Thursday, November 29, 2012

Twitter Fiction Festival-And Our Sasquatch Romance

Okay, so as usual, I'm late in announcing this awesome thing that's happening for the next five days. It's called the Twitter Fiction Festival.

But first, here's how it happened:

I get an email from Emmy Laybourne (author of MONUMENT 14), and she's all "Hey peaches! Do you have a minute for a phone chat? I kinda sorta entered us into the Twitter Fiction Festival to write that YA Sasquatch Romance you're always talking about. And...we kinda sorta got picked! So um, call me mkay?"

Yeah.

So.

I call her and begin with, "What have you done?"

When she explains the details to me, and tells me how fun it's going to be, and murmurs encouraging things in my ear, then I start to calm down.

So here's what it is. Emmy (@EmmyLaybourne) and I are going to be tweeting our YA Sasquatch Romance short story, MONSTER CRUSH, from each our Twitter profiles. There are a few ways you can keep up with us. Everyday, beginning yesterday (sorry!) we'll begin tweeting the story from 4 to 5 pm (EST). If you want to follow along during that time, you should follow BOTH our profiles, because it will be told alternating between us. You could also visit the Twitter Fiction Festival landing page during that time and see the flow from both our profiles in real time.

Each day, we'll be asking for suggestions for the next day's installment. Names, places, professions, etc to use in the story. If we pick your suggestion, you will get a prize! (Yay for prizes!)

Also, Emmy and I have decided to post the installments on our websites, in case you miss a day and need, just NEED, to know what happens.

And, I just realized a few days ago that this festival is an international thing. So ALL the countries can see our YA Sasquatch Romance. Someone hold me.

Winner Winner Sushi Dinner!

Mucho congratulations to the winners of my We Have a Trilogy giveaway! Here they are in no particular order:



1.) Alyssa Susanna

2.)  Jessica @ Just a Booklover

3.) Lisa @ The Young Adult Connection


Please email me your mailing address at byannabanks (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize(s).

Thanks to all who helped me share this exciting news!



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

We Have a Trilogy!

Guys.

GUYS.

I'm so excited I can barely type this, but *deep breath take another deep breath*--Feiwel and Friends wants a third book to continue the story of Galen and Emma! So here's how it's going down:

1.) OF POSEIDON (Spring 2012)
2.) OF TRITON (Spring 2013)
3.) OF Insert Clever Title Here (Spring 2014)



And if that wasn't cool enough, they've informed me that they're planning a special underwater photo shoot for the covers! AHHHHHH!  Now, if you're anything like me, you're imagining a gorgeous male model with Galen's abs right at the moment and your mouth is possibly hanging slightly ajar and your eyes are possibly glazed over with lust...*inappropriate squeal*

I mean, I thought OF TRITON would do it for them, that it would be epic enough, but they're all "Moar moar moar!" And yet, as much as I'd love to take credit for this, as flattered as I truly am, I know the real reason they're asking for a third book: YOU.

Yes, you, YA book blogger.

Yes, you, teen reader who picked up OF POSEIDON and loved it.

Yes, you, college student who used the Syrena world to escape hellish exams.

Yes, you, mom who secretly drooled over Galen while your children were napping (this is a non-judging zone).

Your excitement and enthusiasm made this happen. Thank you thank you thank you!

So, in appreciation of the MAJOR part you played in the release of this third book, I'm holding a giveaway. There are THREE chances (three=trilogy, get it?) to win a signed, personalized hardcover copy of OF POSEIDON, plus swag. The rules for the giveaway are easy peasy schmeazy:

To enter, you must:

1.) Become a follower of my blog.

                  AND

2.) Tweet a link to this post and include my Twitter handle @byannabanks in the tweet.


This giveaway ends at midnight on November 10th. Now run along, and confetti to you all!





Tuesday, August 28, 2012

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME POPCORN WITH THIS UPDATE?

Okay.  So.

I've kept a secret from you. My adult sci-fi romance, DEGREES OF WRONG, released today. It's by Anna Scarlett. Anna Scarlett is me. You can check it out here. If you liked the snark and romance of OF POSEIDON, and don't mind your characters in their 20s, you'll probably love DoW.
***END SHAMELESS SELF PROMO***

For those of you wondering, my YA publisher, Feiwel and Friends, requested that I use a pen name for any adult works, so that my adult identity and YA identity are distinguished from one another. What do you think about this, hmmm? I've been getting mixed responses on the subject.

Also, book tour is OVAH! And it was...supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. If you think you're nervous to meet an author, just know that we're nervous to meet you too. Unless of course, you're high on Benadryl, like I was the entire tour. Then you're not so nervous as you are obnoxious, insane, and...charming? Hopefully?

Along those lines, I apologize in advance to all of you who are attending Austin Teen Book Fest this year, because I will be there and there is a fantastic chance I will be misbehaving as usual.

For all my writer friends, here is a juicy tidbit of advice: YES the second novel is harder to write than the first. If writing the first was like giving birth, writing the second is like giving birth to a litter of adult porcupines. I'm in editing with Of Triton now, and thankfully, the edits are minimal. But. Holy. Crap. It was harder to write. I didn't want to turn it in. I was convinced it sucked. I pushed it until deadline, in fact.

Which leads me to this point for my writer friends: When you get published, you may not want to read your reviews. Sure, you won't be able to stop yourself when the ARCs come out. But for all the great ones, there WILL BE NEGATIVE ONES. Absurdly evil ones, even. You need to decide now if this will affect you as a writer. And if it will, don't read them.

Because it affected me. I didn't WANT to write the sequel. I was convinced I couldn't do anything right. I began to doubt myself as a writer, and I didn't exactly have the confidence to spare in the first place. I began to think that my getting an agent/book deal/book tour was a freaking fluke. Yes, a freaking one. No matter how much everyone else loved it, if I came across a negative review, it hit me hard for a long time.

Which is why, even after you land an agent and a book deal, you still need to prep yourself for rejection. A writer's life is full of it, no matter who you are. Get used to it.

And keep going!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

ROCK THE DROP 2012

It's that time of year again for Rock the Drop. In a nutshell, it's where a bunch of crazy people get together and give away books for FREE! No strings attached. Except, well, you have to be on the look out for these books. They could be anywhere. On the subway, on a park bench, on the sidewalk. ANYWHERE.

It's in suppport of Teen Lit Day, and you can read more about Readergirlz, who started this whole mess, here.

Anyhow, here are my Rock the Drop offerings:



I'll be posting pics on Twitter today when I place them.

Happy Rock the Drop! :)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

INTERNATIONAL Goodreads Giveaway

Just thought you should know that I'm giving away a signed ARC of OF POSEIDON on Goodreads, and it's open to international entries. If your country is not on the list, please let me know and I will add it. The giveaway ends April 15th, so run along and tell all your friends, family, neighbors, and frenemies.

May the odds be ever your favor, and stuff. :)

Monday, April 2, 2012

So...I'm Going on Tour!

Oh hecktotheyes! I'm going on book tour this summer with three fellow Macmillan (and undeniably awesome) YA authors: Jennifer Bosworth (STRUCK), Emmy Laybourne (MONUMENT 14), and Leah Bardugo (SHADOW & BONE). We shall be called FIERCE READS. Check out our Facebook page here, and be sure to like us, at least a little. :)

For a complete schedule of tour stops, check out the "Appearances" tab at the top of my blog.

Also, if you can make one of the stops, be sure to ask me "Boxers or briefs?" because I'm DYING to say, "Saran Wrap!" =D