Yes, Harper Collins! I WILL Marry You!!!

So I came home from the gym today (all sweaty and gross, of course, thus, you will not be seeing ME in any of the pictures that are going to follow) and there was this blue box on the counter. It was a very distinctive blue. I was like, "Hey, *I* know that blue color!" So I rush over (and, I admit, there may have been some squealing) to oggle at this:



Okay, I admit, I have never gotten anything from Tiffany's. (Fine, that's not that big of an admission, but still.) On top of that, I had never seen a box from Tiffany's that big! I was a wee bit excited.:D

I did pause for a moment and read the accompanying letter, which had the Harper Collins emblem on it. It was a nice letter from Brian Murray. So I get done reading it and I turn to my husband and say, "Um, I have no idea who Brian Murray is . . ."

He points to the top of the letterhead.

I then hyperventilate and say, ever so calmly, "Oh, the CEO of Harper Collins. I knew that."

And THEN I opened the box.

Dude, seriously, check it! (Diary of a Wimpy Kid is there for size perspective. It was the nearest book.)



It's a big crystal with my name on it!!!! So yes!! Harper Collins has proposed!!!:D

Seriously. It's just amazing to me. I have this company that basically decided to make all my dreams come true. In fact, they decided to go overboard and make dreams I didn't know I had come true!!

And then, they send me stuff from Tiffany's to thank ME for letting them make all my dreams come true?

Boggles my mind.

But, regardless, I am deliriously happy with them, they are apparently happy with me, and we are going to live happily ever after.

So yes! Harper Collins! The answer is yes!! (I'm not even sure what the question is and the answer is STILL yes!;))

Ciao!

How To Enter the House Via Dog Door

An Essay in Pictures, by G. Pike:







Hehe.

Ciao!

Fun Week!!

It has been quite a fun week.

Except for the most obvious drawback which is that my husband is in Maine.

And worse!! (Okay not really worse, but . . .) He took my iPhone with him!! Those of you who know me IRL know that my iPhone and I are attached at the . . . er . . . hand.:D I take it everywhere I go and use it constantly. (For thing like *koffkoff* obsessively stalking my Amazon page.:D) I also have tons of information in it that I generally take for granted. Like phone numbers and addresses. D'oh!

But the thing that really made me twitch is that both my agent and my editor have both finally been trained to call my cell phone before my home phone. Which means that when my editor called this week to let me know that Wings had managed it 10th (!) week on the NYT list, guess who got the good news first?

That's right--my husband.

Which is okay. He deserves to get the news first once in a while.:)

But WOW! Ten weeks!! I have to admit, getting double digits on the list was one of my goals . . . on of my "well I know this is never going to happen but heck, every writer needs a pie in the sky, completely unattainable goal" kind of goal. And you guys made it happen!!!!

Thank you!!! ALL of you! The people who have been reading this blog for *counts* wow! Almost four years!! And those of you who just got here by Googling my name. Thank you! And no matter what part you played--bought the book at a store, ordered it off Amazon, borrowed it from the library, turned it face out at the store (you know who you are!! *blows kisses*), or just told someone about it. It is very clear to me that every little bit helps, so thank you!!

Honestly, I dont expect to stay on much longer. If nothing else, there are some killer Fall books coming up!!! But I have sure been enjoying it while it lasts!

The other fun thing that happened this week is that Harper did the photo shoot for my sequel's cover yesterday!!! (No, I haven't seen the pic yet.;)) But I tell you, I have one dedicated editor. Yesterday at seven in the morning Tara was standing waist deep in the OCEAN, helping with the shoot. Wow!! I love her. *swoon* So yeah, I am all excited about my next cover now. My cover for Wings is, IMO amazing!!! So I am just thrilled to see what the incredible art department does with this one!!

So please come share my giddiness!!! I want to know what awesome thing happened to YOU this week!!! Have at it!!

Ciao!

FAQ's

Okay, so I am getting a bunch of the same questions in my e-mail, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Some of the answers are buried in my posts, and some aren't, but for the sake of convenience, here are the top ten questions I am getting!

1.) Q: I think you should write a sequel!

A: Was that a question? (I kid, I kid!!) Okay, there WILL be a book two. And three. And four.:)

2.) Q: When is Book Two coming out?

A: June 8th, 2010. I know it's a long time. But barely over ten months now! That's practically six months. And six months is practically three months, and three months is practically next month. Right?!?!?:)

3.) Q: What is Book Two going to be called?

A: *sigh* That should be a simple question, but it's not. The book's title is not official, so I have avoided posting anything about it, but as soon as I get the green light that everything is good to go, you will see it as part of my little profile thingie up there on the right. (Or left if you are reading in LJ . . . I think . . . :))

4.) Q: I love Tamani. Will Laurel choose him in the end?

A: I just can't say. Read and find out!!

5.) Q:I love David. Will Laurel choose him in the end?

A: See question five.

6.) Q: Will there be a movie of Wings?

A: Maybe! Disney has picked up the rights and I have producers and talent attached. That's a long way from an actual movie, but it's an awfully big step in the right direction!

7.) Q: I love Miley Cyrus! Did you pick her for Laurel?

A: Nope. I have zero control over casting decisions.

8.) Q: I hate Miley Cyrus! Can you make sure she's not in the movie?

A: See question seven.

9.) Q: I want to be in the movie!! Can I be Laurel??

A: See question Seven. No seriously, if I find out about an open audition, I will let you know, but I still will have no control over a single member of the cast.:)

10.) Q: I hate Disney. Can't you turn down the offer?

A: It's a done deal, guys. Has been for about six weeks.

So in case you were wondering, there ya go!

Ciao!

What a Day!

Wow. I have had such a perfect day.

Seriously.

Of course, the main reason is that my movie deal has been just ESPLODING! But also, Wednesday is Bookscan day and I had better numbers than I was anticipating. Yay! It is also birthday week in the Pike house and my husband's birthday was Monday and my son's birthday is tomorrow. That means much cake and ice cream was sitting around my house today. (Notice the "was" part.:D) And then, I found out this afternoon that after dropping off the NYT Bestsellers list last week, Wings jumped back on this week! (And this is before the movie announcement; go Wings go!) Also, I reached an all time low Amazon ranking of 736 this afternoon. I'd never even been in three figures before! I gave a pretty good shout the hour I hit three figures.:) Then I went to my favorite class at my new gym and soaked in the hot tub when I was done.

Perfect. Day.

And a day I have been looking forward to for a long time. Since January. No really.

You ready for the story? Here it is.

At the end of January, I got an email from my agent letting me know that my film agent had given Wings to Miley Cyrus' agent and Miley's agent thought it was perfect for her, and was going to give it to Miley. There was much squeeing, and also reminding myself that this was SO far from a done deal. But it was fun to think of the possibilities.

Then, about a month later, Jodi emails me to let me know that Miley's Mom loved Wings, and was now going to give it to Miley. Well, that was definitely a step in the right direction as well.

Fast forward two months. To May first. Like, four days before my book comes out. I'm packing for tour and really haven't given the whole Miley thing another thought. Hollywood does this. They get all excited about something and then . . . . nothing. They are infamous for that. I figured it was a dead end and, well, that was okay. Jodi calls and tells me, seriously, like in one breath, Mileylovedthebookandwantstobeattachedandtheproducersoftwilightalsowanttogetattached andtheyaremeetingforlunchtoday.

WHAT?!?!? My dead end just turned into a six-lane freeway!!!! So I leave on tour with hopes of hearing something Any. Day.

Fast forward another month. I am sitting watching the amazingness that is WICKED. Intermission comes, I dry my eyes (good theatre always makes me cry) and go out to the lobby and check my mail. Jodi again (I LOVE my agent!!) letting me know that the attachments are official and that Wings has gone out to every major studio in Hollywood. Whoa!!! I love how these things come out of the blue.

So then, like when books go out on submission, you hope for a fast sale, but knowing you have to be realistic, you hunker down for a long wait.

Four days later I am leaving on tour for San Francisco and Jodi emails me. I read the email as I am walking down the concourse to my place. She says that Disney is preparing an offer and that she should have it in the next day or two.

People, I walked onto the wrong plane.

I kid you not! I almost went to Kalispell, Monatana. I was in my seat with my seat belt fastened before anyone realized I was in the wrong place. TSA=FTW.

So I jittered through the next 48 hours until two competing offers landed on Jodi's desk on Friday, June 5th. Negotiations went on all day and there were many phone calls from Jodi. Finally, at almost seven that night, Disney basically said, "That's our final offer, take it or leave it, you have ten minutes." (Apparently that's how a lot of movie deals end. *shrug*) I got the final call in the car on the way to my first event with Claudia Gray, Kim Harrison, and Kelley Armstrong for Supernatural Summer. That was a good day too!

Okay, so now the nitty gritty:

1.) Disney has OPTIONED the movie rights. This means that we are still several steps away from actually having a movie. At the moment my producers (who are AMAZING!) are looking for someone to write the script. They have spent much of the last month reading writing samples. After that there are about twenty steps to go through before the director (ha! One of those steps is finding a director!) says, "Action." At ANY point along the way, the whole project could just be dropped. So although I have done my share of screaming and yelling over this, it's not a movie yet, and may not ever be. But I have some very excited producers and, apparently, that is a big step in the right direction.

2.) My producers are contracted; they have their own in writing agreement with Disney to produce the film. My talent, Miley, is "attached." That is a very fluid agreement. What that basically means is those of you with your hearts set on Miley, don't get too attached to her just yet. It might not happen. And those of you who are violently opposed, *shrug* it might not happen. But it might!!

3.) Please don't hate Miley. No really. I am an author. The most important thing about Wings for me is, the book, Wings. The biggest advantage of any movie based on my book, in my opinion, is that it is basically a two-hour long advertisement for my book. It gets the title out there! It alerts people that my book exists! Even movies that completely flop (and let's face it guys, no movie with Miley Cyrus in it is going to flop) raise the number of reader who go out and read that book and its sequels. That is important to me. So aside from any appearance/acting/whatever that you feel that Miley may or may not bring to the cast of Wings, she brings her fans. I want all those Miley fans out there to know about Wings, to give Wings a read. And there are a lot of Miley fans out there. And yes, most of them are tween girls. But, um, last time I checked, I write for tween girls!! My adult fans are some seriously awesome icing on the cake, but in the end, I am most happy to put a smile on a teenage girl's face.:)

And really, Laurel is a 5'2 lithe, cute girl who plays the guitar and sings. Miley is a 5'2 lithe, cute girl who plays the guitar and sings. I honestly think she could bring a lot to this movie, and I am really excited to have her onboard.

4.) I have gotten a lot, a LOT of emails wondering about casting and auditions. I have absolutely zero control over those decisions. No, less than zero. I have negative 4.25 control over those decisions.:) If there is any kind of open casting call for extras, I will let you know, but I don't believe that is standard procedure for Disney. So sorry! But that just isn't something I have control over.

But all in all, I am thrilled with Disney, I am thrilled with Wyck and Marty and Amanda, and I gotta tell you, I am thrilled with Miley.

I'm just all around thrilled!!


Linky-linky: A couple of highlights of the day:

People.com (as in People Magazine, whoo-hoo!), and a really good article on MTV.com (they actually did some research and were one of the only sites all day who spelled Wyck's name correctly.)

And I just died laughing at the comments thread on Oh No They Didn't, but as the language on the whole site is not teen appropriate, you'll have to look that one up on your own if you want to read it.:)

Ciao!

Disney and Me

I came home to the most AWESOME Google Alert EVER!

Miley Cyrus gets 'Wings' at Disney

Hehe, my husband, who specializes in copyright law (and stands over my shoulder and adds, "I am not a lawyer; this is not legal advice") tells me that it is actually not a good idea to copy paste an entire article from Variety straight to my blog. So um, yeah, hence the edit.:)

So ETA:

I've been sitting on this for ages, but Disney has optioned my book for film with Temple Hill (the producers of Twilight) contracted to produce, and Miley Cyrus (I don't even have to tell you who SHE is) attached to star! I have been sitting on this since June 5th, so I am SO pleased to finally let you guys know!!!!

Yay!!! (more story tomorrow;))



Ciao!

Bits of Random

First the question that people are asking me on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, both blog sites, and email: when is the second book coming out?

I finally have the answer!

Book Two (the title has not been finalized yet . . . or, rather, it got finalized, and then UN-finalized, who knows now:)) will come out June 8, 2010!

I know, I know, it's not May! But Harper has a lot of Summer titles and they are trying to space them out in everyone's best interest.

And it really is only thirty days later. Mostly I am just glad to have a date! Now I can make a little count-down thingie.:)

2.) It was my husband's birthday yesterday. We celebrated by opening MY birthday present.:) No, I kid you not. He opened his too, but then he looks at me and is like, so . . . should we open your too? And we totally did. We're both twelve-year-olds on the inside, people!

3.) I have a new gym!!! For those who don't know, I am a total gym rat and it has been awful not having a gym since we moved. The kids have gotten used to the new care center and my baby walks in on his own instead of crying when I leave. Yay!! On top of that, my husband got a membership too! So now we get to work out together! After all, the couple that sweats together stays together; isn't that the saying??

4.) I am 15 K into book three! I am so excited. I have my detailed outline and this book is going to be AWESOME!!! Yanno . . .if I do *ahem* say so myself. *blush*

5.) I got an early manuscript from a friend this morning that I have been begging for for months. MONTHS! I am SO excited to dive in!!!

6.) We have crickets. Bleh.

7.) Crickets are better than rattlesnakes. Yay!

8.) I wrote almost 4K words today. I am too tired to think of a number eight.

Ciao!

Ballgowns and First loves and Hot Guys and Secrets and Romance and Sea Glass, oh my!

As authors we often spend a lot of our time comparing our books to other books. You know, Harry Potter meets Hunger Games (Wizarding duels to the death!!!) or The Giver meets The Gallagher Girls (Spies learn to steal memories!). You really can't escape it. Even after you are published (or multi-published!) the sales and marketing people will still use comparisons to pitch your book to whoever.

Tonight I want to talk about two books that are very different. We never talk about different. It's always about what's the same. Please welcome tonight's DebsTour of Difference guests, PRADA AND PREJUDICE by Mandy Hubbard, and TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler.



Here's a bit about both novels: PRADA AND PREJUDICE- Fifteen year old Callie just wants to impress the popular girls when she buys a pair of Prada heels on her class trip to London. She didn’t plan on tripping, conking her head, and waking up in 1815! Now she’s wearing corsets with her designer pumps, eating bizarre soups, and breaking up engagements. If only the nineteen year old Duke of Harksbury wasn’t so bloody annoying, she might have a little fun in Austen-Era England…

And TWENTY BOY SUMMER- While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna’s first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a debut YA novel that explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Now, although you may be fooled by their matching blond hair and blue eyes, the authors of these books are actually also very different. If nothing else, geographically!

Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg's E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, Sarah now writes for young adults. After several years of wandering between New York City and Denver, she and her husband Alex now live in Upstate New York with lots of books and an ever-expanding collection of sea glass. Twenty Boy Summer is Sarah's first novel.

Mandy Hubbard grew up on a dairy farm outside Seattle, where she refused to wear high heels until homecoming—and hated them so much she didn’t wear another pair for five years. A cowgirl at heart, she enjoys riding horses and quads and singing horribly to the latest country tune. She’s currently living happily ever after with her husband (who, sadly, is not a Duke) and her daughter (who is most definitely a princess). Prada and Prejudice is her first novel.

And now the Feasty Five for these two lovely authors!

AP: What kind of soda does your MC drink?

SO: Diet Coke

MH: Diet Coke!

AP: *Glares at Mandy and Sarah* The theme for today was supposed to be differences, people!

SO and MH: *look at each other in confusion and shrug*

AP: Fine. What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

SO: Anna doesn't like flowers because they remind her of Matt's funeral - there were so many of them that day. She prefers trees. Like big old oaks. Me, I love stargazer lilies!

MH: I'll go with a rose for both me & my MC-- we're both suckers for romance, and there's nothing more romantic than roses!

AP: See! There you go! Now you're getting into the swing of this theme! Does your MC believe in magic? Do you?

SO: Yes and yes.

AP: Gotta love a decisive answer! Mandy?

MH: After traveling 200 years back in time, I'd say Callie would probably believe in magic. Myself? I say make your own magic.

AP: Okay, Superman or Batman?

SO and MH in unison: Batman! *They look at each other in surprise*

AP: *Headthunk*

SO: He's much more emotionally conflicted and not afraid to admit that some things just can't be fixed or saved.

MH: He looks way hotter in his suit.

AP: *Grins* Excellent. Okay, last one, and I know these will be different because you are both such original authors! Give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.

SO: "He took that mystery with him when he died, and a hundred thousand one-sided letters in my journal wouldn't have brought me any closer to the truth than I was the night I pressed my fingers to the sea glass he wore around his neck and kissed him back."

AP: Awwwwww!

MH: "I am a prim and propery regency girl. I wear dresses and I curtsy. I belong here."

AP: Awesome! Thank you.

Seriously though, about these two books; Mandy's is a commercial, lower YA, set mostly in 1815 England, with a touch of supernatural time traveling. Sarah's is a literary, upper YA, set in contemporary America, in a realistic world. Mandy's is paperback, Sarah's is hardcover. Mandy's is a sweet, romantic romp, Sarah's is a gritty, raw tale of losing innocence.

They are very different. That's not the same as better or worse. It's been fun to see these two books come out to different kinds of readers, for different purposes. I can't wait to have both these books on my bookshelf! (I reward myself for reaching writing goals by buying books.:)) Which I guess leads me to my main point. No one book is for every reader. And that is so awesome, because it means that we have SO many different kinds of books. And all of them--even the ones YOU hate--are the perfect book for someone else.

So perhaps try a taste of both of these books, newly released, and at a bookstore near you!

And if you want to learn more about them, feel free to visit the authors' websites: sarahockler.com and mandyhubbard.com

Ciao!

Deleted Scene

Just a quick blog post to let you know that I have a deleted scene up on my website now!

Also, I'll be doing another double DebsTour tonight showcasing two very different books. Stay tuned!!

Ciao!

If They Said It I can Say It, Right?

Hehe, I found this today. It's a quote from me! Yay! And hey, if it's on the Harper website I can re-post it here, right???:D

*Spoiler Alert* (Little spoilers, but spoilers nonetheless.)


*You've been warned!*


"I'm working on the sequel to Wings, entitled Spells. I'm so excited about this book because for the first time I will be taking readers right into Avalon! Readers will also get to see Tamani in his own environment, and to see David and Laurel together as a couple. In addition, Chelsea fans will be pleased to know that she plays a much bigger role in the sequel.

In addition, I have finished a stand-alone novel about a klepto-ghost that is also a modern retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel.There are not nearly enough Scarlet Pimpernel stories out there, in my opinion. I have two other stand-alones in my head, still percolating.:)"

So . . . it's a tad out of date, I'm actually working on the third book now, but hey, the rest is cool!

I never know just what I can and can't say so . . . I'll take my lead from my publisher.:) (Here's the link to the page if you want it.)

Ciao!

Last Day to Escape and the Book That Was Published Around the World!

Okay people, this is the LAST day to escape with the Seven!! If you haven't entered already, get yourself over HERE and enter! You have till midnight! Go, go, go!!

Alright, I have been sitting on this for ages, but Wings has now sold into TEN foreign territories!!! I believe the last one I was allowed to announce was Estonia, which was my third sale, so most of these are new. Also, I have had a ton of email asking me if my book was coming to (fill in the blank) country, so without further ado, here is the list! (And I am happy to say that about 80% of the countries asked about are now a yes!!)

(Also, the name following the language is the publisher.:))


German / Verlagsgruppe Random House

English, UK/ Harper UK

Portuguese (Brazil) / Editora Bertrand Brazil

Estonian / Kirjastus Pegasus

Hebrew / Matar Publishing House

French (Canada) / Editions AdA

Italian / Sperling & Kupfer

Spain / Ediciones Urano

Turkish / Pegasus Yayincilik

Polish / Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie



Man, I can't wait for the foreign editions to start rolling in! I have received UK copies, but that's it so far. *shivers in anticipation.*

Film news we are still getting approval to announce, so hold tight! I promise I will announce the INSTANT I have the go ahead!!

Now go enter the Escape contest!! :D

Escape With The Seven!!

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