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I’m reading Betsy Lerner’s FOREST FOR THE TREES right now, and something I read last night really resonated with me. It was about how writers often experience life at a remove because we’re constantly narrating it in our head – telling ourselves stories. Lately, the narratives in my head have been kind of negative. Confession: I’m a perfectionist. I don’t like not being good at things. I basically want to be the superbest, everyone’s favorite, etc. It kind of sets me up for disappointment sometimes? Example: About five years ago, I attended a weekly power yoga class. Then my teacher moved away, and through a combination of other factors, probably including my anti-anxiety medication but also quitting my job and not walking to/from the metro every day, I’ve gained a bit of weight. Last year I really missed yoga, the physical stretching and the mental, so I tried a few... Read More

Hi! Happy Friday! Here’s a picture of me with the BW paperback in Safeway! I’m still super-excited that it’s in grocery stores! And here’s another important picture from yesterday – The Playwright standing beneath the sign at Forum Theatre in downtown Silver Spring, MD, announcing his show WE, TIRESIAS. It’s a witty, genderbending take on the ancient seer Tiresias in three incarnations – the young boy who angered the goddess Hera, the woman who gave birth to the bandit king’s daughter and lost her, and the old man who met King Oedipus. The play is – like lots of Steve’s work – so bittersweet and beautiful. If you’re in the DC area, I highly recommend you see it (this production runs this weekend Thurs-Sun and next). I’ve heard some reports that the paperback may not be in stock until Tuesday at Barnes & Noble! But it should be available now... Read More

Yayyy! Today is the release day for the BORN WICKED paperback! My awesome friends have sent me pictures of my book in 2 local Safeways (a grocery store chain!!), which is super-exciting and which inspired this contest.  I’m going to give away my very first ARC of STAR CURSED. I don’t think Penguin is planning to send any out to bloggers until February, and I’m not planning any other giveaways until March, so this is a very early chance to read it. (SC doesn’t come out until June 18.) All you have to do to enter is take a picture of the BORN WICKED paperback in the wild and then tag me on Twitter or Facebook. If you buy the paperback (yay! thank you!), you can take a picture of it with you (or your pet, if you’re camera-shy). OR you can just visit it at your local bookstore and... Read More

Hi! Tonight at 9pm EST, I’ll be doing a #BornWickedchat on Twitter – just follow the hashtag to participate! You can ask me questions and I’ll be giving away prizes: a signed BORN WICKED paperback, some Cahill Witch swag packs, and ARCs of Victoria Schwab’s THE ARCHIVED, Alex Lidell’s THE CADET OF TILDOR, Gayle Forman’s JUST ONE DAY, and Ruta Sepetys’s OUT OF THE EASY.  Hint: If you’re planning to come to the #BornWickedChat, you might bookmark this page, as some of the questions I’ll be asking will come from here. (Others will be simple questions about the book that anyone who read it should know.) I named girls accused of witchery after my critique partners, Kathleen Foucart and Jackie Dolamore. (This trend continues in STAR CURSED.)  The Ishidas’ last name was originally Iniko, until Jackie pointed out that didn’t work properly in Japanese. Sachi was originally going to hook... Read More

Happy New Year! 2012 was crazy-amazing. It was tremendous and scary and wonderful and challenging. I am so grateful to everyone who’s read BORN WICKED, especially those of you who’ve taken the time to tweet, Facebook, or email me to share your thoughts. I’m so glad I get to share Cate and her sisters and Finn with you, and I can’t wait for you all to read STAR CURSED! Last New Year’s Eve I was drinking pink champagne, all dressed up, at a big party, chatting about my upcoming book release and tour with a mixture of exhilaration and trepidation. This NYE I was playing board games in jeans, wearing a crazy furry pink hat. Last year felt so…BIG. It was a lovely debut year, but it was awfully FULL. There were so many ups and downs and feeeeeelings; it was a little overwhelming at times. Hard to focus, to... Read More