Confessions of an Accidental Writer
Antony John's Blog
A haphazard blend of reading, writing, reviewing, and ranting, with
frequent breaks for a cup of tea.
Check in for updates on all my
projects, as well as anything else that has inexplicably grabbed my
attention.
April 26, 2012 – 8:13 pm
I was asked to write about what inspired me to set my new fantasy trilogy, ELEMENTAL, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As you’ll see (if you follow this link), the answer is that I simply had to set it there.
By the way, the link includes a giveaway of a signed ARC of ELEMENTAL, so please enter!
Oh, yeah, and I only just realized that I haven’t actually shared the cover before (at least not on this blog), so . . . what do you think? It rocks, right? (I had nothing to do with the cover by the way, much as I’d like to take credit for it. It was all the work of the extraordinarily talented Tony Sahara, who book covers are amazing, as you can see.)
April 12, 2012 – 10:32 am
Today, my little book THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP is all grown up. You’ll see it on the bookshelves of your local bookstore (it’s the one with the awesomely garish collage of Route 66 photos on the cover) and amazon will ask you if you want to buy it rather than pre-ordering it.
I’ve said before that I don’t get as psyched for launch day as some authors do, but it’s still a wonderful occasion – a chance to sit back and admire more than a year of hard work. (And hang out with friends and eat cake, of course.)
THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP is dedicated to my agent, Ted Malawer, and editor, Liz Waniewski, without whom none of this would be possible.
In case you’re around St. Louis tonight, here are the launch details:
WHAT: Launch of THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP (teen pick for Read St. Louis 2012)
WHEN: Thursday April 12th at 7PM
WHERE: Schlafly branch of the St. Louis Public Library (225 N. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108)
WHY YOU SHOULD COME: Free drinks served in plastic cups. (Sorry, that’s the best I can do.)
Cheers!
April 2, 2012 – 3:17 pm
On Thursday, April 12th, at 7PM, THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP will be launched as part of Read St. Louis 2012. I really hope readers in St. Louis will be able to make it. It’ll be a fun time indeed! The address is: St. Louis Public Library (Schlafly Branch), 225 N. Euclid Ave, St Louis, MO 63108.
In other news, the amazing Sara Zarr and I had a conversation about the crazy world of publishing, and she has posted the podcast here. It’s worth a listen . . . for her insights, not mine!
The blog tour for ROAD TRIP has begun too. First stop, Confessions of a Bookaholic, where one of the characters from the book, Alex, is being interviewed. Please check it out, and enter to win a signed copy!
March 16, 2012 – 12:20 pm
If anyone happens to be in western Missouri this weekend and would like to meet a bunch of YA authors, here’s your chance. The 2012 Children’s Literature Book Festival starts on Sunday in Warrensburg, MO, and I’ll be one of the presenters. Hope to meet some new readers there!
March 5, 2012 – 11:42 pm
Award-winning YA author Brian Katcher has posted an early review of THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP. And boy, does he do a great job of summarizing what’s going on!
Incidentally, if you haven’t checked out Brian’s books, PLAYING WITH MATCHES and ALMOST PERFECT, you should do so right now. Believe me, there’s a reason both books won major awards.
February 22, 2012 – 11:51 pm
When I moved to St. Louis in 2008, it took me approximately 5 hours to work out that my local library branch was beyond awesome. I know, I like adjectives (and superlatives), but when it comes to the library system, it’s justified. Don’t believe me? Well, when St. Louis was named the 8th most literate city in the USA last month, it was largely on the basis of the library system, which ranked second best in the country.
Of the many terrific programs the St. Louis Public Library (and the St. Louis County Library) runs, perhaps the finest is the Read St. Louis program. It selects a book for six different literary categories and encourages the card holders of the library systems (800,000 of us, for those counting) to read and discuss the titles with the authors themselves. To my great delight, THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP has been selected as the teen title for Read St. Louis 2012.
Best of all, my first event will be on launch day itself, Thursday April 12th at 7PM, at the Schlafly Branch (225 N. Euclid Ave.) of St. Louis Public Library. Please mark your calendar and pop along if you can. It’ll be a ton of fun, and I’ll be donating money to local charities for each books signed!
December 15, 2011 – 9:44 pm
Well, for one day at least . . .
The St. Louis Independent Bookstore Alliance, a groundbreaking coalition of Indie bookstores, had the utterly awesome idea of asking local authors to appear in their stores as booksellers for a day. They’re calling us celebrities, and while I think it’s fair to say that word is being used very loosely in my case, there are some major names involved: Heather Brewer, Ridley Pearson, Curtis Sittenfeld . . . the list goes on and on.
Anyhoo, please do stop by one of the stores this Saturday, December 17th and say hi to an author (times are listed on the link above). (We’re utterly tame, and frequently house-trained.) Best of all, a portion of all the books I “sell” will go to local charity Gateway 180, which provides shelter for homeless women and children – a brilliant cause, and one I am thrilled to support.
November 30, 2011 – 9:35 pm
Ashley at Basically Amazing Books was kind enough to interview me as part of her Just Contemporary series. So did Candace at Candace’s Book Blog. They’re both awesome bloggers, extremely thoughtful and articulate reviewers, and their series of posts this month has been stellar.
And they have books to give away!
Ashley is giving away signed copies of both Five Flavors of Dumb and Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and Candace is giving away a signed copy of Thou Shalt Not Road Trip. Just click on the links to get entered.
Good luck!
November 22, 2011 – 12:29 pm
While I was chatting with the wonderful and inspiring Sara Zarr the other day — that’s us with William Shatner, who was one of the more interesting cardboard cutouts I’ve ever spoken to — I made a confession: I don’t celebrate release days. I know I’m supposed to, but by the time the book comes out, I’m already thinking several projects ahead. I’m thinking only in terms of getting books into readers’ hands. I’m barely thinking of the release at all.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t celebrate anything. For instance, I sent the final draft of ELEMENTAL to my editor yesterday. I love this book, and am enormously proud of it. There’ll be a lot of copyediting, as usual, but I’ll celebrate that too, because it means I’m honing in on the finished book. And as for the cover . . . whoa! I can’t share it yet, but let’s just say it’s freaking amazing. In my mind, the book is already coming together. And that is something I can truly celebrate: the pursuit of the dream is every bit as compelling for me as the realization of it.
All of which reminds me of something many talented authors have told me: enjoy the ride. As long as these intermediate goals (first draft, final draft, copyediting, receipt of cover) are cause for celebration, I’ll be a happy camper a lot of the time. The same goes for all writers. Books are as much about the journey as the destination. Make it a pleasant one.
Sara Zarr wrote about this kind of thing herself–and far more articulately–in case you want to see.
On a different note:
* Today I’m guest blogging at Eating YA Books about my history as a reader. No, I didn’t read very much when I was a teen. Now you’ll find out why.
* Two new fantasy novels MUST be added to your wish list ASAP: ASHFALL by Mike Mullin is a captivating story of a boy struggling to reach his parents in the aftermath of a supervolcano eruption. It’s almost unbearably tense, and so real. LEGEND by Marie Lu doesn’t come out until next week, but it’s a dystopian novel about two 15-year-olds on opposite sides of a war. The pacing is breakneck, and the plot twists and turns so much you just can’t put it down. I loved them both.
October 27, 2011 – 2:11 pm
Last week I was in beautiful Eau Claire, Wisconsin for the Chippewa Valley Book Festival. It was the best-run festival I’ve ever attended, with lots happening, but not so much overlap that you end up missing half the events. There was also plenty of time to hang out with fellow authors, audience members, readers, etc. Oh, and the food . . . YUM!
I arrived on Thursday (after traveling for 21 hours – yes, you read that correctly) and rushed to meet Katherine Schneider, the sponsor of the Schneider Family Book Award. Dr. Schneider is a delight: thoughtful, kind, witty, engaged . . . I could go on and on. I am so pleased I got the chance to meet her, and had the opportunity to express how winning her award has transformed Five Flavors of Dumb from a small novel into one that is carried in almost every library in the USA.
Next, I gave this year’s Schneider Disabilities Issues Forum talk. I called it “Five Flavors of Dumb: How the Deaf Community Shaped a Novel.” The audience was fantastic, and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire provided both an ASL interpreter and closed-captioning. A local newspaper has published an excellent write-up on the event – you should totally check it out. If Katherine Schneider isn’t your own personal hero after reading this, then you’re crazy.
On Friday, I visited awesome students at Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls middle and high schools. Again, kudos to the teachers and librarians at every stop, because these students were prepared. There’s nothing more gratifying than walking into a school and having students ask detailed questions about your book. Just look at how much I was forced to gesticulate!
Thanks to Dr. Katherine Schneider and the organizers of the festival. I look forward to returning in the future!
I was asked to write about what inspired me to set my new fantasy trilogy, ELEMENTAL, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As you’ll see (if you follow this link), the answer is that I simply had to set it there.
