MIND OVER MAGIC Revisions

*emerges from writing cave, blinks, looks around*

Oh, hi!

It seems to be mid-November.  Hello, mid-November.  You're cold.  And dark.  And a little bit snowy.  I don't think I approve.  October here was lovely, full of surprisingly warm days and colorful leaves that clung to the branches just a bit longer than usual.  Also, a lot of nuts.  Our lawn was peppered with acorns, and the street had so many beech nuts that it sounded like popcorn when you drove down it.  The squirrels should be happy.  Always good to keep the squirrels happy.  You never know when they might decide to band together and attack.  Tricksy squirrels.

Anyway, the reason that I'm emerging from my writing cave to say hi is that I just finished revisions on my next YA novel.  (Yay!!!)  I really loved working on this book, and I'm really, really excited about it!  It's called MIND OVER MAGIC, and it's Kayla's story.....

Lies, secrets, and magic -- three things that define Kayla's life.

Sixteen-year-old Kayla plans to spend her summer hanging out on the beach in Santa Barbara and stealing whatever she wants, whenever she wants it.  Born with the ability to move things with her mind -- things like credit cards, diamond rings, and buttons on cash registers -- she has become a master shoplifter.  She steals to build up a safety net, enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again.  Well, that, and the thrill of using her secret talents.

But her summer plans change when she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel -- a boy who needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it.  Daniel has a talent of his own.  He can teleport, appearing anywhere in the world in an instant, but he lies as easily as he travels.  Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother.  But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family -- and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive... or survive.

MIND OVER MAGIC will be out from Bloomsbury/Walker in fall 2014.

And now I'm going to dive back into my cave to continue work on THE FOUND (book three of THE LOST, my upcoming adult trilogy).  Also, to escape the army of squirrels.

Stuff I've Learned: Writing Log

Continuing on in my "Stuff I've Learned" series...  There's something else important that I've learned about writing that I want to tell you about:

Brains lie.

If writing is going well, my brain thinks that it's always gone well, will always go well, and I'll be done this novel by next Tuesday, even though I started it three hours ago. If writing is going poorly, my brain tells me that I'm doomed forever, I will never be able to form a sentence again, and furthermore I've never actually written a full paragraph and maybe the cat wrote all my prior novels.

To counteract this effect, I keep a daily writing log.

This is just a simple Word doc where I note the date and write down how many pages I worked on. No details. No value judgement. Just:

October 14, 2013, Monday
worked on The Found, pages 122-129
wrote blog entry
 
Doing this has several benefits:

1. It forces my brain to face reality. (Yes, I wrote yesterday. Yes, I'll write again tomorrow. And it will all be fine.)
2. It makes me accountable. (Here's proof of whether or not I've met my page goals. No fudging in either direction.)
3. It gives me a realistic idea of how long it takes me to write a book. (Very useful when agreeing to / setting deadlines.)

This is definitely one of those your-mileage-may-vary things. But for me, I love having the data. I find it comforting to know precisely where I am in a book and at what speed I'm moving through it. It helps keep my expectations realistic. And it helps me plan for the future. For example, because of this log, I realized that I'd started writing faster -- and that I could increase from one book a year to two books a year.

I know of other writers who keep much more elaborate records -- spreadsheets that include word counts and time-of-day and so forth -- and I know many, many others who don't keep any kind of records at all.  But I've been keeping my writing log since 2002, and it works for me.

Another method that I've heard about recently but never tried is the sticker trick.  You get a calendar, buy some stars or adorable whatever stickers, and put a sticker on the calendar every day that you reach your word count goal.  Author Victoria Schwab explains it in this video.  If I weren't already so attached to my log, I'd do this.  I may still try it someday.  I do like stickers... and I've learned not to trust my brain.

Thanks for participating in the YASH!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the YA Scavenger Hunt!

(Every time I think "scavenger hunt," I expect to see a slew of people trying to find pine cones.  I don't know why I associate scavenger hunts with pine cones.  Somehow, I just do.....)

Anyhoo, pine cones or not, the YA Scavenger Hunt is now over, and I hope you had fun!  A special thank you to everyone you entered my CONJURED giveaway!

The winner of a signed copy of CONJURED is: Tiffany W.

Congratulations!  (I'll be contacting you directly soon.)

Other YA Scavenger Hunt winners, including the grand prize winners, will be posted by 5pm on Monday on the YASH blog.

Fall 2013 YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the fall 2013 YA Scavenger Hunt!

I'm Sarah Beth Durst, your host for this leg of the hunt.  I'm the author of 7 fantasy novels for teens.  *points to sidebar and to top of blog*  I have ridiculously curly hair and am afraid of skunks.  And my favorite number is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.  I'm thrilled to be participating in the hunt this year!

The YA Scavenger Hunt is a tri-annual event started by author Colleen Houck.  This year, 60 YA authors are participating (including yours truly!).  On this hunt, you will have access to exclusive bonus material from each of the participating authors, plus every author will also include their favorite number.  (If you missed the hint above, then see the bottom of this post for mine.)  Add up all the secret numbers, and you can enter for the grand prize: one signed book from each author in a team!  But play fast: this contest will only be online for 72 hours!

You can start right here, or you can go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt, including links to all the authors participating. This year, there are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM -- but there is also a red team and a blue team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

SCAVENGER HUNT RULES

Directions: Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the gold team, and then add them up.

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, Oct 6th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT AUTHOR MELISSA WEST

Today, I am hosting Melissa West on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!  Welcome, Melissa!  *waves*  So happy to have you here!

Melissa lives in a suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughters. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

ABOUT HOVER BY MELISSA WEST

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth’s atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems…and no one can be trusted.

Find out more information by visiting Melissa's website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads page.  And you can learn more about HOVER here!

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM MELISSA WEST

And now, for your reading pleasure, a peek at a deleted scene from HOVER:

Jackson removes his jacket and drapes it around his chair, exposing a fitted black T-shirt that shows off the contours of his chest. I have no idea how hard I'm staring until he laughs easily, and my eyes drift up to find him watching me. He reaches for my hand. "Let's dance."

He leads me through the crowd, and I follow without hesitation, which I know must be whatever I just drank. Jackson takes us to the center of the crowd so we’re surrounded on all sides. The song switches and though the music is still upbeat, it’s slower, more intimate. He pulls me to him, so close our bodies connect from chest to thigh, our faces inches apart.

He rests his head next to my ear and holds one of my hands close to his chest. My eyes close as we move, lost to everyone around us, lost to the worry that wrecks my mind. All I feel is Jackson. All I can think about is Jackson…and how he is nowhere near close enough. His warm breath dances down my neck, causing a shudder to move through me, and before I can stop myself I release a small sigh. It feels like forever since I've let myself go around him. I lean further into him, wanting to close any distance between us. He continues to guide our bodies, and I know we're the only ones dancing so slowly.

"Ari..."

I shake my head. "Don't. Not now."

He pulls me closer still, his breath warm on my neck, his lips close, and I want more than anything for him to kiss me, to feel his full lips envelop mine. His draws a breath and blows out slowly, sending a cool breeze over my skin. And it’s too much. I tilt my head toward him, knowing I'm pushing this further than I'm ready to go. His lips graze over my neck, as soft as an afterthought, and my chest begins to burn with passion. I grip him tighter, my free hand smoothing over his forearm and up his bicep, before slipping into his hair. He pulls away to look at me, his eyes searching mine for answers, permission, something, but we are way past asking. Without another thought, I rise onto my toes, my mouth crushing into his.

CONTINUE THE HUNT

Don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books (including my book Conjured, HOVER by Melissa West, and many more! To enter, you need to know my favorite number*. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the gold team and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

And don't forget to enter the additional giveaway that I'm hosting here.  Enter to win a signed copy of CONJURED below! (US mailing addresses only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Jessica Brody!


* When I was in fifth grade, a babysitter told me that I wasn't old enough to read and appreciate the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  So of course I read it.  Ever since, my favorite number has been 42.  So that's my secret number for the YA Scavenger Hunt.  Good luck!

** On a related note, that same babysitter also told me I wasn't old enough for Little Women, and she was right.  Hated that book in fifth grade.  Loved it later, but in fifth grade... spoiler alert... I was so so so upset about Beth and that Amy married Laurie.  (Now I think Jo totally dodged a bullet.  Still sad re Beth.)

October Events

Happy October!

I can taste the change in the air.  It tastes like... Three Musketeers.  And Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Maybe a Nutter Butter that I can't decide if I like.  Certainly candy corn that I know I don't like.  And those Hershey's miniatures that I know I do like.  Seriously, how did it get to be October already?  And why is there no Halloween candy in my house yet?

I am still clinging to summer, wearing short sleeves in the day and forgetting to turn on the heat at night.  It was a great summer, and I was sad to see it end.  But I love fall too.  Especially perfectly crisp blue-sky days.  We've had a bunch of those lately, and I'm looking forward to more before winter descends.

I'm also looking forward to three more book events this month:

Wednesday, October 2nd from 6 to 7:30pm
New York Public Library, Jefferson Market Branch
425 6th Ave (at 10th St), New York, NY
Teen Author Reading Night with Kate Brian, Zoraida Cordova, Jocelyn Davies, Sarah Beth Durst, Jennifer Hubbard, Kass Morgan, Emil Ostrovski, Allyson Schrier, and Jon Skovron

Sunday, October 6th from 2 to 4pm
Booktrader of Hamilton
2421 Nottingham Way, Mercerville, NJ
Reading/Signing

Sunday, October 13th at 4pm
Oblong Books & Music
6422 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY
Hudson Valley YA Society Event with Sarah Beth Durst, Carol Goodman, Jeff Hirsch, and Dan Krokos

I'll be reading from and talking about my new YA book Conjured at all of these.  If you're in the area, I hope you'll come say hello!

Book Trailer for CONJURED!!!

I'd intended to write a witty and touching blog entry about this, but when I sat down to type, I realized the only words I want to say are:

LOOK AT THIS!!!!!

Seriously, look!!!  My wonderful publisher, Bloomsbury/Walker, made this awesome book trailer for my new book Conjured:



I love, love, love it!  The haunted look in her eyes... the guy's creepy smile... the carnival-esque music...  Huge thanks to all the Bloomsbury folks who worked to create this.  I couldn't be more thrilled!

Off to watch it again...  And again...  And again...

Event Announcement: Books of Wonder, this Saturday!

Now that pub day is over and Conjured is out in the world, it's time for me to continue the book launch celebration with my first Conjured book event.  This Saturday afternoon, I'll be at Books of Wonder in NYC for a YA panel and signing along with five other amazing authors: Kristi Cook, Kit Grindstaff, Jonathan Maberry, Phoebe North, and Nancy Ohlin!!!  We'll all introduce our new YA novels, answer questions from the audience, and then sign our books.  Here are the details:

Saturday, September 7th from 1-3pm
Books of Wonder
Reading/Signing with Kristi Cook, Sarah Beth Durst (me!), Kit Grindstaff, Jonathan Maberry, Phoebe North, and Nancy Ohlin
18 West 18th Street, New York, NY
 
Books of Wonder is one of my favorite bookstores in the whole world and they always do wonderful events.  I can't wait!  Hope to see you there!

CONJURED comes out today!

Ladies and gentlemen!!!  Children of all... okay, no.  Not all ages.  12 and up, please.  I don't want to be responsible for little kids having nightmares about creepy carnivals...

I am thrilled to announce the release of my new book, CONJURED!!!

This is, by far, the creepiest and wildest book I've ever written.  It was so much fun to write!  And as of today, it is out in the world!!!

CONJURED is a fantasy novel for young adults, published by Bloomsbury / Walker Books for Young Readers.  It's about a girl in the paranormal witness protection program, who, haunted by visions of carnival tents and tarot cards, must remember her past and why she has strange abilities before a magic-wielding serial killer hunts her down.

Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of the DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE series, called it: "A twisted circus of a book, completely freaky and delicious at the same time.  It's a thriller, a fairy tale nightmare, and a romance all in one, unlike anything else and impossible to predict.  I could not stop reading!"

CONJURED crept up on me.  I'd planned to write a police procedural about a federal marshal who works for the paranormal branch of the witness protection program... but when I began to develop the case that the marshall was working, the witness herself, Eve, a girl with zero memories and lots of bizarre powers, drew more and more of my attention.  The instant she made the birds in her wallpaper fly around her room, I knew the story had to be hers.

Writing this book felt a lot like leaping out of an airplane.  (Minus the risk of broken bones.)  I broke a lot of writing rules in order to tell Eve's story through her eyes, the way it needed to be told.  Eve is a blank slate character.  She begins with essentially no identity.  So instead of a reader discovering who she is, the reader comes along with her as she creates who she is.

I dedicated this book to Andrea Somberg, my agent.  Without her, this book wouldn't exist.  Without her, none of my books would exist.  She is, quite simply, a dream-maker (as well as an incredibly awesome person).

I've wanted to be a writer since I was ten years old.  It's the only thing that I've ever wanted to do with my life.  I wrote my very first story in fifth grade, and I kept writing and writing and writing...  After college, I started seriously pursuing publication.  I finished my first novel-length manuscript and sent it out.  And then I wrote another and sent it out.  And then wrote another...  I refer to this period as the "rinse, lather, repeat" stage of my life.  In 2006, the stars aligned, and I signed with Andrea Somberg of the Harvey Klinger Agency.  Six weeks after that, she had multiple offers for my debut novel, INTO THE WILD.

She's believed in me from the start.  And in the years since then, she's made my dream come true many, many times over.  To date, she's sold 11 novels for me.  (CONJURED is #7.)  And I've come to know her as an incredibly kind, smart, and all-around amazing person.

So I'd like to say thank you to Andrea and thank you to my wonderful editor Emily Easton and all the amazing people at Bloomsbury/Walker for bringing this book to life!

Everyone, meet Eve!

Eve, meet everyone!

More about CONJURED, including the first chapter, can be found here.

Bloomsbury YA 2013 Thriller eSampler

Check out what the lovely folks at Bloomsbury put together -- an eSampler of their upcoming YA thrillers, including the first two chapters of Conjured!

It features sample chapters from new novels by Susan Vaught, Sarah Beth Durst (me!), Jennifer Shaw Wolf, and 2013 Printz Award winner Nick Lake, and it's available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and other devices.

Enjoy!!!

6 more days until Conjured comes out!!!!!

Vessel Paperback Release (Plus a Lion!)

Today is the release day for the paperback edition of Vessel!!!

This book is really special to me because writing it was such a magical experience.  Every time I sat down to write it felt like stepping through a portal. 

Vessel is my first novel set entirely in a fantasy world -- a desert land filled with wolves made of sand that hunt within storms, sky serpents made of unbreakable glass that fly through the sky, and gods that walk the desert in human bodies.  It's about Liyana, who is destined to be a vessel, to sacrifice herself so her clan's goddess can inhabit her body... but her goddess never comes.

More information about Vessel, including the first two chapters, can be found here.

Vessel is also special to me because LION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Earlier this summer, I was thrilled and honored to learn that Vessel had been awarded the 2013 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature.  And just a few days ago, I received the loveliest thing I've ever gotten in the mail: the gorgeous lion-shaped Mythopoeic Award statuette!!!!!

I wasn't home when it arrived.  I was on a train to NYC to meet up with a bevy of YA authors to see Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments: City of Bones on the big screen.  While I was on the train, this happened:

And then about fifteen minutes later, this happened:

The award (called an Aslan, in honor of the most awesome lion in English literature) is now sitting on my desk next to my laptop.  OMG, he's so pretty!!!

I am keeping him near me so I can pet him as I write.....  Kind of like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.....

.....but less with the evil and much more with the awesome!