Last Stop on the HAUNTED Blog Tour

Today I'm hanging out at Once Upon a Twilight for an author interview.

So stop on by!

And in a separate post, I have a huge surprise today!

(Okay, maybe it's not that surprising. But it's pretty and very exciting. You will love it. I promise.) So check it. Or possibly you already have!

My huge thanks to Katie at Mundie Moms for organizing the HAUNTED Blog Tour and to all the bloggers who hosted stops for the past couple weeks.

And of course to the team at Sourcebooks Fire - my editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, production team Kelly Barrales Saylor and Kristin Zelazko and intrepid publicity gurus Derry Wilkens and Kay Mitchell. They support me in everything I do and the DREAMING ANASTASIA series who not exist without them.

If you enjoyed this tour, make sure to tweet that to all these fine folks!! Just add @sourcebooksfire to tour tweets and they'll all know!

If it's Tuesday it's time for a HAUNTED excerpt

Tuesday HAUNTED BLOG TOUR stop takes us to Christin's Portrait of a Book, with another excerpt from HAUNTED, this one from Ethan's point of view. After becoming mortal again in DREAMING ANASTASIA once Anne initially rescues Anastasia from Baba Yaga's hut, Ethan leaves at the end of that book. His life has not been his own for so very long, and despite his passionate feelings toward Anne, he heads back to Europe to brood. In his absence, in that interesting space that exists between books, Anne has acquired Ben - her very normal, very sweet lifeguard boyfriend. Anne wants normal soooo badly. Saving Anastasia did not go well. People died; others were hurt; Anne is something else now - something powerful and different. And she wants no part of it. Easier to make up with Ben.

Only then in the beginning of HAUNTED, Ethan returns. Tall, dark, brooding hottie walks back in Anne's life and sparks the craziness to begin again. Of course, it's already begun. The mysterious rusalka's already been haunting Anne. And when Ethan arrives, everything ratchets up: the sexy pull of him; the feelings between them. And the danger. Lots of danger ahead. Suddenly the rusalka is luring normal Ben into the deep end. And Ethan is diving in to save him. And Anne's BFF Tess thinks it's all Ethan's fault.

The story races on from there.

Enjoy your excerpt today!

Get a copy of HAUNTED if you haven't read.

Tomorrow, last stop of the tour with an interview at Once Upon a Twilight.

And a BIG SURPRISE!!! that you won't want to miss.

Monday Musings

Today on the last leg of the HAUNTED BlOG TOUR, I'm visiting Page Turners with a guest post, talking about taking existing lore and turning into my own for the DREAMING ANASTASIA series.

This is something I love to talk about!

The DREAMING series uses not only the historical element of the Romanovs but also a blend of a number of Russian/slavic fairy tales and some Slavic folk art!

I'll be talking about these more during these coming months leading to the August release of ANASTASIA FOREVER. But for now, here are the elements that I made my own in this series and the order in which they've been introduced:

DREAMING ANASTASIA

• Baba Yaga the witch
• Russian lacquer boxes
• Russian matryoshka dolls

HAUNTED

• all of the above plus
• rusalki (malevolent slavic mermaids)

ANASTASIA FOREVER

• all of the above plus
• Koschei the Deathless, a very ancient Slavic story about a man who cannot be killed. It uses the soul jar trope, which I'll be talking about more soon. (Koschei, by the way, is actually hinted at in the very end of HAUNTED!)
• Faberge eggs

More soon. For now, stop by Page Turners and check out today's guest post.

Up tomorrow, another HAUNTED excerpt at Portrait of a Book. Wednesday, an interview at Once Upon a Twilight!

And also coming Wednesday, a super special surprise!!

Five for Friday

The HAUNTED Blog Tour heads to Mundie Moms today for an interview.

Tomorrow we'll be stopping by Girls in the Stacks for a review. Please stop by!

And don't forget the giveaway of two signed copies -- one HAUNTED and one DREAMING ANASTASIA over at Cari's Book Blog!

Thank you to everybody who has been part of this tour, to the Sourcebooks team that tweets and links, and to the wonderfulness of the authors, readers, bloggers who I talk to every day, whether in person or on line. My career has blossomed because of your generosity and support.

And now for the Friday Five!

1. Yes, I admit it. My world became a better place this week because Bethenny Ever After started up again. Yup. Bethenny, Jason, Brin, Julie, Cookie... my favorite not so guilty Bravo pleasure. B's honesty may be calculated, but I dig it.

2. Lyla the wonder dog is possibly learning to settle down. Possibly. Unless there's a squirrel. Or a cat. Or a garbage truck. Or the new washing machine. Or people.

3. It is almost time for the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. Each year we eat one really bad for you fried food that we purchase on the midway at a booth called Fried What? A few years ago, I consumed fried oreos, which I blogged about here. Last year it was fried ice-cream. This year I'm thinking twinkie, but I'll let you know.

4. I think I can let you see the cover of ANASTASIA FOREVER next week. I've actually started to see it here and there, but there may be a few tweaks still...

5. I have the best agent in the universe. Her name is Jen Rofe. And yesterday when I needed it, she made me watch this:

HAUNTED BLOG TOUR: Let's Read an Excerpt

Today Sarah's Books and Life is hosting the HAUNTED BLOG TOUR with an excerpt from Anne's first chapter in the book!

Like DREAMING ANASTASIA and like the forthcoming ANASTASIA FOREVER, HAUNTED has three narrative voices. In this second book, we see the story through Anne, Ethan and Baba Yaga the witch. You get a little glimpse of the witch through this excerpt from Anne's point of view, although Baba Yaga's own narration goes deeper into her backstory. Here we see Anne realizing that she can no longer hide from the destiny that set in motion when she met Ethan. Later, we'll see how and why Baba Yaga became what she is, a story that will continue into book 3. I loves me a good villain, but I like my villains in that gray areas: I want to know why they do what they do. And If I work up a bit of sympathy for them, that's all the better.

The rusalka is also introduced here -- this other Russian folkloric creature that's screwing with Anne's life and connected to her in ways that will surprise all involved.

Somehow, with the DREAMING ANASTASIA series, I always knew it needed more than one point of view. And so even when I scribbled that long ago first draft, writing in between classes and on yellow legal pads until I could get back to my laptop, writing at football games and even once sitting in the paper gown waiting for a doctor's appointment because that was the only ten minutes I was going to have that day, I always saw these novels as both Anne's and Ethan's. Eventually, I realized that the magic three would extend to the narration as well and added a third different voice to each book. Anastasia in book 1. Baba Yaga in book 2. And upcoming, Viktor in book 3. Because the guy's found a way to get his immortality back. So I figured we needed to know what he was thinking...

Click above to read the excerpt.

Check out the HAUNTED trailer on Sarah's site or right here on my blog.

And enjoy!

Tomorrow, I'll be back at Mundie Moms with an interview.

And then Saturday, Girls in the Stacks is doing a review.

Fun thing, this HAVE YOU READ HAUNTED? BLOG TOUR!!

Tomorrow, I'm also talking about other stuff I've been doing: SCBWI Austin, last night's author event at Blue Willow where I got to finally meet Beth Revis!! Who was just as funny and delightful as everyone had said she'd be! And who was excited to meet me, too, which is always a rush.

DIAMOND IN THE DESERT

It's day three of the HAUNTED BLOG TOUR and I'm visiting Jen Bigheart's I Read Banned Books to talk about YA books that have influenced me. And in case you missed it during my Texas Bloggers are Rockstars series, Jen has also reposted - with extra pics!-- my interview with her and Stephanie Pellegrin highlighting not only their awesomeness but also how they almost got trampled/broke a leg running at TLA to meet Suzanne Collins.

Once again, thank you to Mundie Moms for organizing the HAUNTED tour as we count down to August and ANASTASIA FOREVER! (By the way, Mundie Moms is today's stop on the blog tour of another Sourcebooks Fire paranormal, the forthcoming EMBRACE, by Aussie Jessica Shirvington)

Tomorrow you'll get to read an excerpt from HAUNTED on Sarah's Books and Life!

And now I would like to introduce my guest for today, author Kathryn Fitzmaurice, whose first novel, THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY, debuted in '09 and simply blew everyone away with its wonderful, lyrical beauty! In full disclosure, Kathryn and I are agent sisters, both being represented by the fab Jen Rofe of ABLA. But I really got to know her as part of the Class of 2k9, and we've stayed friends since, watching out for each other in this crazy business.

Kathryn's new novel has been garnering amazing reviews already. It is called DIAMOND IN THE DESERT. Here's a quick summary:

For Tetsu, baseball is so much more than just a game

On December 6, 1941, Tetsu is a twelve-year-old California boy who loves baseball. On December 7, 1941, everything changes. The bombing of Pearl Harbor means Tetsu's Japanese-American family will be relocated to an internment camp.

Gila River camp isn't technically a prison, but with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no time frame for leaving, it might as well be. So when someone has the idea of building a baseball diamond and starting a team, Tetsu is overjoyed. But then his sister gets dangerously sick, forcing him to choose between his family and his love of the game. This is an impeccably researched, lyrical story about baseball, honor, and a turbulent period in U.S. history.

Kathryn stopped by today to chat about the story behind DIAMOND in the DESERT, which is based on real events that occurred during WWII. Here's what she had to say:

Every once in a while, a really great story comes your way. This one came to me by accident. I was visiting my oldest son’s middle school National History Day competition. One of the students there had built a model of the Zenimura baseball field as it stood outside Gila River, a Japanese internment camp. Her grandfather had played outfield for the team. I asked her if I could interview him. I thought I would write a short magazine article about him, but after the interview, I immediately contacted the other two players who were still alive so I could interview them, too. This began a two-year process in which I learned everything I could about the baseball team and Gila River. I’ll admit, I never thought I’d write a story about baseball or Gila River. I didn’t even know the baseball team had existed until the day I saw the model of the field.

But here’s the thing. After listening to the men, and hearing what they went through, I wrote the story because, against all odds, in a time of turmoil in our nation, this team of young boys was able to come together and beat the Tucson High School state champs in a nail-biting extra innings game that was so incredibly remarkable, it gave a sense of hope to the other residents of the camp. It gave a sense of what is possible, if we try.

I spent many months in the Pacific Archives building of the Laguna Niguel branch, reading through all three and a half years of the Gila News Courier on microfiche, the newspaper that was published at the camp. I interviewed the men over a period of two years. After each draft of the story, I sent it to the pitcher, Mr. Tetsuo Furukawa, so he could read it to make sure I got it right. And then, I asked my son’s former baseball coach to read the book, so he could check my baseball facts, and the baseball scenes of each game. I am so very grateful for the support and help I received while writing this book.

Moreover, I would say A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT is a story of hope and courage, which happens to take place in an internment camp. It’s a story that helped me to see the good in people, and how with faith and determination, we can achieve what we want. It’s also a story about a dog, named Lefty (after Lefty O’Doul) who after he was given away (because the camp didn’t take dogs) found his way home and waited there for his owners to come back.

I hope you will enjoy the book. I am so happy to be able to share it with you.

Thanks for stopping by, Kathryn!

Check out Kathryn's website and blog.

Add DIAMOND IN THE DESERT to your GOODREADS !

HAUNTED Blog Tour Continues and other stuff

Thanks to the effervescent Maria Cari Soto for yesterday's interview and giveaway. If you still want to enter to win a copy of both DREAMING ANASTASIA and HAUNTED, then pop over to her blog!

Today Mundie Moms will be reviewing HAUNTED as stop two on the tour. Thank you to Katie!

And tomorrow, I'll be visiting Jen Bigheart's I Read Banned Books and talking about 5 YA books that have impacted me as a reader and a writer. Which ones would you choose?

So lots of fun this week and next!

Because there are three books in the DREAMING ANASTASIA series, HAUNTED will always be the middle child. DA was the miracle book: first book, first published work. ANASTASIA FOREVER, when it arrives in August, will be the finale. HAUNTED does the job of bridging those two and amping up the conflicts in Anne and Ethan's love story. Anne has tried to forget what happened the past fall. She has tried to forget Ethan even though she loves him. But then the rusalka arrives and Anne can't forget anymore.

Readers don't always categorize HAUNTED as a mermaid story, but in part that's exactly what it is. Rusalki (the Russian plural) are sad and malevolent creatures. They've met untimely deaths in or near a body of water and they are doomed to haunt watery locales, luring people-- men mostly-- to their doom. They are beautiful and tragic and can't be released from their rusalka curse until the blood of the person who caused their death is shed. And this rusalka, Lily, is connected very intimately to Anne.

So new questions arise: Who caused this rusalka's death? What does she want from Anne? How does she connect to Ethan and the Brotherhood and Baba Yaga the witch? The answers begin in HAUNTED and come to their conclusion in ANASTASIA FOREVER.

More than anything, Lily seems to want both release and revenge. She wants her story to end differently. And in this epic telling of so many stories (the Romanovs, Anne's family, Ethan's journey, Baba Yaga's tale, Viktor's desires...) Lily's story always feels the most tragic to me. Because underneath it all, she's a mother protecting a child. Or at least she was.

You'll have to read the book to get the rest.

I hope that you do!

And then you won't have long to wait for ANASTASIA FOREVER in a few months.

Exciting news coming on that soon, btw!

Have You Read HAUNTED Blog Tour begins Today!

Just back from Austin SCBWI conference, which I'll post about later in the week because today is day one of the HAUNTED blog tour, hosted by the fabulous Mundie Moms, with stops at many amazing Texas blogger sites!

ANASTASIA FOREVER is quickly approaching in August, so as I wrote on Friday, Katie of Mundie Moms and I decided it was time to put everyone back into the world of DREAMING ANASTASIA (book 1) and HAUNTED (book 2)

Of course you should check out the HAUNTED book trailer here on this blog.
Remind yourself how sexy awesome blue-eyed Ethan is!
And how brave and wonderful Anne is!
And get back into the spooky, sexy world of DREAMING ANASTASIA again... or for the first time. Baba Yaga. The rusalka. Tragic Anastasia Romanov. A star-crossed romance of epic proportions.

Or as I like to say, History doesn't tell us everything....

The tour begins today at Cari's Book Blog with an interview. We're dishing about HAUNTED and other good stuff.

Click on over the Mundie Mums for the full week's fun.

Tomorrow they'll be reviewing HAUNTED on stop 2!

THANK YOU!! to all the amazing Texas book bloggers who continue to support me and my books! You are all made of many pieces of awesome!

HAUNTED Blog Tour coming and other Good News

So things are heating up on the ANASTASIA FOREVER front. I have an exact release date-- 8/01/12!! ARC's are headed to production. The cover is being finalized. I've seen it now and it is TO DIE FOR!! You are all going to fall in big huge, slobbery love over this sexy, spooky cover. I want to show it to you right now. But, Editor Leah says I can't quite do that. And she's the boss. So hang in there. Soon, my pretties. Very soon.

Til then, something even more fantabulous!!

Katie of Mundie Moms and I and some of those fabulous Texas book bloggers that I've been raving about have partnered for a "Have You Read HAUNTED?" Blog Tour starting Monday 2/20. Because what better time to make sure everyone has read book 2 than when book 3 is almost here?

So just head on over to the Mundie Mom's website for the full deets.

And check out the HAUNTED book trailer that's right here on this blog.

Remind yourself how sexy awesome blue-eyed Ethan is!

And how brave and wonderful Anne is!

And get back into the spooky, sexy world of DREAMING ANASTASIA again... or for the first time. Baba Yaga. The rusalka. Tragic Anastasia Romanov. A star-crossed romance of epic proportions.

We start on Monday 2/20 at Cari's Book Blog with an interview with me!

Tuesday, 2/21 we'll head over to Mundie Moms for a review.

And onward from there.

I'll keep you posted each day.

And I'm so excited.

DREAMING ANASTASIA. HAUNTED. ANASTASIA FOREVER.

History never tells you everything....