PLAYING HURT REVIEW

And the Teen Book Scene Tour rolls on...Kari at A Good Addiction just posted her own review of PLAYING HURT this morning...a lovely review...

And by "lovely," I mean both positive and beautifully written. You should absolutely check it out.

PLAYING HURT B-DAY PARTY, A BLUE SO DARK GIVEAWAY, + SELLING YOUR BOOK

My kitchen smells like flowers and there’s a song in my heart. Yep, PLAYING HURT’s release has been incredible—how cool was yesterday’s Twitter book birthday?

Also: don’t hesitate to check out my guest post, “Costumes, Glitter, and Blank Checks: What it Takes to Sell Your Book” at the Parking Lot Confessional.

And, my firstborn, Aura, stopped by Lost for Words for a character interview…Be sure to get in on the A BLUE SO DARK giveaway!

Also, check out my post on the Writer’s Digest Blog (“5 Ways Writers Kid Themselves,”) which includes a chance to win a copy of A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PLAYING HURT!

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! PLAYING HURT’s official birthday!

To celebrate, I’m hopping all over the web today. You can check out the story of my path to publication and tips for children’s writers at One Writer’s Journey. Or, if you’re itching for some swag, you can enter to win a PLAYING HURT button (and a personalized note from the author) at Adventures in Children’s Publishing.

…And: be sure to check out the excerpt of PLAYING HURT, which has just gone live at the Flux website!

I also had to share this, in my post at YA Outside the Lines: the moment my author copies arrived! (Excitement ran amok…)

GUEST POST, INTERVIEW, REVIEW (ON THE EVE OF A BIRTHDAY)

I've got another book birthday coming up...tomorrow, in fact! Yep, March 8, PLAYING HURT will be officially "born."

Of course, this means that I spent the weekend sending out 200 mailers (and more emails), while organizing distribution of author copies of PLAYING HURT, putting together posts for my own PLAYING HURT Blog Tour, and juggling revisions of a yet-to-be-acquired novel.

I’m telling you, in all seriousness, anyone who thinks writing is a leisurely occupation is (as we say here in the Ozarks), a stark-raving idgit.

…But you know who makes it all worth it? You guys. My incredible bloggers. I just want to give you all enormous bear hugs.

…Speaking of: A guest post went live today at Reclusive Bibliophile, in which I comment on how hard it is to write a publishable novel before you’ve gone through the development process yourself.

Flux, my publisher, also put up a hot-off-my-computer interview.

And—just so my first baby doesn’t get too jealous of all the attention my newborn is soaking up, a review of A BLUE SO DARK can be found at The Serpentine Library.

...See you guys tomorrow: On PLAYING HURT's birthday!

ON MY VIRTUAL TOUR...AND PLAYING HURT GIVEAWAY!

On a pretty (yet, slightly windy) day last September, I hopped in the car with the idea of taking my readers on a tour of some of the landmarks that show up in both A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT. The result is the fun video below:

Read Sam, Read! is hosting both my guest post on the subject of book trailers (anybody else think a trailer can run the risk of outshining a book—the same way that, say, a video can sometimes outshine a song?), and she’s hosting a giveaway!

Get yourselves on over there; check out the post and enter to win!

ADVICE ON REJECTION, MAJORING IN ENGLISH...AND...A PLAYING HURT SNEAK PEEK!

Several super-cool guest posts are live right now…Katie at Call Me Crazy is running my advice to those of you who wonder if you’re wasting your time majoring in English (you’re not)…Check out that fantastic blog header at Call Me Crazy—great quote there from somebody who wrote a book called A BLUE SO DARK.

Donna at Bites is also running my advice on getting through rejection (and I know plenty about rejection—7 ½ years of it)…

And—drum roll, please—as part of the Teen Book Scene tour, Books Complete Me is now running a sneak peek of PLAYING HURT!

Thanks to Donna, Katie, and Cindy for having me over at their incredible blogs…

PLAYING HURT GRATITUDE

Guys, guys, guys, guys, GUYS! Expecting a package from Amazon to hit your doorstep? You’re not the only one…

This morning, Amazon listed PLAYING HURT as having only 7 more copies in stock (more on the way, of course). PLAYING HURT doesn’t even “officially” release until March 8!

Who’s responsible for this incredible turn of events? You. My bloggers. I can’t begin to tell you how much I truly appreciate and love you guys…

RABBIT, RABBIT! (+ INTERVIEW AT I JUST WANNA SIT HERE AND READ)

I repeat: "Rabbit, rabbit!" (supposed to bring you luck in March, you know)...And we all know I've got reason to want to be lucky in March! PLAYING HURT's official release date is one week away (but is already "in stock" at Amazon)!

This is such a fun interview: I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read is hosting an interview with Chelsea, one of the protagonists in PLAYING HURT. I loved this interview...gave me a chance to get back in Chelsea's head. It felt incredible to get to hang out with her again.

BLURB PLAYING HURT

In of the start of the blog tour hosted through Teen Book Scene, and in honor of the impending official release of PLAYING HURT (which is March 8…the book is actually in stock at Amazon right now, though!), I’m putting out a call for blurbs!

I was so, so, thrilled and honored by the fabulous blurbs I received from you all for A BLUE SO DARK (so much so, I decided to build a new page on my website called “Praise” to show them all off), I had to repeat the process for PLAYING HURT!

The link will stay live (I’ll be putting it on the sidebar, just as I’ve kept the call for BLUE blurbs on the sidebar), but I’m so excited, I wanted to start spreading word now…

As soon as you gobble PLAYING HURT, you can blurb it here! Thanks in advance…can’t wait to read ‘em!

READY, SET, GO: ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF PLAYING HURT

I so loved the Local Leg of the PLAYING HURT Blog Tour! I got a chance to stop at all my fantastic local bloggers’ blogs...and I got to chat a bit with the incredible Sarah Ockler...what a trip.


And now that I’ve made all five stops, the contest is officially underway—you can now enter to win a signed copy of PLAYING HURT!

The entire tour is recapped below. Make your own stops to each post. While you’re there, leave comments and link to your favorite post(s) from Twitter, Facebook, etc. Then fill out this form; he (or she) who racks up the most links and comments will win a signed copy of PLAYING HURT—this is the first giveaway signed copy of my second novel!

Local Leg:

GreenBeanTeenQueen,
The Juniper Breeze,
One Sparkling Star,
Another Book Junkie,
Sarah Ockler.

You can enter to win here. The contest will officially close March 5!

SARAH OCKLER: COOLEST, THICKEST-SKINNED AUTHOR (AND PLAYING HURT LOCALS #5)

We all say it, as authors. Jokingly, of course: how we’d love to get a book banned. Under the header of “No Publicity is Bad Publicity,” we talk about how our sales would spike. We’d get to be notorious (which is every bit as good, if not better, than just plain famous).

Until, of course, it actually happens. Or—someone attempts to make it happen. As Sarah Ockler knows.

Yes, oh, yes, those of you in the Missouri area know I’m talking about the great Scroggins debacle. The attempt of one narrow-minded individual to ban the books of two incredible YA authors (Laurie Halse Anderson, whom I greatly admire, was also in his quest to ban).

No author can stand idly by, quietly, and just be glad they missed the bullet when the subject of banning rears its head. Because the bare truth is, we could all be banned. Every single one of us with a book in print. If you can type it, it can be twisted, taken out of context, misinterpreted and misrepresented.

I love and admire Sarah for exhibiting such grace during such a difficult time. To show our continued support, we ought to all order a copy of TWENTY BOY SUMMER and FIXING DELILAH now—even if we already own a copy. Buy one for a girl you love. Introduce her to a woman to admire.

…I’m thrilled to wrap up my Local Leg of the PLAYING HURT Blog Tour at Sarah’s blog. (You can get over to Sarah's blog, leave a comment, post links, and officially start filling out the contest entry form for the PLAYING HURT signed-copy contest)...I stand with the vast majority of my fellow Missourians when I say I do not support book banning, as I relate in the post which also appears today on Sarah’s blog:

Barefoot in the Bible Belt

Wull, gaaaw-lee, shore is a might cold ‘round these here parts. It’s Feb’rary, after all. Where’m I gon’ get a little heat? Think I’ll jes’ burn these here books. Ain’t nothin’ but a bunch ‘a smut in ‘em, anyhowse.

Come on—that’s the picture you get, isn’t it? All I have to say is “Midwest” or “Ozarks,” and you get that image: a barefoot hillbilly who’s never used a be-verb correctly in his entire life.

And as soon as I think of that stereotype, I get a full-body cringe.

I’m a lifer myself—born and raised in Springfield, Missouri. And when the Scroggins debacle ensued in the fall of 2010, and the works of Sarah Ockler and Laurie Halse Anderson were unfairly targeted in one man’s narrow-minded banning attempt, all I could think was, “Here we go again.”

But I’m not talking about banning—not entirely. I’m also talking about that ridiculous, awful, barefoot hillbilly stereotype. Because in addition to attacking the work of two incredible young adult authors, I feared Scroggins’s complaint was also about to add to the unfair stereotyping of Missouri.

In the months since the story broke, the headline continues to pop up here and there in the blogosphere. And just as I feared, instead of identifying Scroggins as the source of the banning attempt…Yep, you guessed it—the headlines or quotes or discussions that pop up indicate MISSOURI wants to ban books. MISSOURI stands for censorship.

Actually, the majority of us don’t.

I could go blue in the face pointing to a myriad of dry facts proving my point. I could talk about the slew of local bloggers who put up posts expressing disdain for Scroggins’ attempt. I could talk about the fact that MSU students convened to protest book banning.

…But more important than these overt, published examples of fellow Ozarkers’ disgust over book banning is that which can’t be quoted or measured or recorded. It’s the open-mindedness that has lived in the blood of so many Ozarkers for generations. A traits that stands in direct opposition to the goals of Wesley Scroggins.

Just as much as I feel the work of my fellow YA authors was completely miscategorized, I also feel that much of my own Missouri’s opinions have been unfairly categorized. And just as an author’s work can’t be judged by lifting a stray line out of context, neither should an entire region be judged by one man—or even one school district—that attempts to pull a book from library shelves.

To me, Missouri has always been a place of strength—and, yes, of open-mindedness. A place that I’m proud to call my home—and to showcase in my writing…

ANOTHER BOOK JUNKIE: PLAYING HURT LOCAL #4

The love for the locals continues with Amanda at Another Book Junkie! Today, I’m offering a list of Springfield faves.

Funny but true: You don’t know how acclimated you get to the tastes of a particular region until you leave. When my old college friends come back into town, they all have their own favorite haunts where they insist we do our catching up.

If I were to leave this area for an extended period of time, I know I’d miss my Mexican Villa. Two beef enchiladas and a Coke. Now, that’s livin’…

Be sure to head on over to Amanda’s blog, comment and link for the PLAYING HURT signed-copy contest!

Favorite Things About Springfield

Having lived in Springfield, Missouri my entire life, I’ve racked up a lifetime worth of favorites…

Do you think our cashew chicken is nationwide fame worthy?

Do I. In fact, I specifically requested Lucy’s Cashew Chicken for my last birthday dinner.

Where was your favorite place to hang out as a teenager?

The mall. Back when the mall had movie theaters—and record stores—and an arcade! If I could find an 80’s-vintage mall, I STILL think it’d be a good time…

Have you ever visited Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield?

Oh, yes. Field trips in school, Civil War reenactments…I’d have to say I personally prefer it to, say, The Nature Center.

Do you support any local sports teams?

I’m funny about sports—I get involved in individual players, rather than teams. Got to be a Greinke fan when he played for the Royals…Now that he’s been traded, it looks like I’m going to be following the Brewers.

Are the Fantastic Cavers really that “fantastic”?

In the picture taken of me at Fantastic Caverns, I have my new Cabbage Patch doll with me (oh, how that dates me)…It’s been a long time, but I do remember thinking it was cool.

What towns in the area are you particularly fond of?

I have family ties to the Fair Grove area…there’s a town near Fair Grove—tiny little thing—called Bassville. My great grandmother’s first husband was a Bass. I swear, if it happened in the Ozarks, I’m tied to it somehow…

Favorite thing to do in Branson?

Honestly, I haven’t had a vacation since the summer of 1999. And the only complete day off I’ve taken since ’01 was May 1, 2010—A BLUE SO DARK’s release date. I’m dying to take a weekend—rent a cabin on the lake. I’m hoping to get there this summer. Fingers crossed.

Any particular restaurants in the area that you would recommend?

Mexican Villa. Two beef enchiladas and a Coke. I think I could write a sonnet about Mexican Villa beef enchiladas, actually.

If someone were to come to Springfield, MO for one day only, what specific Springfield attraction would you recommend?

Our skies. It’s a simple answer, but I swear, we have the most beautiful skies in the Ozarks…

What’s your favorite thing about Springfield, Missouri?

In short? It’s home. You know that feeling you get when you’ve been away from your house for a while? That it’s-so-good-to-be-back feeling? How fantastic it feels to sleep in your own bed after you’ve been gone? That’s Springfield for me.

ONE SPARKLING STAR: PLAYING HURT LOCAL #3

…As promised, stop #3 in the tour features yet another fabulous local blogger and writer, Sam at One Sparkling Star! (Don’t forget those comments and links to win the author-signed copy!)

How the Ozarks Inspire My Writing

Did you ever try to study in a section of your school that’s really high traffic? Say, maybe a student convocation center? The kind of place where you feel completely self-conscious? Or did you ever grab a chair in the library in order to catch up on those last few chapters of Bio reading, at the same time hoping you’d accidentally “bump into” your crush, who just happens to work in the library after school? Ever try to do your math homework on the bus, while dreading the fact that you’re going home because you had a horrendous fight with your parents or sibling over breakfast that morning?

Yeah. Doesn’t work, does it? If your mind is occupied, the words in the textbook in front of you blur, don’t they?

Let me ask you something else: Have you ever tried to write a term paper in a room without any heat? Have you ever tried to read a novel for English sitting in the rain? Have you ever tried doing a science experiment wearing a lab coat so small that it cinched you in like a corset, and you couldn’t breathe?

Now you’re shaking your head. “That’s dumb,” you’re saying. “I’d never try to do that.”

And the reason you’d never try it is because it’d be impossible. Nobody can work when they’re uncomfortable. Nobody.

Writing’s a lot like schoolwork, in that it takes an inordinate amount of mental alertness and focus. And with any mental task, you have to be comfortable to be productive. Period.

Comfort, in my book, can be either physical or mental. The physical stuff’s fairly easy to remedy, most times. Too cold? Put on another pair of socks. Hungry? Grab a granola bar. The mental comfort is a bit trickier to obtain. Going back to my original examples, when your mind is elsewhere—on what others might think of you, or your crush, or a previous fight—you can’t focus on the task at hand. If you’re plagued by chronic worries, you’re not comfortable—and worry really isn’t something you can just turn off.

But for me, the Ozarks really are comfortable. The Ozarks give me peace of mind and peace of being…Stuff you can’t easily obtain just anywhere. Springfield’s like that old pair of favorite jeans you always gravitate toward. My mind is quiet here, so I get to work full-bore…and that’s why, for me, the Ozarks can be such a fantastic place to write in.

THE JUNIPER BREEZE: PLAYING HURT LOCAL #2

I really envy teen bloggers. Writers just seemed so distant when I was a teen. I can’t tell you how many times I labored over a fan letter and got—well—a whole lotta nothin’, frankly.

While I didn’t get to be part of the blogosphere as a teen, at least I get to be part of it with some incredible teens…fellow writer and Missourian Maggie at The Juniper Breeze, for example.

Maggie and Sam (One Sparkling Star—stay tuned for tomorrow’s post) have just been incredible…It was a joy to see their faces at all my Springfield-based author events when A BLUE SO DARK was released…

I’m including my guest post for The Juniper Breeze below, but don’t forget to comment and link to Maggie’s blog for a chance to win a copy of PLAYING HURT!

My Missouri Roots

My roots in Missouri run deep—six generations deep. My great-great-great grandparents were some of the first settlers in Southwest Missouri. A family cemetery exists not far from Springfield, where many of my Civil-War-era relatives are buried.

While my parents both grew up in the Kansas City area, I am myself a lifelong Springfieldian. Born and raised on Cashew Chicken and Tent Theater. Attended SMSU for undergrad and grad school. (It will always be SMS to me, no matter how many years away we are from the official name change). Bottom line? I’m Springfield through-and-through.

It wasn’t really by design that I’ve lived here forever. But as far as my writing is concerned, I’m glad I have…

In some respects, a book needs to be universal. In order for readers to fall in love with your main character, they need to “get” your main character. She (or he) needs to be somebody that your readers feel like they could walk out of their front door and run into. You don’t really want to craft a character who would only make sense in one geographical location…
But—you do want your work to have a sense of place, a local color. Place, in short, is more than just a two-dimensional backdrop.

Take THE BLUE BISTRO, by Elin Hilderbrand. Okay, so that’s not YA, but it is a romance, like PLAYING HURT. That book has such a vibrant, breathing sense of place that I’d argue the location (Nantucket, and more specifically, the bistro located in Nantucket) is actually one of the main characters. When the bistro closed toward the end of the novel, I found myself mourning more than I did when the restaurant’s owner, Fee, died. I can’t imagine that book taking place in another area of the country—just wouldn’t have worked.

I’ve lived here so long, I find Missouri (or, by extension, the Ozarks) becoming a part of my work without a conscious effort on my part. And I don’t mean I can toss in a few names of intersecting streets to give it “authenticity.” Local color isn’t something that can be achieved with proper nouns.

If you’ve lived in a certain area long enough, local color becomes part of your characters. In PLAYING HURT, when Chelsea and her family leave Missouri and head to Minnesota for vacation, I think they take Missouri with them: I see it in Brandon’s refusal to let his sister be dishonest about her relationship with Clint. I see it in Chelsea’s refusal to let the object of her desire slide by. In my debut, A BLUE SO DARK, I see the Ozarks in Aura’s straightforward, blunt style of narration. The Ozarks I know is full of (emotionally and physically) strong people. And I love building novels around that kind of character…