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Monday, February 28, 2011

Hollywood, Here I Come!! + a Writing Challenge


You may have seen rumors floating around twitter and fb last week, but I'm ecstatic to verify that YES, Delirium has been optioned for film by Fox 2000!

Fox 2000 also optioned Before I Fall last year, so you can imagine how thrilled I am to be again collaborating with a studio that has shown me so much love. And I'm also a total fangirl of their movies and their uber-literary taste.

In celebration of this wonderful news, I'd like to host an LA-themed writing challenge. This week's prompt:

Write a 200-300 word submission that includes the following sentence: "The thing they never tell you about Hollywood--it may be the city of dreams, but it's also the city of nightmares."

You know the rules, people. Send your submissions to me laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Secret is Revealed: I am Gossip Girl


Don't say I didn't warn you peeps--I told you I'd be running my mouth all over the internet this week!

I had a wonderful conversation on Tuesday with the fabulous ladies of Eve's Fan Garden, and tonight I'll be gabbing on the HarperTeen facebook page with anyone and everyone who wants to join me. But keep in mind it's a limited time engagement--from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST--so show up on time and ready to rock n' roll! Details can be found here.

Can't wait to chat with you!

xoL

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

What are you doing at 8:30 TONIGHT??

Will you be:

1. Drinking hot chocolate
2. Wearing fuzzy pajamas
3. Chatting with me via Eve's Fan Garden
4. All of the above

Ladies and gentleman, the correct answer is 4--ALL OF THE ABOVE (if you're lucky!).

Please do join us tonight at Eve's Fan Garden, even if you were not able to participate in the read-along. We'll be discussing DELIRIUM and I'll be fielding any questions you all want to ask me, such as: how did the experience of writing Delirium differ from that of writing Before I Fall? and: Why dystopian lit? and possibly even: What is your favorite kind of pickle??

That's the thing, people. It's all up to you.

If you can't catch me tonight, stay tuned for details of a chat I'm doing on Thursday via facebook. Basically, I'm going to be splashed all over the internet this week so you might as well just get in on the fun!

I'll even bring the remote hot chocolate...

Yum....

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Updates and News

Hello hello...

Long time, no blog! I'm sorry I've been MIA. This week was crazytown; I came back from the Dominican Republic (see pics of my horseback ride, below!) and, after a period of grieving, had a whirlwind of work to catch up on. But I wanted to share some crazy cool stuff that happened this week!



1. First off, I made the Times list. Delirium was #6 on the children's bestseller list for the week. I was so thrilled and happy, I nearly spat my drink out on author Courtney Sheinmel, with whom I was sitting at the time I found out...and that would have been tragic, because she was wearing a very nice shirt!

2. Secondly, I have a super cool verified author profile on Figment, now. Check it out here. Isn't it pretty?? I'm really digging this site, guys, and for all you writers out there (and I know there are a lot of you, because you lovelies respond to my writing challenges!), I encourage you to post your writing up there and start exploring this new community. Also, check out this amazing video that Figment filmed at WORD Brooklyn recently, at my reading with Anna Jarzab and Leila Sales.

3. Last but certainly not least: SWEET POTATO BURRITOS. Oh. My. Goodness. Okay, I know this is a little random and you might not be sure if sweet potato burritos are newsworthy, but trust me, they ARE. I discovered them at Naidre's, a cool little cafe on 7th Ave in Park Slope, but have been making my own recently and...YUM. YUM times a million! You MUST try them. You will thank me later.

I hope everyone's having a great long weekend. Hugs and sweet potatoes to all!

xoL

Monday, February 14, 2011

A Special Valentine's Day Treat...

Greetings from the Dominican Republic! I know I've been kind of MIA: blame it on post-tour exhaustion and a beach side recovery that includes limited email access and lots of mojitos!

In case you've forgotten (or are trying to forget), today is Valentine's Day, a day both celebrated and reviled. Appropriately, I will be chatting LIVE on the Borders fb page about my book, DELIRIUM (link to the chat page here), from 1-2 p.m. EST.

Haven't read Delirium yet? Well then, get on it! It's a perfect book for you if you:
1. Have ever had your heart broken
2. Have ever had your heart healed
3. Have ever fallen for the "wrong" person
4. Have ever begun to questioned the values imposed by your community/society

If you have NOT experienced any of these things, I can only assume that you live inside of a large plastic bubble or are an alien reading this blogpost from some distant galaxy, in which cases, it might be difficult for you to get to a bookstore and you are excused. BUT EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD READ IT RIGHT AWAY!!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The DELIRIUM tour: The Last Legs!

Just like the post office, neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hotels without room service/power and events without books could stop me...

I'm coming home, peeps, and I'm planning to end this tour with a bang...since Lord knows that in the past week I've already spent enough time whimpering!

Tonight I'll be at the Borders in Westbury, NY (1260 Old Country Road) at 7:00 p.m. Come see me read, speak, sign, and, if you're lucky, perform a happy dance.

Tomorrow, I'll be at The BookMark Shoppe in Brooklyn (8415 3rd Ave) at 5:00 p.m. Show me some hometown love, people, and help me finish this tour right!!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Lauren Oliver Tour: From Dystopian to Love Story?

It was love at first sight. It was like emerging from a dark, dismal winter into a world of color and light…which is, in fact, not exactly an analogy, since Lauren HAD just emerged from the dark, dismal winter days of New York/Chicago/Houston during an uncharacteristically violent winter storm weather pattern, and into the bright beaming sunshine of Austin, Texas.

Their romance was to be a whirlwind, and they both knew it. They had just twenty-four hours to enjoy each other, before Lauren would be swept back by work and other obligations to Cleveland, OH, back to the uniform gray landscape that had become her waking days…(at least until spring thaw). And they were determined to enjoy the short time they had together.

There was lunch, and drinks in the sun on a rooftop.



There was a visit to a dime museum (which, due to the influence of inflation since the 1800s, is now five dollars—but which still features fiji mermaids and fossilized evidence of fairies).

There was an impromptu stop in a tattoo parlor (Note, KIDS: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME).



There was strolling and singing along to country music and lastly, sake and foie gras sushi and pork belly fried and drizzled with orange zest and basil… (Don’t worry, Harper! I didn’t expense it.) There was also pretending to be on honeymoon with her friend, which Lauren subsequently felt bad about, since it resulted in a free dessert. (NOT so bad, however, that she did not eat aforementioned dessert, which was delicious.)

And today, today, she and the city would enjoy their last hours together at Book People, at 2 pm…

How do I love thee, Austin?
Let me count the ways…

P.S. Come see me at Book People, Texans!!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Ooops—You Did It Again

I was overwhelmed by the quantity of responses to my latest writing post. I have to say, it has provided me a much-needed break from my self-pity party of the past few days, as event after event on my tour gets canceled due to silly Mother Nature!!

Seriously, it’s so thrilling to be in touch with so many brilliant and creative people. I was particularly impressed by this round of submissions. Normally, I like to write my own responses to the challenge…but I feel I’ve been completely outshined by all of you, and so am chickening out!

As usual, I can’t possibly post all of the entries, although they DO all deserve to be posted and read. I should probably set something up with Figment.com—the blog platform is just impractical when it comes to reposting so much work, but maybe I’ll look into alternate ways of featuring you guys. I get so inspired when I read your submissions!

Callie Akins:

Seven Short Days-
Seven days. She couldn't believe it. Only seven days to go. Molly reflected on how unbelievably long seven days could feel. Or how unbelievably short. Most weeks were insignificant. Made up of days that ran together with the seven days before it, and the seven days that would come after it. But not this summer, this summer had been made up only of special memories that would travel with Molly no matter where she ended up. But the memories weren’t enough.

Molly had never planed to fall love. Not with Sam not with anyone. He just sort of happened upon her she couldn’t help herself. She periodically told herself that three months, two months, and finally one month was plenty of time to get over her infatuation with this boy. But now with only seven days hovering above her head she knew she would never be able to forget him.

He was being shipped off. Far away from her to fight for his first love. His country. That kind of passion is what made Molly fall in love with him to begin with, but now it was the thing she loathed most about him. Molly had made peace with this inevitable night, but now that it was here she couldn’t, not really.

Her original plan: say goodbye and resume her life as planned. But it was to late for that, Sam was the love of her life, the only thing worth waiting for. And so she would.
She would wait.

Megan Butler: http://www.thewrittenlifeofanamericanteenager.blogspot.com/

Seven days. She couldn't believe it. Only seven days to go. Of course, the past twenty three days weren't so easily survived either, but the final days served as the end. The unmistakable, surreal conclusion that it would all be over soon.

Sarah could finally go home.

"Now Sarah, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Aunt Millie chirped from the driver's seat of her 1986 station wagon that jostled them around after rolling past every chip in the dusty lane.

Sarah inconspicuously tapped the frame of her Aviators up the bridge of her nose to hide her disgust. "Of course not, Aunt Millie. That four hour walk through the farmer's market should really do wonders for my calf muscles," she mumbled, crossing her arms and kicking her legs up on the dashboard. It sure was a mess in ninety-degree "Hickville".

Why are parents cruel enough to send their kid to the wacko relatives' house in No Man's Land? Why did Sarah have to listen to a toothless man sputter about what's really done with pumpkin seeds after they're carved out of a jack-o-lantern while her aunt hounded her about picking out the right bell peppers for whatever meal they would have to conjure up later?

Because her parents had a life.

And that life didn't involve taking their kid to the Bahamas over summer break with them. So Sarah had to endure the redneck life of the country-loving hillbillies known as her isolated family. The outcasts.


Kathryn Roberts

Seven days. She couldn't believe it. Only seven days to go.

Lily's heart stopped, her long lashes tickled the lenses of her glasses. With the end of the world predicted to be in one month, they would leave. And the president announced on televisions throughout the country, that this would take place in one week. How could they? How could she, or anyone else, have every possession ready to take in one week?

The crowd around the store window thickened, jamming her into the glass. Lily listened to the Presidents next words:

"You will be able to take one suitcase each. Nothing more. Everything will be provided for you on the craft." Someone then ushered the President off camera and the Secretary of Defense took his place. He began assuring the public that the government has been aware of this possibility for two years and has adequately planned for the evacuation of all United States' citizens. Everyone was equal. Everyone would get their share of food, medicine and other supplies. But even with his assurances, the crowd grew panicky. Most of them rushed away, probably to their homes to pack, while the remaining few collapsed in heaps around Lily, crying out their despair.

All Lily could think of was Jeremy. Would she ever see him again? At school, they began segregation of the sexes. The principle told them: ‘We can’t afford children being born onto a dying planet’. On the craft, it was sure to be worse.



Natasha M. Heck, www.natashamheck.com


Seven days. She couldn't believe it. Only seven days to go. Aeryn opened her eyes to find her scratchy sheets clinging to her sweat soaked body. She tried to gather her thoughts while looking at the white ceiling fan that spun around and around, sunlight reflecting off its blades. She rose, throwing her bare feet over the side of the bed to become face to face with the large picture window in front of her. The sun was rising over the overpopulated city, her reflection glaring her like the burning orb.

“This is how it will start,” she murmured, the dream vision coming back to her now. For months Aeryn had this recurring dream, and now, it was seven days away from coming true. The last piece of the vision was a calendar with a date that would bring her to that place, to that end. Blood would splatter on it before she would fall, the time she always managed to wake up.

February 1st could be the day she would die and she needed change it. Nothing worked so far and she only has seven days left to change her future of her life blood spraying onto that calendar, or to live out the last days of her life with the one person she loved.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

LAUREN OLIVER'S DELIRIUM TOUR: A Horror Story

It was a dark and stormy night…followed by a blue and sunny day. The cavernous spaces of Chicago’s O’Hare airport were filled with the insidious whispers of various cell phone conversations, the cackling and crackling of walkie-talkies, and the low, ominous hum of generators.
A lone girl sat near gate B3, as the seconds ticked into minutes. A bead of sweat traced its way down her back.
Neither the promised plane nor the crew had arrived—it was as though they were vapor, ghostly impressions left by previous planes, and previous crews, and overoptimistic ground control forces.
What had happened to them? Had they been swallowed in the sky? Plucked from the air by supernatural forces? Or just rerouted to Florida?
The possibilities were too horrifying to contemplate.
Then, the unthinkable happened: the girl realized her coffee was empty.
Would she possibly survive??? Would she make it to Houston without going mental?? Would her book sales suffer irreparably from her missed tour dates????
Stay tuned for the next installment of: Lauren Oliver’s Delirium Tour, a Horror Story.

****Update****

People, I've now heard that my event in Houston today--including my visit to Blue Willow, which I was SO looking forward to--has been canceled due to inclement weather. You guys, I can't tell you how devastated I am. I WILL be attempting to sign stock so that you will have lovely signed books in your local bookstores! Please bear with me and don't lose faith...

xoL

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Joys of Winter Travel

Oh, Chicago. Oh, Chicago, Chicago, Chicago.

There are so many things I love about you. Boat-hopping in summertime; running along Lake Michigan during a perfect autumn day; fried chicken at Harold’s in Hyde Park; hot dogs, Chicago-style, and baseball games at Wrigley stadium; Sunday football; nights at the Brew n’ View; the high heels and high flash in the Viagra Triangle; perfect dirty martinis at Capital Grille. I could go on.

Here is what I DON’T love: getting snowed into a hotel without power, room service, wifi, or a functional minibar, during a blizzard of end-of-the-world proportions, when I am supposed to be sitting at a nice folding table at Anderson’s, signing books for my lovely fans, and perhaps sipping some sparkling grape juice to mark the release of DELIRIUM.

In other words: SNOMG.

As I sit here, illuminated by nothing other than the glowing blue light of my computer screen, PRAYING that the heat does not go on the fritz, I have to say that I am a teensy bit upset with Chicago right now—or at least, its weather systems.
But seriously, I’m really, really disappointed I didn’t get to launch DELIRIUM at Anderson’s, which remains one of my favorite bookstores in the country. For all you fans who were hoping to catch me tonight, first of all, I hope you’re safe and warm at home and second of all, PLEASE KNOW that I will, without a shadow of a doubt, be rescheduling this event for spring. I may not get back here until April, but I WILL get back here—and I will bring chocolate with me to thank you for your patience!!

***In the meantime, I did make it to Anderson’s earlier yesterday afternoon and I signed a bazillion copies of both Delirium and Before I Fall—so if you’re dying for a copy sporting my John Hancock, please just call the store at 630-355-2665*** and they’ll be happy to get one out to you (although don’t count on them being at work today—the blizzard’s still on, people!).
 

Content by Lauren Oliver - Copyright 2011. Blog designed by Ella Press Studio - 2011.

Author Photo by Jonathan Alpeyrie - Copyright 2010. Original Font Idea by Erin Fitzsimmons - 2010.