Becca Fitzpatrick's Blog, page 3

Happy Sunday!

We are getting snow mania around here.  The boys are hoping school is canceled tomorrow...

I wanted to give you a heads-up that FallenArchangel and Mundie Moms are hosting a live chat with me on January 25 at 9PM EST.  It has been a while since I did a live chat , so I'm really looking forward to a laid back night talking with you, my readers.  These chats are always casual and fun, so if you've hesitated stopping by in the past, please come!  We'd love to have you.  The chat is open to everyone and usually lasts about 90 minutes, but you can come and go as you please.  Knowing me, I'll give away prizes and share a few never-before-told secrets. Mark your calendars and I'll see you on the 25th!

I've been meaning to write this post for a couple weeks now, but something always seems to come up, and as soon as I've remembered I need to write it, I've forgotten.  I was already in bed for the night, when I remembered once again that I needed to write this entry, so I hopped out of bed, figuring it was now or never.  And here I am :)

I've been incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of letters I've received from readers lately, and flattered by the number of people who pick up my books and feel compelled to write me.  It's always such a thrill to see what you guys think about the books, your speculations about what will happen to Patch and Nora next, and on hard days, your letters are what motivate me to dig deeper and write the best stories I possibly can.  Some letters make me smile, some make me laugh out loud.  A few have choked me up.  Some of your letters cheer me on, and some of your letters are very personal and make me feel as though we've been friends for a long time. 

 

I'm so grateful for your notes, whether they're hand-written, emailed, Tweeted, sent through Facebook, or comments left on this blog.  Sometimes it takes me weeks to read them, but I always do.  My only regret is that, right now, I don't have time to answer every single letter.  I take a few minutes every day to respond to as many as I can, but I always fall short.  I try to tell myself anything is better than nothing, but it doesn't always console me.  Which is why I've wanted to write this entry, hoping as many of you as possible will read it.  If I haven't answered your letter, it isn't because I haven't read it or don't want to respond.  Believe me, I do!  Sometimes at night when I can't sleep, I worry that someone out there is going to be offended because I haven't responded.  Which, as you can imagine, makes it very easy to drift back to sleep ;)

I know how very lucky I am to be an author and to have the chance to share my stories with readers all over the world.  I don't think a day has gone by since my first book was published that I haven't taken a moment to feel gratitude for where I am today.  I wish I could say I've been as diligent in saying thank you to all of you for making what I do possible.  I realize not every single person who's read and enjoyed my books will see this, but I still think it's important for me to express how appreciative I am of you.  Thank you for reading my books.  Thank you for supporting me in so many different ways.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog and leave a comment, commenting on my Facebook statuses, writing me letters and coming to my events, when possible.  It means so much to me, and even though I haven't been the best at expressing it, I promise you are never far from my thoughts.  You guys are truly wonderful, and it's an honor and a pleasure to write for you.  

 

Thank you again for being my fabulous, fabulous readers.

 

With love,

 

Becca

I'm today's surprise author for Book Club's 31 Days of Giveaways and here are your three questions!


Fill in the Blanks:

"Hark! How the _______

sweet silver_______

all seem to say

throw cares away.

Christmas is here

bringing good ______

To_____ and old

Meek and the bold."

 

This type of candy is only found during Christmas time. What candy am I referring to?

 
Not many people tend to like this seasonal dessert, maybe it's the bits of fruit inside it. What is this dessert?




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Yes, I have Christmas music playing in the background, so feel free to imagine me typing this post and belting out, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"  Off-key, of course. 

I'm working really hard to enjoy the holiday season this year, but I'm also doing the whole rear-end-in-chair thing.  I did quite a bit of touring this fall, which (for me, anyway!) means no writing.  I'm getting close to being halfway done with the rough draft of book 3 in the HUSH, HUSH series, and so much is happening.  Patch is opening up on some pretty dark secrets.  Scott is turning on the charm.  Nora is yelling at Hank Millar.  I'm having a little too much fun writing this book.  

Speaking of this book...it's no longer going to be called TEMPEST.  When I came up with the title, I thought it was original and very fitting.  Since that time, a lot has happened, including seeing early images of the book's cover.  I'm now going to be retitling the book.  I have a few ideas, and once I know anything for certain, I'll be sure to announce.  For now, I'll be referring to it as Book 3.  Which is really lame, yes, and will encourage me to come up with a new title fast!   

Facebook.  I finally got around to setting up an official author page, mainly because I didn't realize when I started my personal Facebook page that it would be limited to 5k friends.  I love chatting with friends and readers on my personal page, but it was a little frustrating that I didn't have one place where I could chat with everyone.  To (hopefully!) solve that, I've set up this page.  If you want to keep in touch with me on Facebook, please "like" it.  Thanks :)

Okay, now for the really big news.  Deep breath.  My editor is leaving Simon & Schuster.  When I received her call last week, it came as a huge shock.  Emily and I have worked together on this series for just over two years.  I owe her so much.  As much as HUSH, HUSH and CRESCENDO are my books, they are hers as well.  She gave so much input and guidance, and it's hard to imagine the stories being what they are today without her.  I am deeply going to miss her, but I'm also thrilled for what this means for her.  Good-byes are always hard, but they're a little easier to handle when you know only good things are in store.  I'll miss you, Emily!!  As of this week I'll be working with my new editor, Courtney Bongiolatti.  Courtney and I go way back, as she was one of the editors who helped out on HUSH, HUSH.  I could not have asked for a better editor, and I feel so lucky that she already knows my characters and stories so well.  All in all, this past week has been filled with highs and lows.  I've never been good at saying good-bye (or good with change of any kind, for that matter) but I feel confident everything is going to work out.  It always does.


-Becca

Leaving early tomorrow, so I'll make this short and sweet! Here is my upcoming tour schedule. If you're close to any of my events, I hope to see you there!

Thursday, November 11
6:30PM – 8:00PM
Poland Library
Poland, Ohio

Presentation, Q&A and book signing

 

 

Friday, November 12
9:00AM – 10:30AM
Austinland Library
Austinland, Ohio

Presentation, Q&A and book signing

Friday, November 12
12:30PM – 2:00PM
Poland Library
Poland, Ohio

Presentation, Q&A and book signing

 

Monday, November 15
7:00PM

            Presentation at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters,  1640 South Lindbergh Blvd.


           Tuesday, November 16
            7:00PM
            Anderson's Bookshop
            Naperville, Illinois

Wednesday, November 17
            4:00PM
            Lemuria Bookstore
            Jackson, Mississippi

Hey guys!

First off: Happy Birthday, Crescendo!  I can't believe it has been a year since Hush, Hush debuted...and now Patch and Nora's story is continuing in Crescendo!  What a life-changing year it has been.  Thank you for being part of it!  And thank you to everyone who has helped me reach this day - I appreciate you so much!

I'm flying to London in a couple hours (scream!) but before I go, I wanted to post a link to my UK Crescendo tour events.  Fallen Archangel has all of my public events listed on their website.  If you're in the area, come see me!  It's always fun meeting readers and fans - and if you follow me on Twitter, or we're friends on Facebook, or even if you just read this blog, please let me know!  I like putting names and faces together :)

Also, are you coming to the #Crescendo Twitter party on Thursday?  I hope so!  Lots of cool prizes up for grabs, plus the chance to talk about Hush, Hush...Crescendo...and Tempest!  I'm stealing the below details from @Galleysmith, who is hosting the party!

Join Crescendo author Becca Fitzpatrick and me, Michelle of Galleysmith for a Twitter party Thursday, October 21, between 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EST!

Be sure to follow Becca @becfitzpatrick and Michelle @galleysmith before the party!Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party!Watch for giveaways from @galleysmith and win awesome prizes including a new iPod nano, gift cards, jewelry and autographed books!To join the party, you can use a free service like TweetChat or TweetGrid or just search #Crescendo on Twitter.Ask Becca questions or chat with other partygoers—just use the tag #Crescendo in all of your party tweets!Please don’t post any spoilers and don’t forget to pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:00pm EST.

Sounds like fun right?  Be sure to mark your calendars and join Becca and I for a great party!

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Finally, I emailed the winner of the Big Ol' Crescendo contest this morning.  As soon as I hear from the winner, I'll post her name here.  Yes, her.  Sorry, guys, the winner is a girl!

-Becca

New suitcase with swivel wheels - check

Travel-size toothpaste - check

Sweaters for cooler temps - check

Dramamine - check

Why, yes, I'm getting ready to leave for some bookish events.  And I'm particularly excited about this trip, because I'm going to cross paths with some old friends, and I'll be eating at Burgerville for the very first time!  And if all goes well, I PROMISE to come back with pictures.  I keep getting yelled at for that...

Here's this week's lineup. 

Portland, Oregon signing
Where: Barnes & Noble - Clackamas Town Ctr. Mall
When: Tomorrow (October 7th)
Time: 7pm

Menlo Park, California signing
Where: Kepler's
When: Saturday, October 9
Time: 6pm

Worstock
Where: Portland, Oregon
When: Sunday, October 10
Time: All day (I present at 1pm, where I'll be talking about the story behind my books' covers, followed by a signing. I'm also on a supernatural panel at 4pm)

Denver, Colorado signing
Where: Tattered Cover
When: Monday, October 11
Time: 7pm

Also, it is my understanding that I'll be signing CRESCENDO at both the Kepler's event and the Tattered Cover event.  Meaning you'll have a chance to get your signed copy before the book comes out - yay!  But you may want to call the stores to confirm that.  See you there!

-Becca       

Oh my, look what came – finished copies of CRESCENDO! The cover is printed on the same iridescent paper as HUSH, HUSH and the varying shades of gray are stunning. Nora! In the rain! With symbolic lightning and a blood-red feather. I'm appreciating the cover more and more, especially up close with all the detail. Many thanks to James Porto, the photographer, and my design team at Simon & Schuster. I couldn't be more thrilled!  

 

And now for The Contest. I'm going to keep it simple and sweet. To enter, post the CRESCENDO book trailer on your blog, website, Facebook page, etc. and email me the link (becca at beccafitzpatrick dot com) with “CONTEST” in the subject line. That's it. If you posted the trailer before this contest announcement, that's cool too. Just email me the link. Contest ends October 18th at midnight, MST. One entry per person, please.  Open to all.  

 

Early on October 19th I will randomly select one winner. The winner will receive a signed, personalized and annotated copy of CRESCENDO, an audiobook of CRESCENDO and a signed HUSH, HUSH locker poster.

 

Good luck!!

-Becca

P.S. The music in the video is "Mighty to Save" by Don't Wake Aislin. Fallen Archangel will be doing a feature on the band in October, so stay tuned!

Just a heads-up that I'll be at the OC Children's Book Festival this Sunday, October 3rd, along with several other YA authors!  I've had a few questions about how the festival is going to work, so I'd encourage you to check out the festival's website.  It has maps, a list of attending authors, schedules - all that good stuff.  For your convenience, I've listed my presentation below.   

What: Reading from CRESCENDO
Where: The Young Adult and Teen Stage
When: 11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

*Following my reading, I'll be signing copies of HUSH, HUSH
 
The festival is FREE and has activities for preschool-aged children through teens.  See you there! 

Yes, you read that right - I'm doing a vlog tour with a V.  And believe me, videoing yourself is not EASY!  So this is where you guys cut me lots of slack and don't make too much fun of me.  Okay?  Okay.  I'm not going to reveal how many times I started taping...only to find out half of my head was cut out of the shot.  So, yeah.  Lots of slack would be majorly appreciated.  But at the same time, I hope you enjoy the vlogs and learn something about me and my books that you didn't know before!...