w w w . M a r y r o s e W o o d . c o m

My new YA trilogy is announced! A real-life Duchess, an ancient castle...and a touch of poison......

Time to let a very exciting cat out of the bag — I’ve begun work on a new YA trilogy called The Poison Diaries. It will be published by Balzer & Bray (IMHO the coolest of all the many cool imprints at HarperCollins), and the first book will be released next summer.

Here’s the rather unbelievably awesome part: these books are based on a concept by the Duchess of Northumberland, and are inspired by the real-life Poison Garden on the grounds of Alnwick Castle, in northern England.

Duchess. Castle. Poisonous plants. Are you following how awesome this is?

Two months ago, while researching the first book, I had the opportunity to visit the exceedingly lovely Duchess (and her gracious husband, whom you may call, natch, the Duke). I roamed around the Poison Garden (look but don’t touch!), and was treated to a dungeon-to-parapet tour of Alnwick Castle. Here’s what we’re talking about:

 

If the castle looks at all familiar, that’s because Alnwick was used as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films. Allow me to recap:

Duchess. Castle. Poisonous plants. HOGWARTS, PEOPLE!

I am very excited about these books, and I think you will be too. It’s so inspiring to be able to set a story in a place that is both totally astonishing and absolutely real. This project is also a chance for me to flex some of my favorite but lesser-known writing muscles: it’s creepy, gothic, and darkly—dare I say lethally—romantic.....

As they say, the difference between curing and killing is in the dose, so that’s all for now. You can find out more at theBookseller.com, or at the News Post Leader.

xoxo
m

The new book about Morgan is done! Check out the cover (and put it on your holiday wish list, too)

At long last! I know some of you guys found this cover image on the internet already (see, sometimes authors are the last to know about these things), but still, I am very, very pleased to officially announce: the third book about Morgan Rawlinson (and her hunk o'Irish hottie, Colin, of course) is done!

It will be on sale on December 1st (can anyone say HOLIDAY SHOPPING?).

And it is called (drumrolllllllllllll):

WHAT I WORE TO SAVE THE WORLD

Here's the little teaser that will appear on the back cover of the book, just to whet your appetites. Do you love the new cover? Tell me what you think!

xoxo
m

It’s not just the end of high school…

Senior year’s coming up fast and I still have no clue about college, or a career — the whole rest-of-my-life thing is basically a blank. Maybe it’s because I spent junior year obsessing about Colin, the hunky Irish guy I fell for last summer (that was right around the same time I discovered I’m a half-goddess from the days of Irish lore — trust me, you had to be there). I even saved Colin from a nasty faery enchantment, but he doesn’t know that. Colin doesn’t believe in faeries, not one magical bit.
 
…it’s the end of the world.

The truth is my grades stink and all my best extracurricular activities happened in the faery realm. But a visit to this wacko college counselor turns things around: soon I’m on an all-expense paid trip to England to take a very special campus tour. A mysterious message reunites me with Colin, but it turns out he’s caught up in the biggest faery-made disaster ever. We’re talking the end of reality, people, and I don’t mean reality TV. To save the world, I’m going to have to tell Colin the truth about my half-goddess mojo. But if he doesn’t believe in magic, how will he ever believe in me?

Save the date: Hudson Children's Book Festival, May 16th

Isn't that the cutest poster? I'm so looking forward to participating in the first annual Hudson Children's Book Festival on Saturday, May 16th. I'll be there with more than fifty other authors for a full day of signings, shmoozing, workshops, panels, and of course, snacks. Stop by from 10 to 4, would love to see you there.

(First Amendment fans, note that I'll be on a panel at 2:00 PM discussing "First Amendment 'Writes': How Far Is Too Far in YA Literature?" Other panelists are Daphne Grab, Michael Northrop and Amanda Marrone.

Directions and a full listing of all the authors and cool events are on the festival's website. Also, please check out the "Name the Whale!" contest. When was the last time you got to name a whale?

xoxo
m

Teen Authors Take Manhattan (and Brooklyn, and Queens, and the Bronx and Staten Island too!)

It's pretty much the coolest thing ever: the first annual NYC Teen Author Festival! Starting on March 16th, every day through March 22, your favorite teen authors are going to be all over the five boroughs doing stuff, reading stuff, signing stuff, and even singing stuff. Here's the breakdown of events: hope to see you there!

Juvenalia Smackdown Monday, 3/16, 4-6pm, Tompkins Square Park branch of the NYPL, 331 E. 10th Street Join Holly Black, Alaya Johnson, Justine Larbalestier, David Levithan, Diana Peterfruend, Scott Westerfeld as they read some of their (ahem) less accomplished work from their middle school and high school years. Hosted by Libba Bray.

I Have Seen the Future…and It Sounds Like This Wednesday, 3/18, Mulberry Street Branch of the NYPL Teen authors are notoriously stingy about reading from their works-in-progress. But for Guest of Honor Joe Monti, authors Libba Bray, Rachel Cohn, Eireann Corrigan, Justine Larbalestier, Barry Lyga, and Scott Westerfeld are willing to share a little bit from their future books. Hosted by David Levithan.

The Five-Borough Read Thursday, 3/19

BROOKLYN: Central Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn 10-11am Gayle Forman Jenny Han Leslie Margolis Abby Sher Matthue Roth Robin Wasserman

BRONX: Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Road, Bronx 4-5pm Coe Booth Madeleine George Paul Griffin Brian Sloan Melissa Walker

MANHATTAN: Countee Cullen Branch, 104 W 136th St 4-5pm Matt de la Pena Daphne Grab Mary Hogan Bill Konigsburg Barry Lyga Carolyn MacCullough

MANHATTAN: Jefferson Market Branch, 425 Avenue of the Americas 4-5pm David Levithan Bennett Madison Laura McLaughlin Billy Merrell Marie Rutkoski

MANHATTAN: Webster Branch, 1465 York Avenue 4-5pm Lisa Ann Sandell Courtney Sheinmel Rachel Vail Cecily Von Ziegesar Martin Wilson

QUEENS: Far Rockaway Branch, 2002 Cornaga Ave, Queens 4-5pm Tara Altebrando Laura Dower Heather Duffy-Stone Aimee Friedman Eliot Schrefer Siobhan Vivian Rita Williams-Garcia

STATEN ISLAND: St. George Library Center, 5 Central Avenue 4-5pm Kate Brian Judy Goldschmidt Michael Northrop Micol Ostow Lynn Weingarten

Rock Out with TIGER BEAT! Thursday, 3/19, 6pm at Books of Wonder By day, Libba Bray, Daniel Ehrenhaft, Barney Miller, and Natalie Standiford are upstanding authors. But by night, they turn into … TIGER BEAT, the first ever YA author rock band. Tonight is their debut public performance … and it’s sure to go down in legend. With opening act The Infinite Playlists (Rachel Cohn and David Levithan reading a litany of musical references, but mercifully not singing).

I Love You, New York: Teen Lit in the City Friday, 3/20, 6pm, NYPL, 42nd Street, Court Room Join authors Coe Booth, Paul Griffin, Maureen Johnson, David Levithan, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Rita Williams-Garcia in a spirited reading and discussion about teen novels set in New York City – from the glamour of the gossip girls to the grit of the Bronx projects, from the everyday battles of the high school halls to the extraordinary events of 9/11.

Stuff for the Teen Age Ceremony Saturday, 3/21, 1pm, NYPL, 42nd Street, Celeste Bartos Forum This new list only has the best of the best, and includes books, music, movies, and video games. Featuring a keynote by Walter Dean Myers

Teen Authors Celebrate Teen Readers Sunday, 3/22, NYPL, 42nd Street, Trustees Room, 1pm Over a dozen authors salute teen readers and teen advisory board members from around the city, including Blake Nelson, reading from his upcoming novel Destroy All Cars.

The Biggest Teen Author Signing EVER Sunday, 3/22, Books of Wonder, 4pm Join over 40 authors for a signing extravaganza as they take over Books of Wonder, sign books, and converse with fans new and old. An incredible event that is sure to go down in book-signing history. Authors include:
Nora Baskin
Jessica Blank
Judy Blundell
Coe Booth
Elise Broach
Susanne Colasanti
Sarah Darer-Littman
Matt de la Pena
Heather Duffy-Stone
Gayle Forman
Aimee Friedman
Madeleine George
Maureen Johnson
Kristen Kemp
Justine Larbalestier
David Levithan
E. Lockhart
Barry Lyga
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah MacLean
Megan McCafferty
Laura McLaughlin
Neesha Meminger
Billy Merrell
Blake Nelson
Micol Ostow
Matthue Roth
Marie Rutkoski
Lisa Ann Sandell
Courtney Sheinmel
Abby Sher
Brian Sloan
Rachel Vail
David Van Etten
Ned Vizzini
Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Cecily von Ziegesar
Melissa Walker
Robin Wasserman
Scott Westerfeld
Suzanne Weyn
Maryrose Wood
Lizabeth Zindel

The art of storytelling, courtesy of Spielberg

I love this video to death, have you seen it? From it we are reminded of several truths:

• That Steven Spielberg knows how to tell a story like nobody's business - out of the simplest materials, and in a little under five minutes, he takes you on a journey complete with beginning, middle, end, conflict, mounting tension, a shocking plot reversal, and a deeply satisfying ending.

• That movie stars are movie stars for a reason – find one false moment! These people are emotionally transparent to the camera; you can't take your eyes off them.

• That Harrison Ford pwns hawtness, at any age.

• And that it's really, really important to vote on Tuesday!

Enjoy. And vote!

xoxo
m

 

5 More Friends

National Book Awards Finalists Announced!!!!

I am sitting here at HIGH NOON so I can observe the exact moment when the National Book Awards Finalists for 2008 are announced. Excitement!!!

While we're waiting: just so you know, in the category of Young People's Literature, the illustrious judges are:

Daniel Handler (chair), Holly Black, Angela Johnson, Carolyn Mackler and Cynthia Voigt.

And.....drumroll.......here is the announcement.....the nominees for Young People's Literature are.......

OMG!!!  SWEEEEEEEET!

Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains (Simon & Schuster)
Kathi Appelt, The Underneath (Atheneum)
Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic)
E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hyperion)
Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now (Alfred A. Knopf)

To learn more, go to http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008.html

Congrats to all the nominees! And especially to E. Lockhart, who is my awesome pal and wrote one of my fave books of all time, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Off to happy-dance now.

xoxo
m

What's scarier than the VP debate? BLISS! Check out the trailer.

Here's the perfect scary Halloween read you've been waiting for: BLISS, by my pal Lauren Myracle. When Lauren is funny, she is so funny, but when she is scary she is SCARY. Check out the book trailer — and get ready to be spooked!

xoxo
m

Top Ten for 2007

Those two adorable penguins are still trouncing the competition! Courtesy of the American Library Association: here are the ten most frequently challenged books of 2007:

1) “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2) The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3) “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language

4) “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman
Reasons:  Religious Viewpoint

5) “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain
Reasons:  Racism

6) “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7) "TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8) "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou
Reasons:  Sexually Explicit

9) “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris
Reasons:  Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10) "The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons:  Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Want to know more? Download the Random House First Amendment First Aid Kit by clicking below. Have a great week!

Download FirstAmend.Brochure.pdf

xoxo
m

"I can see Russia from my house!"

You guys know I used to do comedy, right? I spent a couple of years immersed in the world of improv comedy, studied with the Groundlings in NYC, and proudly performed in front of inebriated patrons as a member of comedy groups with names like "Okay, So We Lied" and "The Spiritual Celebrities."

Classic comedy bits are not born every day, but the clip below is one people will be talking about for years. May I present: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, my comedy goddesses of the week. Maybe of the decade. Enjoy!

Would you fight censorship? "Yup," says Alaska librarian.

Well, there is good news today, because the planet did not implode into a black hole when physicists pulled the ripcord on the new Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Go, science!

In other news: thanks to Ron Hogan of the always invaluable GalleyCat blog for posting a link to this article from the archives of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. It's a December 1996 story about then-Mayor Sarah Palin (currently the Republican VP nominee) making inquires to Library Director Mary Ellen Emmons about censorship, and specifically how she would respond to any attempts to ban books from the library. There are no words for how much I love this exchange:

Emmons recalled that [in] the Oct. 28 conversation she pulled no punches with her response to the mayor.

“She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup',” Emmons recounted Saturday. “And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too.”

Please read the whole article, it's very interesting. Is Mary Ellen Emmons my hero? Yup. Yup, she is.

xoxo
m

My guest blog at Fresh Fiction reveals summertime writing secrets!

I'm guest blogging on Wednesday, August 25th at the Fresh Fiction site. My subject? "How the Writer Works in the Summertime." Turns out that warm-weather wordsmithing requires the right tools, the right beverage, and above all the right locale.

So before Labor Day arrives and the vaycay fun is over, come learn my secrets of seasonal productivity! Who knows, they might come in handy next year....

xoxo
m

Fashion Week at In Bed With Books has guest blogs & book giveaways!

It's Fashion Week at In Bed With Books! I'm guest blogging on Tuesday (July 29th), along with authors  Jennifer Banash (July 31st) and Melissa Walker (Aug 2nd).

And there are books giveaways!

Come check out this very fashionable review and leave a comment, and you could win a copy of HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS. Want an extra chance to win? Leave a comment on my guest blog, too.

Title of my Fashion Week guest blog: "How I Found the Perfect Bathing Suit (hint: it rhymes with fettucini)."

You gotta read it, people! Important swimwear life wisdom is contained within!

Other giveaways this week: Jennifer's THE ELITE and Melissa's VIOLET IN PRIVATE. Summer reading rocks!

xoxo
m

"A Latin hat at that" - best Tony acceptance speech of the night!

Found it! Here's Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony acceptance speech for Best Score, IN THE HEIGHTS — you will smile!

Call it "His Life: The Musical" - "In the Heights" wins Tonys for Lin-Manuel Miranda

A big knuckle-punch of congrats to Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose awesome Broadway musical IN THE HEIGHTS, written about his own 'hood and starring himself, picked up a fistful of Tony Awards last night, including best score and best musical. His acceptance speech was a riot, as soon as I find a clip online I'll post it here. In the meantime:

Imperial Beach Teens ask, and I answer!

So many libraries are creating cool websites & blogs for their teen patrons to hang out, visit with authors, talk about books, leave comments, and just generally bond with other book-loving teens. Check the great teen site at Imperial Beach Library, cleverly called IB Teen Blog. They asked to me answer some really smart interview questions, and they're even giving away some free books!

My favorite question in the the interview: "What is the strangest thing you've ever gotten inspiration from?" I think my answer will surprise you!

xoxo
m

Visit Melissa Walker and win a free copy of WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT

Oh, my lovely & very cool author-pal Melissa Walker (author of VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY and VIOLET BY DESIGN) has the best ideas! Check out Win It Wednesdays;  leave a comment on her blog and you might win a free book!

And today the giveaway book is (insert sound of Irish drumroll here): WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT! So if you want a chance to win it, head over to Melissa's and comment away. And check out her cool widget counting down to the third book about Violet!

xoxo
m

"Irresistible and unforgettable" — Teens Read Too gives a gold star for HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS

Yay! HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS is feeling some gold star love from Teens Read Too:

"When I finished WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT, I really didn't think it could get much better. Well, I stand corrected, because the sequel outdid the first book. I mean the first one was awesome, but this one was even better....

...Morgan returns as funny as ever and definitely doesn't disappoint. This book is completely irresistible and unforgettable...There was nothing that could've made me put it down. The fantastical mix of magic and romance is still great, but we also get a bigger picture of reality as Morgan returns to high school...For fans of fantasy, romance, and just plain good books, go and walk...no, run!, to your nearest library and grab a copy..."

Thanks for the awesome review. There is nothing sweeter to my author-ears than hearing that the sequel makes fans of the first book happy!

xoxo
m

I'm guest blogging at Teen Book Review (leave a comment to win a signed book)

Hey! Stop your retail therapy long enough to visit Teen Book Review and check out my guest blog that asks: What makes a "perfect" dress perfect?

And make sure you leave a comment (there, not here), because one random commenter wins a signed copy of HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS. Happy shopping!

xoxo
m

You should have seen my Madonna outfits...

OMG, one of my true BFFs sent me this today. It is a music video by guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was shot in a bar in the East Village in the 1980s. I am, briefly, in it (from that you may draw your own conclusions about what I was doing during the 1980s, but suffice it to say, bars in the East Village were somewhat of a feature of that era in my life).

Anyway, two clues and two clues only: big bad 80s perm, leather jacket. Go!

KindleKittens are kewl!

Okay, I am not normally a technogeek type person. I waited until the last possible second to finally get a cell phone. I waited to get an iPod until Apple was giving away the old model Nanos for free. I had the same microwave oven for like, twenty years, and only recently replaced it, after deciding it was probably giving off megadoses of evil radiation and we might all end up as mutants.

But I think it is so incredibly kewl that SEX KITTENS AND HORN DAWGS FALL IN LOVE is available for the Kindle! The Kindle, for anyone hiding under a rock, is the snazzy  e-book reader from Amazon.

Now, I don't have a Kindle. But I am kinda starting to want one. And I need to know — do any of you guys have one? Do you like it? Is it even close to being worth $400 bucks?

Having done my taxes like a good citizen, I know how much money I spend buying books each year. And it is waaaaaaay more than $400 bucks. If I had a Kindle would I pay so much less for e-books that the Kindle would be functionally free? Would I save money, read more, have more shelf space? Dust less? Kill fewer trees? Would I miss my books?

Leave comments, please! I am Kindle Kurious!

xoxo
m