013 releases:

http://thelucky13s.blogspot.com/2011/11/13th-day.html

Yes, there's also a group for 2011 releases: The Elevensies.