Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Sadly, I'm not dressing up as a book character for Halloween: like at ComicCon, I'm dressing up as River Song!




Yup, that's me.



Is anybody dressing up as a book character for Halloween? I want links!

Top Ten Books I Bought Because Of Their Covers

I don't participate in Top Ten Tuesday discussions, mostly because ninety nine point nine percent of my posts are scheduled at least three days in advance. (What?! I like to be organized.) Every now and then I see a topic that gets me thinking, and I really liked last week's topic: Top Ten Books Bought Because Of Their Covers. (You can read Kristi's post, which is where I found out about it, over here.)

It's no secret that I'm the biggest coverwhore out there (well, at least one of them), so covers always play a part in picking a book - after all, something has to make me want to pick them up. I'll be picking books I probably would have bought if I hadn't gotten them for review as well as books I bought based (mostly) on cover.

10. The Need series by Carrie Jones

... I like glittery things, okay? That's really my only defense for my love of these covers.






09. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

As much as I hate the books now, I shamelessly love the covers. There's a simplicity to them that draws me in. I love the religious symbolism here, too - here, come, take the apple from the Garden of Eden! (Does that make the snake Edward? ... ick.)






08. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Let's face it - I would have ended up getting these books anyway, simply because they have dracon involved. But the cover! THE COVER! I'm not a big fan of half face anymore (#4 on the list does it extremely well) but the makeup here is so bloody gorgeous that I couldn't help but flail over it.




07. The Julian Game by Adele Griffin
The entire reason I wanted to read this book was for the cover - the description sounded alright, but I put aside my reservations because the cover was so badass. Something that awesome couldn't be bad, right?

Well, I haven't read it yet, so I don't know. I'll get to it... eventually!

06. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Fun fact: If I hadn't seen this cover, I would never have even known these books existed. There was a big display for them in my Waldenbooks store and I loved the cover of Azkaban so much that I asked my mom to get the first two in the series so I could read that one. And so my love of them began...


05. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
... it's a cow.
Carrying a garden gnome.
It's a COW.
Carrying a GNOME.
I needed it from the moment I saw it.
Mind you, I still haven't read it yet, but I own it!

 And like you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of simple-thing-on-a-black-cover. (See #9.)



04. The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
It wasn't just one cover that made me want to read them; it was all the covers sitting next to each other on the shelf looking absolutely gorgeous. The books had already been suggested to me by a friend, and I ended up absolutely loving them - and the covers fit the books so bloody well


03. Wither by Lauren DeStefano


Um, I lust after this cover in a rather unhealthy kind of way. I love its focus on all the little details. It's like going, "Hey! Look at the symbolism in this artwork! Isn't it pretty!? OH, and it ties into the book!" I want it as a poster.



02. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I'm a big fan of simple, symbolic covers - the only reason The Scorpio Races isn't on this list is because I would have bought it based on the name before I even saw the cover. But this cover (and the covers for the entire series) are bloody gorgeous.



01. Matched by Allie Condie
Now, I ended up getting this at BookExpo America the year it came out and not having to buy it - which was a good thing for me, as the book and I just didn't click. However, I had been lusting after it from the moment I saw the cover. I was more intrigued about the book from the cover than I was from the plot summary!



Do you guys have any of the same books on your list? What covers do you absolutely need to own?

Don't forget to read.

It's almost Halloween. In the spirit of people dressing up as fairytale characters, here's a video to remind everybody to read.





Okay, it's sad, but it's a beautiful video. It really drives home why people ought to keep reading. I recommend sharing it; it's fantastic.

(And yes. I teared up a little. THE RED CLOAK, GUYS.)

Feature Friday: Bookcases (53)

Who said storage had to be boring?



I'll be honest. The bookcases are gorgeous and all, but look at that staircase! It's BEAUTIFUL. I'd spend all my time reading books simply so I could go up and down it. Lovely. Just lovely.

Gemma Halliday: What I Read As A Teen

Thanks so much for having me here! On this leg of my DEADLY COOL blog tour I’m talking about my life as a teen. Obviously I was a big reader when I was a teen. I gobbled up just about everything from classics to soap-opera-ish teen dramas to even Shakespeare. Books were a great escape from whatever happened to be bugging me that day – homework, little brothers, parents, acne, you name it. Opening a book was like stepping into someone else’s life, and often into another time/place/world. While I read a ton when I was younger, some books have stuck with me as favorites. And they are…

1. Little Women
Okay, I probably first picked this one up when I was more a tween than teen, but I re-read it so many times that the cover fell apart. It was my absolute favorite book, and I promptly devoured both Little Men and Jo’s Boys afterward.

2. The Stand
I told you my states were eclectic. ;) From Louisa May Alcott to Stephan King, but both are such great storytellers that they completely sucked me into their world. Plus, at the time, The Stand was the longest book I had ever read. It felt like a cool challenge to get through it. I was so psyched when I finished it to find out there was going to be a made-for-TV movie, too! Ironically, I got through the book but ended up missing parts of the movie.

3. Anything by Agatha Christie
As a teenager, I was obsessed with her work. My walls were lined with Agatha Christie novels, and my parents used to have to limit me to buying only three of her books a week in order to stave off bankruptcy. I loved everything about her characters, plots, and intricate murders. I even cried when Poirot made his last stand.

4. Anything by Christopher Pike
Sex, drinking, and murder at teenage slumber parties. Ohmigod, the absolute best of ten junk-food novels. I read these on the sly as my parents were not huge fans of what went on in these books. Go figure.

5. The Sweet Valley High series
I totally wanted to be Jessica. Or Elizabeth. Or maybe both! They had the best life, the best boyfriends, the best friends, and the best drama ever. This was another series my parents didn’t approve of, so I borrowed the books secretly from my best friends – who were actual twins, too! Ironically, as an adult I moved to Los Angeles and got a job as a regular actor on the Sweet Valley High TV series. My mom got a kick out of that.

So what were/are some of your favorite books as a teen? Which ones have made it to your keeper shelf?

~Gemma

Gemma Halliday is the award winning author of the bestselling High Heels mysteries and Hollywood Headlines mysteries. Her first young adult book, Deadly Cool, debuted Oct 11th from HarperTeen.

First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

I really need to pick a better boyfriend next time.

Friday Fronts: Brave New Love

Diana Peterfreund put this up on her blog about a month ago and I didn't think much of it - it was pretty, but it didn't stand out.

Then I took a closer look at the background. Holy mother of - that's gorgeous and terrifying all at once!

What do you guys think?

Why yes, WORD DOES have a Tumblr!

I made a Tumblr for WORD, guys!

You should click here and follow it.


Everything I do will still be done here, but I'll be posting cool graphics and reblogging awesome bookish stuff over there to fill in the gaps where you're looking for even more awesome bookish stuff. (Also, because I'm a Tumblr addict. There's a link to my personal blog if you want to follow that.)

It also has links to all of the main posts over here.

Do you guys have a Tumblr? Leave your link in the comments and I'll make sure to follow you!

Waiting on Wednesday: Kiss of Frost

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Kiss of Frost
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy (#2)
Release Date: Novemeber 29, 2011

Logan Quinn was try­ing to kill me. My Spar­tan class­mate relent­lessly pur­sued me, swing­ing his sword at me over and over again, the shin­ing sil­ver blade inch­ing closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes prac­ti­cally glowed with the thrill of battle...

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart — the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword — with Logan’s help — I just might die by the sword …

Okay, so I'm not quite waiting to get it so much as waiting to read it - Jennifer was nice enough to send me a copy already. I'm super excited to dig into it. I really loved the mythology and the world of the first one, and Jennifer's super nice, so I'm hoping the second one is excellent.

Even if I DO hate the cover. (The sword for the T? It just doesn't work on this cover. And I know it's a play on frost, but the snow is icky.)

The Essentials of YA?

I saw this post on Scholastic's blog about the essential reads of science fiction and that got me to wondering... are there essential YA reads?


Here's the ones I can think of. Comment and add to the list!




The Harry Potter series
For obvious reasons; this is an ESSENTIAL YA book. Like, it's THE YA book. If I had to pick a book to represent everything that YA is and ever could be, it's this series.





The Hunger Games trilogy
It's bloody fantastic. The plot is brilliant. The characters are realistic and heartfelt. The world is entertaining. And, best of all, Collins makes you think about what you're reading.





Beauty Queens
Maybe it's just because I'm so in love with this book lately - or maybe because it's a flawless satire on our culture that's absolutely hilarious and witty. I don't know.





Crank and Wintergirls
I have a thing for books that make you think, and both of these not only make you think but drive home a powerful point with breathtaking prose. (Or, in Crank's case, poetry! I think. Poetic prose? Prose-like poetry? Eek.)



What would you guys put on the list?

Book Trailers (8)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Oh sweet Oz. If it weren't for the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children trailer, this would rank as the best book trailer I've seen yet.

Everything about it - yes, even the voiceover - is bloody fantastic. I love love love the music, the shots, everything.

Did there have to be so much naked boy, though? (Not that I don't appreciate it; I just don't like my trailers focusing on it.)

The Iron Knight by Julia Kagawa

We're not going to talk about how many times I watched this trailer. It's unhealthy. Especially as I'm not even on the team the bloody book is about.

However, I do adore it. The mixture of photography and text and video works really well, and the casting for the characters was PERFECT. (By perfect, I mean DAMN, that Puck looks just like Puck should look. Mischievous and cheeky and just almost elflike.)

Also GRIM! THE IRON HORSE WHOSE NAME I NEVER REMEMBER! (I'm such a bad fan.) AJFLKDJLKDJSFKLDK.

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

I like the dramatic music.
That's about all I like.

The cheesy, dramatic text; the lack of video or even various pictures: nothing about this makes me want to read the book. This is NOT what you want in a book trailer; you at least want to make people curious! Either put something spectacular out or don't put it out at all.



What do you guys think of the trailers?

Vanish

Vanish
Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: Firelight (#2)
Publisher: HarperTeen
How Received: publisher ARC

Read my review of Firelight.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

I feel like I would love this series so much more if Jacinda would just ditch the boys and run off and be badass with Az and Tamra.

Don't get me wrong: I think Will and Cassian are very interesting characters. But we have Jacinda - this bloody brilliant dracon girl whose stubborn and fiery and smart and just wants to do what's right - and thrust her into a cliche love triangle. This is the worst thing you can do to a character like this.

You're telling me that a girl who knows herself, who knows her mind, is going to let every action she does be dictated by whether or not she's going to run off with one guy or mate with another? No!

I mean, if we took away the love triangle, the plot wouldn't be as dramatic. Insert candlelight and smoldering glances into any book, you're guaranteed dramatic. But it's not necessary! I want action! I want badassery! I want more about her best friend and her sister and less about the two boys who are trying to control Jacinda!

Because let's face it - even if they both love her, they're just trying to stake a claim in her. It's just a pissing war between them now. Will pretty much demanded that Jacinda do as he says or she didn't love him and Cassian wrongfully manipulated his way into bonding with her. Gah. Boys. You are doing life wrong. I thought I'd be rooting for one of you at this point...

... but really, I think it would be MUCH better if you two were randomly murdered, Jacinda ran back and got Az, and together with Tamra they explored the world and freed trapped dracons and flirted with boys and did awesome stuff together.

But since I can't have that, I suppose I'll have to settle for Tamra and Jacinda going to try to free another dracon and having to be stuck with these two stupid boys. Le sigh.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 7/10. Great plot, great world, but this love triangle makes me want to shoot myself.
Cover Comments: Tamra! You look just like your sister, but even prettier, if that's possible! (It helps that it's the same model, baha.) I want these covers as posters.



Have you guys read Vanish? Do you want to?

You may not have heard of this book, but you really should have.

I hate when I read a book and really love it...and no one else has heard of it, and the author is obviously going through rough times because the book isn't selling as well as it should be.

So I decided to use the power of WORD for good instead of evil, and give those books some much-needed exposure.


The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

Oh, man, I have so much love for this book. It's original, hilarious, and just completely awesome. One of my very favorite books, as well as two of my closest friends (one who's a 19 year old guy, and one who's a 15 year old girl. See! Everyone can enjoy it!).

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

I feel like the blogoverse kind of forgot about this one a few months after it's release, which is a shame because--while I know not everyone did--I really enjoyed Schindler's debut. Her writing is exquisite and this is such a powerful, unique story.

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

I'm pretty sure this novel's more popular in Australia, but I feel like it hasn't yet gotten the recognition it deserves in the states. Wilkinson's book is full of heart, humor, and a lot of classic coming-of-age story lines, but with a twist. Another of my favorites.

Girl In The Arena by Lise Haines

Another book that everyone forgot about! Ignore the Hunger Games-esque title and comparison to it on the cover, Girl In The Arena is a book all it's own. (And if I can't convince you to read it, check out the book trailer. They sing about it.)

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

Brezenoff's writing is fantastic, plain and simple, and he has a way of making you love characters even when you don't know why. I haven't read his newest release, Brooklyn, Burning yet, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll thoroughly enjoy it, just as I did -1.



The Glass Maker's Daughter by V. Briceland


This was such a cool, fun fantasy. The genre's usually a hit-or-miss for me, but this under-appreciated novel was definitely a hit. I need to make time to read the sequel, asap.

Jessica's the homeschooled blogger behind Shut Up! I'm Reading, which she started when she was thirteen and has been running for two years. She has aspirations of becoming a writer when she "grows up" but aside from writing and reading, she enjoys music, bad movies, and hanging out with her (few) friends. You can follow her on Twitter at @shutupimreading if you so desire.

Feature Friday: Bookcases (52)

Who said storage had to be boring?



I've been showcasing bookcases for over a year now! Haha!

And this one is gorgeous. I'd love to replace my closet with this.

Friday Fronts: Abandon

This is the UK cover of Abandon. Part of me really likes it; as a design, it's really pretty and well laid out. I love the pop of red in the leaves and the font choice for the title. I like how the bottom of the dress on the top kind of merges into the bottom picture.

But, of course, I also think it would blend in with every other paranormal on the shelf.

What do you guys think?

Looking For The Next Great Chick Flick

Confession: I am a complete chick-flick fanatic. There. I said it.

Here are some of my favorites:
- She’s the Man
- Cinderella Story
- Bridget Jones
- He’s Just not that into You
- 13 Going on 30
- 17 Again
- Love Actually
- Mean Girls
- Easy A
- Crazy Stupid Love
- Never Been Kissed

Anyone else want to fess up? If I’m missing some great ones from this list PLEASE tell me. I’m always semi-desperately looking for new ones to watch.

Another confession: When I write a novel, I imagine I’m creating the next great chick flick. Music plays in my head like a movie soundtrack, building at dramatic moments. Mental camera angles take in expressions of shock, flirtatious winks, tears. And I picture my final scene frozen on the silver screen, credits rolling.

By the way, I’m open to having my new novel Over My Head adapted for the big screen – are you listening, Hollywood???

Over My Head has all the necessary chick-flick elements. There’s a serious rivalry between our heroine Sang and Trish, the girl who’s made Sang’s life hell for a long long time. Check out this scene at the pool:

While I’m watching him, I feel Trish watching me. She’s been glaring in my direction all day. She definitely hasn’t forgotten about being tripped and getting a mud facial.
“Enough of this helpless garbage,” she says to me. “I told you he was mine. He’d never go for someone like you.”
“Whatever, Trish.”
“He’s not into your little doe-eyed innocent act, so don’t go thinking he is. Pretending you can’t swim just so Cameron will pay attention to you. It’s pathetic.”
“I’m not pretending,” I say. I pull myself out of the pool, thinking about the connection I always feel when he and I talk. “This is real.”


Cameron is the intriguing hot guy, and there’s plenty of drama and romance. Like when, a few moments later, Trish gives non-swimmer Sang a little “help” into the deep end, and Sang sinks straight to the bottom:

Water whooshes around me and a strong arm grabs me.
I open my eyes. I’m soaring upward. I break through the lens, gasping and coughing.
“Everybody get back,” Cameron yells. He hands me up to Trish, who lays me on my back.
Cameron jumps out and kneels beside me. “Sang? Say something.”
“Trish pushed me,” I say, my voice hoarse. My arms and legs tremble.
“Please. She’s delirious,” Trish says.
Cameron leans closer. “Are you okay?”
“You saved me.”
“Yeah,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “I guess I did.”
I give him a thank you kiss. A mere peck. But he gets involved. At first his lips are cold and wet, but they quickly warm up. Now my heart is trembling too.
After a long moment, he pulls back. Some of the kids around us whistle and clap. One says, “Aw, gross.”
Cameron blinks at me and says, “Why don’t we continue this later?”

And, as in all the great chick flicks, our heroine is in the middle of a huge mess.
For starters, Cameron is in college, he has secrets, and a bad reputation. Sang’s parents freak out when they discover Sang is spending time with him. Plus there are big problems at home involving money and a serious illness. Her dad, especially, is dealing with lots of heartache, and Sang hates that she keeps fighting with him. But she somehow has to stand up for herself, somehow has to work out what really matters.

And, yes, like in any decent chick-flick there are lots of laugh out loud moments… A catfight… A friend who says all the wrong things… Someone shouting liverwurst in a graveyard. Plus, there’s not one, but TWO makeover scenes. So there.

But who in our big-picture version would play the steamy but suspect hero, Cameron? Or the flawed but trying to do better heroine, Sang? I’m all for up-and-coming unknowns to step into these roles. As long as Hollywood does it right… As long as I’m on set… As long as I can help the make-up artist oil up the hero for those poolside scenes…

Hey, I’m kidding!

Marie Lamba (marielamba.com) is author of the newly published YA Over My Head, which is the follow up to her first novel What I Meant… (Random House). New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry calls Over My Head, “a funny, touching, and at times heart-breaking Young Adult novel about the search for love.”
Marie’s humorous YA novel What I Meant… was dubbed “an impressive debut” by Publisher’s Weekly. Marie’s also recently completed writing another novel titled Drawn, about a teen artist who starts channeling one very hot ghost.

Waiting on Wednesday: When The Sea Is Rising

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

When The Sea Is Rising
Author: Cat Hellisen
Series: ---
Release Date: February 28, 2012

In sixteen-year-old Felicita’s world, magic is strictly controlled—or so those in power like to believe. After her dearest friend, Ilven, kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven’s death has called out of the sea a dangerous, wild magic. Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg’s caste system, and the whole city along with it.

The cover is RIDICULOUSLY creepy, and I love it. The synopsis also sounds lovely - I love magic, and I love arranged marriage related stories, and I love stories of girls who have the power of the world in their hands.

Unfortunately, there is also a love triangle. Involving a vampire. WHY!? Sigh. It looked so fantastic besides that. I'll wait until some reviews pop up before deciding, but I do kind of want to read it.

Giveaway: Hooked

This giveaway is over.

Lovely WORDites! (I'm still settling on a nickname for y'all.) I have a special giveaway for you today - one copy of Catherine Greenman's Hooked!

Thea Galehouse has always known how to take care of herself. With a flighty club-owner mom and a standoffish, recovering-alcoholic dad, Thea has made her own way in her hometown of New York, attending the prestigious and competitive Stuyvesant High School. But one chat with Will, a handsome and witty senior, and she's a goner—completely hooked on him and unable to concentrate on anything else.

Always worried that she loves Will more than he loves her, Thea is pleasantly surprised when their romance weathers his move to college and Will goes out of his way to involve her in his life. But then, Thea misses a period. And that starts Thea and Will on a wild ride that neither of them could have possibly prepared for. When they decide to keep the baby, their concerned parents chip in what they can to keep Will in school and give both teenagers a comfortable place to raise their child. But when a freak accident leaves Thea shaken and threatens to upend their little family altogether, Thea is forced to turn to the last place she would have chosen for comfort: her stiff, uncompromising father.

You guys have one week to enter (that's until October 25) and it's for US people only. Sorry, Canadians. And Switzerland people.

Quick Recap:
[1] copy of Hooked up for grabs
[1] winner in the U.S. only
ends October 25

How To Win:
[mandatory] fill out the form below

Cover Reveal: Innocent Darkness

My friend Suzanne Lazear's new steampunk fairy novel Innocent Darkness is coming out next year! I absolutely can't wait for it; it sounds fantastic. And the cover? Stunning!





My roommate and I both agreed that we LOVE the badass look on the model's face. She's pretty, but in a "If you touch my ass I will shoot you in the face" kind of way.

What do you guys think?



PS: You should add this on Goodreads.

Thoughts On: YA vs. Non-YA

This has been a debate ranging over the internet for a while. What makes YA so good? What makes it better than non-YA* books? Why is YA so bad? Why is it worse?

*By non-YA, I'll be talking about adult fiction.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn which type you prefer.

Before starting WORD, I had just as much, if not more, adult fiction on my shelves than I did young adult literature. I still have an entire bookcase dedicated to adult science-fiction and fantasy novels. Adult historical fiction peppers my bookcase, as does the occasional adult romance. (I'm a sucker for Sarah Maclean.)






But I still love reading YA. Until I got to the internet, I never realized you had to choose which side you were on - adult fiction or YA.

Why?

This seems so stupid to me, especially to people who argue one side or another. First off, because it's about taste most of all - if you don't like adult fiction, or the adult fiction you've read, of course you're going to say YA lit is better. (And vice-versa.)

Yes, as a whole, young adult literature and adult fiction are written differently. From what I've seen, young adult tends to have a faster pace and a slightly easier to read writing style. Less heavy description, etc. Adult fiction, especially fantasy, takes it a little slower and can lay on the description.

Besides that, the only differences are the main characters' ages and where they're put in a bookstore.

I love both adult fiction and young adult fiction.

You can argue for it either way, I suppose, but for every brilliant adult novel I've read, I can bring up a young adult novel in the same genre that I've loved just as much.









And I'm not quite sure why people need to sniff their nose up at one or the other.

So haters gonna hate.

And I'm gonna read.

Both adult AND YA.

Interview: Nick James

Nick James, the author of Skyship Academy: Pearl Wars, is swinging by today! (Why, yes, he IS very attractive.)

A devastated Earth’s last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space, and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers—political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth’s stratosphere—and the corrupt Surface government.

Jesse Fisher, a Skyship slacker, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable—and dangerous—abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess. Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn’t know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls.

I had a lot of fun interviewing him, and you should totally check out his website; Nick has a bunch of extra stuff with the books and stuff on it!


And, if you should so desire, you can read the first three chapters on his website!

Nicole: Welcome to WORD, Nick! What was your favorite part of writing Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars?
Nick James: When I set out to write this book, I wanted to create something fast-paced with loads of action and excitement. Initially, writing those action scenes was my favorite part. I often describe writing as seeing a movie inside your head and transcribing it on the page. It was like this with Skyship. It’s a very visual project, so it was fun imagining and choreographing it all in my mind. Once the first draft was finished, I really dove into world building and that became a passion. Seeing how everything connects in the world of Skyship was tricky at first, but ultimately very exciting. You know you’ve spent a lot of time with your book when you feel like you know everything about your fictional world!

N: What was the hardest part? Plotting? Keeping your characters in line?
NJ: Plotting is always difficult for me, mostly because I tend not to work off of a highly detailed outline when I start writing. Even though I’ve got a basic roadmap, I’m more of a “see where it goes” type writer. I like surprises. Then, when the draft’s done, it’s a matter of making sure everything makes sense! That can be a daunting prospect, but I think that’s also when the story really begins to take shape. Skyship has many little twists and turns. Giving them the impact I wanted was a fun challenge.


N: What do you think about that cover! Gor-geous!
NJ: I’m in love with the cover! It’s actually the second cover the book has had, and I’m so happy for the change because I really couldn’t have asked for anything better. It’s moody, mysterious and very striking. I think it really pops out on shelves.

N: Speaking about things that pop on the shelves... post apocalyptic and dystopian novels are HUGE right now - it's slowly creeping over paranormal romance, I think. How does The Pearl Wars stand out?
NJ: I think it stands out because it’s not necessarily a straight up dystopia. There are elements there, for sure, but at its core it’s a sci-fi adventure. More than that, I think it’s the kind of sci-fi adventure that we don’t see a lot of in books anymore. I wanted to create something that reminded me of the novels and comics that I loved as a kid. There’s a hint of romance, but it’s definitely not the overarching drive of the story. That alone separates it from 99.9% of dystopia’s out there! Instead, it’s a coming-of-age action story, like a huge movie folded into a book. And because I wanted it to appeal to everyone (including kids), it’s on the younger side of YA. Old enough for adults, but without a lot of the “adult-like” content that upper elementary kids would find too mature. In a lot of ways, it’s a good example of the genre-combo I was striving for: Star Wars meets the Breakfast Club.

N: That is an - um - interesting description. *laughs* On the other hand - what post apocalyptic and dystopian YAs would you recommend?
NJ: I always recommend M.T. Anderson’s Feed, which was a big inspiration for this book. I guess that’s an older dystopia (though I’m not sure if it often gets put into that category). I loved The Hunger Games. City Of Ember, too, though that kind of crosses genres. I haven’t read Divergent yet (I know! I’m behind), but I’m eager to.

N: It's okay; I haven't yet, either. It's sitting on my to-be read pile glaring at me... You have the male version of my name! What is one of your favorite names, though? (My favorite name is Guinevere.)
NJ: Some of my favorite names are characters in my book--slightly off-kilter ones like Cassius and Skandar. I also love Avery for a boy or girl.

N: Off kilter names are my favorite, or ones based in legend. If you had to pick a theme song for The Pearl Wars, what would it be?
NJ: In addition to writing, I’ve run a music blog for the past five years, so this question could have a million answers! For shear brashness of sound--spacey electronics combined with rock bombast--I’d pick a song called “The Truth” by an Australian band named Pnau. I actually created a character playlist for the book on my blog and this was one of the first songs I thought to add.

N: You're sucked into your favorite Disney movie! Which one, why, and what character are you?
NJ: There are so many Disney movies! I guess I’ll just focus on the animated ones. And for me, the holy trinity of Disney movies was Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and the Lion King. I’d have to pick Aladdin, and I think I’d want to be the title character. Of the three movies, Aladdin was straight-up adventure (with awesome songs). Having your very own genie would be pretty sweet, especially if the singing is part of the deal!

ComicCon

Hello, lovely readers!

One of the reasons I haven't been reading as much is that I've been prepping for Comic-Con! My lovely roommate Julia and my fantastic friend Katherine and my boyfriend and some of his friends and I are all going today - I'll tell you all about it. (Julie Kagawa and Rae Carson and some other YA authors will be there today, too. What fun!)





I'm cosplaying, though, which is what's taking up so much of my time. Julia and I are both going as the Doctor's, er, 'wives', so to speak.

I'm going as this bad ass lady:






And Julia's going as, well, my favorite Doctor Who character ever:






It's bound to be a good time.


If you see me, be sure to say hi! (Or shoot me an email and I'll find YOU!)