I am sooo excited to finally announce that my digital novelette, “The Shadow Cats,” will be published in e-format by Greenwillow/HarperCollins on July 17. Check out this cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? Greenwillow really knocked it out of the park.

This 54-page story is an official prequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns. It’s told through the eyes of Elisa’s older sister, the crown princess Alodia.

Here’s the cover copy:

“Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. And it was not Alodia.

Alodia is the crown princess of the realm. The sister who knows how to rule, and the one who is constantly reminded that she has not been marked for a grand destiny. But Alodia has plans, and she will be the greatest queen her people have ever known. So she travels–with her hopeless, naïve, chosen sister–to a distant part of their land, to begin to secure her supporters. This region needs its princesses, for it is plagued with a curse. The crops don’t grow, the spring doesn’t arrive, and a fierce jaguar stalks the shadows, leaving only empty homes splashed with blood behind. If Alodia can save them, no one will be able to deny her strength and her sovereignty.

But what she discovers could change the fate of her kingdom, if not her world. And it will most certainly change her opinion of her younger sister.”

So, yeah, it was super fun to get inside Alodia’s head. She remains an important presence in the next two books in the trilogy, so I hope this will give readers a glimpse into what makes her tick and enrich their overall experience.

“The Shadow Cats” is now available for pre-order wherever ebooks are sold. Buy early, buy often! My starving kitties thank you. I thank you. Hope you enjoy!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

**UPDATE**

You guys. Your comments are amazing. Thank you so much. My to-read pile just grew to the size of Everest. A winner has been notified, but if I don’t hear back, I’ll pick another. Thank you thank you to everyone who commented. I’m so impressed with how much and how passionately everyone reads! Love, Rae

——————————————————————————————————————————

I just received advance readers copies for The Crown of Embers, which is a sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns that will be released in September. What’s a girl to do with such bounty? A giveaway, of course!

Embers is a much more romantic book than Girl. Slight spoiler: There is kissing. So, for a chance to win–and in honor of romance in young adult novels–please leave a comment telling me about your favorite literary romance so I can be sure it’s on my to-read list (doesn’t have to be YA!).

Sometime on Friday, (aka when I drag myself out of bed) I’ll do a random number generator thingy and pick a winner. I’ll accept comments here, on my Facebook post, and on my Goodreads feed.

This is what I’m giving away: A signed ARC of The Crown of Embers. A signed hardcover of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. AND, because I’m feeling very generous and because I want EVERYONE to read this book because it’s THAT GOOD, my precious, precious ARC of Veronica Roth’s amazing Insurgent, which comes out May 1.

Winner take all. INTERNATIONAL.

So, comment away! What literary romances are absolute must-reads for me?

The Crown of Embers has a cover!!

This book is the sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns and will be released on September 18, 2012. Here is a description:

Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from both foreign realms and within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears once and for all, Elisa must follow the trail of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues from the deep, undiscovered catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her goes a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man who—despite everything—she is falling in love with.

If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

Several Happy News Items today:

HNI#1: The Girl of Fire and Thorns made the final ballot for the Andre Norton Award, which is voted on by SFWA along with the Nebulas. The community of science fiction and fantasy writers pretty much raised me from a pup. So, while it might be cheesy and cliché to say that this nomination means sooo much to me, it’s also true. It’s also an understatement.

Lots of great books on the ballot this year, and it’s amazing to see my book on a list alongside of them. In particular, I’m a big fan of Greg van Eekhout’s The Boy at the End of the World. (Seriously, read it.) And The Freedom Maze is on my nightstand right now! So many books, so little time… Click here to check out all the Norton and Nebula nominees.

HNI#2: The Girl of Fire and Thorns was also named to ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults list for 2012. Click here to see all the books on the list.

HNI#3: I heard a rumor that ARCs for book 2, The Crown of Embers, are winging their way out into the world very, very soon.

HNI#4: I finished copyedits on The Crown of Embers. Hard to believe I’ll soon have TWO books published. 🙂

That’s it for now. Hope everyone is triumphing over the cold dark of February. (Space heater, FTW!)

**Update 1/28/2011** Congrats to our winner, Mary Virginia! Thanks to everyone for your great comments. I read every single one, and I can’t wait to dive into some of these wonderful reads.

 

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. After midnight EST 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!