LANDRY PARK and JUBILEE MANOR Cover Reveal!

Hello.

I have something to show you today.

So a while back, I wrote this book called Landry Park.  And then I wrote a sequel to it called Jubilee Manor.  Both are books set in a world where the wealthy live in massive estates fueled by nuclear power, and the main character, Madeline Landry, is poised to inherit one of the largest and wealthiest estates in the nation.  Of course, nothing is ever that easy, so when unrest erupts among the lowest caste—the Rootless—and a boy who is strangely connected to it all moves to town, she is forced to choose between her destiny as a Landry and her conscience.

When my editor emailed me to show me the paperback cover for Landry Park, I was elated.  For one thing, I think it's beautiful—you get to see some of Landry Park itself in the background.  The new tagline is perfect.  And that dress.  

For another thing, and I have to be really honest here, pretty much my absolute favorite part of publishing a book is getting a cover.  And I got to get two for Landry Park!

Now for the really good stuff.  Because at the same time I got my gorgeous paperback cover, I got my even more gorgeous sequel cover!  First, here's a little blurb about Jubilee Manor:

The thrilling conclusion to Landry Park is full of love, betrayal and murder--perfect for fans of Divergent, The Selection and Pride and Prejudice.

In Landry Park, Madeline turned her back on her family, friends and estate to help the Rootless.  Now, she struggles to bring the gentry and the Rootless together, despite the prejudices that divide them.  But when a gentry heir is slaughtered in the ballroom of Landry Park, even Madeline suspects a Rootless is behind it, putting her at odds with the boy she loves and the very people she's trying to lead.

As more heirs are murdered, Madeline searches desperately for the killer, all while trying to keep the explosive city away from war. Violence and tumult rock through the gentry and the Rootless as Madeline risks everything to find out the truth--even her life.

Jubilee Manor will release August 11, 2015.

And now, here is the cover:

What do you think?  I can't stop bouncing happily in my chair as I look at it.  The blue swirls remind me of the cherenkov lanterns that are so prevalent in the book, and the crisscrossing pattern makes me think of the atomic symbol and of electrons whizzing around a nucleus. And I love that you can see more of the estate in this picture and get a sense of its scale and grandeur.  

And of course, that dress.

Twirl that Moustache: Your Favorite Villains

We love our heroes. But villains are worthy of our love, too, for so many reasons. These days, villains seem to have as many (or more?) fans than the heroes of our favorite SF/F stories. 

Here, our Leaguers share some of their favorite villains, and why!

Beth Revis:
My favorite villain is The Operative in the movie Serenity. He is absolutely evil, but he absolutely believes that what he is doing is the right thing. He's not a mustache-twirling bad guy (which, despite the helmet, Darth Vader totally is); he has explicit, specific--and even reasonable--logic for doing the horrible things he does. His reaction to everything that happens in the end of the novel is amazing, something very few villains do, and that makes him even more perfect.

The Operative, from Serenity. "Darth Vader is flat Stanley. Because Beth says so and I agree."

Mindy McGinnis:
My favorite SF/F villain is Black Jack Randall from the Outlander series. Every villain has a reason for what they're doing, and Gabaldon actually made me cry for him at one point. HOW!??! I don't know, but she did.

Black Jack Randall. A keen eye and a bloody good hat.
Source

Bethany Hagen:
Both Victor and Eli from V.E. Schwab's Vicious.  They are both so clever and original, plus I really dug the idea that they were battling each other, and it wasn't necessarily a hero vs. villain.  More like villains versus each other.

This is Victor, turning his back on you.

Lissa Price:
I will go with the Master from the David Tennant version of Dr Who. 

The Master, from Dr Who. Source
"This? Oh, it's just a fork. Trust me."

E.C. Myers:
I am going with General Zod, specifically from the film Superman II. He isn't the worst villain, but he's definitely evil and ambitious and a match for Supes. He's also inadvertently funny and entertaining. "Kneel before Zod" is classic, and there's this great moment in the film where he's being interviewed on TV and he ends it by using his own name as an exclamation: "Zod!"

General Zod. "Kneel before my superlative facial hair stylings."

Lydia Kang:
I would say Loki from Thor. He's so devilishly evil but with a squishy heart inside. And then there's Khan, from Star Trek into Darkness. I also had a major villain crush on Pitch, from Rise of the Guardians. That scratchy voice was too much. Who doesn't want to strive to just exist? I could go on...

Here's Loki looking SO evil. Um. Wait. Let me try another. 

Hmm. Evil looks too good. Let's try another.

"BOO!"
Source

That's better!

So do you have a favorite villain? Tell us who and why in the comments below!

Four Reasons You Need to ASCEND

Tomorrow is the day that LARK ASCENDING ascends onto shelves!   LARK is the third book in the SKYLARK Trilogy, penned by the wonderful (and wonderfully talented) Meagan Spooner (who also co-wrote the beautiful These Broken Stars [which made me have Feels.])

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy, and so I'm here to tell you that there are some VERY IMPORTANT REASONS that you need to find your way into Lark Ainsley's world, if you haven't already.

1. Magic!
If you haven't read any of the Skylark books yet, I won't ruin it all for you, but there is most definitely magic and Lark is most definitely able to use it, like a BAMF magic-warrior-lady.

Magic Hands!

2. Oren
Again, if you haven't delved into the Skylark books, I won't be spoilery, but I will say that Oren is fiercely loyal, fiercely wild, and has one heck of a dangerous secret--one that could destroy him and everyone he comes near.

Oren:  Safe? No.  Hot? Yes.

3. Nix
Nix is a magically-powered steampunk-pixie-pet who used to be bad and is now mostly good, but has an extremely smart mouth.  In addition to protecting Lark, it also makes sure that everyone around it knows how dumb it thinks they are.  Nix may be my spirit animal.

4. Answers with a Capital A
A mysterious girl named Eve.  The evil Institute and its overlord Gloriette. The architects who started it all.  Lark returns to the city of her birth and finally unearths the Truth.

Sorry.  Couldn't resist.

So there you have it!  LARK ASCENDING is beautifully written, haunting, magical steampunk-y goodness, and it is going to be here TOMORROW!

And it's available at all of these fine places:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Depo

Indiebound

Booksamillion

I Will Show You the Awesome IN A HANDFUL OF DUST

Tomorrow, September 23rd, is a special day, and not just because it’s the day that Frodo leaves Bag End in The Fellowship of the Ring.  Tomorrow, you will be able to get your hot little hands on Mindy McGinnis’s IN A HANDFUL OF DUST.  You will be able to crack open the spine.  You will be able to smell the freshly printed pages.  And even better, you will get to find out what happens to Lynn, our favorite rifle-toting badass from NOT A DROP TO DRINK.

Six Additional Reasons You Want What This Book’s Got:

1. It’s like The Road for teens and also with more shooting.

2. Lynn and Lucy prove that female friendship can be just as complex and riveting as any love story.

3. It’s a journey story!  Sort of like The Fellowship of the Ring but with more shooting.  Or The Gunslinger but with young women instead of dudes and also more shooting.

4. The parched American Midwest is bleak, beautiful and unforgettable.

5. Tons of gorgeous poetry allusions:

6. There is a Plot Twist.  But I can’t tell you what it is.  But it made me do this:

Then, by the end:

So, in conclusion: IN A HANDFUL OF DUST = AMAZEPANTS.

If you're extra curious, here's the blurb:

Fans of classic frontier survival stories as well as readers of dystopian literature will enjoy this futuristic story about an epic cross-country journey. In a Handful of Dust is set ten years after the first novel, Not a Drop to Drink, as a dangerous disease strikes the community where teenage Lucy lives. When her adoptive mother, Lynn, takes Lucy away from their home and friends in order to protect her, Lucy struggles to figure out what home means. During their journey west to find a new life, the two face nature's challenges, including hunger, mountains, and deserts.

New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant says Not a Drop to Drink is a debut "not to be missed," and this companion title is full of Mindy McGinnis's evocative, spare language matched with incredible drama and danger. In a Handful of Dust is perfect for fans of Partials, Enclave, and Legend.

And here's where you can find it:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Indiebound

Book Depository

Interview with LANDRY PARK author, Bethany Hagen

Okay, so I'm here today with Bethany Hagen, fellow League member and the author of LANDRY PARK! Her debut just came out on Tuesday, and you really need to read it! I devoured it in one day, anxiously turning the pages (or, uh, swiping the screen) to find out what would happen next!

About LANDRY PARK: Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down. As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.

Add to your Goodreads shelf!

Buy the book!

I asked Bethany a few questions about the book, so let's start there.

1. So LANDRY PARK is set in the future, but it has a very old-fashioned feel. How did you come up with that concept?
The concept came from lots of bored hours working in a museum. Museums are great incubators--they're quiet and they're full of dusty forgotten things that have all these great stories. (I need to get to more museums, stat!) I loved giving tours of the futuristic 1950's All-Electric House and reading articles about bomb shelters and quirky radioactive gadgets, and I also loved sifting through pictures of Edwardian debutantes and people attending opera houses during the Gilded Age. Those ideas started to gel together--what if our future did embrace all these facets of the past? What if we took luxury and leisure back to the precedents set in earlier times? (I love the "what-if" game.)

2. The nuclear energy in LANDRY PARK is well-developed and such a fresh take in science fiction. Did you have to do a lot of research on nuclear energy and radiation poisoning?
When I first started writing the book, I had a very limited idea about how nuclear power worked--most of what I had learned about the energy came from watching the Fukushima news coverage and most of what I knew about radiation came from reading John Hersey's Hiroshima. So I quickly learned that I needed to beef up my knowledge; I read books and journal articles and watched DVDs rented from the library. (And actually, it was when I researched the topic more intensely that I discovered the Cherenkov radiation effect, which then went on to play a bigger part in the book.)

3. When did you write LANDRY PARK? What's one scene that you can still remember drafting for the first time?
I started Landry Park in 2011, using seeds from a different novel I was working on in 2010. I still remember this one scene, where the city's playboy--David Dana--helps a girl up after she falls. She's a member of the Rootless (the caste of people forced to handle the city's nuclear waste) and there's a huge stigma about having any sort of physical contact with them. And here's this guy, selfish and wealthy, helping her and touching her and being kind to her. (I LOVE that scene!) I was writing it next to my daughter's crib while she was jabbering to herself instead of going to sleep, and I had to stop halfway through to nurse her...*heavy sigh* and now she's gigantic and in preschool. (Wait until she's taller than you...)

4. Is LANDRY PARK your first novel?
Landry Park is the third novel I've written, but my first published one. I think the first two are destined to stay buried forever. We'll call them "practice novels."

5. Is LANDRY PARK the beginning of a series? Tell us all about everything!
Landry Park will have a sequel! I'm tentatively calling it Landry Park II: The Tulle Returns. I won't say much, since it's still being written, but there's lots of dresses and food and stoic soldier boys, for people who like that sort of thing. (And who doesn't like that sort of thing??! I mean, come on.)

6. Give us a glimpse of your writing and publishing journey that lead to LANDRY PARK being published.
After I finished Landry Park, I made a short list of my favorite agents. I sent it to the very very favorite one who read it and liked it, but saw room for the book to grow. She offered me a chance to revise it and then send it back to her. I did, and she loved it enough to represent me! I dropped my contract for her in the mail on Thursday, she submitted to editors on Friday and then we had an offer on Monday morning from my dream house. It was surreal.

About Bethany: Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City. She grew up reading Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur, and went on to become a librarian. Landry Park is her debut novel.

7. When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
Jane Eyre or Lord of the Rings. And of course, my bible--Entertainment Weekly. (Nice! I really need to pay closer attention to pop culture.)

8. If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
Oh, this is hard, because the reasonable part of me says "toothbrush" but my heart says "a bottle of Macallan 12."

9. A guilty pleasure?
Sweatpants. Although my amount of guilt about wearing them drops every day I'm on a deadline. (Hey, at least you put on pants... just sayin'.)

10. Bacon or chocolate?
BACON. (Yes! *fistpump* A girl after my own heart.)

So there's the scoop. You really, really need to get a copy of LANDRY PARK. You will not be disappointed. Fans of romance, dystopian novels, intrigue, danger, and gorgeous writing will love it.

Landry Park: In Geek-Gown Heaven

I am so excited about the release of Landry Park this week! For two reasons.

1. I love, love, love 19th century English literature, as in all things Austen and Brontë.
2. Radiation.

That's right.

Bethany Hagen wove two things together — the formal, unforgiving structure of the society from years gone past, along with the glowing blue light of radiation that marked the transformation of a chaotic country into one filled with order and an unbreachable class system.

I've been fascinated and entranced by life in the 1900s. How making a match in upper class families was a careful dance of rank and money. How they dressed! And how women would find their strength within a society that kept them confined and often powerless.

Mixing that with a futuristic sci-fi thriller is a corseted dream come true. Now...onto the radiation!

The Cherenkov Lantern is mentioned throughout Hagen's book, and I won't spoil much except to say that Cherenkov radiation is a real thing. See the pretty blue on Landry Park's cover? It's the same blue that glows from real Cherenkov radiation:

Blue light from the radioactive core of a nuclear reactor.
Source: Wikipedia

So pretty! And so...radioactive. It's a very key piece to the evolution of this story and Madeline's struggle within it.

If you'd like to read a book that ties together the fascinating bindings of a class society, along with intrigue, a solid dystopian world, romance, and a smart heroine struggling with her own duties to her family, you are going to adore this book. I did!

About LANDRY PARK:

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down.  As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.

Buy now at:

Amazon - IndieBound - Barnes & Noble - Books-A-Million - Book Depository

The Characters of Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

LANDRY PARK was fascinating to me because it's a dystopian told from the rare point of view of one of the haves rather than the have-nots. In the future, the gentry control society and the less wealthy work as merchants or governesses. Then there's the untouchable caste, The Rootless, condemned to their fate of working with nuclear radiation by the sins of their ancestors.

Apart from the inventive world-building and twisty plot, what really made this novel work for me were the complex characters:

Madeline

As the Landry heiress, Madeline must marry by 21 and is forbidden to attend university. She doesn't enjoy the pomp of the gentry, but she loves her estate and is protective of her family. She's conflicted by the poor treatment of the Rootless. On the one hand she feels for them (and donates blood), but on the other she's rightfully afraid of them.

David

David is the new boy in town, and thanks to his family's money, every gentry parent would love their daughters to get their hooks in him. At first, Madeline dismisses him as just as vapid as every other boy in her circle, but she soon learns differently - and finds herself falling for him.

He didn’t fit into our world as he should. Underneath the good looks and the glamour, there was a changeling; a boy by turns serious and bitter and playful. (p 68)

Cara

Cara is haughty and beautiful and seems to be Madeline's main rival for David's affections. She's also harboring a secret. She's a classic mean girl with a twist. 

Jaime

Jaime is Madeline's best friend and distant cousin who works as a doctor taking care of the rootless. He has a secret relationship with another man.

ETA: How could I forget the cat? Morgana! (and *spoiler* she doesn't die!)

Hope you enjoy meeting everyone as much as I did!

Three ways in which LANDRY PARK is both brilliant and unique

So guess what? This beauty hits shelves TODAY!

Can we just take a moment and stare at the pretty?

I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of fellow league member Bethany Hagen's Landry Park, and let's just say that I was not only hooked from the very beginning, but BLOWN AWAY. Bethany created a world and characters that are so real, with descriptions that make you feel like she must've been there while she was writing. It's a rare thing to read a world that is so complete that it transports you there so fully. But that's just the tip of the brilliance iceberg. Here are three reasons why Landry Park is both brilliant and unique:

1. It's a FUTURISTIC REGENCY. Yep-- you read that right. Downright fascinating, no? Landry Park takes place a little over 200 years in the future, but with a caste system with strong roots in the early 1900s. It was so fascinating to read so many regency elements mixed with both technology we know now and futuristic technology. It was a delightful mix, and I would've loved it just for those elements alone.
2. You know how it is-- one man's utopia is another man's dystopia. We've all read plenty of dystopias where the main character is oppressed by the government, and they fight against it. One of the unique things about Landry Park is that the main character, Madeline, is on the utopian side of the fence. She lives at Landry Park-- the most elegant estate in the nation. And she is the daughter of the most powerful man in the country, and the sole heir to Landry Park and all the power that comes with it. And no, it doesn't make Madeline's character any less likeable at all. In fact, her character arc is incredible.
3. Nuclear power, along with radiation and its effects are a big factor in this world. This is a smart book with lots of science that is explained exactly enough to let you truly enjoy the story. The intricacies of this power source introduces some great conflict in the story, and does it in a way that feels like it could actually happen.

If you're looking for a well plotted, well executed book that grabs you from the start and pulls you along every step of the way, then you're in luck, because this baby is out today! You can find it at any of these places, or at your local indie:

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Book Depository

And you can find out more about Bethany Hagen and Landry Park here:

Website | Blog | Twitter 

Good News Everyone! LANDRY PARK Has a Cover!

I have to admit something: publishing can be a little dull sometimes.  I am saying this fully grateful for the (mostly due to luck) gift of being published, and I am saying this fully cognizant of eighteen-months-ago Bethany, who was so desperate to get published that she would probably stab me in the face for saying that it isn't all foot massages and beer tastings.

But truth?  It's not.  It's validating and wonderful and yes, I get the greatest gift of all, which is getting paid for making things up in my brain and being able to use the word "tintinnabulation" correctly in a sentence.  But there are long periods of waiting in publishing.  You sell your book and then you wait for an edit letter.  You turn in the edited book and wait for the next edit letter.  You turn that in and wait for line edits...you get the picture.

But getting your cover?  That's one of the highs that makes up for all the lows, all the weeks with no word and wondering if maybe getting published was an elaborate hallucination that I'd crafted in my head.

And this cover?  It especially makes up for everything.

I love so many things about it.  I love the graphic, sci-fi feel.  I love the blue light--which is a central element in the story.  I love the estate and the girl--I love it all.  And I definitely love the feeling of knowing that my book has a cover, a real cover, and that means it is finally a real book that real people might read someday.

And THAT is the best feeling of all.

Bethany Hagen's Biography in Books

Hi everyone! My name is Bethany Hagen, and I am so excited to be here introducing myself as a new member of the League! Today, I thought I'd share my reading biography, as it were, since my life biography is about as interesting as the life of a desert microbe.

Madeline (circa 1987 - 1990): I was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in a trailer park just across the state line in Kansas.  I still remember flipping through the pages, hoping that my parents wouldn’t discover that I wasn’t taking a nap like I was supposed to. I also chewed on this book a lot. It tasted pretty good.

The Magician’s Nephew: As the only Protestant at a Catholic school, I was a little lonely, and while I never did manage to recite the Chaplet to my teacher's expectations, I did read all seven of the Narnia books in less than a month.  This was my first introduction to fantasy and to the idea that animals drank tea.

The Lord of the Rings: This is usually the book that--aside from Jane Eyre--I name as my all-time favorite.  We read The Hobbit as a class in eighth grade, and I asked for the LOTR books that year for my birthday. They are currently bound in duct-tape. Yes, we talked about naming our daughter Eowyn.

The Once and Future King: When I was fifteen, I was about to get my first degree black belt in kenpo karate and become the co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.  T.H. White showed me the humanizing power of wit and also that you can use animals to describe the 1930s political climate.

The Dark Tower: My karate instructor literally threw The Gunslinger at me one day before our demo team practice.  This series punctuated my later high school years and college, and while I have been known to gripe about Uncle Stevie’s page count a number of times, the combination of high fantasy (a la LOTR) and Arthurian influence (a la The Once and Future King) was pure Bethany-bait.  And when Roland finally reached the Dark Tower, I did cry.  Possibly from exhaustion.

The Little Prince:  I was supposed to read this book for a college French class and I didn’t, probably because I was too busy waving a clove cigarette around at a coffee shop and checking Myspace.  But I finally did read it last month, on a whim, and I can say that it is one of the most profound meditations on love and life that I’ve ever read.  And even though I do cry frequently while reading, I cried so hard at the end of this one that my husband wandered in from playing World of Warcraft to make sure that I hadn’t broken my brain or something.  So much had changed since my tired-cry from the seventh Dark Tower book--we have a house, two adorable (if feral) toddlers, and I’m finally achieving my dream of getting published--but so much was the same.  It all boils down to taming our planets and tending to our roses, as tiresome as they can be.