VICIOUS IS NIGH!!! (and other things you should know)

Lovelies. Lovelies. I can’t even…

*breathes deeply, composes self*

VICIOUS comes out in 5 DAYS. As in, in 5 days, it will be everywhere. On shelves. On doorsteps. The whole nine yards.

In 5 days I will write a post with a lot of feelings (if you’ve not watched this vlog yet, it should serve as a good intro to the feels that will spill across this blog on Tuesday: ). But it’s not Tuesday yet, so we shall hold off on those feelings.

In the meantime, a few orders of business!

I’m getting ready to head to New Orleans (for the very first time) to participate in the SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Association) trade show! I can’t wait to look at graveyards and talk to awesome indies and read to them from VICIOUS (!) and eat beignets. I’m really, really ex

1. Author copies!

Prettyyyyyyy:

One day I will have enough author copies to build a throne.

2. NEW YORK COMIC CON!

I will be going to NYCC this year for both VICIOUS and THE ARCHIVED!

On Saturday, I’ll be on a pretty epic panel called ODE TO NERDS, but I will also have TWO in-booth signings, one for THE ARCHIVED and one for VICIOUS.

Yes, that’s right, on Friday I will sign THE ARCHIVED in Disney’s booth (10:30-11:30) and then VICIOUS in Tor’s booth (12-1) and you can come and get FREE COPIES OF BOTH and get them signed by me and such and it will be a blast. More details (such as time of day) to come on that front.

3. A new blurb!!!

I am so humbled to announce that VICIOUS picked up a NINTH blurb this week, from an absolute force:

“V.E. Schwab’s Vicious is the superhero novel I’ve been waiting for: fresh, merciless, and yes, vicious.”

—Mira Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Blackout

*swoon*

4. So VICIOUS is about to hit shelves. What does that mean? What can I do? How can I help?

This is something I will try and address more next week, but I wanted to say briefly now that a book release is 75% OMG AWESOME and 25% TERRIFYING and I might have actually gotten those statistics reversed.

So much work goes into a book–so much work went into THIS book–and the moment when you have to let go, when it ceases to be yours and becomes everyone’s, is utterly terrifying. All you can hope as an author is that people love it, and that they love it en talk about it, because we live in a word-of-mouth era. Talking about books sells books. One voice in one ear can multiply more than anything.

All I would ask as we head into next week is that, if you’re so inclined, you spread the word. Tell one person about VICIOUS. Hell, tell two! I wish I could explain how much power you have now.

Even when it seems like a book doesn’t need your help, like it has the voice and the steam it needs, I cannot stress enough that a book is like a coal-driven train, in that it needs constant fuel.

I’ve felt incredibly blessed by the voice given to VICIOUS so far, both by PW, and by my amazing blurbers, and by you. But it’s still incredibly scary, and you live in this place of “blow on the coals! Blow on the coals!” So if you have even a single breath of air to spare, it would mean the world if you could use it to tell someone about VICIOUS 🙂

Until next week, lovelies!

❤

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What is “Warm Up”?

I recently got to share the artwork (by Victo Ngai, *swoon*) for my upcoming short story, “Warm Up.”

 

 

I couldn’t say much about it at the time, aside from the fact that it would go up on Tor.com BEFORE Vicious hits shelves, but now that it’s up for pre-order on Amazon, I can finally share what it’s about!

We wanted to give readers a taste of the world without spoiling ANYTHING in Vicious, so “Warm Up” is set during a decade-long period when Victor is in prison, and Eli is out executing ExtraOrdinary people (read: superpowered). It follows an ExtraOrdinary man named David Lane.

 

Here’s the pitch:

It’s been 297 days since David died–and came back.

He may have survived the avalanche, but the aftermath has been far worse. His wife moved out, taking his son with her, and a devastated David hasn’t left his house since, terrified of the mysterious new power that followed him home from the ill-fated expedition.

After months in seclusion, David’s ready for a fresh start, and ventures out, determined to keep his power in check. But David’s power isn’t the one he needs to worry about.

 

“Warm Up” will go up on Tor.com on AUGUST 20TH!!

You can also pre-order it on Amazon for only $0.99 and it will just *poof* arrive on your kindle that day.

3 months till world domina—I MEAN VICIOUS!! Time for a giveaway.

Lovelies!!

Today is the 24th of June. VICIOUS hits shelves on the 24th of September. That means today =
3 MONTHS TILL VICIOUS OMG.

*breathes into bag*

*goes in search of smelling salts*

*eats a box of cookies*

Okay.

I’m okay.

Now, for those of you who’ve been following the blog for some time, you know what these month marks mean!

A GIVEAWAY!!!

ONE person will win an elusive signed ARC of VICIOUS and a set of trading cards.

FIVE more people will win a set of trading cards.

I’m in the dreaded middle of a first draft right now–I swear, so many fire swamps in writing books–so I’m going to keep this nice and simple.

You can earn…

+1 point for commenting on this post
+1 point for posting about VICIOUS/the giveaway on Facebook
+1 point for posting about VICIOUS/the giveaway on Tumblr
+1 point for pinning VICIOUS/the giveaway to Pinterest
+1 point for blogging about VICIOUS the giveaway
+1 point for adding VICIOUS on Goodreads
+1 point for every list you add VICIOUS to on Goodreads
+1 point for asking your library to order VICIOUS
+1 point for any extra clever things you can think of

You can comment below when you have points to report, and you can earn each of the above points ONCE PER DAY. Feel free to comment once with all your points at the end of the day, or as you complete each task.

You have from now until FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH, 9PM CST to enter.

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!

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*

Writing retreats, NASA tours, and a publishing moment that took my breath away.

My suitcase is sitting at my feet, still packed. Or rather, unpacked and then repacked so fast it feels like it simply stayed packed.

I just got back from a week in Texas, and I’m getting ready to leave tomorrow for several days in NYC (Teen Author Festival, details on the Appearances page), and for once in my life I wish I could sit still. A large part of that is because I’m working on a new book-shaped plaything, but I’ll get to that in my next post.

Today, a recap of Texas.

Texas was a trip broken into three chapters, every one of them wonderful.

It started out with a writers retreat. 21 authors, myself included, gathered in a house overlooking a river. For four and a half days we ate and drank and worked and chatted and had an all-around wonderful time. I find nothing more inspiring than being around other writers, especially those at various stages in the publication journey. This was my third year being part of this retreat, and it was incredibly surreal to go from being a publishing newbie to one of the “veterans” (I certainly don’t feel like a vet).

Even though I never got over the strangeness of that ever-changing dynamic, the trip was both grounding and uplifting and I only wish I’d taken more photos.

The next chapter was beyond cool.

As the retreat closed up shop, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis and I drove to Houston. We’d been given an incredible opportunity, thanks to the amazing Kate (Ex Libris): to take a VIP tour of NASA. We were allowed to not only observe mission control in action (they were communicating directly with an astronaut on the ISS at the time!!) but also walk the floor of Apollo 13’s mission control, tour the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, and even go inside the full-scale replica of the ISS used in training.

I’ll be doing a full NASA post as soon as I get the CD of photos (we not only had our own guide, but our own photographer!) but suffice it to say, one of the coolest author perks EVER.

The final chapter of the Texas trip proved to be an amazing conclusion.

Carrie and Beth and I had a signing at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston. It was my first Texas event ever, and I was over the moon.

But it wasn’t just the fabulous crowd, or even signing with my friends (which is always a blast), that made the experience. Sitting there, signing after the panel, I had a Moment. Moments (instants where you realize something is on the cusp of changing, or is changing, or has changed) are rare enough that I really stop and savor them.

What was my Moment?

It wasn’t that almost everyone in the front row had a copy of THE ARCHIVED in their lap. It wasn’t that the store sold out of my books (though that ties in). It was this: as a newer author, I’m quite accustomed to having a shorter signing line than my friends, most of whom are at least a generation ahead of me. Signing with the likes of Carrie and Beth, I was TOTALLY prepared to wait while they signed. God knows I’ve done that. Often. In the beginning it can make you feel silly or self-conscious, but you get used to it. I had.

But at the event, I wasn’t sitting there, waiting for Carrie and Beth (both of whom have full trilogies out) to finish. I kept signing. In fact, I only finished signing books a person or two before they did. And that may sound like a small thing, but in that moment it felt like such a big thing. It kind of took my breath away.

So often I’ve been the baby author tacked on to established authors’ events, and I’ve been so thankful, because that’s what a baby author needs, but it’s trained me to assume that people coming to those events weren’t coming to see ME. They were coming for the other authors, and if I was lucky, or a good enough speaker, I could woo them into trying out my books, too.

But at the event, some of the people in that audience came to see ME.

And there aren’t words, though I’ve used a good deal of them here, to describe that feeling.

 

In which I finally spill what VICIOUS is about and share what people are saying!!

Yesterday Tor.com did an amazing piece on VICIOUS, complete with sketches, design snapshots, and the gorgeous finished product you see above.

And here today, as promised, I get to share the catalog copy for the book, as well as some blurbs that just make me want to lie down and make floor angels.

First, after months of *mumblesuperpowersmumble* I can finally tell you WHAT IT’S ABOUT.

THE PITCH:

A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will.

Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

AHHHHHHHH! <–Sorry, that is how I feel finally being able to share.

AND!

I get to share some seriously amazing blurbs, too.

Ready?

BLURBAGE:

“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, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero

“Schwab gathers all the superhero/supervillain tropes and turns them on their sundry heads…. I could not put it down.”
—F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of the Repairman Jack series

“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, author of I Am Not a Serial Killer

“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 Morse Kessler, author of the Riders of the Apocalypse series

The sequel to THE ARCHIVED has a title!!!! And it’s…

Lovelies!

After holding my tongue for months, I can finally tell you that the second book in the ARCHIVED series has a title! And believe it or not, it’s not THE ARCHIVED #2! Or ARCHIVED…AGAIN.

Are you ready?

It’s…

That’s right, book 2 is called THE UNBOUND. And there’s your little sneak peek at the color palette for the book 😉

First off, let me just say that I’m so nerdily (totally a word) excited that we get to continue the book/library motif in the titles! AND on top of being bookish and awesome, this title fits the book so well. Many thanks to my editor, Lisa, for coming up with it!!

Now, I know you might be thinking, didn’t THE ARCHIVED just come out??? It’s so early to talk about sequels! Well, my publisher has a new 2 catalog/year schedule, and the catalog for September–March is being revealed now, and since I’m a January title, it means you get to see my pretty things alongside the fall list 😉

Now, lovelies, the excitement is just beginning! Tomorrow, the COVER (!!!) and JACKET COPY (it’s spoiler-free!!) will be revealed on YABC–YA Books Central–so be sure to follow me on Twitter because you’ll know I’ll shout that joy from the rooftops when the post goes live.

In the meantime! A few quick myths I’d love to dispell, since they pop up like roaches in a Brooklyn flat.

Myth #1: THE ARCHIVED is a dystopian novel.

Truth: I have no idea where this idea is coming from. I don’t think it’s coming from me. And while I have nothing at all against dystopian novels, I haven’t written one yet! THE ARCHIVED is probably best described as a supernatural thriller. It’s not set in the future, or even an alternate world. It’s set in modern day USA. The idea is that the Archive exists in the here and now, most people just don’t know about it. So nope, not dystopian! If Mackenzie Bishop existed solely in the Archive, as compared to living in the real/mundane world from which she accesses the Archive, then you could begin to create an argument that the Archive is a flawed–if not failed–utopic system. But not as it is. Nope. Sorry kids. So if you see this myth creeping bug-like around the internets, squash it 😉

Myth #2: THE ARCHIVED is the sequel to THE NEAR WITCH.

Truth: Nope. THE NEAR WITCH was my first novel, and a standalone. THE ARCHIVED is the first book in a series. There is no connection whatsoever between Near and the Coronado. Not that a meeting of Lexi and Mac, or Cole and Wes, wouldn’t be fun 😉 But let’s keep those two worlds apart.

Myth #3: VICIOUS is the sequel to THE ARCHIVED.

Truth: Wrong again. VICIOUS seems to be causing a swell of confusion, so allow me to set a few things straight. VICIOUS is my first adult novel. It comes out this September! September 24th, to be exact, with Tor Hardcover. I am over the moon about this book, but you probably haven’t heard me talking much about it. That’s mostly because adult publishing moves at a different pace than YA, so where I get my cover/pitch a full year before a YA book hits shelves, these things come together roughly 6 months before release in adult. Different schedules means different timing. But the time is now upon us, and you’ll hear my talking much more frequently about it! So no, it’s not a sequel to anything, it’s a new book.

The other reason you might be confused is that I’m not writing it as Victoria Schwab. I’m writing it as V.E. Schwab. V.E. Schwab is not a secret identity by any means. My blog is veschwab. My twitter is veschwab. Everywhere I’m on the internet I’m actually listed as veschwab aka V.E. Schwab. I’m not endeavoring to hide! It’s just that I have a number of younger readers (THE NEAR WITCH being lower YA) and I’d rather they not automatically reach for my gory supervillain book because they see my name. Also, to be very honest, I’m aiming for world domination here, and sometimes it pays to be shelf-stealthy, especially in a branch of the industry that is largely male. I’m having a blast proving that young ladies such as myself can write as sick and twisted as the rest of the writer race, but it serves me best if my initial impression is of my book, not my gender.

In cheery news, the cover for VICIOUS is going to be revealed SOON. As in, a matter of days! So, whee!

Myth 4: Victoria feeds on reader tears.

Fact: Oh, well, this one is actually true.

Myth 5: Victoria thinks Earl Grey tea is an abomination to the senses.

Fact: Also true. Seriously, kids. Don’t get me started.

That concludes this installment of myth-busting! And I hope you guys like the title as much as I do!! I’m so excited to tell you more about THE UNBOUND in the coming months!

A recap of mischief managed and more to come.

(Photo by Vania Stoyanova)

Oh my goodness, I’ve been such a delinquent blogger.

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind. From the Nashville launch party on the 1st, where I got this AMAZING gift…

(My Little Ponies modified into Mackenzie and Wesley from THE ARCHIVED)

…to an amazing Malaprop’s event on the second, where I made this face, which apparently I make a lot…

(Photo by Vania Stoyanova)

…I was home for a mere two and a half days before heading to NYC.

NYC involved a school visit, a Teen Author Reading Night, and the scariest part…a SOLO EVENT.

A SOLO EVENT.

AT BOOKS OF WONDER.

I was terrified that no one would come (solo events are scary, because it’s all on you, and this was my very. first. one) and then the day before the northeast was hit with a MASSIVE WINTER STORM and I spent most of the hours leading up watching the weather and resigning myself to the fact I’d be making book forts with my housemates.

And then the feared hour came, and…people came.

Like, a lot of people came. Between publishing professionals–editors, agent friends, author friends–and bloggers, and friends of friends, enough people came that they had to sit on the floor and gather at the back, and little by little my fear dissolved (or at least, stopped showing), and from what I’ve been told (I have a REALLY hard time remembering what comes out of my mouth when I’m nervous), it was a wonderful event. Goodness knows, I had a BLAST, and spent the rest of the day giddy from relief and joy.

(Photo by Nova Ren Suma)

The next day, I said goodbye-for-nows to my housemates and city friends, and trained out to PA to hang out with one of my closests, Tiffany Schmidt, and prep for the epic shenanigans of the following day.

On Monday, Tiffany, K.M. Walton, April Lindner, Jonathan Maberry and I trekked to a middle school, a high school, a library, and then a bookstore!

One of my favorite moments was encountering an uber fan at the high school. She sat down in the audience and proceeded to say, “Oh my god, oh my god, I’m sitting across from Victoria Schwab. Hi Victoria Schwab, oh my god this is cool…” and it was kind of the most adorable thing ever.

Over all, it was an exhausting, delightful day, and the greatest highlight probably came at the final event, at Children’s Book World, when a nun came up to me, clutching THE ARCHIVED, and said she’d heard about me because of Neil Gaiman on Twitter. That might have been the coolest collision of elements ever.

And the next morning it was back to the airport, and home, where I promptly got sick (this ALWAYS HAPPENS ARGH).

I also came home with a cover for the ARCHIVED sequel (I cannot wait to show you), a new book idea (I cannot wait to write it), a notion of what VICIOUS’s cover will look like (I cannot wait to see it),

One of the things that made the NYC/PA trip so delightful was that it was the first time in nearly six months I didn’t have multiple books on multiple looming deadlines. What a joy to be able to breathe and savor the experiences rather than fretting about how to steal an hour to work.

So, what’s next? Well, this weekend I will be in St. Louis for what might be the coolest event yet. You guys, I’m at the St. Louis County Library on Saturday night…with Ally Carter.

ALLY FREAKING CARTER, KIDS.

I can’t even.

Like.

What.

In the meantime I’m loading up on vitamins and minerals and chicken soup. And hopefully the next time I post, I’ll have some insightful things to say, but at the moment, I’m still a little flaily from NYC and a little sick from this stupid cold, so forgive the recap of mischief.

OH OH. Before I forget. The YA2U campaign ends TOMORROW, so if you haven’t entered your city yet, do it!!! The pie chart on the site has shifted A LOT this past week!

LASTLY, I just want to say thank you. I know I’ve been saying it a lot lately, but it doesn’t diminish its propriety. THE ARCHIVED has been out three weeks now, and the continued influx of reviews, ratings, pictures, and messages has brought so much light to my life.

Carry on, lovelies.