A message to the lost (myself included).

Some bad things happened recently.

The kind of bad that made me sit down on the floor and sob and wonder questions like why do I and is it worth it and will the road ever run smoother. The bad happened in amid a spot of good, and I don’t know if the good saved me, or if it made it worse for letting me believe a spot of good could be a world of it.

I went away for a little break. Away from writing. Away from the life connected with it, and all the weight. I drove into the countryside with two amazing friends, stretched in the backseat and listened to music and watched stars through the moon roof and pieced my hope back together.

And now I’m back. Back and still struggling to find myself amid the lingering malaise–frustration, fatigue, anger. I am trying to find my focus. Trying to use that spot of good as a raft.

(So much good lovelies. An ocean of it. Why does a spot bad have the power to pollute it?)

I need that focus. I haven’t found it yet, but I need it more than ever. I hope I’ve not–and fear I have–spooked it away with all my needing. At some point I’m going to have to climb out of myself and all these heavy thoughts and into other selves and find their thoughts instead and it feels like I’ve forgotten how to do that, but I know it’s just the spot of bad, holding on, dragging me down.

I’m writing this post to myself as much as you, to tell myself it’s time to let go.

Bad things happen.

But good things can be made. From them. In spite of them.

And it’s time to make good things.

This summer I will write two books. Aim for a third if I’m feeling ambitious (hard to believe in my current state, but writing this is finding words and right now I’ll take them, whatever their shape). This summer I will drag my eyes away from the recent past and refocus on the near future. On a season of writing. Creating. Building new roads, and rafts, and whatever else I need to stay afloat.

It’s time to stand up again.

It’s time to start.

So I’m saying this to you now. If you’re feeling lost, bone-sad or heartbroken or hopeless or astray, get up. We cannot move forward until we stand up.

Let’s stand up.

Let’s start.

VICIOUS GALLEY WINNERS.

Sorry for the short post, lovelies. Life’s been rocky (after an already downhill week, I lost my beloved dog on Friday) and I haven’t been feeling chatty or post-y.

Let’s get straight to the good stuff.

The winner of the VICIOUS galley is…

Bethany Farwell

The winners of the VICIOUS trading cards are…

The Cover Contessa
Ava at YAvaReads
Caroline Waddell

I also decided to pick two more winners of trading cards, and those are…

Emily Schlinker
Andrew Muir

Lovelies, please email your mailing info to vschwab at comcast dot net to claim your prizes.

If you didn’t get an ARC of VICIOUS at BEA, here’s your chance (GIVEAWAY).

Hey lovelies!

I thought I’d do something for all those who couldn’t make it to BEA, and those who could but couldn’t snag an ARC.

I’ve decided to give you one of mine.

ONE winner will get one of my personal ARCs and a set of trading cards.

THREE runner-ups will get sets of trading cards.

You can enter EVERY DAY.

You get an entry for commenting and then an extra entry for tweeting/FBing/blogging/etc.

Giveaway runs until Sunday 9PM EST.

Sorry lovelies, but this one is US only.

Ready, set, go.

The extraordinary, surreal, and humbling nature of BEA.

Hello, lovelies!

I’m back from BEA and all its BEA-shaped shenanigans, and thought I’d do a quick post and try to sum up my feelings, which are myriad and mostly come in squeeees.

It was an absolute whirlwind of a trip. I flew out of Nashville on Thursday at an obscene hour and arrived in NYC around 9AM, dropped my bags at the hotel and hurried over to Javits so as to optimize the time for shenanigans.

I was on the show floor for all of three minutes before I was recognized for the first time! A persistently surreal and wonderful feeling. By fifteen minutes in I had hugged half a dozen bloggers and authors. I barely had time to take it in before dashing off to a lunch meeting with my wonderful Scholastic editor, Aimee.

After tasty treats and a discourse on Scotland, angels and devils, adventure and world domination, I hurried back to BEA and met my Disney*Hyperion editor, Lisa, at the booth, and we took a turn about the floor and it was utterly delightful.

That night I had the pleasure of going to a rooftop party, where I got to fangirl about Cat Valente with Holly Black, clink glasses Gretchen McNeill, Veronica Rossi, Kami Garcia, Zoraida Cordova and dozens of other new and old friends.

Friday was my Actual Author Day.

I roamed the floor with my Tor editor, Miriam, stalking books like MARIE ANTIONETTE SERIAL KILLER and COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN, trying to distract myself from how nervous I was about my 2pm signing.

And then, around 12:30, I started getting tweets. Tweets telling me that people we showing up:

LOTS of tweets:

My fear began to shift into excitement. People were actually coming.

By the time I took my seat, the line was huge. So big it had to be split into several parts around the autograph hall. Tor had send 120 ARCs. It wasn’t nearly enough.

(Photo by publicist Aisha Cloud)

I couldn’t stop smiling.

(Photo by Kate Tilton)

When people reached the table, they would ask me how I was doing, and it took all my will power not to say I AM DOING F*CKING FABULOUS because the truth is, BEA signings, signings like this, with so much people and so much energy, are my favorite thing in the whole wide world. There are no words. There really aren’t.

As soon as the signing was over I hurried over to one of the BEA Live tents and had a video interview. I’m pretty sure I smiled the entire time. At one point, the interviewer (a very professional gentleman in a suit) leaned forward and said, “You just seem to be having a really, really good time.”

And I said, “I am. I am having a BLAST.”

One of the strangest things is the difference between last year and this one. I pay a lot of attention to personal progress and professional evolution (see my blog post about the Moment I had signing with Carrie and Beth in TX). This year at BEA, so many more people recognized me. So many more knew who I was, what I’d written, was writing. It was extraordinarily cool and humbling and surreal <–that's really the theme of my BEA.

One of the coolest moments came on Friday AFTER my events, when Tyler Nevins, the amazing designer behind the ARCHIVED covers…

…tracked me down, and gave me THIS:

In case you can’t tell, that is the ACTUAL FREAKING RING from the cover of THE UNBOUND.

SIZED TO FIT.

Which means I now have the key from the first book and the ring from the second, and it is incredibly cool and I have no words and lots of smiles.

[Speaking of THE UNBOUND, a fair number of people both at my events and on the floor asked me it--mostly whether there were ARCs--and the short answer is no, not right now! I'm not even through copyedits yet, but I promise to keep you posted as we get a bit nearer to release (Jan 2014).]

After being an Actual Author all day I had the pleasure of going out to dinner with old and new friends, which was perfect and restorative. I got to hug Julie Kagawa, see my ex-housemates, chat with my beta, tell the Neil Gaiman hug saga to a fellow fan, talk theology with Annie Gaughen, listen to Gretchen McNeill sing opera, tell a short story to Jeffrey and Jeremy West and Tiffany Schmidt, recount the origins of a wonderful friendship with Laura Whitaker…it goes on. An absolutely perfect end to a perfect day.

Saturday I got to sit in the front row at Neil Gaiman’s talk, and then eat pastries with my Tor editor and toast to a successful time at BEA, but also to the adventure ahead.

VICIOUS is now just 3.5 months from release, and it’s shaping up to be a wild ride.

Thanks for being on it with me

Find V.E. Schwab at BEA!

Lovelies!

While my official signing is from 2-3pm on Friday (Table 17!), I will be wandering the floor Thursday from 10:30-12:130 and then again from 3-5PM, and ALL DAY Friday (seriously, from 10AM till 5PM). 

Look for the girl with the bright red hair (chin-length) and the all-black ensemble (or the yellow-and-white-striped sweater).

That’s probably me!

If you find me and come say hello, you will be rewarded with an awkward hug and a set of VICIOUS trading cards

Meanwhile, I have made my own Author! Bingo! Card, and will be attempting to track down various writers and claim hugs.

If you hear someone shout BINGO! on the exhibition floor…that’s probably me.

I am positively jittery with excitement! If you see someone rocking in the corner, grinning like a fool…that’s probably me.

Wishing a wonderful BEA to everyone who’s going!

May the ARC-grabbing odds be ever in your favor!

SO MANY VICIOUS THINGS.

Hello, lovelies!

It’s time for a VICIOUS post.

Why? You ask.

Well…

Because TODAY marks FOUR MONTHS till VICIOUS hits shelves!

Because VICIOUS recently sold to Titan Books in the UK!

Because my trading cards came in the mail!

Because I get to share THREE NEW BLURBS!

“Vicious is a fun, morally-flexible revenge tale that pits two mad scientists againt each other…Using an entertaining mix of flashbacks and multiple perspectives, Vicious methodically ratchets up the tension as Victor and Eli circle each other for the inevitable kill.”

–Daniel H. Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of ROBOPOCALYPSE

“V.E. Schwab writes with the fiendish ingenuity, sardonic wit, and twisted imagination of a true supervillian. Vicious is a diabolically clever trap that will lure you in and hold you hostage to the very last page!”

–Greg Cox, New York Times bestselling author

“A noirish cross between the X-Men and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’…You won’t be able to stop turning the pages.”

–Alex Bledsoe, author of The Hum and the Shiver

*flails*

And those will be added to these:

“V.E. Schwab demonstrates real literary super powers with VICIOUS –a dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one. Highly recommended!”
–Jonathan Maberry

“Vicious is dark and intricate and daring, twisting back and forth through time and morality and life and death until you can’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved it.”
—Dan Wells

“Utterly brilliant. Schwab takes the notion of superhero fiction and bashes it on its head. If you like it dark, then prepare to be thoroughly entertained.”
–Jackie Kessler

“Vicious is something new under the sun as Schwab gathers all the superhero/supervillain tropes and turns them on their sundry heads…I could not put it down.”
–F. Paul Wilson

*flails more*

Annnnnnnd because in one week VICIOUS and I will be at BEA!!!

I will be signing ARCs (provided by Tor) at Autographing Table 17 on Friday, May 31st, from 2-3pm!

If you come see me, you will not only get a shiny signed ARC, but also a full set of trading cards! And if you are a blogger wanting giveaway materials or you simply want some to share, I will give you up to THREE sets of trading cards.

I’ll also be wandering the floor on Thurs, Fri, and Sat, and if you see me and say hi, you will be rewarded with trading cards and awkward hugs

*ALL the flail*

*disappears in a puff of smoke*

Seven countries. Nine cities. One month.

A month abroad goes something like this:

Home → Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland → Oslo, Norway
Oslo, Norway → Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland → London, England
London, England → Prague, Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic → Vienna, Austria
Vienna, Austria → Heidelberg, Germany
Heidelberg, Germany → Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg, France → Dover, England
Dover, England → York, England
York, England → Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland → Home

In photos, it looks something like this:

 

 

In words…well, I don’t have any.

There are no words for how I felt standing by the bonfire on Calton Hill during the Beltane Festival in Edinburgh.

No words for walking a character’s steps in London.

No words for the view of Prague from the top of the palace steps, or Vienna’s museum quarter with its majestic architecture.

No words for the cozy streets of Heidelberg, tucked into the hills, or the trains gliding through familiar France, or the strange stillness of the grey English channel.

There are no words for those things. Or if there are, I haven’t found them. I haven’t wanted to, just yet.

But in the months leading up to the trip, and during the month abroad, I’ve been asked one question more than any other: WHY. Why did I do this? Surely there’s a reason. In truth, there are three.

And since I’ve only given little snippets of an answer, I thought I would take the time to try and explain.

1. Wander.

If you’ve followed the blog for more than a month or two, you know I have wings tattooed behind my anklebones, both as a nod to Hermes and a reference to my persistent wanderlust. I have a very, very hard time sitting still. It makes me feel static and small in the worst way. Moving, experiencing, making wrong turns and right turns and seeing the world, it makes me happy. Much happier than buying clothes or shoes or a house or whatever else people use money for. I’m lucky in that right now I only have to worry about supporting myself, so I have the freedom to (scrimp and save and budget and plan to use) my resources for travel. Besides, I subscribe to the adage that you can’t write about life if you spend life writing. Yes, I spend a vast, vast amount of time writing, but I would rather do it on a boat or a train or tucked in the corner of a foreign cafe than sitting at my kitchen counter (though incidentally, after a month abroad, I am sooooo looking forward to my counter).

2. Wonder.

I’ve been thinking about moving to Scotland. Yes, really. One of the best things about my job—one day I will do an honest post about the pros and cons because both are manifold but today is not that day—is the geographic freedom it affords. I don’t have to live in a specific place in order to write books. Two years ago I moved to England for three months and lived in a shed in someone’s back yard (it was all I could afford) while writing THE ARCHIVED simply because I wanted a change of scenery. As a full-time author (a title I hold onto by writing multiple books a year, and one I don’t anticipate to last forever), and one without a husband/S.O/children, I can truly take advantage of the lack of locational confines. So I do. I first visited Scotland a couple years ago, and fell instantly in love. I wanted to confirm that I still felt that love, and I do.

3. Words.

The first two weeks of the trip, which were spent in Scotland with an author friend, were purely for fun (though I wrote a short story, a proposal, and more than 10k of a book, so, I mean, productive fun), the entire second half of the month abroad was actually a research trip for a new book. It took a great deal of careful planning and budgeting, and I’ll likely be spending the rest of the summer eating ramen, but it’s been totally worth it. As for the project itself, the only thing I’ve said about it, and the only thing I will say until it’s written, is that it’s about a twisted love affair between a French girl and the devil. It’s set largely in present-day Brooklyn, but the story is spread over three centuries in Europe, so…yeah.

That’s why I went to Europe.

I wanted to see things.

I wanted to try things.

I wanted to breathe and eat and drink and feel inspired.

I wanted to live in the future and look at the past and I wanted to jot notes on every scrap of paper I could find and feel breathless and remember that I love what I do.

And in two days, this weary little traveler will return home to her kitchen counter feeling all of those things and more.

And ready to write.

Scotland trips and VICIOUS things.

I’m writing this on my last full day in Scotland, trying not to feel heartsick and bonesad. Truthfully, lovelies, I meant to update along the way but I got drawn into the city, the adventure. The thing about living in the future (six hours ahead of my old time zone) is that the world begins to feel kind of far away. Which is wonderful, when you’re trying to write a book.

But I thought I’d give you a glimpse at the mischief we–myself + Rachel Hawkins, author extraordinaire/traveling companion–managed while here:

+ We took a metric ton of photos from our apartment because um look at the view:

+ We were thoroughly traumatized by the National Museum of Scotland, because it’s like walking into the internet. It is a natural history museum, a history museum, a cultural history museum, an art museum, and approx five other kinds of random ass museums PILED ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER. And there was a clock with tortured people and it was scary. As Rachel and I now say, that museum happened TO us.

+ We had cocktails at the Balmoral (which is pretty much what you can afford if you decide to go to the Balmoral.

+ We attended Beltane, a pagan solstice ritual on Calton Hill, overlooking all of Edinburgh. We came to refer to Beltane as the Tits and Fire Festival, because, well…

+ We climbed Arthur’s Seat, a very, very high point looking out over the city. And then we took tea.

+ We went on a day-tour into the countryside and learned about William Wallace and bloody battles and lochs and such while listening to Scottish pop music.

+ We ate A LOT of food (seriously, we’ve been here for 14 days, and have not had a single. bad. meal. Good job, Edinburgh).

+ We bought wee heilan coos, AKA our new spirit animals:

+ We discovered a corner of the city that is dead quiet, and also probably costs more to live in than the combined sum of our lives.

+ We walked down to Leith, by the water, discovered we couldn’t actually get to the ocean, and went to the pub instead.

+ We discovered millionaire shortbread and these little caramel candies with chocolate centers that we CAN’T. STOP. EATING.

+ We went to Greyfriars–TWICE–and discovered first through experience and then through research that it’s one of the most haunted places in the world. This is the tomb of George Mackenzie, a recognized poltergeist:

You guys, you could FEEL THE CREEPY SH*T the moment you walked into the massive graveyard. We went in the first time knowing NOTHING about Greyfriar’s history, and had chills the whole time. Then we got home and looked it up, learned about its reputation, and promptly went back for more.

+ We hung out with the lovely Cat Clarke at a divine little bookstore near the university.

+ We discovered not one but two splendid little farmer’s markets and ate sausage rolls and crepes and can you see a pattern in this trip? FOOD.

+ We wrote at both Spoon and Elephant House, the two places where J.K. Rowling is said to have worked on Harry Potter.

+ We had an absolutely unforgettable time.

I have to be very honest, lovelies, and say I’m having a hard time letting go of this city. My bones are so very happy here. I’ve written a synopsis, 10k on my current project, designed cards, and finished a short story, all in two weeks. But there’s much more adventure to be had–I’m off to see a friend in Oslo, then set out on the research portion of this trip, to London, Prague, Vienna, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Calais and York–and I know I’ll be back.

I’ll definitely be back.

But before I can come back, I have to come home for VICIOUS things! <–segue master right here.

Things are beginning to stir up in the VICIOUS world, lovelies!! We’re 4.5 months away from my twisted little comic book without pictures hitting shelves, and I’m getting bouncy.

In case you haven’t heard, I’m going to be at BEA later this month, signing galleys! I’ll be wandering the expo Thurs, Fri, Sat, but will be signing on Friday, May 31st, at Table 17, from 2-3pm. And you guys, these galleys, they are GORGEOUS, remember?

But not only can you get your hands on one of them! If you come to the signing, or find me during BEA, I will give you one of THESE:

THAT’S RIGHT. VICIOUS TRADING CARDS.

A lot of you have wondered/mused/speculated how VICIOUS, my first adult novel, will differ from my YA. I’ve said that I think it’s as different as a book can be, while still being ME. But at last, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can take my words.

Tor.com has uploaded the first two chapters RIGHT HERE, and it would really mean the world to me if you’d click over and give it a look.

Here’s a little snippet for you:

Sydney eyed the grave, tightening her fingers on the wooden grip. Victor had already begun to dig.

“What if . . . ,” she said, swallowing, “. . . what if the other people accidentally wake up?”

“They won’t,” cooed Victor. “Just focus on this grave. Besides . . .” He looked up from his work. “Since when are you afraid of bodies?”

“I’m not,” she snapped back, too fast and with all the force of someone used to being the younger sibling. Which she was. Just not Victor’s.

“Look at it this way,” he teased, dumping a pile of dirt onto the grass. “If you do wake them up, they can’t go anywhere. Now dig.”

Onward and upward, lovelies.

Onward and upward.

LATFOB, The Unbound, Scotland, and the COOLEST PRESENT EVER.

Hi lovelies!

Things are so very busy here in Victorialand. I just got back from an amazing weekend at LA Times Festival of Books, and now I’m about to do that thing where you unpack and re-pack in the same breath because OMG I LEAVE FOR SCOTLAND ON TUESDAY. But we’ll get there.

First up, LATFOB!

When I first got invited to the festival, I squeeeeeeeeeeed. And then, when I got my panel assignment, I started laughing nervously. Because, I mean, look at my list of panel-mates:

Lauren Oliver

Veronica Roth

Lissa Price

I mean. (O_O). But once I got over my (O_O) phase, it was an absolute ball! I got to hang out with two awesome members of the Disney publicity squad all afternoon, and the panel and signing went really well!

Here’s a shot of our venue, courtesy of Awesome Publicist Jamie:

And here are a couple close-ups, photo credits to Awesome Publicity Queen Heather, and YAardvarks, respectively:

After the panel, we went over to the signing area, and I got to sit with Veronica, which was at once awesome and humbling because IT’S VERONICA.

Here’s a shot from Ishita Singh that makes me smile:

Thank you so, so much to everyone who came out to support and get books signed! It was such a blast!!! It’s no secret events are my favorite thing in the world, but these kinds of events are by far the coolest/most surreal/most humbling/most happy-making.

After I finished marring people’s books with signatures and sharpie narwhals, Publicist Jamie rounded me up and whisked me off to a Disney Publishing cocktail party that was incredibly fun (and surreal, do we sense a pattern) and came complete with important people and tasty drinks.

And then! I was totally going to go back to my hotel room and edit (I was on deadline) but I got invited to dinner by Elizabeth Wein (as in the author of Code Name Verity aka ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS) and her wonderful editor Cat Onder. And, I mean, dinner with shiny people whose books I adore > edits (but they totally got done I’m getting to that part).

All in all an AMAZING (most over-used word in my vocabulary, I know, I’m working on it) day.

So I flew back today, ate some food, and dove straight back into edits for…

THE UNBOUND.

Ah, The Unbound.

I have never been so happy to hit “THE END” on a book. Again. You guys, I hope this book is almost done. Drafting it gave me hives, revising it gave me an ulcer, and line editing it had me rocking in a corner. I’m still swaying gently. My friends worry. I tell them it will stop eventually.

BUT IT’S GETTING THERE. I HOPE. Let’s move on before I start laughing nervously again.

Another thing that has me fidgeting/rocking/squeeing is…

SCOTLAND!!!

Or as Rachel Hawkins and I refer to it, SKERTLAND!!!!

It’s so hard to believe it’s finally here, but Rachel and I abandon the US for our sexily-accented overseas neighbors TUESDAY. As in, TOMORROW.

As in, the next time I blog, it will be from our apartment in Edinburgh. I’m just going to let that sentence sink in because (O_o).

I am waiting to see if an accent happens. If an accent happens (I usually only get an accent back if I’m in Southern England, but the cadence sneaks in in Scotland) I am sure Rachel will stealth vlog it and then plaster it on the internet. I’m also sure that there will be a variety of SHENANIGANS, because any time Rachel and beer tea and I get together there are shenanigans.

Stay tuned for more on the European adventure front. I’m actually going to be abroad for an entire MONTH. Two weeks in Edinburgh, then a whirlwind of Oslo, Prague, Vienna, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Calais, London, York. Some of it for play, some of it because I’m doing research for a book about a French girl who falls in love with the devil.

So.

I don’t have a great segue from that to this so I will just say…

OMG HOLY ART

One of my FAVORITE ARTISTS EVER is an extraordinarily talented painter named Duy Huynh.

Lovelies, Duy’s art is…I can’t even put into words how amazing. I mentioned in a blog post a year or two back how inspiring I found his work is. Here’s a snapshot from Google image search.

My parents own an original piece of Duy’s work–a stunning painting of a train, the smoke of which is billowing into a sleeping body–and I have three small prints that I adore.

I ADORE this artist. So you can imagine my shock and glee when I came home from LATFOB to discover a present from my parents.

They had commissioned Duy to do a piece based on THE ARCHIVED.

I’m sorry, let me repeat because OMG. DUY HUYNH PAINTED THE ARCHIVED.

Specifically, he painted Mackenzie Bishop in the Narrows (After he read the book and I just can’t even) and OMG.

LIKE.

LOOK.

It’s about 2 and a half feet tall, 2 feet wide, and I am OBSESSED with it.

I just…*goes back to petting*

*falls over from long blog*

A VICIOUS winner, BEA, and a secret about The Archived and The Princess Bride.

Hey lovelies!!

I JUST got back to a very dreary Nashville from the YA2U tour! I had SO much fun with Marissa, Marie, Beth and Megan, as well as everyone who came out to see us!! I return home with tired bones but a happy heart.

And the first thing I knew I had to do when I walked in was announce the winner of the ARC of VICIOUS!!

So, without further ado, that strange little book goes toooo………..

*drumroll*

CHRISTA SEELEY!

Congrats, Christa!

And while we’re on the topic of VICIOUS, a very exciting announcement!!!

You might have already heard the news, but in case you haven’t…

I WILL BE AT BEA!

SIGNING VICIOUS ARCS!

The details:
MAY 31ST!
2-3PM!
TABLE #17!

I am BEYOND excited about this!!! I hope I get to see some of you there!

And now, the last little bit of business this rainy Wednesday Thursday (I TOTALLY know what day it is) is actually a strange little ARCHIVED snackbite.

It has to do with Wesley.

During one of our many drives to and from events, my travel-mates got to talking about movies, and when we ended up on The Princess Bride, I mentioned a strange little fact about The Archived, and the whole car erupted with WHY HAVEN’T YOU EVER SHARED THAT?!

So I thought I’d share.

The male lead in The Princess Bride is named Westley.

You might have also noticed that the boy in The Archived is named Wesley.

This is not a coincidence.

Wesley Ayers in The Archived is actually a nod to one of my favorite male leads of all time. And it’s not just the name. The fact that Wesley Ayers wears black eyeliner is actually a nod to Wesley’s black mask/Dread Pirate Roberts disguise in the movie!!

Just a little info bit for your Wednesday Thursday afternoon