tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72281767776854028622024-03-05T11:45:10.765-06:00A Story of a DreamerEach man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet.
-Victor HugoAmy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-48009645261541223452014-05-19T20:37:00.001-05:002014-05-19T20:37:09.878-05:00Kind of a Goodbye......but not really, because I'm moving this blog to my new website! It's GORGEOUS and perfect and at <a href="http://amyzhangwrites.com/blog">amyzhangwrites.com/blog</a>. But I won't be adding any new posts to A Story of a Dreaming, so... *pause for nostalgia*<br />
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*long sigh*<br />
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I was looking through my old posts the other day and I can't wrap my head around how much has changed. Thanks for sticking around, guys. I hope you'll visit the new site, but if not, it has been SO MUCH fun and I've so appreciated all of your comments and encouragement. *sniffles*<br />
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All right, come on. GROUP HUG.<br />
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Still dreaming, just at a new URL. <3Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-32784048767866925392014-04-21T17:52:00.000-05:002014-04-21T17:52:38.483-05:00Updates and Unicorns*This morning, my mom asked me why I hadn't updated my blog in a while, to which I responded, "YOU READ MY BLOG?!" But okay, she was right. I haven't updated in a while because ALL THE THINGS have been happening. Like:<br />
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My ARCs arrived! And I hugged them! And I took a billion and a half pictures of them! And I took selfies with them! And I <strike>cuddled them while I slept</strike> acted like a totally normal human being with them!<br />
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<img alt="Displaying image.jpeg" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ffcbc45dd1&view=fimg&th=1458660dcc60eb80&attid=0.0&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_012FyKBiURyr-PURXm6g85sVJpO_p4xEzXtaywBfDbs--m6CylRZpo-IA2hvKSE02LWNYoQXmaZrTkGObS7RWUWWypuYX-Tu_EVgnyau6Jvw4epCW0crcC5o&ats=1398118868991&rm=1458660dcc60eb80&zw&sz=w1254-h519" width="239" /></div>
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This is my name on a thing I wrote (I WROTE THAT THING IN THE PICTURE. LIKE I MADE THAT IN MY HEAD).</div>
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<img alt="Displaying image.jpeg" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ffcbc45dd1&view=fimg&th=1458660dcc60eb80&attid=0.10&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8XaX8zj8cqkw_StPMVIwSge5JWCKFJBhuCmjqVtz-QgkA8VLso552ZvlPV5Bo99Jo4Fxdbs4N5tvA55DMbYC3rClhePM2rR1dOpXwHLqfNTdr2IvlpSSa7ToE&ats=1398118868991&rm=1458660dcc60eb80&zw&sz=w1254-h519" width="239" /></div>
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This is the spine on a thing I wrote (and also a viking rune, because vikings are cool)</div>
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<img alt="Displaying image.jpeg" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ffcbc45dd1&view=fimg&th=1458660dcc60eb80&attid=0.6&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8uxm-XYTuYnY1uEb92rHRIDumV6WS-opKs1S8Fk23gPNAhSBJBTbAsaRLbwmc2585-o1hngiOU4ejnhs4OGLBEWqaHlXKogziSe0bhPkDEH8_4Oxrm4bXyxvM&ats=1398118868991&rm=1458660dcc60eb80&zw&sz=w1254-h519" width="239" /></div>
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This is the FREAKING GORGEOUS cover of a thing I wrote</div>
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<img alt="Displaying image.jpeg" height="240" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ffcbc45dd1&view=fimg&th=1458660dcc60eb80&attid=0.4&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9Yw4MAmvKILkkZ6bbrg8HTbv_pUSWmIIcpUzFhLSs5GGr_9xYvyFjw-QGAKtsAJhmfZjR1znNskScWsnHHbMtPY2mO4Kop0OvejDvvM4zDRZ5RRawABtc-hSU&ats=1398118868991&rm=1458660dcc60eb80&zw&sz=w1254-h519" width="320" /></div>
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This is a thing I wrote on my ACTUAL, PHYSICAL BOOKSHELF</div>
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<img alt="Displaying image.jpeg" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ffcbc45dd1&view=fimg&th=1458660dcc60eb80&attid=0.8&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8wg96_fOoB5pnXHTihQCk8Wj3qGG4Ky8j7QV35s-yYxJtMReT97EtqNGMvN48xmHa0Lu7sCE2PHvbaWrBCwykz8Y-XANLoe9pVJL5UIo-NOda74E72uvLS7S8&ats=1398118868991&rm=1458660dcc60eb80&zw&sz=w1254-h519" width="239" /></div>
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This is my face and a thing I wrote. See those fingers?</div>
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I TYPED THAT BOOK WITH THOSE FINGERS.</div>
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(Yeah, I know I have toe thumbs. Don't stare. They're self-conscious).</div>
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Okay, time to get serious. I am so, SO happy and proud to announce (belatedly) that FALLING INTO PLACE was chosen as one of the ten titles featured in the <i><a href="http://www.bookweb.org/news/summerfall-indies-introduce-new-voices-titles-revealed-children%E2%80%99s-institute" target="_blank">Indies Introduce New Voices</a> </i>program! Here's what they had to say about FALLING:</div>
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<span style="background-color: #d5d6d8; color: #0f1419;">“In Falling Into Place, Zhang has composed such a fascinating and captivating investigation of character and humanity that readers will find themselves actively rooting for Liz, desperate for her to realize in time that taking herself out of life is never the answer.” —Sara Hines, Eight Cousins Books</span></div>
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UM. WOW. *DIES*</div>
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I'm also beyond excited to share that I'll be doing a panel at BEA this year with Becca Fitzpatrick, Amanda Maciel, and Kresley Cole. It's called "<a href="http://bea14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=1FA9" target="_blank">It's Not Easy Being Teen</a>," which is basically the most accurate statement ever. It'll be on Friday, May 30th from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., so if any of you are coming to BEA, be sure to stop by! I'll also be signing afterwards.</div>
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Here's the description of the event from the BEA website:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Oxygen, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">How do you believably and authentically get into the mindset of a teen? It's simple to skew a voice too young or too old, or to underestimate the breadth of a high schooler's experience. These authors will talk what it takes to portray teens truthfully and the challenges they have faced both on and off the page. Listen in and meet: Amy Zhang (<i>Falling Into Place</i>), Kresley Cole, (<i>Dead of Winter</i>), Becca Fitzpatrick, (<i>Black Ice</i>), Amanda Maciel, (<i>Tease</i>)<i>.</i></span></div>
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*Yeah, okay, so there weren't actually any unicorns in this post. Sorry. Bait-and-switch or whatever, amirite?</div>
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OKAY FINE.</div>
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Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-43372961558189722014-03-23T17:42:00.002-05:002014-03-23T18:12:47.288-05:00YA Mythbusters<span style="color: #222222;">Okay, let's face it--a lot of books and movies don't accurately address teenage life. Like, I, for one, have never hit my head on a chandelier while drunk-dancing, which unfortunately means that I haven't been caught by a conveniently-placed Heath Ledger, either (womp). So let's examine a few of the misconceptions, shall we?</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Bullying isn't as bad as it used to be.</b></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">*DISCLAIMER: My concept of "used to be" is drawn almost exclusively from nineties chick flicks.* Bullying is different, sure. It's needling. In a lot of cases, it's subtle. Lots of passive-aggressiveness, gossping behind backs, snide remarks followed by "Ehmahgawd, I'm just kidding! Lighten up!" Honestly? I've seen two primary kinds of bullying:</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">First: within cliques. You fall in with a group of people, and you let them step all over you and talk down to you. So that they'll like you. So that you'll have someone to sit by at lunch. You swallow their crap, you wake up the next morning and do it all over again, and eventually, you forget how to stand up for yourself. Or why you should.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">Second: there are certain kids that a grade or an entire school will mark as "okay" to bully. Maybe they're not good in social situations. Maybe they don't shower as often as everyone else. Maybe the committed some stupid faux pas in middle school and people still won't let go of it. Whatever the reason, these kids get bullied. Their classmates bully them, and the worst part is, they don't recognize it as bullying it. Once, I confronted one of my friends about her stupid comments to a kid in band, and she replied, "Oh, come on. Look at him. He brings it all upon himself." Hell, even the teachers do it.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">Example: there was <a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120924/METRO/209240341" target="_blank">this story</a> a while ago about a group of kids that voted someone unpopular onto a dance court, and how the school/community wouldn't stand for it. It was a beautiful story, but why was that news? Because it's <i>rare. </i>At my school, they've voted someone unpopular onto basically every dance they've held since my freshman year, and our administration barely even addresses it. It's horrible and disgusting and people don't think twice about playing a prank like that, because your part is so small. One click on the computer next to someone's name. You laugh. They don't. You don't ever think of yourself as the antagonist in a story. We are not villains. We are not heroes. We are hormonal. Sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes we don't. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #222222;">VERDICT: <b>BUSTED</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Cliques aren't as bad as they used to be.</b></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #222222;">I have a friend who puts it like this: "They tell us not to label, but we can't help it. We put people in categories--it's biological. We label and then everyone tells us that labeling is bad, so we lie and say that cliques don't exist." To be clear, it isn't like Mean Girls. It isn't like there are the cool Asians and the nerds and the jocks, and no one intermingles. But there are definitely friend groups, and since my school is a very athletic-oriented one, most of them were formed around the teams you were a part of. And there's definitely a social hierarchy.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">But then again, I've heard from friends at bigger schools that say that the social structures aren't as rigid as they used to be. It definitely depends on who you ask.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #222222;"> VERDICT: <b>I DON'T EVEN KNOW</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Teens are lazy.</b></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">Here is a typical day for me:</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #222222;">4:30 a.m. Wake up, write (this has been more sporadic this year, because damn, my bed is comfortable. And you could argue that most teens don't get up to meet a deadline. But a lot of sports teams have morning practices, and some classes are held during zero period. There's not a lot of sleeping in).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">6:30 a.m. Start getting ready for school: last minute homework, morning routine, etc (this also varies. Like, at the beginning of this year, my morning routine was pretty standard: makeup, hair, and so on. I gave myself a break on No Makeup Mondays and Sweatpants Fridays. Now it's No Makeup Everyday and I'm lucky if I wear real pants twice a week).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">7:45 a.m. Get to school, go to the coffee shop, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">7: 55 a.m. - 3:10 p.m. School. There might be a study hall in there if you're lucky.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">3: 10 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. After-schools. Sports practices (though during tennis season, I rarely get home before seven. On game days, you get home anywhere between 8:30 and 11:30 or later. Games can be on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. Except varsity football and boys' basketball, which have games on Fridays). When your sport isn't in season, you might be in the weight room, editing the newspaper, attending open gym, or doing some other extracurricular.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #222222;">ALTERNATE: 4:00 p.m. - 9 p.m. (ish): this seems to be a popular work slot for most teens.</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">Whenever you get home, you finish everything else that needs to get done. I play piano, and I try to get in an hour or two of practice a day, but that's not always possible. We have two-three hours of Calculus homework 2-3 times a week. Three reading assignments for reading per reading. Spanish vocab tests, economics packets, and a lot of online work for science classes--all in all, anywhere from fifteen minutes to six hours of homework per night. Keep in mind that the six hours of homework could fall on a night on which we don't get home until ten or eleven.</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">So you see why it's frustrating when the protagonists in YA literature have no homework to worry about and don't seem to care about anything but their love interests? Jesus. Obviously I'd rather be thinking about Benedict Cumberbatch's cheekbones than conic parametric equations, but I also don't want to fail Calc. <i>So drop some stuff, </i>you suggest. <i>Don't take on more than you can chew. You don't need to be in so many extracurriculars. </i>BS. You do whatever you think it'll take to get into college. You snatch as many leadership positions as you can. You take every AP course even though you don't need most of them for the career you have in mind. And you claw your way along while trying to keep your class rank, in order to get scholarships.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #222222;">VERDICT: <b>BUSTED</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Teens procrastinate.</b></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Okay, so the psychologist Roy Baumeister once
did this experiment during which he had two groups of students, right? He put
one group of students in front of an oven full of baking cookies and gave them
a bowl of radishes, saying the could eat as many radishes as they wanted but
weren’t allowed to touch the cookies, and left them alone. The second group was
allowed to eat as many cookies as they wanted. After thirty minutes, he gave
both groups the same math problem. The group that got to eat cookies solved the
problem way faster because the first group had already used up their store of
mental energy. Willpower is a real thing, guys. After four years with a
schedule like the one outlined above, you don’t have a ton of it. You replenish
it with a good night of sleep and a good meal, right? But have to skip dinner
at least a few times a week and get maybe five hours of sleep. My sleep deck is
the goddamn Titanic. And it isn’t just me, it isn’t just because of
writing—most of my friends are <i>stressed. </i>Like. I’m sitting here trying
to remember if there’s one of us who hasn’t burst into tears at some point
during this last year.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another thing: all of our teachers, coaches,
advisors, etc. tell us to prioritize. So we do. But prioritizing means that
something has to come first, right? And everything else has to come after that,
and that makes people mad. So prioritize really means this: Put <i>my </i>subject
first. <i>My </i>sport. <i>My </i>club. And we’re in a stage of our lives where
we really need to be liked, and when a teacher/coach/advisor is unhappy, we
take it a lot harder than I think most people realize.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #222222;">VERDICT: <b>PFFT. EVERYBODY PROCRASTINATES</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Teens are shallow.</b></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">So, I have a love affair with Buzzfeed. But <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/things-i-overheard-some-teens-talking-about-one-time-at-a-we" target="_blank">this article</a> pissed me off. At lunch on Friday, my friends and I talked about the gender gap, internalized misogyny, The Handmaid's Tale, and the tendency to fulfill expectations whether we want to or not. After school, we went out for coffee and talked about statutory rape, abortion, tried to figure out our political opinions, and acted out scenes from Frozen.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #222222;">VERDICT: <b>YOU DECIDE</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And a personal peeve: <b><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/living/school-dances-canceled-business-insider/" target="_blank">High school dances are no longer a thing.</a></b></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">A lot of schools have done away with them due to low attendance, but the low attendance is caused primarily by rules about physical contact. For example, a few of our local schools saw a sharp decline in dance attendance after forbidding grinding. People don't buy tickets because the high school dance becomes more of a middle school formal, wherein you stand in your stupid little gender-segregated circles and jump around in time to the music. Less attendance = fewer tickets sold = less money to hire a DJ and buy decorations = crappy music and crappy decorations = an even small attendance for the next dance. So if schools do away with dances, that's usually why, not because we're too busy snapchatting/Facebooking/</span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Tweeting/etc. But on the other hand, schools that do allow grinding tend to have pretty high attendance numbers. So are high school dances dying out? Should they? Meh.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Also: Jeez, CNN. Lighten up on the nostalgia. If you want, you can come to my school and relive your prom in our cafeteria, where on dance nights you walk in and smack into an almost-literal wall of heat slide around on the very literally sweat-soaked floors.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222;">VERDICT: <b>BUSTED</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">What do you guys think? Did I miss anything important? Leave below in the comments, and I'll do another post. Also, what do you guys think of having a Twitter chat about this? YA authors, do you have questions or want to do a fact-check on your contemp manuscripts?</span></div>
Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-33535937526544450452014-03-09T17:50:00.002-05:002014-03-09T17:50:49.907-05:00Countdowns and Love ListsToday is March 9th. Which means that there are:<br />
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6 months<br />
184 days<br />
4, 416 hours<br />
264,960 seconds<br />
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...until FALLING INTO PLACE comes out and my head explodes. Wow. Like, I see the numbers and I have a vague concept that months/days/hours/seconds are divisions of time or something, but I can't actually wrap my head around the idea that this thing I made <i>in my head</i> is going to be...bound? On shelves? Available for purchase? In SIX MONTHS?!<br />
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I am terrified and excited and happy beyond words, and to celebrate, I'm going to do a love list, which is a non-exhaustive list of the things you love about a manuscript (inspired by my wonder<span style="font-family: inherit;">ful CP <a href="http://markobrienwrites.blogspot.com/2014/03/minor-news-bigger-news-and-love-lists.html" target="_blank">Mark O'Brien</a>, who was inspired <a href="http://www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">KK Hendin</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, who was inspired by </span><a href="http://rachelwritesthings.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Rachel</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, who was inspired by </span><a href="http://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-writers-society-love-lists-by.html" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Stephanie Perkins</a>). </span><br />
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FALLING INTO PLACE</div>
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voicemails</div>
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chalk drawings on the roof</div>
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scenic towers</div>
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flying</div>
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jumping off the swings</div>
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snapshots</div>
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countdowns</div>
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Newton</div>
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a 1967 Ford Falcon</div>
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being wrong</div>
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being right</div>
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being</div>
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hide-and-seek</div>
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gravity</div>
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bouncy balls</div>
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wire crowns</div>
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twenty-three missed calls</div>
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running through the rain</div>
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second chances</div>
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rolling</div>
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seven days</div>
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fifty-eight minutes</div>
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inertia</div>
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F = ma</div>
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equals</div>
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opposites</div>
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green sweaters</div>
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flute players</div>
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black eyes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the sky</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
tag</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
matching friendship rings</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
wishing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
falling</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cause and effect</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
blue</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
yes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Fears Quote" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e6/3a/f7/e63af705df2dd8213fee8be8914f0a1f.jpg" width="263" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Dandelion" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/3b/dc/88/3bdc88984cf451606c5950b215fe8ba3.jpg" width="212" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Snapshot" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/df/77/da/df77da8df4c7bf7b3bc64ac422ddf8bc.jpg" width="213" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Scenic tower, where Liz once made wishes on sunshine." height="320" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/54/33/20/543320b2aeaad0965edde858857f958b.jpg" width="234" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="awesome!!" height="287" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7c/70/34/7c7034aafbd44ceec3fb517831dee015.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="TP-ing" height="213" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/47/10/19/471019f3b5dd116681f1450562dca678.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Hide and seek behind the old brown couch" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/dd/71/e8/dd71e843a86284b38fd91b5bbcc20f74.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="beyond the sky..." height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/bd/b1/b6/bdb1b6b8e95b09ab5a5ec0238bb3ac38.jpg" width="244" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
BONUS:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the cover</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="THIS IS MY COVER GUYS THE COVER OF MY BOOK OMFG" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5d/ad/31/5dad3192b660f5c0f0b82761b2260e8a.jpg" width="211" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the interior</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="240" src="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1898017_712982402065314_174750624_n.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(for more pictures, visit my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/amyzhangwrites/falling-into-place/" target="_blank">Pinterest board</a> for FALLING)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-58647233005908368972014-02-28T11:39:00.000-06:002014-02-28T11:39:26.312-06:00COVER REVEAL (and Nostalgia)!!!!MY COVER! IT'S MY COVER! ALSO A GIVEAWAY! AND MY COVER! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yahighway.com/2014/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-falling-into.html?m=1">http://www.yahighway.com/2014/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-falling-into.html?m=1</a><br />
<br />
HUGE thanks to the wonderful people at YA Highway, who not only hosted my cover reveal, but managed to put it together in, like, <i>two freaking hours</i>. If that's not a superpower, I don't know what is. And also to the amazing, AMAZING team at Greenwillow who designed this breathtaking cover. Can we just sit here for a minute and marvel at how amazeballs they are? Because HOLY CRAP THAT COVER.<br />
<br />
AND ALSO ginormous thanks to my agent, who played fairy godmother/therapist/shoulder-to-whine-on/superhero/buttsaver this week (and every other week).<br />
<br />
NOW GO LOOK AT THAT COVER. GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!!!!!!<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
<br />
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S SO PRETTY I'M GONNA DIE!!!!!<br />
<br />
*deep breaths*<br />
<br />
Seriously, though. I love everything about it. I love the physics equations in the background, even though I've spent the last few weeks staring at them and realizing that I forgot everything I learned in physics. I love the car falling and the road and the words. I love my name (DO YOU SEE MY NAME IN THE CORNER THERE BECAUSE OH MY GOD MY NAME IS ON A BOOK). And I love love love love LOVE the hand, because it's THE IMAGINARY FRIEND'S HAND!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!<br />
<br />
Okay. Okay. So it's actually kind of funny that I'm having my reveal today, because it's exactly one day after the anniversary of my book. That's right. FALLING INTO PLACE sold on February 28, 2013. And in another one hundred and ninety-three days (that's ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE, 19FREAKING3) days, you'll be able to go to your bookstore and, like, TOUCH IT. AND HOLD IT. AND READ IT.<br />
<br />
*brain implodes*<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Displaying photo.PNG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ffcbc45dd1&view=fimg&th=1447795c1274f7af&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_4BfQhIq4K8x1dop5j84Eb9SzMHYOZYKdDFQf5frGiCLWMCZDd3isO9i-6jXw5RuwMx2pUjhJvA1BbiugDkv0iZIl6QyXup0eIByhcJISSS94wXLkfgJXkzks&ats=1393575727403&rm=1447795c1274f7af&zw&sz=w1254-h519" width="180" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The life-changing, panic-inducing, holy-hell-it's-happening text from my agent.</span></div>
Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-8123405748381679632014-02-16T14:54:00.000-06:002014-02-16T14:54:24.460-06:00Shameless Self-PromotionHELLOOOO, INTERNET.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's true--I am actually alive. I am actually blogging. I am (hopefully) here to stay this time. Because I've missed you, Internet.<br />
<br />
(I just realized that this is my first post of 2014. *stares at calendar* *smacks self*)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm going to try really super incredibly terribly hard to get back on a blogging schedule, but for today, I thought I'd compile a handy-dandy Here's-What-Amy-Has-Been-Doing-Instead-of-Blogging guide (also known as shameless self-promotion, but shhhhhhh).<br />
<br />
<b>I've done some new interviews and guest posts!</b><br />
<br />
- <a href="http://chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/sometimes-books-dont-sell-a-guest-post-by-amy-zhang/" target="_blank">Sometimes Books Don't Sell</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.brookeharrison.com/interview-with-amy-zhang/" target="_blank">Interview at Brooke Reviews</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.rachelrussellbooks.com/2013/10/11/author-interview-amy-zhang/" target="_blank">Interview at Rachel Russell Books</a><br />
<br />
<b>I have purchase links!</b><br />
<br />
- <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/falling-into-place-amy-zhang/1117715877?ean=9780062295040" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Into-Place-Amy-Zhang/dp/0062295047" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Falling-into-Place-Amy-Zhang/9780062295040" target="_blank">Book Depository</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Falling-Into-Place-Amy-Zhang/?isbn=9780062295040" target="_blank">HarperCollins</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780062295040?AID=10747236&PID=7310909" target="_blank">Books-A-Million</a><br />
<br />
<b>I have stuff for you to like/add/follow!</b><br />
<br />
- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Zhang/592234500806772" target="_blank">Facebook page</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18163646-falling-into-place" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
<br />
<br />Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-74839888877306084372013-12-31T18:07:00.002-06:002013-12-31T18:07:39.528-06:002013 RecapAre we absolutely sure that there were 365 days in 2013? Maybe we skipped a month? I demand a recount. I don't want this year to end.<br />
<br />
It has been a CRAZY AMAZING year. I can't believe how much has changed since this time last year. I have new interests! I have new friends! I have a friggin' BOOK DEAL with my dream publisher!!! And so first off, I want to thank all of the people without whom my year would have been very, very different: my editor and the rest the team at Greenwillow, my AMAZING agent, my critique partners, friends, family. Thank you, THANK YOU for indulging all of my writing neuroses (and all other neuroses).<br />
<br />
The highlight of my year was probably that "Call me, I have good news" text I got from my agent back in February, but some other ones include meeting my agent and editor without looking <i>too </i>idiotic, seeing my cover and bursting into tears in the middle of class (it is SO BEAUTIFUL. I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to share it with you guys), deciding to go to BEA with one of my critique partners, joining the Class of 2K14 and getting to know so many wonderful ladies, and the crabcakes from G&M Restaurant and Lounge in Baltimore.<br />
<br />
I think the best book I read this year has to be <i>Wonder</i> by R.J. Palacio. It's a fantastic example of so many things--characterization, POV, voice. It made me laugh and cry and stay up until 3:00 a.m, and I don't regret a minute of it. I also loved<i> Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock</i> by Matthew Quick, <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone</i> by Laini Taylor, <i>Eleanor and Park</i> by Rainbow Rowell, <i>Gone Girl</i> by Gillian Flynn, <i>Wintergirls </i>by Laurie Halse Anderson, and <i>Lies My Teacher Told Me</i> by James W. Loewen.<br />
<br />
As for 2014...okay, I admit it--I'm terrified. Some of the most fundamental aspects of my life are going to change next year. Most likely, I'll move halfway across the country. I'll be on my own for the first time in my life. I'll have a book on shelves. But here's the thing--my life changes <i>every </i>year. It changes every day. And change is always terrifying, but I guess all you can do is roll out of bed and put on pants anyway, right? (Ew, pants.)<br />
<br />
And lastly, some resolutions: I didn't complete any manuscripts this year, but I started a few and I'm almost done with one. For 2014, I hope to write and revise three novels: MEMENTO MORI, THIS IS WHERE THE WORLD ENDS, and THE STORYWEAVER. I hope to learn more about publicity and marketing. I hope to keep up this blog. I hope to not go completely insane.<br />
<br />
Bring it on, 2014.<br />
<br />
<br />Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-30186752693795119032013-12-16T20:02:00.003-06:002013-12-16T20:09:36.928-06:00S/O to Robert Frost (and Zombies)On my wall, there is a tree filled with quotes. Last lines. Final words. Famous phrases. Love letters that weren't meant to be pasted all over the Internet. At the tip of one of the branches, the letters are scattered and bent to shape the vein-branches, but if you were to pull them together, they would spell out this: <i>In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Robert Frost. Quoted too often, right? Cliche (side note: isn't that kind of sad? We erode words. We say them too often and they start to lose meaning: it goes on. It goes on. <i>Itgoesonitgoesonitgoeson). </i>But here's the thing: sometimes you don't want it to. You get another rejection letter. You get food poisoning from the peppermint frappuccino at your favorite coffee shop. Some dude predicts another apocalypse right after you finish disassembling your zombie shelter, and all you really want is for the world to stop spinning for a minute, two, so you can crumple in a dramatic heap and take a nap.<br />
<br />
Disappointment--we try to ignore it. You know what? It's okay to cry over your zombie shelter. It's okay to sit among your missile-proof pieces and wallow and dread the idea of putting them back together again. Have some hot chocolate. Reread your comfort-food book (you know the one). Sit in that heap and take a nap. A long one.<br />
<br />
Because here's the thing: disappointment is not a road block. It's not a dead end. It isn't even a speed bump, really. It happens and then it ends, and you hope for other things. You wake up from your nap and the world is still spinning.<br />
<br />
It goes on.<br />
<br />
(I mean, unless you're a zombie).<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-83489298073458019952013-11-25T05:00:00.000-06:002013-11-25T05:00:10.001-06:00"BLOGFEST: Class of 2k14 is Thankful For..."<div class="MsoNormal">
Hey, guys! <a href="http://classof2k14.com/" target="_blank">The Class of 2K14</a> is doing this blogfest for
Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for? Leave it in the comments!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m thankful for everyone who has supported my writing—agent,
editor, friends, family. I’m thankful for my critique partners, who deserve a
category all to themselves. I’m thankful that my book sold to my dream
publisher. I’m thankful that I’m debuting with so many amazing people. I’m
thankful that this year has given me the opportunity to grow up a little. I’m
thankful that this thing called perspective exists. I’m thankful for this line
in <i>A Member of the Wedding: </i>“It seems to me I feel the world going
around very fast. I feel it turning and it makes me dizzy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Most of all, I’m thankful that though my parents often
refused to buy me candy or clothes or movies, they never refused to buy me
books.</span>Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-2184992475148437212013-11-06T22:45:00.000-06:002013-11-06T22:58:46.252-06:00On<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every year, my church holds this pie sale. We go in for a
night or two, peel hundreds of apples, make pounds and pounds of crumble
topping, and throw food at each other. It would be fun, except we’re not
allowed to eat anything—all those pies, DO NOT TOUCH.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last year, on Annual Pie-Making Day, my novel was rejected
at acquisitions. I was crushed. I cried in the car.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year, I couldn’t stop smiling because my editor had
just emailed me, saying that she had read my revision and cried again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(I like making people cry.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s funny—so much has changed. So much hasn’t. Robert Frost
said it best, I think: “In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned
about life: it goes on.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I touched one of the pies tonight. I ate some crumble
topping, and it was fantastic. </span></span>Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-76986020617208835102013-10-21T02:04:00.001-05:002013-10-21T02:04:49.411-05:00Post-Deadline ThoughtsAs of 1:14 A.M. October 21st, I have finished my first round of revisions. I have met my first deadline, and it feels unbelievable.<br />
<br />
Revising this book was the hardest thing I've ever done. Drafting it had been so simple--the story told itself, poured through my fingertips as if I were only a vessel for it. It is, as my publisher says, a "jigsaw puzzle," and while drafting, the pieces had fallen into place all by themselves, and I had expected revising it to be just as easily.<br />
<br />
It didn't, of course. Because the book is told in a non-linear fashion, I couldn't move a scene without changing two scenes before it and three scenes that followed. I would try to make subtle revisions, a nudge here, a shift there, and everything would fall apart, and I would sit curled on my floor with my laptop cast among the circle of charts and revision plans and the pages of my edit letter, thinking about all that could go wrong, all that was going wrong. I thought about all that homework piling up and all of that college stuff I hadn't touched yet. I thought about the thirty, forty, fifty chapters of my book I had yet to edit. I thought about all of the chapters from contests that I had yet to critique and all those manuscripts from my internship that I had yet to read.<br />
<br />
Basically, I sat there and whimpered. Cried. Sent panicky, all-caps emails to just about everyone--critique partners, non-writer friends, teachers, my agent. Cried some more, thinking about marketing and publicity and how I didn't know how to do any of it. A bit more, imagining all of the bad reviews I was sure to get. And then some more, because there was so much to do, and I would have more time to do if I would stop bawling.<br />
<br />
Today, of all days, I should have had a breakdown. I had noticed a pattern--they usually came during the ungodly hours of Monday morning, <i>surprise, start off the week strong!</i> Today (well, yesterday, really) was the last day before my deadline, and I wasn't finished with my final read-through. It was a perfect opportunity to eat chocolate and cry, and I was ready to, when I was suddenly struck by what an incredible thing it was for me to be stressed at all.<br />
<br />
I was stressing over turning in my manuscript on time to my dream publisher. My editor brought some of my favorite books, books that I've grown up with, into the world--she had made it possible for me to fall in love with these characters and peek into their distant lands and take them with me, between covers designed by people who were now working on <i>my </i>cover, copyedited by people who were combing <i>my </i>manuscript for mistakes, loved by a team that was now taking an enormous risk by loving my book as well.<br />
<br />
It's two in the morning. I am exhausted, sleep-deprived, barely aware of what I'm typing, and I am the happiest person in the world.Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-76242111774068609872013-10-10T19:14:00.001-05:002013-10-10T19:14:19.329-05:00If You Give an Author Some Chocolate...to encourage her to revise, she'll eat it.<br />
<br />
She'll eat it slowly because there is an art to eating chocolate bars. She'll try to revise while holding the chocolate bar in one hand, but realize that she can't revise without proper music.<br />
<br />
If you let an author look for proper music, she'll decide that her normal revising playlist simply isn't good enough, and she will use up a good half an hour trying to develop a new one before finding the perfect one on 8tracks.<br />
<br />
If you give an author a perfect playlist, she'll sit at her desk and gush about how ABSOLUTELY PERFECT it is to anyone who will listen (IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT). Eventually, she'll try to revise, but she'll drop her chocolate bar and leave an awful little smear on her manuscript. So she'll go to the bathroom closet in search of Clorox wipes, and find a spider instead.<br />
<br />
If you let an author find a spider, she will scream. Loudly.<br />
<br />
Once she settles down, she'll want to kill the spider. It'll jump and disappear off to some secret spider lair in her house to plan her later demise, and she'll scream a bit more before she remembers that she's supposed to be revising. But she'll realize that she clearly can't revise while holding a chocolate bar in one hand, so she'll open up an internet browser and look for a Halloween costume.<br />
<br />
If you let an author loose on the internet to look for a Halloween costume, she will certainly find herself looking at books instead within five minutes, and eventually she'll go downstairs in search of her credit card.<br />
<br />
If you give an author a credit card, she will buy ALL THE BOOKS.<br />
<br />
If you let an author buy ALL THE BOOKS, she'll soon realize that she has blown way, WAY too much money in one night, and freak out. But she really wants the books...and that reminds her that she has her own book to finish revising.<br />
<br />
But she still hasn't finished her chocolate bar.Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-81374812753777893132013-09-15T16:37:00.000-05:002013-09-15T16:37:07.207-05:00Sh*t People Say to WritersLast Sunday, my local newspaper wrote a story about me...and my writing...and stuff. Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know that I used to be very, <i>very</i> secretive about writing. I never talked about it. So this week was WEIRD and awkward and generally hard for me, but on the bright side, I FINALLY get to write this post! I've always wanted to. :)<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>So you wrote a book?</i></div>
<div>
Actually, I've written five novel-length works. The first one will never, ever see the light of day. I queried the second one and found my agent with it (YAY!), but it never made it past acquisitions. I also wrote a (very bad) sequel to it that clocked in around 200K (LOLZ). I wrote a standalone Norse-inspired fantasy about wolves and hot chocolate and losing your first love, which I'm planning to revise. Then I wrote this one, which sold. And I'm currently working on a few projects--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Like, a novel? Fiction or nonfiction? Wait, what are you doing? Why are you poking me?</i></div>
<div>
I'm trying to edit your redundancy, but your "delete" button seems to be broken.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>How many pages is your fiction novel?</i></div>
<div>
OH MY--*breathes* never mind. And I don't know. 51,000 words. Ish.</div>
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<i>What is your book about?</i></div>
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<img alt="image" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/886d8e2e60231890d8964016f8010aff/tumblr_mj1bcaHBzj1s18heeo1_500.gif" /></div>
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(via <a href="http://title2come.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Title To Come</a>)</div>
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<br /></div>
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BONUS: <i>What is your book about (old church ladies edition)</i></div>
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It's about fornication and drinking and drugs and abortion and basically what your grandson/granddaughter does on weekends, except I'm not going to tell you that because I'm afraid you'll have a literal heart attack.</div>
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Childhood, ma'am. It's about childhood and growing up. *insert smile and innocent head-tilt*</div>
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<i>So how much did you have to, like, pay for them to publish this book?</i></div>
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Actually, in traditional publishing, the publishing house gives you money for the--</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>What?! How much did you make?</i></div>
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Good question. Would you like to know how much I weigh, too?</div>
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<i>Dude, I wish I had the time to write a book.</i></div>
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What? What is this <i>time </i>thing that you speak of?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>What's your book called?</i></div>
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Um, I can't tell you right now. I went through a title change, and the new title is still confidential. Hopefully I can share soon, though!</div>
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<i>Whatever. You just don't want us to buy it, do you?</i></div>
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I actually really, <i>really</i> want you to buy it, because your money will trickle down to me. And I do like money an awful lot.</div>
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<i>Okay, so can I read it now?</i></div>
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<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4lyz4s2ux1rn95k2o1_250.gif" /></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>But you need someone to read it! What if it sucks?</i></div>
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Gee, that isn't the stuff of my nightmares or anything.</div>
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<i>Am I in your book?</i></div>
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Oh, honey. Would I really tell you if you were?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Can I be in your next book?</i></div>
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Sure. I'll kill you brutally within the opening pages. I'll even let you choose your own method of death. Sound good? (but if I DO put you in a book and you don't like what you read, remember this conversation, kay? xoxoxo).</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Well, can I be in the movie?</i></div>
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On the teensy chance that they make a movie...no.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Do you know J.K. Rowling?</i></div>
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Yup. We had lunch the other day.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Why did you write a book about suicide? You're not suicidal, are you?</i></div>
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No, but once I wrote a fantasy about a world at war and a girl who kills people, and I'm not homicidal.</div>
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<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxt9r5NZMT1rn95k2o1_r1_250.gif" /></div>
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Yet.</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>I'd like to write a novel. How does it work? Can you tell your publisher to buy my book?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Well. I can tell you that it DOESN'T work like that. First you have to write a novel and edit the unmerciful suck out of it. And after it's nice and pretty and polished, you have to slug through the query trenches and hope you find an agent who loves it enough to sub it for you, and <i>then</i> you have to hope that an editor loves it enough to invest money and time and tears and sweat and passion into it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Okay...so--</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
NO, I CANNOT TELL MY PUBLISHER TO BUY YOUR NONEXISTENT BOOK.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>So...YA magical realism? That's like Twilight, isn't it?</i></div>
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<img src="http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzimb9dT891rn95k2o1_250.gif" /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Why won't you answer any of our questions? You won't even tell us what the title is. Stop being so stuck up about it.</i></div>
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Eek! I don't mean to come off that way--but I've never really talked about my writing with people, and this makes me feel so incredibly uncomfortable that I've pretty much depleted what little social ability I have. But I really can't tell you the title!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Geez, you talk about this so often. You sound so stuck up.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But--YOU ASKED! I don't mean to sound stuck up! But this is something I'm genuinely and overwhelmingly happy about, and I'm sorry if I'm doing something to make you misinterpret this. But I AM proud of myself, I DO love writing, and sometimes it's hard not to smile like an idiot about it.</div>
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<img alt="image" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0i5s3qr1V1qen75u.gif" /></div>
Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-75468678544990987682013-09-10T14:02:00.000-05:002013-09-10T14:02:55.110-05:00The Next Big Thing MemeThe fabulous <a href="http://lorimlee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lori M. Lee</a> tagged me for this one! I'm going to cheat a bit and tell you about both my about-to-be-published book and my WIP, because ERMAHGERD, guys, I'm so excited for both of them. Okay? Okay.<br />
<br />
(Side note: those of you who have added my book on Goodreads, THANK YOU, but that isn't the official Goodreads page. My publisher didn't make it. And whoever did mixed me up with another author, so...yeah. Not me. I'll let you guys know when there's a book to add--it'll be around the time that I get to share my title with all of you!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">1. WHAT IS THE WORKING TITLE OF YOUR NEXT BOOK?</b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">Still can't tell! But I CAN tell you that I submitted it as FOR EVERY LIFE, which is a reference to Newton's Third Law of Motion, and I CAN tell you that the title of my WIP is MEMENTO MORI, which is Latin for "remember you will die." Mori is also the name of my protagonist (who's dying. Shocker, huh?)</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">2. WHERE DID YOUR IDEA </b><b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"></b></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">FOR </b></b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
</b><b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">THE BOOK </b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
</b></div>
</b><b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">COME FROM?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
</b></div>
</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">UNTITLED (we'll just call it that for now--isn't it easier?) actually began as two short stories--one about an abandoned imaginary friend, and one about a girl who tries to commit suicide. UNTITLED is their lovechild. I'm not sure where the ideas for the two original short stories came from, but I knew there was a connection between them and I knew I wanted to develop that connection into a full-length novel.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">MEMENTO, on the other hand, has been sitting in the back of my mind for...a year? Two? I don't remember where the idea came from, or when I got it, but I remember thinking, "I have to write this story. I have to." </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">3. IN WHAT GENRE DOES YOUR BOOK FALL?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">UNTITLED is YA contemporary with a touch of magical realism. MEMENTO is YA contemporary with a touch of ice cream (or a lot of ice cream).</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">4. WHAT ACTORS WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY THE PART OF YOUR CHARACTERS IN THE MOVIE RENDITION?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">Something about UNTITLED: there are no descriptions of the character's appearances. None. I want people to be able to see themselves in Liz and Kennie and Julia. I want them to be able to see their friends. I want the characters to be anyone, everyone. So no actors :)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As for MEMENTO....I don't know I'm just really bad with actors and stuff okay LEAVE ME ALONE</div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">5. WHAT IS THE ONE-SENTENCE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR BOOK?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">UNTITLED is about a girl who tries to end her short and catastrophic attempt at life, told from the perspective of her abandoned imaginary friend.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
MEMENTO MORI is about a girl with half an immune system, a boy with half of his muscles, a cat named Schrödinger, and the road trip they take to solve the paradox of life.</div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">6. WHO IS PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">UNTITLED is coming out in fall of 2014 from Greenwillow/HarperCollins. MEMENTO MORI is not currently under contract.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">7. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE MANUSCRIPT?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">I wrote the first draft of UNTITLED during NaNoWriMo 2012--so, a month. I'm actually super proud of that, mostly because November was a rough month for me, and I was under word count the entire time. I managed to pound out something like 13K in the last two days. Then I revised for about two months, and it sold the following February.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">As for MEMENTO...well. I've been drafting for the last four months or so, and I have about another 15K to go.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">8. WHAT OTHER BOOKS WOULD YOU COMPARE YOUR STORY TO WITHIN YOUR GENRE?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">UNTITLED: BEFORE I FALL meets THIRTEEN REASONS WHY</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
MEMENTO: Hmmm....I'm not sure. My CP says it reminds him a bit of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, except, you know, far less AMAZEBALLS.</div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">9. WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Isn't this basically the same as question #2?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lori's answer, which I'm seconding. </span></div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">10. WHAT ELSE ABOUT THE BOOK MIGHT PIQUE THE READER’S INTEREST?</b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">UNTITLED is told by an imaginary friend, which opened up these incredible options for the story. The story is actually told in a non-linear fashion--there are three main times: a countdown from seven days before Liz crashes her car, a countdown of the hour before Liz crashes her car, and the day after Liz crashes her car. And there's a chapter with eleven words. I love that chapter.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In MEMENTO, Mori has written letters to the dead for as long as she can remember, and the book is actually her last notebook of letters. Among the addressees: Maurice Sendak, Gregory Peck, Nannerl Mozart, Georgiana Cavendish, and, of course, Schrödinger. I really love playing around with narration (have you noticed?)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm tagging fellow Greenwillow author <a href="http://www.francescazappia.com/" target="_blank">Chessie Zappia</a>, whose book ASK AGAIN LATER sounds totally amazefrackingballs and <a href="http://markobrienwrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mark O'Brien</a>, because he's working on this new MS that I want everyone to be excited about. Take it away, guys!</div>
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Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-16019848357123184522013-08-18T17:38:00.001-05:002013-08-18T17:38:45.491-05:00Life After THE DEALIt seems like all of my blog posts are prefaced by "ERMAHGERD SORRY I HAZ NOT POSTED IN FOREVER" now.<br />
<br />
But yes, I'm back. Hopefully?<br />
<br />
So why the hiatus this time? A lot has been happening. We've decided on a title for my BOOK (I still get this stupid little grin on my face every time I say it), so hopefully I can share it with you soon! With revisions forthcoming and my spectacular talent for procrastination, the end of summer has devolved into a mad rush of <i>holy crap holy crap I don't even know where to start working </i>and ugly crying.<br />
<br />
Oh, yeah, and I forgot how to write.<br />
<br />
I think, as writers, we tend to view a deal as a climax. It's when the prince defeats the dragon and demonstrates a fetish for unconscious women, and all that's left is the happily ever after. Which, on the other side of the climax, is kind of a horrifying idea, because it means that we've already peaked.<br />
<br />
It's ridiculous, of course. And I told myself so as I sat, day after day, in front of a manuscript that, all of a sudden, was impossible to write. And not just the manuscript--blog posts, interviews, essays. I couldn't WORDS.<br />
<br />
I tried taking a break. I watched all three seasons of Downton Abbey in a weekend and got to level fifty in Candy Crush Saga and devoted, like, twelve hours a day to Pinterest. And then I sat down and tried to write again and the words just wouldn't come.<br />
<br />
So I'm (hopefully) on the tail end of the worst writing schlump of my life, and I'm still terrified that I've depleted my quota of reasonable writing ability, terrified that I've peaked, terrified that I will never write anything decent again, terrified about what this says about me as a writer, terrified about what this means about the future. I'm terrified that the book I've already written won't sell and everyone will hate it and I'll have to dye my hair purple and get a new nose and become an alpaca farmer to escape the shame.<br />
<br />
I know it's silly. I know I'll get over this eventually. But right now I'm terrified, and that's okay. Because writing isn't easy and that's why we can't stop. Because sometimes we end a story and have to take a deep breath, because endings are frightening and transitions are hard. Because our characters can have <i>happily ever afters </i>and <i>all of my friends are dead </i>endings, but we can't. We have tomorrows. And it's okay to be afraid of them.<br />
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...but existential crises still suck.Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-9785542693586105802013-07-22T16:46:00.002-05:002013-07-22T16:46:34.479-05:00East Coast Adventures (and Apologies for My Recent Incognito-ness)!HELLO.<br />
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IT'S BEEN A WHILE.<br />
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Partly because I've been traveling the world (read: spending forty hours in a car while my brother sang "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall"), and partly because life is more demanding than my nonexistent significant other. But I'm back! I promise! And I will be blogging regularly! Hopefully!<br />
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So, East Coast Adventures: It was HOT. Like, please-kill-me-before-I-melt-and-drown-in-my-sweat-and-tears kind of HOT. But it was also lovely and crab cake-y, and the history nerd in me exploded from giddiness.<br />
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We drove through Baltimore (and had THE BEST crab cakes in the history of crab cakes) and walked through Washington D.C. that afternoon. Unfortunately, we arrived just after most of the museums closed and it started raining halfway through, but then:<br />
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The sun came out and painted this gorgeous</div>
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double rainbow over the Washington Memorial (the second</div>
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one is really faint). </div>
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These plaques line the entrance to the WWII Memorial. They tell</div>
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the story of the soldiers, from hearing of the war to going to battle to</div>
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coming home. So beautiful and evocative. I stood there and cried for at least</div>
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ten minutes. People gave me weird looks.</div>
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Snapped this one while driving back to our hotel. No filter, just</div>
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a naturally breathtaking sky.</div>
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On Sunday, we went to Philadelphia and...got there just after tickets</div>
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for Independence Hall had sold out. Womp. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-i-GaTeOs66AN-FhBDTo8kgdV7ARylFsWcneXTonxedbrV34vKHr08lfjvf5vmYvWf_sCfOgsekFYkaSyv4vF2mh1YuGwh8ooMIeQ4U9rp5iE4GQwYDCiX6hU6Anin7Vr-c8g4Uh3SDQN/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-i-GaTeOs66AN-FhBDTo8kgdV7ARylFsWcneXTonxedbrV34vKHr08lfjvf5vmYvWf_sCfOgsekFYkaSyv4vF2mh1YuGwh8ooMIeQ4U9rp5iE4GQwYDCiX6hU6Anin7Vr-c8g4Uh3SDQN/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+905.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The House of Congress didn't require tickets, though, so we got to sit</div>
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in the wonderful, wonderful air conditioning and pretend to be Representatives,</div>
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where John Adams was inaugurated. This is the Senate room, where</div>
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George Washington was sworn into his second term.</div>
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And kept driving. Spent a few days in Boston for campus visits and</div>
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such, and visited Plymouth. Yes, this is THE ROCK.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTWbKXj1fgmgZ_l3_Mk2rl3WoHf14GqYLjk-h8A1VjSM3xNcdPWyzz6Ujnuoo2Hkietu3MVPuWi_QWAq4kZyHWFp1LYFotxthvNsnr5aDFsuv7ZXJp9NWFzIapIyp1hNjhqgWCowuCIfv/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTWbKXj1fgmgZ_l3_Mk2rl3WoHf14GqYLjk-h8A1VjSM3xNcdPWyzz6Ujnuoo2Hkietu3MVPuWi_QWAq4kZyHWFp1LYFotxthvNsnr5aDFsuv7ZXJp9NWFzIapIyp1hNjhqgWCowuCIfv/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+990.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And this. This is Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.</div>
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It's the most gorgeous library in the entire world.</div>
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This is basically heaven.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tZB5SNAUf298teo15Kb1Ct91W1B1TvSvQxvCxHaMdZtuWhLr7EkPpD7e1R8Qt6Avc9_MU5kVXmLGPt7emZR5Y9ojr-SB8pgWZeuzH2J7nA-nebI99Bvt7YjGftNrIIkxCzmVTORSMN7B/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tZB5SNAUf298teo15Kb1Ct91W1B1TvSvQxvCxHaMdZtuWhLr7EkPpD7e1R8Qt6Avc9_MU5kVXmLGPt7emZR5Y9ojr-SB8pgWZeuzH2J7nA-nebI99Bvt7YjGftNrIIkxCzmVTORSMN7B/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+994.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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IS THIS NOT BASICALLY HEAVEN?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0M5_hyphenhyphenzfbmMayZ2WGG84EydqxEjgKuY2f7b6pyevMRvaE3rFVf6F3k8XNVXskk7xNBbnc9IN4iHTAfts51nZ4d9duTyRILLEorpU1kccJJV8WfxGn_KzqSBUv02734ASdlI7MQqkQ-u6/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0M5_hyphenhyphenzfbmMayZ2WGG84EydqxEjgKuY2f7b6pyevMRvaE3rFVf6F3k8XNVXskk7xNBbnc9IN4iHTAfts51nZ4d9duTyRILLEorpU1kccJJV8WfxGn_KzqSBUv02734ASdlI7MQqkQ-u6/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+995.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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YEAH, THIS IS THE GUTENBERG BIBLE.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXe0hI3iJ1Y7sXwJj-XvktTjJYrvLHv0I0o6mMvx8-MWDRG3LHr7jkadT7oPQBCIoQJxS8gTCwIIeRsKucspehhIzUViz7XttGlllcKahovVcqXCj4lQ3QeDODTLgPVugbLfShS5lBl3G/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXe0hI3iJ1Y7sXwJj-XvktTjJYrvLHv0I0o6mMvx8-MWDRG3LHr7jkadT7oPQBCIoQJxS8gTCwIIeRsKucspehhIzUViz7XttGlllcKahovVcqXCj4lQ3QeDODTLgPVugbLfShS5lBl3G/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+1013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And this is Grove Street Cemetery, the first chartered burial ground</div>
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in the U.S. It makes an appearance in MEMENTO MORI, so of course</div>
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I had to go see it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbnb3htSmWdloT0EBB48hoFwC3Wr7cpYts3DFfV4Cto7N3ZZtuTWsjmLrUUM6OSVVtry4KVreVNYzhrcBIE13NiBA8d_qGFwvR-rSt4SAvYK9jVXbOdDXcVrY9B9jwEzltNa0WzGLNqZT/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+1058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbnb3htSmWdloT0EBB48hoFwC3Wr7cpYts3DFfV4Cto7N3ZZtuTWsjmLrUUM6OSVVtry4KVreVNYzhrcBIE13NiBA8d_qGFwvR-rSt4SAvYK9jVXbOdDXcVrY9B9jwEzltNa0WzGLNqZT/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+1058.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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NYC. From the Staten Island Ferry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzVyvTIlBmkyYtBeJaA2QM4gMysgS4mpKDUjsvTbb1Tt5cgWPwgSfTeACgKWC0KmhRIHWA2NWKXYydNuR5bu_mAc9bGiXg4MZxb1I7Lgd1XN42ux5nfuM0lxfdbzosxSUqxs8wrlyb4nC/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzVyvTIlBmkyYtBeJaA2QM4gMysgS4mpKDUjsvTbb1Tt5cgWPwgSfTeACgKWC0KmhRIHWA2NWKXYydNuR5bu_mAc9bGiXg4MZxb1I7Lgd1XN42ux5nfuM0lxfdbzosxSUqxs8wrlyb4nC/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+1062.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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More NYC. So pretty. I loved walking through the streets.</div>
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I did not love sweating through five thousand shirts and smelling</div>
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like an exploded duck.</div>
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But the best part of the entire trip? I GOT TO MEET MY AGENT AND EDITOR. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture with my agent, but she was lovely and fantabulous and absolutely amazing beyond words. And she assured me that I succeeded in not making a complete fool of myself. YAY!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcvXyhxB4Nhl3y8e0Zqf9C3bUiMEYX47rMVrcTYXD77npHG1ihTl6gNXWxCcmGgBjwdaA7fwBv01vUAaTj26RWT1Y34C01fY4AEddRGamjATWZZqw63w-v4WViV6d46E6Ho0XT0w7YELq/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcvXyhxB4Nhl3y8e0Zqf9C3bUiMEYX47rMVrcTYXD77npHG1ihTl6gNXWxCcmGgBjwdaA7fwBv01vUAaTj26RWT1Y34C01fY4AEddRGamjATWZZqw63w-v4WViV6d46E6Ho0XT0w7YELq/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+1082.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And. HarperCollins. I. Went. To. HarperCollins.</div>
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It was AWESOME. I got to meet my publisher and the entire</div>
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Greenwillow team, and we had donuts that were like pieces of heaven</div>
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that someone had killed angels to steal and mold into these perfect</div>
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little sugary lovebundles. Except mostly I sat there and stared creepily</div>
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around the table and thought, "HOLY SH*T HOLY SH*T YOU GUYS</div>
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PUBLISHED SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IN</div>
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THE ENTIRE WORLD."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4HSdqXBblH7jVYqoiPQIs58uZtv6s02v6MTxPyLUnUs8wOmseLjA4f9nV97bEzCaveGNnpg6Vz0crJ6ya0RLYspIC1hAKA5uRALl82D5PyTReVQSEqaeUOjHuzXoOpl9PHJOxHPSYA6F/s1600/East+Coast+Adventures+1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4HSdqXBblH7jVYqoiPQIs58uZtv6s02v6MTxPyLUnUs8wOmseLjA4f9nV97bEzCaveGNnpg6Vz0crJ6ya0RLYspIC1hAKA5uRALl82D5PyTReVQSEqaeUOjHuzXoOpl9PHJOxHPSYA6F/s320/East+Coast+Adventures+1093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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THIS IS MY NAMETAG. I NEVER INTEND TO</div>
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TAKE IT OFF MY JACKET.</div>
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SO THAT HAPPENED.</div>
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P.S. I'm thinking about starting a vlog. What do you guys think? Anything you want me to talk about in particular?</div>
<br />Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-53120947173607816062013-07-01T07:58:00.000-05:002013-07-03T14:04:57.722-05:00Class of 2K14 Website LaunchMore exciting news! I'm a part of the Class of 2K14, and today is the launch of our website! *throws confetti*<br />
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We're a group of twenty YA and MG debut authors with books that range from historical to contemporary to sci-fi. In particular, we target booksellers, librarians, and teachers (BLTs!), and we try to get some fantabulous books in the hands of readers. There are some CRAZY amazing people in this group, guys, so make sure you keep an eye out for the books.<br />
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The website features the authors, the books, opportunities for author visits, and information for BLTs, including fortchoming discussion guides and other curricular materials (the wonderful <a href="http://literatureportal.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Addie Degenhardt</a> is making mine! It's SO EXCITING because all of this seems so REAL now! I'm abusing exclamation points again!). There will be TONS of giveaways in coming months, including monthly ones of the <a href="http://classof2k13.com/" target="_blank">Class of 2K13's</a> books, but for the launch, we're giving away...a $100 gift card to the book retailer of your choice!<br />
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One. Hundred. Dollars. For. Books. You know you want it.<br />
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<a href="http://classof2k14.com/news-giveaways/" target="_blank">NOW GO CHECK IT OUT</a>!!!<br />
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And make sure you also check out our <a href="https://twitter.com/Class2k14" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://2k14class.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/class2k14" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20649521-class-of-2k14" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> page!Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-89722536042361378882013-06-29T12:30:00.000-05:002013-06-29T12:30:02.929-05:00ALL. THE. FEELS. (Part II)Part DOS:<div>
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After the phone call, I went to lunch and flailed and I'm sure other things happened, but I was drunk on happiness and honestly don't remember very much of it. I called my agent as soon as I got home to figure out the finer points of EVERYTHING, and I finally figured out that the offer was a pre-empt, and I had to give an answer like, yesterday.</div>
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It was all a bit hectic because my phone was acting up and the connection was crappy and I was barely at home all day because of prior commitments (stupid prior commitments). Everything was happening INSANELY fast, and I was still giddy and my sanity was questionable, so I wanted a second opinion (or a number of them) on the offer before I accepted (but HOLY CRAP AN OFFER I WANT IT GIMME NAO), so I talked with my family and my agent--</div>
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(Okay, I need to take a minute and gush about how fantabulous <a href="http://esckeyes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Emily Keyes</a> is. You guys have no idea how much of my flailing she's had to put up with in these last few months. Emily, THANK YOU for believing in my writing and being the bestest agent a girl could ever ask for :)</div>
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--and the amazing <a href="http://www.louisefury.com/" target="_blank">Louise Fury</a>, who all gave me wonderful advice, and at the end of the very hectic, badly-connected, most wonderfulicious phone call EVER, I accepted the deal.</div>
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(I really did this, but about 1/100000th as gracefully).</div>
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The next day, I got to talk to Virginia Duncan over email. She was lovely and enthusiastic, and the best part? GUYS. SHE SAID SHE LOVED MY BOOK. SHE SAID SHE WAS THRILLED TO BE WORKING WITH IT. AND ME.</div>
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ME.</div>
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Except I was mostly too starstruck to form intelligible responses.</div>
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And we talked about revisions and the contract and the FUTURE, and it was so wonderfully wonderful that I have honestly stared at the screen for about ten minutes trying to figure out how to describe it, except I. Cannot. Describe. My. Feelz.</div>
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So what happened after that? Why didn't you guys get to hear my news sooner? Why all of my mysterious tweets and hints in the last four months? Something got in the way, Internet.</div>
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THE LAW.</div>
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See, apparently being a minor causes all sorts of silly problems, like not being able to sign a contract or receiving more than a certain amount of money without court-appointed Fancyschmancy Guardians of My Estate or Something (and no one would hop on my anarchy bandwagon. I mean, no law = no messy litigation things, amirite? JUST KIDDING. Anarchy is bad, boys and girls) I...am still relatively unclear as to what happened because it was all narrated in fancy lawyer lingo. Basically I needed a lawyer and my parents needed a different lawyer, and we went to court and I tripped in front of the judge and almost fell on my face.</div>
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And then finally, FINALLY, I could tell all of your wonderful faces my news (I think I've said "wonderful" about a thousand times in this post, but guys. GUYS. It was all so wonderful and you are all wonderful and cheese is wonderful). SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
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I am so, so, SO unbelievably excited that you guys will get to read my ickle-widdle-squishy baby manuscript. I loved writing it, I love the story, I love the characters, and I hope you will, too. I still haven't completely wrapped my head around the idea that in just over a year, people will actually be able to like, HOLD IT. AND READ IT. I feel crazy-lucky that I have this opportunity, and crazy-luckier that I've been surrounded by absolutely INCREDIBLE people through this thing (looking at you, <a href="http://markobrienwrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mark</a>, <a href="http://m.facebook.com/JohnHansenAuthor?_ft_=src.9%3Asty.22%3Aactrs.155512454519514%3Apub_time.1331307100%3Afbid.285726248164800%3As_obj.11%3As_edge.1%3As_prnt.11%3Aft_story_name.StreamStoryCreateGeneric_StatusStreamContent%3Aobject_timeline_token_map.Array%3Apage_post_create_time.1331307100%3Apage_id.155512454519514%3Ainterface.m_basic%3Afilter.story" target="_blank">John</a>, <a href="http://fuzzymango.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Ari</a>, and <a href="http://oliviasopinions.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Olivia </a><= BEST CPs IN THE WORLD).</div>
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So...thank you. All of you. For caring what I have to say. :) xoxoxoxoxoxox</div>
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(P.S. I ultimately decided not to make start another Rafflecopter giveaway, but in celebration of Part Dos, I've added another prize to the first giveaway. It's a fancyschmancy wall hanging like this:</div>
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which I will make with a quote of your choice and send in addition to the two YA books of your choice and a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Writer's Inspiration) <a href="http://www.astoryofadreamer.blogspot.com/2013/06/all-feels-part-i.html" target="_blank">SO GO ENTER</a>!!!! :D</div>
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Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-89412031933577539802013-06-27T12:16:00.001-05:002013-12-21T14:32:45.601-06:00ALL. THE. FEELS. (Part I)Hi, Internet. HI.<br />
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There are some important questions we must address today. Why hasn't Amy blogged in a month (actually, this has nothing to do with today, so IT CAN WAIT)? Why the faux-calm and creepy smile? Why is she acting even more freakish than normal?!<br />
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Well, Internet. Let me tell you.<br />
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MY BOOK, FOR EVERY LIFE, HAS SOLD TO VIRGINIA DUNCAN OF GREENWILLOW/HARPERCOLLINS!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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Here's the PM announcement:<br />
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And PW Children's Bookshelf (it's my deal! And my face! My deal! My face!)<br />
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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What exactly happened, you ask? (Please ask). WELL...<br />
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A lot, actually. So, this is going to be the first of two blog posts about ZE BOOK DEAL (I'm beaming at my computer screen like an idiot), which means...TWO POSTS CRAMMED WITH .GIFS. TWO GIVEAWAYS. TWO TIMES THE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!<br />
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Okay. Let's TALK.<br />
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Some of you might remember that for a while, I blogged constantly about FOR EVERY LIFE. And then I took like, a two month hiatus from blogging. What was happening? I revised. I felt good about this manuscript--I really did. I was so excited to start subbing it, and finally on February 25, the only acceptable Monday in the history of Mondays, my agent emailed me saying that my ickle-snugglykins baby manuscript was officially READY. She sent me the list of editors she was going to sub to, and basically I saw it and died.<br />
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And so I waited.<br />
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And then I waited some more.<br />
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And then there was still nothing and I was like, THEY HATE IT.<br />
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...Then it was the next day, and I had to get up and function like a normal human being, which was practically the definition of cosmic cruelty.<br />
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BUT THEN. I got an email from my agent saying that editors had requested the manuscript! And they were asking questions! And one of them wanted to know what my inspiration was! And I had to come up with something! Like, RTFN! There wasn't even time for fainting!<br />
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The next day, more editors asked for information about me (me! They wanted to know about me! Like I was interesting! And it was a snow day!), and my agent told me that she had given them my blog address. And I entered an obligatory panic attack because, hello, I don't inhibit my stupid on this blog.<br />
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So I sat around and bit my fingernails and ate my refrigerator.<br />
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And then it was Thursday. There I was, sitting in class, and...my phone started vibrating. But I figured it was the library calling again to ask where my overdue library books were (oops)...except then I got a text, and it was from my agent saying she had good news.<br />
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GOOD NEWS? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! I had to wait a whole FIFTEEN MINUTES to go to my independent study and call her back.<br />
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Here's basically how that conversation went:<br />
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Agent Emily: So Greenwillow! Book deal!<br />
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Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH<br />
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Emily: Amy, breathe--<br />
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Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH<br />
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Emily: DO YOU NEED A PAPER BAG<br />
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Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH<br />
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I AM GOING TO BE AN AUTHOR! MY BOOK IS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED BY MY DREAM PUBLISHER. GUYS.<br />
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OKAY. Okay. I've abused enough exclamation points already, so let me tell you about the first giveaway. What do you get? TWO YA books of your choice and ONE copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers!</div>
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And come back on Saturday (at which time I will hopefully have calmed down) for the rest of the story and the second giveaway!</div>
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
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I LOVE YOU ALL FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY EXCLAMATION POINTS! <3<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3fbf0a0/" id="rc-3fbf0a0" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></div>
Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-21197467821372987442013-05-25T17:56:00.003-05:002013-05-25T17:56:59.571-05:00One Thing YA Writers Must KnowThere's one thing YA writers have to know when writing to and about teenagers:<br />
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Most of us don't know what the hell is going on. Like, ever.<br />
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Teenagerdom is a paradox. It's a series of life crises. It's a transition period and a conclusion, a journey and a destination, a time to be stupid and a time to grow up. One moment your life was made of happily-ever-afters; the next, everything is about is puberty and cynicism and sex ed, and in the middle of a world that's trying to fall back into place, you realize that<br />
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you<br />
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know<br />
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nothing.<br />
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Do you go to church because you want to, or because you always have? Do you know what it means to be a Republican or a Democrat or a Libertarian or a Bull Moose Partier, or do you call yourself one because that's what your parents are? Suddenly, you're realizing that life isn't simple at all, and <em>the truth </em>is about as hard to define as it is to find, and good and evil such stupid terms, because the world isn't black and white, or even gray--it's made of colors and differences and <em>shifting</em>.<br />
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And personalities? We have personalites--we just don't know what they are yet. Our likes and dislikes are so different from what they were a year, a month, a week ago. "Impressionable" is an understatement; <em>sponge </em>might be more fitting--we swallow information, habits, desires, and make them our own, unconsciously. We talk, dress, and act like our friends or our role models, but we never decided to do so. We're basically ruled by hormones. We want to fit in, but suddenly fitting in isn't cool anymore--but if hipster is mainstream, then isn't old-mainstream hipster? Conformity is out, but does originality exist? If we're defined by our interactions, and if everything we've ever created is no more than an enormous collage of our conversations and experiences and mistakes, then is there really such a thing as an original thought?<br />
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It's all very confusing, you see.<br />
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This. This is what it means to be a young adult. The thing is, we're <em>afraid</em>. We're uncertain. We doubt our abilites and our beliefs and our values and pretty much everything else, but we can't show it because we're <em>teenagers, </em>and society expects us to be careless and irresponsible and...young. And this is also why there are so many YA books out there. Teenagerdom is an incredibly dynamic time, brim-full of the angst that readers hunger for. But it's also a time that we desperately need to read books and realize that we're not alone. That we don't have to be alone.<br />
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And lastly, this is why well-developed characters are so vital to YA. We need to know that everyone else is struggling, too, and that they're wading through a tide of influences to try to find themselves. Those pretty, perfect, self-assured ones? They make us feel like misfits. Like failures.<br />
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We're not failures. We're wanderers. We're trying. Please remember that. And please write characters that help us remember, too.Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-54461674790221073432013-05-19T13:19:00.003-05:002013-05-19T13:19:49.999-05:00Contest ReminderRemember that giveaway? If you haven't seen it in the comments of the last post...Deserae McGlothen, you won the giveaway! Yay! Would you please email me soon (or leave some other way for me to contact you in the comments), so I can send you a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers? Thanks!<br />
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If I don't hear anything by Wednesday night, I'm going to have to pick another winner. So please reply! :)Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-4312707068891277842013-05-05T17:52:00.001-05:002013-05-12T15:00:53.204-05:00Giveaway!GUYS. Guess what arrived this week?<br />
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SQUEEEE!!!!!!! You know what this means? GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
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It's an awesome collection of stories for writers at any stage, and mine just happens to be about the way I started writing. So, to enter this giveaway: In the comments, briefly tell me about how you started writing. You can earn an extra entry if you tweet about it! Next Sunday, I'll put all of your beautiful names in a hat and the winner gets a copy! Yay! (U.S. only, please. I'm a poor high school student).</div>
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SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *dances* *trips* *twitches on ground*<br />
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EDIT: Contest is now closed! The winner is Deserae McGlothen! Deserae, please find my email under the Contact tab and give me your address. :D :D :D</div>
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Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-44212522847608328212013-04-14T19:04:00.000-05:002013-04-14T19:04:08.480-05:00I Keep Forgetting to Blog About This... *cue belated confetti*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
One day last summer, I was bored (okay, let's face it--I was bored almost every day last summer, but it just happened that this particular day's boredom led to something less boring), so I started Googling random things, and eventually this led to the search, "writing contests." I was in between manuscripts, so I figured that I'd write a few short stories or something (maybe. Fine, I don't actually really remember much...). I ended up finding a call for submissions for <em>Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers</em>. So I wrote an essay. And I submitted it. And then I went back to watching reruns of Friends.</div>
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A few months ago, I got an email during Physics that said that my essay had been accepted for publication. I had to read the email twice because a) I was simultaneously trying to take notes on Bernoulli's Principle or something, b) it took me a minute to remember what this was about, having completely forgotten that I had submitted anything at all. Once I did remember, I flailed and accidentally-on-purpose slapped my friend in the arm. She slapped me back.</div>
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But then other things happened, our teachers began throwing homework at us like possessed dodgeballers (I've never been good at dodgeball, okay?), and between it all, I kind of forgot about it again until I got an email a few days ago for publicity info and other exciting things. Soooo, without further ado...</div>
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Here's the cover!</div>
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<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=N8MtX4doJxi77M&tbnid=HKBGdUyd2qnN4M:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%2Fchicken-soup-for-the-soul-jack-canfield%2F1112033125&ei=7zhrUe_ZLcabyQHNrIHoCQ&bvm=bv.45175338,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNEIKi5DptS3wmf90w-PtKwTSGIXaw&ust=1366067824147021" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9781611599091_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="254" /></a></div>
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And here's the Table of Contents (LOOK AT MY NAME :D)<br />
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And here's the first page of my essay (this is all from Amazon's Look Inside feature)...<br />
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(I know, the title kind of bothers me now. When I was writing it last summer, I wanted to show that I am both a teenager and a writer, but now I'm afraid that people will see it as another "teen author" thing. Ah, well. My name! Is on that page! Also, isn't the quote amazingorgeous?!)<br />
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And here's my bio!<br />
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(Such a lie. I text all the time. And tweet. And email. And play Fruit Ninja.<br />
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You can buy it <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chicken-soup-for-the-soul-jack-canfield/1112033125" target="_blank">here</a> (B&N), or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Soup-Soul-Inspiration-Motivational/dp/1611599091" target="_blank">here</a> (Amazon), or <a href="http://www.chickensoup.com/cs.asp?cid=comingsoon" target="_blank">here</a> (Chicken Soup). Also, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15802907-chicken-soup-for-the-soul" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>! I'll be doing a giveaway sometime in the next few months, so stay tuned!<br />
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Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-86430523790122911202013-04-11T19:05:00.005-05:002013-04-12T18:30:35.435-05:00Want High Schoolers to Learn About Your Upcoming Book?Hi, everyone!<br />
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So, you guys may or may not know that I'm the head editor of our school newspaper. Recently, I had this idea of interviewing the lovely <a href="http://www.leighannkopans.com/index2.php#!/HOME">Leigh Ann Kopans</a> about her upcoming book, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17251203-one">ONE</a> (and yes, the hyperlink is a less-than-subtle hint to add it on Goodreads. DO IT! :) .....<br />
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And then I managed to get ARCs of ONE displayed in both our school library and in our local library...</div>
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It's only been up for about a week, but so far, the response has been really positive. The thing is, the kids in my school aren't big on reading (I know. It's seriously depressing), and I think having this opportunity is exciting for a lot my peers. I mean, it isn't every day that you get to read about an author's writing process, recieve advice about writing, and oogle at books that haven't even been released yet.</div>
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I really, really like doing this. First of all, it makes high schoolers excited to read, and second of all, it captures the attention of the target audience, as well as that of teachers and librarians. I'd really like to keep doing it.</div>
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Basically, I'm wondering if any other authors debuting in 2013 or spring 2014 would be interested in being interviewed and having an ARC or two displayed in our library. Just think, you'd be getting some publicity AND helping anti-reading kids fall in love with your books. I'm also starting a writing club at our school, so during the 2013-14 school year, I'd like to have a featured author every month that the club can Skype chat (or otherwise communicate) with about writing, revising, critiquing, etc.</div>
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A few other things:</div>
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1. The featured books must be YA.</div>
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2. We have one more issue coming out this May, and five next year (November, December, February, March, and May), so the books would have to release close-ish to those dates.</div>
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3. The authors would obviously have to send me cookies (I'm only mostly joking)<br />
EDIT: 4. The book would preferably be a debut. If it isn't, it must be a standalone or the first of a series (I'm afraid doing second installments would be confusing for people who haven't read the first).</div>
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If you're interested, please shoot me an email at azhang68[at]gmail[dot]com!<br />
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EDIT: The May and February slots are filled. The October/November slot <em>may </em>be filled, but you might be able to convince me to double up :)</div>
Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7228176777685402862.post-48941081168881672872013-04-01T17:08:00.000-05:002013-04-01T17:08:23.723-05:00On Pleasing EveryoneThis morning on Twitter, I ranted about a book. This post is about that book. So if you know what book I'm talking about and don't want to see spoilers, please don't read on!<br />
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I don't think I've ever felt as insulted as a reader than I did this morning.<br />
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Writing is hard, okay? It's part perspiration and part inspiration and part masochism and part sadism and part wasting time on the Internet (mostly the last one). It's hard because of a lot of things, but I'm only going to talk about two today. First: there is going to be suffering in your book. Your characters are going to miserable for the majority of the story, or you will have no conflict and therefore no plot. A part of you is going to enjoy tormenting these characters (because ANGST), and another part of you is going to be suffering just as much as they are. Do not DO NOT <u><em>DO NOT</em></u> chicken out, or your readers are going to close the book.<br />
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Second: at some point, you have to relinquish control. When you got that first flash of inspiration, you made a promise to your newborn characters: <em>I will tell your story. </em>You are documenting lives that, even though they're fictional, have backstories, secrets, <em>whys</em>. Plot twists have to make sense. Endings have to stay true to the journeys that led up to them.<br />
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When they don't, your readers will know.<br />
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Anyway. Back to the book. I'm not usually a big fan of love triangles, but last night, I was about halfway through this book and I found myself thinking, <em>this love triangle is amazingly executed</em>. The author didn't make either of the two boys the obvious choice, and the girl caught between them wasn't annoying, and she didn't spend her time staring out into the rain, picturing their two smexy faces. The triangle didn't hinder the plot or drive it, and the characterization of the protagonists wasn't dependent upon the romantic tension. And, most importantly, it seemed that the author was going to make everyone live with their choices. In fact, she could have written a fantastically happy/tragic/satisfying ending.<br />
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But then she introduced a loophole that nearly caused me to throw the book across the room. The very essence of a love triangle is that somebody has to choose and somebody has to lose, right? You don't get to believe that one boy is dead so you can get together with the other one, and then wait till <em>that</em> one is dead to get together with the first one.<br />
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As a reader, I felt completely bullshitted.<br />
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Please don't write to please people. Please don't try to please everybody. Please don't write an ending that betrays the themes in your book. Please don't force an ending on your characters that isn't theirs.Amy Zhanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09044544447034004728noreply@blogger.com0