I’m very excited to be able to share an Advance Readers Copy of the amazing Above World by Jenn Reese.

From the Goodreads description:

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is at risk. The Kampii’s breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna’s fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku’s tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt – growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains – here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

I deeply love this book. I wish I could have read it as a 12- or 13-year-old. Kirkus calls it “Imaginative and riveting,” and says, “A warrior heroine with a caring heart, stalwart friends, an edgy futurist subtext and the suggestion of a possible sequel make this a thrilling sci-fi adventure.” I couldn’t agree more!

To win this ARC, just comment by telling me a favorite middle grade read that I shouldn’t miss. On Friday, I’ll do a random number thingy and pick a winner.

Good luck! Can’t wait to see your middle grade recommendations!

YAY!! The Turkish edition of my book, called Ateş ve Diken, is now out in the world. Look at this gorgeous cover! Soooo interesting to see how different cultures/languages interpret and market the book.

My essay on weight and body image–as it pertains both to my own life and to The Girl of Fire and Thorns–is up on the Greenwillow blog. I admit, I was nervous to write this, and it’s possible I have overshared! But thanks to everyone who has supported me, especially my amazing publisher for giving me a platform to share it.

Happy New Year. May your New Year’s resolutions be happy, healthy, and attainable.

Holy wow. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a 2011 Cybils Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction. This award is administered by children’s book bloggers and seeks to marry critical merit with audience appeal. I couldn’t be more pleased. Huge thanks to all the committee members–the amount of work they do is astounding–and to Hallie Tibbets, who nominated the book in the first place.

I’m really excited to see Blood Red Road and The Shattering on the list, too–I loved those books. Can’t wait to read the others.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I’m absolutely thrilled to say that The Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of five William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalists. This award is administered by the American Library Association, and ”honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.”

If you get a chance, you should click on the above link and check out the other finalists. I’ve read a couple already, and they were astounding. I can hardly believe my book is a finalist alongside of them. I hope this means I’ll get to meet these amazing authors at the ALA conference this year. I’ll try to control my fangirling, but no guarantees.

To celebrate, my husband and I drank champagne on a school night. We’re edgy like that.

Oh. my. bananas. isn’t that a gorgeous cover?! I read Sarah Prineas’ WINTERLING in draft, and again in ARC format, and I’ll read it again in hardcover. I love it that much. It’s magical and beautiful with a wonderful girl-power protagonist. It’s middle grade, but I think it reads up very well. Can’t recommend it enough.

INCARNATE is a unique and lovely book. Jodi Meadows pokes fearlessly at the premise of reincarnation, with a new and startling result. Gorgeous prose and a slow-build romance will keep you turning the pages. Also? Sylph! Dragons! Music!

KISS CRUSH COLLIDE is ostensibly a romance, but I found the family relationships just as interesting—maybe more so. And it’s that balanced storytelling that makes it a compelling read. Fans of contemporaries should not miss this one.

I’m reading this right now and loving it–can’t stop turning pages. UNDER THE NEVER SKY feels more post-apocalyptic than dystopian, which is a nice change. And I love the cover with fiery passion. I mean, HER OUTFIT IS SO BADASS I CAN’T EVEN. Love seeing a strong-looking protagonist on the cover of a “big buzz” book.

And here is a pic of all these lovely ARCs hanging out together on my couch:

So, what books are you looking forward to? Comment to win!

It’s been a very busy 2011! This is what I’ve done:

1) I wrote a book! I’m currently working with my editor to put the finishing touches on The Crown of Embers, a sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns which will be released in Fall of 2012.

2) I bought a house! Our rental lease was up, and my husband and I were faced with that age-old question: To buy or to rent? Turns out, our mortgage payment is LESS that what we would have paid in rent. Wooo!

3) I bought a car! Used, of course. Still, it’s nice to have something that is unlikely to strand me on the side of the road anytime soon.

4) I’ve done a LOT of reading. In fact, I have some ARCs of hot Winter 2012 releases to give away. So keep your eye out–I’ll be posting a giveaway in the next couple of days. Here’s a sneak peak at the giveaway list: Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Winterling by Sarah Prineas, and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.

That’s it for now…stay tuned for that giveaway. Hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season.

Edited to add: I was absolutely remiss and thoughtless in not thanking Heidi Bennett of The Readiacs and Twilight fandom. Heidi was the one who pointed The Hillywood Show in the direction of my book, worked with them to make it happen, and arranged to surprise me. She is a passionate reader who has helped out a lot of authors in the young adult community. Thank you so much, Heidi.

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Holy cow, you guys. I’m so excited about this.

Have you heard of The Hillywood Show? I’ve been a fan for a long time. Over 5 millions viewers worldwide have enjoyed their parodies and character impersonations of popular TV shows, movies, and even rock stars. Their parody of The Vampire Diaries had me rolling with tears of laughter. And this Lady Gaga impersonation is a masterwork of modern makeup.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn they are branching out into the book trailer biz. To demo their mad skills, they decided to pick a book and create a trailer. And guess what? They picked my book.

They created this in total stealth. I opened my email one day, and oualá, there it was! It was the most amazing surprise ever.  I was completely blown away, not just at their generous nature and support of my book, but at the stunning production quality.

So here it is, an unofficial book trailer for The Girl of Fire and Thorns, with huge thanks to Hilly and Hannah Hindi:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns – Book Trailer from Hilly and Hannah on Vimeo.

If you’re interested in learning more about their trailers, the girls are taking inquiries now. Contact them at TheHillywoodShow@aol.com or (702) 279-0987 for rates and scheduling. Discounts will be available for their inaugural clients.

I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Today, I guest-blog over at Greenwillow and confess to my sordid pageant past. Crown-and-gown photos forthcoming!

Click here to read: A Liberal, Feminist Beauty Queen

Thanks so much to everyone who attended the launch at Cover to Cover. I had a blast! If you couldn’t make it but would like a signed book, please give the store a call at (614) 263-1624. They are happy to take phone orders and arrange shipping.

Other appearances this fall:

Sat. 10/15: New York ComicCon, Epic Fantasy Panel 6:30 p.m.

Wed. 10/26: Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA. Group signing with Patrick Rothfuss, Peter Brett, John Joseph Adams, and more.

10/27 – 10/30: World Fantasy Convention

Sun. 11/13: Books of Wonder in NYC. Group signing with Tamora Pierce and John Connolly.

I’ll post more appearances as they come up. Hope to see you there! If I know you from Twitter/Facebook/etc., be sure to introduce yourself.