E-Shorts: Why Read and Write Them?

Last month, my co-author Meagan Spooner and I released a free short story set in the same world as our Starbound trilogy. Titled This Night So Dark, it's designed to be read before or after These Broken Stars.

We had heaps of fun writing and releasing it, and the response from fans has been amazing! We've been asked lots of questions about it, so today I'm going to talk about the best reasons to release a free story like this, and why we did it.

It's a chance to give something back to the fans.

This is, above anything else, the best reason to write and release a story for free. We've been bowled over by the response to These Broken Stars -- from the emails to the letters, the awesome fan art (hoooow do you guys do that stuff?) to the recipes! Quite simply, we wanted to thank our readers for being amazing, and a free story felt like the best way to do it.

You can tell a story that doesn't fit into the big picture.

At the start of These Broken Stars, you learn two things about Tarver very quickly. First, he's considered a 'war hero'. Second, he doesn't want to talk about how he earned those medals. Meg and I always knew the story behind his fame, but there wasn't any place in the novel to tell it. It would have been a distraction from the main storyline. Releasing it as a short story gave us the chance to share it in a different forum, so those who have been wondering (and judging by the emails, you guys really wanted to know!) can find out the truth about Tarver.

It's a chance to meet new readers.

Picking up a whole novel is an investment in terms of time and money -- a short story is a way for an author and reader to get to know each other with less commitment. Think of it as catching up for a coffee, instead of launching into a dinner-and-a-movie date straight away. Short stories and novellas are a great way to check out the writing and world of a new author, to see if you want to jump into the series. We hope This Night So Dark will be a chance for new readers to check out the series, and perhaps join in the fun.

It helps with the wait!

Authors are readers too, and we hate waiting for the next book in our favourite series as much as you guys do! We can't waaaait to share This Shattered World with you all, next month. In the meantime, short stories are a great way to bridge the gap, help with the agony of waiting for the next instalment, and they're also a great way to ease you back into a world before you pick up the next book.

What about you guys? Do you read e-shorts and e-novellas? I'd love to hear your favourites!

Interview with Meagan Spooner, author of LARK ASCENDING

We are so excited here at the League that our own Meagan Spooner's final book in the Skylark trilogy just released! The book is called Lark Ascending, and it's AMAZING.

We're here today with Meagan to find out some more about her process and how she came about writing an end to a series with characters we've fallen in love with.

Peggy: You have an incredible ability to write compelling, complex, real characters that readers fall in love with. Tell us a little about your process-- do your characters come to you fully formed, or do they become who they're going to be as you are writing and editing?

Meagan: My main characters are usually greatly informed by the worlds they live in and what the story needs them to be. I had the setting of the Skylark trilogy before anything else, and thought about whose story would be most interesting to tell in this world where magic is a fuel source, and rapidly dwindling. The answer: a girl with the power to generate magic herself. Of course, for those who've read Skylark, the first book, they know that's not really the whole story on Lark and her abilities, but I won't spoil the twists for those who haven't! For side characters it's usually an archetype that first comes to me. Like "the teacher" or "the familiar." That allows me to see how the character will fit into the story, and lets me build him or her (or it, in Nix's case!) out from there into a more realistic person.

Those touches inevitably come from the characters' histories, most of which never show up in the books themselves. Kris, for example, has a lengthy origin story that will probably never see the light of day. Oren does as well--I wrote quite a bit of what happened to him in his childhood and what happened to his parents, and how he survived on his own. Sometimes you see side characters who only exist on the page, seemingly coming into existence for the first time when they're introduced in the manuscript. But real people have stories that span years or even decades, and for me, figuring out what brought each character to the place they enter my story makes them feel more real for me.

Peggy: You have been applauded by so many advance readers for writing a satisfying ending packed with action, tension, tough choices, romantic conflict, and reveals, with an incredible series arc and character arcs. Was the ending one you knew from the start, or did it surprise you?

Meagan: Let me tell you first what a relief that is to hear! Any series writer will tell you that there's nothing more terrifying than trying to end a series. If you can't please everyone with one book, you certainly can't please everyone with three! For me, the ending of Lark Ascending feels inevitable. I wasn't 100% certain exactly how it would end, but I knew the feeling I wanted to end with. For me, that's often where my plot structures and twists come from. I figure out how I want my reader to feel at any given point in the story arc, and then I figure out what would make them feel that way. So I knew exactly the note I wanted to strike with the ending, and by the time I got there, I knew how to do it.

The real trick was to keep that feeling of inevitability, like everything was always leading to that climax, that decision that Lark has to make in the end (no spoilers, don't worry!) from the very first words of the very first book—while also keeping it surprising. You don't ever want to feel like you can see what's coming--what you want is for readers to look back after finishing and think "Oh my god, I should have seen it!" That's what I aim for with every book—surprising yet inevitable.

That said... it surprised me, so I hope it surprises readers too!

Peggy: I think readers are going to LOVE it! Want to find out more about Megan and her books? Check out the links below.

Tumblr  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  Email

Meagan Spooner grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She’s traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there’s a bit of every trip in every story she writes.

She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there’s no telling how long she’ll stay there.

In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.

 

Lark Ascending Ascends Today!

Meagan Spooner's Skylark was written in my spare bedroom.

Not many books you can say that about, right? This series is incredibly close to my heart--I remember the first words Meg got down, I remember her bedroom walls covered in post-it notes as she carefully revised the novel. I remember carrying printed pages and a red pen on the train to and from work, getting home each night to hand over my notes and demand the next chapter. Neither of us had any experience with publication, and neither of us knew a lot about what we were doing, but she was writing this book, and I was hovering over it like a proud aunt, cheering at every tiny milestone.

I remember crying tears of joy when the series sold, and losing my cool completely when I held a copy in my hands for the first time. The day it came out in Australia, I visited five different bookshops, just to admire it on the shelves. I wanted to grab passers by and show them this amazing thing, right there in front of us!

These days I have a published series that I co-author with Meg. We talk every single day about our work, dividing up editing and emails, brainstorming chapters, troubleshooting and exchanging entertaining gifs. These days, writing is our normal, and we love it, and we're grateful for it every day.

As Lark Ascending releases today, I'm reflecting on my gratitude--for this book, for the path it made for its author and me, for the fact that it paved the way for me to spend every day working with Meg.

I'm also reflecting on how much I love this series. Skylark, Shadowlark and Lark Ascending go dark places, and ask questions you don't hear every day--questions about what it is to be human, what it is to lose everything, and what kind of person you'd be if you had to start again. Though I've read these stories over and over, this trilogy still makes my heart pound, the imagery and poetry makes my breath catch, and as I finished book three, I cried—not because it was overwhelmingly sad, but because it was the end of a poem, simply perfect. It was the right ending for this story, and though we’d talked many times about where it might all lead, I didn’t know Meg’s final answer until I held my finished copy in my hands.

Set in a world where magic is a resource--indeed, the only thing that will keep you alive--and centred on an ordinary and extraordinary girl who refuses to accept the status quo, this series takes you across a twisted, post-apocalyptic landscape on a journey you'll never forget.

To celebrate the release of Lark Ascending, you can get Skylark for only $0.99 and Shadowlark for only $4.29, but not for long!

So, grab this series with both hands, read it, love it, let it challenge you and make you think.

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

Space: The Final Frontier

Okay, so that sounds a little Star Trekky, I know. I am a big fan of Star Trek, especially the TV series, The Next Generation. (Most of the others, you know, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and/or Enterprise, I never did get as into.)

Maybe it was Captain Picard that really spoke to me, or how you can watch any episode in any order and understand the story, but I enjoyed Star Trek: The Next Generation. I know the graphics, and technologies, and special effects aren't as grandiose as today's standards (and the films coming out now!), but it was this series that first sparked my fascination with space travel.

Now, I have yet to pen a space travel novel, but I absolutely love novels set in space. There's something equally exciting and perplexing about being trapped in space. Yes, I view space as a place where I'd be trapped. There's no air out there!

Films like Gravity make me glad I'm on earth, watching as someone else endures the brutalities of extreme temperature and lack of oxygen. I've also enjoyed novels like Across the Universe by Beth Revis, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, and others.

It seems as though novels set in space are a bit of a trend right now, a "hot thing." I really do think it's one of the final frontiers, where the possibilities of new worlds, new species, new ideas, is endless. Maybe that's what draws authors and readers to write and read novels set in space.

How do you feel about space? Novels set in space? Space travel? 

Interview with the authors of THESE BROKEN STARS

I'm so excited to have you meet Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman via this interview today. It's rare when authors collaborate on a YA book, but these two do it from across the universe (yes, League joke). I think you'll find their process as fascinating as I do. - Lissa



         Meagan Spooner                                                                                           Amie Kaufman


Whose idea was it to write as a team and who came up with the idea?

We'd been writing together, a series of collaborative story-telling games, for years before it ever occurred to us to write a novel together. The idea for THESE BROKEN STARS came when we were ready to start one such new game, and Amie wanted to make the setting a shipwreck, and Meg wanted to make the setting space. We came up with the idea of a shipwreck in space and intended to write a bunch of little vignettes to entertain each other, all about the little groups of survivors. But we got completely carried away by the very first such group we made: Lilac and Tarver. We never got to writing any other survivors, and ended up playing with the characters for over a year before we started to wonder if maybe other people might have fun reading about them too.

What is your writing process together?

We often play out conversations and events together via instant messenger long before we start drafting the book, just to make sure the characters are well-established, and we have a vague idea of the events to come. Once we feel we've got a good handle on our characters, we then alternate writing chapters; Amie writes the boys, and Meg writes the girls. In revision, however, all bets are off, and we both rewrite stuff from each other's chapters. There are actually significant chunks of THESE BROKEN STARS where we honestly can't remember who wrote what.

Is it faster or slower writing as a team?

It's usually faster to write together, because we can literally work around the clock--due to the time zone difference, Amie's going to sleep in Australia around the time Meg's waking up in America. We usually do a little hand-off, recapping what we did and where we're up to, and then the other one takes over. That said, it's much slower to revise as a team. With revision we're much more careful to discuss everything, and make sure we're not making unwanted changes. That requires us to find more time to be online at the same time, and a LOT more working around the time difference, so it often requires more time than it would if there was only one person making decisions.

Any advice to writers considering writing as teams?

Communicate! The number one thing we see that tears collaborations apart is a lack of communication ahead of time. You have to make sure your goals are the same (do you want to get published? are you just writing for fun?). You have to make sure your expectations are out in the open (how fast do you expect your partner to work? how much of the book does each person write?). You have to make sure you agree on where the story is going--and if you don't agree, you have to know exactly how to work out that dispute. We've known each other for so long that we already had that communication in place, but it can be frustrating to work with someone whose expectations don't match your own.

Anything else you'd like to tell the League readers?

Thanks so much for reading, guys! If you want to know more about THESE BROKEN STARS, we put up all our news, along with contests and sneak peeks of upcoming projects, on our newsletter. You can sign up for that here. You can also find Amie and Meg on Twitter at @amiekaufman and @meaganspooner. And finally, if you've got questions, we're both on Tumblr: meaganspooner.tumblr.com + amiekaufman.tumblr.com. Isn't social media awesome? Authors and readers, a click away from each other.

 

 

 

 

Launching THESE BROKEN STARS by Leaguers Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman!

Okay, so it's that time again: Launch Time!

THESE BROKEN STARS by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman releases in the US tomorrow, December 10. You MUST pre-order this book right now, because you're going to LOVE IT.

I happened to get an early copy of the book on NetGalley. I started reading it at the gym (because that's where I get in all my reading time), but it became very apparent very soon that I was going to need to carve out some additional reading time. Because 45 minutes on the treadmill 3 times a week wasn't going to cut it for this book.

So I stayed up late reading. And went to work bleary-eyed, and then stayed up late again. Then I may or may not have sent this email to Meg and Amie: "I just finished THESE BROKEN STARS and I think it's my favorite book I've read this year! It is SO FANTASTIC!! You did such a great job, and I can't wait until it's released into the wild!

Just wanted you to know. :)"

And I think that's still true, even though I've read a few more books now. It really IS a fantastic book, and my favorite read of 2013.

Let's learn more about it, in case you haven't heard of it.

Isn't this a beautiful cover?

About THESE BROKEN STARS: It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder-would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it.

I found Lilac and Tarver to be well-developed and fully imagined characters. Lilac especially intrigued me. She's a rich girl, hardly having to do anything but look pretty. But she has a past, and in the book, she finds her spine. It is an amazing journey to watch her go through some of the things that happen on the planet.

Tarver is equally likeable, with an equally interesting past. Since he's military, he takes the lead on the planet, but my favorite scene is when Lilac has to take care of him. It shows them both in a new light, and I really loved their relationship.

But lest you think the whole book is simply a romance, let me assure you that it's not. There were several twists and turns in the book that kept me up late (two nights in a row!) frantically trying to guess what was going to happen next. I NEEDED to know.

I had to find out what those lights were (no spoilers!). And what was with that canteen. And why all the trees were different here. There's an element of the supernatural at play, and I love that sort of genre mashing: science fiction with paranormal with romance. Sign me up!

I hope you'll get THESE BROKEN STARS this week. Heck, tomorrow--on release day! Here's where you can get it:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Kobo
• iTunes
• Indiebound
• Book Depository
• Or your local bookstore!

You can join Amie and Meg's newsletter, and find out way more about THESE BROKEN STARS here. You can also see their launch day festivities here.

Congrats Meg and Amie!

Stepping Around the "Block"

The concept of "writer's block" is a rather contentious one in this industry. Some writers say it doesn't exist, that it's just a way of your mind giving you permission to procrastinate. Others treat it as a very real condition, like an illness or a foe to be bested.

But whatever your view, it seems that everyone, sooner or later, hits moments where the ideas and the words seem harder to find—if not totally impossible. We're only human, after all!

Personally, I find that when my creativity feels sluggish or even blocked, I can almost never restart it with brute force alone. For me, that sluggishness is actually my mind telling me that I haven't been doing enough to fertilize or rejuvenate its processes—in other words, the cupboard is bare! It means I need to take a step back and restock.

So I tend to come at blocked creativity from the side, rather than head-on. Instead of banging my head against the keyboard until words come out, these are some of the things I try:

• Read a completely different type of book. If you primarily read young adult fiction, try adult non-fiction. Or if you read fantasy, try a mystery. Pick up a graphic novel, or spend some time reading the myths and legends of a culture you're not familiar with.
• Get moving. Until I started talking to other writers, I thought I was the only one, but it turns out most of us share this strange phenomenon: movement prompts creativity. Go for a walk or a run or a ride on your bike. If you're sick or unable to do something active, going for a nice drive through the country always gets my brain moving.
• Watch TV. No, this is not permission to spend all day on a Star Trek marathon instead of doing your work. But sometimes participating in a story in a medium that's different from the one you inhabit (written prose) can jog the thoughts. Turn off Jersey Shore and watch something with real storytelling mastery. I love to look at lists of the best television episodes ever, and work my way through them—and think critically about what you're seeing, why it works, how the writers made you feel and react in certain ways. (If you need a starting point, check out this list of the top ten Twilight Zone episodes of all time.)
• Talk to someone. I've never been a huge fan of brainstorming with other people, just because I tend to feel oddly protective and private about my work while it's in progress. But I do have a very few number of people who seem to understand the way my process works, and I can bounce ideas off of them and ask for help. There's no rule stating that writers have to do everything alone!
• Do something else creative, completely unrelated to writing. Crafts and other productive hobbies can be incredibly helpful. It's as though the brain recognizes that you're producing something, making visible, tangible progress, and retrains itself to crave that momentum. Writing can feel like an interminable project without many of those "I did it!" moments. Taking the afternoon to make a batch of bath bombs or knit a scarf is extremely satisfying, and leaves your mind free to wander and work, however subconsciously, on your writing problem.

Hopefully these tips are helpful. I'd love to hear what you guys do to beat the block! Sound off in the comments below.

The World of Shadowlark: Behind The Covers

Today is release day for Meagan Spooner's Shadowlark in the UK, and (most importantly, of course) here in Australia! Now, if you're in the US, you may already be familiar with the gloriousness of THIS:

I knooooow, right? Bethany's already talked about the amazing world of Shadowlark, and the US cover sums it up beautifully. It's a glimpse through the tunnels of Lethe, the underground city Lark's search for the truth leads her to -- and oh, I loved Lethe. From the cramped tunnels to the marketplace, Lethe is literally full of secrets within secrets, and no person are place are entirely what they first seem to be. Built from the ruins of the city above, Lethe's tunnels aren't a safe place, and the way the path on this cover bends out of sight gets me every time. Meg's writing is strong, poetic stuff, and she drags you into her world and into her story, submerging you completely. This cover is the perfect invitation to set your foot on the path.

But apparently there's no cosmic justice in the universe, because the Cover Gods gave Shadowlark not one, but two incredible covers. What's the star on the cover, you ask? I'd love to tell you... but I'm going to make you read, instead. The citizens of Lethe are protected underground from the Empty Ones above, and the mysterious star you see plays a part in that!

I simply loved Shadowlark -- I mean, you could wrap this book in brown paper and I'd still hug it close to my heart -- but for those who like to judge by a cover (and it's all of us some days, including me!), how lucky is Meg?

This is a powerful, poetic series that's dark and beautiful, often both at once, and you should run out and grab Skylark and Shadowlark today. You won't be sorry.

The World of Shadowlark

There are approximately one hundred and seventeen reasons you should read Meagan Spooner's Skylark trilogy, but chief among them is the decaying, richly imagined world, full of magic and machinations and danger.  Lark Ainsley grew up in a city of metal and machines, all under the predictable rising and falling of the sun disk mounted in the dome above.  But after she escapes her city in the first book, she stumbles upon a world of crumbling cities, infused with pockets of magic so dense that they can loop time and animate trees.  In the second installment of the trilogy, Lark finds herself in the city of Lethe--an underground city dependent on machines for its survival.  Lethe's buildings are scavenged from the destroyed buildings above, creating a strange patchwork city of levels and tunnels, all watched over by a strange semi-circular building at the very bottom.  The building where all the Renewables are taken and never heard from again.

What makes Shadowlark--and the Skylark books in general--different is its unique blend of dystopian sensibility and magic and steampunkery, with a dash of alternate history thrown in.  The result is a world that feels wholly original and unlike anything else out there right now.  Spooner's beautiful prose makes the clanking and whirring of the machines, the glow of the magic, the danger of the dystopia seem immediate and vibrant, at once clear and mysterious and utterly compelling.  This is a world you'd want to live in...maybe except for the cannibals.  Did I mention there were cannibals? How could you not read this? 

Ever since she escaped the city within the Wall, Lark Ainsley's wanted one thing: to find her brother Basil. She's always believed he would be the one to put an end to the constant fear and flight. And now, hidden underground in the chaotically magical city of Lethe, Lark feels closer to him than ever. 

But Lethe is a city cowering in fear of its founder, the mysterious Prometheus, and of his private police force. To get the truth about what happened to Basil, Lark has no choice but to face Prometheus.

Facing her fears has become second nature to Lark. Facing the truth is another matter.

Lark never asked to be anyone's savior. She certainly never wanted to be anyone's weapon. She might not have a choice.

Find Shadowlark on shelves now!

Top Five Reasons You NEED to Read SKY JUMPERS!

SKY JUMPERS, a post-apocalyptic middle grade novel by our very own Peggy Eddleman, comes out tomorrow! So, for the first half of this week, we're going to be telling you guys all about why you should read this book. Because oh, man, you have GOT to read it. Seriously.

The skinny:
The story follows a girl named Hope, who lives in a world left crippled in the aftermath of World War III. Desperate to regain the technology they once had, her town is all about invention—everyone is expected to produce marvels once a year like clockwork. And it seems like everyone lives up, using their strengths to design miraculous devices... everyone except for Hope, whose only talent seems to be getting into trouble. But when danger threatens her beloved home, it turns out that Hope has a different kind of strength, a kind that may just be what she needs to save her town. (Read the full blurb here!)

Top Five Reasons You MUST Read This Book:

1. Marvel at the inventions! Oh, the inventions. These kids invent everything from a better kind of spoon to machines that'll do your chores for you. Seriously, all I want is to kidnap Aaren, inventor prodigy, to come invent me a coaster that will keep my tea warm even when I get lost for hours in a good book.
2. Fall in love with Hope, the badass next door! Rarely do you meet a heroine in a novel that you'll want to cheer for as much as you're going to want to cheer for Hope. She is the perfect combination of girl next door and total badass. It's not that she isn't scared of anything, it's that she's taught herself not to let her fear hold her back. She'll get right under your skin and drag you along through this book at a breakneck pace.
3. Experience the thrill of skydiving without a parachute! Due to an atmospheric anomaly caused by the bombs used in WWIII, there are pockets of dense, deadly air called Bomb's Breath. If you breathe in them, you're dead—but they're so dense that they can slow your fall. Hope and her friends sneak off to base jump off cliffs and through pockets of Bomb's Breath for fun. Through Peggy's description, you get all the fun of free-falling without any of the side effects: you know, mind-numbing terror, the occasional splatting on the ground, that sort of thing.
4. Wish that Hope's friends were your friends! If you're anything like me, you tend to get tired of the stereotypical sidekick archetypes you often find in children's books. (You know what I mean. The smart one, the funny one, the sarcastic one, etc.) Not a stereotype in sight in SKY JUMPERS, though. Aaren, Brock, and Brenna are delightful additions to the cast, and all throughout the book you're going to find yourself wishing you could pal around with them, too. Though maybe not in quite as dire circumstances as Hope finds herself. Call me crazy, but I like to keep my feet on the ground, thanks.
5. Bask in the reminder... that there are different kinds of strength. Though not moralistic in nature, this book is the perfect reminder that not everyone has the same kinds of talents. Hope feels like the odd one out because she's not a born inventor like her peers, but what she lacks in engineering ingenuity she makes up for in spirit and courage, and this is what makes her the perfect person to save her town. I love stories that turn an ugly duckling's weaknesses into strengths—and if you read SKY JUMPERS, you will too!

SKY JUMPERS will be available September 24, 2013, 

from Random House Children's Books. 

Order your copy here!

Write What You Love...

One of the most cliched bits of advice given to young writers is to "write what you know." As a teenager I always laughed at that, because my favorite books involved dragons and robots and spaceships. Not exactly something your standard life experience prepares you to write about. Obviously, I was taking the advice a bit too literally—as writers, even speculative fiction writers, we're constantly writing what we know anyway. The decisions our characters make are reflections on the decisions we make in our lives. The traumas and battles are echoes of the fears we ourselves have. In many ways, I think we can't help but write what we know. What we know informs everything.

So that's not really what I'm here to talk about. Instead, I'd like to champion the idea of writing what you love.

Yesterday I went to see Pacific Rim, a movie which I've been looking forward to for years, ever since I found out that Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) was doing a mecha/monster movie. For those of you who haven't been devouring every single interview and tidbit about the movie, it's basically a giant love letter to the kaiju genre (think Godzilla) of Japanese film, which he loved as a child.

And even though I was never into kaiju movies myself, it was probably the most thoroughly enjoyable movie I've seen in a long time. Every moment of it oozed love for the genre. I think I spent the entire movie with this big, ridiculous grin on my face because you could feel how much fun del Toro had making it. It got me thinking about how much better art is when we give in to doing what we love, writing what we really want to write about. And why on earth we'd waste any time doing anything else.

I've heard the same thing from so many aspiring writers (myself included): "What I'd really love to do is X, but..." There's always a reason not to. "I'm not good enough yet" was always my reason for not attempting to write what I really loved. But I've also heard "but there's no market for X right now" and "I don't know if anyone would want to read that."

There are always plenty of reasons not to try it. But the thing is, if you love it, that'll come through in your writing. It always does. Inevitably, readers' favorite parts of books are the parts I most enjoyed writing. When it's a labor of love, the rest falls into place.

Conference Tips for BEA and Beyond!

With BookExpo America right around the corner, I figured this would be a great time to share a little conference wisdom for people who may not have ever been. These are tips for anyone—authors, bloggers, reviewers, librarians, and fans alike. While BEA was the inspiration for this post, these tips come in handy for ANY conference or convention, big or small, publishing or otherwise!

1. Wear comfy shoes. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but the number one complaint you hear at BEA and other conferences is "Oh my god, my feet are killing me!" In winter, boots make great footwear because you can find stylish boots that still have arch support and good soles. Summer, however, is more tricky. Ballet and similar flats are the go-to "comfy" shoe of choice, but more often than not these are murder on your feet due to the thin soles and lack of support. Try brands like Merrill's and Easy Spirit that are designed to support your feet.
2. Bring a friend. If you're an easy-going extrovert who has no difficulty meeting and mingling, then don't worry about this one. But if you're shy, an introvert, quiet, etc., conferences can be really overwhelming. It's great to have someone there who you know, and can hang out with whenever there are lulls in the meet-and-greet parade, so you don't feel isolated. If you don't have anyone in person who's going with you, try meeting up with some fellow bloggers or authors who you know online who are intending on going. You may find they're just as relieved as you are to have someone to hang out with!
3. Plan your route. Conferences, especially ones as huge as BookExpo America, can be overwhelming, even if you think you're braced for it. Know which booths you want to hit ahead of time, and stop by each as soon as you get there to pick up their schedules. The most sought-after books aren't usually just lying around for anyone to pick, the publishers will have "drop" times, and you'll need to get in line for those, sometimes far in advance of the actual drop. These publishers will have their drop schedules on little handouts that you can grab. So plan ahead and prioritize! 
4. Take notes. You're going to meet a LOT of people, and while you think at the time that you can't possibly forget them, in a few weeks you'll regret it if you don't write something down. I tend to jot notes on the business cards I get handed, to help me put a face, or a conversation, with the name on the card. Which brings me to my next tip!
5. Bring business cards. This one is a source of contention, as some people don't think business cards are useful. I, however, fall into the "why not?" camp. If you're at an industry conference, I recommend bringing some sort of business card or other physical reminder of who you are. (Many authors use bookmarks, which is great, because we're in the book industry.) Personally, I particularly like business cards that have a picture of the person on them, because I'm terrible at matching names and faces in hindsight.
6. Follow up! You've met well over a hundred people in the span of a few short days. Do you remember them all? In a month, will you remember them all? (By the way, you with the photographic memory, I'm not talking to you. You can just go be smug in that corner over there.) No? Yeah, I didn't think so.  But say one of those hundred people emailed you the following week to tell you how much they enjoyed meeting you and how much they look forward to working with you in the future. You'll remember them now! So my last pierce of advice is that you should follow up with the people you meet who you really want to remember—and who you hope will remember you. BEA, and conferences like it, are all about networking and making connections in what can otherwise be a very solitary industry if you don't live in NYC yourself! Don't let those connections fade away.

Do you have any tips to add? Sound off in the comments!

If you're planning on coming to BEA this year, please come up and say hi if you spot me! I'll be there with Aussie co-author extraordinaire Amie Kaufman, and if you want to see where we'll be at any given time, check our schedule. We'll be giving away and signing copies of THESE BROKEN STARS and copies of SHADOWLARK. See you there!

5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Hi, Leaguers! We're so excited to be new contributors! Allow us to introduce ourselves...

1.       We met online, through a fantastic creative writing community! It was one of those rare clicks you sometimes find in life – we found we could seamlessly collaborate. The future was right there in front of us, but we didn’t know it yet!

2.       We’ve lived together for nearly two years over two separate occasions – though Meg’s American, she’s done two stints in Australia living with Amie and her husband. If you can negotiate who does the dishes, you can definitely co-author a novel.

3.       We have road-tripped around the US and America. Our favourite trip might just be the time we scored the high rollers’ suite in a major Vegas casino.

4.       Amie’s a dog person, Meg’s a cat person. Meg fell for Amie’s dog while she was living in Australia, and he still loves to hear her voice on Skype. Amie continues her attempts to seduce Meg’s cat, and lives in hope of one day touching him without getting bitten. He’s kind of a one-girl cat.

5.       If we were shipwrecked, we would grab chocolate, cheese, bacon and our boxed set of Firefly as the ship went down.

And here’s one thing almost certainly did know about us, as we kind of took over the internet yesterday! Our debut novel, These Broken Stars, has a brand new cover! We're just a little bit excited about that! We'd love you guys to check it out, and we'll have our fingers crossed you win one of the six ARCs up for grabs!