One of the perks of being an author is the opportunity to get an early look at other writers’ books and offer fangirly squealing professional commentary that they can use to promote the book (a.k.a. blurbs, the quotes you see from other authors on book jackets).

Although time constraints and writing obligations mean that I’ve had to turn down way more blurb requests than I would like to, I did blurb a handful of books last year, and THREE of them are all releasing this month! So I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce you to these fabulous books that are coming soon to a bookstore near you:

OUT TODAY: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

What I said about it:

THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR is brimming with wit and charm, along with plenty of mysteries that kept me guessing to the very end. Mindee Arnett has created a brand new school of magic to delight and enthrall us, and I’m sure I won’t be the only reader impatiently awaiting the next adventure at Arkwell Academy.

OUT TODAY: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

What I said about it:

Unremembered is a story brimming with mystery and suspense, star-crossed love and mad scientists. I felt like a detective putting together the pieces of Seraphina’s forgotten past right along with her, and the masterful way the puzzle was finally revealed left me speechless.

OUT MARCH 12: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila was living with her mother in a small Minnesota town when she discovered she was also living a lie.

She was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was never supposed to remember the past.

Now she has no choice but to run–from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much, and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology.

Evading her enemies won’t help Mila escape the cruel reality of what she is and cope with everything she has had to leave behind. However, what she’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and that just might save her life.

A compulsively readable sci-fi thriller, Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in an action-filled, Bourne Identity-style trilogy.

What I said about it:

One part teen love story and two parts super-spy thriller, MILA 2.0 raises plenty of questions of humanity, warfare, and artificial intelligence, but it’s the James Bond-esque suspense and formidable heroine that kept me enthralled to the last page. Just like Mila, this series opener is both smart and gutsy and I can’t wait to see where the next installment takes us.

I really loved all three of these books, and hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did!

Here’s where I’ll be this month. Later events can always be seen on the calendar page.


TUESDAY, MARCH 5 (That’s tomorrow!) – Poulsbo, WA
Poulsbo Library
6:30 p.m.
YA Reads Event – presenting with Lish McBride (HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER)


**NEW EVENT**
SATURDAY, MARCH 9 – Toronto, Canada
Indigo Yorkdale
12:00 p.m.
Talk, reading, signing


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 – Beaverton, OR
Powell’s in Beaverton
7:00 p.m.
MacTeen Author Extravaganza – with Jessica Brody, Jennifer Bosworth, Ann Aguirre, Lish McBride, and Elizabeth Fama. Trivia, giveaways, and refreshments!


SATURDAY, MARCH 16 – Tacoma, WA
Wheelock Public Library
2:00 p.m.
Talk, reading, signing


MARCH 23-24 – Sunderland, UK
SunnyCon
Panel & signing (registration required)

Note: We are still waiting for an additional UK signing to be confirmed. Stay tuned!

During the Scarlet blog tour last month I wrote a post about some things I’ve learned since the release of Cinder. One of those things was how to pack for a two-week tour without having to check any luggage.

Which seemed to pique some questions on how, precisely, one manages that.

So allow me to present all my packing and traveling wisdom, after four multi-city tours and countless conferences over the past fourteen months:

Magical Trick #1: Laundry Service

First, my biggest cheat. The Scarlet tour was two weeks long, so I decided to pack enough clothes for one week and do laundry halfway through. This is the first time I’ve used laundry service (this was also the longest amount of time I’ve been on the road) and it worked out pretty well. Most hotels have this available, but it is expensive. Check with your publisher: If they’re footing the bill for the rest of your travel expenses, they might cover this one too.

Magical Trick #2: Pack Small, Versatile, Comfortable Shoes

Don’t pack boots or enormous heels that you’ll only wear once before they cripple you or bright orange sandals that only go with one outfit. Instead, pack one or two pairs of shoes that work in multiple types of weather (It was 80 degrees in Florida and snowing in New York during this last tour), that go with everything else you’re bringing, and that don’t take up too much space. My bulkiest shoes, sneakers, were left out and worn to the airport.

Magical Trick #3: Know Thy Luggage

Most luggage has all sorts of handy pockets and belts for strapping things down. Use them. They really do help. Here, I put the shoes in the side pockets and my undergarments and stockings in the top netted pocket.

Magical Trick #4: Fold and Roll

My itemized clothing for this trip came to: 5 camisoles, 5 sweaters, 1 pair of jeans, 1 light jacket, 2 scarves, misc. slips and leggings, 5 dresses, and 1 skirt. Everything got folded neatly and placed in the bottom of the suitcase, except for the dresses and skirt which were rolled. I learned this trick on YouTube. Supposedly it takes up less space (I’m not entirely sure that’s true, but it certainly doesn’t take up more space), and it helps cut down on wrinkles.

Not that you won’t ever have to iron. After four or five days in a suitcase, some things are just going to get wrinkled.

Note: I wore the bulkiest items, such as jeans and my jacket, to the airport.

Magical Trick #5: Toiletries on Top

Toiletries go in last because you want easy access to them during airport security. If your suitcase has a sizeable exterior pocket, put them there! (Because I was traveling with my husband, he ended up putting the toiletries in his own backpack, which was very handy, but here I’ll show as if that wasn’t the case.)

All liquids go in the clear bag per security regulations, everything else goes into the floral bag. Bulky extras, like my hairbrush and curling iron, get tucked around the edges of the suitcase—and had been buried entirely by the time I took this picture.

Magical Trick #6: The Clutch Purse

Men, you don’t have to worry about this, but ladies, learning to make do with a clutch purse is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Most women use up their second “carry on” item with an enormous satchel, where things get jumbled together and you can’t fit half the things you’d like to into it. Instead, curate your true necessities down into a clutch purse and then that will live in a larger carry-on bag, such as a laptop bag or briefcase.

My necessities: Wallet with ID/cards/cash, business cards, notebook, pen, Sharpie, gum, lip balm, lip gloss, nail file, a bandaid (because you never know when you’ll need a bandaid), and bookmarks (because inevitably one of the airport security guys will ask why we have a box of 300 “I Love Kai” buttons and it’s just easier to explain things with a bookmark).

My clutch purse, along with my laptop, nook, my husband’s iPad, a notebook, my itinerary, tissues, and protein bars all fit into my laptop bag. Way better than a bulky purse, right?

Magical Trick #7: Swag

I don’t actually have a trick for the swag, other than I keep mine in a pretty tin box that keeps it all organized, even though it sometimes gives me trouble going through security. This time, because my husband was with me, he got stuck with it in his luggage (ha!), but normally it lives in the bottom of my suitcase between my shoes.

Non-Magical Tip of the Day: Leave Some Room

Believe it or not, I still had space left in my suitcase when it was all packed, which ended up being a very good thing. Because you will collect things during your trip! Souvenirs for yourself, gifts for folks back home, and—most randomly—gifts from readers and fans who come to your events.

Here are just some of the things that were added to the luggage during the tour. (Not shown are four additional books—because you can’t send an author into 8 billion bookstores and not expect her to buy some books), three new shirts that were purchased during the trip, and plenty of yumminess from fans that got eaten before this picture was taken.

I was able to fit all this in without letting out the suitcase (meaning unzipping that extra zipper that gives you more space inside), which means the bag remained within carry-on proportions.

And yes, that is a wand. We may have spent a day in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

There are definitely some perks to being on tour. ^_^

So… that’s pretty much all I know about that. Any questions?

I’m lucky to be part of a wonderful community of YA and MG authors here in Western Washington, and SEVEN of us have all had debut books in the last 13 months.

So I’ve been collecting signed copies in preparation for this giveaway ALL YEAR!

Congrats to my fellow Apocalypsies (and our one Lucky Thirteener) on your phenomenal releases. I can’t wait to see what you guys do next.

THE PRIZE

The following 2012/2013 releases – all signed!

- BREAKING BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

- CINDER (paperback) by Marissa Meyer

- NEVER EIGHTEEN by Megan Bostic

- NOBODY BUT US by Kristin Halbrook

- STORYBOUND by Marissa Burt

- VELVETEEN by Daniel Marks

- THE WICKED AND THE JUST by J. Anderson Coats

Click the book titles to find out more about these fantastic debuts and add them to your GoodReads TBR list.

And then… enter below for your chance to win all seven! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m back home from the Scarlet Tour and SO EXCITED to be sharing some fantastic news:

SCARLET IS A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

It was #4 on the Young Adult list during its debut week, and is still on the list for week number 2!

PLUS! CINDER is currently experiencing its third week on the Young Adult extended list! Last week it ranked #12.

!!!!!

A million thanks to everyone who has supported these books, shared them with friends, reviewed them on their blogs, given them as gifts, or added them to your personal library. I am so happy and honored that you’re enjoying The Lunar Chronicles!

———–

If you couldn’t make it to a tour event this year but want to live vicariously, there are now photos posted on the Facebook pages from the SCARLET tour events.

Here’s a sample:

At WORD in Brooklyn with Ellen Datlow and Genevieve Valentine.

At Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY, with my editor Liz Szabla and publisher Jean Feiwel.

The exclusive “Scarlet Sorbet” at the Savannah Book Festival.

Showing off my pirate hat at The Pirate’s House in Savannah – the restaurant that inspired Treasure Island. Arrgh!

View the rest of the tour photos at:

Marissa Meyer fan page

The Lunar Chronicles fan page

WSE, FOLKS! The time has come! SCARLET is officially out in the world!!!


Thanks to everyone who came to the Virtual Launch Party yesterday and put up with all the technical glitches (glitches – get it?!). I’m thinking the sheer awesomeness of Scarlet must have overwhelmed the program? But I had fun, and I hope you did too!


If you couldn’t make the party, here is the EXTENDED audioclip that we played last night (so even if you were at the party – this audioclip goes beyond what we played).


From Chapter 8 of Scarlet:

I’m also celebrating with two new reviews that just came in this morning. I hope they whet your appetite (even more!).

Note: These include some spoilers for Cinder.

From Horn Book Reviews: Scarlet [Lunar Chronicles]
by Marissa Meyer
Middle School, High School Feiwel 452 pp.
2/13 978-0-312-64296-9 $17.99 g


Fiercely independent but naive Scarlet Benoit would do anything to find her missing grandmother. When a mysterious street fighter named Wolf offers to help Scarlet, the two travel to Paris, where Scarlet risks her life trying to save her grand-mère, uncovering shocking truths about Wolf, her grandmother, and her own past along the way. This engrossing sci-fi adaptation of the Little Red Riding Hood story (complete with Scarlet’s red hoodie) takes inspiration from the original folktale but adds its own unique twists, including romance. Meanwhile, and picking up where Cinder (rev. 1/12) left off, cyborg Cinder escapes prison in the Eastern Commonwealth (via spaceship) with fellow inmate Carswell Thorne. Cinder has discovered she is the missing heir to the Lunar throne, and even though a world-wide manhunt is underway, she and Thorne follow a lead that eventually brings them to Scarlet and Wolf. By the end of this second series installment, the two pairs have joined forces to stop evil Lunar Queen Levana. Meyer exhibits impressive growth as a writer, seamlessly weaving the multiple story lines together throughout the novel. She introduces a new heroine in Scarlet—as strong, yet vulnerable, a character as Cinder—and Meyer doesn’t allow Cinder’s continuing story to detract from maintaining primary focus on Scarlet’s tale. Further development of this futuristic world plus plenty of action, surprises, and a fast pace will keep readers invested in their journey.

-Cynthia K. Ritter


.


From BCCB, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books:

Meyer, Marissa. Scarlet. Feiwel, 2013 [464p]
(The Lunar Chronicles)
ISBN 978-0-312-64296-9
$17.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-12


When the Toulouse police refuse to pursue any leads regarding Scarlet’s missing grandmother, eighteen-year-old Scarlet takes matters into her own hands, following a tip from a streetfighter named Wolf that eventually leads her to the Parisian den of a notorious crime organization. Meanwhile, Cinder, the cyborg mechanic whom readers last saw rotting in a New Beijing jail cell for treason against the Empire (in Cinder, BCCB 2/12), has escaped and commandeers a rogue spaceship, piecing together information about her unknown past and the recent revelation that she is the rightful heir to the Lunar throne. The two stories converge in a brilliant climax that places Cinder, Scarlet, and Wolf in the grasp of the evil Lunar queen, who threatens to take over Earth with the help of her genetically engineered army. Meyer manages an impressive balancing act here, introducing a new character and storyline alongside the continuation of Cinder’s story while maintaining reader investment for both along the way. The sci-fi elements are stronger than the fairy-tale allusions this time out, but the story remains just as absorbing; as the characters journey from the streets of New Beijing to the French countryside, the world is more fully developed, raising the stakes of the fallout of a Lunar invasion. The romance between Wolf and Scarlet, two hardened and stoic creatures unfamiliar with either tenderness or sentiment, unfolds with a quiet simplicity that makes for a poignant contrast to the often violent and ugly landscape they are forced to inhabit. Readers will be thrilled to discover that this steampunky fairy-tale/sci-fi mashup promises two more installments.

- KQG


.


On that note: go forth and read and meet Wolf and squee and meet Thorne and swoon and say hi to Cinder again and – and – ohmygosh, enjoy!!

There have been a few changes and additions to the event schedule these past weeks, so here it is again. I hope you can make it to an event!

**Virtual Launch Party**
Monday, February 4
8:00 EST / 5:00 PST
Q&A, Prizes, and more!
RSVP at:  http://shindig.com/event/scarlet
(That same link will take you straight to the event on Feb. 4.)

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Scarlet Tour

Tuesday, February 5
7:00 p.m.
Garfield Books – Tacoma, WA
Scarlet Launch Party! RSVP on Facebook.

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Wednesday, February 6
6:30 p.m.
Parnassus Books – Nashville, TN

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Thursday, February 7
5:00 p.m.
Lemuria Books – Jackson, MS

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Friday, February 8
7:00 p.m.
Irving Public Library – Irving, TX

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Saturday, February 9
7:00 p.m.
Books & Books – Miami, FL
Teen Band and Red Party!

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Sunday, February 10
2:00 p.m.
Vero Beach Books – Vero Beach, FL

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Tuesday, February 12
7:00 p.m.
Blue Willow – Houston, TX

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Wednesday, February 13
7:00 p.m.
Book People – Austin, TX
Intergalactic ball with photo booths, costumes, and snacks!

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Thursday, February 14
6:00 p.m.
Square Books – Oxford, MS
Valentine’s Day Party!

.

February 15-16
Savannah Book Festival – Savannah, GA
I will be speaking on Saturday at 2:45 in the Telfair Tent, followed by a signing.

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Sunday, February 17
4:00 p.m.
Oblong Books – Rhinebeck, NY
Marissa Meyer in Conversation with Liz Szabla and Jean Feiwel (my editor and publisher!)

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Monday, February 18
7:00 p.m.
WORD Bookstore - Brooklyn, NY
Rewriting Fairytales with Ellen Datlow and Marissa Meyer

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Tuesday, February 19
5:00 p.m.
Bethesda Library (sales by Politics & Prose) – Washington, DC

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Additional Events

Thursday, February 21
6:00 p.m.
King’s Books – Tacoma, WA
Scarlet Party, with costumes!

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Saturday, February 23
1:00 p.m.
Bothell Library – Bothell, WA

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Friday, March 1
5:00 p.m.
Sumner High School – Sumner, WA
Author meet-and-greet with other local YA authors.

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Saturday, March 2
11:00 a.m.
Mill Creek University Bookstore – Mill Creek, WA
Teen Book Brunch, with snacks

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Tuesday, March 5
6:30 p.m.
Liberty Bay Books – Poulsbo, WA
YA Reads event with Lish McBride

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March 7-9
Toronto, Canada (details TBD)

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Wednesday, March 13
7:00 p.m.
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing – Beaverton, OR
MacTeen Authors Extravaganza!  With Lish McBride, Elizabeth Fama, Jessica Brody, Jennifer Bosworth, and Ann Aguirre. Prizes, snacks, and more!

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Saturday, March 16
2:00 p.m.
Wheelock Library – Tacoma, WA

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March 23-24
SunnyCon – Sunderland, United Kingdom
(Registration required.)

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March 25-28
Further United Kingdom Events TBD

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April 22
Barnes & Noble - Edina, MN
(To be confirmed.)

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April 24-27
Texas Library Association Conference – Fort Worth, TX
(Registration required.)

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May 15-19
Rochester Teen Book Festival – Rochester, NY

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July 18-21
San Diego Comic-Con

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July 25-27
Timberland Library Tour – throughout Western Washington
Times and event details subject to change.
July 25, 12:00 p.m.: Ocean Park Timberland Library
July 25, 6:00 p.m.: Aberdeen Timberland Library
July 26, 2:00 p.m.: Winlock Timberland Library
July 26, 7:00 p.m.: Olympia Timberland Library
July 27, 11:00 a.m.: Centralia Timberland Library
July 27, 3:00 p.m.: Shelton Timberland Library

The Scarlet Blog Tour is officially wrapping up today, but many of the giveaways are still underway!

Here’s the complete schedule with updated links.

Monday 1/21
Alexa Loves Books : 7 Big Bad Wolf-y Facts
In which I detail some fascinating factoids I learned while researching for “The Order of the Pack.”

Tuesday 1/22
Alice Marvels : One Year After Publication: Things I’ve Learned
In which I look back at the crazy year that was 2012.

Wednesday 1/23
Mermaid Vision Books : Author Interview
In which I talk about Cinder and Kai’s romantic troubles, among other things.

Thursday 1/24
Into the Hall of Books : Rieux-Volvestre: The Real-Life Town Behind the Fictional Rieux
In which I take you to the town that inspired Scarlet’s home.

Friday 1/25
Supernatural Snark : Author Interview
In which I ponder how long it would take for Captain Thorne to get himself into trouble during a book tour.

Saturday 1/26
Anna Reads : My Top Five Fictional Crushes
In which I swoon. Spoiler alert: There’s more than one “captain.”

Sunday 1/27
A Backwards Story : 10 Things that Changed from Scarlet’s First Draft
In which I detail plot twists that Are No More.

Monday 1/28
Bewitched Bookworms : A Deleted Scene from Scarlet
In which I dare to show you an unedited, unrevised scene from Scarlet’s first draft.

Tuesday 1/29
The Book Rat : The Gruesome History of Little Red Riding Hood
In which we talk about non-Disney-fied things.

Wednesday 1/30
Makeshift Bookmark : Virtually “Touring” the Paris Opera House
In which I take you on a tour of one of the most beautiful structures ever built.

Thursday 1/31
Book Sake : Fangirling Over Fanart
In which I highlight some of my fav Lunar Chronicles fanart (so far).

Friday 2/1
Making the Grade : The Queen’s Army
In which I discuss the writing of Scarlet’s prequel.

Saturday 2/2
Birth of a New Witch : The Resurgence of Fairy Tales
In which I talk about this popular trend and how The Lunar Chronicles fits in.

Sunday 2/3
Two Chicks on Books : Why France? Werewolves and the Beast of Gévaudan
In which I tell the horrifyingly “true” story of an 18th-century werewolf and its murdering spree.

…..

And don’t forget to also check out A Week of Little Red from A Backwards Story, which has featured early commentary from some of SCARLET’s beta readers, the Top 5 Little Red references in the book, reviews, music videos, giveaways, and more!