Becca Fitzpatrick

We're leaving tomorrow for Boston (yay!) so I'm running around the house throwing stuff into the suitcase and pretending to get lots of work accomplished before I go.  I'm going to "try" not to do any work while I'm gone, and I'll get back to you on how well that goes!  

Pretty much my day has gone like this:

Eat a cupcake, do a little work.  Eat a cupcake, do a little work.  Eat a cupcake...




Anyway, since I probably won't be hopping back on here before I leave, I wanted to say HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!  To those of you who're celebrating: Have fun!  

Also...I have some super exciting news.  Sometimes I feel like I probably go a little overboard on announcing good news, but when I was struggling to get published, I stalked author blogs, living vicariously through them.  Hopefully I can pass on the favor.  

Now, without further ado, Barnes and Noble has selected Hush, Hush for their First Look book club!  This is especially cool because it's the first time they've picked a YA title for the book club.  I'm really hoping this gives YA more exposure and opens up the chance for many, many more YA books to be selected.  Go, YA!  Of course, I can't tell you how nervous I am.  I don't want to blow it!  :).  This is a tremendous opportunity - I'll get to converse directly with readers about Hush, Hush before it's published - and I'm already wondering what kinds of questions everyone will have and where the discussions will go, but I know one thing: This is my dream, and it's coming true a hundred times over.  Wow.  Just...too cool. 

I promise to post more details as things develop.  

Happy Fourth!

-Becca

It was SO HOT today.  I took the kids to the pool thinking I'd let them swim while I sketched a few notes on how to improve CRESCENDO before I send it off to my editor, but I came dangerously close to jumping in the water - clothes and all.  I LOVE these hot summer days.  Bring 'em on!  Of course, I might not be saying that later this week when we're in Boston for the Fourth of July!  But either way, I'm pretty excited because I imagine Boston will have a great fireworks display.  

So...what's everyone else doing for the Fourth?  

Wow.  It's been a crazy week!  Now that I'm home, I'm trying to catch up on everything I missed while I was gone, and I came across two very cool blog posts.  

YAreads discusses the cover for Hush, Hush here:  http://www.yareads.com/hush-hush-the-best-cover-this-year/blog-things-with-nikki-and-ivy/1447

And The Book Bind gives a sneak peek of their thoughts on the book here:  http://thebookbind.blogspot.com/2009/06/waiting-on-wednesday.html


Also, while I was in NYC, my editor gave me a special mailing my publisher sent out to industry big mouths several weeks ago.  The mailing arrived in their mailboxes looking like this:



And on the inside was this:



I'm not sure if you can enlarge the picture, but it says:

Hi everyone!
 

Back from my pre-pub tour, which turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve had on my road to publication so far. I'll be honest – I was really nervous going into it, not knowing what to expect, but looking back, there was absolutely no reason to be nervous at all. Everyone was so friendly, enthusiastic, passionate about books, and incredibly easy going.

Sunday

I flew into Michigan Sunday afternoon, and had the pleasure of meeting Victor Iannone, Simon & Schuster’s National Accounts Manager. I can say with absolute certainty that Victor is one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. He put me right at ease and I enjoyed every moment of our time together. He gave me a tour of Ann Arbor – so many trees! (But I guess that’s what you expect from a city named Ann Arbor!) The University of Michigan has a beautiful campus, surrounded by several old churches like these:

       

The Methodist church (last picture) was directly outside my hotel window – not a bad view!  Sunday evening I roamed campus and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Main Street reminded me a lot of Church Street in Burlington, Vermont.  There were lots of boutiques and quaint restaurants with outside seating.  And being the ice cream nut that I am, I was not about to miss stopping by Kilwin's to get a cone. I tried Ann Arbor Mud to tip my hat to the locals.




At dark, I came home and read a little of Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon’s Lexicon, watched an episode of Law & Order (I rarely get to watch TV at home, so this was a special treat.  Plus, I <3 Chris Noth!) and then it was off to bed.  Big day tomorrow! 
 

( Read more... )

 

 

 

Dear bunnies,

Thank you for not eating my flowers while I'm in NYC.  'Cause I know you won't.  I mean, you won't, right?   





Dear Banana Republic,

Thank you for awesome sandals. 





Dear Beth Harbison,

Thank you for making me laugh.  I <3 Shoe Addicts Anonymous. 





-Becca

Whew!  It has been a crazy, exciting week and, let's see...yup, it's only Tuesday!  I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I'm flying out to Ann Arbor Sunday morning to meet with book buyers from Borders, and then later in the week I'll be in NYC meeting with buyers from Barnes and Noble.  I'm super excited for the trip, but I have a lot to do before I go!  (Like decide what I'm going to wear!)  I've already enlisted the professional opinions of Lisa and Laura, who are going to read this and laugh at me.  Yes, I am a dork.  Deal with it.  

So this morning I mailed out the first-ever edition of the Becca Fitzpatrick newsletter - yay!  If you don't know what newsletter I'm talking about, you clearly need to register your email address at my website.  It's the fastest and surest way to keep up-to-date on the hottest news and win freebies.  Speaking of freebies, five lucky newsletter subscribers won HUSH, HUSH T-shirts this morning, and one won an ARC of HUSH, HUSH.  (Congrats, Perla!) 

As I was typing this, I got an email from my agent, informing me I was mentioned in Shelf Awareness today.  It appears if you've been wanting to get your hands on an early copy of HUSH, HUSH, you still can.  Simon & Schuster is running a sweepstakes, and all the exciting details are HERE. 

Now.  If my editor, agent, or anyone else professionally associated with me are still reading, please STOP.  This next part is NOT for your ears.  

So.  This morning I had this great idea to take my ARC to my local indie store, The Readers Cove.  I'm a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) so I knew I'd be taking my kids with me (ages 2 and 6), but I'd like to think my children are well-behaved and I assumed there would be no problems.  I strolled into the store, introduced myself to the woman at the front counter, and asked if the children's bookseller was in.  She said no, Charles wasn't in today, and I went on to introduce myself and show her my shiny new ARC.  We talked a little about the book and about my path to publication, and then she graciously offered to deliver the ARC to Charles the next time he was in.  

Now for the bad stuff.  I walked back to the children's section to find my kids, and they asked if they could each buy a book.  As they were carrying their books up to the front counter, my 2 year old bolted for the doors with his book, and ran outside.  Without paying!  I chased him all the way past ACE Hardware and carted him and the book back inside the store.  I was completely embarrassed, but things seemed to be going well since my 6 year old was carrying on a conversation with the woman about a book he'd read on how ice cream is made.  Anyway, I set both books on the counter to pay, when there was a huge crash behind me.  My 2 year old was literally THROWING BOOKS OFF THE DISPLAY TABLE ONTO THE FLOOR!!  I almost died.  I ran over, picked up the books with one hand while I used the other to keep my rabid child away from the display.  Then I paid and fled.  FLED!  

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I left an impression on the people of The Readers Cove.  No worries that they won't remember me the next time I stop in. 

UGH.   

Last post today!  And then I'm going shopping.  Er, working.  (If my agent is reading this, anyway.)  As far as my journey to publication goes, this week was pretty much awesome.  First, my ARCs came, and then today I saw the first-ever review of HUSH, HUSH over on Reviewer X's blog.  At first I wasn't going to read it (I've sworn off reading reviews for my own sanity) but the temptation was too strong.  I went over for a quick look.  

The whole thing made me smile, but especially this part:

"...this is exactly the type of thing I like to and want to read: dark and both relevant and whimsical, with memorable characters, great quotability, and abundant humor. Hush, Hush doesn’t stop at exciting--it was an experience so complete and enjoyable..."

Now I'm going to repent and swear off reading reviews...again. 

-Becca

Hi, everyone!  Happy Saturday!

Just a quick reminder:  if you'd like to be entered to win a signed ARC of HUSH, HUSH or a HUSH, HUSH tee, please register for the Becca Fitzpatrick newsletter on the homepage of my website.  The contest ends June 15th, and I'll be announcing winners on June 16th. 

-Becca

ARCs!!!!!!

Dear Ms. Fitzpatrick,

On your website it says your book takes place in Maine. Why did you decide to have it take place there?

--Chelsea


YAY!  Questions!  Okay, here's my answer:

When I was in high school, I was pretty sure I would grow up to be a marine biologist.  I had posters of whales and dolphins pinned up all over my bedroom, I had a huge collection of whale/dolphin T-shirts, my Christmas present from my parents in 9th grade was a whale-watching vacation to California, and my aunt and uncle adopted a humpback whale for me named Tanith.  Every so often, the whale adoption agency would send me photos of Tanith in the wild, and once I even got a humpback whale calendar.  As I was flipping through the photos in the calendar, I came across this amazing photo of a breaching whale, and in the background was the Maine coast, dense with evergreens.  I hung on to that picture for years, and it was my dream to someday move to Maine.  Eventually I forgot about that dream, but when I started writing HUSH, HUSH I found myself writing about a girl growing up in a small, atmospheric Maine town without even realizing that of course I'd picked Maine as the setting because of my childhood dream.  It's funny how something so seemingly small as a photograph I first saw when I was fourteen years old could have such a big impact on HUSH, HUSH, but there you have it. 
  

here in Colorado, but my cute little garden seems to be enjoying the rain. 



Check out those attractive wire fences.  The bunnies may have eaten all my flowers, but they will NOT get my veggies.  Ha!  

Well, it has been a busy week here, as far as writing goes.  I'm finishing up CRESCENDO, but I feel reluctant to send it off, and I think that's partly because I know what the future holds.  Lots and lots and lots of editing.  Am I ready to do it all over again?  Hmm . . .   ;)

Also, I found out bound galleys of HUSH, HUSH were available at BEA!  How exciting is that?  I'm still trying to accept that in a little over four months, by book is going to make its debut.  My friends and I are already planning the big launch party, and we're thinking about hiring a hot shirtless guy to stand at the door and greet people.  If we can get him to wear wings, even better.  (I can hear my husband rolling his eyes from the next room.)

One last thing before I let you go.  If you'd like a chance to win a FREE signed advance reading copy of HUSH, HUSH, register for the Becca Fitzpatrick newsletter at my website now through June 15th.  Thanks to everyone who has entered so far, and GOOD LUCK!

-Becca  

Hi, all!

I can now say with certainty that I know the UPS guy's knock.  I heard it this morning while I was washing my face, and I raced downstairs to find a package on my doorstep.  Inside were my first pass pages and jacket! 




My instructions are to read over the book and "mark any changes."  Holy woah.  I think this might be the last time I make alternations to the book.  (And I can say with certainty that after this read, the book will officially be imprinted on my brain.  No, seriously.  Give me a page number, and I'll be able to recite from memorization.)  One of the cool things about first pass pages is that instead of standard Times New Roman, the book is printed in the unique font that will show up in the final, real, bound book.  All special characters, etc. are also included.  Meaning, the pages look like this:




I also get to make changes to the jacket, but my editor nailed the blurb, so I think the jacket is pretty much good to go.  



So here I go.  Off to read HUSH, HUSH.  When I finish, I'm rewarding myself with shoes from J.Crew's HOT, HOT, HOT sale.  

-Becca

Mrs. Austen: JANE!
Lady Gresham: What is she doing?
Mr. Wisley: Writing
Lady Gresham: Can anything be done about it?

--Becoming Jane


A writing breakthrough, at last!  No, seriously.  The past couple of days, I've sat and stared at my computer screen . . . until drool in the corner of my mouth alerts me to the fact that I've fallen asleep.  I'm writing the ending to CRESCENDO (yes, again), and whoever said endings are hard was dead on.  Plot threads need to be tied up, questions need to be answered, readers need to be satisfied . . . no pressure or anything!  ;)   But I think I've finally found a way to pull it all together that makes me happy.  The location of the climax is seriously cool . . . in a horrific, dangerous, thrilling way.   

Also, I've seen the UK cover for HUSH, HUSH.  It's very, very similar to the US cover, but there's an awesome tagline: Fallen for the fallen.  I love it!  I'm so happy with what they've done, and I'm glad the covers are (basically) the same.  (At this point, I'm not sure I could part with Angel Guy.)    

Finally, I got an awesome surprise today.  For those of you who're new to the world of teen book blogging, each Wednesday several of the teen reviewers post the title of a book they're looking forward to reading.  The posts are typically titled: Waiting on Wednesday.  Well guess what?  HUSH, HUSH was featured on a few different Waiting on Wednesday posts today!  AHH!  It was seriously the coolest thing to see . . . and I had a small freak-out moment, hoping the book doesn't disappoint.  If you're interested in checking it out, here are the blogs:

Reverie Book Reviews

Steph Su Reads  

Frenetic Reader

Addicted to Books

Hope's Bookshelf

 
-Becca

The day has come.  I have permission to share my cover!  I love it so much I'm tempted to squeeze it to death.  James Porto was the photographer, and it's a good thing he doesn't live in Colorado, or I might be tempted to squeeze him to death too.  He really nailed everything, especially the book's mysterious and creepy atmosphere.  And check out that font.  So sinister! 





p.s. Now you can see why a trampoline was involved! 

1.  T.V.   Can I just say how deliriously happy I am that Felicity broke up with Ben, and later, with David?  And good for Noel sneaking a kiss out of Felicity over Thanksgiving.  It's like season one . . . all over again!  Thanks again, Jess, for recommending this show. 

2.  Books  I picked up My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult for book club.  Oh, and I picked up a box of Kleenex to go with it.  And I absolutely cannot wait to see the movie.   

3.  Gardening   Remember how I said I'm planting my first-ever garden this year?  Little carrot sprouts are already appearing.  I can't believe it.  It's like a miracle.  They're actually growing.  I feel so . . . triumphant.    

4.  Surreal writing news  HUSH, HUSH sold to Piemme in Italy!  To celebrate, my husband took me out for some seriously awesome gelato.  I still remember the first time I had gelato.  I was visiting my sister in Baltimore and she swore cantaloupe gelato was the best thing I would ever eat.  Of course, I was seven months pregnant and loving just about everything I put in my mouth . . . but still.  I have fond memories of cantaloupe gelato.  

5.  ARC news  ARCs (advance reading copies) of HUSH, HUSH are coming soon.  Super soon.  If you'd like to be entered in a drawing to win a signed ARC, don't forget to register HERE.    

  

Hi, all!

*drumroll*

www.beccafitzpatrick.com is live!  Stop by and check it out, should you desire.  You can register for the Becca Fitzpatrick newsletter (no spam, I promise, but your name will be entered to win a signed ARC of HUSH, HUSH, so proceed at your own risk - ha!) or enter my Name a Character contest. 

Or, you know, just have a look around. 

-Becca   

ETA:  My pub date has changed, as you'll notice.  HUSH, HUSH will now be in stores October 27, 2009!  I'm (obviously!) very excited about this!  

Remember that post where I said I was going to catch Mr. Fox on camera?  Ta-da!  Saturday night I was out planing my first-ever vegetable garden and I caught him napping on the front lawn.  I tiptoed inside and took this picture through my office window:

Love you, Mom!

Happy Thursday, all!

Well, I did it.  Copy edits are d-o-n-e.  I'll check everything over once more tomorrow, and then it's off to my local UPS store.  I'm feeling a little emotional about the whole experience.  I mean, after this, edits are over.  My book will go to printland and come back a real book.  How crazy is that? 

I have to say, my copy editor, Valerie, is awesome with a capital A.  Her brain operates on a whole different playing field than mine.  Nothing gets past her.  And I'm not even going to talk about her vocab.  I'm willing to bet fifty dollars she knows the definition of every single word in the English language.  (And then there's me - the girl who took one English class in college.  My professor threatened to fail me, but I think after she realized how hard I was working, she felt compassion and gave me a C.)

So, yeah.  Even though I know Valerie isn't reading this, I'd feel completely ungrateful if I didn't give a major shout-out to her awesomeness.  Way to go, Valerie!  You rock!   

It's 9:45 p.m. here in Colorado, and while I still have time to watch a show/read a book before my self-imposed bedtime, I think I'm going to pass.  My brain feels like it just thought its way through a marathon and all I want is bed. 

'Night!

10:20 a.m.   UPS delivers copy-edited manuscript (YAY! It arrived!)

10:22 a.m.   Read editor Valerie's notes.  "A number of issues came up as I was copyediting; some major, some minor."  Major?!  MAJOR?!  Fun times predicted ahead.  

11:15 a.m.   Ice cream break #1

12:45 p.m.   "Outside, the rain had ascended to a downpour."  (Did I actually write that sentence?!  *headslap*)

1:30 p.m.   Promise the kids anything if they'll watch a movie and give me one more hour of work time.  

5:30 p.m.   Dinner!  And it's ice cream!

6:30 p.m.   Back to work.  On page 189 of 352.  (Not counting all the pages I skipped because editor Valerie asked questions I couldn't answer.  At least, not yet.  Some things take time.)