HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, SPARK!

It's release day for SPARK, a piece of magical realism about star-crossed lovers, righting history, and escaping your own perceived "flaws," perfect for those who are drawn to the theater:

THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOK CLUB BLOG TOUR FOR SPARK HAS BEGUN!

The blog tour organized by The Fantastic Flying Book Club is officially underway! Check out the initial interview and enter to win a copy of Spark.

TRAILER: SPARK (YA / HARPERCOLLINS)

Yesterday, I revealed a more traditional so-what's-it-about trailer. Today, I'm revealing a more thematic trailer for my forthcoming YA, SPARK:

SPARK - BOOKLIST REVIEW AND TRAILER

I received a really lovely review from Booklist just as I was putting together my trailer for my forthcoming YA, SPARK.

In part, Booklist said, "Rooted in magic realism, this sweet story faintly echoes Romeo and Juliet as it explores what it means to be a survivor, a bystander, and a member of a small community. Schindler's story casts a shimmering spell that links tragic historic and contemporary events in a small Missouri town."

More on the "shimmering spell" below:

Spark - Holly Schindler from Holly Schindler on Vimeo.

COVER REVEAL: HOLLY SCHINDLER'S SPARK (YA / HARPERCOLLINS / '16)

My next YA, SPARK, is being unveiled across the blogosphere today. I'm thrilled to share here, as well:

Holly Schindler’s SPARK:

When the right hearts come to the Avery Theater—at the right time—the magic will return. The Avery will come back from the dead.

Or so Quin’s great-grandmother predicted many years ago on Verona, Missouri’s most tragic night, when Nick and Emma, two star-crossed teenage lovers, died on the stage. It was the night that the Avery’s marquee lights went out forever. 

It sounds like urban legend, but one that high school senior Quin is now starting to believe, especially when her best friend, Cass, and their classmate Dylan step onto the stage and sparks fly. It seems that magic can still unfold at the old Avery Theater and a happier ending can still be had—one that will align the stars and revive not only the decrepit theater, but also the decaying town. However, it hinges on one thing—that Quin gets the story right this time around.

Holly Schindler brings the magic of the theater to life in this tale of family ties, fate, love, and one girl’s quest to rewrite history.

~

“In my hometown, the restoration of a former movie theater on the town square provided the genesis for my new YA novel, SPARK. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of seeing their name in blazing neon across a gigantic marquee? Let me invite you to dim the lights and draw back the velvet curtains—let your imagination run wild as you enter my fictional Avery Theater, where literally anything goes…”

—Holly Schindler

~

Holly Schindler is the author of three previous YA novels: PLAYING HURT as well as the critically acclaimed FERAL (starred PW review) and A BLUE SO DARK (starred Booklist review, ForeWord Book of the Year silver medal, IPPY gold medal). A writer of books for all ages, Schindler’s MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, has made the master list for children’s book awards in Illinois, South Carolina, and Alabama. She is also a hybrid author, having independently released comedic women’s fiction (FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS) and the forthcoming PLAY IT AGAIN, her adult follow-up to her YA PLAYING HURT. She can be reached through her author site: hollyschindler.com, and hosts special sneak peeks and giveaways for subscribers of her newsletter: tinyletter.com/hollyschindler.

~

SPARK “Premieres” May 17, 2016, but you can buy your “tickets” now. 

Links to pre-order - 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Holly-Schindler/dp/0062220233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443300868&sr=8-1&keywords=spark+holly+schindler

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spark-holly-schindler/1122566794?ean=9780062220233

IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062220233

Add to your TBR list - 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26155766-spark

COVER REVEAL FOR SPARK (YA / HARPERTEEN / 2016)

I'm delighted to announce I'm now organizing the cover reveal for my forthcoming YA, SPARK!

Don't blog? No problem. You can still participate by sharing the cover on a social media account. Fill out the form below to take part. (Having trouble viewing the form? You can also fill it out here or shoot an email to writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com.

SPARK ON AMAZON AND GOODREADS

There's something about seeing the entry for your book go live on Amazon and Goodreads...even when it doesn't yet have a cover or jacket copy posted. It just makes it real somehow.

Just last week, SPARK (my forthcoming YA) went live on both sites.

You can pre-order SPARK on Amazon here.
And add SPARK to your Goodreads TBR shelf here.

ANNOUNCING THE TITLE AND RELEASE DATE FOR MY NEXT YA!

I'm thrilled to announce the title and release date for my next YA!

THEM'S FIGHTIN' WORDS

Before Christmas, my brother and I started brainstorming what our pro-fighter (boxing, wrestling, etc.) names would be. (This was one of those car-ride conversations...) I decided mine would be Lightning Bolt Larry. (Got a nice ring eh?)

...So my brother took it upon himself to make me a shirt bearing my fighting name. To wear, of course, when I need to attack some new writing job.

Right now, I'm attacking my editor's notes for my forthcoming YA. And man, do I mean attack. I've already slashed 30K words out of it. Ouch.

Back to work!

I'M BIG IN NEW ZEALAND: FERAL AND AUCKLAND LIBRARIES' TEEN SCENE

This dates me, I'm sure, but in the movie SINGLES, Matt Dillon's in this gone-nowhere band (Citizen Dick--oh, how that cracked me up in the '90s)...Anyway, when Dillon's character runs into somebody who's never heard of the band, the response is always, "Yeah, well, we're big in Japan."

I got this really cool review in my inbox yesterday from the Auckland Libraries' Teen Scene, and I've been going around everywhere saying, "Yeah, well, I'm big in New Zealand." 

~

"Claire Cain is a award winning student journalist who took a stand and told the truth to save her best friend - an act of truth and loyalty that lead to a vicious beating that almost cost her her life. Months later Claire and her father leave behind the memories of that night by moving to the small town of Peculiar, Missouri where her father will be during his sabbatical - a chance for both of them to have a fresh start. 

But in matter of days after their arrival Claire stumbles across the body of Serena Sims in the woods, her corpse surrounded by the feral cats that seem to be taking over the town.

There are spooky similarities between the two girls - the least of which is their love of journalism and the truth.  The more Claire learns about the town and the her new classmates, the more Claire realises that life in a small town can be just as complicated and twisted as the big city.  With Serena haunting her ever step, Claire is in a race against time to solve the mystery of her death.  But even in a small town there can be big secrets - secrets people are willing to kill to keep.  

Feral is a genre defying book that will keep you guessing what is coming next, skipping from genre to genre are you move from chapter to chapter - revealing the true nature of the book only in the last few pages.  Appealing as a murder mystery, as a thriller, as a mind bending look into the human soul/nature - Feral will keep you on your toes from start to finish.  A haunting and addictive read about love, loss, friendship, and hope."

COVER REVEAL: THE SUMMER AFTER YOU & ME - JENNIFER SALVATO DOKTORSKI

I'm delighted to participate in Jennifer Salvato Doktorski's cover reveal for THE SUMMER AFTER YOU & ME.  Love the title, and MAN, is that a grab-me cover!  Gotta.  Getta.  Copy.

The Summer After You and Me

Release date:  Spring 2015, Sourcebooks Fire

By Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

On the day before Superstorm Sandy crashes into the New Jersey shore, local girl Lucy Giordano spends an intense morning with the summer boy next door, Connor Malloy. Lucy believes it’s the start of something special between her and the boy she’s been watching for years from behind sunglasses. But when Connor returns home and doesn’t call like he promised, Lucy realizes she made a big mistake—one she vows to keep a big secret. A smart girl like Lucy knew better than to cross a line that big with a player like that. She accepts that her love life is just one more thing that took a big hit from the devastating hurricane and moves on.

Now it’s the first summer after the storm, and the boy Lucy spent all winter trying to forget returns to Seaside Park with a new girlfriend, Bryn. Lucy tells herself it doesn’t matter, she’s with Andrew Clark now, her best friend who recently became more. Forget love and destiny, Lucy is more determined than ever to think with her mind, not her heart, and spend the summer hanging with her Seaside friends, working at Breakwater Burrito, and focusing on her goal of becoming a marine zoologist. But Lucy’s grand plans unravel before the first tan lines appear. When Lucy discovers her twin brother, Liam, and their parents have secrets of their own, and her rock-solid boyfriend is not-so-solid after all, she struggles to rebuild a life with the people she cares the most about in the place she loves.  

THE SUMMER AFTER YOU AND ME on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23299562-the-summer-after-you-and-me

Where to find Jen Doktorski:

www.jendoktorski.com

Twitter: @jdoktorski

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jendoktorski

SNEAK PEEK OF FERAL - RELEASING NEXT WEEK!

We're growing ever closer to the release of my next YA, FERAL.  In fact, the book releases a week from tomorrow!  To celebrate, here's the final sneak peek of the first chapter:


Be sure to pre-order your copy to make sure your copy arrives as soon as possible following the release.

SIGNED ARC OF FERAL

FERAL, my next YA (and first mystery / thriller) won't release until August...but you can get your hands on a copy!  I'm hosting a giveaway of a signed ARC.  US / Canadian residents can fill out the form at the end of the post; the giveaway runs through May 5th.

Bloggers who have already gotten their hands on an E-ARC through Edelweiss have already begun commenting on the setting of the book; below is a vlog in which I explain why I chose Peculiar, Missouri as the setting of FERAL:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

FERAL - ONLINE TOUR + TRAILER PARTY

Exciting news for my next YA (and first mystery / thriller), FERAL.  The book went live on Edelweiss last week; bloggers can grab an e-galley now:

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened.

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

To celebrate the galleys hitting the world,  I'm holding a trailer party...and you're invited!  To attend, share the trailer (below) anywhere you can: your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.



I'm also in the earliest stages of organizing the online tour: vlogs, sneak peeks, giveaways, and more!  To participate,  sign up using the form below.  If you have trouble viewing the form, email me at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com.

DEAR BLOGGERS - FERAL IS YOURS

Yesterday, I sent my notes on the first-pass pages for FERAL to my editor.  This was my last chance to make any changes to the manuscript. 

I have to admit, I had a funny feeling sending the book along yesterday.  You'll be hearing more about the journey FERAL took from first draft to publication in the next few months, but I initially drafted the book a decade ago, as an MG novel.  Claire, my protagonist, has gone through about a hundred name do-overs and personality revamps; she's changed more than any MC in any of my books, actually. 

Now, though, I have to let her go.  Claire's not mine anymore; she belongs to my readers and bloggers.  There's a slight sadness to letting a project go, but there's also a new excitement to it, too.  Claire's yours; I hope the journey you'll take with Claire as a reader will be every bit as fulfilling as mine was as a writer.

Can't wait to introduce you...

COVER REVEAL - FERAL

My next YA, FERAL, releases with HarperCollins August 26, 14.  Though it'll be my third YA, it will also be my first thriller, first mystery, as both the cover and jacket copy reveal:

It’s too late for you. You’re dead.

Those words float through Claire Cain’s head as she lies broken and barely alive after a brutal beating. And the words continue to haunt her months later, in the relentless, terrifying nightmares that plague her sleep. So when her father is offered a teaching sabbatical in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out of Chicago, away from the things that remind her of what she went through, will offer a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire quickly realizes something is wrong—the town is brimming with hidden dangers and overrun by feral cats. And her fears are confirmed when a popular high school girl, Serena Sims, is suddenly found dead in the icy woods behind the school. While everyone is quick to say Serena died in an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it—for she was the one who found Serena, battered and most certainly dead, surrounded by the town’s feral cats.

Now Claire vows to learn the truth about what happened, but the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to discovering a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley. . . .

With an eerie setting and heart-stopping twists and turns, Holly Schindler weaves a gripping story that will make you question everything you think you know.

~

Be sure to pre-order FERAL or add it to your shelves on Goodreads. 

 

I can't WAIT for August to get here...

CALLING ALL BLOGGERS - COVER REVEAL FOR MY THIRD YA, FERAL

My third YA, FERAL, is set to release this summer...and I'm calling on my fabulous bloggers to help spread the word!  I'm now organizing a cover reveal, which will take place on 2/13.

All you have to do to participate is fill out the form below.  I'll shoot you the image, to be posted on your blog on lucky 13!

If you have trouble with the form, contact me directly at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com. 

CRISSA-JEAN CHAPPELL'S MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH (+ GIVEAWAY)

The fabulous Crissa-Jean Chappell's got a new book releasing January 8 (just two days before my birthday...what a good present, hint-hint).

Half native. Half white.
One hundred percent nothing.

My mom doesn’t want me. My dad just got out of jail. They want me to go live with him on the reservation, in the Everglades. Trouble is, everybody there just ignores me.

At least I get to work with Pippa on my film project at school. We used to be friends when we were like twelve. Now that we’re hanging out again it’s like old times—except she’s way cuter.

The thing is, I don’t belong anywhere. I don’t fit in on the rez, and I suck at school. My dad thinks I’m an idiot, but Pippa thinks I’m all good.

I don’t know what to think. Am I bad news or am I more than good enough?

 Praise:
“Powerful and satisfying.”—Geoff Herbach, author Nothing Special, winner of the 2013 Minnesota Book Award for Young People’s Literature

"[C]ompelling and emotionally nuanced."—Kirkus Reviews

Crissa's also doing a giveaway for the pub date.  Here's the 411:


Want to win a signed copy of the book? It's easy!  Double-click to like the final teaser trailer on Instagram:

Retweet the trailer (or tweet Crissa @crissachappell).

Use the hashtag #MoreThanGoodEnough

Add the title More Than Good Enough on Goodreads.

On the book's birthday (1/8/2014) Crissa will pick three winners.

SHEER CUTENESS + BIG NEWS FOR FERAL (MY NEXT YA)

Big news: my next YA, FERAL, has been sent to copyediting!  We're getting close, folks. I can't wait to share the cover, official release date, etc.

When I emerged from the cave (ahem, office) after the last round of rewrites, I got to enjoy a new round of fall cuteness:

It's a great mug my pooch has, but I still say the cutest part of a Peke is the tail / rump:

(Am I the only gal out there who thinks her dog's rump is cute???)

Seriously, though...stay tuned.  More info on FERAL to come soon!

SACRED BOOK TRAILER

As I've said before, I've been eyebrow-deep in revisions this summer.  In the days leading up to sending a revision off to one of my editors, I tend to pull back from my online life a bit, focus only on my pages. 

After hitting "send" this morning, I headed out into the YA blogosphere to discover that Elana K. Arnold's book trailer for her debut YA, SACRED, has just gone live.

I love this one...simple, beautifully filmed, and it manages to accomplish what is so tricky about a trailer: boiling the book down into images that only last a minute, offering just enough info that you're intrigued, but not so much that (unlike movie trailers) you get the feeling you now know everything just by watching the video.

To learn more, visit Elana's website.  Pre-order on Amazon.