Maryrose's Blog, All Year 'Round (now illustrated)

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by! Here's where I post miscellaneous musings and rants, inside scoop about upcoming books, invitations to special events where you might meet me and other authors, news about book giveaways, contests, guest blogs, links to interviews and podcasts, and other amusing stuff along those lines.

The appearance of this blog will be evolving over the coming months as I launch a new website that will link here. So don't get confused! I'm still me.

In stores December 1: WHAT I WORE TO SAVE THE WORLD, the third book about Morgan Rawlinson and her adventures as a half goddess.

I'm launching not one, but two new series in 2010: the first book in my first-ever middle-grade series, called THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE, Book I: The Mysterious Howling, will be out in February. It's the rather hilarious adventures of a young governess who is hired to care for three children who have, literally, been raised by wolves. There are wonderful illustrations by Jon Klassen, who also did the cover. 

And my new gothic, sexy, and dare I say intoxicating YA series called THE POISON DIARIES will debut in June. So there will lots of news coming your way; please check back often, leave comments, and make sure you subscribe to the newsletter (use the box at right).

xoxo
m

Happy Blogoversary to Shady Glade! Featuring author interviews all month.

The Shady Glade book blog is celebrating its third blogoversary by hosting author interviews all month. This week it's me! Come visit and read what I have to say about, you know, life stuff, writing stuff, new projects, old projects, and the answer to my favorite question: If my life were a TV show, what would be my theme song?

Enjoy! And happy B-day, Shady Glade!

xoxo
m

p.s. — you want a hint, you say? Well, okay, since you asked so nicely...

Save these dates! Fall Teen Author Reading Nights in NYC

Squeee! The awesome lineup of fall Teen Author Reading Nights has been announced.

All of these readings are from 
6-7:30 PM,
at
The Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library
425 6th Ave, at 10th Street
New York, NY

Reading nights are hosted by the witty and attractive David Levithan. Come meet your favorite authors and hear them read from their new books! I'll be reading in November from the upcoming WHAT I WORE TO SAVE THE WORLD.

September 9
Gordon Korman, Pop
Justine Larbalestier, Liar
David Levithan, Love is the Higher Law
E. Lockhart, The Treasure Map of Boys
Lauren McLaughlin, Recycler
Bennett Madison, The Blonde of the Joke
Dan Poblocki, The Stone Child
Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan

October 7
Libba Bray, Going Bovine
Tom Dolby, The Secret Society
Sarah Beth Durst, Ice
Melissa Kantor, The Invisible I
Shani Petroff, Daddy’s Little Angel
Jeff Rivera, Forever My Lady
Natalie Standiford, How to Say Goodbye in Robot
  
November 4
Matthew Cody, Powerless
Matt de la Pena, We Were Here
Barry Lyga, Goth Girl Rising
Marianne Mancusi, Boys That Bite
Courtney Sheinmel, Positively
Robin Wasserman, Crashed
Maryrose Wood, What I Wore to Save the World

OMG! Queen Titania stole my guest blog!

So get this: one of my favorite teen book bloggers, Diana Dang over at Stop, Drop and Read, asked me to do a guest blog as part of her way fun blogaversary celebration.

But Queen Titania stole my blog! She went over there and guest blogged in my spot. This is very weird, people. I'm kind of used to Queen Titania messing with Morgan and Colin, but this is the first time she ever pulled one of her mean faery-queen pranks on me. Which makes me worry that the veil between the fictional world and the author world might be slipping a bit, frankly, and—

OMG! That is basically the plot of the third Morgan book!  WHAT I WORE TO SAVE THE WORLD. Coming December 1. Veil slippage galore!

Anyway, you might as well go read Queen Titania's blog.  She  does make an interesting observation about which awesome YA author is an adorable dead ringer for which Harry Potter character. Can you guess?

And Diana is giving away THREE signed copies of HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS. So leave a comment on Queen T's post and you might magically be a winner!

xoxo
m

A winner, an interview and a video

Congrats to Diana, who won a signed copy of Why I Let My Hair Grow Out over at Mrs. Magoo Reads.

Diana, the book will be winging its way to you today!

In the meantime, check out a fun interview I did for this most enjoyable blog. You'll hear about my worst hair disaster and some advice for would-be writers.

In case you didn't get a chance to watch, here's the video book review Mrs. Magoo posted of WILMHGO. Enjoy!

xoxo
m

Contest! Win a free copy of Why I Let My Hair Grow Out

Sophie, the awesome book blogger at Mrs. Magoo Reads, is having a WILMHGO giveaway. It is so easy to enter.

First, you go to her blog.

Second, you watch the fun video review she's produced of WILMHGO! So sweet!

Third, you leave a comment on the video (include your email address).

You can even get bonus entries by linking to her post and following her on Twitter. Winner will be announced next Monday. I will sign the copy to the winner!

I was just about to post the video here too, but if I do that, I know some of you will leave comments here and not on Mrs. Magoo Reads. A tragic mistake, if you want to enter the contest. So go watch it there, okay? It is short and fun, and the blog is all about books and stuff! Can't beat that.

xoxo
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