Remember a few weeks ago when I said, "My favorite piece of good news isn't even my own. A very dear friend had an EVEN BETTER week. But because it's not *my* news, it isn't mine to share. You shall have to wait!"
WELL. THE TIME HAS COME.
LAINI TAYLOR HAS A NEW BOOK!!!
Here's a snippet from the Publisher's Weekly announcement:
"Little Brown Books for Young Readers senior editor Alvina Ling won world rights . . . at auction to Laini Taylor's tentatively titled new YA novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Ling beat four other houses for the work . . . Daughter, which is scheduled for fall 2011, is about a pair of star-crossed lovers kept apart by the fact that one's an angel and the other's a demon; also woven into the tale is the story of the devil's adopted daughter, a blue-haired art student in Prague."
First . . .
Guys, forgive me. I've been *dying* to brag!
I have read this book. And it's incredible. I promise that you've NEVER read a story like this before. Every page is bursting with wild energy and gorgeous language and interesting weird things and cities you can smell and feel and taste, and characters you want to know—characters you want to BE!—as well as the most sinfully great, heart-aching, knock-your-socks off love story that fantasy has seen in YEARS.
This book blew me away.
You will like it. Trust me.
Second . . .
I want to point out one wee little thing about the PW description. It calls her novel an angel/demon story, but . . . this is soooooooo underselling it! As you know, there are a lot of angel/demon stories on the market. This is NOT your average story. These are NOT your average angels and demons! If you've read Laini's previous work, you would have guessed this already, but I want to make it clear that this book—this world—is different. It's beautiful and luscious and creepy and intriguing, and yes, I will be gushing about it a LOT here in the coming months.
(Next year, guys! You get to read this NEXT YEAR! In the world of publishing, that is practically tomorrow!)
I cried with happiness on the phone three times when Laini told me she'd sold it. I couldn't wish a five-house auction on anyone or any book more deserving. She's an astounding writer, one of those rare authors to possess a completely unique and original storytelling voice. My most common comment in the margins of her manuscripts is always, "This line is soooooooo Laini!!!!" Because there's no other way to describe it.
And that, to me, is special.
I am THRILLED OUT OF MY MIND that the size of her audience is about to explode into the stratosphere and that the world will soon discover what it's been missing out on.
If you haven't read her work before, RUN to get Lips Touch, which was a finalist for the National (freaking) Book Award last year! It's three romantic, dark, fantastic, twisty stories with a similar atmosphere to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. And then try her Dreamdark series—Blackbringer and Silksinger—for faeries like you've NEVER read before.
If you haven't already left your congratulations on her blog, I hope you do! This is huge, joyous, life-changing news. And she tells the story behind the story, which I always love!*
*I remember that day she talks about on her blog so well! I was still a librarian, and I was stuck behind the circulation desk and longing to be writing at home, and suddenly—*POOF*—this amazing scene was in my inbox, and I was transported into this . . . magical weird curious shop. And it was wonderful.
WELL. THE TIME HAS COME.
LAINI TAYLOR HAS A NEW BOOK!!!
Here's a snippet from the Publisher's Weekly announcement:
"Little Brown Books for Young Readers senior editor Alvina Ling won world rights . . . at auction to Laini Taylor's tentatively titled new YA novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Ling beat four other houses for the work . . . Daughter, which is scheduled for fall 2011, is about a pair of star-crossed lovers kept apart by the fact that one's an angel and the other's a demon; also woven into the tale is the story of the devil's adopted daughter, a blue-haired art student in Prague."
First . . .
Guys, forgive me. I've been *dying* to brag!
I have read this book. And it's incredible. I promise that you've NEVER read a story like this before. Every page is bursting with wild energy and gorgeous language and interesting weird things and cities you can smell and feel and taste, and characters you want to know—characters you want to BE!—as well as the most sinfully great, heart-aching, knock-your-socks off love story that fantasy has seen in YEARS.
This book blew me away.
You will like it. Trust me.
Second . . .
I want to point out one wee little thing about the PW description. It calls her novel an angel/demon story, but . . . this is soooooooo underselling it! As you know, there are a lot of angel/demon stories on the market. This is NOT your average story. These are NOT your average angels and demons! If you've read Laini's previous work, you would have guessed this already, but I want to make it clear that this book—this world—is different. It's beautiful and luscious and creepy and intriguing, and yes, I will be gushing about it a LOT here in the coming months.
(Next year, guys! You get to read this NEXT YEAR! In the world of publishing, that is practically tomorrow!)
I cried with happiness on the phone three times when Laini told me she'd sold it. I couldn't wish a five-house auction on anyone or any book more deserving. She's an astounding writer, one of those rare authors to possess a completely unique and original storytelling voice. My most common comment in the margins of her manuscripts is always, "This line is soooooooo Laini!!!!" Because there's no other way to describe it.
And that, to me, is special.
I am THRILLED OUT OF MY MIND that the size of her audience is about to explode into the stratosphere and that the world will soon discover what it's been missing out on.
If you haven't read her work before, RUN to get Lips Touch, which was a finalist for the National (freaking) Book Award last year! It's three romantic, dark, fantastic, twisty stories with a similar atmosphere to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. And then try her Dreamdark series—Blackbringer and Silksinger—for faeries like you've NEVER read before.
If you haven't already left your congratulations on her blog, I hope you do! This is huge, joyous, life-changing news. And she tells the story behind the story, which I always love!*
*I remember that day she talks about on her blog so well! I was still a librarian, and I was stuck behind the circulation desk and longing to be writing at home, and suddenly—*POOF*—this amazing scene was in my inbox, and I was transported into this . . . magical weird curious shop. And it was wonderful.
I'm totally like, "Yeah. I knew she was awesome first."In unrelated news . . . if you're going to ALA's Annual Conference this weekend, advanced copies of Anna and the French Kiss will be at the Penguin booth. Yes! MY BOOK IS AT ALA! And I really, really hope you get a copy! (And take a picture for me? Oh my stars, I'd love you forever if I could see a picture of my novel at ALA.)
Also . . . I love it whenever I run across something that makes me say, "THIS is why the internet was created."
Well, folks.
THIS is why the internet was created:
Also . . . I love it whenever I run across something that makes me say, "THIS is why the internet was created."
Well, folks.
THIS is why the internet was created:
HA HA HA HA!! I can't stop grinning.
And writers, if you haven't seen Jackson Pearce's (author of last year's super cute As You Wish and the recently released Sisters Red) "Writers' Blok" video, which is based on the above song, you should watch this, too:
And writers, if you haven't seen Jackson Pearce's (author of last year's super cute As You Wish and the recently released Sisters Red) "Writers' Blok" video, which is based on the above song, you should watch this, too:
MAJOR props to Jackson for singing and dancing about something we can all relate to. Also, for the Froot Loops line. She always creates fun vlogs!
And finally . . . Lola and the Boy Next Door revisions are going well, but they'll require more time. I'll finish this draft in July. Thanks to great feedback and my first opportunity for reflection, I am FINALLY seeing it as the cool, odd, sparkly novel I'd always hoped it would be. I am happy.
(Also, I've been doodling hearts and stars around the Boy Next Door's name. So that's a good sign, right?)
Now I'm off to a wedding in Cary, NC—It's at a science museum! There will be butterflies!—and then I'm further off to Ocean Isle, NC for a week of sun, sand, and twenty-four books I've been eager to read. I don't know if I'll have internet access at the beach house, but I hope so. I'd love to blog while I'm there.
So hopefully, I'll talk to you next week. If not, I'll talk to you in July!
And finally . . . Lola and the Boy Next Door revisions are going well, but they'll require more time. I'll finish this draft in July. Thanks to great feedback and my first opportunity for reflection, I am FINALLY seeing it as the cool, odd, sparkly novel I'd always hoped it would be. I am happy.
(Also, I've been doodling hearts and stars around the Boy Next Door's name. So that's a good sign, right?)
Now I'm off to a wedding in Cary, NC—It's at a science museum! There will be butterflies!—and then I'm further off to Ocean Isle, NC for a week of sun, sand, and twenty-four books I've been eager to read. I don't know if I'll have internet access at the beach house, but I hope so. I'd love to blog while I'm there.
So hopefully, I'll talk to you next week. If not, I'll talk to you in July!
