Category: livejournal entry

I have been coming up with more prize ideas for future contests and have found at least one thing that I truly love but had never thought of before. (You have to wait for me to unveil that one.)

In the meantime, though, I am still accepting entries for the first STARGAZER contest! If you want a chance at an autographed paperback and a copy of the first volume of L.J. Smith’s VAMPIRE DIARIES, send those entries in!

I work just above a Godiva store — I know, the temptation, it burns — and the line outside has been growing all day. Most of the would-be shoppers have the look of slightly sheepish men who tried very hard to think of other Valentine’s Day gifts, couldn’t, and are bunting with the expensive chocolates. To my chocoholic mind, this is smart thinking on their part.

Check out the fun review of EVERNIGHT by Surrounded by Words!

First of all, this entry was meant to go up yesterday. But the pulled muscles from the snowy hike meant I was sort of laid-up on Monday, trying to learn how to move again; Tuesday was all about catching up from Monday. But at last, here we are, with two big announcements:

EVERNIGHT is now out in paperback! If you read it at the library and want your own copy, or have been urging a friend to read it, then this is the moment to make your move.

Second, it’s time to begin the first STARGAZER contest!

The rules, as suggested by some of you:

Tell me about how any vampire from another vampire series might end up at Evernight Academy.

Do you think Edward Cullen might have dropped by in the 1950s? Or maybe Claudia from INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE attended the elementary-school version? “Older” vampires aren’t ruled out, either: I’d love to know what subjects Barnabas Collins or Bill from “True Blood” might teach if they came on-staff.

Let your imaginations run wild! Answers can be one line or an essay. (If you get inspired for fanfic, I think that’s awesome, but I don’t think I can accept fic as your entry.) Enter by commenting on this entry or at the CG MySpace, or by e-mailing me via my website.

The prize: To celebrate the release of the paperback, I’m giving away autographed copies of EVERNIGHT in softcover (or, if you prefer, the Spanish or Catalan version of MEDIANOCHE), as well as a copy of the first volume of L.J. Smith’s THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. (Is everybody else as psyched for that series as I am?) You get double the vampire romance! I will choose four winners at random.

Eligible to enter: Everyone. I’ll ship anywhere. Residents of Nepal, research scientists on Antactica, this is the time to make your move.

Deadline: I’ll pick the winners in the morning (New York time) of Feb. 17.

(If for some reason this doesn’t catch your fancy, hang tight — we’ll be having a contest a week until STARGAZER debuts.)

Spread the word! I look forward to seeing the responses.

Finally, don’t miss the fun review from Readergirl!

I am very, very hyped to see Evernight and Stargazer in this list of After-Twilight Reads in the New York Post. Yay!

Hiked today — five miles through about eight inches of powdery snow, which for some reason is about the same as hiking a HILLION JILLION miles, or so my legs are currently informing me. When I can move again, and thus reach the camera, the hike pics will return.

I just got the first draft of the jacket copy for HOURGLASS — i.e., the third book in the Evernight series. How can this publishing process simultaneously be happening so fast and yet seem to last forever?

Though there’s room for a couple of small edits, I love it. And I find myself surprisingly thrilled that Balthazar has made the jacket text for the first time.

I’m thinking hard about your contest suggestions!

OK, starting next week, I’ll be revving up six weeks of contests to prepare for the launch of STARGAZER. (Yes, it’s really that close!) So I want to hear from you guys: What kinds of contests would you want to participate in? What kind of prizes do you want to win? (Requests for diamonds and the like will be giggled at, before I then look again at my accounts and have to go lie down for a while.) I’d love to hear from you.

Also, as I gear up to do more blogging generally this year, tell me: What would you guys like to hear more about?

It’s quiet right now for me. I am hard at work on AFTERLIFE (the fourth book in the EVERNIGHT series) and still holding down the day job, so it doesn’t leave tons of time for much else. (Though of course there is always time to watch Bones. You find the time.)

I’m extra busy right now, and if you want to know why, you need look no further than my latest blog for HarperTeen. Check it out!

If it seems like it’s been a long time since there were any hike pics, well, sadly, it’s been a long time since there were any hikes. Although I don’t mind rough weather on a hike (in fact, the flash flood hike was one of my favorites ever), the fun level goes down sharply for me as the temperature drops below freezing. And with this winter being so much colder than normal, there’s been little opportunity for me to get out there. Here’s hoping February will offer a couple of weekends in the 40s, so I can get my boots back in action. (They’ve been subbing as snow boots, but really, it’s not the same.)

The paperback for EVERNIGHT will be out soon, and it won’t be long before I’ll start the six-week countdown to the release of STARGAZER! Early next week, I’ll be asking for your thoughts about potential contests and prizes you’d like to see; start thinking now.

OK, time to dive back in —

It’s official: IMMORTAL, an anthology of vampire romance edited by P.C. Cast and featuring stories by many writers (including yours truly), will be rereleased in October 2009. You should be able to find it throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia then. The cover will be slightly revised (and I hope to share that with all of you soon).

To celebrate, TeenLibris is giving away ten copies of IMMORTAL this month! Visit the contest site anytime between now and Feb. 10 for your chance to win. Good luck!

I got to have a talk with the publisher on Monday, which is why I now have all sorts of new information. First of all, I received my first copies of the EVERNIGHT paperback, and they look fabulous. I admit, I was a little worried about how the cover would look in paperback, but the results are pretty amazing. The paperback will reach stores on Feb. 10, which is coming right up!

I also learned a little more about my appearances this summer. At this point, it looks like I’ll be visiting Seattle and Portland in early June. Nothing else thus far, but I’m going to try to set up some additional cities over the summer.

Since I began typing this post, a plane has gone down in the Hudson River, literally about 8 or 9 blocks from here. Sirens everywhere. I’m so thankful that some of the passengers have gotten out and hope they all have.

Because I am STILL hacking my way through the jungle of unanswered e-mail, I only now found out about this terrific review from Kelsey at Just Blinded Book Reviews. Check it out!

I don’t know if I’ll get all caught up this weekend, but hey, at least I’m almost into 2009 by now —

Quick post with good news: We’ve sold the EVERNIGHT rights in Australia/New Zealand! The entire series will be coming out down there, and starting soon: EVERNIGHT will make its Down Under debut in March. Yes, that fast! Whoa.

Those of you in Australia, New Zealand and thereabouts keep watching those bookstore shelves!