Superpowers and Secrets and Awesome, Oh My!

Okay! Tonight's entry is all about free stuff!! Come on, who doesn't love free stuff!??!

First off, it's Debsness time!! If you are not familiar with Debsness, there's a big bag full of cool stuff that we give away each month with a chance to also win a 50$ gift certificate to a bookstore of your choice. Fun stuff, clicky for more info, ends at midnight on the fifteenth!



But more importantly, we have Dull Boy, by Sarah Cross that I am also going to give you a chance to win at the end of this post! I am in love with Dull Boy! It is an awesome book! But, as LeVar Burton said, "You don't have to take my word for it . . . " Here's a bit about Dull Boy!

Superpowers are awesome -- unless you actually have them, like Avery does. There's only so much he can pass off as "adrenaline" before people start to get suspicious. Probably it's best to lie low, so guys in white lab coats don't come to carry him away, to find out what makes his freakish body tick. Who wants to be vivisected? But flying under the radar becomes a whole lot harder when you can actually fly. It's dangerous to be different, so for now he'll pretend to be normal, unremarkable Avery -- a dull boy -- anything to keep his secret safe.

What he doesn't expect is the horrifying truth about where his powers came from, who else might have them, and the madness of one villain's plan to turn this superpowered dull boy into something even more powerful and amazing.

Now Sarah is a private little bugger, but I did manage to find a picture of her. Check it! She's the one on the left, (your left) along with authoress extraordinaire, Ally Carter!

Also, as much as I love the bio posted in the back of Dull Boy (Sarah Cross has saved the world, like, five times since fifth grade -- and you didn't even notice.) I did find a longer one on her website!

I'm a Taurus born in the year of the Monkey. I am 4 inches taller than Wolverine. Fierce-but-cute Pallas' cats are my favorite animals, with birds of prey ranking a close second.

I grew up in Ohio, went to college in New York and Japan, and am now back in NY--at least until life takes me elsewhere.

Um, what else?

I've been a writer (in the sense that I've taken myself seriously as a writer, which is what counts!) since I was 12 or so. Since then I've written shocking tales of suburban girl-gang warfare, overly ambitious high fantasy, campy romps through time, pop-culture parody, 'zines, plays, literary fiction, and ultra-derivative comics. (Like "The eXcuses." Ohhh yeah. The less you know about that one, the better.)

All to get to this point: sharing the madness (plus copious doses of awesome) with you.

I can't wait. :D

Me either!!! And now Sarah steps up to the Feasty Five!

AP: *squeal!* OMG I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOUR BOOK CAN YOU FEEL THE ADORATION EMANATING FROM ME AND WILL YOU SIGN MY BOOK?!?!?!?!?

SC: Um . . . yes?? But was that one of the questions? *consults her notes*

AP: *Ahem* Um, no. *reigns in her fan-girliness* Okay, real questions now. What kind of soda does your MC drink?

SC: Mountain Dew

AP: *wrinkles her nose* Eeww. Oh, well. What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

SC: Um ... I don't think Avery has a favorite flower. I guess whatever flowers are cheapest on Mother's Day; he would be into that. For my favorite flower? Let's go with daffodils.

AP: I LOVE daffodils! Does your MC believe in magic? Do you?

SC: Not magic, exactly. But things are definitely not always what they seem. ;)

AP: Superman or Batman?

SC: Batman!

AP: And we're back to the Batman again! (I'm going to love tallying this up at the end of the year.:)) Okay, give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.

SC: "You're so getting eviscerated." Not you, Aprilynne! Don't worry, that was not a threat ...

AP: Oh good, I was a little scared . . . Just a little. *stops clutching the ceiling.*

Okay, so if you want to find out more about Sarah, you can visit her at www.sarahcross.com, and if you want to win Dull Boy you can comment and tell me a super-power you think I should have. I'll pick the one I think is the coolest and send you a copy of Dull Boy plus some fun Wings stuff! (I'll decide what it is later.;))

So come on! Tell me what super power you think I should have!!

This contest ends at midnight on Friday, and don't forget about the Dueling Debs contest just below this one that ends on Wednesday.

Yay for free stuff!!:)

Ciao!

Ghosts, Microphones, Sheds, Music, Dolls, and Radios, OH MY!!!!

Welcome to DebsTour 2009, Dueling Debs edition!! I've had several BlogTours scheduled very close together and am still trying to unpack . . . and then re-pack to leave again next week so I thought I'd go for double duty today and try to shake things up a bit. And it's totally written in the stars. After all, this is Cynthea Liu's second book (2) and Danielle's book came out on the same day as mine, so we're book twins (again, 2) so it's totally meant to be!

So let me introduce you to our contestants today!! We have the lovely Cynthia Liu, author of Paris Pan Takes the Dare, and the equally lovely Danielle Joseph, author of Shrinking Violet! Here's a bit about both books!

Shrinking Violet: For high school senior Teresa Adams, every day is an ordeal. She’s so painfully shy that she lives in dread of having to speak to anyone in the hallways or answer questions in class. But after school, in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks—doing mock broadcasts for Miami’s hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up, Tere surprises herself by working up the nerve to ask her stepfather to give her a chance—and finds herself The SLAM’s newest intern on one of the station’s most popular shows. Behind the mike she’s Sweet T, her sexy, confident on-air persona. To everyone’s shock—especially her mother’s—Sweet T is a hit. Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ’s awesome taste in music, making Tere wonder if it’s possible to be jealous of yourself. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest—and a prom date with “Sweet T” is the grand prize--Sweet T’s dream could turn into Tere’s worst nightmare. . . .

And Paris Pan Takes the Dare: Twelve-year-old Paris Pan's life is a mess. She's just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn't possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris's new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who's anyone takes the Dare, and now it's Paris's turn.

Two very different books, two very different authors!

Cynthea spent her formative years in Oklahoma and Texas where she was a Whiz Quiz member, an Academic Decathloner, and a spelling bee champion. (Yes, she was very popular.) After attending college on the East coast, she worked at a corporate job where she mastered PowerPoint and racked up thousands of frequent flyer miles. Eventually, she traded in her suit for sweats to do the fun stuff–writing for children.

Danielle Joseph was a college DJ for five years on the Gyroscope, a world music show. She also interned at several top Boston radio stations while earning her BFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Marketing Communications and Advertising from Emerson College. She has taught Creative Writing and English to Middle school students.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Danielle now lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and two young sons. These days you can find her cruising around with the tunes blaring and her internal DJ hard at work.

Okay, so now that we know the two contestants, let the duel begin! Bring on the Feasty Five!!

AP: What kind of soda does your MC drink?

CL: Pop, of course. Paris Pan is from Oklahoma.

DJ: Well--

AP: Wait, wait, wait!! I just realized that Danielle's initials are DJ and her story is about a DJ!! Yes, yes, I am totally lame . . . anyway, Danielle, you were saying?

DJ: *looking slightly annoyed* Tere drinks Diet Coke.

AP: Girl after my own heart.:) What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

CL: Paris is into any flower that her dog Go can't dig up. Go has been known to get her into trouble with Mom over stuff like that.

DJ: Well, I'd have to say violets:)! And I'm not too picky when it comes to flowers but I've always been fond of sunflowers.

AP: Does your MC believe in magic? Do you?

CL: Paris will believe anything she convinces herself of. Magic? Why not?

AP: Ha! I love that! Danielle?

DJ: I'm like Tere, I believe that anything can happen!

AP: And frequently does.;) Superman or Batman?

CL: Superman! But Paris doesn't really believe in superheros (according to everyone else.)

DJ: Superman!

AP: Hey! Look at the duelers agree on this one thing!! Whoo-hoo!! Give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.:)

CL: "I needed a decent education, to live past twelve, to sleep without earmuffs, a flashlight and a power tool."

AP: *laugh* Don't we all! Danielle?

DJ: I try to smile, but I feel like it looks more like I'm sucking on an orange.

AP: Love it!

Okay, that's the duel! And they were both just so darn good, I totally can't decide!

SO YOU'RE GOING TO!!

I haven't done a giveaway in ages, so here goes (and bonus, there will be another giveaway tomorrow). Vote for who you think won this duel, Danielle or Cynthea. On Wednesday I will tally up the results and randomly choose one commenter on the "winning" team to get one of these two books (of your choice!) You can base your opinions on anything: who answered the questions the best, whose book looks more interesting, what you think the authors had for breakfast this morning, whatever! But vote for a chance to win one of these awesome books!!!

In case you need more info to base your vote on, you can visit Danielle at her website or Cynthea at hers.

Vote!

Ciao!

The Pictures That Go With the Last Blog Entry.;)

Okay, fun stuff today! Mostly fan-art.:D And pictures.

Okay, my BIL and his friend run an online comic called Rocket Road Trip. It's fun! But recently they did a four-part set featuring WINGS! So now that Isaac has my eternal devotion, the least I can do is link to his fun comics. (They make more sense if read in order;)) 1,2,3, and 4!

I got this a while ago and have been too busy to post it . . . though I look at it frequently and may possibly have visible hearts that float out of my head. *Ahem* This is done by John, whose last name I never did catch, with color by Lynda Day.

(Clicky for bigger)

And for those who may not have seen it the first time around, I got some awesome fan art from some students at Timber Ridge in Chicago, just after my book came out!



As soon as I find both the tube with this art in it, and the box that has the thumbtacks, these are SO going up on my wall!!!

Okay, in roughly reverse chronological order, here are the last two weeks in pictures.

CONduit; big sci-fi/fantasy convention in Salt Lake City. Many people dress up. Which leads to very odd sights like this:

How freakin' cool is that!

Next, BEA. Books galore!! This is the stack of books I came home with:

And a few I am really excited about!!

(And I only got Hush, Hush because I was with someone who totally went up and name dropped! She had, like, secret codes! It was awesome!!!

And while in New York I went to go see WICKED and although I told you guys I was close, I think this picture really captures just how close I was.


And then, on my way back from New York I saw my book in an AIRPORT for the first time!! *insert much squee-ing*


After New York came the Supernatural Summer tour!! I went to check into my hotel in Seattle and found out they'd decided to upgrade me to a really nice suite that had this totally awesome bed!


Isn't that freakin' awesome!! I got to stay two nights there and had a really fun time!

Then, on the way back from Portland, I flew through this awesome bunch of clouds and couldn't resist taking a picture! (Although, it really doesn't capture the solidness of these clouds; they were beautiful!!)


And that is it till tomorrow when we have a special DebsTour, Dueling Debs edition!! Till then!

Ciao!

My Going-Ons!

Hello. My name is Aprilynne Pike and I am an internet-holic.

No really. The last two weeks have been SO frustrating without internet. I mean, I have it on my phone, but YOU try blogging on a three-inch-wide keyboard!:)

So I have been doing a bunch of traveling. Last week I went to New York for BEA. As soon as I got there I had a dinner that was about a mile from my hotel and we had some minor delays and it started sprinkling. So I was in the cab and frantically called up another author friend whose hotel was right around the corner and was like, "Dude! Can I come change in your bathroom!?!?!?" Luckily he was nice and said yes, so I managed to get to my dinner only about five minutes late.:)

Wow. What a dinner. My whole publishing team was there. The people behind the magic. We chatted and laughed and joked and just had a fab time. I got to meet Susan Katz for the first time and she is hilarious! She is the publisher at Harper and has been very key in championing my book. I did refrain from kissing her, but only just.

On Friday I started BEA proper. Well sort of . . . I actually started out the day at Harper where I filmed interviews for book two (still unnamed) THEN to BEA where I got to shake Neil Gaiman's hand. *swoon* (I'm just a squealing fan-girl on the inside.;)) I had a luncheon with Tara and then that night I got to get all dressed up in my brand-new little black dress (yay!) and go to a way swanky party. That was the highlight of BEA for me. It was so fun! I got to meet Holly Black, Scott Westerfield, Jeff Kinney, and re-meet Shannon Hale.:) About four hours of wandering around talking publishing with people who didn't think I was weird!! (Well, not for talking publishing anyway. They may have thought I was weird for other reasons.:)) Awesome!

The next morning I got up a bit early so I could be at BEA when the floor opened and I discovered that THAT is the secret of getting ARCs! I got tons! A bunch of books I had on my list of wants and several that just looked interesting. I also picked up Sarwat Chadda's The Devil's Kiss and had him sign it for me. So my name is a little hard to spell, so I put my nametag up on the counter where he could see it and said, "Sorry, my name is hard."

And (imagine this in a heavy british accent) he says, "Wot? No, no, I love it, I love it! Pike! *pause* Oh wait, that wasn't the name you were talking about was it?" And then he signed my book "Very, very cool name." :)

Then I got to be social. I met up with some Debs for lunch and then a bunch of Blue Boarders for dinner.

And in the middle . . .

Wait for it . . . .

Wait for it . . . .

I WENT TO SEE WICKED!!!

Oh man. It was SO GOOD!!! I was on row CC, but apparently they took out row AA because I was in the second row in the middle! I could see everything!! And if you are familiar with the set, they have this big dragon that decorates the top of the stage. Get this; I was UNDER the dragon!! Seriously, if the dragon had fallen off, it would have hit me in the head! Man, it was so amazing! I love this musical so much, but being so close had this immersion effect that was amazing!! I floated out of that theatre! It was so wonderful!

Sunday I got to meet Moonrat from Editorial Ass(istant). Yes! I seriously did!! I know who she is!! (And no, I won't tell you.) What I will tell you is that she is just as bubbly and fun in real life as she is on her blog. Exactly the same!

So then I left for the airport and as I was boarding I found a blogosphere friend and her daughter and after some creative seat switching, we got to sit together! So fun!

So yeah, I came back from New York just blissfully exhausted.

And then Wednesday I headed off again! I got to have dinner with my friend Heidi on Wednesday night and spent the whole day yesterday signing stock around San Francisco and talking to schools. I love school visits! They are so awesome! Right now I am in Portland and when I got here, I found out they had upgraded me to the equivalent of the Presidential Suite. Whoa! So I have a sitting room and a canopy over my bed and lots of treats in the mini-bar. (Not. Touching. The. Mini-Bar.;)) And I am waiting for the rest of my comrades to arrive!

Because tonight is the first stop on the Supernatural Summer Tour!! I get to do a signing with three other NYT Bestsellers who are totally amazing and fabulous!!! I feel like such a little kid bouncing on my puffy bed and saying, "Are they here yet? Are they here yet? Are they here yet??"

Hehe. I'm such a fangirl.:)

So yeah. I have internet here and and will try to put up another post before I leave tomorrow (with some awesome fan art!) so that you don't have to suffer through another really, really long entry like this one.:D

Also, I have some really, really exciting news re: foreign rights and film rights that I should be able to share soon. *squee* So stay tuned!!

Ciao!

Demons and Spirits and Banquets, Oh My!

My apologies for being so absent. A total lack of internet access can do that to you. *sigh* However, I am back and have a really awesome DebsTour for you and will be doing an update post momentarily.

So, here we are with Cindy Pon, the author of Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia! (You will often find her book right next to mine since we both have last names starting with P!:))

So here's a bit about Silver Phoenix:

On the day of her first betrothal meeting--and rejection--Ai Ling discovers a power welling deep within her. She can reach into other people's spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams...and that's just the beginning.

Ai Ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor's palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. She must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. And then she meets Chen Yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. Here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance--of anything with the making of legend.

One of the things I think is fun about Cindy is that I have known her since before she got her deal, so I got to see her through this whole process. Plus she is at Harper, so we are publisher-mates! Here's a bit more about Cindy:

Cindy Pon was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and her family immigrated to California in 1980, settling in the suburbs of Los Angeles. She began writing stories before she was officially declared English proficient. She received her bachelor's from the University of California, San Diego, and also earned a master's from New York University. The author is a student of Chinese brush painting, and her love for the art is reflected in her storytelling. Cindy Pon lives with her husband and two small children in San Diego, California.

And onward and upward to the Feasty Five!


AP: What kind of soda does (would) your MC drink? (This is a trick question as SP is historical fantasy.;))

CP: i think ai ling would love coke. or better yet, a coca-cola float!

AP: Mmmmm. I wonder if I have any ice cream. Oh wait, yes, interview. Okay. *Ahem* What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

CP: she loves dahlias. i can't say i have a favorite flower--tho lotus are so beautiful.

AP: Does your MC believe in magic? Do you?

CP: she does after her journey, and becoming stronger and more used to her own power of delving in to other people's spirits.

i do believe in magic, but probably not in the usual fantasy sense.

AP: Good answer. Superman or Batman?

CP: superman.

AP: And Superman starts to make a teeny comeback! Give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.:)

CP: The girl could not have been more than thirteen years, but spoke as a grown woman, with a regretful sadness.

AP: Lovely, thank you. You can find Cindy at her website where you can see her brush art and link to her blog!

Ciao!