Friday, April 30, 2010

Jekel Loves Hyde Winner!

First off, I am not really here. I am secret blogging from my office to get you this information. Shhh...

But I do have a winner to announce! I made a quick trip - a secret trip - to Random.org and it spit out the number 35. A good number in my opinion, but what does it really mean? Who is number 35?

Congratulations, Taylor from The Library Lurker!
You are number 35 and the proud winner of a signed, finished copy of Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey. I have e-mailed you and passed your information along to the ladies at Page Turners Blog
so they can mail your prize out to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

More Author Insight: Who's telling this story?

How do you decide what point-of-view (POV)
you want to tell a story in?


"That parts usually easy because my stories are mostly started with a character in mind. I've only written in first person, and with the character already set, I don't usually get too mixed up about it." - Suzanne Young, author of The Naughty List.



"I’m pretty much first-person these days, unless there’s a narrative reason it needs to be otherwise." - Jessica Leader, author of Nice and Mean.

"The main character is usually the first thing that comes to me, so there's the POV. (Although I'm still a big fan of using 3rd person over 1st, which gives a little flexibility for switching character focus.) I've experimented with having the narrative voice be a character itself, which was fun, but am *most* impressed by those who can juggle multiple POVs in their books. That completely boggles my mind!" - Dawn Metcalf, author of Skin & Bones.

"This is a hard question, because I think that, for me at least, it tends to be a natural part of the story’s development. It’s rare that I struggle to figure out what POV a story should be in. I love writing in first person because I think it brings and immediacy to the situation, and it’s often the case that a character’s voice will spring up fully-formed with I start writing. That said, I do try to consider what’s needed from a narrative standpoint. With Brightly Woven, I felt that it was important that the action be relayed to the reader from Syd directly, so they could learn about and experience her world as she did." - Alexandra Bracken, author of Brightly Woven.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Tension of Opposites Trailer

Kristina McBride's debut novel, The Tension of Opposites, releases in just four short weeks!

I'm sure you've already been enticed to read it by the book description and the haunting book cover, but now you can experience a beautiful book trailer for Kristina's novel that is sure to hook you. You'll also have to opportunity to win Tension of Opposites swag if you spread the word about this novel and it's amazing trailer.

Release Date: May 25, 2010
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 288
Description:
When Tessa's best friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa's life changes completely--she shies away from her other friends and stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact, and definitely different. Tessa's life is about to change again as she tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before Noelle--now Elle--was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to live her own life and put herself first.

*Description taken from Amazon.

Now for the book trailer...




CONTEST
US/Canada Only. Ends 5/5 at midnight EST.

Ten lucky readers will win Tension of Opposites post cards and bookmarks. They have the book cover image on them and are extremely cool. Trust me on that. You want them.

There are tons of ways you can enter this contest, but almost all of them involve spreading the word about The Tension of Opposites book trailer. Leave a comment below (with links please) tallying your entries.
Here's how you can rack up the entries.

+1 Blog follower
+1 Tweet aboutor link to the trailer (Up to +3)
+2 Follow Kristina on Twitter @McBrideKristina
+5 Post the trailer on your blog
(If you don't know how to do this, just click on the trailer above and, once you're on YouTube, steal them embed code for the Tension of Opposites trailer. Stick that code into your blog post and Voila!)
Thanks to everyone for spreading the word about this fantastic book!

Beyond the Page with Chelsea Campbell

Chelsea Campbell, author of The Rise of Renegade X, stopped by to by to talk about the thought that spurred her to write Damien's story, the world she created in Golden City, and whether she'd rather be a hero or a villain. Her debut novel releases next month and was optioned for a movie earlier this year. One lucky reader will win a signed copy of her book and three others will win RRX Swag.


Release Date: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 352

Description:
Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he's not a hero in any way, or else he's stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first.

To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad's "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city--despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights--thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she's his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.

About the author:
Chelsea Campbell grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot. And then rains some more. She finished her first novel when she was twelve, sent it out, and promptly got rejected. Since then she’s written many more novels, earned a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, become an obsessive knitter and fiber artist, and started a collection of glass grapes. Chelsea is a pop culture fangirl at heart and can often be found rewatching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, leveling up in World of Warcraft, or spending way too much time on Livejournal and Facebook.


By the Numbers

Time it took to write The Rise of Renegade X: 28 days. Though it took me a year and a half to find a publisher, and another year and a half for it to hit the shelves.

Number of revisions: Two. I added about 20k for an editor during the submission process, and then I added another 5k when I did edits with Egmont.

Final word count: 85K

Interview

Did Damien or the story of The Rise of Renegade X pop into your head first? How did it evolve from there?

 The idea that originally spawned the book was that I wanted to have a bad guy who had to save people, and as I played around with that and the idea evolved, I knew I had this supervillain kid, who I wanted to be scheming and funny, and this story where his life gets turned upside down after finding out his dad's a superhero. So I guess you could say they came together at the same time.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Check Your Shelf: BURNED


It's release day for Burned the seventh book in the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast!

Haven't seen much about it? (Not that I'd believe you if you said no.) Well, you're about to be schooled. You can take a look at the trailer, snag a song and even read the first chapter of
the latest installment in the series.

Burned House of Night P.C. & Kristin CastReleased: April 27, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 384
Description:
Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…

*Description from Amazon and Zeitghost Media.



The Book Trailer


Download the song HERE.

Read the first chapter of Burned HERE.


Author Insight: Who's telling this story?

How do you decide what point-of-view (POV) 
you want to tell a story in?



"The POV usually comes to me along with the story idea. When writing in multiple POVs, I sometimes make the decision to cut out POVs that don't seem to add anything to the story." - Leah Cypess, author of Mistwood.


"Whoever is the first character that comes to mind is usually the protagonist. In my current novel, I use three protagonists to share their individual POVs. First person comes very naturally in a teen voice and I have to admit I enjoy it more." - Alexandra Diaz, author of Of All the Stupid Things.


"Ethan's voice came to us early on in Beautiful Creatures. We knew we wanted to write from a boy's POV, and when Ethan started to tell his story, it was in first person. I think you have to decide the POV based on the story, and the voice that will be telling it." - Kami Garcia, co-author of Beautiful Creatures.


"I am a very character-driven writer, so typically the characters start speaking to me and drive me to start thinking about their stories. For most of my novels—both published and unpublished—that has meant that I write in the 1st person. Although for some reason when I write middle-grade fiction I tend to write in the 3rd person. I’m not sure why—I think it’s because all of the middle-grade I love is written in the 3rd person." - Lauren Oliver, author of Before I Fall.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Brain Food: Oreo Brownies

Ask an author, blogger or most any sane person on earth what food cures all ills and
they'll all give you the same answer: Chocolate.

If they don't say chocolate they'll probably say something sweet. Cake, cookies, ice cream, candy...
It doesn't really matter. It's all brain food that fuels the fire and keeps you going at
all hours of the day and night.

That's what I needed tonight, so I decided to make ooey gooey delicious Oreo Brownies and share the recipe with  my readers. And as a bonus, I'll even show you how to make them. So let's get started....

Here's what you'll need:
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 double stuff oreos, crushed
  • 3/4 cup flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dump the oil, butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk it all together until it looks like a goopy yolk colored mess. (I promise it will get better. Then add the cocoa powder, and do it in small bits or you'll wind up with a cloud of cocoa flying around your kitchen. You can see these steps below.

3. Add the flour and salt and keep stirring. Now, you should have a chocolately mess.

4. Find your package of Oreos and a plastic bag big enough for about 6 or 7 cookies. (Yes, you can eat one or ten during this step. I won't tell.) Once the cookies are in the bag, CRUSH! Large pieces of cookie and cream are good, so don't go too crazy. When you're finished mix the pieces into the batter.

                                                              
 

5. Grease an 8x8 square pan. Pour the batter into it and place it into the oven. Bake for 30 mins or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Note: Clean here is a relative term as these brownies are gooey.

6. Let them cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Yes, I'm serious. These are full of delicious, chocolately goodness, but they will be less delicious if you cut them to early and the brownie falls apart and plops on the floor of your kitchen. Do yourself a favor and wait.

7. As a friend of mine says, eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner until they are all gone.



Hopefully you enjoy these as much as I do. They are the perfect palette pleaser for chocolate lovers. The Oreos add texture and a little taste of vanilla, but if you're not an Oreo fan you can use 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Happy baking!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

In My Mailbox (1)

*In My Mailbox is meem created by Kristi at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

I'm starting In My Mailbox this week because I got a small mountain of books - some for review, some were prizes, some were gifts and some I bought (because I don't have enough books). I decided to tackle it in a vlog because I made a pact with Nicole at Word For Teens to do one and figured this was an easy way to kill two birds with one stone. (It's a ridiculously bad video thanks to a poorly lit office and a dying camera. And I look stupid to boot! Yay!)

Click the link below to see my sorry video...

Friday, April 23, 2010

More Author Insight: Pantsers vs. Planners

As a writer, are you a pantser, a planner or some
combination of the two?


"I'm a pantser. But I say that with a caveat. If, by 20,000 words into a book, I have no idea what the end is, the book will never get finished. I also tend to throw away around 30,000 words' worth of beginnings before I get to the actual beginning. I get to know the world and the characters in those failed openers, so it's probably a lot like outlining, only the really hard way." - Saundra Mitchell, author of Shadowed Summer.


"During the first draft, I ramble all over the place. I often use a very sketchy outline to give me a sense of where I’m going and where I think I’ll end up, but I don’t use a serious, detailed outline until I’m revising." - Jennifer Hubbard, author of The Secret Year.


"I have no idea. I used to think I knew, but right now I feel like I don't have a process. It's different with every book. Except for the general flailing that seems to happen when I first start. FLAIL. (I'm a flailer.)" - Tessa Gratton, author of Blood Magic.


"A combination of the two... I outline, and then the outline changes quite a bit as I draft." - Lisa Mantchev, author of the Theater Illuminata series.


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Jekel Loves Hyde Blog Tour & Contest


From the moment I heard someone mention the title Jekel Loves Hyde, I was intrigued. I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this book and even more so when I was asked to participate in a blog tour featuring it. I will be posting a review soon, but for now you can visit author Beth Fantaskey's website, read the prologue, and learn more about the novel by keeping up with the blog tour. The schedule is listed below.

    About the book

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules—especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she’s tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.

To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything—even Tristen’s love—just for the thrill of being . . . bad.

Pre-order your copy of Jekel Loves Hyde HERE.

Character Bio - Jason Messerschmidt

High school chemistry teacher Jason Messerschmidt can barely control his students when they aren’t literally monsters. When he becomes mixed up with a formula that creates real fiends, he’s totally in over his head. So what motivates him to keep meddling?

Interview with Beth Fantaskey

In both Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and Jekel Loves Hyde, the love grows between the two protagonists, it’s almost earned. What are your thoughts on love at first sight vs. earned love or a love that grows from friendship?

I like the idea of love that grows. To me, that’s the core element of romance. I think attraction can be immediate – but to genuinely love someone, it seems to me that you have to get to know their good points and their flaws. You have to learn how to take care of each other. I never thought of using the word “earned,” but I guess that’s how I do tend to feel about it. To me, a love that grows can be incredibly romantic.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Author Insight: Pantsers vs. Planners

As a writer, are you a pantser, a planner or some
combination of the two?



"I’m definitely a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pantser! :)" - Kim Derting, author of The Body Finder.


"I'm an outliner. I truly believe in the power of a good outline (if you've got a good structure, you've got a lot going for you), but pantsing has its moments. Usually when I'm starting a book or just hashing out an idea, I do a lot of prewriting. This is just me testing out the characters, having them say something to each other without thinking too hard about it, because it's going to be wrong. It's going to be oh so wrong and awful and not really sound like characters I want to have, at least in the beginning. But the more I do it, the more it solidifies who they are in my mind and how they really might speak to each other, once I start the book. These scenes never go anywhere, and they aren't meant to be part of the book. It's both a chance for me to practice working with new characters and ideas, and for me to test out the best ways to tell the story. Once I've got a good feel for things, then I start outlining." - Chelsea Campbell, author of Rise of Renegade X.



"I'm a combination of the two: write first, then plan, then revise, then plan, then revise .... I'm sure you see the pattern." - Swati Avashti, author of Split.


"Ha. You know I only heard the term “pantser” for the first time a few weeks ago? I used to be a pantser—but then again, I used to turn out 800 page novels with no plot. Now I rigorously outline my books before I begin seriously writing, so I can ensure that doesn’t happen. Although usually I do play around with the first few chapters without thinking too much about plot, just so I can get a sense of the characters, and the world of the book, and see whether it’s a story I want to pursue." - Lauren Oliver, author of Before I Fall.


Monday, April 19, 2010

Contest of Epic Proportions!!!

It's time to kickoff a HUGE contest that Sherry at Flipping Pages for All Ages and I have been secretly planning! I recently hit 250 blog followers and she hit 350 so today we're saying THANK YOU! 

And of course thank you in book blogger speak means free stuff and lots of it!
Stay tuned to see all the the great...


Guest Blogging for Jessica Leader

Hey guys and gals.

I'm not actually here today. Jessica Leader, author of Nice & Mean (coming in May from Simon & Schuster), asked me to guest blog for her while she is away on her honeymoon. I have no idea why she would want me anywhere near her beautiful blog, but I was totally flattered.

The series is called On the Scene with Nice & Mean and some wonderful authors and bloggers are participating. I bared my soul and discussed how people's cruelty and insensitivity about my birth defect almost caused me to stop writing. Head on over and check out my post HERE!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

More Author Insight: Five Writing Essentials

What are five things that you always have on hand when writing, either physically or virtually?
(And another author has joined in the fun! Say hello to Alexandra Diaz.)



"Music that fits the book's mood, tea, twitter (for my reward every hour), a space heater in the winter, and my dog, Stormy, at my feet." - Lisa Schroeder, author of Chasing Brooklyn.


"My laptop, with the Word doc for my novel open, my iPod nearby playing music for inspiration, a cup of tea, quotes and inspiring images related to my story on my wall, and ideas and random words for my novel written on a piece of paper." - Steph Bowe, author of Girl Saves Boy.



"I always have to have a snack--Reese's Pieces, if possible. I also like to have coffee (Lots of it!) and a comfy spot to sit. My couch does nicely. More than things to have, there are things I can't have. Like twitter or email! It's so distracting." - Suzanne Young, author of The Naughty List.



"Pen and paper (because sometimes things don't translate into Word), munchies (healthy preferred, like raisins and pine nuts), the ability to shift positions or move around, good light, and a lot of enthusiasm!" - Alexandra Diaz, author of Of All the Stupid Things.


Rock the Book Drop!!!

Today is Operation Book Drop! What is that you might ask? Well, it's a very cool activity sponsored by ReaderGirlz in support of the charity boook drive they do every year. This year's drive will supply tribal school libraries. Read more about the effort HERE.

But what's your role in all this? It's super-simple. All you have to do to participate is grab a middle grade or YA novel (it doesn't have to be, but one can hope) and leave a note in it to the person who finds it. Tell them its theirs and that you're supporting the The Book Drop (TBD). Then leave your house or work on errands or specifically for the drop and leave you book, note tucked inside, in a public place for some lucky person to find.

I'll be taking part as soon as I get out of work today, but authors, bloggers, and book lovers everywhere are already participating!


Andrea Cremer (Nightshade) dropped a copy of Paper Towns in the cereal aisle.



Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures) stopped for caffeine and rocked the drop at a Starbucks.



Some lucky coffee drinker will find a copy of Forest of Hands and Teeth thanks to author Carrie Ryan.

You can follow the topic on Twitter with the hash tag #operationtbd
Here's what some other folks are doing.

What are you waiting for? Pick a book!
ROCK THE DROP!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

BALLAD Winners: The Reprise

If you have a strange feeling of deja vu while reading this post that's because I posted winners for this contest three days ago. However, I have been forced to post again since one of the two winners didn't contact me.

But before I get to the winners, let me just say that this "not bothering to contact me about the books I am trying to give you" thing has to stop. I mean, are you entering these contests and deciding later that maybe you didn't need that signed book by a super-cool author after all? Of course you aren't!

I'm not trying to be a grumpy blogger here, but this is the second time in a matter of weeks that I've had to repick a winner for a contest all because that person either failed to contact me or failed to leave me an e-mail address so I can contact them. All I ask is that you leave an e-mail in your comment for the contest. Not in a comment for an old contest, not in your profile, not out on somewhere in Google-space, but where I can read it when I tally entries. Please? Pretty please, make giving away books easy for me.

Now, on to happier news! We have winners!

...again.



Victoria, you have been upgraded and are now the winner of a signed AND doodled BALLAD!
And the new winner of a second signed copy of BALLAD is Aik!

Hazaa! Victoria, I have your information and will mail your book today. Aik, I have emailed you. Please respond with your mailing address in 48 hours and I will send the book out shortly.

Congratulations ladies! Thanks to everyone who entered. I'll have some more contests up very soon.
Maybe I'll even post one tonight...

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Author Insight: Five Writing Essentials

What are five things that you always have on hand when writing, either physically or virtually?
(See if you can pick up on the subtle caffeination theme...)

"Well, there’s my computer, cuz, you know…I pretty much can’t write without it. There’s always music, either in my head or on the iPod. My characters, of course, who live in my head. (I know I sound nuts, and I’m pretty much okay with that.) And I seriously can’t think of anything else. I don’t need food, since I pretty much forget to eat when I’m writing." - Lisa Desrochers, author of Personal Demons.

"On hand, I need music, coffee, rainbow-flavored Nerds, and preferably some kind of background noise. Virtually, I always feel better when my crit partners, Maggie and Tessa, happen to be online because I know that if I get stuck on a scene or a plot-point, I can always ping one of them and we'll talk through the problem." - Brenna Yovanoff, author of The Replacement.


"Coffee, playlist, earbuds, computer, and a sense of play." - Swati Avasthi, author of Split.


"My blackberry (in case someone emails/calls while working. Lets me devote actual laptop to writing), gum, chocolate, tea, and an image - a scene or still frame I want to work on that day, so I have a starting point and don't end up on Twitter (which sometimes happens anyway)." - Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch.


Sunday, April 11, 2010

BALLAD Winners!!!

I've spent the last hour tallying contest entries and let me tell you, the response was overwhelming! Thanks to everyone who followed the blog, tweeted, or posted about teh contest. Honestly, I don't know if I'm thrilled or terrified to know that you all are following me and reading my deathless prose, but I'm glad to have you aboard, either way. :)

Now, on to the excitement...

Like I said, there was a great turnout for this one. A total of 94 people submitted 658 entries. Whoa! I'm just thankful I only had to tally entries and create a word document with a line for each person. Contest Winner Picker did the rest.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I decided to add a second signed Maggie Stiefvater book at the last minute. It's not doodled like the first one, but it is still awesome. So there will be a SECOND WINNER. *gasp*



Jeni, you are the winner of a signed, doodled copy of BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater!
And Victoria, you are the winner of the second book... Which is another signed copy of BALLAD!

Congratulations ladies! Victoria, I have e-mailed you. Jeni, unfortunately you didn't leave an e-mail address, so I couldn't send you a note. Both of you have 48 hours to respond with you mailing address, and I will get your winning out to you very soon.

Thanks again to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for the rest of the Author Insight Series and more great contests...

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Uncovered: CRESCENDO

The cover art for CRESCENDO, the sequel to Becca Fitzpatrick's HUSH, HUSH, is finally here! I think the cover art for the book has probably gotten as much hype as the book itself and deservedly so if you want my opinion.

There are very few occasions where a sequel surpasses the original, and, for me, this cover falls into that category. HUSH, HUSH was a great cover, no bones about it. But this.... With the rain and the lightening andher looking off into the distance. I'm sold on it.

What's your opinion? Leave a comment and let me know!


Coming November 16, 2010 from Simon & Schuster .

Friday, April 9, 2010

More Author Insight: The Decision to Write

Did you always know you would write a novel? Why did you finally decide to write one and when?

"I always thought that I’d be a writer—at least since third grade. That was the year I discovered Roald Dahl, and the year my teacher asked us to write short stories about the planets, friendship, and guinea pigs. I built up the courage to try writing novel during my first year of college. While that one will never see the light of day, I’m glad I sat down to write the second one (Brightly Woven)." - Alexandra Bracken, author of Brightly Woven.


"No - but I always wanted to be a writer. I wrote my first novel about 25 years ago, and it sits (forever) in my files. The title was A Circle of Friends - used since, I believe!" - Janet Fox, author of Faithful.


"I always suspected I could write a novel but didn't know for sure until I finished the first one (I can't even remember the title!) in 2005. I started it to prove I could and finished it because once I'd started writing, I knew I'd never be able to live without it again." - Michelle Zink, author of Prophecy of Sisters.



"For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be writer except for a short time when I was five and I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I pretty sure that was only because I was so proud that I could spell it. So, yes, I have always wanted to be a writer and I knew that someday I would finally write a novel. Less than two years ago, when I was fifteen years old, I wrote The Fire Stone, the first of a five-book, middle-grade fantasy series called The Reign of the Elements. I wrote the next two books in the series, The Water Stone and The Wind Stone also while I was fifteen. While I was sixteen I wrote the last two books in the series, The Immortality Scroll and The Final Alliance, as well as the first two books of a YA urban fantasy trilogy. I am currently writing the third book of the trilogy. Once I got going, I couldn’t stop!" - Riley Carney, author of The Fire Stone.