Author: claudia

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Glee and Vampire Diaries = two great tastes that go great together

I wanted to let you guys know about two very fun projects I’m taking part in this fall, both essays I’ll be writing for BenBella collections about a couple of my favorite shows. First, I’ll look at the complicated Civil War history in the TV show (as opposed to the completely different but equally complicated history in the books) of “The Vampire Diaries” in the anthology A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO MYSTIC FALLS, which you’ll be able to buy in October. Then, I’ll be writing about all the baby-daddy drama on “Glee” for an anthology called FILLED WITH GLEE, which will be out in November. As you can imagine, doing all the research for these — by watching tons and tons of TV — is so difficult, but I soldier on. You guys know you’ll want to check these out!

Also, speaking of the Q&A — you guys are emailing me about it, but you’re mostly emailing to ask for live chats! So we’re going to get started via Twitter. Next Tuesday (April 27), I’ll sign on to Twitter in the early afternoon US Central Time, and I’ll be answering questions, well, pretty much throughout the rest of the day, off and on. Keep checking in on Twitter and Facebook for more details!

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Announcing the winner of HOURGLASS Contest #6, plus Q&A time!

It’s time to announce the winner of HOURGLASS Contest #6 — in which you guys told me your favorite scenes from HOURGLASS, and the victor (chosen at random) gets to name a character in an upcoming book. Before I do, though, let me clarify; some people who won’t be able to read the book until later were unhappy that they wouldn’t get to take part. But I plan to do this again later this year (maybe the top of fall?), so that pretty much everybody can join in that time. So hopefully nobody will get left out in the long run.

(Another fun thing: We’ll be having contests year-round this time, mostly for smaller prizes like ARCs, but you never know what might turn up next.)

Without further ado, the winner of HOURGLASS Contest #6 is Melanie S.! She’ll be appearing (as herself) in Balthazar’s book, context to be determined. 🙂 Thanks to everyone who sent in a letter; I loved reading your entries.

We’re not starting another contest yet, but I have two things to throw out there:

We’re doing a Q&A in two weeks!

On Tuesday, April 27, I’ll answer as many questions as I can from those you send to evernightclaudia at gmail dot com. Please make your subject line "Interview Questions for April 27." You can ask me questions about the EVERNIGHT series, my upcoming books, writing advice, you name it. You can even ask for spoilers (though I don’t promise to tell all … just a little.) Between now and then, I’ll answer a couple of questions I get in advance on Twitter and Facebook; however, the big A part of the Q&A will all be out on April 27.

The other thing I want to throw out there:

Would you guys be interested in a live chat?

I’m not sure exactly how I could do that yet, but I could find a way if you guys were into it. What do you think? 

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Reminder about tonight’s signing, plus a Very Important Announcement

First of all, I wanted to remind everyone about tonight’s reading/signing in Illinois — I hope to see plenty of you there!

April 1 @ 7 pm
Borders
1 N. LaGrange Rd.
LaGrange, IL

Second, it’s time for me to make an important announcement, one I’ve been mulling over for some time. As I complete my final-final edits on AFTERLIFE, the fourth book in the EVERNIGHT series, I’ve had to ask myself where I want to go from here, and what’s most important to me. And that’s why I’ve made the decision to put my writing on hold for six months to continue my education here:

http://www.OhioCollegeClowningArts.com/

I feel as though my work on Balthazar’s (still unnamed, but not for long) book and the SPELLCASTER series, not to mention the book about werewolves on the Titanic (same thing re: name), will only be enhanced and deepened by my study of the clowning arts. So I hope you’ll all give me your support and understanding during this challenging time.

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still more tour dates! plus, egg drop soup

Howdy all! First of all, thanks to each and every one of you who helped HOURGLASS debut at #4 on the NYT YA Series list — I am very happy and very grateful. If you guys did not invest in these characters and put up with my wild, cliffhanger-loving ways, I would have a lot less good stuff in my life.

And just to reiterate, because a few people have wondered: Yes, there is a fourth book — AFTERLIFE — and there will be no cliffhangers there. Bianca and Lucas and company still have the most important part of their journey ahead of them. Also, no, I can’t make Harper publish it any faster. If I could, I swear, I would.

But now, let’s look toward the future — specifically, future tour dates. Whenever I make a post about touring, people want to know why I’m coming to one place and not another. I think the image is of me lounging around in a gold-sequined caftan, receiving a shoulder massage from the French cabana boy and stroking my pet ocelot with the jeweled collar, and going, “AHAHAHAHAHAA, I despise Ohio, so I shall not tour there! I spit on Ohio! Work the lower back, Jean-Claude.” Except for the ocelot, this picture has nothing to do with reality. Basically, I mostly go where the publishers think it would be good for me to go, and I trust their judgment. I am setting up a few dates on my own, too, but right now, the publisher-chosen places alone keep me pretty busy — as you are about to see!

UPCOMING TOUR DATES (set):

April 1 @ 7 pm
Borders
1 N La Grange Rd
La Grange, IL 60525

Then, just to prove that I do not spit on Ohio:

May 18 @ 7 pm
Joseph Beth
2692 Madison Road
Cincinnati OH 45208

May 19 @ 7 pm
Books & Co
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH

UPCOMING TOUR DATES (maddeningly vague):

This was announced previously, but just to reiterate — I will be at the Madrid Book Fair in Madrid, Spain, June 3-6. I don’t have any specific events/times to report yet, but I’m sure I’ll get them in advance, and in time to announce.

Much later in the year — in November, in fact, probably the Monday before Thanksgiving — I will be appearing at Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi. Specific time as we get closer to the event!

And finally, though I have no specific dates to report yet, I can say that, YES, I am coming to Australia! It looks like I’ll be arriving in the Southern Hemisphere’s late winter/early spring, but I don’t know any more yet about specific dates, cities, anything like that. Rest assured that I will keep you guys updated.

Meeting you guys on the road is one of this job’s greatest joys; I had such a wonderful time seeing you all in Naperville, Houston, Austin and Atlanta week before last, and so I can’t wait to meet even more of you. Thanks again for all your amazing support.

Now, because somebody on Twitter asked, the recipe for crockpot egg drop soup!

taken/adapted from Fix It and Forget It Lightly “still more tour dates! plus, egg drop soup”
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Contest winners, new contest, and, oh yeah — HOURGLASS is out tomorrow!

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:

no spoilers, but you’ll want to read this more after HOURGLASS than before “Contest winners, new contest, and, oh yeah — HOURGLASS is out tomorrow!”
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HOURGLASS Contest #5! — plus, blog tour info!

First of all, this fourth contest was amazing; you guys sent me SO MANY incredible songs that I still haven’t been able to listen to them all yet! But I’m really enjoying what I’m hearing and expect to put a lot of these on the Balthazar and SPELLCASTER soundtracks. Ten winners were chosen at random, so congratulations to Jean B., Erin C., Jennifer D., Kirsten B., Lori G., Petra I., Kamie N., Angela L., Andrea N. and Sarah K.! I’ve emailed them all to let them know their Klimt posters will shortly be in the mail.

(As will the star lanterns from last week — as those of you who follow me on Twitter know, a few days ago some evildoers duped my debit card, and my accounts had to be protectively frozen up for a couple days there. VERY annoying. Fie on you, evildoers. But now the money flows freely again, and star lanterns will soon find their way to the winners of Contest 4.)

But now it’s time for HOURGLASS Contest #5— with the winner to be announced on U.S. release day, one week from today! The prize is a bit literal, but if you ask me it would look incredibly cool in just about any room: the grand prize is a real true hourglass. No image to share, but you can take a look here. Two runners-up will receive smaller, three-minute, metal hourglass timers, which might not render your room as instantly incredibly cool as a full hourglass would, but will significantly snazzy up any future games of Boggle.

How do you enter? Just do this: Tell me what you think will happen in HOURGLASS!

I want to hear your wishes, theories, predictions — you name it. Be serious, be funny, anything! And I’d like your permission to quote some of the best answers (for varied values of “best,” which might or might not mean “most accurate”), if that’s okay with you.

(And if you’re from Australia or got an ARC, and thus think this contest is a snap for you — well, from you guys, I want to hear what you’re looking for in AFTERLIFE. No easy out here!)

The rules:

1) Send an email to evernightclaudia at gmail dot com with the subject line “HOURGLASS Contest #5” before Tuesday, March 9 (release day!).
2) Tell me what you think will happen in HOURGLASS (or AFTERLIFE, if that’s your category).
3) Also tell me the address where I should send your hourglass.

I will ship anywhere, so no worries on that score. Thanks to everyone for taking part in these contests; I hope you’re having as much fun with them as I am.

**

Also, as some of you will have already seen, we’ve begun the HOURGLASS blog tour, a series of interviews running on various teen reader blogs from March 1 up to release eve. You can check out the full roster here —

March 1 – http://tainted-poet.blogspot.com/
March 2 – http://www.melissas-bookshelf.com/
March 3 – http://themindfulmusingsbookblog.blogspot.com/
March 4 – http://www.theneverendingshelf.com/
March 5 – http://www.thestorysiren.com/
March 6 – http://thebookcellarx.blogspot.com/
March 7 – http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/
March 8 – http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/

Check out these awesome blogs, and you’ll get to read my answers about how I write, what I think of various characters and even a few spoilers for AFTERLIFE and Balthazar’s book. Hope you enjoy!

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HOURGLASS Contest #4!

It’s that time of the week again — time to name the winners of Contest #3 and begin Contest #4! So first of all, the happy winners of their very own star lamps are Debra S., Van P., Viki S., Jessica B. and Courtney V.! I’ve emailed you guys to let you know when the stars will be on their way. Congrats to all!

If you didn’t win that one, take heart; we have another contest beginning now, and this is the one with your best chances — we will have no fewer that ten lucky winners this week.

The prize? Well, if there’s one image that has played a huge role for Bianca and Lucas from the beginning, it’s this one:

So I will be giving away ten (10) posters of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” one to each winner, 24″x36″, so that you could put them in a ready-made poster frame if you wanted. I have always absolutely loved this image, and I think it would look gorgeous in just about any room.

Here’s how to enter:

1) Email me at evernightclaudia at gmail dot com.
2) In the email, tell me a song you love that you think reminds you of a character/relationship/scene you’ve enjoyed in the books.
3) In the email, also give me the address where I should send your poster if you win.
4) Enter before next Tuesday, March 2, which is when I’ll announce the winners.

Good luck to everyone!

It’s only two weeks until the US release of HOURGLASS. I can’t believe we’re almost there!

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HOURGLASS tour dates (plus a trip to Spain)!

I’ll be doing a few events in connection with HOURGLASS’ release (in the United States March 9!) and I wanted to give you the heads-up:

Tuesday, March 9
Anderson’s Bookshop
7:00 PM
123 West Jefferson
Naperville, IL 60540

Thursday, March 11
BookPeople
7:00 PM
603 N. Lamar
Austin, TX 78703

Saturday, March 13
Barnes & Noble
2:00 PM
7660 North Point Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30022

Thursday, April 1
Borders
7:00 PM
1 N. La Grange Road
La Grange, IL 60525

I’ll also be appearing at a couple of high schools in Houston, TX on March 10, though I assume if you are in one of those schools you already know this. We might put together some more dates later, but this is what I have right now.

Outside the US? I am, at long last, coming to Spain! It’s not a very long visit, but I will be at the Madrid Book Fair June 3-6. I don’t yet have specific appearance dates/times for that, but if you are in Madrid (or can get there), checking with the book fair schedules should give you the info you need.

I am looking forward to meeting more of you guys! Start bribing mom to drive/loan you the car now …

Remember, you have until Monday night to enter HOURGLASS Contest #3!

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Book Trailer!

HarperTeen has put together a book trailer for HOURGLASS — check it out on YouTube! Or, you know, right here.

I am pleased not only at the awesome trailer, but because the links take me through to look at all the awesome castings and trailers you guys have put together for the EVERNIGHT series so far. One of you has even acted out the first few pages of the first books — I don’t watch this stuff often, but I do check it out sometimes, and I always LOVE it when I do. So keep up the good work!

Remember, Hourglass Contest #3 is now open and accepting entries!

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HOURGLASS Contest #3!

The second contest was a great deal of fun — I now have a long reading list, comprised of some books I’d already been eager to read (like the Lisa McMann series, Alyson Noel’s books and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) and some new ones to add to my list. You guys are all avid, intelligent readers, which is what made this contest a joy. While all the entries were fantastic, I had to pick five winners at random, so congratulations to Margaret W., Jessie E., Miriam H., Isabelle L-C., and Nanna P.! I’ll be getting your books in the mail very soon.

(Fun fact: By the luck of the draw, all five of the last contest winners were from the U.S., but this week only two, as there are winners from Canada, Spain and Denmark!)

Now, it’s time for Hourglass Contest #3!

What I want to hear from you is your favorite scene in either EVERNIGHT or STARGAZER (or, if you are a happy Australian, HOURGLASS). Tell me why you like it, what you remember about it, anything like that. I think finding out which scenes stick in your mind will help me write more of those scenes in the future. 🙂 Five winners, chosen at random, will receive something Bianca’s always wished for and would fill her room with if she could: a paper star lantern, like these —

Aren’t they awesome? I admit, I’ve always wanted one — and Bianca, with her love of stargazing, adores these. Now you can have one too!

Here are the rules:

1) Send your entries (your description of your favorite scene) to evernightclaudia at gmail dot com, with the subject line HOURGLASS Contest #3.
2) Please include the address where I should send your star — and yes, I will ship anywhere, though if you are outside the US or Canada, finding a power cord and bulb that work with your voltage will be up to you.
3) Tell me your favorite color, too, so I’ll know which kind of star to send (or, if you are adventurous, just put “funky” and I’ll surprise you!)
4) I’ll pick and notify the winners next Tuesday, February 23.

Thanks as always for entering!