Cover Reveal for CLOCKWISE!

One of the most exciting writerly things that can happen to me is seeing one of my books launch out into the world. One of the NEXT most exciting things is seeing one of my friend's books launch out into the world.

I'm terribly excited to show you the cover for my friend Elle Strauss's new YA book, CLOCKWISE!

CLOCKWISE will be released first in e-book form, launching September 26 and then in print form in November. More to come on that, but first glimpses at cover art are so terribly exciting, so I wanted to share this for now.

If you want to know more about CLOCKWISE, here's the little one-liner:


Teen time traveler Casey Donavon accidentally takes her secret crush back in time. Awkward.

Sounds fun, right?!

And here's a link to find out more and read the first chapter.

Congratulations, Elle!!!

Friday Four

1. I know I've been MIA lately. I wish it was because I've been enjoying the sun that has finally arrived in B.C. Not so. Just busy with life.

2. I arranged for two guest posts over at The Contemps this week, and I have to plug them because they're both so good! On Tuesday, Eileen Cook stopped by to talk about what stresses her out and how she handles it. Who couldn't use an encouraging post about handling stress? *runs back over to read it again*

Then on Thursday, Amy Holder stopped by to tell us about her rebellious teen years--complete with adorable teen pictures of her!

3. I still don't have a final cover for NEVER ENOUGH to show you. Sigh. And I still haven't received copyedits. But I'm not so upset about that part, because I'm trying to come up with a new first page for the book before my copyedits arrive, and I'm having a heck of a time with it. I quite honestly have spent a few hours just trying to tabulate exactly how many versions of a first page I've had for this novel. I don't have an exact number, but it's definitely over 20.

4. I've been reading some amazing books lately. The most recent is STOLEN by Lucy Christopher. Here's a little teaser...



Hope you all have a great weekend!

Friday Four - My Ever-Exciting Life

1. I haven't been around in a while, but believe me, it's not because I have had nothing to talk about! My life has been a blur. Last week, this happened...

That's the gym where my husband used to work. Um, yeah. It was gutted by fire, and we've been very sad for the owners of the business, but that has also meant big changes for us. We're hoping the dust, so to speak, will settle soon.

2. It was also a difficult week for my family, as it would have been my dad's birthday as well as my parent's anniversary. They say that all the "firsts" are the most difficult, but the nice thing is our family is sticking really close together through these hard times. It would have been my parents' 47th wedding anniversary, which I think is awe-inspiring. I hope to follow in their footsteps.

3. I still don't have a cover to show you on book 2, but I'll say it again...SOON! In the mean time, I've been revising my outline for the companion novel I'm working on for LOSING FAITH. I'm looking for someone with some experience writing mysteries to look over the outline for me when I'm done. Any takers???

4. I finally got my contract in the mail for my second book. It's been in negotiations for many months. I've spent many hours looking over all the small print (all 15 pages of it!) because I want to understand more about the business. This is how it describes NEVER ENOUGH - A teen novel about a girl who idolizes her older (bulimic) sister. Ages 14 and up.

The part that made me laugh out loud (again) is this:

Not sure if you can read that or not, but if not, it says: Theme Park Rights - Reserved by Author.

Yes, to be honest, I would way rather have a theme park designed after one of my books than foreign languages, audio editions, or even a movie. I love theme parks. And when I told my agent about my excitement over this clause, this was her response: "Hmmm, the NEVER ENOUGH theme park. Where...all the rides induce vomiting after you eat!"

I love my agent.

Happy weekend to you all!!

Blogging To Do's

I feel like I've been out of the loop and a bit MIA on my blog lately. I'm still around, just really busy with RL stuff. I thought this would be a laid-back summer, as we didn't have many plans to travel this year, but it has turned out to be super-busy.

There have been some cool things that I want to blog about soon, and I thought I'd put them here as a bit of a To Do List (and a bit of a heads up that they're coming.)

1. Researching the serendipitous way: I've had opportunities lately to hugely expand my knowledge in areas that will help in writing some of my next books. I want to share a couple of stories and encourage you to look for learning in every situation.

2. I have a couple of upcoming workshops that I'll be teaching. One about your online presence, the other about grief in YA. As I'm putting these together, I'll share a few of the greater points on the blog here.

3. I've been reading lots of fabulous books! I can't wait to share a few recommendations and hear what you've been reading.

There's more, but as usual, I can't think of the other eight million things I hope to blog about. But those are a few to get me started. See you back here soon!

Friday Four

1. I'm off to help out with another bodybuilding show this weekend, this one in Seattle. I admit, I'm hoping for a repeat scenario where I have lots of time and focus for plotting. I've been plotting three books at once lately, which is very strange for me. I'm usually very singly-focused.

2. I've been reading lots of great books lately. AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson was full of awesome. It was a road trip story, and I don't think there have been many road trip stories that I have not enjoyed. (Another great one of these was Albert Borris's CRASH INTO ME).  I'm open to suggestions if you know of more great road trip YA books. At the moment I'm reading FIXING DELILAH by Sarah Ockler--another Contemps Challenge book and very engaging, as well as listening to WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE by Sarah Dessen on audio. Yes, I seem to like authors named Sarah. But come to think of it, aren't there an awful lot of amazing authors named Sarah? *considers name change*

3. People often ask me how many books I've written, and to be honest, I have a really hard time with this question. The more I learn about writing, the more I look back on earlier novels and realize they are far from being done. So my answer usually goes something like this: "I have written around eight novels that are in various stages of revision. Two of them are complete - one in bookstores and another is coming out next summer." But that always feels so vague. Yet, I fear if I was to give a complete picture, the explanation would be very confusing and people would regret that they'd asked. How do you answer this question? (Or do you find it a really simple one and think I'm crazy for over-analyzing it?)

4. My second book, NEVER ENOUGH, has apparently gone off to copy edits. I find this equally exciting and terrifying. I'm hoping to have a cover to show you next week!

Happy weekend to you all! I *think* we will finally have some sunshine.

GCC Presents Jennifer Echols and LOVE STORY!

From Jennifer Echols, the award-winning author of Going Too Far and Forget You, comes LOVE STORY(Gallery Books; July 19, 2011; $11.00), a provocative and powerful story of teen romance, set against the bustling world of a New York City university.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions – it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter… so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment? 

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter… except this story could come true.
“A tremendously talented writer with a real gift for developing relationships.”
– Romantic Times Magazine

JENNIFER ECHOLS is the author of teen romantic dramas for MTV Books and teen romantic comedies for Simon Pulse. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family. Please visit her online at www.jennifer-echols.com.

Congratulations, Jennifer! She stopped by for a short interview:
 
Tell me about your book in seven words or less.
Erin writes about Hunter. He finds out!

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?
I love Erin’s best friend and roommate, Summer. Sometimes I like to create tension between the heroine and her best girlfriend, but this time I had fun writing this girl who is wholly supportive of Erin and has a pure, innocent spirit.

What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?
Write the book you want to read.

What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?
My ninth grade English teacher made us keep a journal. I wrote stories, poems, and (I thought) funny entries about my life, and I credit that experience with getting me started as a writer. It is one thing to talk about writing and a totally different thing to actually do it.

What's the last book you read that you really loved?
CHARLIE ALL NIGHT by Jennifer Crusie. I have not read all Crusie’s adult romantic comedies, but I have read a lot of them. This was not anywhere near my favorite of her books, but it is STILL one of my all-time favorite romances. I love being a fangirl of an author whose books I KNOW will be terrific, and I’m so glad I have more of her books left to read.

Friday Four

1. I just got back from Sunny Sacramento...sunny being the key word there. Where IS our sunshine, by the way? I had a great time away. Spent one very long day tabulating a bodybuilding competition (my husband was a judge). In between categories, I replotted my current WIP, so it was also a useful day! Besides that, I toured San Francisco and spent lots of time relaxing by the pool. It was exactly what I needed.

2. I had a birthday yesterday...a little sad, since it's my first birthday without my dad. But I was seriously completely overwhelmed by all the birthday messages yesterday. They did make me feel very loved, so thank you all!

3. My family gave me an enormous set of cutlery (you should see my mish-mashed selection, sans teaspoons!) and also some money toward an e-reader. I've been asking on Twitter for e-reader recommendations, but I also wanted to ask here. Do you have a favorite? And why do you love the one you love? I definitely want a black and white one with e-ink, since I really need something easy on the eyes, but I'm not sure what else is important to me yet. What is important to you in an e-reader?

4. I may have mentioned this last week, but this coming Sunday I'll be in Snohomish, WA. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by the KlaHaYa Days festival and say hi to me and Mindi Scott (We'll both be hanging around chatting and signing books from 3-4 PM).

I can't believe it's the weekend! Coming back from holidays on a Wednesday night and then having a birthday is totally where it's at! This has felt like one very, very long weekend!! What are you up to this weekend?