Book Trailer Is LIVE!

Yes, I know, I haven't posted in a while. I have no defense, other than it was May. It was only May because my summer is about to go nuclear. Seriously. Stay tuned for pics and stories from the movie set.

What? Did I just say movie set?

Why yes. Yes I did... but hold on, because it's not the answer to your prayers. It's A Wonderful Death is not in line for the big screen... yet. *Crosses fingers, blows on a dandelion, searches lawn for a clover of any leaf variety.*

In my other world, where I do the library thing, we're gearing up for Summer Reading, with our major project being the production of an original screenplay.

But enough about that. There will be plenty of time to dish on this! It's time for something I have been keeping a secret for weeks!

IT'S A WONDERFUL DEATH BOOK TRAILER!

Thank you, thank you. Oh heck, I can't wait another minute, so here you go!

That's it! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Your Feel Good Post of the Day

When I was in sixth grade, my friend called me a cry-baby. And, as much as it hurt, it was true. It still is. I am a crier. I think it comes from my empathetic nature. I ugly cry when good things happen as much as when bad things happen. It's who I am. There are still stories about my kids I can't tell people without tears welling up. Stories that are YEARS old.

But I think that's what makes me the kind of writer I am. Because even if I have never experienced something, a part of me connects and feels just a little bit of someone else's joy or pain.

Which is why I don't watch the news any more. I tend to get bogged down by the horrible stories. Like the missing airplane or the ferry that became a tomb. (See, I know current events.) And don't even get me started on the Ukraine situation or the fact that known kidnappers were caught in the town next to me this morning.

In my personal opinion, and this is not based on anything scientific and I'm sure an amateur statistician could poke holes in the validity of this statement, but I think our brains are being programmed to think that bad things, negativity, hate, and despair are the norm.

I don't want to think that the horrible things are the norm. Because I KNOW there is so much good in the world. So today, I'm starting to post a "Feel Good Post". It won't be everyday, but when I find something that makes me feel good, I want to share it. Be it a dog who's owner has just come back from deployment or this little video of inspiration. I hope you like these moments of good!

NERD BLAST {Summer on the Short Bus}

Introducing...

I am so excited to be a part of this book blast. 

Why? Um... read this and you'll know why!

SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Running Press Kids

Spoiled, Versace-clad Cricket Montgomery has seventeen years of pampering under her belt. So when her father decides to ship her off to a summer camp for disabled teens to help her learn some accountability, Cricket resigns herself to three weeks of handicapped hell. 

Her sentence takes a bearable turn as she discovers the humor and likeability of the campers and grows close to fellow counselors. Now, if she can just convince a certain Zac Efron look-alike with amazing blue eyes that she finally realizes there's life after Gucci, this summer could turn out to be the best she's ever had.

Summer on the Short Bus is a very non-P.C., contemporary YA with a lot of attitude, tons of laughs, and a little life lesson along the way.

Want to know more about Bethany?

Bethany lives in San Diego with her husband, two kiddos (one of whom is differently-abled), and a chocolate lab who has no regard for personal space. She believes that prayer solves problems and that Jake Ryan is going to show up at her door any minute now…. She is represented by Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary Services. You can get to know Bethany better by following her on Twitter, Facebook, and of course her website.

Praise for SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS

"Crandell creates a wonderful and relatable protagonist with Cricket but even better than that, she surrounds her with equally relatable, flawed, and real characters...This book is an absolute winner!" – Feathered Quill Book Reviews

“A novel oozing with heart and humanity.” - Ken Baker, E! News correspondent and author of Fangirl and How I Got Skinny, Famous and Fell Madly in Love

“A hilarious and heartwarming ride.” – Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, author of How 
My Summer Went Up in Flames and Famous Last Words

Find more about the SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS by visiting 

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Indiebound | GoodReads

About the GIVEAWAY!!!!

One Winner will get: a Signed Copy of SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS
One Winner will get a $25 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N – winners choice!

Open Internationally for the Gift Card. Book Ships in US only. Must be 13 + To enter

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give a book, change a life, twitter style

Okay, maybe change a life is a bit drastic, but you could at least change someone's day! 

Last week, two of my reading queens of the 5^th grade class came to me and asked if the library had any books they were getting rid of. Of course, being the supportive and nosey librarian that I am, I asked why.

When they told me about a project they and a few of their fellow 5^th graders were starting, my heart sang and tear threatened to spill over. They were on a mission to collect books for teens who, due to medical issues, were required to spend time, sometimes a lot of time, at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital. It seems that there are a lot of books for little ones, but when it came to YA lit, not so much. They couldn’t imagine anything worse than being confined to your room and not having any good books to read.

Honestly, I’m perfectly healthy and the idea of not being able to read good YA lit is depressing. I assured them that I had just done a weed a few months before and hadn’t gotten around to donating them anywhere and they were there’s for the taking.

Now, most of the books were pulled because they were old or tattered, but a few are in decent shape. Still, their plea got me to thinking: I know writers. I know avid readers. 90% of my twitter followers are somehow related to the book industry. So I thought I would try a test to see just how powerful the social media machine can be. I’m sending out a plea of my own, to you, my literary friends. A chance to give back and maybe, just maybe, help a teen escape the confines of needles and IVs to a world that is romantic, full of adventure, or even a little more scary than their own lives.

My goal, through social media, is to collect 50 books from twitter followers. That’s it. In the next two weeks, if you have a moment to pull an already completed YA book from your shelf or dig out a duplicate from your TBR pile… you know you have them… and mail them to me, you just might make a teen’s day.

Post in the comments below with your email and I will send you my mailing address. If we hit 50… let’s go for 100… maybe, if we can collect enough books, every teen who leaves the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital will have a prized book in their possession! I’m starting it off with two books from my private collection… who’s with me?

I thank you in advance and remind you to BE FEARLESS with every moment you have!

My Writing Process Blog Tour Rolls On!

Today is an AWESOME day! First of all, the sun is shining and , with the exception of a few piles that were huge a week ago, the snow is gone. Yes, spring is kicking and screaming to return to the Hoosier State. It’s also an awesome day because my amazing Agency Bro, Joshua David Bellin, invited me to be part of the “My Writing Process” Blog Tour. I highly recommend you click on his name and check out his blog! Seriously, he's one of the most awesome person on the planet!

 Now that the frivolity is over, let’s get down to the nuts and volts (shout out to those who have been watching Catching Fire on a loop for the last four days) of my writing process.

1)     What am I working on?

My current WIP is a pretty big departure from It’s A Wonderful Death. To begin with, every character is alive. In Genesis I Trust is a contemporary romance that centers on Genesis, a high school junior who, when her political operative father decides she needs to take a larger interest in the family business, is yanked out of her posh private school and forced to work on the campaign trail. Along the way she reluctantly falls in love with the son of a candidate from the wrong side of the aisle. I think the plot is best summed up as Romeo and Juliet meets Scandal, sans the body count.

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

I think there is something a little formulaic in contemp romance. Boy and Girl meet, obstacle, must overcome to be together, happy ever after (although not always). What makes this book different is the “inside” perspective of a teen living and working the world of politics. Her actions have consequences that go beyond her love life and could have serious ramifications on a national level.

3)     Why do I write what I do?

I love YA literature. But more than that, I love working with teens. Even though I have two kids of my own, I remember what it was like to try and figure out where my place in the world was. I remember being overwhelmed by trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. If my writing helps even one person take a deep breath and carry on, then everything else is cake. YA literature doesn’t get the respect it deserves and I hope to be a small part of the wave of writers who changes that!

4) How does my writing process work?
I’m kind of manic when I write. You know how some writers have this time of day where no one disturbs them and they write XXXXX number of words a day? That is not me. I am more of a binge writer. I tune in to the writing, work for 20-30 days, pretty much ignoring everyone else around me and then produce an, albeit, crappy first draft. Many rounds of editing later, it’s ready for the light of day. Don’t get me wrong. I want to be a methodical writer, but life doesn’t always work that way. I think it just goes to show that there is no right or wrong way to finish a novel.

Well, that’s me in a nutshell… not really… me in  a nutshell… that would be a tight fit… but that’s my writing process, for better or worse. Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out the next people on my branch of this blog tour next week. For those of you keep track, yes that is March 17^th, aka St. Patrick’s day, aka I better get my corned beef out to thaw later this week!

Kristine Carlson Asselin writes contemporary Young Adult & Middle Grade fantasy. She has written fourteen nonfiction books for the school library market with Capstone Press and Abdo Publishing, the newest (Dangerous Diseases ) came out in February 2014. She is one of the co-directors of SCBWI-New England this year, and her debut Young Adult novel, Any Way You Slice It, is due from Bloomsbury Spark in late fall 2014. She is represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. You can find out more about Kristine by checking out her website: kristineasselin.com

Jason Leclerc's first book, Momentitiousness, represents a new genre of  short stories--he calls them moments--that are tangential in space and time.  The "Novel Collection," as he calls it, is an adventure that draws on topics ranging from Arbitrage and Zombies. His poetry blog, PoetEconomist, is consumed by readers around the world and he is currently in talks regarding the adaptation of a short story from Momentitiousness onto the film screen. Learn more about this writing pioneer by visiting his website at: www.momentitiousness.com.

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 22 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts. She is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, PW and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, then published with a small press, was a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. She currently resides in New York with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.com.

My Obsession Paid Off

So, I watched @KelsNotChels vlog about How to Google Yourself Like A Champion and she said... well, see for yourself:

Handy information, right? I mean, who doesn't want to Google themselves... Okay, that sounded bad. I realized, after watching this, two things:

1. I need to get a cool mic so I can start doing voiceover blogs because, well, there’s just so much time in the day that’s free;

AND…

2. I have been Googling myself all wrong. (When you say it a second time, it's starting to get creepy… but let's just go with it!)

And so I Googled in the correct manner and guess what I found.

Here’s a hint:

When I saw my book was on GoodReads, I FREAKED OUT.

No. Not like that.

Not quite… give me a little more.

Yes! That’s it!

I'm not even joking! Tears were running down my face, making a puddle on my desk. I called my mom, woke her up and then proceeded to ramble and almost hyperventilate until she had to stop me and make me start over. I was a joyous wreck.

Now, I should preface it with this: When I signed my agent contract, I did not freak out. When I signed my publishing contract, I did not freak out. So what made this time more insane than the actual legal documents that committed me to the publishing path? Because those were surreal moments. Moments I had dreamed of for years but was always afraid would never happen. They were moments that meant my dream could be possible. Seeing my name on GoodReads meant the possible was happening and it’s happening now.

So what’s my point? Look for the progress of your journey not just in the milestones you achieve, but also in the moments that take your breath away (and make us ugly cry just a little bit). Maybe you haven’t found your forever agent. But have you found a community of writers that gets your work, supports your goal and (hopefully) likes you? That’s part of the battle my friend. Because it’s those little moments that keep us focused on the big ones.

So BE FEARLESS when you Google yourself. You never know what surprise is in store for you! 

And then this happened

 

***PRESS RELEASE: 4 FEBRUARY 2014: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Strange Chemistry Books Sign Sarah J. Schmitt

Strange Chemistry Books is excited to announce our latest acquisition, World English Rights from Liza Fleissig (The Liza Royce Agency) for Sarah J. Schmitt’s It’s A Wonderful Death (OCTOBER 2014), a fantastic Mean-Girls-meets-A-Christmas-Carol, funny and warm debut.

 
Sarah J. Schmitt: "Signing with Strange Chemistry was a surreal moment. I've been dreaming of being a published author since I was in fourth grade, but to have a chance to work with the amazing Amanda Rutter was more than I could have ever imagined. I'm a huge fan of several SC authors, so to be included among them is humbling and awesome at the same time."

Amanda Rutter: "It's a Wonderful Death is a fantastically quirky and funny novel, with a surprisingly warm heart. I fell in love with the characters and with the story, and was desperate for the world to read this book. I can't wait for Strange Chemistry to publish it!" 

It’s A Wonderful Death:

When RJ’s soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll.

Eventually RJ is presented with two options: she can remain in the Lobby, where souls wait to be processed, until her original lifeline expires; or replay three moments in her life in an effort to make choices that will produce a future deemed worthy of being saved. It sounds like a no brainer. She’ll take the walk down memory lane. How hard can changing her future be?
But with each moment, RJ's life begins to unravel. Will she ever find redemption and walk amongst the living again?

About Sarah: Sarah is an elementary school librarian and Youth Service Professional for Teens at a public library who, in addition to planning a variety of events, enjoys opening up the world of books to reluctant readers. She also runs a teen writing program that combines Skype visits from well-known authors and screenwriters, with critique group feedback. Sarah is an active member of SCBWI, ALA and the Indiana Library Federation and is a regular participant at the Midwest Writer’s Workshop.

For Translation, Dramatisation, and other Rights, contact: Liza@LizaRoyce.com

 

For more information, review copies, interview and feature requests, contact our Publicity Manager, Caroline Lambe at caroline.lambe@angryrobotbooks.com

 

I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!!

BE FEARLESS AND YOU TOO CAN FEEL LIKE THIS!