One Week Only

Although writers almost never have any input as to the cover price for our books, every now and then we're given the opportunity to participate in a reduced price sale that is not covered by the terms of our contract. I got my chance the other day when one of my publishers asked if they could nominate my YA title for just such a sale. I gave them the green light, and to make it a very good sale I suggested they go with the lowest price possible.

My publisher agreed, and the sales people picked my title, and everyone was okay with the big discount, so if you're a Kindle owner and would like to save 90% on the Kindle edition of my YA debut novel After Midnight, head over to the Kindle Store sale page and get it now for just $0.99. This sale is only good for the next week, so if you're interested don't wait too long.

Still 100% free for everyone: Dark of Heart, my e-book novella set in the After Midnight universe, which you can read online, download, print out and share for non-profit purposes.

YA to Read

(This was one of the posts that may or may not have appeared last week. If you commented on the original, your entry was permanently erased by the Great Blogger Fail, so please try again.)

I tend to avoid reading for pleasure in a genre that I'm actively writing in, but now that I'm finished book two of the Youngbloods trilogy (title to be announced once I get the green light from my publisher) and I've outlined book three I feel like I'm in the right place to start reading more YA. I've already invested in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series, which looks quite promising, and I'm going to make myself read the final Twilight book so I know how that series ends.

I'd also like to get some author and title suggestions from you guys, so as a bribe I've stocked lovely tote from Coldwater Creek with a signed copy of After Midnight, along with unsigned hardcover copies of White Cat by Holly Black and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and unsigned trade paperback copies of Vamped by Lucienne Diver, The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King, The Shape of Water by Anne Spollen, and Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie faria Stolarz.

If you'd like a chance to win this whole shebang, in comments to this post tell me which YA author, title and/or series you think I should read (or if you don't have a suggestion, toss your name into the magic hat) by midnight EST on FridaySaturday*, May 21, 2011. I'll pick one name at random from everyone who participates and send the winner the tote with all the books. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something at PBW in the past.

*Added: corrected the day of the week.

Elsewhere X 2

Our blogpals Cid, Suzan, Alice and Linda over at Book Addicts kindly invited me to participate in their Redeeming Romance series. Thanks to Shakespeare and one of his beautiful sonnets, I've never been ashamed of reading or writing romance, and I explain why in my guest post. If you have a chance head over, check it out and leave a comment by Friday, May 13th, and you'll have a chance at winning a romance BookWish from me (or any romance novel that’s available from B&N online, paperback or hardcover up to $30.00 U.S.; I'll cover whatever shipping is involved.)

Adventures in Children's Publishing also asked me to do a mini-interview with them, which can be found here (scroll down and look for the writer who gave the shortest answers; that's me.) Unfortunately the novel synopsis they posted for After Midnight contains just about every spoiler possible in it, so if you haven't read the book and don't want the surprises ruined you might want to skip that. I've donated a signed copy of AM for their giveaway, too.

Cat Arrives Ten

Ten Reasons to Invest in My New Release, After Midnight

A New Venture: This is the first chance I've had to build a brand-new universe in quite some time. I really had fun with it, and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Ad-Free PBW: I don't accept donations, advertising or any outside funding at all for PBW; everything I do here is paid for with income from my share of book sales. Thus when you buy one of my books, you provide direct support for the blog.

Cover Art: Will not lacerate your corneas, fry your retinas or otherwise cause temporary blindness (disclaimer: no guarantees if you choose to poke yourself in the eye with the book.)

Freebie Funding: If you enjoyed Dark of Heart or any of the other stories, novellas and novels that I give away for free online, buying my print novels is a great way to say thanks as well as to vote for more free stuff.

Getting Back to My Roots: Most of my early work was YA (mainly because I was a teen when I started writing novels.) Rediscovering that young voice inside me was terrific, and I'd like to do more of that.

None of the Usual Suspects: The story does not contain any alternate realities, castles, crystals, dragons, elves, magic spells, necromancers, new age ephemera, orcs, ogres, reincarnation, schools that would not qualify for state funding, secret societies, trolls, underworlds, warriors, werewolves, witches or wizards.

Print: The trade paperback edition does not require batteries, cables or downloading.

Storytelling: Writing this book was a serious challenge on multiple levels, and taught me a lot. That's the kind of thing that keeps me from becoming complacent or growing stagnant as a writer, and helps me write better books for you.

Teen-Friendly: If you've ever wanted your teenager to read something I've written, this is the book to give them.

Writing for the Future: Sales are the only job security a writer ever has. By investing in After Midnight, you insure I keep writing; it's as simple as that.

After Midnight Elsewhere

One of the benefits of writing in a new genre is getting to meet people out there in NetPubLand whose paths might otherwise never cross mine.

Like Ashley, the proprietor of Books Obsession, a popular YA book blog. She kindly invited me to write a guest post for her May author spotlight series, which you can read here.

There is also a giveaway contest you can enter here for this Aeropostale tote filled with favorite YA titles* from me and my kid, plus a signed copy of After Midnight.

Okay, I added a copy of Pride and Prejudice too. The first time I read it was when I was actually a YA, so that counts.

AM Ten

Although technically my new novel After Midnight is being released nationwide on May 8th, it's already shipping from online retailers and making it into the bookstores, so I'm going to do a little promo this week to get the ball rolling.

After Midnight is also special for a lot of reasons, some of which I'd like to share. So here are:

Ten Things About After Midnight by Lynn Viehl



Blame the Kid: This novel was in response to something my daughter said a few years ago; she complained that I never wrote anything that was age-appropriate for her and her friends to read. She was right, so I set out to try.

E-book Compulsion: I never planned to write Dark of Heart, the free companion/parallel novella e-book that I just released, and that is set in the same universe. When I finished the manuscript for After Midnight a secondary character named Kari Carson became stuck in my head and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote her story.

Experts: I worked with a terrific group of teenagers who helped me shape the story by providing me with first-hand knowledge, brain-storming, story discussion, critiquing and editing. They corrected my mistakes and never once complained once about the ten thousand questions I asked them.

Firsts: After Midnight is my first official YA novel, the first book in a new trilogy, and also the first time I've ever published in trade paperback with an independent publisher.

Lost Lake: The town of Lost Lake from the novel does not exist, but is a conglomeration based on a number of small Central Florida communities that I know and love. I also used a few elements from my childhood hometown in South Florida.

Not the First: You never know how obscure you are until you start writing in a new genre. Almost all of the interviewers and bloggers who have contacted me about the book assumed that After Midnight was my first novel. I realized this when I started answering e-mail questions like "How does it feel to become a published author?" and "Are you planning to making writing a career?"

Revisiting High School: I loathed being in high school, high school kids, high school teachers, etc. -- isn't that a prerequisite for being a writer? -- so the prospect of writing about that part of life in that kind of setting worried me. Once I got into the story, though, I actually enjoyed revisiting (and at some points reinventing) the experience. You still couldn't pay me to be a teenager again, but in the end I think it was good for me.

Title: The original/working title was Midnight Meeting, which I first spotted in an Emily Dickinson poem and encountered again as a Gaias Pendulum song title. That all felt a bit too heavy for the story, so I went through the manuscript gathering keywords, bumped into the phrase after midnight and went with that.

True to Life: All of the horses in the book are based on real-life counterparts I have met and/or that my daughter has ridden. Their names have been changed, however, so that no over-zealous fans try to find their barns and sneak into their stalls for an autograph.

Worldbuilding: I haven't built a brand-new universe or moved into a new genre since 2004, so I really had fun with this one. I also found it to be a serious challenge, and in the process gained a lot of respect for YA as a genre.

Unveiling the Youngbloods

This is the cover art for After Midnight, the first novel in my new YA trilogy for Flux. Here's a little about the story:

Sixteen-year-old Catlyn Youngblood isn’t happy about moving to Lost Lake, Florida. While she’s used to living a gypsy’s life with her brothers, there is something very odd about this small backwoods town. But Trick, her oldest brother and guardian, wants to settle down on their new farm and breed horses, and this time Cat may even have a chance to make some friends.

After a disastrous first day at school, Cat meets Jesse Raven, a boy who like her rides his horse after midnight. At first Jesse seems as unreceptive as the rest of Lost Lake, until Cat discovers he's just as lonely and friendless as she is. Troubling warnings to avoid the wealthy, reclusive Ravens worry Cat, as do more problems at school, but not enough to stop meeting Jesse.

Lost Lake is a town of many secrets, however, and when a terrifying attack exposes Cat and Jesse's friendship, their families go to extremes to separate them. Now Cat must unravel the tangled pasts of the Ravens and the Youngbloods so she can understand the strange connection that brought her and Jesse together -- and why someone is deliberately trying to tear them apart.

After Midnight will be hitting the shelves in May 2011.

Back

We're finally back online here at Casa PBW, which is good, because much has happened since last I blogged, such as:



My youngest has started driving, and she's doing very well. When I'm not sobbing into a damp Kleenex while I look through her baby picture albums, I'm being brave. Sort of. Do you think everyone else on the road would stop driving for a couple months if I asked nicely?



Stubborn Thing's eggs hatched, and she had twins. We've named them Benazir and Ernesto. No one has fallen off the edge or made a peep, but Mom and Dad are both very watchful and rarely leave the babies alone for more than a few minutes. Which is when I watch them.



I finished and turned in the manuscript for After Midnight, my May 2011 release and the first book in my new trilogy (more details on this once I've talked more about it with my new editor.)

For those of you who are participating in Coyote Con, I've also posted my answers to the Q&A on SFR.

So what's up with you guys? Anyone have any news to share? Let me know in comments.