Busy Days are Here

Can't believe Halloween's already less than a week away! I'd originally planned to be Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games, but then I got lazy and ended up as a witch instead. Here I am on my way to my friends' Halloween party last weekend.

Early this month I finished a pretty major revision of my current work-in-progress, Underbed. It's now back with my agent. We decided to make it a middle grade project rather than YA, and I think the change suits it well.

And of course, NaNoWriMo is only a few more days away! I'm all set to start working on a somewhat gritty YA fantasy project called Moth & Moon. Can't wait to spend my afternoons curled up in coffee shops with a mug and my laptop! I'm Fire and Air over on the NaNo site.

Recently I've been interviewed by two blogs, The Book Cellar and YA Librarian Tales, about Spookygirl. Spookygirl is also getting more and more reviews online, including this lovely one by indie author Amy Martin, who was guest-reviewing on YA Reads. Thanks, everyone!

Also, Young Adult Books Central is giving away five copies of Spookygirl! You can enter until Halloween, so stop by and take a chance. That link also includes my guest post about the most haunted house I've ever encountered.

And finally, I just noticed that Spookygirl's Publishers Weekly review has been posted! PW mentions Spookygirl's "straight-talking, level-headed protagonist and smooth storytelling" -- not bad, not bad!

Guest Posts Galore

If I've been quiet here lately, it's because I've been posting elsewhere! Several blogs have graciously hosted Spookygirl-related guest posts -- read on:

For In Bed with Books, I answered my favorite frequently-asked question about Spookygirl. (You can also read In Bed with Books' review of Spookygirl here!)

I shared some information about poltergeists with The Children's Book Review. (Short version: Real-life poltergeists? If they exist, they're not nearly as friendly as Spookygirl's Buster.)

Finally, I wrote a destination post about southwest Florida for Ticket to Anywhere. Although Spookygirl's fictional towns are situated on the state's east coast, they're heavily inspired by Marco Island and Naples on the Gulf of Mexico. I also included some photos, like this one I took of dolphins swimming under the Jolley Bridge that connects Marco to the mainland. (And click here for Ticket to Anywhere's review of Spookygirl!)

Thanks for having me, everyone! It was fun!