Final BLOODROSE Teaser, plus Saving Wolves!

One week! BLOODROSE is on sale in ONE WEEK!

It's a good thing the holidays keep me busy lest I be tearing my hair out waiting for January 3 to arrive. (Okay, I'm still tearing my hair out a little bit, but not as much as if it hadn't been the holidays).

Here is the last teaser before next Tuesday's release:

"One thing." He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "One thing that I'd always been afraid of. I still am."



As you've read the Nightshade series I hope it's been obvious how much I respect and admire wolves. They are beautiful, intelligent creatures with complex social relationships. If you follow environmental news, you may already know that gray wolves were recently delisted from the endangered species list. I'm deeply troubled by this decision. Humans and wolves have an ugly history; one that drove wolves to the brink of extinction. Since the delisting, wolf hunts are already being organized in Minnesota and across the country. Killing a wolf is not a sporting act. Wolves live in deeply connected communities. To kill a single wolf is to disrupt a family, a social system.

Because I'm committed to advocating for wolves, I've decided to tie in BLOODROSE to this action: for every picture of a reader and her/his new copy of BLOODROSE that is sent to me via email, Facebook, or Twitter I will make a $2 donation to Defenders of Wildlife.

And to up the stakes: If in its first days of release BLOODROSE climbs into the top 10 of the Barnes and Noble (and remember that B&N has an exclusive edition with additional content!) and/or Amazon rankings I'll up that donation to $3 per picture.

And finally: Because BLOODROSE is book 3, Nightshade moves from the New York Times Chapter Book list to the notoriously-difficult-to break-into Series list. If BLOODROSE hits in the top 5 of the NYT series list I'll increase my donation to $5 per picture.

I encourage you to support wolves and spread the word about the risks of taking gray wolves off of the endangered species list. I hope you're as excited as I am for next Tuesday. Thank you so much for sharing Calla and the packs' journeys with me!

Merry Christmas

Wishing you wonder and joy this season.



And for those who prefer their Christmases a bit more macabre, please enjoy this homage to Calvin and Hobbes

Hobbitses!!!

In case you haven't seen it!!!



Cannot wait!!!!!

BLOODROSE Teaser 3!

Two weeks! Two weeks!

In case you haven't seen it - the official BLOODROSE book trailer is live.


And here's your third soundtrack teaser:

"He needs to know you can make the wrong choice and still deserve a second chance."


The National - Afraid of Everyone


Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!

TREACHERY and BLOODROSE Teaser Two

Ansel's tale: Treachery (an e-special from Philomel) is available today! Buy at Barnes and Noble for Nook or Amazon for Kindle.

In honor of the novella's release, today's Bloodrose teaser features Ansel.

"My bones ached as I watched him. Why did it have to be Ansel who suffered?"

Time to Shine

Cool news: for aspiring authors out there Amazon and Penguin have announced today their 2012 Breakthrough Novel Award. And guess what? I'm a judge for YA entries!

If you have a manuscript that you've been itching to get out there - the next month is the time to really polish it to its shiniest, shine. Submissions for the award are accepted from January 23 to February 5.

I'm thrilled to take part in this award and I can't wait to see all the creative magic harnessed in these manuscripts!!!

Now get writing (and revising)!

One Month

It's December 3 that means we're within one month of BLOODROSE's publication date: January 3. In the lead up to the release I'll post a weekly soundtrack teaser, with music and a line from the book (no spoilers though! And not in chronological order - mwaa-haa-haa-haa!)

You should also check out Penguin Teen's Tumblr for more info and teasers leading up to January 3.

Hope you're as excited for the countdown as I am. 2012 here we come!

Week one BLOODROSE soundtrack teaser:

"Waves lapped the shoreline a few yards from where we lounged on the rocks."

Something Special

Exciting announcement! I'm so happy I can share this news: Barnes and Noble will release an exclusive addition of BLOODROSE on January 3 that features additional content. If you'd like to learn more about the Searchers and Keepers and weapons be sure to check it out :)

Leftovers

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I hope you and yours were stuffed to the max of delicious T-Day goodness. My dad said something after we feasted that's stuck with me: "Thanksgiving is always good...but leftovers are awesome."

That got me thinking. I hosted Thanksgiving this year and I love the all-day cooking event it is. Wonderful smells waft through the kitchen and all over the house for hours. And with the delectable scents come so many memories. I love that I make stuffing using my grandmother's recipe. That we eat this weird cranberry marshmallow concoction we call "the pink stuff." I overcooked with purpose, knowing even before my dad said it that he was right. The leftovers are the best.

But it's not just roast turkey sandwiches and reheated stuffing. It's that every time I take a bite of that meal's remains I have a burst of those memories. Leftover from this Thanksgiving and so many Thanksgivings before.

Those are the leftovers for which I am truly thankful and why I anticipate the holidays with joy each year.

Slow

Though the summer lasted well into October - an aberration this far north - fall has finally, and suddenly arrived. When I wake what's left of the dry grass sparkles with light frost. The wind has a bite to it.
And the dark has come.

No longer do I wake to the sun, but instead must force myself out of warm blankets and into the day. My body wants to remain curled, conserving energy, instinctively wanting to protect itself against the oncoming winter.

While Minnesota winters usually last long enough to make one's bones ache, I still enjoy the shifting seasons. My body's reactions to cooling temperatures and brief daylight reminds me that I'm connected to the earth and its cycles.

As Samhain (Halloween) approaches it reminds me to prepare for the dark and the cold. To contemplate and act with measure.

Last Sunday I planted bulbs that in the spring, I hope, will offer beautiful blossoms. Even as winter approaches, the hope of spring and returning warmth remain present.
Wishing you a blessed autumn.

I Know, I Know...

I'm ridiculously behind on the blog - life has just been too busy. However, I'm full of ideas about things I want to blog about AND I'm a week away from my first international book tour. So I hereby promise to you that I will be blogging more soon and I will have pictures from my tour!

Thanks for hanging out with me even when I'm sadly absent from this page. I do miss blogging - this space in one in which I love to write.

If you're wondering where else you might connect with me and my life, I'm more frequently on Twitter and Facebook due to their facilitation of short online engagements!

Until a real blog post - here's a new favorite artist of mine, whose music is oft playing as I write RISE (Nightshade Prequel #2).



Also cool about Zola Jesus - she's a fellow Wisconsinite!

What's the Word

One of the big perks of being an author is spending time with other authors. Of course, we're scattered across the country so sometimes our conversations are through email, Skype, or Twitter. Three fantastic writers: Nathan Bransford, J. Scott Savage, and James Dashner had the brilliant idea to put those conversations online. I was recently a guest on their Wordplay Podcast and you can have a listen yourself.

If you leave a comment on the podcast web site you could win a copy of Nightshade and Wolfsbane!

Italia!

I have exciting news to share! At the end of October I'm embarking on my first international tour. Thank you so much to my Italian publishers, De Agostini, and the Lucca Comics and Games Festival for inviting me to visit their beautiful country. You can find details on the festival here, where I'll be the patroness of Lucca's Halloween party! This looks to be the Halloween party of all Halloween parties, and given that Halloween is my favorite holiday I cannot wait!

If you happen to be in Italy, here is my tour schedule. I'll post more details as I have them!

October 28th, Friday: Milano
October 29th, Saturday: Bologna; Lucca, in the
evening
October 30th, Sunday: Lucca
October 31st, Monday: Lucca
November 1st, Tuesday: Lucca

Halloween in Italy! Davvero!

Win, Win

Lots of good news today! But before that - don't forget that it's Banned Books Week. Here's a link to the most frequently banned/challenged books of 2001-2010. Support libraries, booksellers, teachers, authors, and readers. Read banned books!!!

First - winners of the 5K contest. Congrats to:

Adriana

Emily Rose

Hayden

@vampirefan2 (via Twitter)

@BecksterMay (via Twitter)

Email your mailing address to andreacremerwrites @gmail.com and I'll get your prizes in the post!

Second, I've been keeping some awesome news under wraps for a while and now I can share: more books are on the way!!!

The official deal announcement from Publishers Weekly:

Cremer Goes Steampunk for Philomel Jill Santopolo at Penguin's Philomel imprint closed a North American rights deal for two new books by Andrea Cremer, author of the imprint's bestselling Nightshade series. Santopolo acquired the titles—one is the first book in a new steampunk series and the other is a second prequel to Nightshade—from agents Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen at Inkwell Management. The steampunk series, the first book of which is called The Inventor's Secret, is set in an alternate 19th century in which the American Revolution never happened and the British rule the world. Inventor's Secret is currently scheduled for fall 2013. The Nightshade prequel, Rise, is scheduled for summer 2013. (The final book in the original Nightshade series is coming out in January 2012, and Philomel has another Nightshade prequel already scheduled for fall 2012.

Here's a rundown of my publication schedule:

January 2012 BLOODROSE
Fall 2012 RIFT (Nightshade Prequel 1)
Spring 2013 INVISIBILITY CURSE w/David Levithan
Summer 2013 RISE (Nightshade Prequel 2)
Fall 2013 INVENTOR'S SECRET

So exciting!

Abundance

Happy Autumnal Equinox (Mabon) - night will soon outpace daylight, but I love this crisp, thrilling time of year where the air is alive and summer's carefree frolicking gives way to the steady rhythms of harvest.

Today I passed 5,000 followers on Twitter. That's still rather mind-bending to me and I'm so excited that so many friends here and on Twitter have joined me on this writing journey. To celebrate I'm holding a 5K follower contest and giving away 5 prize packs! 5 is a special number to me at this moment - not only do I have 5,000 Twitter followers but tomorrow I celebrate 5 years of marriage to my wonderful husband! So much to be thankful for!

In addition to a signed paperback of Nightshade, the prize packs include items that inspired Nightshade: Watership Down by Richard Adams (Calla's favorite book), Sandman by Neil Gaiman (Shay's favorite graphic novel), Zum Bar Sandalwood Citrus soap (From the first time I smelled this soap I instantly knew it was reminiscent of Ren's scent), and a blank notebook so you can begin, or continue, your own writing journey.

To enter: Tell me in the comments (or in a tweet) something that inspires you, if you're leaving your entry in the blog comments be sure to include an email where I can contact you. Winners will be randomly selected on Monday, September 26 so you have through the weekend to enter.

Thank you so much for being a part of my writing life - it means so much to have you here!

Years

When asked to recite a favorite quotation, mine is always the same: "There are years that ask questions and years that answer." - Zora Neale Hurston

On a day that stands in history as a marker of both tragedy and courage, like many I'm inclined to spend some time reflecting on the last decade. Rather than make assertions about global or national states of affairs, my thoughts today are about individual experience.

2001 was a bad year in my life. I was in the middle of a three-year stint working in Indianapolis, and my mind and heart were stagnating at work. Since my teens I've struggled with chronic depression and in the second half of 2001 that condition overwhelmed all aspects of my life. I took a leave of absence from work and went home to reassess my life and try to find the sense of purpose I'd lost. From that place of emotional struggle came some of the best decisions I've made. I realized that my passion for learning needed further attention and I determined to return to school full-time in pursuit of a doctorate. I learned that depression isn't something that can be ignored, but requires healing and vigilant self care.

In 2002 I applied to graduate programs. In 2003 I moved to Minneapolis and started work on my Ph.D. Four years later I finished my degree and began a fantastic job teaching history at Macalester College in St. Paul.

But the story of finding a path to my true passions and goals didn't end there. After one year of teaching at Macalester, in early summer of 2008, I was in a horseback riding accident that left me with a broken foot and orders to stay off my feet for twelve weeks. Stuck in my house and on the couch, I decided to pursue a long-delayed dream: writing a novel.

The next summer my fabulous agents at InkWell sold my debut novel NIGHTSHADE to Penguin.

After 9/11 it felt like the world was ending, and for most of 2001 I'd felt like my own life was in ruins too. But life is always unfolding. Years to come will have answers...and there will be more questions...which brings to mind another favorite quote:

"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

Steam what?

If you visit my web site: www.andreacremer.com You'll notice that listed under my current works in progress is a book called THE INVENTOR'S SECRET. IS is the first book in a new series I'm writing and genre of that series is steampunk.

When I mention the word steampunk I get one of two reactions: 1) AWESOME! 2) Steam what?

The first reaction reflects the hard-core enthusiasm of steampunk fans. The second reveals that while steampunk is slipping into the mainstream, it's still a relatively unknown genre. PBS created a web piece about steampunk that's the best quick tutorial I've seen and I'm delighted to share it with you:



As a historian, steampunk is a dream genre for me because it means I'm able to reimagine history while engaging the issues and questions I find most compelling about the past, and I can create all the maniacal and fantastic, beautiful and terrible guns and gadgets I desire. And the clothes! I debuted a steampunk outfit of my design at Comic Con, and I predict much more steampunk fashion in my future.
So that's a little bit on what steampunk is and it's one of the worlds I'm currently living in. That's all I can say about that...for now....

Wants vs. Needs

Since WOLFSBANE's release I've had an uptick of emails from fans and I've noticed the rise of a certain type of email: those messages telling me how the series has to end. When I was responding to one of these messages I thought it might be best to post my response on this blog because I think this topic is one that many writers struggle with and I wanted to be sure all of you understand where my head and heart are at when I'm writing - and particularly when I'm writing the ending of a series.

Here's my reply to a reader hailing from Team Ren (but it applies to Team Shay, too):

Thank you for taking the time to write to me. You're absolutely right - I do receive mountains of emails, but I try as much as possible to answer all of them :)

I truly appreciate your enthusiasm and kind words about my books. I can't fully answer your request or question because I won't ever reveal plot points about the novels. I don't blame you at all for loving Ren - I love him too. I love all my characters like they are family. When good things happen to them I'm joyful and I cry when they're hurting (literally, I cry when I write painful scenes in my books).

Calla might end up with Ren, or Shay, or she might end up on her own. Though I know the love story is prominent in the Nightshade series the overarching plot is a much bigger story that involves all the characters. Each character has her/his own choices to make and her/his own paths follow, and how they act will determine where they end up with relation to one another. What I'm trying to convey is that the story is what determines relationships. I am so grateful for readers like you who are passionate about the books - but it's important to know that I receive just as many emails telling me Calla must end up with Shay as I do from people who prefer Ren. As a Ren supporter I'm sure that's hard for you to believe, but I swear it's absolutely true. I've been astonished at the passion from fans of both boys - it's deeply moving. I'm sympathetic to both sides because I've adored both boys from the first day they introduced themselves to me on the page.

But even if I received emails only in support of one character or another, it wouldn't change the story. It wouldn't alter what happens to Calla, her pack, the Keepers, and the Searchers - because the story is what drives my writing and I have to be true to that. If I wrote characters or plot to try to please everyone that would be akin to lying to someone just to try to keep them happy. I can't write like that, just as I couldn't live like that.

Please know that my writing the story for its own sake doesn't mean I don't care about readers' feelings. I care so much about your feelings. Every time I receive an email (and I receive lots!!!) asking for Calla to choose Shay or Ren I get torn up inside because I really would like everyone to be happy. But this is a complicated story with joys and sorrows, and it will bring joys and sorrows to readers and characters.

As I said in the opening. Calla might choose Ren, she might choose Shay. She might choose to lead her pack on her own as an alpha. She might not make it to the end of the story. After all, she is in the middle of a brutal, centuries-long war, and warriors fall. So very much is on the line in Bloodrose. Everything is on the line.

What I can promise is that the story I've written is the story that spoke to me. Not the story I wanted to tell, but the story I needed to tell. It is written honestly and from the depths of my soul. I couldn't have written it any other way and I hope you can understand why that remains true, and always will.

Sincerely,

Andrea

While I'm Away

I'm on rare vacation w/ the hubby and whilst I'm away here's some fun news!:

NIGHTSHADE is in the running for YALSA (that's the YA division of the American Library Association) Teens' Top Ten for 2011. I'd be ever so grateful if you'd stop by their site to cast a vote for NIGHTSHADE!!

WOLFSBANE is in this week's print edition of Entertainment Weekly, has spent two weeks on the NYT bestseller list, and it's #7 on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list! Woo hoo!

Wishing you a wonderful week and here's a wolfish pic I took while gallivanting around Portland last evening.

Number Five is Alive!

I'm fainting over here you guys - I just found out that Wolfsbane will debut at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Thank you so much for reading the series and for loving Calla and her pack!!!

State of the ARC

This week has been amazing. Thank you so much to all the amazing people who've come to my signings and to those of you who I haven't been able to see in person but having been flooding my inbox, Facebook, and twitter with wonderful messages. Your support of Nightshade means more to me than I could ever express!

Now that Wolfsbane is out I'm already getting questions about Bloodrose.

If you've finished Wolfsbane you can read Chapter 1 of Bloodrose here. (Spoilers! Don't read it before Wolfsbane)

Bloodrose is the final book of the trilogy and will be published in February 21, 2012.

In the life of a book, it's common for publishers to release Advanced Review Copies (ARCs) or galleys prior to the book's publication in order to give reviewers a sense of what's coming. In the case of Bloodrose we seriously considered not creating ARCs because the final book of the Nightshade series is so loaded with spoilers we wanted to be sure none of them were leaked before February 21.

After much thought it was decided that a limited number of ARCs would be created because booksellers need to know what's in the book before they order it and hand sell it to their customers.

What this all boils down to is that there will be some ARCs out in the world, but not many. We've asked anyone who receives an advanced copy to keep its contents secret. It's so important that the story isn't spoiled. So if you see a tweet or a review (that won't actually give you much information about the book) it's because we've asked everyone to keep this story quiet. It also means that I don't have ARCs to distribute and I won't be giving any away in the lead up to Bloodrose's publication date. I hope when you read Bloodrose in February you'll think it was worth the wait :)

There, and Back Again

Tonight's the night. After a fabulous release day party in San Diego I'm so excited to party with my hometown friends in St. Paul!

If you're in Minnesota I'd love to see you tonight at the Red Balloon Bookshop on Grand Avenue. The party starts at 7 p.m.

Happy Friday!

Under the Cut

I will be posting an epic Comic Con recap but today is Wolfsbane Eve. That's right Wolfsbane is officially in stores tomorrow!

As promised I'm posting a deleted scene from Nightshade to celebrate the occasion. This scene takes place as the Calla's and her pack are on their way to see Nev play at the Burnout.

“Aren’t you overdressed?” I turned around and looked Bryn up and down after I slid into the passenger seat of Mason’s Land Rover.

She smoothed her suede skirt and shook her bronze ringlets. “Just because we’re hanging out at this hole in the ground doesn’t mean I have to lower my standards.”

She winked at me. “Besides Ansel likes it.”

My brother was pretending not to notice the low cut of Bryn’s silk top, and failing miserably.

“Right.” I looked at Mason. “Don’t you think as the alpha I deserve more respect from my beta. She’s openly seducing my little brother.”

“I’m not getting involved,” Mason said and put the car into gear.

I turned back to Bryn. “I’m just glad my mother didn’t see you. I spent half an hour explaining why I couldn’t wear a skirt tonight.”

“Not everyone thinks tattered shirts and jeans are the height of fashion,” Bryn replied.

“They aren’t tattered, they’re vintage,” I said.

“Whatever makes you feel good about it, honey,” she said. “I’m right, Mason. Aren’t I?”

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Don’t ask me. I take the fifth. Why is everyone trying to get me in trouble tonight?”

“I’m not,” Ansel piped without looking up.

“And that’s why you’re my best friend,” Mason grinned at him.

“Where’s Fey?” I’d expected to find her in the car with Bryn.

Mason’s jaw tightened. “I offered to pick her up, but she got a ride with Dax.”

“They’ve been spending a lot of time together,” Bryn leaned forward and rested her chin on the back of Mason’s seat. “We haven’t seen her outside school in a while.”

I frowned and glanced at Mason. “Too much time?”

“That’s none of my business,” he said quietly. “I’d just like us all to be happy.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Ansel still hadn’t managed to tear his gaze from Bryn’s chest.

“An, could you try to look somewhere else when the rest of us are around?” I said.

He flushed to the ears. “Sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Bryn put her arms around him. “She’ll be just as smitten as soon as Ren smiles at her tonight.”

“Shut up, Bryn,” I snapped.

“My, my. I struck a nerve.” She winked at Ansel.

Mason grinned. “How are things with Ren?”

“This topic is off limits,” I said.

“Says who?” Ansel laughed.

“Says me.”

“I don’t think so, Calla,” Mason said, in a tone that was too serious to be real. “Your happiness with Ren affects the well-being of the pack. That means all details pertain to us. We’re on a need to know basis, and we need to know. Ren’s an alpha, and we’ve all heard the rumors about his talents in certain arenas. But tell me…are you satisfied?”

“Mason!” My cheeks burned and I turned to face the passenger window.

Bryn and Ansel were hysterical.

“This is mutiny,” I muttered.

“No sweetie,” Mason patted my leg. “It’s just life.”

He turned the Land Rover up the gravel drive. The imposing vehicle looked out of place next to the motorcycles and muscle cars that lined up outside the bar.

Bryn sighed and unbuckled her seatbelt. “I don’t know why we had to come here. I’d much rather be at Eden.”

“Nev doesn’t play at Eden,” Mason said. “Besides, it’s good to be well-rounded.”

“Trust me, this is better than Eden.” I shivered at the thought of returning to Efron’s club.

Ansel slid his arms around Bryn’s waist and pulled her from the car. “You’ll have a good time and you know it.”

She pushed her lip out until he kissed her, and then she beamed.

Hope you enjoyed the scene!!! Thanks so much for sharing Calla's journey with me. Can't wait for tomorrow!

The Next Few Days

The reality of just how close WOLFSBANE's release is (7 days!!!!) is starting to sink in. One of my flaws is that I utterly lack patience. Thinking about next Tuesday and the wait until then makes me want to crawl out of my own skin.

Fortunately I have a big distraction to help pass the time. Tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and heading to San Diego. In what is an amazing fulfillment of this geek girl's dreams I'm on two panesl at Comic Con.

If you're going to be there and wondering about my schedule:
On Thursday, July 21 you can catch me signing at the Penguin Booth (#2913R) from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Also on Thursday I'm one of the panelists at Magic and Monsters from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (Room 25ABC)
I'll be signing again after the panel from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Friday, July 22
Back at the Penguin Booth to sign from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, July 23
Penguin Booth signing 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Mysterious Galaxy signing (#1119) 2:00 - 2:50 p.m. Get an early copy of Wolfsbane!!!!

Sunday, July 24
What's Hot in YA Panel (Room 23ABC) from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Autographing session 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

As you can see if you're hoping to get a signed book there are plenty of opportunities. When I'm not signing I'll be wandering the convention, playing the flaneur (there's a good vocab word for you and one of my favorites.)

It's a safe bet that I'll be at all things Buffy related. If you see them carrying me out of a panel it's because I fainted after being overwhelmed at being in the same room as Joss Whedon.

Got Ren?

One week and one day 'til Wolfsbane!

Beginning tomorrow the Wolfsbane blog tour kicks off. You can see the schedule here. And today there's a special treat for Team Ren over on Down the Rabbit Hole.

The wait is almost over!!! Here's a song from the Wolfsbane playlist - full soundtrack will be posted after the release date.

The Accidental Premiere

In honor of all things Harry Potter: I thought I'd share one of my favorite Potter moments, which came as a big surprise was I was in London on July 8, 2009.


Things I didn't expect to do yesterday:

1) Get battered by torrential wind and rain

2) See Daniel Radcliffe and Helena Bonham Carter up close

3) Willingly get battered by torrential wind and rain so I could see Daniel Radcliffe and Helena Bonham Carter up close

I was headed for the Leicester Square tube when I walked right into the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince world premiere. No joke. The square had been refitted to look like a quidditch field and crowds of teens were being managed by London police.

I've never seen a movie premiere and I'm not much of a celebrity follower. But I love Harry Potter and I thought, "Hey, how many times am I going to see movie stars walking down a red carpet?" Answer: Probably never again.

So I found a good vantage point and stayed put. Through wrath-of-god wind and rain and lightning directly above our heads. And it was completely worth it, though unlike Daniel Radcliffe I did not have some nice chap to hold an umbrella over me. I did not have an umbrella at all.

But Helena Bonham Carter didn't either.

It's my last night in London and to bring this trip to a memorable conclusion I went to see War Horse at the New London theater. While I had high hopes for this production, I have to say it absolutely blew me away. It could well be the best play I've ever seen. The story follows a boy and his horse as they are caught up in World War I. It is astonishing, the horses are unbelievably real, the story compelling, and the score, a combination of classical compositions and folk tunes, deeply moving. I was particularly inspired as the play was adapted from a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo.

Next post will be from Minnesota, so for the last time pip, pip and cheerio!

Note from the future: War Horse is currently being transformed to film by Steven Spielberg.

Winners! News!

Thanks to everyone who sent pictures of Nightshade in paperback! Getting your comments, tweets, and Facebook posts made me so happy!

Here are the two randomly selected winners:

Amy

Dani_Nguyen

Email your address to andreacremerwrites@gmail.com to claim your prize :)

And because I just received a fabulous box of FINISHED Wolfsbane, instead of a pre-order you'll get a shiny, signed hardcover in the mail! Woo hoo!

In fifteen days Wolfsbane hits stores. I can't wait!! I am dying for you to know what's happening to Calla and her pack. I'm also really excited for you to meet a new cast of characters who play pivotal roles in the series.

Leading up to Wolfsbane's release and continuing through its first week in stores I'm thrilled to announce that Mundie Moms is hosting the official Wolfsbane blog tour. From July 19 to August 9 you can find interviews with me and with characters from the book. At each stop you can enter for a chance to win Nightshade and Wolfsbane!

One more quick squee-filled announcement - the official 2011 San Diego Comic Con schedule has been released! I'm on two panels - one on Magic and Monsters at 3 - 4 p.m. on Thursday and the second is What's Hot in YA from 10 - 11 a.m. on Sunday. If you'll be at Comic Con I hope I'll see you at one or both panels.

Triple Threat

On July 26 - one month from today - Wolfsbane will be on sale! I can't wait to share Calla's next set of adventures with you.

I have some big news related to Wolfsbane's release date.

I'm having a party! And not just one, but two parties!!!!

July 26 is not only Wolfsbane's release date, it is also the release day of the fabulous Kiersten White's Supernaturally. Since Kiersten and I are friendly-like and we've decided Calla and Evie would get along smashingly, we're throwing a big party in San Diego. And guess what?? The amazing Stephanie Perkins - author of Anna and the French Kiss and the upcoming Lola and the Boy Next Door - will be signing with us too! Given how zany and unpredictable the three of us are, it is sure to be a riotous, laugh-filled evening. Or the universe may implode. Either way, exciting times to be had!

That's right SoCal! I'm coming to YOU!

Our signing will be held at the Barnes and Noble in Oceanside, CA at 6:00 p.m. on July 26.

I'll be in San Diego on July 26 - by I'm not forgetting about my Minnesota peeps!

On Friday, July 29 at 6 p.m. the Minnesota launch of Wolfsbane will be celebrated at
The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul.

I'm so excited that we're in the final countdown to Wolfsbane. Hope I'll see you soon!!!

Scoop!

Some of you may have been surprised to see the Bloodrose cover appear on some blogs lately. I was surprised, too! So was Penguin!

The cover wasn't supposed to be revealed until July but through a computer glitch it was sent early to Amazon, so of course Amazon put it up. And I am seriously impressed by how quickly Nightshade fans found the cover! You guys are so on top of stuff!! It's fabulous!

This wasn't anyone's fault and I'm not upset - maybe a little disappointed as revealing a cover is super fun. Now it's a little like finding out a surprise party is being thrown for you. It's wonderful that the party is happening and so many people went to the trouble to plan it, but now the surprise is spoiled.

Surprise or no, the Bloodrose cover is stupendous and I'm thrilled that I can now officially post it here!

The cover depicts a very specific scene in the book and I love the way the photo captures that moment!

In addition to the cover reveal, I have some AMAZING news. Since the Nightshade series' covers have been redesigned Penguin knows that many of you would like to have a matching set for the series. So they've printed a limited number of the new Nightshade jackets that you can put on your hardcover and all your books will match!


The jackets are being mailed out on a first come, first served basis. Send your request, including your mailing address to yrmarketing@us.penguingroup.com

I'm sorry to international readers but this is a US only offer since it regards the US cover redesign

Please note: the jackets are being shipped by Penguin, so don't email your request to me as it won't get to the right people.

A Hunt!

The paperback of NIGHTSHADE hits stores today! I'm so excited!!


And excitement merits a contest and it has two prizes: the first - a pre-order of WOLFSBANE, which is now only a little over a month away (hooray!) and the second - a prize for everyone: a deleted scene from NIGHTSHADE.

How do you win?

For a chance to win a pre-order of WOLFSBANE tweet, email, or post in the comments a link to a picture of you with the NIGHTSHADE paperback in the wild. If at least 50 people hunt down the NIGHTSHADE paperback then I will post a deleted scene from NIGHTSHADE on the blog. And everybody wins!

To keep things clear: I'll choose one random winner from the blog comments and one from Twitter. If you post a picture in both places you'll have two chances to win :)

The contest runs from the paperback release date - June 14 until June 26 (the one month to WOLFSBANE mark!)

Good luck with the hunt - can't wait to see your pictures!!!

Listen Up: Winners!

Thanks for sharing the audiobook love!

The winners are:

Safari Poet

and

K.V. Briar

Congrats! Send your mailing info to andreacremerwrites (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll get your Nightshade audiobook out to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered and check back tomorrow as I'm starting up another contest :)

Heard Any Good Books Lately?

It's June (wow!) And June is audiobooks month (who knew??)

I love audiobooks. Having grown up in a little town where it took at least an hour to get anywhere and at least four hours to get anywhere metropolitan I've spent a lot of time with audiobooks. I have some very special audiobook memories - listening to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five made me a lifetime fangirl and Anne River Siddons' Downtown mirrored my own experience of leaving home and moving to a city for my first job out of college. I associate listening to characters' journeys in audiobooks with my own journeys and that makes for a truly unique and memorable experience.

When I first heard the Nightshade audiobook I was mesmerized. Hearing your words read is simply a surreal moment. Actress Rebecca Lowman narrates my novels and does a fantastic job of channeling all the characters. You can listen to excerpts from Nightshade and Wolfsbane at the Listening Library web site.

To celebrate the joy of listening to stories I'm giving away two copies of the Nightshade audio book! To enter leave a comment telling me a favorite book you heard instead of read (it's okay if it was read to you rather than being an audiobook).

I'll announce the winner on Monday!