Books of Wonder and East Side Sushi

Wednesday Night there was YA Genre Face Off at Books of Wonder.

The amazing and talented and all around awesome guy, Adam Silvera, asked me if I was up for helping represent science fiction with the lovely Joan Paquette and I said of course.

My books were in great company.

Representing contemporary Elizabeth Eulberg (or Elizabeth #1 since there were two of us) mentioned that Better Off Friends was inspired by the age-old question can a guy and a girl really be best friends--and nothing more--and the quintessential girl-guy-best friend movie, When Harry Met Sally.

She also said that when she does school visits, she gets a lot of blank stares at this movie restaurant.

This happened to me a lot when I was teaching. I'd mention a movie and get blank stares and be like "um I am not that much older than you, please see more movies" and most of my students would roll their eyes. But anyway...

Also on the contemporary team, Laurie Boyle Crompton was there with The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High, a book about a bunch of outsiders who get to go to prom queen makeover camp, which is also a reality show, and they have to battle it out to be prom queen and win a million dollars.

I totally wish this had been a real thing when I was in high school because while I might not have cared about being prom queen (I was so not on that radar) me and my competitive drive would have been really into trying to win a million dollars.

Laurie inspired us SF and Fantasy writers to talk about what our own characters prom ambitions would be. 

Janelle and Ben, by the way, probably wouldn't have gone to prom. I mean, with the whole world falling apart they were a little busy, but I think that would have had a lot more fun getting dressed up and doing something together or with a small group of close friends rather than going to the prom.

On team fantasy was Marie Rutkoski with The Winner's Curse, the first in a trilogy. Interestingly enough though, she conceived of the book as a stand alone only once she got near the end she realized she was going to have to write more than just one book, otherwise her readers who be really mad at her for ending the book like that. 

This is also a fantasy novel but without magic--it's set in another world but feels more historical. After hearing Marie talk about it, I definitely am into reading this. I think Janelle and Ben might have something in common with Kestrel and Arin.

The other fantasy member was Leah Cypess whose novel Death Sworn is near the top of my TBR pile. The contemporary and SF teams had to decide what weapon our characters would use if they needed to assassinate someone. I said Janelle would probably use a gun since she's been taught how to use one. 

But I really like Joan's answer: death ray stare. Since that seems easier and potentially more affective. 

We had a lovely crowd who asked some really great questions. 

Almost everyone had a great time.

Okay, really everyone did have a great time.

After the event ended I was starving and my friend Whitney (who used to live in my building but just moved to midtown East) and I headed over to her neighborhood for sushi at Tenzan.

We both started with Miso Soups.

 Then we feasted:

 It was fresh and cheap and delicious. All clear signs of a great night.

Welcome to the Fall 2013 YA Scavenger Hunt!

Update! The hunt is over. Thanks everyone for participating. Hope to see you next year!
 

Hello! Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

I'm Liz Norris and I'm your host for this leg of the hunt. I love all things romance, food,  television, and of course books!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team for a chance to win a whole different set of twenty-five signed books!
going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the blue team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by 10/6, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Today I'm hosting the fabulously talented Teri Harman on my blog for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Currently, Teri Harman's book shelf is over flowing, her laundry unfolded and her three small children running mad while she writes bewitching novels. Teri also writes a bi-weekly book column for ksl.com and contributes book segments to KSL's Studio 5 lifestyle show.

Find out more about Teri and her debut novel Blood Moon here. 

Check out the awesome cover:

 

Isn't it gorgeous? I love the classic feel that it has to it. 

Even more than that, I love the book!

Here's what Teri has to say about it:

Blood Moon started as research for an epic Halloween party at a 100 year old school house. Then it became an enchanting, mysterious tale of witchcraft, twisted bad guys and the endurance of young love. It is the first book in the Moonlight Trilogy, for older teens and adults.

It's got witches and magic and I adore Willa and Simon. 

I can't wait for Black Moon. I've already added it to goodreads--you should too.

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Teri Harman, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 13. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author! 

And...

BONUS CONTEST

Because I read Blood Moon before the hunt and thoroughly enjoyed it, I'm going to offer you an extra chance to win a copy of Blood Moon, a signed copy of Unraveling, and some swag. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unraveling--the Spanish Edition! Colision

I have a Spanish edition of Unraveling, which is called Colisión. Here's the cover:

 

I love this cover. It's of course very different from the US and the UK covers, but like them it really accurately portrays the book! I couldn't be happier with it. The book is being published by Neo!

On The Unraveling Recap

If you read Unraveling a year ago and you just got your copy of Unbreakable, you might be trying to remember what happened to Janelle and Ben back then.

You're in luck: The Recaptains have the run down to help you remember.

#BeUnbreakble Contest!

It's official. Unbreakable is out in the world (or at least, the US) today!

I'm so excited to share this book with everyone.

Last year, when Unraveling was released, I was just finishing my edits for the sequel. Having a debut novel released was a surreal and wonderful experience. But I couldn't help be nervous for the sequel.

Unbreakable was the first novel I wrote on a deadline. It was also the first novel I wrote and edited while seeing the reviews and reactions to its predecessor. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Now with the release of this book, I'm a stronger writer and a stronger person, and I'm so glad that I get to share another novel with you. And I'm overjoyed that it's this novel, which I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into (sometimes literally).


To celebrate Unbreakable's release, I have a contest for us!

The Details

Ten (10) winners will receive Unbreakable swag with...

- bookmarks
- signed bookplates
- stickers
- magnets
- an extra content booklet complete with four short stories
- a poster

The poster is really special to me. It's based on a pivotal scene in the series, and a good friend of mine painted it for me. It looks like this:

by the fabulous Travis Poelle

Five (5) winners will receive Unbreakable swag (everything above) and...

- an annotated copy of either Unraveling or Unbreakable, your choice
- an ebook of Undone (for you or to be gifted to a friend)
- signed copies of these Dark Days books: The Elite by Kiera Cass, Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike, and Reboot by Amy Tintera

To Enter

Buy a copy of Unbreakable any time between now and May 15th (pre-orders count!). Hold onto your receipt/email confirmation. If you're a winner, you'll need it to claim your price.

Then take a picture of you with your copy of Unbreakable and post it to twitter, tumblr, or instagram with the hashtag #BeUnbreakable.

Like this:

The Fine Print

- contest is open internationally, but if Unbreakable isn't out in your country yet, don't worry--we'll contest in June too. 
- if you buy an Unbreakable ebook, that totally counts. Take a picture of it on your reader!
- buy entering, you're giving me permission to retweet or retumbl your picture with Unbreakable. 
- purchase and enter by 11:59 pm EST on 5/15.

On Teachers, Librarians, and Free Copies of Unraveling

When I was teaching, I had a lot of students who said things like, “I hate reading” or “I haven’t read anything since Goosebumps in third grade.” (I taught high school English classes, so presumably anyone who had managed to get into Honors American Literature should have read something since Goosebumps.)

As a result I always prided myself on finding just the right book that changed their minds. Which means I know first hand how important it is for librarians and teachers to have books—and how much money it can cost (sometimes out of your own pocket) in order to maintain that.

So I’m giving away 100 FREE copies of Unraveling to teachers, librarians, or coordinators or programs that promote literacy.

Enclosed with the book will be a hard copy of the discussion guide, and I’ll be happy to personalize the book for anyone who wants it personalized. (Signed books and anything by Jodi Picoult were the most commonly stolen books from my classroom library, so I won’t take offense if you don’t want my signature.)  

If you’re a teacher, librarian, or coordinator of a program that advocates literacy, and you’d like a free copy of Unraveling, fill out this form. If you aren’t, but you know someone who is, please pass along the information!

This is first come, first serve until those 100 books are gone. But I will ship anywhere in the US. (Sorry everyone not in the US—as I’m paying for the shipping myself, I’ve got to stay in my own budget).

One Week From Unbreakable!

We're only one week from the release of Unbreakable and I can't begin to express how excited I am.

First, for anyone who hasn't read Unraveling yet, the ebook is on sale for only $1.99 this week.

There's still time to pre-order Unbreakable at Books of Wonder and get the extra content booklet. 

Check out the Unbreakable events I have planned here.

And for everyone else, I'm doing several twitter events next week to celebrate:

I will be doing an Unbreakable Twitter Teaser with PageTurners (April 21^st, 8pm ET) and BookHounds (April 22^nd, 8pm ET) hosting. Followers can send @pageturnersblog and @maryinhb page numbers from Unbreakable and I will respond with a line from the book and bit of back story or insight about it. There will also be a giveaway both nights. On April 24^th, at 8pm ET, I will be participating in a Live Chat with @mundiemoms hosting. Hashtag for all three Twitter events: #BeUnbreakable

It's Here

Undone is officially available!

Get your digital copy now.

Excerpt from UNDONE

Undone is available tomorrow! So here's a short preview, the opening page:

Certain moments in my life are imprinted in my memory.

They’re easy to recall with perfect clarify whether I want to remember them or not. Any small thing can trigger them: a phrase, a smell, a thought. It brings everything back like I’m reliving that moment, a brief scene in the movie of my life, complete with how horrible I felt at the time. And I usually felt horrible in those moments, because for some reason it’s the moments that I want to forget that stick around.

Like in eighth grade when I had my first kiss with Jane Sheriden and my arm got stuck awkwardly between her head and couch: just thinking about it still makes me cringe. Or when Ms. Wittak caught me cheating in Algebra freshman year because I’d saved the formulas I needed to remember in a fake game on my graphing calculator, and she tore up my test in front of the whole class.

Then there were memories that were more significant.

The pivotal moments that changed everything.

Those I don’t want to forget. Now that I’ve had too much time to think about them, to replay them over and over again in my mind, they’re the things I wouldn’t take back, that I wouldn’t do over.

Because of Janelle.

She saved my life when we were ten. She anchored me by being who she was, and somewhere along the line, I fell in love with her.

In just about every significant moment in my life, she’s there. Whether she knew it or not. 

(A Little More) On Undone

UNDONE, my novella set in the world of Unraveling, will be out 3/5! That’s only 3 days away.

This was a really fun project for me, but it actually wasn't even my idea. 

My editor suggested it. She asked me if I’d be interested in writing a novella from Ben’s POV and if I had any stories that I wanted to tell from his perspective. As soon as she mentioned it, I knew exactly what I wanted to write.

Only instead of just one story I wanted to write three. 

In my mind, there are three major moments that impact the series that readers could never get from Janelle's point of view because she just couldn't ever be there. Those were the stories I wanted to tell.

The first story, "Before She Knew Me" is a prequel that takes place during Janelle and Ben’s sophomore year of high school and readers will be able to get to know more about what Ben was like before the events of Unraveling.

The second story, "When I Saved Her" takes place during the events of Unraveling and is the moment, Ben realized he loved Janelle.

The third story (and my favorite!), "After I Left Her" begins after the events of Unraveling and carries into the events of Unbreakable so there’s a little overlap between the two books. 

When I sat down to write each story, I already had an outline. Because I wrote these after writing both Unraveling and Unbreakable, it was very clear what needed to happen in the stories, plot-wise. 

But my favorite thing about novellas or stories written from a different perspective is the the fact that you discover something new and maybe unexpected about the characters and the world. (For instance one of my favorites was when I read Ender's Shadow and discovered the role Bean played in Ender's Game.) 

So my goal for writing the stories of Undone was to write them in a way that would allow readers to learn something new, not just about Ben, but also about Janelle and the world of Unraveling, and of course at the same time, that meant I just had to make sure that Ben's version of events and Janelle's version of events didn't create any inconsistencies. (Thank goodness for copyeditors!)

Now that it's about to come out, I can say that I'm really excited for Ben's voice to be out there in the world, and for readers to know him a little bit better.

Add it to your Goodreads!

on unbreakable

I'm so excited because today is the day I get to share more details about the sequel to Unraveling with everyone!

As you may have already heard, the Unraveling sequel is called

UNBREAKABLE

This wasn't the first or only title book two has had. In fact I've been calling it three different things in my mind, but this is definitely the best. It really fits the book, the characters, and a certain relationship. It also fits in well with a few of my favorite lines in the whole book.

I can finally tell you what Unbreakable is about. Of course, I've gotten a lot of questions about Unbreakable so I'm going to offer up some quick answers right now.

1. Is it from Janelle's POV?

Yes. Unbreakable opens four months after the end of Unraveling and is Janelle's story of what comes next.


2. Will there be more of Ben in the book?

Yes. Ben and Janelle's stories are very intertwined so you'll see more of them in this book. You'll also see a lot more of Barclay, Elijah, and Cecily.

3. When is the release date?

4/23/2013

Now, I'll offer you the official description. (Just beware while we tried to avoid it, the flap copy for sequels kind of contains spoilers for Unraveling, so if you haven't read it yet, you might want to skip down.)

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben
is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

And, I'm even more excited to show you the Unbreakable cover of the US edition.

Here it is.

I hope you enjoy it!

News Part II

In case you missed the twitter announcement last night, the news I've been sitting on since June (yes that long!) is finally public.

The film rights to Unraveling have been optioned by MTV!

Here's the very official and cool article from The Hollywood Reporter.

Obviously I'm deliriously excited about it.

No one is talking casting or anything like that, but as more news comes my way, I will definitely share!

News, Part I

I have the first of several pieces of news:

I will have a novella out as an ebook original March 5th, 2013!

Here's where you can add it to goodreads.

Here's where you can preorder on Amazon and B&N.

And here's what the novella will be:

Three stories from Ben's perspective, one that takes place a year before Unraveling, one that takes place during Unraveling, and one that takes place between Unraveling and Unbreakable.

I'm really excited about it--it's so fun to be able to look at the events of the book(s) from a different perspective and then tell those stories. They'll be a little (okay let's face, a lot) spoilery if you haven't read Unraveling, but they won't spoil Unbreakable at all. And of course if you aren't into novellas, you can read both books without the novella and you won't feel like you're missing anything.

On Casting

In honor of Unraveling's first week in the world, I'm going to cast the characters for the Unraveling movie in my mind (and by "in my mind" I mean not real). Here's who I pictures as the main characters. (And of course, I would actually have no say in the casting if it was ever something that was more than just in my mind.)

Janelle Tenner

Hailee Steinfeld: I loved her in True Grit!

Ben

Young James Franco, from his Freaks and Geeks days

Barclay

Taylor Kitsch

Now, if you were casting Unraveling, who would be in your movie?

The YAmazing Race Round 2!

Welcome to my stop on the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes, a crazy whirlwind blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs featuring ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules. Now on to the race!

UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris

Two days before her junior year, Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, her life flashing before her, then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And though it isn’t possible, she knows with every fiber of her being that Ben has brought her back to life.

But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. As the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s needs to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

UNRAVELING is a gripping story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

Got all that?

Store it away in your brain for the quiz ahead! You'll be able to win some awesome apocalypsie prizes.

But before you go – bonus contest! Simply leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win a signed copy of UNRAVELING!

Ready to move on? Click here to go to the next stop on the race!

It's Here!

It's officially April 24th and Unraveling is available in the US.

And the sequel, officially titled Unbreakable will be available in 2013!

Winner!

There were 167 people who entered to win a signed copy of Unraveling! I'm a little blown away by that number. Thank you to everyone who entered.

But the real reason you're here! The winner is...

Tamara Lenz!

Congrats to Tamara. I hope you enjoy Unraveling.

If you didn't win, make sure to check out the stops on the blog tour where there will be more chances to win signed copies.

The Inspiration for Unraveling

I've mentioned this before, but the Unraveling was conceived primarily because I was in love and trying to make that work long distance. I started think about people who fall in love despite that fact that they're from different worlds, and with a little inspiration from things I love the story and the characters that are now Unraveling developed.

So, those inspirations are:

 how I felt

the original star crossed lovers

 

San Diego, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever lived

 

 poetry by Robert Frost

an awesome sci-fi show I loved as a teenager

 

 "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson

two people I don't know but are the perfect Janelle and Ben

one of my favorite shows on television

I don't know who wrote this, but it's perfect

"Remember" by Christina Rossetti

Because all the good love stories need an epic end.

So those are my inspirations for the book that comes out in exactly one week! Tomorrow make sure you stop by Magic Urban Fantasy Reads to check out my interview and enter to win a signed copy of Unraveling.