CCBC Choices 2016
Zeroboxer has been listed in CCBC Choices 2016, the annual best-of list compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center.
ALA Quick Picks For Reluctant Readers
Zeroboxer is on the Young Adult Library Services Association’s 2016 list of Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.
I’m particularly pleased by this because I’d never heard the term “reluctant reader” before this year, when I started seeing it used a lot in trade reviews of Zeroboxer. The Quick Picks list suggests books that, according to the American Library Association, “teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure; it is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read.”
I became an author wanting in particular to write fast-paced, action-packed, thought-provoking books that inspire teens to read when they could be doing any number of things including watching YouTube videos or playing video games. Reading was so important to me when I was young. Authors are doing vital work when we make young people realize that reading is fun and turn them into readers for life.
So yeah, this one’s important to me.
Zeroboxer Audiobook Release
The Zeroboxer audiobook, produced by Skyboat Media, and narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, is now available wherever audiobooks are found, including Audible, Downpour, Barnes & Noble, and your local library. I’m a huge fan of audiobooks, so needless to say, I’m pretty excited. Also, I love the new cover that Blackstone Audio created for the audio release.
Zeroboxer An Oregon Book Award Finalist
I’m honored that Zeroboxer has been named a finalist for the Oregon Book Awards in the Young Adult Literature category, along with four other very deserving nominees.
The 29th annual Oregon Book Awards ceremony will be on April 11, 2016 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory. Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, will host the ceremony. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets.Com
2015 Debut Authors Bash – Interview and Giveaway
The 2015 Debut Authors Bash hosted by YA Reads is a fantastic way to discover new authors and their books. Check out the interview and Zeroboxer giveaway at Teen Librarian Toolbox.
ZEROBOXER Named To the 2016 Tayshas Reading List
I’m honored that Zeroboxer has been named to the 2016 TAYSHAS Reading List. The TAYSHAS is an annual list of recommended YA fiction compiled by the Texas Library Association and it’s an excellent resource for teachers, parents, librarians, and readers.
Book Deal News: Scholastic to Release My Next Science Fiction Novel in Early 2017
Thrilled to share this news.
Con Double Header: When Words Collide + Sasquan = So Much Awesome
Doing two cons back to back is exhausting and really, really fun. After visiting my old stomping grounds in Calgary for When Words Collide, I spent a smoke-pocalyptic week in Spokane attending WorldCon.
Highlights: paneling with industry giants such as Vonda McIntyre and Connie Willis, meeting up with Viable Paradise classmates, attending the Hugo Awards, parties, more parties, listening to some fantastic panels, signing books, reading, connecting with friends old and new, and the general awesomeness of attending my first two cons as a published novelist.
A treat: recorded live at WorldCon, episode 16 of Ditch Diggers hosted by Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace, features me, Kate Elliott, Linda Nagata, and Aliette de Bodard navigating the hairy scenarios of publishing, D&D-style. It was a hell of a lot of fun and you can listen to it here.
Back to Where It Began: the Willamette Writers Conference
In August of 2013, I attended the annual Willamette Writers Conference. At the time, Zeroboxer was a freshly-written manuscript that I was getting ready to query. I submitted it for two professional critiques and pitched it to several agents at the conference that weekend. A few weeks later I had multiple agent offers, the book sold in December, and it hit the shelves a year and half later.
I think of the Willamette Writers Conference as the event that kickstarted my writing career. So I was thrilled to be back at the conference as faculty this year, teaching a class on writing action scenes, and I was especially honored to be named this year’s Up and Coming Award winner. Thank you Willamette Writers. Already looking forward to next year’s conference.
Reviewer Appreciation Campaign AKA “You Write 50 Words and I’ll Send You 9000”
Reviews are important to a book and an author’s success. For debut authors, they’re especially crucial. More reviews leads to better placement on book-buying websites. Positive ones entice uncertain buyers to give the book a chance, and critical ones warn away those who might not like it.
I really want to do something nice for those of you who take the time to leave an honest review of Zeroboxer. From now until the end of September, if you write and post a review online, I will send you my never-before-published short story “Old Souls.” I quite like it and I think you will too.
All you have to do is write a review of 50+ words and post it to two places on the Internet. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Kobo, your favorite indie bookstore site, and your blog all count. Then click the button below, fill out where you posted it and your email address, and you get a shiny new short story back.
Important note: this is NOT me paying or bribing readers for five-star reviews. That’s a douche thing to do. Reviews should be honest, original (don’t plagiarize!) and based on having read the work in question (don’t leave reviews after only reading the back cover or first chapter).
I REVIEWED! SEND ME A SHORT STORY!