On Sunday, May 6th, Books of Wonder is pleased to welcome seven teen fiction authors to share their thrilling stories of revenge, hope, and courage. Author and National Book Award Finalist PAOLO BACIGALUPI will present The Drowned Cities, set in a dark future America where violence is all too common and two young refugees must fight for their lives; GALAXY CRAZE will introduce The Last Princess, in which a series of natural disasters has devastated the earth, and a young princess of England must escape from a murderous revolutionary who is targeting her royal family; DAVID MACINNIS GILL will share Invisible Sun, an action-packed story featuring a young hero who must race through fire and flood to prove himself, against all odds, to the girl he loves; KATE KLIMO will present Daughter of the Centaurs — Centuriad #1, following the tale of Malora, the last surviving member of a tribe of horse wranglers and hunters, who must now roam the dangerous wild with no one but a band of horses for companionship; ALETHEA KONTIS will introduce Enchanted, an inventive new take on an age-old fairytale about Sunday, the youngest of seven sisters named for the days of the week, who befriends a frog with the potential to become a prince — will she find love in such an unlikely place? ELIZABETH NORRIS will share Unraveling, in which high schooler Janelle is hit by a car then miraculously brought back to life by loner Ben — and her mysterious revival is only the first of many puzzles she’ll have to solve. And last but not least, MARY G. THOMPSON will present Wuftoom, the story of a sick boy named Evan who is confined to his bed and experiencing a metamorphosis into something even science cannot explain, all alone except for his visits from the Wuftoom, a wormlike creature who tells Evan he is becoming “one of them.” Join us on Sunday May 6th for the chance to hear these talented authors speak about their books, take questions from the audience, and sign copies of their work. Ages 12 and up. 1-3pm.
INVISIBLE SUN Launch Day!
Woo-Hoo! The companion novel to Black Hole Sun, Invisible Sun, goes on sale today! Any book birthday is special, but Invisible Sun is extra special to me because it is dedicated to my dear friend, critique partner, and cheerleader Julie Prince, who passed away last year. Julie was an inspiration, and it was her belief in my work that helped me get published.
Here’s the official copy about the book and yet another smoking hot cover:
Obsessed with MUSE, the clandestine project that created the AI in his brain, mercenary chief Durango draws the ire of the government when he steals part of the secret project data and hightails it with his lieutenant, Vienne, to an ancient monastery. There, he meets the monks who raised Vienne from an orphan and also encounters soldiers working for his old nemesis, the crime lord Mr. Lyme. Lyme controls the territory surrounding the monastery, as well as the datacenters housing the rest of MUSE.
Undeterred, Durango and Vienne pull off an ill-advised raid on Lyme’s complex. During the ensuing battle, however, Vienne is captured, and Durango is beaten and left for dead. Now, wounded and shaken, Durango must overcome bounty hunters, treacherous terrain, a full scale civil war, and a warrior monk with an eye for vengeance (not to mention his own guilt, self-doubt, and broken arm) to find Vienne and free her from Archibald, a brain-washing pyromaniac with a Napoleon complex who wants to rule Mars–and kill Durango in the process.
Read the series that Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games, says “Rockets readers to new frontiers!”
Invisible Sun
You don’t want to mess with Durango. He left his crew behind. His father is dead. And he’s going to prove himself to Vienne, even if he dies trying. As he races through flood and fire and across a violent and terrifying planet, there’s a 97% chance he’s going to die trying. But who’s counting?
This grunge dystopian thrill ride with “incredible action, inventive world-building, deadly humor, and more” is the follow-up to Black Hole Sun, which Hunger Games’ Suzanne Collins says “Rockets readers,” goes on sale March 27, 2012!
Praise for Invisible Sun:
- Invisible Sun “reveals new depths in the protagonists..and will leave readers eager for the next volume.” –VOYA
- School Library Journal Best Book of 2010
- “Rockets readers to new frontiers … action-packed.”- Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games
- “Black Hole Sun grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until the last page. In the best tradition of Heinlein and Firefly, Black Hole Sun is for readers who like their books fast-paced, intense, and relentless. Buy it, read it, pass it on!” - Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Wintergirls and Speak
- “Science-fiction fans will cheer Durango on in his exploits and enjoy the twists in the novel’s satisfying conclusion.”- School Library Journal (starred review)
- “Fast-paced, compulsively readable, and outright funny.” - The Horn Book
- “Action, adventure, sci-fi, and horror buffs will all find this an almost perfect mix of all of the genres.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Starting at the End
When it comes to blogging on a regular basis, I often feel like one of the Weasley children” “Where have you been? Beds empty! No note!” It’s been a couple of months since my last post, and I can say in answer to where have you been is–Mars.
Last I left y’all, the fast draft of INVISIBLE SUN was just finished. In the days that followed, I cleaned up the most [Read more…]
What the Story Needs to You to Know
Summer 1977. Southgate Twin theatre, Battlefield Parkway, Fort Oglethorpe, GA. A group of teens sits in a sold out theatre munching dollar popcorn and watching for the first time what will become the world’s most famous yellow scroll announce that Star Wars has begun. And what is the first thing it tells us? We’re watching Episode Four.
Wha–? Episode Four? What happened to the first three episodes? (we found out 20 years later. We can debate as to whether or not it was worth the wait). That question was quickly followed by others. Who’s this Darth Vader guy? What’s a Jedi? The Force? A seven-foot walking carpet? Despite our questions, the story told us what we needed to know when we needed to know it.
We left the theatre having enjoyed ourselves, our brains popping with unanswered questions. Like all fan boys, we huddled together, using our collective grey matter to puzzle out possibilities. I still remember reading a fan magazine where the writer suggested that Vader could be Luke’s father. Nah. Couldn’t be—Obi Wan said he was dead, and Jedi never lie. Right? Right?
Maybe George Lucas read the same magazine. Maybe he had the idea that Star Wars was always Darth Vader’s story. Maybe it was still cooking like story soup in the back of Lucas’ mind. Either way, I’m glad he didn’t tell us everything in Episode Four. Maybe it’s just me, but a story is more enjoyable when the movie or book asks me to bring my imagination to the experience.
That’s why you won’t find much exposition in Black Hole Sun and probably not much more in Invisible Sun. I want the reader to bring her/his imagination along.
Still…
From the fan mail I’ve gotten, there details of Durango’s Mars that some readers are just “dying—do you hear me, DYING!!” to read about. Here’s your chance. I’m right this minute working on the first draft of INVISIBLE SUN. The story is still fluid enough to insert some story elements, which is a perfect way to answer those questions. To submit them, just reply to this post, and I’ll pick a few at random. Who knows, your questions may inspire the story to move in a totally unimagined direction the way that fan mag moved the story of Star Wars for me.
One thing I can promise: Vader is not Durango’s father. Or his mother.
