#BIR2012 - CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Welcome to day two of Best I've Read 2012!

Be sure to check out the Best I've Read Blog to see today's features: INSURGENT by Veronica Roth and PANDEMONIUM by Lauren Oliver.

CINDER is one of those books that surprised me in all the perfect ways. Once I picked it up I never wanted to put it down, but I also never wanted it to end. It was one of the easiest choices for me when I picked my top 5 this year. You can check out my review of CINDER on the Books Complete Me blog HERE.

***About CINDER***

Released: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

From Goodreads: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Find Marissa Meyer Online: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook 

***Guest Post***

Marissa Meyer was kind of enough to provide a guest post for me today. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Some Things Never Change (Thank the Stars)

By Marissa Meyer

I am so honored that CINDER was chosen as one of Cindy’s “Best I’ve Read 2012” book selections. Cindy asked if, for this guest post, I could talk a bit about the book’s back story, which makes for a very timely post as I’m writing this on the tail-end of National Novel Writing Month, and, as so many novels do these days, CINDER first started life as a NaNo novel.

But as I started writing about my experience with NaNoWriMo, it led to some heavy reminiscing and a realization that even though I’m in a completely different place, career-wise, than I was back then—some things haven’t changed at all. And I’m so very happy about that.

I first drafted out CINDER during November of 2008. (It was an insane thirty days during which I wrote 150,011 words, which is kind of a long story, but if you’re curious you can read more about the writing adventure here: http://blog.lettersandlight.org/post/23295074539/i-sold-my-nanowrimo-novel-a-q-a-with-marissa-meyer.)

That was four whole years ago now, and a lot has happened since then. It took me two years to revise, edit, query, and sell the series, another year before CINDER released, and here I am writing this blog post having lived with the official title of “published author” for almost another full year. I’m now a full-time writer, have been on three multi-city tours, visited a Hollywood studio, been on panels with some of my all-time favorite authors, and even got to go to a book fair in Italy earlier this year.

And yet, five days ago I finished National Novel Writing Month again, with a brand new YA fantasy novel, and it reminded me that some things never change.

Things like:

Writing is still fun. Sure, there are days when it’s a struggle and a headache, but for the most part I still find myself succumbing to daydreams and giddiness and that itchy-finger feeling when I’m enthralled by a new story. I still adore getting to meet characters for the first time. I still sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a shiny idea in my head, or have to pull off to the side of the road because a perfect bit of dialogue came to me while I was driving. I still yearn to jump back into a story when I’ve taken too long of a break from it.

You still have to make the time for it. Like many writers, I always imagined that when I became a full-time writer, the time would just… be there. It would be my job! I would be at home all the time! What else would I possibly have to do? Well, it turns out, there will always be other things vying for your attention. If it isn’t a day job, it’ll be chores, family obligations, promotion and marketing work, or an endlessly towering reading list. Making writing a priority is a decision that must be made time and time again.

It’s more important than ever to appreciate the small things. No matter where you are in your writing career, you’ll always be looking forward to whatever comes next. Finish a novel. Get an agent. Get a book deal. Earn a bigger advance. Hit a bestseller list. Get a movie deal. Have a theme park based off your series. (Why not? J.K. Rowling got one!) It is truly never ending, which is why I’m learning that sometimes the most rewarding things are those little victories and rewards we earn every day. Finishing a chapter. Figuring your way out of a tricky plot mess. Reading over your work with a glass of wine in the evening. Buying a fresh bouquet of flowers for your writing desk. These are the things that you can appreciate wherever you are in your career, and they often make me feel luckier than any number of awards or sales figures could. Because these are the things that make me feel like a “real writer.”

Wherever you are with your writing, I urge you to find one thing about your writing path to love and appreciate every day.

Thank you again, Cindy, for choosing CINDER for your Best I’ve Read event and inviting me on to your blog today! I’m wishing all your readers a lovely holiday season, and happy writing.

***Giveaway***

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends, I have one copy of CINDER to giveaway. This is open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Please read all the Best I've Read giveaway rules for further information. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#BIR2012 - THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer E. Smith

Welcome to Best I've Read 2012! 

Be sure to check out the Best I've Read Blog to check out today's features: THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater and PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry. 

Monday's feature book is THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer E. Smith. Jennifer was kind enough to let me interview her, but first, here's a little about the book that still has me swooning months after reading it:

***About the Book***

Released: January 2, 2012
Publisher: Poppy/Little, Brown
Find Jennifer Online: BN.Com / Amazon / Website / Twitter / Facebook

From Goodreads: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

You can read my review HERE and Lynn's review (both from Books Complete Me) HERE. 

***Interview with Jennifer E. Smith***

CT: Books like THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (TSPOLAFS) are the reason why I love contemporary books so much. With TSPOLAFS, this is even more true because sometimes you just can't predict life, and no one learns that more than Hadley. Are you a believer in love at first sight? If you aren't, did this book make you a believer, even for a little while?

JES: I’d like to believe that love at first sight is possible, and I’ve certainly known people who claim that it’s happened to them.  It’s one of those things where it’s hard to say either way, and I think you have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief to tell a story like this one.  But when it comes right down to it, I’m both a romantic and an optimist, so I guess it wasn’t too hard for me to make that leap.  

CT: What is the most interesting conversation that you've ever had on a plane or in the airport with a stranger?

JES: Well, the book was inspired in part by a flight I took from Chicago to Dublin where I was sitting next to an old Irishman.  We talked books and literature pretty much the whole way, and when we arrived, we got separated in the line for customs, since he was Irish and I’m American.  Afterwards, I waited around for him to say goodbye, but never saw him again.  It struck me as kind of amazing that you could sit next to someone for seven hours and never even know their name, and that’s where the idea for this book really began.

CT: Hadley is so caught up in the stress of her father's remarriage that she doesn't quite realize that her assumptions about Oliver may be all wrong. How difficult was it for you to keep both Hadley and your readers in suspense? 

JES: Even though the book is told in third person, it sticks pretty closely with Hadley, which made it easier to explore her thoughts about Oliver without the reader knowing what was happening on his end.  It was definitely fun to try to keep people guessing along with Hadley…

CT: As a writer, I understand that first drafts rarely look like the final draft that they become. Can you share with us one major difference from the first to final draft of TSPOLAFS?

JES: Oliver has this bit throughout the book where he spouts a lot of random facts and statistics, but I actually hadn’t planned on that.  He had a pretty quirky personality throughout, so it wasn’t too far off, but the actual obsession with statistics didn’t come to me until I was nearing the end.  So I guess I can’t say it wasn’t ever part of the first draft, because I ended up going back and threading it through once I came up with it, but it just squeaked in there under the wire.  And I’m very happy it did!

CT: If you could only learn one thing from Hadley's and Oliver's experience, what would it be?

JES: To slow down and give people a chance.  I’ve always been the kind of person to sit down on a plane and immediately open a book or put in my headphones.  But if Hadley had done that, she never would have met Oliver.  So I think the lesson here is definitely just to open yourself up to the possibilities, and to the people around you.

***Giveaway***

Thanks to Little, Brown I am giving away one copy of THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. Enter by using the Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best I've Read 2012 - YAY! It's HERE!

It's that time of year again. That wonderful time in December where bloggers from all across the blogosphere are selecting their favorite books of the past year.

Welcome to Best I've Read 2012! 

For those of you who may be new to the BIR, here a few fun facts:

Best I've Read began in 2010 when I (as one of the founders of Books Complete Me) was looking for a way to bring together all of my blogger friends and wanted to celebrate all the amazing books we had read that year. Together, the blogs came up with the idea of Best I've Read. Our first year proved to be immensely successful and have decided to make it an annual event. The idea is to highlight and basically praise all those books from the year that we just can't stop thinking about. Across all eleven blogs you will find books published from pretty much every major publisher, plus those from smaller houses, and even some self-published books. I hope you enjoy this year's event and even more, I hope that you find some amazing books to read and add to your ever growing lists. 

Here is the full list of blogs participating:

Best I've Read (official blog of Best I've Read)
Page Turners Blog
Books Complete Me
Portrait of a Book
Once Upon a Twilight
Mundie Moms
Reading Lark
Amethyst Daydreams
A Reader's Ramblings
I am a Reader, Not a Writer
Cindy Thomas, YA Writer (That's me!)

BIR2012 runs officially from Monday, December 10th through Friday, December 14th, but be sure to check each individual blog for their own schedules.

I cannot WAIT to share my picks of 2012 with you! Stay tuned for interviews, exclusive excerpts, guest posts and giveaways. You won't want to miss it!

NaNoWriMo Update # 3

NaNoWriMo Progress: 

Starting word count: 18050 
Current word count: 50467
Total NaNo words written: 32417

Current Mood: Excited! 

Inspiration: I've used this quote before, but it's honestly the one that I write by. 

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of thier dreams. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt 

Goals as of Today: I'm aiming for 4K today. Not sure if that will happen since I have a ton of errands to run for Thanksgiving, but it's still my goal.

Recent Favorite NaNo-WiP Line: That color her face turned when she blushed was weirdly a turn on. Or maybe it wasn’t the color, but more the fact that she might actually be thinking the same dirty thoughts I was.

Non-NaNo News: It's almost Thanksgiving, which means my family is about to embark on long week of great food and great friends. I can't wait for the fun to begin! 

In My Downtime I'm Reading: THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas

I probably won't be posting another update until next week, so I want to wish each and every one of you a brilliantly happy Thanksgiving! 

NaNoWriMo Update #2

NaNoWriMo Progress: 

Starting word count: 18050 
Current word count: 30139
Total NaNo words written: 12089

Current Mood: Tired.

Inspiration: To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything. - Anatole France

Goals as of Today: I've already written a little over 2K today, but since I didn't write yesterday, I'm hoping to get at least 1K more in before the Colts play tonight.

Recent Favorite NaNo-WiP Line: This all felt dangerously close to that area with boys I tried to avoid at all costs. But then I remembered the way he’d smiled at me and I lost all my instincts.

Non-NaNo News: The last three days have been all kinds of awesome. I got to meet and hang out with my crit partner, Jennifer L. Armentrout and also spend some time with the super talented Kate Kaynak. I'm so sad that they are no longer in the Boston area. *sobs*

In My Downtime I'm Reading: THE ARCHIVED by Victoria Schwab

You should read this blog post: A Corollary to NaNoWriMo, or, Why I'm Prouder of 600 Words than 10,000 

By: Beth Revis
Because: Beth is always a source of inspiration for me, and her post about her progress on NaNo is no different. She'll remind you to be proud of what you've written.

Gratuitous Photograph: In honor of the epic election day we all just experienced, how about the most shared image ever?

#NaNoWriMo Update #1

NaNoWriMo Progress: 

Starting word count: 18050 
Current word count: 26511 
Total NaNo words written: 8461

Current Mood: Hopeful!

Inspiration: And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.  ~Sylvia Plath

Goals as of Today: I'd like to write another 2K today, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. At the very least I hope to write 41K more by December 1st.

Recent Favorite NaNo-WiP Line: “Is that why you won't go out with me? Because I was grumpy on our double date?”

Non-NaNo News: I love my neighbors. I went out to dinner with one of them on Friday night and had a blast. I'm also thrilled with good news that one of my crit partners is getting. Also, I get to meet another crit partner tonight for the first time. I am SO EXCITED!

In My Downtime I'm Reading: THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas

You should read this blog post: Random Thoughts: NaNoWriMo  

By: Rachel Clarke @ Fiktshun 
Because: Sometimes just having people to keep you accountable in your writing makes all the difference. And because she’s all kinds of awesome.

Gratuitous Photograph: I want this bookshelf. I want twenty of them!

Source: target.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

NaNoWriMo or Bust

If you're a writer you probably heard of NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. I've wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo for the past two years, but missed it both times. This year I'm finally in a good place--just 20K into my new MS--so NaNo couldn't come at a better time. 

To say I'm nervous is a major understatement. I usually have a 2K writing goal for myself on the days that I write, but I don't write every single day. I'd say I write an average of 4 days a week. That said, I've done the math and 2K a day 4 times a week will not get me to the goal of 50K in one month. That makes me nervous.

Then there is the fact that we always have friends in town for Thanksgiving and that will nix at least 4 days of writing time from my schedule.Again, this makes me nervous. 

BUT....

I have learned a few things about myself over the past few years of writing. One of those things is that I don't give up. Another is that I'm always ready for a challenge.

So...starting tomorrow I'll be knee deep in word count goals and swimming in that blissfully happy place that you can only find when you've written more than you expected. I'm sure I'll also be stressed out and worried about succeeding, but I'm excited to finally experience the month of craziness.

I saw a post on the lovely Katy Upperman's blog with this form to keep up with the month's progress:

Progress (word count or a general status update):
Current Mood:
Inspiration (a writing-related quote):
Goals as of Today:
Recent Favorite NaNo-WiP Line:
Non-NaNo News (because life DOES go on):
In My Downtime (ha!) I'm Reading:
You should read this blog post: By: Because:
Gratuitous Photograph (because she [Katy] loves 'em!  - and I do too!):

I definitely plan to use this, and encourage you to do so as well. 

If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, you can find and buddy me HERE. 

If you're not participating please wish me luck. Happy writing everyone!