Gail Carriger has a new series – a four part YA series – called Espionage and Etiquette.

Official announcement:  “NYT bestselling author Gail Carriger’s debut YA historical fantasy series ESPIONAGE AND ETIQUETTE was pre-empted by Little, Brown Children’s in a major 4-book deal” . . .

Gail says: “The Finishing School Series is set in the same world as The Parasol Protectorate series, only 25 years earlier, and features a finishing academy located in a giant caterpillar-like dirigible floating over Dartmoor in which young ladies are taught to . . . finish . . . everything . . . and everyone . . . as needed. There will be steampunk etiquette! There will be well-dressed espionage! There will be Victorian fake food. There will be flying mechanical sausage dogs named Bumbersnoot. I am excited. The first book will come out in 2012. And I am writing it . . . next.”

I am very excited to see what Gail Carriger will do with her steampunk world with younger characters. I love her style and humor in the Parasol Protectorate, but do not like the more “adult” sections, so I certainly am interested to see how she handles this next series!

Sarah Rees Brennan, authoress of the deeply brilliant and criminally underappreciated Demon’s Lexicon trilogy, has a new book deal:

Author of the Demon’s Lexicon Series Sarah Rees Brennan’s YA gothic romance trilogy beginning with LISTEN FOR A WHISPER, about a budding journalist who investigates when she realizes the town she has lived in all her life is hiding a multitude of secrets and a murderer, and the truth may lie with the ruling family who have just returned to the manor on the hill and in the whispers she hears in her head from a boy who may not be imaginary after all.

Sarah says:

I so wanted to write this book, and I was so worried people wouldn’t want it! For I do so many things in it that I love.

I get to be goofy, and I get unlikely partners fighting crime. I got to make up a beautiful country town in the Cotswolds, one of the prettiest parts of England, and use it as a setting for murder. I have your traditional Gothic heroine – you know, unexpectedly thrown into the gloomy manor with secrets caught in the cobwebs and insane family members swooping about – except he’s this scruffy pool hustler from San Francisco. I have a lady sleuth and the answer to what the townsfolk are doing while mad stuff happens in the manor: they’re sleuthing. I get to dissect the fact that being in someone else’s head would be truly terrifying and deeply uncomfortable.

I have, in other words, too much fun.

And does that sound fantastic? So, so very excited for this. Should be headed our way Autumn 2012.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

SOURCE

So that means that after Swift comes out in early 2012, readers in the UK and Ireland can look forward to a sequel to that book (tentatively entitled Nomad), and also a companion novel to my YA paranormal thriller Ultraviolet (tentatively entitled Quicksilver),  in 2013/14.

Jessica Day George has Tuesdays at the Castle coming out this October (and I love the cover!), and she is working on a “Super Secret Romanian Project” with no vampires.

Shannon Hale has a special hardcover edition of Forest Born coming out this fall and it is perfect! At last, matching covers can be achieved!

Scott Westerfield‘s Goliath cover has been released. The conclusion to the Leviathan trilogy is out this Fall.

Sherwood Smith has a number of projects in the works, including a number of e-book releases.

Jewelry for Book-lovers Who doesn’t want a pair? $16.50 – $19.

Book Handbags These beauties are made from books. And if you don’t want the pages inside to be neglected, she can rebind them for you. She also takes special orders. A bit pricy, but what a unique gift!

Reg. $41-49, Special Order $55.

Another purveyor of Book Handbags (Fairyopolis edition) $64.99

Handmade E-Book Reader covers (from Rick Riordan’s mother, no less!)

They fit Kindles, Nooks or iPads,  or they can be used as conventional notebooks. $25.

Amadora Designs UK

This jewelry-maker is based out of England so a little extra shipping, but so gorgeous and unique the pieces are worth it.

Votivo Candles

My all-time favorite candles

Berkshire Blankets

I love their throws, especially their Bunnysoft line.

Gardens of Whimsy

Lovely (albeit pricy) hair clips, headbands, pins, etc.

Still Life Gifts

Ornaments, nightlights and votive holders, earrings, necklaces and boomarks all made from real leaves. Lovely. $20 – $50.

Lesley Livingston’s Once Every Never Due out July 1, 2011

From Publisher’s Marketplace:

“Brigid Kemmerer’s ELEMENTAL, in which a girl becomes entangled with four brothers who control the elements and their battle with those who want them dead, to Alicia Condon at K Teen, in a three-book deal, at auction, by Tamar Rydzinski at the Laura Dail Literary Agency (World English).”

Check out her blog …

The second Kane Chronicles finally has a title and cover!

Here is the blurb on the official Disney website for Throne of Fire:

‘Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians. And now their most threatening enemy yet – the chaos snake Apophis – is rising. If they don’t prevent him from breaking free in a few days’ time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it’s a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?’ Coming May 3, 2011

False Princess by Eilis O’Neal

Egmont Books; Jan. 25, 2011

Possession by Elana Johnson

Simon Pulse ; Summer 2011

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Tor; Fall 2011

Warped by Maurissa Guibard

Delacorte Press; Jan. 11, 2011

Possum Summer by Jen K. Blom

Holiday House; Spring 2011

Flawless by Lara Chapman

Bloomsbury; May 10, 2011

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Atheneum; April 5, 2011

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Tor Books/ MacMillan; October 2011

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Scholastic; March 2011

Haven by Kristi Cook

Simon Pulse; Feb. 2011

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell (Fairytale Retelling 12 Dancing)

Harper Collins; 2011

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Harper Collins; May 3, 2011

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Flux; Feb. 2011

My Un-Fairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski

Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky; Fall 2011

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME from GOD IN THE DOCK by C. S. Lewis

Three things go by the name of Christmas. One is a religious festival. This is important and obligatory for Christians; but as it can be of no interest to anyone else, I shall naturally say no more about it here. The second (it has complex historical connections with the first, but we needn’t go into them) is a popular holiday, an occasion for merry-making and hospitality. If it were my business to have a ‘view’ on this, I should say that I much approve of merry-making. But what I approve of much more is everybody minding his own business. I see no reason why I should volunteer views as to how other people should spend their own money in their own leisure among their own friends. It is
highly probable that they want my advice on such matters as little as I want theirs. But the third thing called Christmas is unfortunately everyone’s business.

I mean of course the commercial racket. The interchange of presents was a very small ingredient in the older English festivity. Mr. Pickwick took a cod with him to Dingley Dell; the reformed Scrooge ordered a turkey for his clerk; lovers sent love gifts; toys and fruit were given to children. But the idea that not only all friends but even all acquaintances should give one another presents, or at least send one another cards, is quite modern and has been forced upon us by the shopkeepers. Neither of these circumstances is in itself a reason for condemning it. I condemn it on the following grounds.

1. It gives on the whole much more pain than pleasure. You have only to stay over Christmas with a family who seriously try to ‘keep’ it (in its third, or commercial, aspect) in order to see that the thing is a nightmare. Long before December 25th everyone is worn out — physically worn out by weeks of daily struggle in overcrowded shops, mentally worn out by the effort to remember all the right recipients and to think out suitable gifts for them. They are in no trim for merry-making; much less (if they should want to) to take part in a religious act. They look far more as if there had been a long illness in the house.

2. Most of it is involuntary. The modern rule is that anyone can force you to give him a present by sending you a quite unprovoked present of his own. It is almost a blackmail. Who has not heard the wail of despair, and indeed of resentment, when, at the last moment, just as everyone hoped that the nuisance was over for one more year, the unwanted gift from Mrs. Busy (whom we hardly remember) flops unwelcomed through the letter-box, and back to the dreadful shops one of us has to go?
3. Things are given as presents which no mortal every bought for himself — gaudy and useless gadgets, ‘novelties’ because no one was ever fool enough to make their like before. Have we really no better use for materials and for human skill and time than to spend them on all this rubbish?
4. The nuisance. For after all, during the racket we still have all our ordinary and necessary shopping to do, and the racket trebles the labour of it.

We are told that the whole dreary business must go on because it is good for trade. It is in fact merely one annual symptom of that lunatic condition of our country, and indeed of the world, in which everyone lives by persuading everyone else to buy things. I don’t know the way out. But can it really be my duty to buy and receive masses of junk every winter just to help the shopkeepers? If the worst comes to the worst I’d sooner give them money for nothing and write if off as a charity. For nothing? Why, better for nothing than for a nuisance.

Here are a few of the songs I discovered this winter.

Winter by Joshua Radin

Divano by Era

Comes and Goes by Greg Laswell

Eurydice by Sleepthief

R. L. LaFevers on Different Journeys for male/ female protagonists.

And again on Tropes vs. Resonance.

R. J. Anderson on Unreasonable Expectations, Part One and Part Two.

Ask the Elevensies, a weekly feature @ The Elevensies: 2011 Debuts that is such a great resource for aspiring authors and interested readers.

Book Deals and News

R. L. LaFevers’ new YA trilogy.

A “trio of YA romantic historical fantasies focusing on teen girl assassins in 15th century France–starting with DARK MERCY in spring 2012 and followed by DARK JUSTICE and DARK HOPE in spring 2013 and spring 2014–each focusing on a different assassin trained at a convent serving the god of death himself.

In Dark Mercy, scheduled for spring 2012, Ismae learns she was sired by the god of death, is trained as an assassin, and is sent to court as a spy, where she must choose between serving her dark god and opening her heart to love. Companion novels Dark Justice and Dark Hope, each focusing on a different assassin from the convent, will publish in spring 2013 and spring 2014.”

Sarah Beth Durst ~ YA Drink, Slay, Love.

Sarah Beth Durst’s DRINK, SLAY, LOVE, about a vampire girl who develops a conscience after she is stabbed through the heart by a unicorn’s horn, to Karen Wojtyla at Margaret K. McElderry Books, in a two-book deal, by Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger (world).

It will be released by Simon & Schuster in fall 2011, followed by an as-yet untitled second book in fall 2012.

Lesley Livingston ~ YA Trilogy

Jessica Regel, at Jean V. Naggar, sold North American rights to a supernatural YA trilogy by Lesley Livingston tentatively called STARLING. HarperTeen editor Laura Arnold acquired the books, which Regel said are reminiscent of The Bourne Identity and “blend Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythologies with paranormal elements.” In the series, warring powerful New York City crime families, all with ties to the supernatural, vie for control of the fate of mankind. Book one in the trilogy is scheduled for summer 2012.

Lena Coakley ~ The Witchlanders

“a haunting fantasy about a teen who discovers that his soul-brother is a boy from among his people’s gravest enemies, and that they must work together to overcome the bitter history that divides them to avert the imminent war between their lands, to Caitlyn Dlouhy at Atheneum, in a pre-empt, by Steven Malk at Writers House.”

Marissa Meyer ~ Fantasy/fairytale quartet/ Debut author 2011

Debut author Marissa Meyer’s four-book YA futuristic, fairy-tale inspired series, starting with CINDER, Cinderella is re-envisioned through teen heroine Cinder, part girl and part machine, who must piece together her mysterious past before she can fulfill her destiny and save the kingdom — and the rest of planet Earth — from an otherworldly enemy; as Cinder’s quest continues through the series, she finds allies loosely based Little Red Riding Hood (SCARLET), Rapunzel (CRESS), and Snow White (WINTER) — as they join forces to conquer evil and find their happily-ever-afters, to Jean Feiwel of Feiwel and Friends, in a major deal, for high six-figures, at auction, by Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

Diana Peterfreund ~ FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS

“a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, for publication in 2011.”

This is just a rambling, speculative mess that is reflections and surmises and not at all a proper review. Just so you know. Not that they ever are… Oh, yes, and chock full of spoilers, so beware if you have not yet read said book!

Demon’s Covenant, the second book in the Demon’s Lexicon Trilogy, did not disappoint. I knew going in that the point of view of the narrator was changing from Nick to Mae, which did not exactly excite me given that Mae was my least favorite thing about the first book. Quite the opposite. Yet it worked. Having Mae as the narrator gave me the opportunity to actually get acquainted with Mae and she is not so very awful. Now, we’ll never be friends exactly (and I honestly don’t want her to end up with either Ryves brother), but I can appreciate her character now. Mae also affords the reader a new perspective on Nick and Alan, as well as Jaimie. Still, I missed Nick’s POV and wondered what is he thinking about this situation or that character? And then I heard that Sin was to be the narrator for book three. Sin? “How can this work?” I asked. “Just trust in Sarah’s brilliancy – see what happened this time?” And next year I will be looking back and wondering why I ever imagined this could be an issue since it was clearly the best way to tell this portion of the story. But what I had really wanted was Alan’s POV. Which I realize was never very likely given that he is the master of surprises and plot twists, charming prevaricator that he is. Still, I would have loved it. I don’t suppose there is any possibility of a short story or behind-the-scene snippets from Alan’s perspective? Pretty, please? No? Maybe?

I love the depth of emotion conveyed. Sarah’s style of writing does not indulge in a surfeit of details. Sparse even at times. It is a very subtle thing, a lot of reading into what is not explicitly stated.

Nick is so much more than he believes he is. He does feel. He missed Alan. He cares about Mae, Jaimie, even Annabel. His father. He never has the words to express it, may not even really know how to define it, but it is there in his characterization. Whenever things get very emotional for him, Nick just lashes out or closes down to avoid the issue. Deep guilt over Alan’s injury and Daniel’s death. Also, Nick likes to use the word “stupid”, particularly about Alan, whenever he is feeling emotional or vulnerable.

I loved Daniel’s diary entries. I wish that we had just a few more, just a bit more insight into young Alan, Nick’s growth to humanity and Daniel himself. I would take a full length book, gladly!

Gerald is such a terrible, nasty person. Why is Jaimie even remotely interested in this manipulative, self-righteous git? Really, why? Jaimie seems to have caught on at long last, but I am very worried for him. Not only is he contending with Gerald, where Jaimie is still clearly compromised emotionally, but there is Celeste, Helena, etc. Oh, dear…

The definition of love was woefully inadequate and so flawed. I would like to see a real definition somewhere. I desperately would like to see Nick finally see and comprehend love. To see him demonstrate that. To see Alan’s joy in seeing Nick realize that.

Some favorite scenes:

When Nick tells Alan to betray him, just not to leave him? That was gold. I would gladly pay to have heard the conversation in the kitchen after Mae left.

“Nick.” Nick glanced over his shoulder. “In two worlds,” said Alan quietly, “there is nothing I love half as much as you.”

“Takes orders well, doesn’t he? Gerald observed. “They were made for it: They don’t know how to do anything else. Do you think that will keep you safe? All they know is obeying and betraying humans, crawling and then turning like worms. Pain and power is all they can give you. It’s all they are. He’ll turn against you in the end. Don’t you know that? Or is the power worth so much to you that you’ve let this treacherous, bloodthirsty thing loose on the world and you don’t even care what it will do?”

There was a blue of motion. Then the punch connected and Gerald went crashing onto the floor. He sprawled and hit his head against the washing machine. For a moment Mae was sure it had been Nick: The movement had looked like one of Nick’s, like something savage breaking its leash.

It wasn’t Nick. Nick was still at the far end of the kitchen, leaning against the wall.

Alan stood over Gerald’s crumpled body. He had gone white.

“Shut your mouth,” he said. “That’s my little brother you’re talking about.”

“Yes,” Alan told him, and Nick was suddenly, terribly silent. “Being your brother is dangerous,” He continued. “It was a risk I took, it was something I chose. I changed myself and the world to keep you. And you were worth it.”

“And if Gerald kills you,” Nick ground out. “If he does worse.”

“Then you were still worth it.”

“You are so stupid. I hate you sometimes. I hate you. And I don’t know how to save you!”

So, Nick is human now, in the sense that he is confined to a human body, must die its death and cannot/ will not return to the demon’s world? Also, Nick’s powers have been limited, though he clearly still has power over the weather, can do spells and enchant items and sundry other things. So, in what ways exactly was Nick limited or was it mostly the human life aspect? And why could he heal Alan, but not himself? And did he not heal Alan again because he could not or because Gerald would simply injure Alan again?

“Except there was no way to make Alan safe. Gerald could do whatever he wanted to him, anytime he liked, and Nick would have to watch.”

To what extent can Gerald control/ affect Alan? Physically, yes. Jump over a cliff, break a bone. Got it. How about emotionally? Can he make him say stuff? Feel a certain way?

What I want to know is who is helping/using Gerald? I find it too convenient that he suddenly invented those marks. Is it Anzu? “You care about humanity, traitor?” crooned Anzu at him (Nick), saying the word “traitor” as if it were an endearment. “I’ll have them all. And that precious brother of yours, I’ll have him first. I’ll eat his heart. I’ll make you watch. I swear.” Does this not have that foreshadowing feel to it? When you look back you know you should have felt it? It stuck with me…

Other Reviews:

YA Reads ~ The Demon’s Lexicons (Book One)

YA Reads ~ The Demon’s Covenant (Two)

Kat’s review of Book One

Linkage:

Sarah’s Guest Post @ The Book Smuggler’s Dec. 2009

Sarah’s Best Book Couples Ever @ her LJ January 2010

The Book Smuggler’s Review May 2010

Gal Novelty Review May 2010

LJ tkp Reaction Post May 2010

The Last Word Interview and Book Review June 2010

Inked Books Interview with Sarah July 2010

Smart Chicks Tour Post July 2010

Coldwater High eZine Q & A with SRB July 2010

Coldwater High eZine Part 2: Sarah answers readers’ questions July 2010

Guest Post @ The Book Smugglers on Why YA August 2010

Interview @ YA Reads September 25, 2010