Over on the Rath (click "forum") I give away 6 books I like every 6 weeks or so.  In doing that, I've already given away a lot of books. Some are by authors whose books I read & loved before writing (Holly Black, Tithe); some are books I've blurbed & gushed over (K Cashore Graceling; Kami Garcia/Margie Stohl Beautiful Creatures; Kim Derting, The Body Finder; Gillian Shields, Immortal), and others I just really liked and wanted to give to my readers (Sarah Rees Brennan, Demon's Lexicon; Malinda  Lo, Ash; Lauren Kate, Fallen; and Janni Lee Simner, Bones of Faerie).

I was in a mood the week before Solstice, thinking about the books that were a factor in my world & the authors who have kept me from falling to pieces. So I went shopping & requesting bookplates & signed copies from a few friends :)

By the time I was done, I had around 60 books . . . you have about 6 weeks to enter to win them.

TO ENTER/DETAILS:
Reply to this blog post with the number of your entry (count off!!!)  ETA: I give up on the numbers. Just reply. I'll count them later :)

ALSO: If you don't have a LJ acct, use a signature/blog link.

DON'T include your email address for privacy reasons. 

Winners will be announced here at or on the 14th of February. At that time, I'll announce the winners names/numbers, & you will email to say which book(s) you want to claim. Prizes will be on first requested basis at that time NOT now.

THE BOOKS YOU CAN WIN:

"Lyric Poems" John Keats (6 copies, NOT signed)-- In WL, Ash is in Lit class & reads two of my fav poems. The first is "La Belle Dame Sans Merci."  I used to love teaching this poem.

"Goblin Market and Other Poems" Christina Rossetti (6 copies, NOT signed)--This includes second poem from that class in WL. Rossetti is the reason I became an English major.

The Hollow Kingdom Clare B. Dunkle (6 copies with signed bookplates)-- In WL, Seth has all sorts of books including a "Clare Dunkle novel." I didn't expect that the book would sell when I wrote, but when it did . . . I panicked. I am a huge fan of hers (hence Seth reading her book). So I looked Clare up online & sent her an odd email asking if she'd be offended to be referenced in my book. Yeah, it was neurotic. Clare not only was okay with it, but she asked to read the book, became a mentor, a friend, & when I needed a new agent, I remembered Clare telling me how fab HERS was, so I queried her agent (but didn't tell Clare until afterwards bc I didn't want a reference).

American Gods: A Novel Neil Gaiman(3 copies--with signed bookplates)-- The short story "Stopping Time" has a character reading this. Plus, Neil is my favourite living author (one of the only 2 authors I ever went to see for a book signing prior to becoming a writer), and oddly, the person I was having dinner with the night I got the call that I'd sold my first adult novel. The bizarreness of that happening cannot be overstated. I wasn't sure if I was more stunned by him or by selling my book, but either way it was an amazing day.  

and

Coraline Neil Gaiman; Hardcover (3 copies--with signed bookplates)-- Reading this makes me want to go back to teaching so I would have an excuse to study this book over & over again.

Flowers of Evil: A Selection (translated) Charles Baudelaire; Paperback (1 copy, NOT signed)--I'm not sure if it'll make the final version, but the current start of Darkest Mercy (aka WL Bk #5) includes a reference to a Baudelaire poem.

The Blue Girl Charles de Lint; Paperback (2 copies, NOT signed)-- Quite simply, I love this book. I love the characters. I love the lore.

Don't Bet on the Prince: Contemporary Feminist Fairy Tales in North America and England Jack Zipes; Paperback (1 copy, NOT signed)-- This was one of those books that influenced me to be a fairy tale & folklore based writer. Zipes is brilliant. Before writing, I considered getting another degree just to have an excuse to take a class taught by him.

Sanctuary: The Corrected Text William Faulkner; Paperback (2 copies, obviously NOT signed)-- I did my thesis on this book.  Faulkner is my fav dead author.

This Heart of Mine Susan Elizabeth Phillips (3 copies--with signed bookplates)

and

It Had to Be You  Susan Elizabeth Phillips (3 copies--with signed bookplates)-- At a conference, this amazing woman swooped up to me, told me she loved my book & informed me she was adopting me. I mostly stuttered. Like Clare, Susan has been right there offering advice, support, & words of wisdom.

And then there are the poor folks who keep me from running screaming into the dark.. .

One of each of the 4 Night Huntress books (Halfway to The Grave, One Foot in the Grave, At Grave's End, & Destined for the Grave) Jeaniene Frost (4 signed copies)-- J is my crit partner. (Yes, that means I get to read all the Cat & Bones books first. *happy dances*). It would take pages to explain all she does to keep me on solid ground.

Skin Deep (Laura Blackstone series Bk #1 Mark Del Franco (1 signed copy)
and
Unfallen Dead (Connor Grey series Bk #3 Mark Del Franco (1 signed copy)
--Mark & I have an odd research overlap (which makes shopping together fun). Sometimes I get to swap crits w him, and often, he's my 1am phone call.

City of Souls Vicki Pettersson (6 signed copies)--Vic and J and I proposed an anthology (Unbound) to get to share a table of contents, & then we critted each others stories. I get lost in her worldbuilding, & then I get lost when I talk to her. Someday, when I'm a grown up, I want to be as funny as she is.

Stray Rachel Vincent (3? signed copies)-- Rachel & I have these lovely-unpredictable chats & great bar outings. She never complains either when I forget to say hello, but dial her up mid-thought. . . and, well, I read all of her books (even though I rarely get early looks despite plaintive sighs).

On the Edge Ilona Andrews (3 signed copies) Ilona tells the world's best late night stories. If we reach an endstates, I want her on my side.

Nightmare Academy Dean Lorey (6 signed copies)-- My son was a beta reader for Dean (who, as my son tells it, is Much Much Cooler & writes Great Funny Stuff . . . which, "by the way, Mama, he lets me read . . . unlike YOU.") Once I quell the the temptation to envy Dean for the coolness, I remember that he's also a helluva friend, who did me the huge favour of talking me through the film deal for Wicked Lovely  AND prepped me for the meeting with my producers.

Ballads of Suburbia Stephanie Kuehnert (3 signed copies)-- Every tour, I get to go to Chicago, & every time, Stephanie reveals an amazing bar . . . and then I find myself thinking that life in a freezing cold city isn't that bad, really, I could do it. I realize after I leave again that I really & truly hate the cold, but she's awesome enough that she makes me forget that detail. Also? Her books make me cry, & sigh, & remember things I often set aside. She writes powerful stuff.

Just a quick note to wish you all a happy & safe start to the New Year.

Traditionally, I'm not much for resolutions & introspection at this point in the year (I tend to reserve such things for my birthday, as that's my "start date" & therefore the date from which counting fwds & bkwards makes the most sense to me). There is, however, appeal in a group date for such things too.

Top Moments of the Year (never in order):
1. Being w Daughter when she fell in love w a Dali painting at the Met.  She's loved art in general, but rarely has she been so utterly smitten.
2. Son & Daughter & Spouse video-skyping to have dinner with me when  I was on tour.
3. Stretched out on the beach (off season when it's deserted w Spouse AND during summer w Spouse & son).
4. Niece curling into my lap & announcing that she needed purple boots "just like yours, Aunt Miss"
5. Floating in the pool with son & spouse.
6. Late night conversations in the dark listening to frogs & insects.
7. Owl perched on a branch outside my window
8. Outside w kids & Spouse w telescope & seeing one of Jupiter's moons pass in front of the planet (THIS might be the top moment for me)
9. Building bird feeders w my beasties (& then watching birds).
10. All of those random moments that are so fleeting, yet one pauses & realizes that I Wish This Instant Would Last Forever.

. . . and at the end of it all, that's what it's all about: the moments.  It's why I like photography, why I write, why I enjoy meeting new ppl whom I'll never talk to a 2hnd time.  There are these things we do, these attempts to pause the world & fit all of the living we need into a space less than a second.  At the end--whether that's this instant or many years away--I want to have a collection of moments to think on.  I suspect  that the desire to fill moments to bursting, to freeze them when they happen, is what causes us to think of afterlives and of folkloric immortality. 

I hope your year has been filled with many moments & that your next year will be overflowing with them.

If you are so inclined, I love hearing of moments, so pls feel invited to share some of yours.

The following folks won on either the Rath, my blog give away, or the randomizer.
( Read more... )

STILL WANT ONE/DIDN'T GET IT HERE:
I'm still giving 10 away in the Goodreads program thru the 12th of Jan.

ARC winners will be announced in the next day or so.  Thereason is prob obvious to For those who read the Twitter feed or FB (which gets my twitter feed),  but for those who aren't there:  we had around 18-19 inches of snow on Saturday.  The resulting being-snowed-in, waaay too many hours of shoveling snow, & canceled school tweaked my schedule quite a bit.

I haven't forgotten the contests.  Snow & kids & Winter Break starting a few days early took priority though.

Will get results up as soon as I can do so.

Writing the 5th & final WL feels like writing the end of each novel. I have this its-here-finally-oh-gods-write-faster-NO-stop-don't-wanna-be-done-ARGH-must-write-this-been-seeding-clues-so-long . . . except yanno, more so bc it's finishing a 5 book series.

( Read more... ) . . .

. . . but today, I'm still on racing, so back to it.

HOLIDAYS:

As blurred as I am lately, I'm not sure I'll remember to post a holiday msg, so I wanted to at the very least wish you all a Happy Hanukkah. Happy early Yule. Happy early Solstice. Happy early Christmas. . . and to those who are non-faith, hope you're snuggled in somewhere lovely with someone fabulous for Winter's arrival.

Here's the 4th contest to win an ARC of Radiant Shadows. . . All you have to do is VOTE for one of the videos.

I think I have all of the casting videos so far up as my favourites at my YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaMarrAuthor (look to the right and you'll see abt 40 videos under "favorites." ALL videos there are eligible to be voted for.)

If I missed your entry OR if you make one before the 18th, let me know, & I'll add it.

As I've said before, you can enter up to SIX times.
SIX entries will be chosen via a randomizer (US & Canada) on or after the 18th of Dec.

Winners will be posted here in the blog, so remember to check back after the 18th.

If you are NOT an LJ user, sign your entries w a name/URL.


NOTES: Please don't spam people's personal blogs for your extra entries. Thanks!

REMINDERS:

Contest #1: Goodreads. I'm still giving 10 away in the Goodreads program. Thru the 12th of Jan (10 ARCs)

Contest #2: Fansite--You can still enter the book teaser/trailr/casting contest over there (ARCs to the videos voted top 12)

Contest #3: WL Casting AND teaser/trailers--ARCs to the top 10 videos (votes go in the replies to the blog post you are reading rt now. SEE ABOVE.)

Contest #4: Replying to this blog post & voting. 6 ARCs

12/17/09 ETA: To clarify, everyone gets ONE vote. THEN, to get extras, you post a link up to 5 times. Those voting more than once w/o links are NOT COUNTED as entries OR as votes.

Before being a writer, I taught university--and guest taught high school as a "loaner" to underfunded high schools. I won't lie to you: I have met students who unnerved me, students who caused me to want to lecture them, and some who just plain frustrated me & broke my heart. They weren't the majority, however. Most of the students I've known leave me excited to see what they will do with the world. As a writer, I mostly encounter those in the latter group: the ones who impress the hell out of me. These are the people who will be responsible for our arts, our laws, and our future--and I'm glad.

I talk to as many of my readers as I can over at the Rath (wickedlovely.com). I meet them on tour. I've requested tour cities for events just to meet a few of them. I have an art site account specifically for the purpose of seeing the visual art they create. I've eaten truffles created for my characters, & I've listened to songs written for them. I've guest taught creative writing courses & done workshops where I've read stories from young writers. I think that's one of the coolest parts of this job . . . right there with the writing part. It doesn't ever sate the teaching longing, but it does great things for my outlook on the future.

One of those readers created a painting of Irial & Leslie that hangs in my office. Tonight, I saw a Radiant Shadows trailer she created as an entry in the win-one-of-the-12-ARCs contest. It's the first live action trailer; it was scripted, filmed/directed, & edited by a 17 year old high school student with friends willing to act in the trailer and no budget to make it happen.


If the universe allows it, I'll be here watching to see what these young artists & writers do. I have no doubt that I'll continue to be wowed.

And, Lorena? If you read this, thank you, & pls share my thanks with your actors. I was feeling blue tonight, but right now, I'm feeling quite the opposite.

This is one of those random news-y posts.

ADDRESS (for letters or books):

A number of folks have asked how to reach me. I'm happy to receive letters that arrive either in print or digital format. I READ everything, & I reply as much as I can (which does NOT mean I reply to everyone. I can't). I read much much faster than I do most everything in life though :)

POSTAL: Melissa Marr, 44 Mine Road, Suite 2 #208, Stafford VA 22554

EMAIL: donnaATmelissa-marr.com

This goes for people asking me to read books too. If it's published via a traditional house (ie NOT via pay-to-play spots like PublishAmerica ot Harlequin Horizons), you are perfectly welcome to send me ARCs, bound galleys, or finished books. I do NOT open attachments OR read unsold, self-published, or erotica books. I don't blurb middle-grade books (although I do read them & recommend them).

I get more & more requests for blurbs (those endorsement quotes). Honestly, I read every day, but that doesn't ever mean that I will finish a book just bc I start it. Telling me you met me, like me, like my book, wish I would die a fiery death . . . none of that impacts whether I read a book. I rec books by authors I don't know (& sometimes those I met & didn't like). I also rec books by ppl I'm pretty sure DISLIKED my book. I'm not a bribe or flattering incline chick. The book and the author are two different entities.

As a footnote, my not blurbing a book doesn't mean I disliked it. I read lots of books I like, but don't LOVE. I try to keep a limit on howe many books I rec . . . but I read 3-5 books most weeks. It's hard to limit myself. So I rec them in the blog, on the fansite, & I blurb some. NONE Of it is personal.

Harper Holiday Sale

There is one ;) My INK (WL series Bk 2) & UNBOUND (adult, UF antho) are in it.

Goodreads

Just a reminder that RADIANT SHADOWS is still up for giveaway

. . . and, well, even though it goes against my own interests (I want the ARC & entered in the giveaway), I feel compelled to remind you that John Green's upcoming book is on there too.

I've read & loved his books (to the point of following my spouse around reading quotes from ALASKA when I first read it, in my pre-author days). No, I don't watch his vlog, but I've sat on panel with him & find him brilliant . . . aside from his erroneous idea that Faulkner is not the Best Writer EVER (Seriously? Faulkner is SO obviously the best.) Go enter. If you haven't read, Green's first 3 books, add them to your list for the bookstore or library. Don't any of you tell him I said this, but I think he's brilliant & possibiliy the most literary author in YA.

Japanese Cover of WL

I requested info on the artist for my fav WL cover, & here's what I know now:

"The illustrator, Miyako Hasumi has been illustrating for many titles including domestic & translated titles, and also for magazines. Among her illustrations for translated titles, there are: HERE LIES ARTHUR by Philip Keeve, OLD MAGIC by Marianne Curley, Terry Goodkin's SF titles."

I feel utterly spoiled by this cover. I have had great luck w my covers in general, but this one is my absolutely favourite.

Goodreads Part 2

The Goodreads folks emailed to tell me that

"Fragile Eternity has been nominated for a 2009 Goodreads Choice Award in the Young Adult Series category. Blog, tweet, spread the word. Encourage all your fans on Goodreads to vote! http://www.goodreads.com/award/goodreader/2009"

So, umm, you don't have to vote for my book, but do feel encouraged to vote for something :)

Urban Fantasy Cover Contest

FE is also in a cover contest. The website folks there emailed me that:

"Fragile Eternity was nominated for Best Partial Body Cover & Best YA Cover & Best Floating Head Cover Voting [is open] December 1st - December 30th . . . . Click HERE to vote and enter to win in the 1st Annual Urban Fantasy Cover Art Awards"

I think that's everything . . . at least that's all I can remember ;)

As promised over HERE, I'm posting one more Chapter of RADIANT SHADOWS.

WHY?

Call it an early Solstice present (bc gods know I tend to prefer giving presents early) or proof of my impatience OR use it as a way to enter to win an early copy of the book :) Details on the contest(s) follow the excerpt.

In March, Harper will do the Browse Inside thing, where you can read prob 4 more chapters. In April (prob the 20th in the US, Canada, UK, AUS/NZ, & anywhere Eng lang books are exported) you can read the whole thing. In Oct/Nov, it'll release in Italy. For now, here's the second chapter.

NOTE: Pls note, my lovelies, that this is pre-copyedit (ie what it looks like in the ARC, before a proofreader points out places I may've missed a word!)


Chapter 2
( Read more... )

TO ENTER THE CONTEST to WIN ADVANCED READER COPY:

1. Read (Prologue, Ch 1, Ch 2, & the flap copy).

2. Make RS teaser/trailer video--deadline for entering is Dec 18th (voting day).

3. Upload to YouTube with THIS text: "This video is part of a contest for http://www.rathandruins.com , to win an ARC of Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr. To see the other videos in the contest, check out the Rath and Ruins YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RathandRuins#p/f If youve already seen the others and think mine is the best, vote for me! Comment vote to have your vote tallied but remember you can only vote for one video."

4. Email your URL to Rath Admin
contests@rathandruins.com

5. OPTIONAL: Lobby for votes

6. BONUS: IF you want to post them AFTER Dec 18, I will also send 6 winners signed finished copies of the book on May 1 when I get my author's copies

7. If you DO upload one, please tell me too so I can post it at my YouTube page too http://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaMarrAuthor

I'm more than a little impressed by all the videos so far. It's like getting to tell everyone details about the book . . . but without breaking the PTB's rules on how much I can share in public yet. La La La. Yep, that was totally accidental ;)

Ahem.

Here are 3 more of the Radiant Shadows trailers--

Mina's video:




Adorabledoremouse (AKA Kimber Lee Ann)'s video:



And Aliceseesthefuture's video:

I can share ONE more chapter of RADIANT SHADOWS. So . . . do you want Chapter 2 or a later one (prob 6 or 7)?

You decide.

Reply to this post w your vote btw now & when I wake up at midday on Tuesday.

I wanted to invite any & all who read this--no restrictions--to join the Rathers in the ability to create RADIANT SHADOWS teaser/trailers. To do that, I need to share an excerpt.

So . . . I begged the Powers that Be for permission, & I was granted consent to "use my best judgment" *shudders at WHAT that could mean*

As I wasn't sure if my judgment was sound, I tentatively suggested 2 chapters. No one snarled. I'm guessing that was a "yes."

Call it an early Solstice present (bc gods know I tend to prefer giving presents early) or proof of my impatience. Either way, here is the Prologue & Chap 1. Chapter 2 will go up in the next few days.

NOTE: Pls note, my lovelies, that this is pre-copyedit (ie what it looks like in the ARC, before a proofreader points out places I may've missed a word!)

TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

1. Read.

2. Make RS video--deadline for entering is Dec 18th (voting day).

3. Upload to YouTube with THIS text: "This video is part of a contest for http://www.rathandruins.com , to win an ARC of Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr. To see the other videos in the contest, check out the Rath and Ruins YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RathandRuins#p/f If youve already seen the others and think mine is the best, vote for me! Comment vote to have your vote tallied but remember you can only vote for one video."

4. Email your URL to Rath Admin
contests@rathandruins.com

5. OPTIONAL: Lobby for votes

6. BONUS: IF you want to post them AFTER Dec 12, I will send 6 winners signed finished copies of the book on May 1 when I get my authors copies

7. If you DO upload one, please tell me too so I can post it at my YouTube page too http://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaMarrAuthor

( Read more... )

If you recall, there are FOUR contests in which you can get copies of Radiant shadows.

1. Enter on Goodreads (thru Jan 12, US & Canada)

2. A WL casting video (I'm posting these over on my YouTube page). (NOW thru Jan 12, US & Canada)

3. A Radiant Shadows trailer/tease (I'm posting these over on my YouTube page). (NOW thru Jan 12, global)4. Voting and going viral. On January 12th, you can enter up to SIX times. To enter, ON THAT DATE you will
Winners will be chosen via a randomizer (US & Canada).

What this means--

You can enter on Goodreads now, and you can submit videos now, and you can post links now, and on the 12th of JANUARY you can vote for a top pick and tell where you've linked a WL or RS video.

Check back on the blog on Friday for a special update on entering. (HINT: I just got permission to expand the RS teaser contest by sharing excerpt of RADIANT SHADOWS on here.)


----------------
* Members must have 20 posts to read the excerpts.

I have a YouTube account for collecting* WL Casting videos & Radiant Shadows trailers. (http://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaMarrAuthor)

There are 4 SHADOWS trailers so far that I can share. They, of course, do reveal plot clues bc the video makers have read** the Prologue and first 6 chapters of the novel. (Those chapters are posted on the Rath-- wickedlovely.com). As a reminder, the Rath contest is open to people from ANYWHERE in the world, not just the US & Canada.

Tegan's video:




and

The Pickled Pizza's video:



and
Team Potter's video:



and

Cambria Covell's video:





___
* I got the acct a while ago for this purpose, but had nothing there, so hadn't announced it.

** To read the chapters, you must have 50 posts there. There is no time limit for reading.

Here are a few more WL Casting videos:

Emma:



Katrina:



GymnasticsxxChick:




And from the Rather's conterst, we have a book trailer for RADIANT SHADOWS:



I'm very much enjoying seeing all of these!

I just got permission to share. I have a cover.....................




I love it.

ETA: It's also on Goodreads now.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6368610-radiant-shadows-wicked-lovely-4

AND

on my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissa-marr/4120168013/

Here are a few more journal pages. The first set of
pages are over here.

NOTE #1: If you "click" the images twice, they should get big enough to read. The first "click" will open in a new page, & the second click will enlarge them to full screen.

NOTE #2: I do apologize for my handwriting. You can see that the faster the thoughts go, the less readable it is. . . which has the unfortunate consequence of making the transcription from notebook to type a challenge sometimes.

( Read more... )

I have a stack of notebooks. Almost every story I have started ends up in these (as well as revision notes, scrawl from phone calls w editor & w agent & w crit partners). When I travel, I always have a notebook, & on flights & in airports & when I am waiting for appointments or getting my hair dyed, I write in longhand.

Mostly, the only one who ever sees inside my notebooks is, well, me. They are my unpolished, as first draft as it gets text. They are the "just rolled outta bed, haven't combed my hair or washed my face or oh gods where is my tea??" version of text :)

That said, people often ask about the writing process. It is one of the top 3 writing questions asked in email & at events. I did a big blog on writing the manga (& a lenghy thing on it over at the Book Smugglers--and on the USB drives I gave out at events last year). I guess this is part of the answer to "How do I write a book?" For those who are interested, under the cut is the early stuff from Wicked Lovely that not even my editor or agent or crit partner have ever seen. For those who aren't interested, well, it's under an lj-cut to spare you :)

NOTE #1: If you "click" the images twice, they should get big enough to read. The first "click" will open in a new page, & the second click will enlarge them to full screen.

NOTE #2: I do apologize for my handwriting. You can see that the faster the thoughts go, the less readable it is. . . which has the unfortunate consequence of making the transcription from notebook to type a challenge sometimes.
( Read more... )

Now, off to see if I can find what I was actually looking for in these journals ;)

For those who are interested in the trailer entries so far, I have a few to share:

( Read more... )

I love this. Seeing what you all think/see when you visualize my characters is great fun. Keep letting my know when you have entries up. I'll be linking them on a YouTube page (& sharing that info on Twitter, Facebook, & MySpace). Remember that there are NO right answers, just varying opinions . . . kinda like most things in life :)

Contest 1. The enter-to-win on Goodreads went live. (10 ARCs)

Contest 2. Readers have started to submit entries for the first option (the WL World casting video). Remember to reply to this thread with the URLs for your WL Casting videos. (10 ARCs)

Contest 3. And the folks over at the Rath already have read the first 5 chapters so they can enter in their contest. That contest is for ALL Rathers (no restrictions). It can also include WL Movie Casting videos, WL book talks (you & your webcam), or any other WL video you devise. (12 ARCs)

Contest 4. Will happen in December, but the other 3 contests are already in progress.

That's 32 ARCs right there that I'm sending out to readers.*

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q:. But I live ----, & you are excluding me!
A: I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be mean. I have restrictions I have to follow. It's NOT personal.

Q: I would post abt it here, there, & other places.
A: In Dec there will be a 4th contest. Posting the links to the best casting video or fan made book trailer will get you up to 6 entries in that contest. Offering me reviews won't. (Sorry.) I say this every year, and I'll repeat it again: that's not what these ARCs are for. They're mostly either a) I'm impatient & want to share w readers who want to read and b) thank you gifts for helping keep me sane-ish during this career. In the past 2 years, I've sent my share of the ARCs to Rathers (those at the wl.com fansite) are Solstice gifts. This year I begged for extra to send more. They agreed. These are mine. I'm doing what I want with them.

Q: Videos??
A: Yep. I did photos, visual art, rec a song, rec a band, & now I'm doing videos. Why? *pauses* I can't create art. I love seeing it though. I also feel like a fool when ppl ask me abt "dream casts" for the Wicked Lovely movie. The only ideas I have are the ones my Rather Lovelies over at WL.com have given me. And, yeah, my producers have asked for my insights. . . but let's me honest, folks, if I didn't even know who Vince Vaughn was before his production house wanted to buy WL, the odds of me having any actors in mind are pretty freakin slim. (No, Vince isn't going to be in it. Yes, I trust that my producers will have brilliant ideas for casting, but I still am intrigued by what YOU see.)

Q: I can't make videos.
A: Me either ;) That's why there are a Goodreads & random number gen contest too.

Q: Still shots ok for videos?
A: Yep. Animation is too (for the trailer one). I'm all sorts of flexible. I just want to see what you see.

Q: What abt a WL/INK./FE trailer? Can that count too?
A: Sure. Post it in the reply to the WL casting thread.

Q: Why do the WL.com folks get to see the excerpt? Why can't I join there & see it?
A: Bc admin has imposed a 50 post minimum to see it to prevent that very thing. It's a gift to ALL active Rathers that I got special pemrission to give them. Seriously, folks, when I was on tour these people went for walks w me, joined me at an aquarium, tea shops, bars (only the adult readers!!!), restaraunts, uppity hotel lobbies, bookstores, a Target, museums . . . They send me cool letters. They send me notes of "saw you were in __. Great tea shop on __" (or store/funky spot/cool building). They've knitted me scarves.

I try to let them know how much I love their support of my books & their kindness to me, and it occurred to me that this was something I could give to them. Harper will post the same excerpt in the Spring. My Rathers just get it first. I mean seriously, several of them have adopted me as their "Auntie M" How could I NOT want to give them special access??!

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* Yes, reviews are allowed to enter, but you just don't get any special consideration. I'm not excluding you, but having a blog, newspaper, or any other review outlet doesn't get you a copy. That's what publishers do--give to reviewers.