The Buzz: The Perks of Being a Wallflower MOVIE

WHAT?! The Perks of Being a Wallflower is being made into a movie. Crazy, right? Crazy awesome!

Honestly, I have a terrible memory. I don’t recall a lot of the details in this book (which, rumor has it...are a little risqué) but it did have a significant impact on my life for two reasons.

1.       I was a teenager relating to a fellow teenager.

2.       It referenced amazing novels, T.V. show, movies and most importantly MUSIC that I had never come across. 

Source

 Here are some of those references:

Literature	Music
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee	Asleep by The Smiths
A Separate Peace by John Knowles	Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald	Time of No Reply by Nick Drake
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger	Dear Prudence by The Beatles
	Daydream by The Smashing Pumpkins
	Blackbird by The Beatles
	Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
	Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
	Something by The Beatles

 

To me, the idea of referencing pop culture in a book like that was genius, and now that I’m a writer, I think it’s even more genius. It gives the reader such a great picture of who the character is. My first draft of Oppression had tons of references to poems and music, but ultimately ended up being cut. Still, whenever I hear Asleep by The Smiths, I’ll always think of this book.

I’m so curious to see how the movie turns out, especially since I can’t remember many of the details. I’ll be able to relive the whole story again in a new way. Not to mention, Hermione is in it! That’s right, Emma Watson, will be playing the role of Sam. For more details on the movie, coming out sometime this year, visit IMDB.

Oppression Blog Tour

Thanks so much to everyone who signed up to help me host my Virtual Launch Party for Oppression. I'm so excited! I can't believe my book will be officially out in 5 short weeks. Crazy.

I will also be taking Oppression around on a Blog Tour shortly after the launch from March 1-15.

The tour will include the following:

1.      Book Reviews

2.      Interviews

3.      Guest Posts

4.      Giveaways

If you are interested in having me over to your blog for an interview, guest post, or any other awesome idea you may have, fill out the form below:

The Buzz: Prince Albert and the Doomsday Device

This book was so much fun to read. I've never read steampunk before, but I've wanted to for a long time. For me, this was a great intro to the genre. The story was imaginative, and I was carried away by the adventure. The characters, action, and mystery device completely won me over. Jack, Prince Albert, and the PRG made for a great team that had me laughing along the way. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Did I mention it got a Kirkus Starred Review? Read it here.

Book Details

Title: Prince Albert and the Doomsday Device

Author: Clive London

Genre: Steampunk

Publisher: ZOVA Books

Length: 306 Pages

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Book Description 

Jack has been wondering about the disappearance of his father for over a year now. Tucked away in the remote village of Rothchild, all the children have been living on their wits since their parents were carted away by order of the Queen. When a passing stranger entrusts him with stabling his horse for the night, Jack takes the opportunity to ride as fast and far as he can out of town and toward London. His plan is to find his father, but with no money and little knowledge of the world, he finds danger and adventure instead. It doesn't help that the closer he comes to finding his father, the closer he comes to uncovering a ruthless plot to overthrow the monarchy. What begins as a simple journey quickly turns into a swashbuckling adventure of epic proportions as Jack is joined by none other than Prince Albert himself. With the help of the Prince's royal bodyguards and Jack's own scrappy courage, they just might be able to uncover the truth of the plot against the throne, Jack's missing father, and the mysterious Doomsday Device that threatens them all.

Live.Laugh.Love...those precious moments

So, I've been a Friday blog post slacker. I completely missed last week due to more time with my little nieces. They have a way of taking over. Nothing gets done when they're around. The world, time, everything just ceases to exist, and I turn into a baby-talking, baby-chasing, goofball. The best part about these visits with my sweet baby girls is that I am getting to see them learn and change and grow into little humans. I'm starting to realize that I'm having full blown conversations with the two-year-old niece Cadence. In my head, I'm thinking, aren't you a baby? How do you know what I'm saying? She's growing up too fast...at least she still believes in monsters.

Here's her obsessing after watching Monsters Inc. It's not a very exciting video for anyone but me. Still...I thought I'd share.

OPPRESSION - Virtual Launch Party RSVP

Hi all! Anyone want to join my Virtual Launch Party for the release of Oppression? It'll be fun. There will be dancing (virtual dancing of course). You'll have to use your imagination as you won't actually be able to see me doing my happy dance, but I will be...

Here's how to help me host the party:

In Oppression, Elyse discovers that her destiny is deeply intertwined with the fate of the future.

1) Write a post on your blog about fate, destiny, or whether or not you think things really do happen for a reason.

Or…

2) Simply write a post about the release of Oppression to help me spread the word!

I'll be giving away a free signed copy of Oppression to the writer of the best post.

Want to help me host?

When: February 28, 2012

Where: On Your Blog

What: Write a post that shares the news about my debut novel, Oppression.

Thanks to those who have already contacted me about posting on the day of my launch!

Rachel Morgan - Rachel Morgan Writes
Mark Koopmans - Aloha, and Hi from HI
Rachele Alpine - FRECKLE HEAD
Carrie Butler - So, You're A Writer...
Cherie Colyer - Cherie Colyer
Holly Kammier - Could Have Been Holly Wood

RSVP below so that I can post a link to your blog when the party starts:

The Buzz: Rebel Heart Cover

I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the Dust Lands series (AKA the sequel to Blood Red Road), Rebel Heart. Anyone else going gaga over this cover?

Tada!

Writing World: Update on Oppression

Well, what once was "writing world" for me has now become "marketing world." ...not that this part of the publishing experience isn't completely and awesomely fun. It is. But man, it is work. Not to mention I still have to keep writing the next book (which is going well by the way...I can't wait to start sharing and talking about that once Oppression is out).

Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't want to shove Oppression down your throats, but this blog is called Imagination to Publication. Without trying to be too much of a salesman, I wanted to share the newest details of my publishing journey.


As you may know, I met with ZOVA last weekend, and here is the latest:

1. Oppression will be included in the 2012 Debut Author Challenge.

The challenge goal is to read & review a minimum of twelve young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 – January 31, 2013.

As part of the debut author challenge, Oppression will be touring around to different readers on the Debut Author Challenge ARC Tour. You will be able to sign up for the tour here once it is posted (sometime next week).

 *Don't forget to become a member of the Debut Author Challenge Group on Goodreads!

2. Oppression is climbing the YA Debut 2012 Listopia list where you can vote for your favorite upcoming 2012 novels. Yippee! Thanks for your votes everyone!

3. I'm planning an Oppression Virtual Launch Party! I hope you'll be joining me on February 28th to help celebrate the release of my book (by posting about Oppression). I'll be posting a sign up/RSVP form later this month for those of you bloggers who want to help me host. If you know for sure you want to be involved, you can also email me or leave a note in the comments.

4. The back cover reveal will be coming shortly. I absolutely love it. Can't wait to share :)

5. A fresh wave of E-ARCS should be going out to bloggers soon. I can't wait to hear feedback from everyone!

6. A Q&A with my publisher will be posted in a few weeks.

7. I will be attending the Southern California Writers Conference with ZOVA the week before the release (Feb. 17-20) to promote the book. Hope to see you there!

That's what's going on in my writing world. What about you? Feel free to share any big book news or even if you're just writing queries. I love to hear from you all!

The Buzz: The Host Movie Cast Update

Stephenie Meyer's The Host won't hit screens until 2013, but that doesn't mean we can't obsess over the cast, pictures, trailers, etc. until then. If you've been following "the buzz" about this movie, you already know that Saoirse Ronan was cast as Melanie Stryder (big thumbs up in my opinion).

Saoirse Ronan

According to IMDB, three others have been cast to act alongside Saoirse:

William Hurt will be playing Jeb

Max Irons will be playing Jared Howe
(I'm still iffy about this one, but who knows...)

Jake Abel will be playing Ian O'Shea

It's pretty fun to put faces to the characters in my head. I really enjoyed The Host and read it a few times, actually. I can't wait to see it on film, and (fingers crossed) I can't wait for there to be a sequel. Rumors about book 2, The Soul, have been floating around for a while now. Hopefully Stephenie Meyer is just waiting for the movie to announce the release of the next book.



How do you like these casting choices? Are you as excited about The Host movie as I am?

Live.Laugh.Love...Baby Girls

My baby girl nieces are here! I'm pretty much useless when they are. It's hard to pull away and get anything done with all their cuteness around me.

I did, however, meet with my publisher this morning before I entered the baby frenzy. Things are getting exciting! I know. I know. You want juicy details, but babies are swarming me right now.

I'll update you all a little later regarding what's next for Oppression.

Stay tuned for the back cover and official blurb! I'm hoping to post that soon.

What awesome, cute, funny, or wonderful things are going on with you lately? Live, laugh, love my friends!

Road Trip Wednesday: Writing Retreat

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic: 

Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

This is a fun one. It's like a fantasy vacation for my mind!

First and foremost, I would bring absolutely no one but myself. Otherwise, I'm sure I wouldn't get any writing done...Okay. Okay. If I'm going to Hawaii in my mind, I have to bring my husband, but that's it (and he's off scuba diving while I'm writing or something).

Source

I'd wake up every morning, really early. Grab a coffee. Dig my toes into the sand. Whip open my tiny pink netbook. And WRITE. In reality, I'd probably get all set and ready and nothing would come to me (My brain doesn't cooperate like that...rarely do the writing ideas flow when I actually have the time to write.) BUT, this is a fantasy scenario, so let's just say I write full perfect chapters every day.

Wouldn't that be nice...


What would your dream writing retreat be like?

The Buzz: Destined by Jessie Harrell

You cannot escape what is destined...

Good suck-you-in kind of line, huh? It got me. Also, get a load of this cover:

Totally hot, right? Consider me officially sold. If you're not sold yet, here's the blurb...

"As he approached, I heard the flapping of wings, like an overgrown eagle. The sound dissolved when he landed at the edge of the open window. A rush of wind flew past me and extinguished the flames in the fireplace. Stars glimmered behind him but his body was encircled in black."

***

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

Have any new YA books caught your eye lately?