We’ve finally made it to the end! If HOURGLASS isn’t already in your local (US and Canadian) bookstore, then it will be as of tomorrow. I am so hoping you guys are going to enjoy this one, and terribly excited to head out on the big tour where I will get to meet so many of you in the Chicago, Atlanta, Austin and Houston areas.
Before I go any farther, though, I should warn you about one little thing with HOURGLASS:
It ends on a cliffhanger.
Some of you are going, “But Claudia, why do you think we would be surprised? EVERNIGHT and STARGAZER ended on cliffhangers too.” Or so some online reviews have read! But I don’t think of their endings as true cliffhangers — they make you want to know what happens next, hopefully, but there’s not that sheer level of gahhhh author I will kill you suspense that I associate with a real true cliffhanger.
HOURGLASS ends on a real true cliffhanger.
I can’t say I didn’t plan it this way, but back when I did plan it this way, the books in the EVERNIGHT series were going to be released six months apart. I reasoned that six months wasn’t too terribly long to leave people in suspense, especially as most people don’t grab the book the very week of release. Of course, as you know, the decision was made to release the books once a year instead — and by the time that happened, I’d written too far in to change the pacing of the story so as to avoid a cliffhanger.
So here it is. I’m sorry if it drives some of you nuts. But I hope you enjoy the book and rest a little easier knowing that AFTERLIFE is finished, already making its way through the publishing pipeline, and will be coming to you … in a year. March 2011.
::runs, hides::
Assuming any of you are still speaking to me, you’ll want to know who won the hourglass in Contest #5! Congratulations are due to Alexandra J., with smaller timers going to runners-up Emily K. and Michelle F.! I enjoyed reading everyone’s theories about HOURGLASS (and AFTERLIFE, for those who’d already read it) — a couple of you were very close about a couple of things, but I think I will still have some surprises in store for you. 😀
Now, for HOURGLASS Contest #6, and the Really Good Prize. The winner in this one gets to name a character in one of my upcoming books! I reserve the right to veto any name that doesn’t fit the universe or is anachronistic or a joke or whatever, but both times I’ve had this prize so far, the winners and I have come to happy agreement. You can choose whether the character name (yours or one you make up) appears in Balthazar’s book, the Titanic novel or SPELLCASTER.
How do you enter?
1) Email me at evernightclaudia at gmail dot com and tell me your favorite scene from HOURGLASS!
2) Tell me which of those three books you’d like to be in, and the name you would want included!
3) Do all of this before Tuesday, April 13, when I will pick the winner!
That’s it! I hope to hear from plenty of you.
Tomorrow I head out on tour see places and dates here!), so I won’t be online much in the next several days. See you guys on the other side, and thanks to all of you for the wonderful encouragement and support!
