3000!

Celebration time! I just hit 3000 followers on Twitter - amazing. I have promised a contest and need more than 140 characters to announce it, so the details will appear here.

This IS a Twitter contest so if you want to enter you'll need to Tweet me. To enter Tweet @andreacremer with the hashtag #wolfsbanepreorder

I'll take entries until Friday, April 8.

The winner will receive this MAJOR AWARD:

Just kidding. Here's the actual prize(s):

A pre-order of WOLFSBANE
A pre-order of NIGHTSHADE paperback (featuring new cover)
A pre-order of Lisa Desrochers' ORIGINAL SIN
A pre-order of Tara Hudson's HEREAFTER
A pre-order of Carrie Harris BAD TASTE IN BOYS
A pre-order of Kiersten White's SUPERNATURALLY
Gayle Foreman's WHERE SHE WENT
Cassandre Clare's CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS
Holly Black's RED GLOVE
Lisa Desrochers' PERSONAL DEMONS
Rachel Hawkin's DEMONGLASS
Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY

Thanks to all my followers! Let's celebrate with music:

Road Tunes

In a couple of hours I'm heading north to Ashland, WI, my hometown. I'm doing a school visit at my old high school tomorrow morning - which is both trippy and delightful.

With a four-hour drive ahead of me I decided to splurge on some new music. Listening to music while drive is a sure-fire way to get my brain synapses firing in a writerly way. Listening to new music in particular seems to really enliven my creative side.

While I purchase a lot of music on iTunes I still buy cds. I love the jacket art and liner notes that lets me know more about the musicians' process behind this finished product. Here's what I'll be listening to on the rides to and from the Northwoods.

The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

Though I already know the Mountain Goats to be incredibly talented, I was won over to purchase this album because I fell in love with the title tracks. The first track on this album: Damn These Vampires. Other fabulous titles for tracks: Prowl Great Cain, Outer Scorpion Squadron

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

I haven't listened to much Lykke Li but keep reading such great things about her that I decided to give this cd a whirl. Plus Scandinavian musicians tend toward awesome - Abba, anyone?

Jonsi - Go

Thank you to David Levithan for bringing Jonsi into my life. I loved Sigur Ros, I might love Jonsi a little bit more.

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

I already listen to Madder Red and O.N.E. incessantly, today I broke down and bought the whole album. Plus the typeface on the jacket is designed to look like Norse Runes. Love.

Radiohead - The King of Limbs

It's Radiohead. Need I say more?

I'll be curious to see which tracks are particularly inspiring. Songs often spin out scenes for me and that's how they end up on my book playlists and soundtracks. I'll keep you posted with the tunes that make the cut.

Fortune Telling

Gazing into my crystal ball, I can see the future. And in the not-too-distant future this book:
will be taught - and loved - in classrooms across the country (and hopefully the world!).

Between Shades of Gray is an exceptional novel, but you don't have to take my word for it. Check out this Booklist review:

*Starred Review* Sepetys' first novel offers a harrowing and horrifying account of the forcible relocation of countless Lithuanians in the wake of the Russian invasion of their country in 1939. In the case of 16-year-old Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, this means deportation to a forced-labor camp in Siberia, where conditions are all too painfully similar to those of Nazi concentration camps. Lina's great hope is that somehow her father, who has already been arrested by the Soviet secret police, might find and rescue them. A gifted artist, she begins secretly creating pictures that can--she hopes--be surreptitiously sent to him in his own prison camp. Whether or not this will be possible, it is her art that will be her salvation, helping her to retain her identity, her dignity, and her increasingly tenuous hold on hope for the future. Many others are not so fortunate. Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, estimates that the Baltic States lost more than one-third of their populations during the Russian genocide. Though many continue to deny this happened, Sepetys' beautifully written and deeply felt novel proves the reality is otherwise. Hers is an important book that deserves the widest possible readership.

Ruta Sepetys has created a beautiful, heart-rending historical tale that will move and change readers. I highly recommend you get to a bookstore today and pick it up. Not only is the book incredible, but I was lucky enough to be at a conference with Ruta this past November and she is a fantastic human being. I am honored to share an imprint (Philomel/Penguin) with her!

Congrats on your debut, Ruta! And thank you for this extraordinary novel.

SPECIAL: Covers

Friends, countrymen, lend me your ears! You spoke. Penguin is listening. My wonderful editor, Jill Santopolo, has been kind enough to stop by and share a few words:

Hey, everyone. Editor Jill here. Andrea was nice enough to let me jump onto her blog to thank you all for your enthusiasm and feedback on the Wolfsbane jacket design. You’ve given us a lot to think about, and we’ll be having many Wolfsbane--related meetings here at Penguin headquarters in the coming weeks. Oh! And I have three Wolfsbane ARCs to give away today. Anyone who comments on this post with their favorite line from Nightshade will be entered to win. (Andrea assures me that she has a magical number generator that picks the winners fairly and squarely.)

More info to come! And yay Jill!! ARCs!! Leave a comment to be entered :) And please choose a favorite line that's SPOILER FREE.

Since this contest is tied into discussions about the new US cover designs it isn't open internationally (there will be future international giveaways).

All new cover info and updates will be posted here and on Twitter (@andreacremer)

Thanks you guys for your passion and commitment to the Nightshade series. Calla and the whole pack thank you.

UPDATE: Thank you for all the wonderful comments!! I'll take entries through Thursday and announce the winners Friday morning.

Another update: Due to the amazing response, Editor Jill is now giving away FIVE Wolfsbane ARCs! Huzzah!

Pick Your Apocalypse

This weekend I took in a film: Battle: LA. I will pretty much see any spectacular disaster movie, whether good or bad. I'd put Battle: LA in the good camp - it was an enjoyable romp with explosions abounding.

My husband and I bond over a shared love of the imagined apocalypse. While its depictions range from eye-rollingly ridiculous to thought provoking, there's something fascinating about the end of the world as we know it. In Buffyverse, though not one of my favorite character's, Riley Finn delivered one of the best lines of the series: "I find myself needing to know the plural of apocalypse."

Pop culture has indeed dreamed up a plethora of means by which the world might end and I tend to enjoy society's demise in all its forms. The Ides of March seem an appropriate day to examine a foreboding subject. Let's have a look see:

Alien apocalypse
Since I started out with Battle: LA I might as well continue in this vein. The alien apocalypse can be zany (Mars Attacks), insidious (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, X-Files), or bombastic (Independence Day, Battle: LA). It's interesting to see what our extraterrestrial neighbors look like, covet their superior technology, and wonder how humans will manage to prevail.

Viral ApocalypseMaybe more frightening because of its plausibility, the supervirus apocalypse (The Stand, Survivors) gets popular play though not as often as other armageddons. Sometimes it wipes out the population, sometimes it makes people into vampires (Daybreakers).

And in case you were worried that all this world-ending mayhem was mutually exclusive, sometimes viruses even bring...

Zombie apocalypseA perennial favorite, the zombie apocalypse comes in many forms. Whether wrought by the slow moving undead (George Romero's oeuvre) or the hyper-charged rage-diseased variety (28 Days Later), zombies spell bad news for society but give us lots of tips for survival. Double tap.

In fact, I'm not that frightened by the onset of zombie apocalypse because I think a good portion of the population is living in a zombie-apocalypse-ready state.

Climate apocalypse
A relative newcomer to the end of the world scenarios, you'll find a few blockbusters (The Day After Tomorrow) but mostly made-for-tv fare (Category 7: The End of the World is pretty awesome). To get serious for a moment, the climate apocalypse scenario hits pretty close to home when horrible disasters (and yes, I know tectonics isn't climate, but still) are affecting sites around the globe. If you aren't already donating to the Red Cross, please consider doing so.

Nuclear apocalypse

Like viral and climate apocalypses, nuclear apocalypse is plausible enough to be truly unsettling. But saw its popularity (Dr. Strangelove, The Day After, Reds, On the Beach) wane in the 21st century. I think "too close for comfort" is part of the we don't see more films of this variety. Also because the Cold War ended. Duh.

Biblical apocalypse
Classic. Who doesn't love a good angels vs. demons battle for the fate of the world? And the four horsemen: pretty hard to top. Whether the anti-Christ is being born (The Omen, Constantine) or Lucifer's running rampant (End of Days), this type of apocalypse is chock full of supernatural goodness.

Though I'd hope none of us are rooting for the end of the world, I'd still wager that we all favor a particular armageddon. My husband is a devoted nuclear apocalypse fan, I'm torn between zombie and biblical, which makes sense given that science fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres.

What's your apocalypse of choice?

Shiny and New!!

I have some VERY exciting news today!! First of all I'm thrilled to tell you that NIGHTSHADE is now an international best seller!!! (Thank you, France!)

Coming on the heels of that announcement I'm psyched to share yet more fabulous news:

NIGHTSHADE will be available in paperback this June AND features a new cover!

Penguin decided to try out a fresh take on NIGHTSHADE for the paperback release and I absolutely love it. I also loved the original cover, but I think the new cover truly embodies the novel and depicts Calla so perfectly. When I was first mulling over NIGHTSHADE I came across a poem by Margaret Atwood (one of my favorite authors)* and was struck by its first stanza:

Not you I fear, but that other

She who can walk through flesh

Queen of the two dimensions

These lines reflected the essence of Calla and were the inspiration for this new cover. I love it!

The response to the new NIGHTSHADE cover as it was previewed was so positive that Penguin has decided to makeover the series with this new theme. Squee!!! Thus I'm also able to share....

NEW WOLFSBANE COVER!!

I am enthralled by how powerful Calla is in this image and the way she resembles a wolf silhouetted by the moon is exquisite. Calla would love this cover (as would Ren and Shay *cough*).

Thanks to all the talent at Penguin for giving my books such wonderful covers!!! I can't wait to see them on the books!!

The poem is in this collection by Margaret Atwood.

Limitless

No this is not a post about that new movie starring Bradley Cooper (although - yay, Bradley Cooper!)

At my household of late we've been watching the X-Files, which I missed when it was on back in the day because at that point in my life my scare tolerance was about a 2 on a 1 - 10 scale (1 The Dark Crystal, 10 being The Shining). Over time I've scaled up to around an 8 with a few variables thrown in. I enjoy a good fright, but still have no tolerance for gore. All of this adds up to me rounding up films and television shows that were once upon a time too scary for me, but am now devouring as quickly as I can find them.

I was thinking about why I particularly love the X-Files, which lead to more broad speculation about sci-fi and fantasy - which I'll always take over other genres - and why I'm mind-boggled when encountering people who say "I just don't like fantasy."

And that's that. It's not that they haven't found the right type of fantasy. This group of people don't like any kind of fantasy. They don't even like Harry Potter (fantasy blasphemy!!)

I've run into many such persons in the course of my life, and now that I'm writing fantasy I encounter even more usually in the contest of "I'd like to read your book, but I don't like fantasy. Will you write something else?" *facepalm*

The X-Files finally brought me around to an answer to this conundrum of speculation-haters. In the series Agent Fox Mulder engages in a constant tug of war with Agent Dana Scully. Mulder searchers for evidence of the fantastic in the world: ghosts, magic, monsters and, of course, aliens. Scully is the skeptic, always demanding fact and scientific proof and hoping to explain away through reason what on the surface appears impossible.

I think the population might be divided up into Mulders and Scullys: and it's all about competing visions of one's ideal world. Hailing from the Mulder camp I look at the world as full of possibility. And what terrifies me is the idea that all our imagining could be explained away. I don't want to live in a world where the magical and mystical have no traction, where miracles don't exist. That is what I'm afraid of.

Scullys are the opposite, finding comfort in a world that has boundaries that are fixed, rules that will not be broken. I don't mean this post as a criticism of said persons - only that I think I'm finally understanding their worldview and how radically divergent it is from my own.

These oppositional approaches to the world are based largely in fear. What is more frightening: a world where the fantastic and frightening may exist, or where they can be proven not to?

When asked why I write fantasy I often answer it's because of the freedom. I write to create worlds that explore things unseen, that test the limits of possibility.

I want to live in a world that is limitless. I want to believe.

To Heart, or Not to Heart

It's Valentine's Day and before I wish you Happy Valentine's Day I thought I'd wax on a bit about the vagaries of this holiday.

I've been having fun reading pro and anti-Valentine's tweets and blogs this morning. I understand both sides. I'm not a fan of any holiday that makes some people feel bad and Valentine's Day is probably at the top of the list.

On the other hand, I'm of the quixotic variety so I like flowers and chocolate and silly, sloppy romantic sentiments (cheesy to me = funny and I think laughter and love go hand in hand).

Recounting the problems of this holiday is the amazing Heather Brewer. She makes exceptional points all around.

Here's a video on this dichotomous holiday, which I think nicely shows us a balance Valentine Horror and Happiness:



Also, my fabulous friend and author, David Levithan is going to be talking about his book: Lover's Dictionary (which limns the peaks and valleys of that thing called love) on All Things Considered this afternoon - check it out :)

In Good Company

Writing is a solitary endeavor and can leave you feeling a bit isolated at times. I think the publicity and marketing wonder teams at Penguin have just given we Breathless Reads authors a mental health boost in addition to a great way to meet readers. By the way: here's the poster we're all signing and I'm giving away (10!!) in the contest from the last post.

We've completed two stops on the tour and it has been such an amazing time. There is a fantastic recap of the New York event on Midnyte Reader's blog with lots of great photos.

If you were at one of the stops and want to share a blog post or pics just let me know (by email or in the comments), I'd be happy to post links!

Being on the road with other authors (especially authors as fabulous as Kirsten, Ally, Brenna and Beth!) is delightful. It's so much fun getting to know each person's quirks, hobbies, joys and struggles. It reminds me that one of the great joys of writing is how unique an art it is. Each writer must find her/his own process, tell her/his story in a way only that person can.

I can't thank all the amazing bloggers and readers who've come out to say hello. It is so fantastic meeting you and learning about your love of reading and writing!

Tomorrow we're at Tattered Cover (Highlands Ranch) in Denver and Saturday at King's English in Salt Lake City. Go west, YA authors!

Breathless Reads Tour

THIS WEEK!

Beginning Wednesday I'm off on the official Breathless Reads tour! (I'm also fighting a super yucky bug, so send health vibes so that I don't spread this plague around)

The authors of Matched, The Eternal Ones, Across the Universe, The Replacement, and Nightshade - that's Ally Condie, Kirsten Miller, Beth Revis, Brenna Yovanoff, and myself will be descending en masse for an event in each of our home cities. I cannot wait - it's sure to be a blast!

Our first stop is tomorrow night:

New York - Wednesday, February 9
Books of Wonder, 6 p.m.

And here's the rest of the schedule:

Minneapolis - Thursday, February 10
Hennepin County Public Library (Ridgedale Branch), 7 p.m.

Denver - Friday, February 11
Tattered Cover (Highlands Ranch), 7 p.m.

Salt Lake City - Saturday, February 12
King's English Bookshop, 2 p.m.

Raleigh - Friday, February 25
Quail Ridge Books and Music, 7 p.m.

I already held a contest to spread the word, but I'm doing it again - this time I have ten, yes 10!!, posters to give away. I don't have an image of the poster yet, but I'll put it up as soon as I have it. Each poster will be signed by all five authors. Just leave your name and a way to contact you in the comments below and you'll be entered (for those who entered the first time, you're already entered in this contest too)! Hope to see you soon!

My Real Name is Amanda...

Once upon at time I had zero followers - it's amazing how life can change in ways you never imagined. Since I'm in the whirlwind of drafting and about to head out on the Breathless Tour I thought that I'd revisit some blog posts of the past. Thanks to those of you who've been here from the beginning and to those who've just joined us - I'm so grateful that you're all here!

A recurring quirk in my life revolves around my name. For some reason people (even people who know me well) often call me "Amanda."

It is always Amanda, never Anna, Adrienne, Amy, or Angela. Amanda, always, Amanda.

This renaming of my person has occurred for as long as I remember, and is an act I've always corrected with a polite, if bewildered, smile. And I have always wondered why it happens. It happened yet again today and I decided to give this name-change phenomenon some deliberate thought.

Do I look like an Amanda? Is Amanda that much more common of a name than Andrea?

I've long been obsessed with origin and meaning of names. I have a tattered baby name book that I've read (yes read) since I was a child not because I think about names for my own children - but because I love the places, histories, and emotions that the meaning behind a name evoke.

In my novels the characters' names (first and last) reveal as much about them as do their actions and dialogue. I spend a lot of time in research before giving a character a name.

Since I seem to be a secret Amanda, I investigated the origin of the name. It was invented in the 17th century (oddly enough this era is my period of specialization in history) by a playwright and is Latin for "lovable, worthy of love."

I had a pleasant heart flutter when I read that origin story. From now I'll take being called Amanda not as a failure to remember my name, but as a compliment.

Other People's Music

I've posted many a time about how essential music is to my writing process. Each of my novels has a playlist as I'm drafting and when copyedits are done the book gets a soundtrack. You can see the Nightshade playlist and soundtrack and the Wolfsbane playlist on my web site.

Discovering new music is one of my favorite things. I find a lot of songs through the incredible Minnesota Public Radio station The Current, which I'd recommend to everyone. You can stream it online no matter where you live. For ambient, mood music I often turn to Digitalis on Soma FM, which I'll sometimes stream as I'm writing.

But even better than finding music on your own can be the joy of learning about the songs and bands that other people love. David Levithan, author and editor extraordinaire, conducts a yearly music poll wherein his friends send in their favorite albums and songs of the year. David compiles the list and then gifts us all with an amazing compilation of music recommendations from some very music savvy peeps.

If you're looking for new music I'd check out these recommendations.

And here's a 2010 single on my list: Yeasayer's O.N.E. I love this song and am now obsessed with the video - it's like if a dystopian world decided the 1980s should be revived. It also kind of makes me think that this might be a club where the capital citizens of Panem might be found slumming it. (Sorry I can't embed the video here, but I'd highly recommend watching it. It's a hoot and a half!)

Enjoy!

Back To School

First day of the spring semester has arrived, though given that this past week we've been living in sub-zero weather it hardly feels right to call it the spring semester.

As much as scheduling can get hairy when I'm doing two full-time jobs (writing and teaching), I'm looking forward to seeing my colleagues and students. Writing is a solitary endeavor, and as much as I'm an introvert who prefers being alone, it can be too easy to forget about the rest of the world. Teaching keeps me connected to people and ideas and for that I'm deeply grateful. While it's wonderful to be lost in a world of my own creation, it's also vital to remember that the stories are written to invite others in and share the journey.

Here's a song to get the semester started off right:

Vacation Location

Good guesses all around and quite a few correct guesses!

Here I am:
In Key West!

I was actually staying on a tiny island just off of Key West called Sunset Key and it was heavenly. I think I got enough sunshine and vitamin D to get me through the rest of the winter - let's hope so.

Now for the winners - yes I said winners, courtesy of Atom Books I just received some finished UK editions of Nightshade that I'll throw into the mix!

Regan Coomer
WulfLuva
Tabby Lewis

Send your address to andreacremerwrites (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send your prize!

Thanks for all the entries!

Bon Anniversaire, Nightshade: Lune de Sang

Today is Nightshade's book birthday in France and Belgium! Tres bien!!
Merci beaucoup to all those readers who join Calla and her pack on the wild hunt.

WITW: Day 2

Today I went parasailing! It was one of the coolest, and surprisingly, most tranquil activities I've ever taken part in. Absolutely loved it. Pictures will come in the next week :)

And here are today's clues. Post your guess as to where I am and all correct answers will be put into a drawing to win a signed, finished copy of Nightshade:


Clue #1


Clue #2 (note: I'm not on a cruise, but cruise ships dock here)


Clue #3

At the Bookshop

Amid all the debates about publishing deaths and e-book revolutions, I always wonder about how far said revolutions can go simply because of aesthetics. I was wandering around the mall with my brother yesterday before taking him to the airport. We did some browsing in the Apple and *shinynew* Microsoft stores - which, by the by, are facing off against each other in the mall, both sporting futuristic all glass fronts and both feature employees wearing oppositional colors: Apple - all red shirts, Microsoft - all blue shirts.

My brother and I decided that someone needs to stage a YouTube flash of a mid-day mall rumble between these two stores.

But despite all the shiny, futurey goodies, I get tired of looking at screens, flashing lights, and consoles. The only place I spent money yesterday was at the bookstore. And the bookstore is also where we spend the bulk of our time.

There's something so wonderful about wandering through aisles of books, not knowing what you'll pick up, what you'll discover. As much as I'm used to reading books by author friends or books recommended by booksellers or blogger, it's still incredibly exciting to pick up a book you've never seen or heard of only to be captivated by its premise and prose.

Instead of waiting to post reviews of some new books, I decided that today I'd post about recent books I've purchased, but have not yet read, and why I picked them up. It's a mix of books I'd been anticipating and a few I just found and am really excited about.

David Levithan's Lover's Dictionary
David is not only an incredibly talented writer and editor - he's a genuinely exceptional human being who I am honored to call my friend. I've been super excited for his first adult novel. It's beautiful and so creative. I've only read a few pages (I just got it!) but I'm in love!

Cynthia Hand's Unearthly
I haven't met Cynthia in person, but she is a friend of my friend - the amazing poet and scholar Kristin Naca - and Kristin introduced (via the internet) Cynthia and I to each other. Like me, Cynthia is an academic trying to balance teaching and writing and so I feel instant kinship with her. I also loved this review of Unearthly and Nightshade together.

Matt Haig's The Radleys
The cover snared me on this one. And then I read a few pages. Suburban vampires. Commentary on abstinence and the repression of animal instincts. Wow. Yes.

Cherie Priest's Boneshaker
Zombies. Alternate Civil War. Steampunk. My next project is steampunk, as well as being alternate history. I'm psyched about this book.

Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men
I adore Terry Pratchett and this series has been on my TBR list forever. Finally picked it up.

Andrew Shaffer's Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
Maybe wins best title ever?? Andrew is a fantastic columnist for Huffington Post, a master of wit, and I have been really looking forward to this book.

So what makes you pick up a book? Have you been surprised by any recent literary purchases?

Resolved!

It's the first Monday in January, which makes me want to run around shrieking and pulling at my hair. Why? Because now all that "I don't really have to get anything done - it's the holidays!" mantra has vanished and reality has come crashing through the door.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I'm approaching the 'real' New Year with excitement and trepidation. I see lots of good things on the horizon, but I'm also wary of the plate spinning I'll be doing to balance writing, teaching, and life.

That's where my 2011 resolution comes in, I'm talking about the big one here. There are also little ones about exercise and meditation, etc. but the big one is this:

I resolve to work with passion and then let it go.

2010 was an amazing year, but it also involved a lot of hand-wringing on my part. Too many questions, all of the what if followed by a negative thought variety, kept me from savoring the journey as much as I could have.

In 2011 I'm working hard to focus on doing what I love and letting the universe do what it will what that effort. I want to spend less time on self-doubt and anxiety and more time observing the joys that grace my life and being thankful for them.

Given that I'm an intensely self-critical, quasi-obsessive perfectionist this will not be an easy task. And yet, I am resolved!!

What are your resolutions for the New Year?

Pub Date Across the Pond!

Hooray!!! Nightshade is officially out in the UK today!

Thanks so much to the amazing team at Atom Books - I'm ecstatic that Nightshade is making friends in England, Scotland and beyond even as I write this message.

If you haven't yet checked out the UK Nightshade web site, you should as it is soooo very pretty.

Since it's very, very wintry from Minnesota to New York to London I thought this might be an appropriate song to celebrate the day. I hope you'll brave the elements to go pick up your own copy of Nightshade and give it a nice, cozy new home!

UK Blog Tour

Christmas is almost here - I can hardly believe it! We've just passed the Winter Solstice, which means each day brings us a little more sunlight - considering that this time of year in Minnesota it gets dark at 4 p.m. I find that thought more than a little bit comforting.

Exciting things afoot on the other side of the Atlantic. Atom Books has kicked off the countdown to Nightshade with a fabulous blog tour! You can read excerpts from the book and soon some awesome UK (and AU/NZ) blogs will feature interviews and guests post. There's also a contest to 'cast' Calla - and I can't wait to see who readers think would best portray her on screen.

You can also check out the Atom's fabulous Nightshade web site www.nightshadeseries.co.uk and download some gorgeous wallpaper.

Though the official release date of Nightshade in the UK isn't until December 28, I'm getting reports that copies have been sighted at WH Smiths and Waterstones. So if you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift? (hint, hint)

Merry Christmas and I hope Santa brings whatever you've been wishing for!!!