MIA

So...I've been gone. For a long time. A lot has happened in the past six months - my son is applying to college, our dog finally grew all of his hair back and I got diagnosed with cancer. Mostly it's the cancer that's been keeping me away.

I don't want to bore you with the details, but out of nowhere and with no family history I was diagnosed in June with stage IV colon cancer that has metastasized to all sorts of fun places like my brain, bones and liver. It's been hard to concentrate enough to read, much less write, so I've put most things on hold until recently. My new book is coming out in just a few short weeks and we're settling into a 'new normal' with my chemo treatments, so I feel like I'm starting to come back and will hopefully be able to participate in real life a lot more.

If you want to follow along on this medical journey, you can friend me on my Facebook page and send me a message that you'd like to be added to the closed cancer group. I don't post every day, but it's been an easy way for people to keep up with what's going on. Right now things are pretty stable and it feels like we have more of a handle on this than we ever have, so I plan on sticking around for awhile. 

Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy THE THIRD TWIN in just a few short weeks!

Cover Reveal for FERAL by Holly Schindler!!!

I'm so thrilled to participate in the cover reveal for one of my favorite authors Holly Schindler ans her new book FERAL which will be out from Harper Collins on August 26th. What's it about you ask? Here's the synopsis:

It’s too late for you. You’re dead.

Those words float through Claire Cain’s head as she lies broken and barely alive after a brutal beating. And the words continue to haunt her months later, in the relentless, terrifying nightmares that plague her sleep. So when her father is offered a teaching sabbatical in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out of Chicago, away from the things that remind her of what she went through, will offer a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire quickly realizes something is wrong—the town is brimming with hidden dangers and overrun by feral cats. And her fears are confirmed when a popular high school girl, Serena Sims, is suddenly found dead in the icy woods behind the school. While everyone is quick to say Serena died in an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it—for she was the one who found Serena, battered and most certainly dead, surrounded by the town’s feral cats.

Now Claire vows to learn the truth about what happened, but the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to discovering a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley. . . .

With an eerie setting and heart-stopping twists and turns, Holly Schindler weaves a gripping story that will make you question everything you think you know.

And now....for the big reveal...(drumroll please)...

Congratulations Holly! I can't wait for this one.

My Talking Head

I was recently invited to participate in the Career Girls website, talking about writing and the business of being an author. If you want to know more about me than you ever thought possible, hop on over to the Career Girls website for the video clips. This site talks to girls about different careers and how to get where you want to be and I'm honored to be part of it.

Here I am talking about how I ended up as a writer and why it's OK if you don't know what you want to do with your life:

Inheritance Giveaway!

 

  The triangular spaceship hovered motionless in the sky above Reese Holloway's house, as inscrutable as a black hole. It had seemed like a good idea when they were inside: to tell the truth about what happened to them at Area 51. It didn't seem like such a good idea now.

Reese and David are not normal teens—not since they were adapted with alien DNA by the Imria, an extraterrestrial race that has been secretly visiting Earth for decades. Now everyone is trying to get to them: the government, the Imria, and a mysterious corporation that would do anything for the upper hand against the aliens.

Beyond the web of conspiracies, Reese can't reconcile her love for David with her feelings for her ex-girlfriend Amber, an Imrian. But her choice between two worlds will play a critical role in determining the future of humanity, the Imria's place in it, and the inheritance she and David will bring to the universe.

In this gripping sequel to Adaptation, Malinda Lo brings a thoughtful exploration of adolescence, sexuality, and "the other" to a science fiction thriller that is impossible to put down.

INHERITANCE is finally here! I couldn't wait to get my hands on this sequel to ADAPTATION, so I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy. It takes the story in the first book so much further and answers so many questions, both about Reese, Amber and David as well as the world as a whole. Will Reese and David find out what happened to them in Area 51? Will Reese and Amber rekindle their relationship, or will she stay with David? And why do the Imria look so much like us? The answers will make you think long after the last page has turned.

I love this series and I know you will too. To celebrate the release of this awesome story, I'm giving away a hardcover copy right here on the blog.  If you can't wait (and I don't blame you) you can find both books at major bookstores and online at Barnes and Noble, Indiebound and Amazon.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Advice for Young Writers

My own young writer, a few years ago...

 During the school year, I help out at a book club for 9th graders at my high school. Many of them are aspiring writers and I get a lot of questions about publishing a book as soon as possible. I love their enthusiasm and my first reaction is: great! And then my second reaction is: wait.

I got another email today from someone who knows a 14 year-old who is a great writer and wants to know if any publishers would be interested in publishing her stories, so I figured I'd write down my thoughts about young writers and publication.

I always want to encourage young writers to keep going - keep writing anything that pops into their heads. Write stories, write poems, write screenplays. One of my biggest regrets is that while I liked to read and my teachers always said I was a good writer, I didn't start writing stories until I was in my late thirties. If I'd listened and started when I was younger, I would have that much more time to write that many more books. I love it when teenagers are passionate about what they're doing and I never want to do anything to discourage that. But I don't think that most young teenagers are ready for publication.

One problem is their lack of experience. I had a 9th grader ask me recently how to write a love scene when she's never even kissed a boy. My answer was to wait until she'd had some of these experiences. While you can leave a lot of things in a manuscript to the imagination, in a many of cases, there's no substitution for experience - and that's something that you just can't rush.

No matter how amazing your first novel is, given a few years and some more experience writing and you'll probably see all of the flaws. If you ask most any writer, the first novel they published wasn't the first novel they wrote (and if it was, we don't hang out with them). We all have what we call 'drawer novels' - books that were written to be put in a drawer. Just because a story isn't meant to be published doesn't mean they don't have a purpose. Each and every story you write teaches you so much about story and characterization - things that have to be practiced to be improved, and you never know where a story will lead. We just sold a thriller called THE THIRD TWIN to Delacorte that was a total rewrite of a story that I'd first written years ago. One of the biggest problems with self-publishing is that any writer can finish their first novel and post it online in a matter of hours - and once it's there, it never truly disappears. A cringe-worthy thought for most of us.



I often hear about a teenager who is an exceptional writer - full of passion and maturity beyond his or her years. I remember helping out at a writing workshop and reading some paragraphs from a young writer that were just amazing and I knew that she had a long career ahead of her. No matter how mature the writing, most teenagers (heck, most adults) can't handle the emotional roller coaster that is the world of publishing. Even the best book out there is subject to criticism and rejection - from agents, from editors and from the reading public. Every time you turn around, there is someone out there saying you suck. It can be difficult for even the most seasoned veteran to keep going in the face of all the negativity that gets flung at them and I can't imagine a young person coming out of the experience unscathed.

If you are (or know) a young writer, my best advice is to stop thinking about publication and start thinking about perfecting your craft. Read everything you can get your hands on. Don't like sci-fi? Go ask your librarian for her favorite sci-fi novels and spend a few days reading them. Write as much and as often as possible. Seek out creative writing classes - many libraries offer workshops for young writers. Join a writing group, either online or in person. There are different groups for different kinds of writing - if you're interested in writing for children or YA, SCBWI and VerlaKay's message boards are two of the best. Find other writers who know what they're doing to critique your work and give you pointers. Go to conferences and book signings to meet people who are doing what you want to do.

Most of all don't be in such a hurry and don't give up. When you're ready to be published, the world will be waiting.

The Third Twin!

After lots of secret-keeping time, I'm so happy that I can finally talk about my new book The Third Twin! This is the announcement that appeared in Publisher's Weekly Bookshelf this afternoon:

Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought a YA novel called The Third Twin by Dirty Little Secrets author C.J. Omololu. In the story, identical twins invent a third sister as a cover to date and dump hot but temporary boys, only to find themselves stalked and impersonated by the sister who doesn't exist, while their ex-dates turn up dead. Publication is scheduled for 2015; Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights. 

 To elaborate just a little, here is the pitch that my agent sent out (because it's better than anything I can come up with):

 We have three basic rules for being Alicia-always wear the diamond pendant, never sleep with any of the guys, and after five dates, they're history, no matter how hot they are. At this moment, I'm especially glad for rule number three because this particular guy seems determined to break rule number two.

Identical twins Lexi and Ava have always been close, despite being very different. Lexi relentlessly pursues academic perfection and an Ivy League future. Ava is a party girl, with an extraordinary ability to reel in the guys.  But there's a third member of the tripod - Alicia, the triplet sister they invented as kids and never quite abandoned. Alicia is Ava's cover for dating hot but temporary boys. Boys whom Lexi - in the guise of Alicia - gets the unenviable task of dumping once Ava's finished with them.

 Lexi can't stand being Alicia. She knows it's time to pension her off; they're grown up now and Alicia should be consigned to history. And yet Ava persuades Lexi to give Alicia one final outing . . .

 When Casey, Alicia's last date, turns up brutally murdered, all evidence starts pointing to her - a girl who doesn't even exist. A persona whom Lexi simply took on for one traumatic evening. But now Lexi realizes she's being shadowed by someone who seems to know her every move. A car in the wrong place. A red jacket she never bought. An appointment she never made . . . . The ultimate case of identity theft? A nightmare stalker? Whatever, Lexi is going to take the fall for murder.

 Only one person can help Lexi clear her name and discover the truth - Zane, her oldest and dearest guy friend. But so often, people are not quite what they seem. Even, perhaps, her twin sister Ava . . .

 



I'm so excited to work with Wendy and be part of the amazing authors at Delacorte. I really love this story and I'm thrilled it found such a wonderful home. More to come as things develop!

 

"The best part about being Akhet is that you remember everything. The worst part is that you forget nothing." 

With every new vision from her past lives, Cole understands more about who she is in this life…and her love for Griffon grows as quickly as her unique Akhet abilities. Able to sense people’s innermost emotions, Cole is a much needed asset to the Akhet’s worldwide plan. Then she meets a young millionaire named Drew who reveals a startling connection to Cole’s life in Elizabethan England. His intense desire to restore their past confuses and excites Cole but his affections complicate her plans with both Griffon and the Akhet. When her best friend Rayne is endangered by Cole’s carelessness, Cole must find a way to save Rayne and prevent the Akhet’s plans from falling into the hands of people out to destroy the world. Only by trusting in herself and her newfound abilities can Cole fight for her friend, her love, and her rightful destiny.

 I'm so thrilled that INTUITION is out in the world today! It's been getting some great reviews - you can read what I Heart Y.A. Fiction had to say and the review from  Into the Hall of Books to see what some other people have had to say. One of my favorite things is how great the two books look together on the shelf - you can almost see Cole's story developing on the spines:

 

As always, I love supporting my local indies, but if you don't have a bookstore close by, you can always get it at Barnes and Noble, Indiebound or Amazon. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy reading Cole's story as much as I enjoyed writing it!