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!

The Best Things in Life...

Are those you didn't plan for.

A little less than a year ago I had the delight of attending the American Library Association (ALA) annual meeting, at which I met many amazing authors including David Levithan. Upon meeting David I knew I'd found a kindred spirit and being so grateful for his kindness to a newbie author I wrote this blog post.

Now I meant the post as a compliment not an actual suggestion, but lo and behold David saw the blog post and decided to call my bluff - he asked if I wanted to try writing a book together. To take a page from my beloved Ghostbusters:

When David Levithan asks you if you'll write a book with him you say YES.

And I did.

And now I have amazing news to share that was announced this morning in Publishers Weekly:

Philomel Disappears with Levithan & Cremer
Jill Santopolo, executive editor of Penguin Young Readers' Philomel imprint, took world rights to a new YA novel by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer called The Invisibility Curse. Bill Clegg, at William Morris Endeavor, brokered the deal for Levithan, who co-wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Play-list (and is editorial director at Scholastic Press), and Cremer, author of Nightshade (and history professor at Macalaster College). The novel follows a boy burdened by invisibility who meets a girl that has the power to see him and, possibly, cure him. Publication is currently set for 2013.

Our book will be published in 2013 by Philomel/Penguin with amazing Editor Jill at the helm!!!!

There are no words to describe how ecstatic I am about this novel and how much I love David. I'm grateful to him not only for sharing his creative talent with me but also for how much he's become a dear friend over the past 10 months.

I can't wait until 2013 when you'll be able to share our journey, too!

Vicarious Win!

Please head over to the Personal Demons blog of LisaDez and give her a virtual high five. She just landed a three-book deal with Tor/MacMillan.

CONGRATS Lisa!!!

I'm so excited for her, not only is she deserving of this incredible success, but as her crit partner *puffs chest with pride* I can tell you this book is fantastic and I can't wait to see it on the shelves.

Huzzah Lisa! Huzzah!

*Sighs, dreaming of Luc*

We're dancing for you at my house (It looks something like this):

The Empty List

In the days just after Thanksgiving a question oft-repeated among my family and friends:

What would you like for Christmas?

I'm not going to blush or offer downcast eyes. My attitude toward gifts is much like that of Buffy on her birthday:

"Oooh, prezzies! Gimme, gimme, gimme."

I love presents. I love giving them and getting them.

But this year I'm stumped. I have no idea what to put on my Christmas list (sorry Mom!)
And I know why. 2009 was the year I got what I wanted more than anything else in the world - my book deal.

When I try to think about a 'gimme list' I always come back to: book deal. And I have that. And every time I remember I get squeeey goodness. And then I don't want anything. I iz happy, happy, happy.

Okay, okay...so there was one thing I wanted - a Droid.

But my oh-so-lovely husband just bought me one, and when I insisted it was my Christmas presented he countered: "No, this is your book deal present." (See - there it is again! The book deal is the blob that consumes all other gift options!)

If you don't know what a Droid is, it's this awesome device that is pretty much Motorola's answer to the IPhone. And it is awesome. I am not a gadgety girl, but I love my Droid. I love it because I am a Messy Person.

I believe that this inherent messiness is a good thing. So does the New York Times *sticks out tongue at obssessive neat folk* (Don't worry, I still love you strange, organized folk of the world, my husband is one of you. I simply will never understand how you manage to be so neat.)

The Droid is the closet thing in my life I can offer for organization. I thrive in chaos and clutter and me walking through a room seems to have a similar affect to that of a tornado. My desk lives under the constant threat of drowning in papers, books, sticky notes, and pictures. My calendar cannot hope to keep up.

The Droid helps because it's everything in one neat little black box. Plus, it tells me when I'm supposed to be different places...and that is the kind of little helper I need. Though I'm a little afraid that it will become self aware and take over the world, starting with my house.

But it's help has left me with that same old problem. Nothing for the list. Except books of course, there's no end to the books I pine for. So Mom, little bro, & everyone else who's asked me for a list. Just head to the bookstore because and I'll steal a quip from Edward:"Books are my life now."

Though according to LisaDez, none of this is going to be a problem anyway.

Ooh, Shinies!

An award! An award!

Thanks so much to fellow Buffy addict, Tricia from Talespinning, for honoring me:
Like Tricia I'm going to be a rule contrarian and go 'five by five'; that is, Five Honest Things About Me and Five Bloggers to whom I'll pass on the award.

Hmmm, five honest things...

Well I think it's the most difficult to be honest about those things you're afraid of, so I'll offer five of my true fears, ranging from silly to serious:

1) I cannot tolerate anyone looking over my shoulder. I freeze up and can't do anything until said lurker is gone.

2) I am terrified of crocodiles. For realz. And I live in Minnesota, go figure.

3) I am afraid of mustaches.

4) My dogs turn eight in 2010. I am scared that they will soon be old dogs :(

5) And my biggest fear: that when that biggest of big dreams happens - Nightshade's release date, October 14, 2010 - that no one will like it. (I think all authors share this fear!)

True confessions over, onto the awards:

I'd like to give the Honest Scrap award to:

LisaDez
Suzanne Young
Carrie Harris
Caroline
The Screaming Guppy

And finally I'd like to dedicate this award to my followers (76! Woo-hoo!) it's so awesome to see you here every day :) And to any lurkers out there, I'm happy to have you here too. Don't be shy, you can come out from behind those bushes if you'd like. I won't bite until we get to know each other better.Biting people: not a fear of mine. Though I'm sure many of you are now afraid of me. Bwaaa-haa-haa.

Happy Wednesday!

SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I'm floating, floating, floating to the moon!

My wonderful and fabulous agents, Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen of Inkwell, have landed me a two-book deal with Penguin.

Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy!!!! And thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to family, friends, and wonderful writer folk who helped me get here.

Keep dreaming big dreams!!