HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY - THE A-WORD

I'm delighted to spread the word: fellow YA Outside the Lines blogger Joy Preble is celebrating the release of her latest book, THE A-WORD!

THE A-WORD

Joy Preble

Soho Press

Jenna Samuels and her guardian angel brother battle heavenly head-honchos and earthbound bullies in this Texas-set hilarious follow up to The Sweet Dead Life. 

It's been almost a year since Jenna Samuel’s stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust and returned as her guardian angel. A year since Casey and his “angel boss,” Amber Velasco, saved Jenna’s life and helped her foil the bad guys—more or less. A year in which Jenna has solved the true mystery of the universe: how to get one Ryan Sloboda to ask her out.

Jenna’s feeling mighty cheery about life and love. But Casey, whose doomed relationship with Lanie Phelps (who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead) isn’t doing much to distract him, has his own big question: Why is he still hanging around?

Bo Shivers, a heavenly head honcho Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed, might have the answer.  Bo knows something big is coming. Something that might just change everything for Jenna Samuels, who once again finds herself up to her non-winged shoulders in heavenly secrets of global proportions—just as she’s finally found the perfect Homecoming Dance dress.

Praise for The A-Word: A Sweet Dead Life Novel

“Light, snarky, and heartfelt... The A-Word rolls along cheerfully through Halloween pranks, high school football, investigative reporting, angel-powered action, and a very realistic amount of aimless driving around.”

—School Library Journal

“Sassy, smart-mouthed, cowboy-boot fan Jenna Samuels is back once again, fighting evildoers with the aid of her angelic cohorts..... has many of the elements that made its predecessor, [The Sweet Dead Life], so much fun.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“The earthbound angels are as authentic as the down-to-earth people in The A-Word, but where the book really spreads its wings is in the interaction between the two. Resourceful teens and heavenly beings team up to get to the roots of a very modern mystery, and the big questions of the universe share space with first dates and football games. The result: a smart, original (and slightly celestial) mystery with a distinctly Texan flavor.”

—Michael Northrop, author of Trapped and Surrounded by Sharks

"Joy Preble gives it all! Humor, wit, emotion, and romance! Fabulous fun!"

—New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan

“Romance, sassy humor, and a pain-in-the-rear brother … Who knew having a guardian angel could be so hard and so much fun to read?”

—New York Times Bestselling Author C.C. Hunter

The book is officially in the world today.  Grab your copy!

WHY I SUCK AT #100HAPPYDAYS—AND WHY THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE SUCCEEDING

I got excited when I found #100HappyDays.  Really.  It reminded me of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s #DailyGratitude.  It sounded so simple: Take a pic of something that makes you happy each day and post it online.  I’ve often tried to keep gratitude journals, but I’m terrible at journals—any kind of journal.  I thought this would keep me honest.  

Right off the bat, though, I started cheating.  I wasn’t posting photos.  Instead, I was posting a tweet describing what had made me happy that day.  But after about a week, my #100Happy tweets died.  Here’s why:

They died, in part, for the same reason my photos never quite got off the ground: because I do not do tech on my off-time.  I have a disposo-cell phone (no smartphone).  It doesn’t take pictures.  It doesn’t connect to the Internet.  It makes calls.  It has a flashlight.  The end.  I don’t carry a camera with me most times, either.  I feel incredibly fortunate to being doing what I love.  I respect my industry, which means I work hard.  I keep long hours.  But when I’m done, I’m done.  At the end of the day, I don’t want to think about Twitter or blogs or promos.  I want to enjoy a meal and good company and play with my dog and watch the sun set and laugh and unwind with some yoga and not be taken out of the moment by having to take a picture of it all and think about posting it online.  

#100HappyDays also died because bad things happened.  Okay, it wasn’t like I had to endure anything tragic, but there were definitely down moments.  For example, I broke a tooth.  I had to have a root canal.  I never got completely numb, which meant the two hours of drilling were painful.  When I returned for my permanent crown, it didn’t fit (the temp didn’t fit well, either, and had torn up my gums).  I felt it was just plain silly to find some sort of superficial happiness (why, this dental office has lovely wallpaper!) in the midst of a situation that was expensive and painful and frustrating and never ending (I’m still waiting for a new permanent crown).  Instead, I recognized the suck-factor of the situation while it was happening, and then I put the bad situation aside, and focused on the current task at hand: drafting new work, meeting bloggers, organizing a new tour—all cool stuff.  

As far as Twitter is concerned, I’m a big fat #100HappyDays failure.  But don’t my reasons for failing show that I actually succeeded?  Isn’t #100HappyDays a gateway toward the enjoyment of life?  Isn’t that what I’ve been doing all along?  Doesn’t my enjoyment show that I maybe failed at #100HappyDays because I didn’t need it to begin with?

Maybe I’m giving myself too much credit, patting myself on the back a little too hard.  Could be.  But instead of dwelling on it, I’m going to turn off this computer and dance barefoot to Will Hoge.  Because that makes me happy.

LOVING A BOOK WHEN I DON’T ALWAYS AGREE: TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER

TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER is exactly the kind of book I absolutely relish: heavy on character development, rich with beautiful writing, a narrative voice brimming with observations (mostly, in this book, about relationships) that are so incredibly true to life.

Cover by Lindsey Andrews, who also designed the cover for The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky

I adored the story of the summer that Judith and Willy share.  And I was on edge, anxious to find out what would happen when a now-married Judith reaches out to Willy, twenty-seven years after their romance—so much so, I was back to my girlhood habit of reading under the covers with a flashlight.  But I’ll admit, the ending wasn’t at all what I’d anticipated.  In fact, if I were writing the ending myself, I would have plotted something far different.  

What I mean: The book opens as an unidentified character looks through a scope at a woman, and as it progresses, repeatedly depicts episodes with Willy and guns: target practice, a violent episode when Willy and Judith are shot at and Willy viciously protects Judith.  In all honesty, I thought the text was telling me to anticipate Willy shooting Judith at the end, after becoming enraged at her for popping up out of nowhere, stirring up old feelings when she should have left well enough alone.  (McNeal assigns heavy weight to objects throughout—including a bedroom set.  If something as innocuous as a bedroom set can hold such significant meaning, I felt the presence of guns, which are already off-putting objects, should hold weight, too…far greater weight than mere furniture.)

I was so sure that the ending I imagined would come to be, I actually felt a bit cheated when it didn’t…Until I flipped back through the story, and realized that there were plenty of cues leading up to the ending the author chose.  In the end, I accepted the ending—the book sits on my shelf of favorites, among other titles I love dearly.

Tom McNeal is such a good author.  I mean it: Tom McNeal is a good author.  So good that I wind up, as a reader, respecting the choices he makes—even if I would have made different choices as the author.

How about you: Do you ever find yourself disagreeing with the turn a book takes, but loving it just the same?

(*Time's running out: Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a signed ARC of FERAL.)

ART MYSTERY

It's no secret I dig art; my first YA and MG both focused on art themes.  When I head out on buying trips with my brother, a full-time antiques dealer, I also find myself gravitating toward art buys.  I'm not-so-secretly convinced that one of these days, I'll snatch up a masterpiece for $5.  Actually, last winter, I was certain I'd bought a William S. Burroughs original (not one of his shotgun paintings, but a small mixed-media piece), but it turned out that the signature wasn't quite right. 

Last weekend, I snatched these guys up.  They're glazed ceramic wall hangings, all signed similarly (what appears to be "Sh 2002").  I completely dig their expressions.  Anybody know anything about the artist or these objects?

FOLLOW FRIDAY

I do love meeting a slew of new bloggers through Follow Friday.  I haven't participated in some time, but I just couldn't resist this week's question: Do you have any pets?

"My dog + coffee + my WIP = Bliss"

My spoiled Pekingese, Jake, has been a big part of my blog (and my writing partner of the last ten years).

I've actually had animals throughout my life; I grew up with a Maltese named Winnie, as well as a couple of cats: Peter and his mother, Tuffy.  Tuffy, as her name suggests, was actually born a feral cat.

...My forthcoming YA, FERAL, features feral cats (none of them as sweet as my old girl Tuffy).  Be sure to get in on the current signed ARC giveaway for FERAL, and let me know if you're a new follower via the blog hop!

SIGNED ARC OF FERAL

FERAL, my next YA (and first mystery / thriller) won't release until August...but you can get your hands on a copy!  I'm hosting a giveaway of a signed ARC.  US / Canadian residents can fill out the form at the end of the post; the giveaway runs through May 5th.

Bloggers who have already gotten their hands on an E-ARC through Edelweiss have already begun commenting on the setting of the book; below is a vlog in which I explain why I chose Peculiar, Missouri as the setting of FERAL:


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PRE-ORDER FERAL

Pre-order FERAL to ensure that it arrives as soon as possible following the official release:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
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Google Play
Hudson Booksellers 
iBookStore 
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Watermark Books and Cafe
Wellesley Books

BOOK RECS

For those of you who are looking forward to a quiet, leisurely Easter weekend filled with some great reads:

Barrett's love of the classics shines through in KING OF ITHAKA.  As I read this, I kept thinking how great it would have been to have this as supplemental reading in my Latin and humanities courses in high school.  Great adventure novel. 

Hurwitz's MG novel THE SUMMER I SAVED THE WORLD...IN 65 DAYS released earlier this month; I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC some time ago.  In this era of the "princessification" of young girls, it's refreshing to see a girl more interested in what she does than how she looks.  A lovely contemporary read.

WHEN I'M NOT WRITING

One of my favorite ways to clear the ol' head in-between rounds of drafting and revising is to go on buying trips with my full-time antiques-and-collectibles-selling brother (he can be found on Etsy under Wisdom Lane). 

Last week, we happened upon a collection of vintage jumpsuits (which are again back in style).  These things are so fun; the black ensemble pictured here is definitely from the 80s (tapered legs, shoulder pads), but the others we snagged are older 70s-era jumpsuits, bell-bottoms and all.

I had to post for my teen readers, since I actually think any one of these jumpsuits would make an incredibly fun prom outfit—especially for the girl who's into the retro look (some platform heels, a funky bag and vintage jewelry, and you're set...and I guarantee no one else will have the same outfit)!

You can check out the black jumpsuit here; he's also selling a yellow ruffled-sleeve number with bell-bottoms, a pink jumpsuit with pretty sheer sleeves, and a navy floral jumpsuit (which I think is the least formal but most modern-looking of the bunch).

*Update: These things are going fast.  The yellow ruffled-sleeve jumpsuit has already sold. 

WRITING PROCESS BLOG HOP

I was invited to participate in the “Writing Process Blog Tour” by YA author Amy Nichols, who blogs with me over at YA Outside the Lines.  

The writing process, I’m realizing, is both elusive and universal, all at the same time.  As a professional writer, it’s fascinating to me that I still find the same parts of writing (the sluggish middle, for example) every bit as tough as the fifth-grade students I Skype with!  The only difference is that I’ve been at it long enough to have a few tricks up my sleeve that help me work through it. 

This tour asks…

1.      What am I working on?

Right now, I’m gearing up for the release of my third YA (and first mystery / thriller), FERAL.  I’m also in the midst of writing my next MG.

2.      How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Much of my previously-published work has really hinged on voice and character.  I’d say what separates my YA from others is that each work has actually been in a different subgenre.  A BLUE SO DARK was a literary problem novel.  PLAYING HURT was a romance.  FERAL is a thriller. 

3.      Why do I write what I do?

Writing is an innate part of who I am.  But I’m also a reader.  And I’m as interested in as many subgenres of writing as I am in subgenres of reading.  I never know where my heart’s going to lead me next.  Not only am I meeting new characters and heading to new settings, I’m also exploring new subgenres.  And that makes writing the most exciting thing in the world. 

4.      How does my writing process work?

I really dislike the first draft.  I do my best to get through that part as quickly as possible.  I give myself crazy word-count goals each day: sometimes as many as 5,000 words.  The first draft is a scene-by-scene fleshing out of my loose outline.  It gives me a chance to figure out the what of a novel.  My favorite part is revision—that’s when I can figure out the how I say it of a novel.  I get to write pretty passages, new metaphors, flesh out my characters.  Of course, I don’t just revise once.  My published books have been revised more times than I can count.  It’s funny—I get to know my books the same way we all meet new people in our lives—a little at a time.  Each day, I discover something new, get a little closer to my characters…

Be sure to travel to the next stops on the tour:

Tracy Barrett - the author of numerous books and magazine articles for young readers. She holds a Bachelor's Degree with honors in Classics-Archaeology from Brown University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Italian Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarly interests in the ancient and medieval worlds overlap in her fiction and nonfiction works.

Ann Haywood Leal - wrote her first novel in the sixth grade.  It was handwritten (mostly on colored notebook paper) and was called MISCHIEVOUS MARTHA.  Her later books,  A FINDERS-KEEPERS PLACE and ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER were published by Henry Holt.

Naomi Kinsman - the author of the From Sadie’s Sketchbook Series (Zondervan) and Spilled Ink, the award winning Inklings Writers’ Notebook. Drawing upon her background in improvisational theatre and arts education, Naomi developed Writerly Play  a methodology that breaks the writing process into parts and inspires creativity through interactive games. Naomi is the founder of Society of Young Inklings,  an organization that empowers young authors ages 6-16 and Regional Advisor of the San Francisco South chapter of SCBWI. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Seattle Pacific University and a MFA in Writing for Children and Adults from Hamline University.

Jen Cervantes - the author of TORTILLA SUN, claims, "If I wasn't a storyteller, sports writing for the NFL would have been my game, (or some other job where I got paid to watch football games). Maybe someday I'll write a book about football.  I am inspired by my daughters Alex, Bella, and Jules, their silly friends, amazing stories, and real issues concerning kids who need hope and a place to call home."