Just a quick word about the DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER Advanced Reading Copies.
1. I don't decide who gets them. I'm sorry. My wonderful publisher is kind enough to send me a dozen or so for close personal friends (and all of mine are already gone, I'm afraid.)
2. If you're going to be attending NCTE/ALAN or you know a teacher/librarian who will be attending, I'll be there signing ARCs during the conference so you should be able to pick up a plain one at the Hyperion/Disney Book Group booth any time or a signed one during my signing time (to be determined).
3. There will probably be ARCs at the other big industry conferences between now and June 9th (publication date). I'm afraid I don't have details right now, but keep an eye out!
4. ARCs are also sent out to reviewers and other industry movers and shakers.
5. If you are a reviewer and would like to request that Hyperion send you an ARC then there is now a special email address where you can write and make your interest known.
Please note the following:
--I will not be making these determinations. There are limited numbers of ARCs every year and there are far wiser people than I who decide how we use them.
--Please request an ARC only if you have a legitimate review following. (In other words, don't just SAY you're a reviewer to snag a copy. Because that would be sneaky. And wrong.)
--In your request, please include the following information (feel free to cut and paste):
* YOUR NAME
*YOUR BLOG/NEWSPAPER/ETC. NAME
*THE LOCATION OF YOUR BLOG/NEWSPAPER, ETC.
*APPROXIMATE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR REVIEWS (CIRCULATION, HITS, ETC.)
*THE MAILING ADDRESS WHERE THE ARC SHOULD BE SENT
*YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
*YOUR PHONE NUMBER
*ARE YOU A MINOR (YES, NO) AND IF SO WHAT IS YOUR AGE
Again, I'm afraid I can't promise ARCs to anyone, but if you're a reviewer and you'd like to be considered then please email the above information to AllyCarterARC@gmail.com.
And, most of all, THANK YOU for your interest in the Gallagher Girls! I have to say that having GG3 out in the world (even in ARC form) is pretty nerve wrecking, so I really, really hope all of you enjoy it!
-Ally
ps...Just to clarify, ARCs are printed by publishers for people who provide a service to the publishing industry (reviewers, buyers, leaders, etc.)
So unless you have a blog or other review source that the publicity department at my publisher can verify I'm afraid this offer isn't for you.
Also, I'm also very sorry that, in all likelihood, we won't have enough ARCs to go around. I have no idea what criteria the publicity department will use when deciding if a person will recieve an ARC. If I did I'd pass it on. But alas, I don't.
Last week one of my favorite writers, Sara Zarr, wrote a wonderful blog post about success as a writer--essentially that this business isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.
Do yourself a favor and go read it if you're thinking about a career in this business.
I've often thought that "success" is a relative thing--a moving target. And it's that way for everyone, I believe.
When most writers are first starting out all they want is to finish a book. Then all they want is to get an agent. Then a publishing deal. Then another. Then a bestseller. Then a movie deal...
Sorry I haven't blogged much in the past week and I must warn you this week won't be much better.
You see, my sister and brother-in-law are taking a long overdue vacation and I'm doing full-time Aunt Ally duty for my nieces (4 and 2).
And I'm starting to realize that scientists are wasting their time with fossil fuels and solar power. The key to sustainable energy is just bottling whatever it is 4 and 2-year-olds are made up!
Show of hands, did you watch the Rachel Zoe Project? Well, I did. And the reason this week has been fairly dramatic is because today I sort of lived it.
Let's back up a little, shall we?
A couple of weeks ago I got an amazing email telling me that the great folks behind the Scholastic Book Fair had asked to feature me and CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY on their promotional video that they send out to all of the schools hosting the fairs.
I was super excited.
Then I started doing some research and I watched a few of the current videos.
And I started freaking out!
They want to come here (picture me pointing at my filthy house) and film me (picture me pointing to my yoga pants with the bleach stains on them) doing this (picture me pointing to a computer...that's it...just a computer)!
Needless to say, these were not soothing thoughts.
So that was the beginning of what I like to call The Ally Carter Project in which I proceeded to annoy anyone who would listen about what I was going to wear, say and do.
Step 1. Drag sister shopping for non-bleach-stained clothes.
Step 2. Enlist help of sister's personal shopper.
Step 3. Go to the BIG mall (you know, the one I never go to because traffic is so bad)
Step 4. Hire someone to do hair and makeup because, let's face it, not everyone is born with the cosmetology gene and I have the kind of eyelashes that sometimes people look at me like "oh my gosh, that woman DOESN'T HAVE ANY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Step 5. Clean house.
Step 6. Go buy fresh flowers to place strategically around house to give the impression that I'm someone whose life is full of fresh flowers and NOT bleach-stained yoga pants.
See flowers. And Halloween candy. And camera stuff.
Step 7. Clean house again.
Step 8. Figure out how to make the light on the garage door opener work (not that this is relevant to the general storyline, but it happened during the time frame of The Ally Carter Project, and it was a big relief, so I'm mentioning it anyway).
Step 9. Scout locations that might possibly look like the Gallagher Academy so that we could perhaps do something fun with that.
Gallagher Academy Stand-In
Step 10. Start the "I don't think this is a good idea" email to publicist and agent at least a dozen times but never, ever send it.
Well, today was the day.
Suzy, hair and makeup goddess, arrived at 8:00 a.m. and told me I had nice skin. This was very good news since I spent 7:10-7:25 exfoliating.
She also did something fun with a straightening iron that I will not be able to duplicate ever--something about smoothing--but keeping--my natural curls? Anyway, I can't do it to save my life.
Then Larry, Jeff, and Shauna arrived with all the film stuff and we headed off to the University of Tulsa where we did some stuff that will either be totally awesome or sickeningly cheesy.
You know you're on The Ally Carter Project when someone holds a big reflector thing on you while you talk about spy gadgetry.
Really, I'm okay with either.
Then we came back here where we filmed a little bit of me talking about the books in my office that is never that clean, organized, or flower-filled.
Fresh flowers, wardrobe changes, and microphones... just another day at the office.
And then it was over. The Ally Carter Project was over.
And I went and put on my yoga pants.
--Ally
ps...I'm not sure when they'll have the finished version, but they've promised me a copy and I'll be sure to post it when it's up.
There's a lot going on in Allyville for the next couple of days. I'm not sure how much of it I can talk about, but I'll say that it's sort of stressful but the good kind of stressful.
Just join the Readergirlz Myspace Group and be there at 9:00 Eastern, 8:00 Central, etc. etc TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 15th.
There's really no telling what will happen. Seriously. I'm a little concerned that Maureen and Justina will figure out they're way cooler than me.
It's happened before.
Thing the third:
I am incredibly pleased to tell you all that I am keeping TWO of the pairs of walking/running shoes that I recently ordered because they both actually seem to fit.
I've been walking in both pairs for about a week now and I've been band-aid free that whole time.
It's a very big day.
For those of you who are interested, both of the winning pairs are by Mizuno.
Remember, I'll be there tomorrow night (Wednesday, October 15th) with the always hilarious Maureen Johnson and Justina Chen Headley, but in the meantime...meaning TONIGHT...you should definitely check out Verse Bites with Lorie Ann Grover, Stephanie Hemphill, and Lisa Ann Sandell.
And for those of you who missed it, you can go here and read the transcript from last night's Multicultural Bites chat.
So check it out!
Thing the second:
As some of you may remember, several months ago I blogged about one of my favorite books of the year, SOMETHING ROTTEN by Alan Gratz.
Well...the good news is that the sequel, SOMETHING WICKED is going to be out any day now.
And the REALLY good news is that SOMETHING ROTTEN--again, one of my favorite books of the past year--is now available for free.
Yes. Free.
As in you can read the book legally without the exchange of any cash/goods/services.
Free.
Not a chapter. Not an excerpt. A whole book.
All you have to do is go here. And start reading one of my favorite books of 2008.
And if it's one of your favorites too, by all means go check out the next book, SOMETHING WICKED. (I know I'm going to.)
Thing the third:
I've been debating the idea for a while now of hosting a book club for all of you where I would pick a book, we'd all read it, and then I'd arrange some sort of online forum in which we can chat about it (likely with the author).
Does this idea have any appeal? Please discuss in comments.
And since Something Rotten was the book I originally considered to be the kick-off book... And since it's FREE for all of you to read now... And since Alan is one heck of a nice guy... I'm betting that would probably be the book we'd start out with.
I realized over the weekend that it's been a year now since I was standing outside the ballroom of the Kansas City airport Marriott when my agent called to tell me that you guys had made CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY a New York Times bestseller.
So go check it out and if all possible you should sit in on tonight's chat with Coe Booth, An Na, and Mitali Perkins.
Thing the third:
If you like good books (which I do) and things that are scary (which I don't) I've been told you can do no better than Lauren Myracle's new book, BLISS (recommended for ages 14+).
Please note that I have not read BLISS. I will not read BLISS. Because I do not enjoy having nightmares and jumping out of my skin every time a tree limb blows against the house.
Seriously. When I was a kid Scooby Doo gave me nightmares--Scooby-freaking-Doo.
So I will NOT be reading BLISS.
And since I won't read it I think all of you non-scaredy cats should to make up for my complete scaredycatness.
For those of you who don't get the newsletter, I wanted to be sure and let you know that the first chapter of GG3...I mean DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER...will be included in the back of the paperback of CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY when it hits shelves in mid-December!
I will also say that the title of GG3 will have significantly more meaning once you've finished reading chapter 1.
And the title (as you'll see if you refer back to the original clues sheet and follow the clues) is...
June 9th will be here before we know it!
-Ally
ps...a few things about the picture:
1. this is a picture of an Advance Reading Copy of the new book. ARCs look sort of like paperbacks, but they're full of typos and aren't made quite as well and ARE NOT for sale in stores. They are, however, distributed to reviewers and other people who need a sneak peek at the book.
2. this is NOT the final cover image. It's temporary. Sometime in the coming months we will have a final cover and when that happens I will be sure to post it immediately.
3. I don't know what the final cover will look like, but I trust the amazing professionals at Hyperion to make those decisions. After all, they've already given me two of the best covers in history, so I'm just going to get out of their way and let them do their work.
4. Just because we have ARCs now doesn't mean we will be able to move up the publication date. Things are right on schedule right now, so I'm just thrilled to say books will be in stores on June 9th, but not before, I'm afraid.
I'm incredibly excited to announce that I have been invited to take part in Books with Bite, the Readergirlz celebration of Teen Reads Week.
Every night next week the Readergirlz will be hosting a live chat via their MySpace group, so mark your calendars and plan on chatting with some amazingly talented writers.
Multicultural Bites
Monday, October 13 Coe Booth An Na Mitali Perkins
Verse Bites
Tuesday, October 14 Lorie Ann Grover Stephanie Hemphill Lisa Ann Sandell
Fantasy Bites Thursday, October 16 Holly Black Dia Calhoun Ted Naifeh Tamora Pierce
Gothic Bites Friday, October 17 Holly Cupala Christopher Golden Annette Curtis Klause Mari Mancusi
I hope to see you all there at 9:00 eastern (8:00 central, etc. etc) next Wednesday night!
-Ally
ps...please note that is an online event only. In order to attend you must 1. have a Myspace account 2. join the Readergirlz group on Myspace 3. find the "chat" listed under the forums section 4. click and join in
My friend Vanessa and I went to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist this afternoon. I had read the book. She hadn't. We both laughed out loud. A lot.
Overall, I thought it was an incredibly well-done film. The screenplay was spot-on; the casting was perfect; and it had the great pacing that I loved about the book.
So for all of you who can go see PG-13 films, I highly recommend this one.
-Ally
ps...please note that the book too is recommended for ages 14 and up and is more mature in nature than the Gallagher Girl books.
I don't want to get too excited too quickly... After all, I've been close before only to have comfortable walking shoes turn tortuous in the blink of an eye.
But I THINK I might have two good shoe options!
After I posted last week I did some SERIOUS googling and found a few places where people mentioned some shoes that are good for people with narrow heels but regular feet (like me).
Then I went to zappos.com and order (I kid you not) almost a thousand dollars worth of shoes (I can return what doesn't work--which will be almost everything).
I've now walked at least a half mile in all of the different styles and I have narrowed the pool down to two contenders.
Next up will be a band-aid-free trial run for each.
There are SO MANY things on my mind, blog-wise, today that I'm just going to blog a little bit about them all.
1. thanks SO MUCH to all of you who have tackled the crossword puzzle. And big congratulations to those of you who have completed it. Awesome job.
2. I hope those of you who have discovered the title have liked the title. I must say, I think it fits the book really, really well.
3. I sent out a quick newsletter last night, so if you think you're signed up to receive newsletters--but you didn't get it--you might want to check your SPAM folder and/or re-sign up via my website and make sure you go through the "opt in" process.
4. I'm not going to talk about politics on the blog. I want to. But I'm not going to. Because I get too freaking wound up so I'm not even going to go there. (And I'm not approving political comments either, I'm afraid, because I really don't want this to turn into a battleground.)
6. Fall might be my favorite season.
7. I spent a good part of yesterday wishing that Tim Gunn would come clean out my closet and then take me shopping.
8. I'm super jealous of all the NY area YA writers who are all going to see NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST this afternoon together.
9. I'm going to try like crazy to see NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST sometime this weekend even though it won't be with my writer friends.
10. Have I mentioned lately that I really enjoyed the book NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST and I'm extremely excited about the movie?
11. Since when did "elite" become an insult? Or a bad thing? Or something that should be looked down upon?
Last I checked, elite was defined as "the choice or best of anything." But it seems today like it's the go-to insult when bashing someone for being "uppity" or "snobby". But uppity and snobby are not synonyms for elite. Not at all.
So for all of you teens and pre-teens who are reading this, I hope you'll know that being smart is not bad. Being accomplished is not bad. Being competent or experienced or knowledgeable or eloquent is not bad.
I hope that you will all go ahead and be the best at whatever it is you want to do and be--an elite teacher or chef or scientist or race car driver or farmer or parent or journalist.
The world needs more people who are "elite" and not fewer if you ask me.
Ally Carter is the author of the Gallagher Girls series. Book three, DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER, will be in stores on June 9, 2009. She could tell you more, but...well...you know...
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