News – Page 41 – Jessica Spotswood

Aug

Thrice Interview: THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY

Hi! Today we’re celebrating the release of Nikki Loftin’s debut, THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY. They say: “A mesmerizing read…a fantasy that feels simultaneously classic and new.”—Publishers Weekly “A pinch of Grimm, a dash of Greek mythology and a heaping helping of fresh chills make for an irresistible contemporary fairy tale…Deliciously scary and satisfying.”–Kirkus Lorelei is bowled over by Splendid Academy–Principal Trapp encourages the students to run in the hallways, the classrooms are stocked with candy dishes, and the cafeteria serves lavish meals featuring all Lorelei’s favorite foods. But the more time she spends at school, the more suspicious she becomes. Why are her classmates growing so chubby? And why do the teachers seem so sinister? It’s up to Lorelei and her new friend Andrew to figure out what secret this supposedly splendid school is hiding. What they discover chills their bones–and might even pick them clean! Mix one part...

Aug

Fashion of The Cahill Witch Chronicles

Jessica

Hi! Thanks to everyone who voted to help me decide what to read next. You all voted for (in order) THRONE OF GLASS, PRODIGY, and CODE NAME VERITY, so those three are definitely coming with me to PA tomorrow! Now that the YA Scavenger Hunt is over, I thought I’d share the Cahill Witch Fashion collage I made for it here. You can click to embiggen. I’m going to start at the top left and go clockwise, explaining each dress’s relevance to the CWC. Minus the weird shoulder action, this first dress is very like something Cate would wear – high necked, puffed sleeves, a sash to emphasize her waist, a bell-shaped skirt, and a dark color. Cate definitely prefers blues, grays, and browns that won’t call extra attention to her – which was not the current fashion, which favored the kind of crazy prints you’d see in your grandmother’s...

Aug

Summer Read-a-thon

Jessica

Next week I’m going to my parents’ for a sort of staycation. This involves swimming in the pool, eating my mom’s freshly baked pies, and falling asleep to the sound of crickets in the middle of nowhere, PA. I’m still hard at work trying to make STAR CURSED awesome, so I’ll be spending a few hours a day editing. But I’ve been kind of appalled by how little I’ve been reading lately, so reading in/by the pool is also a priority. I’m waaay behind on my Goodreads challenge to read 100 books this year. So, in addition to swimming and pie and editing, I’m going to have a little read-a-thon next week, starting on Sunday at noon. I’m not a superfast reader, but if I could read 5 books over the course of the week instead of my usual 1 or 2, I’d be psyched. Anyone else want to join me?...

Aug

Kick Ass Heroines

Jessica

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the YA Scavenger Hunt! I had a crazy number of blog hits and almost three hundred readers entered to win a signed ARC of Andrea Cremer’s RIFT. The lucky winner is katmunster! (Also, RIFT is out today – so if you didn’t win, head to the bookstore! Happy book birthday, Andrea!) Since we got so many entries, though, I decided to give away three extra BORN WICKED swag packs. Each contains a wristband, magnet, signed bookmarks, and bookplate. Those winners are Reese’s Reviews, Nicloves2read, and Rachel Becker! I was also totally fascinated by who you chose as your favorite kick-ass heroines. So fascinated, in fact, that I decided to create an informal survey. Here are the characters that were mentioned more than once, with the number of times they were mentioned in parentheses. The characters with an asterisk beside them are the...

Jul

July Update

Jessica

Hiii! It’s kind of freaking me out that it’s the end of July already, but at the same time, I’m eager for Fall to arrive – my favorite season by far! I can’t wait for tea and sweaters and scarves and chocolate-chip pumpkin muffins and changing leaves and being able to walk outside without feeling like I’m swimming through humid, soupy air. At the same time, I’ve got LOADS of fun things planned for August, including a week at my parents’ to lounge by their pool. Yay for a cheap getaway! The least two weeks The Playwright and I have been seeing loads of plays at the CapFringe Festival. His play, WE TIRESIAS, has been garnering great reviews and enthusiastic audiences. I’ve seen eight plays, all awesome – two standouts were the devised piece BEERTOWN by Dog & Pony DC, which was structured like a town hall meeting in which...