Book Recommendation and ARC Giveaway on Twitter: YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED by Michelle I. Mason

Michelle and I have been writing friends for a long, long time, so when her manuscript landed an agent, then a book deal, within a matter of weeks, I couldn't have been more thrilled. The fact that her manuscript sold to my editor at Bloomsbury was just the icing on the cake and a fun coincidence--until it occurred to me that I could probably beg an ARC of YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED off our mutual editor.

Which, of course, was what I did:)

YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED has a hugely commercial premise: seventeen-year-old Jenny gets on a plane in New York City in 1995 and gets off again in St. Louis--in 2020. Her parents are now senior citizens, her formerly younger brother is now old enough to be her dad, and her best friend and boyfriend are now married. To each other. What's more, something's going on with the flight's investigation, and as a budding reporter, Jenny can't help but dive in.

I couldn't put this book down. Knowing what was coming, I could NOT leave Jenny hanging until she'd also figured out what the heck was going on, and then I wanted to keep reading because her life was so messed up and I felt supremely bad. Also, because her new best friend, the seventeen-year-old son of the aforementioned best friend and boyfriend, was supremely sweet, and though I could see it coming from 30,000 feet away, their awkward relationship was still fun to watch unfold.

I've already preordered my copy of YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED, so with Michelle's permission and a signed bookmark to boot, I'm super excited to pass my ARC along. The giveaway will be on Twitter, so head over there to enter. I wish you all kinds of luck!

Want to Win a Copy of THE MULTIPLYING MYSTERIES OF MOUNT TEN?

If you're reading this, then I assume you do:) Head over to friend and critique partner Michelle Mason's blog for your chance to win (and there's an interview to boot)!

An Interview + A Giveaway = A Must-read Post

Many thanks to Michelle Mason, critique partner extraordinaire, for interviewing me about EARTH TO DAD! Michelle always has great insights on the books she reviews, and the questions she asks are just as thought-provoking. Definitely check out the interview, and don't miss the signed hardcover giveaway at the bottom of the post!

EARTH TO DAD Blasts Off!

It's been almost three years to the day since I last had a book come out, so I'm over the moon--pun intended--to launch--pun intended again--EARTH TO DAD today. To celebrate this new release, I'm hosting a party at my home this Friday, August 3, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. If you'll be in northern Utah and we've met in real life, feel free to e-mail me for my address!

About EARTH TO DAD:

"The distance between Earth and Mars is more than just physical.

"No one knows that better than eleven-year-old Jameson O’Malley. When Dad left for Mars, Jameson thought technology would help shorten the millions of miles between them, but he’s starting to realize no transmission can replace his father.

"When a new family moves onto Base Ripley, Jameson makes an unlikely friend in Astra Primm, who’s missing a parent of her own. But as their friendship grows stronger, Jameson starts seeing the flaws in his own family. Mom is growing distant, and something is wrong with Dad. He’s not sending transmissions as frequently, and when he does there are bags under his eyes.

"Soon Jameson realizes there’s more to the story than he knows--and plenty people aren’t telling him. Determined to learn the truth, Jameson and Astra embark on a journey exploring life, loss, and friendship that will take them to the edge of their universe."

I got my author copies in the mail the other day, and with the metallic leaf on the dust jacket and the beautiful endpapers, the hardcovers are absolutely gorgeous, some of the prettiest books I've ever seen. It's too bad the trade reviewers couldn't review the book itself (but they still said some lovely things about the words on the inside):

"Well-paced and rich"

--Foreword

"Strong character development and plotting keep the pages turning
as the two friends risk all for each other"

--Booklist

"A solid choice for upper elementary and middle school students who want dystopia
but are not ready for the intensity and violence that defines the YA offerings in the genre"

--School Library Journal

"Van Dolzer uses her apocalyptic setting to highlight this story of grief,
creating believable, likable child characters"

--Kirkus

I'll be hosting several giveaways over the next couple of months, and the first one starts right NOW. If you buy EARTH TO DAD in any way, from anywhere, e-mail evidence (like a picture of your receipt with your card number scribbled out) to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com, and you'll be entered to win a signed ARC of my next release, THE MULTIPLYING MYSTERIES OF MOUNT TEN! This contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents and closes in two weeks, on Wednesday, August 15, at 11:59 p.m. EDT (or 8:59 p.m. PDT). I'll announce the winners the next day.

AMAZON | B&N | BAM | INDIEBOUND | !NDIGO | POWELL’S | GOODREADS

Thanks so much for sharing another book birthday with me!

A Winner, a Book Review, and "An Agent's Inbox"

And the winner of Sarah S. Reida's MONSTERVILLE is momslifesponderings! Congratulations, Dana! I'll e-mail you shortly to get your mailing address so I can pass it along to Ms. Weiss.

In other news, I'll have a book review for you as soon as we get back from Labor Day. Christina Soontornvat's THE CHANGELINGS comes out this Tuesday, and she was kind enough to give me a sneak peek. (Hint: if you like fantastical adventures and/or surprise endings, you're sure to love THE CHANGELINGS!)

Also, September's round of "An Agent's Inbox" is just around the corner--details will go up next Friday, September 9, with the entry window opening the following Monday, September 12--so make sure to put those dates on your calendars. This month, The Agent will be Jennifer Johnson-Blalock of Liza Dawson Associates, so get excited!

From Submission to Offer with Alison Weiss

I'm thrilled to share my interview with Alison Weiss, an editor at Sky Pony Press. I got to pick her brain about Sarah S. Reida's MONSTERVILLE: A LISSA BLACK PRODUCTION, which comes out on September 20, but we're giving away a signed copy right here. DETAILS ON THAT GIVEAWAY ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, but in the meantime, enjoy the interview!

KV: First off, tell us a bit about MONSTERVILLE. What is it about, and what did you love about it?

AW: If I had to give a one-liner for Monsterville: A Lissa Black Production, I'd call it Boxtrolls meets Jumanji meets Goonies meets Candyland. The novel stars Lissa, who's moved from New York City to Freeburg, PA--a town that might as well be the miiddle of nowhere. Lissa dreams of being a famous actor, writer, and director, and that's just not going to happen in this small town. And then, walking in the woods, she runs into a very mixed up monster. And what do you do with a monster? Make monster movies of course! It's Lissa's ticket to fame and fortune! But when her little sister is taken to the monster realm, Lissa will have to venture Down Below to stage a rescue and become something else--an epic hero.

I fell for Monsterville because it's just brimming with heart. Lissa is a total fish out of water, and she's also a little bit of a snob at the beginning o f the book. But that comes out of a sense of a worry that all of her friends from back in New York will move on without her, and I just couldn't help but feel for her. And I couldn't help but love Sarah's characters. In addition to LIssa, Blue (our beloved monster) and Haylie (Lissa's little sister) and Adam (the ever-prepared soon-to-be-friend) have such wonderful, warm, personalities. They really feel like living beings to me.

KV: Do you recall how quickly you read Ms. Reida's manuscript? Is that pretty typical of your response times, or do those vary?

AW: I really can't remember how long it took me to read Monsterville. Sarah would probably say too long. I try to be prompt on manuscript reading, but there are so many manuscripts and only one me, and despite best intentions, editing and life sometimes get in the way. I try to get back in a month, but I know I miss that more often than I'd like. I never mind a gentle nudge, though. And I try to respond on everything. Even if it's been an eon. 

KV: Once you decided to take MONSTERVILLE to your acquisitions meeting/editorial board, did you inform Ms. Reida’s agent of your interest in the manuscript? Do you typically keep in contact with the agent throughout the process, or do you prefer to have a final decision in hand before you reach out?

AW: Acquisitions at Sky Pony goes a little bit differently than it does at some other houses. We don't have a formal acquisitions board. But we still have to make our case to our editorial director if we'd like to take on a project. In the case of Monsterville, I think I let the agent know I was taking the project to acquisitions. In general, though, I try to play my cards pretty close to my chest. I'll let agents know if I'm reading and really loving something--you don't want them to go take a pre-empt on something you're head-over-heels for--but there's always a strong possibility that an agent will go drumming up other interest if they know you're interested. I guess I decide the best approach with each project. And sometimes that means having to stop my hand from rattling off a gushing email to an agent until I'm ready to go.

KV: How did you prepare to bring MONSTERVILLE to your editorial director?

AW: I put together a pitch for the book thinking about questions like: Where would I position this in the market? Why is it a good prospect for the Sky Pony list? What are some comparable titles and how did they sell? I had a conversation wit my editorial director, as well. I think she read a little bit of the manuscript before we moved it on to the next stage.

KV: How did you present your offer to Ms. Reida's agent, and what was that conversation like?

AW: I think I just sent her a gushing offer letter and the terms I was offering. And we did a little bit of negotiation on terms and then moved forward.

KV: I know Sky Pony Press is open to unagented submissions, so what other kinds of stories are you looking for?

AW: I tend to have quite eclectic tastes. I like to edit all sorts of books across a list. In middle grade, I always love stories that have a lot of heart and a bit of a classic feel, while still resonating with a contemporary audience. Books like Circus Mirandus and The Penderwicks and Savvy. In YA, I love a sweeping romance--I'd especially love a sweeping Southern Gothic. And across the board I really enjoy spies and assassins and thieves--but the Robin Hood-types. You have to have a crook with a heart of gold.

KV: What's the best way to submit to you?

AW: The easiest way to submit to me if you're unagented is to follow the submission guidelines on Sky Pony's website. You can email skyponysubmissions@skyhorsepublishing.com.

Thank you for these helpful answers, Ms. Weiss! It's really nice to know that at least one editor likes to play her cards close to her chest:)

And now on to the giveaway for a signed copy of MONSTERVILLE! To enter, leave a comment below that includes your e-mail address. This contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents and closes in two weeks, on Thursday, September 1, at 11:59 p.m. EST (or 8:59 p.m. PST). I'll announce the winners the next day!

#

Beware what lurks beneath your bed. . . . It could lead to a monstrous adventure.

Thirteen-year-old Lissa Black is anything but happy when her parents force her to move from New York City, the perfect home for an aspiring writer/director/actress, to Freeburg, Pennsylvania, nowhere capital of the world. There’s not much for Lissa to do there, except play Monsterville, a Candyland-esque quest to survive, which Lissa’s little sister, Haylie, has becomed obsessed with, and hang out with her new neighbor, Adam, who is intent to prove to her that Freeburg is a great place to live.

But even Lissa can’t call her new home totally boring when a trek into the woods lands her face-to-face with a sea monster looking for brains to eat and then a Sasquatch that moos! With Adam’s help, she discovers a monster secret . . . or maybe just a monster: a poor little goblin they name Blue, who’s fled the world Down Below, desperate to decide on his scary form.

And what do you do with a creature that can be literally anything? You make monster movies, of course! Lissa is convinced that Blue will be the secret to her big break.

But when Haylie goes missing on Halloween, Lissa, Adam, and Blue must ventrure Down Below to stage a rescue—and face the real Monsterville, which is anything but a game.

Monsterville is a fusion of The Boxtrolls, Jumanji, and Candyland, weaving together friendship family, and monsters into a funny fantasy-horror brimming with heart from a great new middle grade voice.

Buy a Book, Get a Critique!

As I've watched the price of DON'T VOTE FOR ME keep going down and down on a popular retail site, I've wondered how I can encourage people to buy it without just coming out and saying, "Hey, buy my cheap book!" Today, the answer came to me: give them a critique with their purchase!

To that end, I'll critique the first 10 pages of your manuscript if you purchase either DON'T VOTE FOR ME or THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING from a bookseller of your choice. (I promise it won't be hard to find the price I mentioned above. As of the time and date of this post, it's $4.10.) To submit, please send your first 10 pages and your proof of purchase (like a screenshot or an order confirmation) to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK (by noon EDT on Tuesday, May 3). And for those of you who've already bought the book(s), I'll still critique your first 10 pages if you post a review on your favorite retail site. Just send me a link in addition to your first 10 pages!

And the Winners Are...

THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING goes to Robin, and DON'T VOTE FOR ME goes to Amelia Loken! Please e-mail me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com so I can get your signed copies in the mail.

And for those of you who didn't win (and even for those of you who did), you still have a little time to enter the Goodreads giveaway for DON'T VOTE FOR ME. May the odds be ever in your favor:)

Enter to Win Signed Copies of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING and DON'T VOTE FOR ME!

To complement the Goodreads giveaway still going on for DON'T VOTE FOR ME, I'm giving away one signed copy of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING and one signed copy of DON'T VOTE FOR ME right here on the blog. To enter, leave a comment below and tell me if you want to win THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING, DON'T VOTE FOR ME, or both. (I'll do two separate drawings, but you can enter both if you want to, which means it will be possible for one person to win both books.) Since I'll have to mail two of the copies currently sitting on my dresser, this contest is open to U.S. residents only (sorry!) and closes in three weeks, on Thursday, December 3, at 11:59 p.m. EST (or 8:59 p.m. PST). I'll announce the winners the next day!

Giveaways Galore

Sourcebooks has been great about sponsoring giveaways for DON'T VOTE FOR ME, and when I spied their latest effort, a twenty-book extravaganza over on Goodreads, I knew I had to join in. While their giveaway plays out over the never couple of months, I'll be sponsoring several smaller giveaways for THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING, and the first one just went up. It's also on Goodreads, so definitely hop over there and get your name into both giveaways. (The one for DON'T VOTE FOR ME is only open in North America, but the one for THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING is open internationally.)

The second giveaway for THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING will be right here on the blog, and the third will follow on Twitter, so keep an eye on both spaces to maximize your chances to win!

And the Winner Is...

Ella Zegarra!

Congratulations, Ella! Please e-mail me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com to let me know where I can send your copy of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING. And thanks, everyone, for celebrating DON'T VOTE FOR ME's release day!

Happy Book Birthday, DON'T VOTE FOR ME!

The summer started with a bang with THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING's release, and now it's ending with another bang as DON'T VOTE FOR ME comes out. This book is a lot more lighthearted (though THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING does have its lighter moments, too), but it occurred to me not long ago that, deep down, they're both about finding friends in unexpected places. I guess I feel strongly about that:)

About DON'T VOTE FOR ME:

"It's class president election time, and no one is surprised when Veronica Pritchard-Pratt is the only name on the list. She's the most popular girl in school, a social giant who rules the campaign every single year. David, for one, is sick of the tyranny--which he says. Out loud. When Veronica hears about this, she issues a public challenge to David. With his pride on the line, David accepts his fate and enters the race.

"But as the campaign wages on, and David and Veronica are also paired up for a spring musical recital, David learns this Goliath is more than just a social giant--and maybe deserves to win more than he does..."

For a reader's-eye view of DON'T VOTE FOR ME, check out the reviews over at Rebecca J. Allen (includes a hardcover giveaway!), Sahar's Reviews, and the Deseret News. (I used to deliver papers for the Deseret News, so it's like my life has come full circle.) And here are a few one-liners from around the industry:

"A comic romp that's also an enlightening quest for increased awareness and self-understanding"

--Kirkus

"Van Dolzer keeps the tone light between David's wry observations, amusing friends, 

and the goofy predicaments he falls into"

--Publishers Weekly

"Readers looking for realistic middle-grade fiction will find David a likable guide

in a balanced lesson about ceding the spotlight"

--School Library Journal

You can order DON'T VOTE FOR ME from all the usual suspects:

AMAZON | B&N | BAM | INDIEBOUND | !NDIGO | POWELL’S | GOODREADS

And since I promised you a giveaway when THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING came out but still haven't followed through, I'll sweeten the deal. Leave a comment below, and you'll be entered to win a hardcover of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING--and if you mention that you've already ordered DON'T VOTE FOR ME, I'll give you an extra entry! THIS CONTEST IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY and closes in two weeks, on Monday, August 17, at 11:59 p.m. EDT (or 8:59 p.m. PDT). I'll announce the winner the next day!

Three Opportunities to Win DON'T VOTE FOR ME

Clearly, Honey Bear should have been an architect.

There are a handful of DON'T VOTE FOR ME giveaways floating around the Internet right now, so instead of tweeting about them one by one, I thought I'd put all the links in one blog post:

Goodreads

Rebecca J. Allen

Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

You can enter the blog contests anytime in the next month, but the Goodreads giveaway ends next week, so don't delay!

Madcap Retreats' Winners

Without any ado, the e-winners of Natalie C. Parker's BEWARE THE WILD:

Paola B

Rosalyn

Congratulations, winners! Please e-mail me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com so I can pass your information along to Ms. Parker. And keep an eye on Madcap Retreats' Tumblr, since you're now entered to win the grand prize, a three-hundred-dollar discount on an upcoming workshop and a short stack of ARCs!

We Interrupt This Contest to Bring You a Word from Madcap Retreats

People like to ask me to plug their products on my blog: "We really think your readers will want to hear about our latest gadget, the three-in-one nose hair trimmer."

I really think it's safe to say you don't.

But when Natalie C. Parker e-mailed me about her latest venture, I immediately saw the benefit. I've never been on a writing retreat myself, but I've been on plenty of trips, and the hardest part is always finding time to do the research and coordinating all the plans. That's where Madcap Retreats come in, so without further ado, I'll turn the blog over to Natalie (who's sponsoring several giveaways in conjunction with the launch of her new business, so don't miss those details at the bottom!).

Nothing has changed my career so much as writing retreats. 

In the winter of 2011, I was invited to attend a large retreat in Branson, Missouri, at which there would be twenty-five established YA authors. I was unagented at the time and though I found the idea of joining such a gathering an intimidating one, I also found it was impossible to pass up. 

The experience was a game-changer. Not only did I meet a group of authors who were as encouraging as they were successful, but I sat in a room in which those same authors opened laptops and worked quietly together. There were headphones and tea and snack breaks and chat breaks and there were word documents that looked much like my own, growing one word at a time.

I left the Branson retreat with a new network of contacts who would guide my career in different ways, determined to repeat the experience as quickly as possible. Only this time I wanted to be the one issuing invites. One year later, that’s exactly what I did: I made my first retreat of eleven authors on the side of a mountain, in a house that also had a turret. 

Since that time, I’ve hosted one or two retreats every year, always with the goal of bringing authors together to create the kind of community we just can’t get in 140-character bites. I’ve hosted authors in turreted mansions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in French Quarter apartments, in the Texas Hill Country, in historic Savannah townhomes, and in the sleepy Smoky Mountains. And here are the top three lessons I’ve learned from organizing retreats for writers:

1. Internet. There must be Internet. It does not matter if you write to your group ahead of time and say the words “there is no Internet in this mountain chateau IS THAT OKAY?” It does not matter if they uniform answer is, “Yes, Natalie, we are not so addicted to the Modern Age that going without Wi-Fi for three days will kill us.” I promise you, none of that matters because when you get to the house someone will build an antenna out of aluminum foil and desperate tears and stand on the roof searching for a signal.
2. Bathrooms. Never underestimate the importance of every bedroom having its own bathroom. End of explanation. 
3. Scenery. You may begin the adventure with plans of leaving the house, but trust me, this will not happen. To appease any group of authors, I advise picture windows and something that suggests power and mystery. Mountains are an obvious choice, but lakes work very well as do abandoned sugar plantations, rolling hills, and oceans. This way, even if you get snowed in after throwing out all the perishable food so that all that remains are Oreos and a handle of gin, no one will ever complain about the view!

I love retreats. They’re fun and exciting and sometimes lead to creating things like Sh*t Writers Say. But I started this by saying that retreats have altered the course of my career in significant ways and that is absolutely true. 

After Branson in 2011, I had half a dozen authors willing to weigh in on my query and help me cull my agent list. 

After the Wi-Fi-less chateau in 2012, there were authors ready to blurb my first book.

After the Hill Country in 2013, I received crucial advice on how to develop a retreat business.

But more than that, I’ve seen anthologies born over the course of a retreat, I’ve seen mentor and critique relationships gain footing, and I’ve seen the direction of manuscripts shift dramatically and to great effect. And I know there’s even more I haven’t seen. 

Like so many writers, my writing time is bound and hedged in on all sides. My writing time is also my “down” time, my “free” time, my “in between this and that” time.” It’s a challenge to find hours that flow from one into another with nothing binding them except the promise of words. Madcap is one way I can offer time and opportunity to myself and to others, and I’m truly excited to be able to do that.

Madcap is for writers at any stage in their career--aspiring, agented, and published. My goal is to continue what was done for me at that first Branson retreat and create the kinds of opportunities it’s nearly impossible to create for yourself. Welcome to Madcap Retreats, join us for an adventure.

MADCAP RETREATS: Web | Twitter | Tumblr 

And now we come to the giveaway portion of this post!

I’ve asked a few amazing bloggers to help me spread the word of Madcap far and wide via a Blog Hop. Each participating blog will be giving away two e-copies of my debut novel Beware the Wild. And each of those winners will be entered to win one of two grand prizes! They are:

• A $300 discount on the upcoming workshop--The Anatomy of Publishing: Story & Marketing, August 27 to 30. The workshop will be lead by Courtney C. Stevens and will feature a few fancy guest authors who will workshop pages and queries one-on-one! (More info can be found here). 
• A short stack of ARCs including: JUBILEE MANOR by Bethany Hagen, DUMPLIN’ by Julie Murphy, and THE ANATOMY OF CURIOSITY by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, & Brenna Yovanoff.

The contest is open to US/Canada ONLY. You may enter via each blogger if that pleases you. Contest closes at midnight on Sunday, June 7. Winners will be announced by noon on Monday, June 8.

Additionally! If you’d like to stay up to date on all retreat and workshop offerings by Madcap, you can subscribe to the mailing list by visiting this page. The first fifty subscribers will be offered a free download of either:

• “Lady Berserk: A Novella of Dragons, Trickster Gods, and Reality TV” by Tessa Gratton or
• “From Words to Brain: A Guided Tour Through the Neuroscience of Reading” by Livia Blackburne

Thanks, Natalie! To enter her giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment below. That's it. I like to keep things simple. And definitely check out the giveaways on the other participating blogs:

YA Highway

The Daily Dahlia

Fiction University

YA Bibliophile

The Pub Hub

Annie Cardi

Dallas Fort Worth Writers Workshop
The League of Extraordinary Writers

It's THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING Day!

After more than two years of working, waiting, and worrying, THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING makes its debut today. It's kind of a surreal feeling, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. I thought I'd feel more nervous or excited or something, but I don't think my brain's caught up with the idea that it's finished, that it's out in the world, that one of you might be reading it right now.

About THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING:

"Twelve-year-old Ella Mae Higbee is a sensible girl. She eats her vegetables and wants to be just like Sergeant Friday, her favorite character on Dragnet. So when her auntie Mildred starts spouting nonsense about a scientist who can bring her cousin Robby back to life, Ella Mae doesn’t believe her--until a boy steps out of the scientist’s pod and drips slime on the floor right before her eyes.

"But the boy is not Robby--he’s Japanese. And in California in the wake of World War II, the Japanese are still feared and mistreated. When Auntie Mildred refuses to take responsibility, Ella Mae convinces her mama to take the boy home with them. It’s clear that he’ll be kept like a prisoner in that lab, and she wants to help.

"Determined to do what’s right by her new friend, Ella Mae teaches him English and defends him from the reverend’s talk of H-E-double-toothpicks. But when the boy’s painful memories resurface, Ella Mae learns some surprising truths about her own family and, more importantly, what it means to love."

To learn more about the book and how I went about writing it, check out my interviews over at Literary Rambles (includes an international hardcover giveaway!), Butterflies of the Imagination, and That Artsy Reader Girl (also includes an international hardcover giveaway!). And here are a few snippets from what other folks are saying about THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING:

"Brimming with empathy, humor, forgiveness, and wisdom

about what it means to be truly, fully human"

--Tricia Springstubb, author of MOONPENNY ISLAND

"Ella Mae is a scrapper in the tradition of Harper Lee’s Scout"

--Publishers Weekly

"A remarkable effort that explores stereotypes, family, and friendships that transcend the 1950s"

--Booklist

"Perfect for classrooms and book clubs, as it definitely offers a lot of material for discussion"

--VOYA

"Recommended to fans of historical fiction who enjoy a mix of history and ethics"

--School Library Journal

I'll be hosting several giveaways over the next couple of months, but if you don't want to wait, feel free to buy yourself a copy (or request it at your local library!):

AMAZON | B&N | BAM | INDIEBOUND | !NDIGO | POWELL’S | TKE (signed!) | GOODREADS

Thank you for sharing this amazing day with me!

Two More Chances to Win an ARC of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING!

Just wanted to let you know that a couple of my lovely critique partners, Myrna Foster and Tara Dairman, are giving away ARCs of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING on their blogs. Today is the last day to enter Myrna's giveaway, and Tara's giveaway is only open until next Tuesday, so as Ella Mae's mama would say, don't dillydally!

Lessons Learned from My First Goodreads Giveaway

I sponsored my first Goodreads giveaway last week, and it exceeded my wildest expectations (and trust me, my expectations can get pretty wild). The giveaway drew 772 entries, and at the same time, 379 people* added the book to their shelves. Goodreads doesn't track entries by day (or at least I couldn't find where they track entries by day), but I was able to follow the adds over the course of the giveaway:

And for those of you who like pictures, here's the same information in a handy-dandy graph:

Considering that only 179 people had added the book in the seven-plus months leading up to last week, these numbers are kind of amazing. I also had a few observations that I thought I'd share:

As you've probably heard, beginnings and endings are super important. As you can see from my table, I got the most adds by far on the first and last days of the giveaway. It really does make a difference to be at or very close to the top of the "Ending Soon" and "Recently Listed" lists.

So how do you maximize your exposure? I noticed that lots of people were still using arbitrary beginning and ending dates: the starts or ends of months, of weeks, etc. Heck, I fell prey to this tendency and started and ended my giveaway at the end of a week. Next time, I'll aim to start and end in the middle. Or maybe I'll start my giveaway on the last day of the month. The possibilities are endless!

The length of your giveaway will determine exactly where it falls on those lists. I can't say this with certainty, but I'm pretty sure that the top slots on the "Ending Soon" list go to the longest-running giveaways while the top slots on the "Recently Listed" list go to the shortest-running giveaways. In other words, A LONG-RUNNING GIVEAWAY IS GOING TO GET MORE EXPOSURE AT THE END OF ITS CYCLE, AND A SHORT-RUNNING GIVEAWAY IS GOING TO GET MORE EXPOSURE UPFRONT.

Case in point: on the first day of my giveaway, it appeared about halfway down the first "Recently Listed" page, but on the last day, it was only as high as the third. Plenty of users still found it--as you can see above, it was my best day for adds--but it's something to be aware of.

If this number-crunching has seriously stressed you out, throw it all out the window--but still sponsor a Goodreads giveaway. I don't know how influential Goodreads actually is, but having 500 people wake up on the day my book comes out to an e-mail from Goodreads reminding them about it can't hurt.

I should also add that I found Catherine Ryan Howard's excellent post on Goodreads giveaways extremely helpful, but what about you? Have you sponsored a Goodreads giveaway, and if so, what have YOU learned?

*I pulled these numbers from my book stats on Goodreads, but they don't quite add up. My total adds peaked at 520 on the last day of the giveaway, but 179 plus 379 doesn't equal 520. Also, several people have un-added my book in the last several days, but that's to be expected.

A Dream Eclipsed

A week or two ago, an amazing thing happened: I held a finished book in my hands, and it had my name on it. The first copies of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING are hot off the press, and the always gracious Shauna was kind enough to send one to me.

It was definitely a cool moment (or even a stupendous one), but in the ensuing days and weeks, that high has tapered off, and I've gone back to feeling mostly ambivalent about the upcoming release. I'm about to fulfill a lifelong dream--and after holding that book in my hands, I've kind of already fulfilled it--and the most that I can drum up is ho-hum ambivalence?

What in the heck is wrong with me?

I've thought long and hard about why I'm so indifferent, and the realization I've come to is that I've been letting the noise, both good and bad, get under my skin. Reviews have been coming in for the last couple of months, and if they haven't been awful, they've just been all right. (And by "all right," I mean they haven't been starred. Are starred reviews the only ones worth mentioning? I have no idea.) But before I got those reviews, I let other people's dreams for this book go to my head. I started thinking of them less as dreams and more as certainties. Of course my book was great. Of course everyone was going to love it.

I don't know when I stopped caring about the book itself and only about what other people thought of it, but somewhere along the way, it happened. You can survive when other people think it's awesome, but you won't really be content. And when someone bursts your bubble, you'll crash back down to earth. To insulate yourself from future heartbreak, you'll convince yourself that you don't care, and then you really won't.

I don't know how to reverse this process, but I want to figure it out. Once upon a time, I was confident enough that both the praise and the scorn rolled right off my back. I want to find that girl again. I know she's in here somewhere.

For those of you who are reading this post in your inboxes or feed readers, you should know that I'm giving away two signed ARCs of THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING on Goodreads. Also, I just added an "Educators" page to the blog, so if you want to learn more about my school and library visits, definitely check it out!

"Five Ways to Bring Place and Time Alive" on the NaNoWriMo Blog

In case you missed it last week, The NaNoWriMo Blog featured my guest post on Friday as part of their "Choose Your Camp" series. I shared a few tips on beefing up your setting, so feel free to check those out.

Also, a seventh-grader from Connecticut recently asked me a few questions about THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING for the Fearless Fifteeners blog. She came up with some insightful questions that really made me think, so definitely check those out.

Finally, today is the last day to enter to win one of three signed ARCs of DON'T VOTE FOR ME over at Kidliterati. It looks like the odds are pretty good, so get your name into that drawing! The giveaway is over now, but you can still pre-order DON'T VOTE FOR ME from all the usual suspects, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.