Friday, September 30, 2011

Book Review: Past Perfect by Leila Sales


Chelsea has worked at Essex Historical Colonial Village for pretty much her whole life, so when she finds out that ex-boyfriend Ezra is working there this summer too, she feels like her turf is being invaded.  Which it is – by the Colonials’ rivals across the street – Civil War re-enactors in the annual war between the two.  When Chelsea finds herself falling for the enemy – and she knows it can never work because they are from different times – she realizes she has a lot to learn about love and loyalty.

PAST PERFECT is the perfect read if you’re looking for something quirky, clever and effortlessly funny.  But it’s not just the highly original premise and comedy that works so well here – it is also the depth of observation Author Leila Sales offers about relationships and how we tend to be ruthlessly revisionist in the creation of our own histories. 

PAST PERFECT comes out next Tuesday on Oct 4th.  Find out more about it at the author’s website

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Book Club Report: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

This was a special "travel" edition book club for me! I knew I was going to be in DC last weekend, so my DC buddies and fellow bloggers Michelle, Swapna and Jennifer met at Michelle's to discuss GLOW.

Short Summary: Even though she's only 15, Waverly figures she'll marry Kieran - sooner rather than later. See, they're on one of two spaceships traveling towards a new home planet and children are an essential part of the mission. But when the other spaceship makes contact after years apart, Waverly learns some shocking secrets and hard truths about the crews.  Who can she trust? Who can anyone trust?

The Group's Verdict: We all enjoyed this one.  It was fun both to read and discuss, and its themes reminded me a lot of the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Waverly's chapters were more creepy and extreme, and what she goes through in book 1 is certainly going to affect her actions going forward into the sequel. We really liked that there were no clear cut heroes and villains in the story, and even the reader never knows who to trust. It has a dystopian vibe to it, definitely, though it's more of a sci-fi thriller than anything.  I'll be interested to see where the next books take us.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Return of Cat Tuesday (44)

It's a cat party in the shower ... until the water turns on.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Author Interview: Laini Taylor discusses Daughter of Smoke and Bone + Giveaway!

Laini Taylor's DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE comes out tomorrow, but since I am flying back to Germany tomorrow morning, I am going out tonight to hunt down a finished copy.  Because I LOVED this novel.  (Read my review)  And I need to have it on my shelf.



Today I am so thrilled to welcome Laini to the blog for an interview.  Let's get started, shall we?

One of my favorite parts of DAUGHTER was that Karou could travel the world via portals. If you were granted three round trips via the portals, where would you go and why?

I want a portal like Brimstone’s! It’s tricky to narrow it down, but a couple of mentions in the book really are my own: to step over to India to buy mangoes? Yes, please. I joke that I am going to go on a mango world tour, and it’s not really a joke at all. Here is leg 1 of the tour:

                                (A typical dinner for Jim and me in Chiapas, Mexico; note also cream cake and beer). 

Between mangoes and India, which is prime a travel dream of mine, that tops the list.
I also envy Karou’s shopping sprees to the Paris flea markets, so that’s an easy one.
The last one, though … Last wishes must always be the hardest. Of all the places in the world … it would be somewhere beachy, I think. One of those perfect travel magazine beaches. Ooh, I know: Bora Bora, because it is so expensive to travel there (I’ve --ahem-- looked into it, longingly). Could my portal round-trip be a package deal and include an over-water bungalow for a week, please? ☺

Done! Speaking of international locations, what made you choose Prague as a primary location for the story? Was it easier or harder to write than the fantasy world part of the novel?

I first visited Prague in 1996, taking a night train across Germany from Amsterdam. I don’t remember what sparked my interest in the first place, but that trip settled it: I’ve seen a lot of cities, and I think Prague is the most beautiful, and on top of that, it’s got this awesome aura of strange. 

It’s all Gothic and Baroque, domes and towers, on the side of dark and brooding, but with marionettes everywhere—that was such an unexpected bonus. I love marionettes! The golem is from Prague; mystics communed with angels here and alchemists strove to turn lead into gold—and were put to death for failure; and then there’s the Astronomical Clock. After it was finished, the clockmaker’s eyes were stabbed out so he could never make a better one. It’s that kind of stabbiness that makes Prague more than beautiful. It’s kind of creepy, in the best possible way. 

My husband Jim and I went back in 2005 to research a graphic novel we were planning out, and we rented an apartment behind Tyn Church for nine days and basically spent the time “hunting vampires,” figuring out where we thought they would live and congregate and hunt, and where humans might hide from them. We ended up not doing that book, but the city was in my head just waiting for a story, and it made Karou’s perfect home.

For me, exotic settings are pure wish fulfillment. In Karou, I was imagining a life that I would have loved, as a teen—and now—to climb inside of. Prague and art school are only the beginning.
It’s definitely easier to take a real place that already has such a wonderful vibe of mystery and exaggerate it than it is to create an entire world from scratch. With Prague, I had the benefit of centuries of real history, artistry, war, mythology. The pleasure was in adding my own layer to what is really there: Poison Kitchen, the Art Lyceum, Mustache Bar, Zuzana’s puppet show, the vampire tours. I wish they were real. (Lenore's note: So do I!!)

There in fact are ghost tours, which were my inspiration for Kaz’s line of work. Jim and I went on one our first night in Prague and it was the perfect introduction to the city.

When I chose Marrakesh as a setting, unlike Prague, I had not been there. I was just jonesing to go, and after the edits were done: I did!

Here is a glimpse of the crowds in the Jemaa el-Fna, one of the book's central locations. It is here that Karou first glimpses ... you know who.



Karou's friends think her drawings of her chimera family come from her imagination. What fantasy things do you wish were real?

Ooh, I’ll take a portal, please. Also: wishes.

[quick explanation: The character Brimstone in the book is sometimes called “The Wishmonger” because in his trade with humans, he pays in wishes. They have their own denominations, the lowest being a scuppy, the highest a bruxis, but the cost of a bruxis is such that a person could only ever have one in a lifetime. Gavriels are the most powerful practical wish.]

Scuppies and shings for the little things—I want Karou’s hair situation!—and gavriels for the real stuff.
I would also like for dragons to exist, please. In the wild, like tigers, and with reclusive habits, so that one might go on a dragon safari in, say, Borneo, and hope to glimpse one. One *might* even come across an abandoned egg and hatch it and raise it. I would want mine to be not too big, but big enough to ride, and with a really good temperament. Like a snake, it wouldn’t have to eat all the time, because that could present some problems. Not that I've thought about this before ...

Also, I’ve said before that I would be first in line for wing graft surgery, but that’s a fib. I’m still waiting to make sure Lasik is safe! Ha ha. And anyway, as cool as it would be to have wings—so beautiful!—it would cut down on sleeping positions and I’d have to learn how to sew to alter all my tops and jackets. Best I guess to just have flight a la Superman, without the wings. Hm. Now I'm torn. Wings or no wings?

A particular fantasy creation I would love to have made real is Philip Pullman’s daemons. That is one of my favorite fictional creations of all time. I think my daemon would be a fox—not because it’s an especially good fit for my personality, but because I like foxes and would love to have one perch on my shoulder. (Lenore's note: SWEET!)

                                     (I think my daemon wants in.)

I adore the stories in LIPS TOUCH. Which character from DAUGHTER do you think would be most tempted by Goblin Fruit?

I would say Karou, because in spite of her strength, she has such a yearning to be loved, to belong. That could make her vulnerable. There is this passage about her:

It was hard to imagine feeling that magical tingling sensation [butterflies] in the pit of her belly any time soon. Best not to worry about it, she thought. She didn’t need it. Well. She didn’t want to need it. Yearning for love made her feel like a cat that was always twining around ankles meowing pet me, pet me, look at me, love me.
Better to be the cat gazing coolly down from a high wall, its expression inscrutable. The cat that shunned petting, that needed no one. Why couldn’t she be that cat?
Be that cat!!! she wrote, drawing it into the corner of her page, cool and aloof.
Karou wished she could be the kind of girl who was complete unto herself, comfortable in solitude, serene. But she wasn’t. She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if it might expand and … cancel her. She craved a presence beside her, solid …

That’s really drawn from my own conflicted psyche at that age. I had an image in my mind of strong girls and women who were aloof and not attention-seeking, who strode through life with heads high, not concerned with who might be watching, and I admired that so much. I tried to affect it, but it never felt genuine, and also, in this twisted way, that very aloofness and “unneediness” was calculated to attract desire! Like Kizzy and Karou, I did crave recognition. If I could go back in time and whisper something in my own young ear, something that would really get through, it might be along the lines of Be that cat.
If young women could discover and create themselves without concern for boys, it would be wonderful—they can, of course, and do, but budding sexuality is a very powerful force, and goblin fruit is a very powerful temptation!

That passage really speaks to my teen self too! In fact, I pulled that last part of the quote for my review! So, last question: I know it's really, really early, but I am dying to read the DAUGHTER sequel. Can you give us a one or two word tease to tide us over?

Hmmm. Yes. I can give you two words:

Dust and starlight.

:-)

Ack!  Must read NOW!  Thanks Laini!

Thank you Lenore!!! Great questions.

For more about DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, check these resources:

Official website: daughterofsmokeandbone.com
Laini's site, www.lainitaylor.com, and Twitter feed, @lainitaylor
GoodReads book page

Next stop on the tour is The Story Siren tomorrow!  

Giveaway!

I have one finished copy, donated and shipped by the publisher, for a reader in the US.  Fill out this form by October 4, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST for your chance to win!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Cover Reveal for Hilary Graham's Reunited

I have the great pleasure of premiering the cover for Hilary Graham's upcoming novel REUNITED.  Not only is Hilary a fellow Apocaylpsie, she and I share the same editor at Simon & Schuster and we've gotten to hang out at Book Blogger Con and in Boston just recently.  But I am seriously excited for this novel for other reasons too: A) there's a road trip!  B) to see a rock band! C) the rock band is called Level3 (how cool is THAT?!) D) I am so into contemporary YA right now E) it just sounds awesome.

Here's the synopsis:

Coming from Simon & Schuster - June 12, 2012

1 Concert
 2,000 Miles
 3 Ex-Best Friends

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.

Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.

But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.

Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van know as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there.

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?

And here's the cover!



Add REUNITED to your GoodReads wishlist

A bit about Hilary Graham:



Hilary Weisman Graham is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and novelist.She lives in rural New Hampshire with her husband and son, roughly thirty minutes away from the nearest grocery store.

Website: http://www.hilarygraham.com
Blog: http://hilarywgraham.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HilaryWeismanGraham
Twitter: @HilaryGraham

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Return of Cat Tuesday (43)

Emmy's not too happy that Kaia is in her spot.


But I guess she'll get over it.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

BBAW: What Book Blogging Means to Me

I've been pretty absent during BBAW because this week has been packed with barely a minute to breathe, let alone blog.  But I did want to at least write a few paragraphs during Book Blogger Appreciation Week about what blogging and book bloggers have meant to me.

First, book blogging has encouraged me to read more and more widely.  I've always had eclectic taste in books, but fellow bloggers have encouraged and challenged me to read books I never would have picked up on my own. (Nerds Heart YA is a great example of this.)  Though Presenting Lenore is known for being a YA book blog, pre-book blogging I mostly read literary fiction and classics.

Second, book blogging YA was the basis for my writing a YA novel and delving into the world of publishing.  So much about the way the writing and deal came about is due to book blogging.  Reading and analyzing hundreds of YA novels was a stellar education, and the relationships I developed as a result of blogging have been so important in my journey to publication.

The people I've met are the best part of book blogging.  So many authors, agent, editors, marketing and publicity people, booksellers and of course fellow book bloggers.  Some have come to me (Liviania, Beth S., Linda Gerber) and others* have invited me into their homes or met me out somewhere in their city or nearby: Michelle, Swapna, Jennifer L., Deborah and Diana Peterfreund in DC, Jamie in Princeton, Steph Su in Philadelphia, Nicole B., Chelsy, Lauren Oliver, Leila Sales,  Bennett Madison, AS King, and tons more in NYC, Jenny and Sarah (FYA) and PJ Hoover in Austin, TX, Gail, Erica and a bunch of Apocalypsies in the Boston area, Trish, Pam, Laura and more in the San Francisco bay area, Amy in LA,  Gennifer Albin in Kansas City, Melissa in Wichita, and tons and tons of authors and bloggers at my three years of BEA and two years of BBC. (Yes, Kathy, that includes you - though I hope to get to SC one of these days).  It's so rewarding and fun to be able to meet up with others in our virtual community in real life - all over the world.

Thank you!

*It's late at night as I write this, so if I've somehow totally failed to mention our meeting, please remind me and forgive me.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Mara Madness Tour & Review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


So let me set the scene for you.  It's pre-BEA in NYC this past May and I'm moderating a panel at the Teen Author Carnival featuring debut authors.  Michelle Hodkin is on the panel.  She reads an excerpt from MARA DYER.  I'm captivated from word one.  The voice! The language! The serious hotness of Noah Shaw!!



I immediately knew, out of all the books I picked up at BEA, I was going to read MARA DYER first.



Right after BEA, Daniel and I went to Argentina, and I read MARA DYER on the ferry ride over to Uruguay.  This book rocked my world.  It's atmospheric, thrilling, believable despite the paranormal happenings, and it features my favorite YA boy of the year: Noah Shaw. (He's up there with Peeta on my all time list, so you know that means something.)

There's a murky scene near the end featuring alligators that caused a bit of twitter uproar a while back that we like to call #gatorgate - and in honor of #gatorgate, I wore my MARA DYER t-shirt to the Nuremburg Zoo and got this photo with a gator. (Actually a caiman ... but shhh don't tell!)



I am so, so excited about getting a copy of the MARA DYER hardcover and rereading the book so I can hang out with Mara (NOAH) again.  If you want a chance at winning a free *signed* hardcover, why not join the Mara Madness scavenger hunt? Each blog on the tour (21 stops) has a clue. The clues will be letters that spell out an important line from the book. Even if you haven't read the book you should be able to piece it together! The last day to solve the clue and enter for cool prizes is Sept 30th.

You can find the full tour schedule here. That way you can get all the clues. Once you have the line from the book figured out you can go here to enter the giveaway. And here is my clue:



Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Good news!

Lots of good news to share today.

First of all, I am so thankful to everyone who voted for Presenting Lenore for Book Blogger Appreciation Week's Best Author Interviews award.  How thrilling to win this two years in a row! I do have an interview set up with Laini Taylor at the end of the month, but perhaps I should think about doing some more?  Again - thank you! I'm so glad you all enjoy my chats with authors.



Secondly, I am finally allowed to announce more good LEVEL TWO news: Rights have been picked up for Australia and New Zealand by Allen & Unwin!!  The team there is amazing and I can't wait to share LEVEL TWO with all of you down under.  As far as I know, this will be happening end of 2012, but I'll let you know if anything changes.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Return of Cat Tuesday (42)

Earlier this month, the shelves in one of our IKEA bookshelves collapsed.  Daniel reinforced them with corner supports, and the cats made sure they were sturdy:

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

LEVEL TWO sells Turkish rights

Way back when I was in Argentina in June, I got some exciting news: Dogan Egmont wanted to buy Turkish rights to LEVEL TWO!

Now that all the papers are signed and boxes checked, I can finally announce the news.  I don't have word yet on exactly when it will come out, but I'll let you know when I do.


I looked up a way to say something cool in Turkish to end this post, but it seems pretty complicated and I don't want to mangle it.  So, I'll offer my standard: Yay!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Return of Cat Tuesday (41)

The cats are back! Did you miss them?

Looks like Emmy wants to make sure we don't leave her behind ...

BBAW 2011

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) is coming up Sept 12-16!  As usual, I will be traveling that week and won't get to participate as much as I'd like to.



I am, however, thrilled to share that Presenting Lenore was shortlisted again this year for a BBAW award in the category Best Author Interviews!

In case you're interested, I submitted the following interviews for judging:
Anastasia Hopcus discusses SHADOW HILLS
Megan McCafferty discusses BUMPED
CJ Redwine previews DEFIANCE

Also on the shortlist are:
Relz Reviewz
Stacked
There’s a Book
Unabridged Chick


I also appreciate those who nominated me in the category Best YA Book Blog.  After much consideration, I decided to decline my nomination in that category as I am now in that fuzzy place between book blogger and published author.

But the shortlist makes me all kinds of happy:

Young Adult Book Blog
Forever Young Adult
Galleysmith
I Swim for Oceans
Pure Imagination
The Book Vixen

Congrats to everyone on their nominations!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Dystopian August Wrap-Up

It's arrived - the last post of Dystopian August.  4 1/2 weeks of dystopian and post-apocalyptic content including 24 book reviews, 29 author interviews, 20 separate giveaways, and more.  I hope you enjoyed it as much I did!



Of the 24 books I reviewed, 2 got 5 Zombie Chickens and are new favorites:
LEGEND by Marie Lu (coming Nov 2011)
HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer.

1 book just narrowly missed a 5 rating because it had the most trauma-inducing cliffhanger since THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, and that was Ilsa Bick's ASHES.



Highly recommended books with 4 Zombie Chickens were:
BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young
ALL THESE THINGS WE'VE DONE by Gabrielle Zevin
A LONG, LONG SLEEP by Anna Sheehan
THE PLEDGE by Kimberly Derting (Coming Nov 2011)
PRIZED by Caragh O'Brien (Coming Nov 2011)
THE FOX INHERITANCE by Mary E. Pearson
WHEN SHE WOKE by Hillary Jordan (Coming Oct 2011)
INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows (Coming Jan 2012)

Miss something? Check out my weekly recaps!

Click for a recap of week one!
Click for a recap of week two!
Click for a recap of week three!
Click for a recap of week four!

Here's a quick recap of week 5:

Veronica Rossi previews UNDER THE NEVER SKY(HarperCollins/January 3, 2012)

Lenore Appelhans previews LEVEL TWO (Simon & Schuster BFYR/Fall 2012)

Review of WHEN SHE WOKE by Hillary Jordan (4 Zombie Chickens/Highly Recommended)

Review of INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows (4 Zombie Chickens/Highly Recommended)

Preview of 2012 Dystopian Sequels

WINNERS!

ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons 
Erin L from GA

Mary Pearson prize pack incl. JENNA FOX & FOX INHERITANCE
Kelly R from NS, Canada

CROSSED by Ally Condie
Christina S from PA
Justine W from MA
Mallorie C from MI
Kara M from SC
Susan O from GA

A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis
Stephanie A from WA
Donna S from MO
Leigh Ann K from OH
Allyson A from FL
Deborah K from VA

WHEN SHE WOKE by Hillary Jordan
Kristi S from CA
Dianne M from FL
Andi M from TX

ESCAPE FROM FURNACE series 1-3
Tiffany D from NH

UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi
Mary M from CA

Simon & Schuster Prize Packs incl. 7 books!
Christina of Reader of Fictions

Congrats to all!

Additional resources
Can't get enough dystopian? Check out these other resources:

Is it a dystopia? Fun flow chart at Author Erin Bowman's blog

Author Robison Wells (VARIANT) dystopia blog series

Join the dystopian challenge at Books Ahoy (Running until June 2012)

A brand new blog: The Intergalactic Academy - focusing on YA sci-fi including dystopian

Recap of Dystopian Domination blog event (May 2011) at Amaterasu Reads

Brave New Words - 2012 sci-fi/dystopian debut author group blog

The League of Extraordinary Writers - 2011 sci-fi/dystopian debut author group blog

Redecorating Middle Earth's ultimate list of YA dystopians of the past 50 years

Dystopian Divas blog

Dystopian Desserts blog

Know of any others? Let me know in the comments!

The Future of Dystopian August

Many readers have asked if I will continue my dystopian theme months in February and August.  As of right now, Dystopian February is still on, but I'll have to see where I am writing-wise when the time comes.  I have a ton of dystopian reads I didn't get to this month, so I may even have week-long reprises throughout the year.  Let's see.  I'd also love it of course if you let me know what features you enjoyed and would like to see again.  Thank you to everyone who made this month such a success, especially my author guests, Michelle of Galleysmith for our entertaining book discussions - and everyone who linked up their reviews, posted about DA on your blogs, tweeted, commented and cheered.

Long live the Zombie Chicken!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Or maybe not ...

So I had planned on reading and reviewing at least three more books this week (you should see my still-to-be-read dystopian pile - it's epic!) but ... it turns out I didn't have as much reading time as I had hoped.  I'm heading to the US next week and there's so much I need to accomplish beforehand.

BUT - you still have until the end of today to add your review links for a chance to win one of the two big prize packs.  And there's still a bunch of open contests to enter last minute.

I'll be back tomorrow with the wrap-up.  I'm sad to see Dystopian August end, how about you?

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Upcoming Dystopia + Index of Dystopian Preview Author Interviews

There are so many exciting books coming out in 2012/13 and during Dystopian August 2011, we got a sneak peek of 29 of them via preview interviews with their authors.  Just check out this list (click on book name to read preview)!  This is a post you'll want to bookmark for future reference - at the end of this post, I also added Publisher's Marketplace announcements for upcoming books not included in the interview series.

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS

Veronica Rossi previews UNDER THE NEVER SKY (HarperCollins/January 3, 2012)

Megan Crewe previews THE WAY WE FALL (Hyperion/Jan 2012)

Jodi Meadows previews INCARNATE (HarperCollins/January 31, 2012)

Julianna Baggott previews PURE (Grand Central Publishing/Hachette/Feb 8, 2012)

Kristen Simmons previews ARTICLE 5 (Tor/February 14, 2012)

Susanne Winnacker previews THE OTHER LIFE (Usborne/Feb 2012 & Marshall Cavendish/May 2012)

Lissa Price previews STARTERS (Random House/March 13, 2012)

Kate Messner previews EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/March 2012)

Leah Bobet previews ABOVE (Scholastic/April 2012)

Jennifer Bosworth previews STRUCK (FSG/Spring 2012)

John Claude Bemis previews THE PRINCE WHO FELL FROM THE SKY (Random House/Spring 2012)

Heather Anastasiu previews GLITCH (St Martins/Spring 2012)

Jay Kristoff previews STORMDANCER (St. Martins Press/US Tor/UK Spring 2012)

Alexandra Bracken previews BLACK IS THE COLOR (Hyperion/June 2012)

Diana Peterfreund previews FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS (Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins/Summer 2012)

Kiera Cass previews THE SELECTION (HarperCollins/Summer 2012)

Demitria Lunetta previews IN THE AFTER (HarperTeen/Summer 2012)

Lenore Appelhans previews LEVEL TWO (Simon & Schuster BFYR/Fall 2012)

Antony John previews ELEMENTALS (Penguin/Fall 2012)

Bethany Griffin previews MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (HarperCollins/2012)

CJ Redwine previews DEFIANCE (HarperCollins/2012)

Catherine Knutsson previews SHADOWS CAST BY STARS (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster/2012)

Kassy Taylor previews ASHES OF TWILIGHT (St. Martins Press/2012)

Sarah Crossan previews BREATHE (HarperCollins/2012)

JA Souders previews RENEGADE (Tor/2012)

Claire Merle previews THE GLIMPSE (Faber & Faber UK/2012)

Suzanne Young previews THE PROGRAM (Simon & Schuster/2013)

Erin Bowman previews THE LAICOS PROJECT (HarperCollins/2013)

Jordana Frankel previews THE WARD (HarperCollins/2013)

OTHER UPCOMING NOVELS

Peter Lerangis's PERFECT, in which a boy is rescued by a rogue gang and joins a battle against agents of a world society where population is out of control and resources are dwindling; the only hope is a cure to the ultimate plague - human perfection. Egmont/Spring 2012

S.D. Crockett’s AFTER THE SNOW, in which a boy born into a world where the oceans have stopped working and is thus covered in ice and snow must leave the wilderness to search for his missing family. Feiwel and Friends/March 2012



Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan's THE YOUNG COUNTRY, a post-apocalyptic Western set in the near future, where disease and pollution dictate that no one lives past their teens. HarperCollins

C. Alexander London's debut PROXY, about two boys from opposite ends of a society where the poor are paid to take punishments for the rich, and the conspiracy which engulfs them both. Penguin

DARK LIFE author Kat Falls's THE FETCH, a dystopian romance trilogy set in a future where the U.S. has been divided by a wall separating the civilized West from the disease-ravaged East - now called the Savage Zone - in which a 16-year-old must leave everyone she loves behind to enter the frightening Savage Zone, where she meets a mysterious boy who's not all that he seems to be. Scholastic/Fall 2012

Sara Grant's HALF LIVES, a dystopian chronicle of the journeys of two unlikely heroes in their race against time to save future generations. Little Brown/Fall 2012

Chris Howard's debut THE TREE CATCHER, a smart futuristic Huck Finn about a teen who builds trees out of scrap metal for rich patrons until a mysterious girl shows him a polaroid of the legendary last trees on earth, and he sets out in a deadly race against time to find them in this upside down old-west, post-apocalyptic, gypsy-rasta world of killers, pirates, poachers, and opportunists.

Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam's ELUSION, pitched as an "Inception"-type futuristic thriller series about three teenagers attempting to solve a mystery with serious personal stakes that leads them inside an alternate reality game that transports users to dangerously seductive Utopian world, and ETHERWORLD.

Josin L. McQuein's debut ARCLIGHT, a science fiction/dystiopian thriller, where a parasitic race is driving humanity to the point of extinction, and no one who leaves the last safe enclave ever returns until one teenage girl, a stranger, stumbles out of the Dark. HarperCollins

Bethany Pinnell's STUNG, in which government attempts to save endangered bees by genetic modification causes their sting to induce deadly, flu-like symptoms in humans, and a vaccine created in response changes children into ferocious, killer beasts; the uninfected have built a wall to keep the beasts out, and a girl has awakened on the wrong side.

Karen Thompson’s Walker’s THE AGE OF MIRACLES, in which a girl comes of age during a geological disaster after a massive earthquake knocks Earth off its axis, slowing the passage of time. 2012