December 31, 2011
11 Best Moments of 2011
2011 was full of lots of amazing moments – definitely a lot more than 11.
But here are some of my favorites:
1) Selling the first two books in my solo paranormal series THE LEGION to my editor Julie Scheina at Little, Brown. The first book, UNBREAKABLE will release in fall 2013.
PW ANNOUNCEMENT HERE
2) Optioning the movie rights to UNBREAKABLE with Mark Morgan (Producer of THE TWILIGHT SAGA & PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF) attached to produce. Even better? I’ll be an active producer on the film.
FULL ARTICLE HERE
3) Meeting my new agent, Jodi Reamer, for the first time at San Diego Comic-Con, where she said, “You’re so pink.”
With Author Tahereh Mafi (Jodi disappeared when the camera came out)
4) Watching my son graduate from Kindergarten in June and my daughter go off to her last year of preschool in September.
5) Meeting the entire Beautiful Creatures team, including our publisher Megan Tingley, at Little, Brown’s NY offices during the BEAUTIFUL CHAOS Tour.
With Dave Caplan (Our Cover Designer), Jessica Bromberg (Our Publicist), Margie & Julie Scheina (Our Editor)
6) Hanging out with tons of my favorite writers on the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour in Memphis, with Justine Magazine …
With Melissa Marr, Simone Elkeles, Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes & Rachel Caine
…and in my favorite city, Charleston, SC, for YALLFest – a YA book festival and the brain child of my favorite indie booksellers, Jonathan Sanchez, owner of Blue Bicycle Books.
With Director Brett Hudson
Jonathan Sanchez, Owner of Blue Bicycle Books
With Kimberly Derting, Caitlin Kittridge & Victoria Schwab
Andrea Cremer, Andria Amaral, Heather Brewer & Melissa de la Cruz
The Ladies in Red: Saundra Mitchell & Sarah Rees Brennan
Producer Mark Morgan Signing a Twilight Movie Poster
7) Being on a Book to Film panel at YALLFest with my producing partner, Mark Morgan, my friend & literary powerhouse David Levithan & my friend, fellow author & YouTube personality, Kaleb Nation.
Panel with David Levithan, Producer Mark Morgan & Kaleb Nation
8) Speaking at the SIBA (the Southern Independent Booksellers Association) conference in September. As a writer with Southern roots, this was a huge honor.
9) Turning in our last book in the Beautiful Creatures series (in stores fall 2012) & seeing the AMAZING cover designed by Dave Caplan at Little, Brown.
10) Finding out that Alcon Entertainment has started casting the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES movie, with Erwin Stoff (THE BLIND SIDE) producing & Richard LaGravenese (WATER FOR ELEPHANTS & P.S. I LOVE YOU) adapting & directing.
11) All the letters, e-mails, and tweets from fans, bloggers, librarians & teachers from 40 countries sharing their thoughts, excitement, art, music & videos inspired by the series. You have made the last three years so special & I can’t wait to chat and meet even more of you in 2012!
And an 11.1 bonuses?
* Attending the TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART I premiere with Mark, his wife Jana & their friends. Sitting right in front of Kate Beckinsale was very cool (but not great for the ego).
With Jana Morgan at the Breaking Dawn After Party
Kaleb Nation Interviewing Stephenie Meyer on the Red Carpet
** Meeting Richard Kadrey (SANDMAN SLIM) My Literary Idol
December 30, 2011
Dystopian YA Recommendations
For those who asked for YA dystopian recommendations, there are so many I love, but here are a few of my favorites that are available now. I know I’m forgetting some of my faves because I can barely remember my name most days, so I will add to this list as I remember.
* I have tried to stick to the sub-genre of science-fiction we call “dystopian.” There are lots of novels & GNs that cross over between sci-fi/fantasy/post-apocalyptic/dystopian, so consider this a list that does not include tradition sci-fi or fantasy.
Dead-Tossed Waves (and the entire Forest of Hands & Teeth series) by Carrie Ryan
Matched by Ally Condie
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Legend by Marie Lu
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Eden by Keary Taylor
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Hellboy by Mike Mignola & John Byrne
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore & David Lloyd
Starters by Lissa Price
Favorite Classics
The White Mountains (Tripods Series) by John Cristopher
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 the Authorized Graphic Novel
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
December 22, 2011
9 Unique Gifts & Gadgets for Writers
The holidays are here and we’re all looking for the perfect gift to give, or add to our wish lists. I always think the best gifts are things people won’t buy for themselves, or if I’m doing the wishing – something I’m unlikely to buy myself.
These are a few of my favorites (and no I don’t have them all):
1) Arc Customizable Notebooks
I love my Moleskin notebooks, but I am OBSESSED with these. Arc notebooks are completely customizable & refillable, so they’re a great value and you can set yours up exactly the way you like it – a leather or plastic cover, lined or blank paper, with pockets or without – the possibilities are endless. I keep sticky flags, like the ones pictured above, in mine. I also love them because the rings allow the notebook to lie flat like those Mead notebooks I used in high school. The best part? They’re cheap if you choose the plastic cover and still a deal if you prefer leather. You can watch the video and buy them at Staples.
2) Scrivener
Scrivener is the ultimate writer’s tool, and it’s a bargain at $45. Once you start using it, you’ll be hooked.
Description from the website:
“Scrivener puts everything you need for structuring, writing and editing long documents at your fingertips. On the left of the window, the ‘binder’ allows you to navigate between the different parts of your manuscript, your notes, and research materials, with ease. Break your text into pieces as small or large as you want – so you can forget wrestling with one long document. Restructuring your draft is as simple as drag and drop. Select a single document to edit a section of your manuscript in isolation, or use ‘Scrivenings’ mode to work on multiple sections as though they were one: Scrivener makes it easy to switch between focusing on the details and stepping back to get a wider view of your composition.”
But that’s not the best part. Scrivener allows you to keep your research in one place – from image files to articles – you can organize them in folders or visually, and pull them up alongside your text.
Scrivener offers tons of free tutorials to help you get started. And if I can learn to use it, anyone can.
3) Gourmet Coffee Maker
The initial investment ranges from $100-$200 for the machine, but you won’t believe how much you’ll save when you aren’t throwing down $4.00 a cup at your local coffee joint. Tassimo & Keurig are my favorite models. You pop in the cartridges, add some flavored syrup or sugar & you can have a cappuccino, latte, or expresso while you’re still in your pajamas. You can buy the units everywhere now: department stores, Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, or Amazon (if you really don’t want to get out of those pajamas).
4) Noise Canceling Headphones
Noise cancelling headphones aren’t cheap if you really want to drown out the sound of your neighbor’s annoying dog, the people chatting at the cafe where you love to write, or dare I say . . . your kids. They also help some of us get in “the zone” – that elusive place in our heads where the words are hiding.
Bose are the gold standard, but the price tag is steep at $299. I have a pair of Sony MDR-MC200Ds & I love them. After using a pair of Bose for a year, I can honestly say there isn’t much difference. And my Sony headphones were half the price.
5) iPhone Speaker Dock
If the thought of noise cancelling headphones makes you crazy, and you need Ozzy or Adelle blasting through the speakers to work, this is the ticket. The iHome dock is a charger and speaker in one, and there are tons of models to choose from. I like this one from Target.
6) LiveScribe Pen
I’m hoping to get one of these under my tree because the LiveScribe pen sounds amazing!
From Squidoo.com:
“The LiveScribe pen was originally designed to help students take better notes. In addition to being able to digitally record what you write, it also records your voice or the voice of a lecturer or speaker. This means you can write longhand and upload the audio and the actual content onto your computer. It’s great for blogging, planning, and a number of other tasks.
However, for writers the real benefit comes from the MyScribe software that users can download. The MyScribe software translates your handwriting into text. This gadget then offers writers the ability to write from anywhere without having to haul their computer with them. You no longer have to spend hours typing your work longhand either. It’s a fantastic gadget for writers.”
7) Write or Die
My friend and fellow author, Rachel Caine, told me about this one. If there’s a procrastinator on your list, this is the gift.
From the Manufacturer:
“Write or Die is a web application that encourages writing by punishing the tendency to avoid writing. Start typing in the box. As long as you keep typing, you’re fine, but once you stop typing, you have a grace period of a certain number of seconds and then there are consequences.”
Write or Die literally starts deleting text if you stop writing for too long. How’s that for motivation?
8) IdeaPaint
Love white boards and the idea of writing your ideas nice and big, where you can see them? What about on your walls? That’s exactly what you can do with IdeaPaint, which is basically a dry erase paint that works like chalkboard paint. Cover a wall in the stuff and you can draw, write, and erase until your heart’s content. It comes in eight colors & you can read more about it on Founders’ Blog.
9) Literary Inspired Pro Keds
A new way to wear the words and images from your favorite classic novel. Zazzle will have seven different versions coming soon.
The Catcher in the Rye
Animal Farm
Romeo & Juliet
Did I miss your favorite writer’s must-have? Leave a comment & let me know!
