Happy Release Day to my fabulous friend Deena Lipomi! Deena's been my critique partner since 2006 when we met in a YA Chicklit class given by Lauren Barnholdt. Along with being an awesome young adult librarian Deena's written a number of fantastic middle grade and young adult novels, which I've had the pleasure to read, and her first published one, BLACKOUT is now available wherever books are sold online (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes). Read on to find out more about BLACKOUT and check out her trailer below!
About BLACKOUT:
Sometimes the only thing worse than forgetting is remembering...
When 17-year-old musician Leo and his 15-year-old scientist sister Jenny wake up in a ditch with pains in their hands, they wonder what happened on their drive home from their father’s house in rural Pennsylvania. Their only memory of the past twelve hours is of bright lights flashing through their windshield. Then the blackout.
Leo is content to chalk up the missing memories and throbbing hands to a concussion and nerve damage, but Jenny won’t let it go. Soon the siblings uncover clues that they stumbled upon a dangerous and illegal alternative energy project in the Appalachians – and that their father is involved. If they don’t discover the truth, Leo’s burning hands will destroy his music career before it begins, and Jenny will never know if her father is the mentor she's always trusted or a mad scientist who will stop at nothing for the success of his work. Not even if it means sacrificing his own children.
This past weekend I went on a writing retreat with some YA and MG writer friends to Dublin, Ohio. I highly advise the occasional writing retreat as a way to get away from it all and get a lot of work done. Though the nightly calls to my kids and their crying was a heart-tugger. My writing pals remind me that the kids do this EVERY time we go on a retreat. Yet they're always just fine and enjoy their Daddy time and all the treats and movies and fun that come with that.
I got a lot of writing done over the weekend-- the first two chapter of a new middle grade and some editing on my new YA coming out at the end of October. There will be a cover reveal for that book in the coming days so stay tuned. And I also listened to two audio books on the drive- John Green's Fault in Our Stars and Gayle Forman's If I Stay. Both were really good though I think I'd advise not driving while listening to the John Green one since my eyes kept tearing up at all the sad bits.
Now that I'm back I'm realizing that summer is winding down and I have to get all the fun last minute swims and walks and day trips with the kids in before school starts up again in three weeks and the madness of four kids in activities hits us again. I'll miss our lazy days. I am happy we're all settled in our new house though and that they'll all be together in one school this year- hurrah for that! And with a return of the school year comes the return of my writing schedule. :-)
It's that time of year again, when my writer pals and I drive out from our various locations to one central spot and spend the weekend writing (and laughing and talking shop too of course). I always look forward to these retreats. They motivate me to hit a project hard (and motivation is so hard in the summer when the kids want 24/7 entertainment and there's the lure of swimming and relaxing.). This retreat I'm starting a new middle grade book. I've been taking notes and prepping for a few weeks while also finishing up edits on a young adult book coming later this fall (more info on that soon). I'm hoping this retreat is just the kick start I need to get this book off the ground.
I've been MIA for quite awhile. It seems I can't to do too many things at once. We moved in mid-April and the process of getting all of the stuff for 6 people packed and moved was enormous for me! I barely got any writing done. Ok, I didn't write at all during that process. But we're all moved in and I'm getting back to work now. I've been working on the first book in a middle grade series, making notes on a new middle grade book that I'm super excited about, and starting edits on a young adult book. And of course enjoying summer with the kids.
I wanted to share my favorite room in our new house: the library. I've always wanted a library! And this one comes with a coffee bar so I'm hooked (ok, they used it as a library/wine room, but you know me: coffee, coffee, coffee!). Anyway, it's a little room right off of the family room and the kids (and me) love to go in here to read. Here are some pics.
(looking in)
(the coffee bar)
(cute window to sit by)
(kids fave place to read)
(up close of the books. Still a work in progress as I keep finding boxes of books in the house)
In other updates, in May Alloy Digital announced the web series, Espressologist, at Digital Content Newsfronts, which was SO cool!. You can read about that here. They included some new details about the script:
"Based on the popular book by Kristina Springer, The Espressologist mixes one part Central Perk from Friends with a splash of Jane Austin’s Emma to create a series brimming with humor and heart. Working at her neighborhood coffee shop as a barista, twenty-something Chelsea has a front-row seat to people and their crazy, entertaining lives. Always an astute observer of human nature, Chelsea stumbles upon a methodology that makes a love connection between her customers’ personalities and their drink orders. This comedic series follows Chelsea as the stakes are raised and her bizarre dating formula leads to more people (namely friends and co-workers) looking for Chelsea to replicate her success. But will she ever make a match for herself?"
So excited to see the book come to life! (Notice how Jane is now Chelsea and she aged a bit? Can't wait to see what else is new!)
There is also some great sales on my books this week. On Amazon, the paperback of The Espressologist is only $3.60. Just Your Average Princess in hard cover is $6.40. And The Paparazzi Project is on sale for 99 cents at B&N and Amazon.
Thanks for reading all the way through this lengthy post. More soon from me, I promise!
This is so darn cute! Check it out-- a "Book Talk" show where the main character, Tori, from My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours is interviewed. Such creative kids!
The super awesome Jessica Brody is visiting my blog to talk
about the first book in her exciting new series: UNREMEMBERED. Jessica makes the BEST trailers for her books—make sure to stick
around to the bottom to see her trailer for this new book!
About the Book:
The only thing worse than forgetting her past...is
remembering it.
When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific
Ocean, no one ever expected to find a single survivor; which is why the
sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating amid the wreckage—alive—is making
headlines across the globe. She has no memories of boarding the plane. She has
no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories…period. As she
struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is,
every clue raises more questions. Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who
claims to know her. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him?
And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her
forget?
Set in a world where science knows no boundaries and
memories are manipulated UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody is the first novel in a
compelling, romantic, and suspenseful new sci-fi trilogy for teens.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: How did you get the idea for Unremembered?
JESSICA: A few years ago, I read a newspaper
article about a teen girl who was the sole survivor of a plane crash. I was
instantly fascinated by the story. Namely because they had no idea why she
survived when no else did. I started brainstorming reasons as to why she was so
lucky. One particular reason (a rather intricate, science-fiction-inspired one)
stuck in my mind and refused to leave. It continued to grow and blossom until I
had an idea for an entire trilogy. A trilogy that starts with a mysterious
plane crash and a single survivor.
KRISTINA: If
your book was made into a movie, who would star as your main character?
JESSICA: This
is always SUCH a hard question for me! You would think it would be easier!
However, for the lead role of Seraphina, I’ve always
pictured Nina Dobrev from the Vampire Diaries. Seraphina is described as having
a “flawless” beauty. I’ve always thought Nina Dobrev fit that description so
well. In fact, as I was writing, I took a picture of Nina Dobrev, photoshopped
in Seraphina’s purple eyes, and hung it above my computer as inspiration.
Maybe Nina will read this, contact me, and be like, “Cool!
I’ll totally be in the movie!” Hey, an author can dream. :)
KRISTINA: How
do you come up with the names of your characters?
JESSICA: Well,
I will say this much: The name Seraphina actually is a nickname for the
character, who was originally named SERA. But this isn’t a random name. It’s an
acronym. That’s all I’ll tell you!
KRISTINA:
Who is the Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl?
JESSICA: I
just recently met James Dashner at an event and kind of lost it. I was like,
“OMG, you’re James Dashner!” And he was like, “Um, yes.” And then my mind went
completely blank. It was embarrassing.
KRISTINA:
What is your most favorite comment you’ve received from a fan?
JESSICA:A
blogger tweeted me a review of my book the other day and called it “biopunk”
novel. I’d never even heard that term before but of course, I immediately
looked it up on Wikipedia. Here’s what I found.
Biopunk science fiction is a subgenre of cyberpunk fiction
that focuses on the near-future unintended consequences of the biotechnology
revolution following the discovery of recombinant DNA. Biopunk stories explore
the struggles of individuals or groups, often the product of human
experimentation, against a backdrop of totalitarian governments and
megacorporations which misuse biotechnologies as means of social control and
profiteering.
I totally got the chills because I was like, “YES! That’s
exactly what Unremembered is.” I was so grateful to finally have a term for it.
I could never figure out what to call it before! I was also excited that this
seems to be a “thing.”
KRISTINA:
Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?
JESSICA: Please
do! I’m @JessicaBrody on twitter and on Instagram! Holla! Folla! (Okay, that
was kinda lame. It sounded much better in my head.)
KRISTINA: What are you working on now?
JESSICA: I
just finished writing book 2 of the Unremembered Trilogy, which is called
UNFORGOTTEN. And I’m gearing up to start working on book 3, which is called
UNTITLED. Haha! But seriously, I’m thinking of keeping that title. What do you
think?
KRISTINA: I think that would be sooo funny! :) Good luck with the new book Jessica! It looks amazing!
About Jessica:
JESSICA BRODY knew from a young age that she wanted to be a
writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years
old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples and
electrical tape. She is the author of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, My Life
Undecided, The Karma Club, and now, Unremembered. Her books have been
translated and published in over 15 countries. She currently splits her time
between California and Colorado. www.jessicabrody.com
I've been MIA lately here on my blog, facebook, and twitter and I feel awful about it! My new writing projects took a bit of a backburner too but I'm still jotting down my notes, coming up with new pitches, and writing scenes here and there when I can. My to-be-read pile of books is growing bigger and bigger and I desperately miss my book club and can't wait to get back. I'm hoping to throw myself back in my work soon-- by summer at least. Of course, just in time for the kids to be home from school. :-)
So yeah, I'm still here. Just lots of life stuff sucking up my time right now (and the above image is perfect, lol!) but I'll be back soon! :-)
Hi and welcome to my blog! I'm the YA/MG fiction author of The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, Just Your Average Princess, The Paparazzi Project, and Boy Swap. I'm also the mom to four little ones and a coffee fanatic. Find me on twitter @TinaSpringer.
