tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49121136542764708042024-03-16T00:08:27.368-07:00LAUREN OLIVER: News, Thoughts, and MiscellanyLauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.comBlogger361125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-32057485451798423472012-09-04T13:37:00.001-07:002012-09-04T13:37:46.596-07:00Blog TransitionHey Guys!<br />
So some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted here for a while. Right now I'm in the middle of switching official blogs on this website, so while that happens I've been updating my blog at lauren-oliver.tumblr.com. Check in there for all news and fun!<br />
xoLauren<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com265tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-18362884156340228442012-08-01T09:52:00.001-07:002012-08-01T09:52:05.785-07:00Collaboration Challenge Pt. 4 !!!!<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So far I've gotten almost 200 responses to the Requiem ARC giveaway! I'm so excited to sit down and read all of those stories, but in the meantime I'm really excited to announce the next part of the collaboration writing challenge! Once again, we had a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">lot</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of great entries, so remember to keep submitting, even if yours hasn't yet been selected. There's a lot of this story yet to come and we need as many voices as possible. This week's story is extra long. The first part was written by, </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heather Kirby,</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and the second part was written by my friend and assistant Natasha! Next week, along with you guys, I'll jump in with a second of my own!</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I can't wait for you guys to let me know what happens next! Remember, send the next </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">200</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> words of the story to</span></span></span><b><a href="mailto:laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> AUGUST 8TH.</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> That's ONE WEEK guys! And have fun with it!</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First part of the story </span></span></span><a href="http://laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/collaboration-challenge-3.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Molly was shaking now. She was lying in a freezing liquid. Her eyes had been closed tightly in fear. Now, opening them, she got onto her hands and knee’s, limbs shivering as she looked up through the soaking wet hair that had fallen into her face.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Noticing her surroundings, her mouth formed a small O. She was lying in a crystal blue stream. It was very shallow. She seemed to be in a meadow of a forest. The trees were like spindly shadows reaching up and up to the dark sky, black as night. Yet there was a glowing sun, it seemed. Molly noticed that even though she was in an utterly different place, the emerald train was still there, as were the acrobats who looked like shadows themselves, like the trees--standing quietly and watching her.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The one-eyed man stood watching her too. When Molly finally noticed him, he reached out his hand toward her.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“</i></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>May I have that back, please?” he asked.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Molly realized that she was still holding onto his walnut eye. She scrambled to her feet and splashed through the stream until she was standing right next to him. She hesitated, realizing again how much bigger he was then her, but decided it was only polite to return the walnut to him. The second it touched his hand it disappeared, only to re-appear in his eeye socket. </i></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Magic</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>, Molly thought to herself. If her transportation to another world hadn't convinced her, then that finalized it. This was a man of magic.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Molly had always wanted to see magic, but she was so overwhelmed by her new circumstances that she didn't know how to say what she really wanted to which was something like, “please-take-me-on-adventures-and-teach-me-magic-and-show-me-everything!” Luckily, she didn't have to figure out how to articulate this sentiment in a sane way because the the walnut-eyed man seemed to snap into action.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“</i></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Right then!” He bellowed, “I'm sure you know why you're here so we'll just get right to it then. The train stops here, so we'll be going by foot and cart. We should get through the woods tomorrow evening if we hurry.”</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“</i></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Excuse me, sir,” Molly spoke up, “but I don't know why I'm here.”</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“</i></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Interesting,” the man said, “but it's not my job to tell you. My job is to take you through the woods. We have a show on the other side.” He looked up and addressed his acrobats, “come on you lazies! The carts aren't going to pack themselves!”</i></span></span></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-65030558230971634982012-07-30T12:23:00.001-07:002012-07-30T12:23:09.677-07:00REQUIEM ARC GIVEAWAY CONTEST!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9m0GirvGm6L-ijv6VEEoJSkOQCWl9p96I1bRKKknU3cUlrtGqawKBhPBM2QEefm7xhWYpx7qxVyoTtN9e9Ie6DpG0vaWdwZ5E-HW4VcnQ1vWQFP1OZKZIpNjpYW1IXo2umnCQnvNtDB7j/s1600/IMG_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9m0GirvGm6L-ijv6VEEoJSkOQCWl9p96I1bRKKknU3cUlrtGqawKBhPBM2QEefm7xhWYpx7qxVyoTtN9e9Ie6DpG0vaWdwZ5E-HW4VcnQ1vWQFP1OZKZIpNjpYW1IXo2umnCQnvNtDB7j/s400/IMG_0188.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">There are now officially exactly three copies of Requiem in the world. Just three. In the whole world. One is mine. One is for my dad. And the other... well the other is for one of you! </span><br />
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What I want to know is why YOU should get that one Requiem ARC! Send me your stories! Are you a crazy Delirium fan? Do you have a great and and funny story that occurred because of your obsession? Happy/sad/good/bad/funny/<wbr></wbr>serious/long/short... I want to read them all! Convince me!</div>
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Send all your stories to laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com , and put "Requiem Giveaway" in the subject line. I'll post my favorite stories up here on the blog, and even if you don't get the one copy, you might get on the list for future ARCs or other Lauren Oliver swag.</div>
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I can't wait!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-12334238722329447742012-07-19T14:26:00.000-07:002012-07-20T08:31:56.951-07:00Collaboration Challenge 3<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: url(http://assets.tumblr.com/images/input_bg.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; color: black; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once again, I was so amazed at the wealth of responses for this writing challenge. You guys are so awesome that all I can say is... keep it up! We're already at 800 words which means this story is REALLY HAPPENING!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Special thanks t</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">o Ashley S Morgan for contributing this weeks story segment! I can't wait to read what happens next! Get in your <b>200 word</b> submissions by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JULY 26th.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> to laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com! And thanks so much for going on this literary adventure with me!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Molly
Lampart's 12th birthday was much like every other day, only more
boring: first tea with the governess and a posed photograph with her
parents, then a procession of girls who giggled and brought china
dolls wrapped in pink paper, despite the fact that Molly hated pink
and that most of her dolls ended up dissected for medical research
purposes. There was no sneaking out the door to climb trees in the
narrow, well-tended backyard, or hanging out her window hollering at
the trains steaming into the station two blocks away, or helping
Tabby chase rats from the cellar. It was a day to be quickly
forgotten, except for one thing:</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><i> </i><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>On
Molly's 12th birthday, just as evening was starting to turn the sky
the exact color pink Molly particularly despised, the emerald train
arrived, seemingly out of nowhere.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It
started with a rumble, a roar, a whistle, and the earth shook with
the effort of keeping the train on its surface. The train was
radiant in the dying sun, spraying colors off the emerald sides
so that Molly had to shield her eyes just to watch. But the best
part, the absolutely most wonderfully breath-taking part of the
whole thing, was the fact that it was braking.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
emerald train was stopping in front of Molly's house.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Excitement
building, she ran from the window, leaped down the grand staircase,</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>passed
butlers and maids and other people who did not notice the girl flying
out the door</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>of
the four-story mansion. Rushing across the gravel walkway, Molly
skidded on her</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>heels,
nearly toppling into the stone fountain. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br /></i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>She
felt her jaw drop as her eyes rose to the emerald train stopped
in her garden. It was immense, looming, giant, and yet, it
was beautiful. For the first time all day, for the first time
she could ever remember, Molly felt rather small.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br /></i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Molly
stretched onto her toes, straining to make out the words on the side
of the train. She could just make out the words “WALNUT’S
WONDROUS” in thin gold lettering, reaching toward the sky, when
the train door burst open and. BAM. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br /></i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Molly
jumped. To her delight, she saw a flood of brightly
colored acrobats pouring from the train cars. Music danced in
the air, pounding an infectious rhythm through Molly's bones. She was
so transfixed she did not immediately notice the large, dark man who
came after them. But soon she felt someone staring at her, and she
turned.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br /></i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>There
was something wrong with his eyes. One eye looked as dark as the
London night, but the other… the other was not real. It was a
walnut, carved to resemble an eye. His mouth quirked up at the edges
as Molly stared back in fascination, and although she couldn't hear
him over the music, she knew what he said when he opened his mouth. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>He
said, “Welcome”.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #101010;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Emboldened
by his hospitality, her own curiosity, Molly stepped forward, inching
closer and closer, until she felt his breath tickling her forehead.
She stared up at him, transfixed by that walnut eye, that strange
wooden presence that seemed to be pulsing with life, with magic. On a
dizzying, maddening impulse, she reached up and gently traced its
swirling groves.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #101010;"><b> “</b><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Pull
it out,” he said calmly, as if suggesting the most natural thing in
the world. Molly stared at him in wonder, and her heart began
thumping crazily in her chest. Her palms now slick with sweat, she
looked at him for reassurance. He nodded. </b></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #101010;"><i><b>She
curled her fingers around the edges of the rough bark and gave it a
good yank. She felt a sudden blast of wind. And now the man was not a
man, but something else: the socket expanded into a gaping black
hole. From the blackness emerged a swirling force, like a live coil,
like a whirlpool, as rippling and colorful as the acrobats, and it
suck her in and down, down, down, making her stomach clench and then
expand in a sickening flutter. After an endless fall, she heard
a splash, and felt a fierce, wet coldness turn her bones to ice.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
</span></i></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-3870255998536282022012-07-13T09:24:00.000-07:002012-07-13T09:24:06.965-07:00Inspiration for SpindlersPeople ask me a lot where I get the ideas for my books, so I thought I'd share the many things that inspired me to write <i>The Spindlers</i> in this video. What inspires you guys to do what you love?<div>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-78970665938962411622012-07-11T09:49:00.003-07:002012-07-11T10:16:02.375-07:00Reader Shout-out!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I want to give a shout-out to some of my awesome readers! The first is Loana, who has designed these awesome</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Delirium</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Trilogy t-shirts for her friends at school. I especially love the "I <3 the Wilds" shirt... which is your favorite?</span><br />
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I also want to give props to a young Liesl & Po reader. A while ago I got a letter from a 5th grader named Jordan Liebich who was starting a "Little Free Library" at her school. By soliciting donations, she ensured her schoolmates would have access to free books. She organized and ran the whole thing herself! She sent me this card recently, and I thought her project was just so awesome that I wanted to share it with all of you!</div>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-14729465615238397412012-07-09T15:23:00.000-07:002012-07-09T15:29:17.723-07:00Collaboration Challenge Pt. 2!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hey guys! I could NOT be happier with all the amazing submissions we got for part 1 of the collaborative writing challenge. In fact, they were so good that I actually chose two to showcase this week! Thanks so much Natalie Geoffroy and Valerie Armour for your fantastic entries! And seriously, all, I was awed by</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the submissions.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway, I can't wait to see what happens next in the story! A reminder of the rules: you have a week to turn in your submissions for the next 200 words of the story. (That's </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">July 16th</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> guys!) Also, please note that by submitting your entries you're giving permission for me to edit them (lightly!) and make some minor changes if necessary. Finally, please insert your entry into the body of the e-mail (sent to </span><b><a href="mailto:laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">), no attachments please!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So go ahead: read the developing story, and tell me what happens next! My only advice is to follow the first rule of improv. acting in your writing.... always say "yes... and". This means that when there are dancing acrobats... don't ignore the dancing acrobats! Work WITH the previous parts of the story, not AGAINST it.</span></span><br />
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Molly Lampart's 12th birthday was much like every other day, only more boring: first tea with the governess and a posed photograph with her parents, then a procession of girls who giggled and brought china dolls wrapped in pink paper, despite the fact that Molly hated pink and that most of her dolls ended up dissected for medical research purposes. There was no sneaking out the door to climb trees in the narrow, well-tended backyard, or hanging out her window hollering at the trains steaming into the station two blocks away, or helping Tabby chase rats from the cellar.<br />
It was a day to be quickly forgotten, except for one thing:<br />
On Molly's 12th birthday, just as evening was starting to turn the sky the exact color pink Molly particularly despised, the emerald train arrived, seemingly out of nowhere.<br />
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<div style="color: #500050;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>It started with a rumble, a roar, a whistle, and the earth shook with the effort of </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>keeping the train on its surface. The train was radiant in the dying sun, spraying colors off the </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>emerald sides so that Molly had to shield her eyes just to watch. But the best part, the </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>absolutely most wonderfully breath-taking part of the whole thing, was the fact that it </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>was braking. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The emerald train was stopping in front of Molly's house.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #500050;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Excitement building, she ran from the window, leaped down the grand staircase,</i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>passed butlers and maids and other people who did not notice the girl flying out the door</i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>of the four-story mansion. Rushing across the gravel walkway, Molly skidded on her</i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>heels, nearly toppling into the stone fountain. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />She felt her jaw drop as her eyes rose to </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>the emerald train stopped in her garden. It was immense, looming, giant, and yet, it was </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>beautiful. For the first time all day, for the first time she could ever remember, Molly felt </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>rather small.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Molly stretched onto her toes, straining to make out the words on the side of the train. She could just make out the words “WALNUT’S WONDROUS” in thin gold lettering, reaching toward the sky, </i></span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>when the train door burst open and. </i></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">BAM</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />Molly jumped. To her delight,</i></span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> she saw a flood of brightly colored acrobats pouring from the train cars. </i></span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Music danced in the air, pounding an infectious rhythm through Molly's bones</i></span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>. She was so transfixed she did not immediately notice the large, dark man who came after them. But soon she felt someone staring at her, and she turned.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i></i></span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>There was something wrong with his eyes. One eye looked as dark as the London night, but the other… the other was not real. It was a walnut, carved to resemble an eye. His mouth quirked up at the edges as Molly stared back in fascination, and although she couldn't hear him over the music, she knew what he said when he opened his mouth. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />He said, “Welcome”.</i></span></span></span></div>
</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-8895610526906566292012-06-28T15:01:00.001-07:002012-06-28T15:01:38.387-07:00The Collaboration Writing Challenge!!!<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 13px;">
</span></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
was so impressed by the submissions to the Spindlers Writing Contest
that I had an idea: how about we work on a short story together?! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's
how it will work... today I'm going to post the opening paragraph of
a middle grade story. You guys will have a week to submit your ideas
for the next 200 words of the story to </span></span></span><a href="mailto:laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com"><span style="color: #003ec4;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">laurenoliverbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.
I'll pick the one I think works the best, post it...and then we'll
keep repeating the process!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Occasionally,
I might put some of my own writing into the story, or give you a
specific feedback if I think the story is faltering or needs more
action or more context or whatever. We'll aim for a FULL story, of
about 5,000 words, that makes SENSE. This will be
a </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">real</span></i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> collaboration:
a group narrative that we all shape together.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm
really excited about this! Who's with me? Read the first paragraph
below.... and let me know what happens next! And as always, please
keep it to 200 words! And make sure to get it in by July 6th!</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Molly
Lampart's 12th birthday was much like every other day, only more
boring: first tea with the governess and a posed photograph with her
parents, then a procession of girls who giggled and brought china
dolls wrapped in pink paper, despite the fact that Molly hated pink
and that most of her dolls ended up dissected for medical research
purposes. There was no sneaking out the door to climb trees in the
narrow, well-tended backyard, or hanging out her window hollering at
the trains steaming into the station two blocks away, or helping
Tabby chase rats from the cellar. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>It
was a day to be quickly forgotten, except for one thing: </i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>On
Molly's 12th birthday, just as evening was starting to turn the sky
the exact color pink Molly particularly despised, the emerald train
arrived, seemingly out of nowhere.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
</span></span><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-39114473234894552362012-06-25T11:53:00.000-07:002012-06-25T11:55:05.164-07:00Spindlers Sneak Peek!Last week so many people wrote in with amazing ideas in the Spindlers Writing Challenge. Now that we've seen some of them, I thought I'd give a sneak peek of the real book! Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<i>One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated her and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not. </i><br />
<i>She could not describe the difference. He looked the same, and was wearing the same pair of ratty space-alien pajamas, with the same fat toe sticking out of the hole in the left foot of his red socks, and he came down the stairs exactly the same way the real Patrick would have done: <b>bump, bump, bump</b>, sliding on his rump.</i><br />
<i>But he was not the same.</i><br />
<i>In fact, he was quite, quite different.</i><br />
<i>It was something in the way he looked at her: It was as though someone had reached behind his eyes and wrung away all the sparkle, leaving only a blank gaze. He walked quietly--too quietly--to the table, sat nicely in his chair, and placed a napkin on his lap.</i><br />
<i>The real Patrick never used a napkin.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-13066023592429032652012-06-22T03:00:00.000-07:002012-06-22T03:00:17.286-07:00Spindlers Writing Challenge Results!I want to start out this post by saying that this prompt led to some of the best writing, from a bunch of talented writers, that I've received yet! I had the hardest time narrowing it down to just four submissions to post on here. So really, a huge thank you to all of you! You are IMMENSELY talented and, in fact, I fear now you'll be disappointed by the actual "real" beginning of the Spindlers. Ha! I'm going to have to have you all ghost write my books more often. ;)<br /><br /><i>Untitled by Samuel Szetela<br /><br />He was, in fact, a Spindle. Of course, Liza had no way of actually knowing that the lanky, skinny, shifty thing that used to be Patrick was something called a Spindle. But make no mistake, that’s exactly what Patrick had become.<br />He announced his new identity by leaning over Liza’s puffy-looking, sleeping face. His body swayed back and forth, like a candle flame. He stared until Liza woke up with a start.<br />Well, it was more like a scream – the kind that can blow out a candle or shatter expensive crystal. Luckily, all Liza had to her name was a duffel bag filled with hand-me-down clothes and an old photo album with faded pictures of her father and mother. The orphanage had strict rules about clutter, after all.<br />Still, the edges of the photos just may have curled a bit more before Liza’s scream came to an abrupt end when Patrick put his skeletal-like fingers over her mouth.<br />“Hush now, Liza. It’s me, Patrick.” His eyes glittered mischievously. “A magician was here last night. She said she would help me find out what happened to Mum and Dad in the mines. What do you think? Are you coming with me?”</i><br /><br />What I love here is that Sam sets up a whole story in these first few sentences. Just from 200 words we are introduced to something called a Spindle (and I love the description!), a world with magicians, and some kind of mystery/tragedy with Liza and Patricks parents. I really want to read the rest of this story!<br /><br /><br /><i>Untitled by Kristi Chestnutt<br /><br />It took but two words for her to know something was wrong—two small, tiny, insignificant words that every other normal human being uttered every day of their lives. But not her brother. Not usually. Not ever.<br />She wasn’t sure which was worse, the way he walked by and casually said “Good morning,” or the way he smiled at her. Smiled! In the morning!<br />There was no smart remark, no jabbing of his elbow into her back as he walked by, no comment on the outfit she’d picked out to wear for school today. And as tempting as it was to ignore the sudden change of attitude, to just go with it, she couldn’t. Everything about this new easy-going Patrick was wrong. Right down to the way he was eating his pancakes without dripping syrup all over his chin.</i><div>
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Creepy huh? I love the way that this one mixes classic horror elements with comedy. The subtle overnight change of someone you love is a terrifying thing, but the indicators that Kristi uses to demonstrate Patrick's change are so funny. Being polite in the morning? Totally scary!<br /><br /><br /><i>Untitled by Jamie Borenstein-Laurie<br /><br />It was a metamorphosis down to his very core, an irrevocable transformation—all, it seemed, in the silence of a single, muggy summer night.<br />Gone was Patty (a nickname he loathed), the boy without a single care. The outrageously witless and foolhardy younger brother that she knew down to the very last detail of his outlandish dreams. Her partner in crime and trustworthy confidant—thieved away from her before she could truly appreciated his worth.<br />Now, he was quiet…keeping himself hidden behind a veil of slightly greasy hair and the single (first!) pimple above his left eyebrow.<br />Now, he shuffled awkwardly on too-long limbs and canoe-sized feet, bulging joints knocking.<br />Now, he was a creature decidedly teenage-boy-ish…hidden away behind a closed bedroom door, barely offering a word.<br />And Liza was a lone mourner, yearning for the times when her little brother was…well, little. Patrick the Youthful was nothing but a memory, trapped behind the glass of a dusty picture frame.</i><br /><br />This story took an interesting direction with the idea of transformation. I love that instead of a literal sudden physical transformation, it used the opening line to talk about how sudden growing up can feel, even when it's not. It did a great job with interpreting the prompt, it really goes to show how many different places the imagination can go.<br /><br /><br /><i>Untitled by Kate Ormand<br /><br />One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated her and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not.<br />He was the complete opposite of his usual self: he wasn’t annoying; he wasn’t funny; he wasn’t anything. His face was sunken, which wouldn’t be noticeable to the average person, but Liza was his sister and she spotted these things. She could see the way his skin was paler, and the dark rings that hung like gloomy shadows below his eyes.<br />Patrick sat on a chair at the kitchen table. His dry, thinning hands were placed flat on either side of an empty plate. He wasn’t moving, doing nothing other than staring vacantly ahead at the dreary, beige wallpaper.<br />“Patrick?” He didn’t answer, didn’t even acknowledge her. She bit her lip. Trying another approach she said: “pancakes for breakfast?”<br />He would usually jump from his seat at the mention of pancakes. But not today.<br />Patrick turned his head slowly to face her, there was something almost mechanical about his movements. His eyes didn’t shift, he didn’t blink.<br />A black spider crawled over his hand and straight up the sleeve of his pajama top. Liza suppressed a scream, her fear of spiders being no secret, but Patrick didn’t flinch. His gaze didn’t even waver.</i><br /><br />Again... super creepy! This passage was really terrifying. Kate uses imagery very effectively here to paint a picture of what kind of horrible transformation has overcome Patrick. The spider at the end is an especially wonderful gruesome touch!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-78893992250376864342012-06-19T13:20:00.002-07:002012-06-19T13:20:30.035-07:00Underground Spaces<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My friend e-mailed me today with an article about a proposed new underground park for New York City. The images are pretty spectacular on their own, but the real reason she sent it to me is that the majority of "The Spindlers" takes place in a crazy topsy-turvy underground world. I started wondering about real-life underground spaces. What was out there? What kinds of things are hidden below the surface? Turns out... some pretty amazing stuff! Some of them are man made, some are totally natural, but they all have a strange other-worldly feeling about them. Check out what I found, and let me know if I missed anything!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">First, the Proposals for the New York City "Low Line"</span><br />
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This is the Stockholm Subway... kind of creepy huh?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Never mind... THIS is creepy. The Paris Catacombs</div>
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This is a picture of the Crystal Caves in Mexico. </div>
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This is the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, in Cundinamarca, Colombia. The entire room there is carved out of Salt!</div>
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The Lava Tube Cave in Tulelake, California. I think it looks like it's leading to fairy land.</div>
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The Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China. I think this one looks like an Alien Planet. </div>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-7481152146492693632012-06-15T13:09:00.001-07:002012-06-15T13:09:51.916-07:00Favorite First Lines<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A couple of days ago I announced the new Writing Challenge, in which asked you guys to take the first sentence of my new book</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><u>The Spindlers</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> and write the next 200 words. This got me thinking about first lines in general.It's amazing that sometimes the very first words leap straight off the page and into your heart. So to help further inspire you all in your writing, here are some of my favorite first lines in books! I'd love to hear what some of yours are!</span><br />
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And don't forget to get me your challenge submissions by 6.20.12!</div>
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Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road and met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo...<br />-James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man<br /><br />Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember the distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.<br />--One Hundred Years of solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br /><br />Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were normal, thank you very much.<br />--Harry Potter, dur<br /><br />Strike spotted her: baby fat, baby face, Shanelle or Shanette, fourteen years old maybe, standing there with that queasy smile, trying to work up the nerve.<br />--Clockers, Richard Price<br /><br />It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think he or she is wonderful.<br />--Roald Dahl, Matilda</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-38083554305559629902012-06-13T09:47:00.003-07:002012-06-13T09:47:54.751-07:00Very Special Spindlers Writing Challenge!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpKaNFmdh725MF_FMKuLZLExAk_wREsuk1V7kpmQPJz3ftP77qq5iGGAEJtW5oJ4HlxSM8qJM-zSz-QdFzZM4sjCvQ3iqUIVPayiNCb884ipnt3PIypzl5hPx9t-OoSAaU5rcZ0qTXatD/s1600/61I3bThJdVL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpKaNFmdh725MF_FMKuLZLExAk_wREsuk1V7kpmQPJz3ftP77qq5iGGAEJtW5oJ4HlxSM8qJM-zSz-QdFzZM4sjCvQ3iqUIVPayiNCb884ipnt3PIypzl5hPx9t-OoSAaU5rcZ0qTXatD/s400/61I3bThJdVL._SS500_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hey guys! So... I've decide to quit writing and join the circus instead. Ha ha, just kidding--there's no way I'm walking the tight rope. But I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>am </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">going to let you all take a swing at writing my forthcoming book "The Spindlers!"</span><br />
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Here's what's up: For the new Writing Challenge I'm going to provide you all the first sentence of <i>The Spindlers</i> as a prompt...and I want all of you to tell me what the next 200 words will be! This time you only have <b>ONE WEEK</b> to get me your amazing ideas, and I'll post some of my favorites on this blog! Remember, stick to the 200 word limit--you don't want your fab writing to get disqualified because you went too far over.</div>
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Next week, after the challenge is over, I'll reveal the REAL first paragraph of The Spindlers! So hurry up and get me your pieces by 6/20/12... I can't wait to read them!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The first line of The Spindlers is...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">"One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated her and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not."</span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-53328858163249353042012-06-10T14:46:00.001-07:002012-06-10T14:46:26.302-07:00Saturday With My Friends... and books... and chocolate!)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't think of a better way to pass a Saturday than among friends, at one of my favorite bookstores, laughing, chatting, and talking books. The crowd that showed up to Books and Wonder yesterday to see me and six of my for-real friends (Jess Rothenberg - </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Catastrophic History of You and Me<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">, Courtney Sheinmel - </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the Things You Are,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Rebecca Serle - </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When You Were Mine, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Kate Ellison - </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Butterfly Clues, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Elizabeth Miles - </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Fury</i>, Lauren Morrill - </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meant to Be, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Lenore Appelhans - </span>Level 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">) </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">discuss books, both past and upcoming, was both engaged and engaging, and our moderator, the lovely owner of the bookstore, Peter, stimulated a lively discussion about everything from e-readers to drafting to categorizing books.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a particular joy for me to be sitting at a table with some of the most talented, generous, and mutually supportive women I've ever met, and to know that I am dedicating my life to the industry that first bonded us.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The panel concluded with a lively signing, an awesome raffle of some of fall's hottest galleys, and, more importantly, CHOCOLATE!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to everyone who came out. You rock my world. And for the rest of you...I better see you next time!!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwbx1_Z0PyiZ9CHodVim_0spJcK4b8YxAkcUDcP472_SnQMrIGKBJ14IQ3ls5iiDn9pFPKDCbzle7Q6g8YiyUKmx7dJM0z-D7zvNwYe2UriXVrbcHiom7ks3R53I2OUX86C9xXQH4dYRa/s1600/IMG-20120609-00257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwbx1_Z0PyiZ9CHodVim_0spJcK4b8YxAkcUDcP472_SnQMrIGKBJ14IQ3ls5iiDn9pFPKDCbzle7Q6g8YiyUKmx7dJM0z-D7zvNwYe2UriXVrbcHiom7ks3R53I2OUX86C9xXQH4dYRa/s400/IMG-20120609-00257.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-58100593968869079332012-06-06T12:07:00.000-07:002012-06-06T12:07:00.006-07:00Liesl and Po Paperback Cover Reveal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9z_Qx7cFURcm1aUmdDRWeOdQcUPeS7uCJmQwfngUNwX4TP-UhwXVciFv-yEq0TOwI_F-bm-ypTiKhb111X6FgkI6FHNam0RlDqGd9o1zdK95W4Oc58ZX9UBB0DT9AroanruhqTtMQMgY/s1600/51E+Tjaq2JL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9z_Qx7cFURcm1aUmdDRWeOdQcUPeS7uCJmQwfngUNwX4TP-UhwXVciFv-yEq0TOwI_F-bm-ypTiKhb111X6FgkI6FHNam0RlDqGd9o1zdK95W4Oc58ZX9UBB0DT9AroanruhqTtMQMgY/s640/51E+Tjaq2JL._SS500_.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">So</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> the exciting news for today is that Liesl and Po is available to pre-order in paperback! And maybe it's just my proud book-mama instincts, but isn't that a beautiful cover? I love all the magic spilling out of the box! What do you guys think?</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-40201382500899695202012-06-04T07:31:00.001-07:002012-06-04T07:31:14.558-07:00BEA Events!<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's that time of the year again, peeps--a special time of inedible food and delicious books, of authors and impossible taxi lines, of Javitz Center bathrooms and a race for free galleys! That's right...Book Expo America is here! For the first time, BEA will be open to the general public, so I hope I get a chance to see y'all at one of my events below. Happy BEA week!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Tuesday, June 5th:</u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>2:00-2:30 pm </b></span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>The Spindlers</b></span></i></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b> signing (</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Table 8)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">My new book! Come by, check it out, and say hey!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Thursday, June 7th:</u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>11:00-11:30 am Middle Grade Panel: Writing Strong Female Characters in Middle Grade Books (</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Uptown Stage)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is a topic that's very important to me, so it's a real honor to have been selected for this panel. Come by to hear my thoughts, as well as those of Sharon Creech, Shannon Messenger, Jennifer M. Brown, and Judith Viost.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #500050; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Saturday, June 9th</span></u></span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>12 p.m.-2 p.m.</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Books of Wonder</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>Lauren Oliver and Friends Saturday Extravaganza!</b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b></b></span></span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I posted about this before, but I'm mentioning it again because THAT'S HOW EXCITED I AM! Seriously, I get to hang out with my good friends </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">and</span></span></i></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> with all of you guys (because it's open to everyone!)... I'm thinking best afternoon ever!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-67757606541924472742012-06-01T15:25:00.000-07:002012-06-01T15:25:40.483-07:00Announcing Lauren Oliver and Friends!<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey Guys,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm really excited to announce that on </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday June 9,</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I'm hosting an extra-special event at Books of Wonder in NYC!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is it extra special, you ask?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Firstly, because Books of Wonder is one of my all-time favorite independent bookstores. If you've never been there and you're in the New York City area, you should really make a pit-stop there some afternoon. It's got a fantastic selection of children's and young adult books... not to mention maple walnut cupcakes! 'Nuff said.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, (SPOILER ALERT!) the event is called Lauren Oliver & Friends, and it's actually not a literary exaggeration! I really am reading with a bunch of my friends, including my BFF since 8th grade, Elizabeth Miles, and the fabulous Jess Rothenberg, who honored me by inviting me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. It's so special for me to be able to share the fun with such a large group of brilliant, kind, and talented young women.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below I've posted some banner images about the event for all of you book bloggers and facebook users. Please spread the word, and I can't WAIT to see you all there!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the Facebook page for the event:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/events/115483608590130/</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-84842236929939278552012-05-31T06:03:00.000-07:002012-05-31T06:03:41.488-07:00From the Archives: Ten-Year-Old Lauren Oliver, Budding Poet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Just because I've been writing for a long, long time doesn't mean I've been good for a long time. In fact, I always tell aspiring writers that it is critical to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>practice</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">, to cultivate a discipline and a daily habit of writing, just as you would if you wanted to become a soccer player, cellist, marathon runner...or anything else, for that matter. Scientists spend years doing research; politicians spend years...well, I'm not sure what politicians do for years. Collect bribes, maybe?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The point is, I really agree with Albert Einstein when he said E = MC squared, and ALSO when he said that genius is 1 percent talent and 99 percent hard work. I didn't become decent at writing until very recently. And I can prove it!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Recently my father unearthed my attempts at poetic composition at the tender age of ten. We were living in France at the time, so the original (which is somewhat difficult to read) is written in French, although my ten-year-old self also handily included an English translation. In my defense, the poem does at least rhyme in French. In my counter-defense...there is no rhyme scheme; I am not sure why almost every line begins with "wooo"; and the subject matter...well, see for yourself.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Stay tuned for more "from the archives" posts!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">xoLauren</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-27515040990656895822012-05-28T06:36:00.003-07:002012-05-28T06:36:57.981-07:00Coucou de St Malo!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I don't want to hate on Book Expo, but the french festival Etonnants Voyageurs--perched on the gorgeous french coastline, just outside the charming walled city of St Malo--really puts BEA and the Javitz Center to shame. I've just spent three glorious days strolling the beach, eating moules frites, drinking delicious wine...oh, and signing lots of books!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I was invited to attend by my French publisher, because both Before I Fall and Delirium were nominated for a very special prize, Le Grand Prix de L'Imaginaire, in the category of foreign young adult fiction. And guess what?? I won for not one, but BOTH books, because the jury couldn't decide between them!! I was absolutely blown away. What made the experience even more special is that both my fiance and my father accompanied me to France and were there to witness the ceremony.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Tonight I head back to Paris for a last day of working-vacation. And if you're in Paris, you can come and see me!!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dedicace: 18h00 - 19h30, Mardi 29 Mai</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Librairie le Divan Jeunesse</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">226 r Convention</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Paris 75015</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">There will be reading! And maybe singing! Come show me some amour....</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">xoLauren</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-65696427212067809172012-05-23T13:39:00.002-07:002012-05-25T00:55:20.158-07:00Live-blogging the Pandemonium Ap!<br />
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For the first time today I finally had the time to try out the awesome new pandemonium app that I blogged about some time ago! (find it here! https://www.facebook.com/deliriumtrilogy?sk=app_346071285441526&requestID= ) I thought I would live-blog some of my thoughts as I went through the app. Please bear with me as I inevitably struggle through this... I'm not known for my computer prowess!<br />
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Right off the bat, I'm having a hard time picking out an image to represent me. I'm deciding to go with the simple slogan "JOIN THE RESISTANCE &; SPREAD THE DELIRIA." I love the graphic; it for some reason reminds me what a title card would look like for an old movie. <br />
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The game allows you to share images and recruit friends to the cause. You can only send invites to 50 people at a time, but if you return, you can send out additional invites.When I go back to my homepage, I see that the picture I chose has been posted on my timeline, along with text urging people to join the resistance.<br />
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What I love about this app is that it really mimics the tactics used by real grassroots movements to spread information and rally people to a cause. And isn't Love a good cause to rally around? Even if we don't actually live in the world of <i>Delirium</i> and <i>Pandemonium</i>, our world is filled with dissension, anger, and negativity. It feels good to make a push for Love!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-42622466113206707812012-05-21T13:19:00.001-07:002012-05-21T13:19:16.002-07:00Rainy Day Thoughts For Rainy Day Things<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhTVtzXiFNrVyDWKN2578qfdacUavf1uuh902HWcudcXqBwHfCTMq-67CkGX9j3JTaVOa0y3ZV-hCKXj_yZVBGmmZdLCvDRmhtMEIznU0Wbkj46lhGJYT9qcKrPSbFlIlSnLtcnW56zJo/s1600/0ce23b7aeedb0e37fcdfa28d4a9dc37914e617ca_m.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhTVtzXiFNrVyDWKN2578qfdacUavf1uuh902HWcudcXqBwHfCTMq-67CkGX9j3JTaVOa0y3ZV-hCKXj_yZVBGmmZdLCvDRmhtMEIznU0Wbkj46lhGJYT9qcKrPSbFlIlSnLtcnW56zJo/s320/0ce23b7aeedb0e37fcdfa28d4a9dc37914e617ca_m.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of ffffound.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know how the weather is for everyone else, but here in New York, it is DREARY. I'm really starting to believe that the rain picks up to monsoon levels of downpour only when I am forced to leave the house. As much as there are things I love about rain (another list for another time), today the damp and generally sludgy quality of the day is making me super grumpy! Now I KNOW it's important to think positively, but today my thinking is positively foul...and I'm rolling with it. They say misery loves company, so here is a list of the basically minor but really irritating things that always put a storm cloud on my mental horizon. And hey, share the misery! I want to hear what gets you gruff and grumpy!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1—COSTUMER SERVICE CALLS</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I could write a whole special sub-section just for the cable company. Things that especially frustrate about me about dealing with any kind of customer service telephone number include a) not being able to talk to an actual human being, b) the ever-changing and completely confusing menu options and c) that hold music!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2—UNPACKING AFTER A TRIP</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know why it seems like more work then just putting away your laundry, especially since most of what you brought home just needs to get dumped in the hamper. (Actually, I kinda hate putting away the laundry, too.) My record is letting a still half-packed suitcase chill in my bedroom for a solid two weeks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3—WHEN YOU OPEN A BOTTLE OF SODA AND IT EXPLODES</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Especially when you don't have handy access to a sink. Stickiness!!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4—THE NOISE OF AN ALARM CLOCK</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">No matter what the noise actually is, I will come to hate whatever sound drags me out of bed in the morning. That includes birdsong, and is the reason I </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">never</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> set one of my favorite songs as an alarm! I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am NOT a morning person!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5—WAKING UP, MAKING COFFEE, AND REALIZING THERE'S NO MILK</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Variations on this include forgetting to buy a crucial ingredient for a baking project, getting to the store and realizing you've forgotten your shopping list/money/re-useable bags, and accidentally buying the second book in a series before the first.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">6</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">—TAKING THE TIME TO BLOW DRY MY HAIR AND THEN REALIZING IT'S RAINING</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This happened today. It's one of my biggest pet peeves, and also sounds like it should be a line in an Alanis Morissette song.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">7—BADLY DESIGNED WEBSITES</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When it's hard to find the information you need, or when you have to sit through a three minute long animation just to find out what hours a restaurant is open. That's when I start yelling at my computer. My poor computer...</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> 8--MONDAYS<br /> Enough said!</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-5738339141077440292012-05-18T06:34:00.000-07:002012-05-18T06:34:41.061-07:00The Awkward Writing Challenge!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now THAT is awkward.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Thanks to everyone who entered my “Awkward” writing challenge! I got so many great entries, it was almost impossible to showcase only three. Weirdly, it was really a pleasure to read through all your depictions of this incredibly awful feeling. Additionally, I was inspired by the fact that many of you embraced awkwardness as a <i>positive</i> thing.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Check out some of my favorites below. Thank you again to everyone who entered, we will post another challenge soon. I can't wait see what you all come up with next!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Awkward”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">- By Ainsley Shay</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Pick me. Pick me. Pick me.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">My hand can't get any higher, and I’m sure my crossed fingers are wrapped so tight they’ll have to be surgically separated.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"Miss Bailey, you seem quite eager. Why don't you be our first presenter?" says Mr. Sputnick.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Instant terror descends and settles comfortably in my belly. <i>Just get it over with. Two minutes, that’s it, then instant relief. Two minutes.</i> Taking a deep breath, I gather my notecards, my courage, and head to the front of the class. <i>I’m not going to throw up. I’m not going to throw up. Just picture them all naked, isn’t that what everyone always says? Oh, God, Tim Riley, so don’t want to imagine him naked. Ugh!</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">After the last word is said, I let out the air that's been trapped in my lungs for what seems like eternity. The taste of relief is sweet until I look up and see twenty mouths gaped open.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What? Why are they looking at me like that?</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"Ah, um…thank you, Miss Bailey. That was…educational, but the topic was propagation as in spreading beliefs into a new region, not propagation as in the act of reproduction.”</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Being first sucks.</span></i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What I really liked about this one was the pacing. Despite its brevity, it was a real story with a beginning, middle, and an end. . .with a great punch line. What's also great about this story is that it portrays awkwardness in two different ways. I love that the narrator's initial nervousness about giving the presentation misleads the reader, so that the ultimate reveal--which shows the </span></b><i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">truly</span></i><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> awkward moment at play here—is a surprise. Great job!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><span style="font-family: Times;">⁃<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">By Kate Picard: <a href="http://www.sithereandread.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">http://www.sithereandread.com/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I stare down at my naked, shivering body and groan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Mental note: Get towel before shower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I tiptoe from the bathroom, down the empty hallway. Stacey’s room is a</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">few feet away. But just as I take two steps, I hear a voice coming up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">the stairs behind me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I make a quick decision and burst through closest door. I press my ear</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">against the cool wood and listen as the voice fades away. Just as I am</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">about to continue my journey, I hear a shuffling noise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I turn slowly to see the sleepy eyes of my biggest crush and Stacey’s</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">twin brother, Connor, laying in bed. His eyes widen and he graciously</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">turns away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Holy crap!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I scan the room quickly to find something to hide behind until I see</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">his open closet. I trip over my fumbling feet and fall face down—or</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">ass up, onto the carpet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Are you alright?” Connor says, with a hint of a smile in his voice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">My face flushes. “Yes,” I say meekly. “Just give me a sec please.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“You can have as many secs as you need,” he says. “Er, I mean. Well</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">you know what I mean.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Hilarious, Kate! Again, this is a very short story that still conveys a great and distinct sense of different characters. Even though we only get two lines out of his mouth, we can tell that Connor is a basically good guy, with a good sense of humor (so basically perfect!). It's funny, relate-able (I ALWAYS forget a towel when I shower some place new!), and really. . .well, awkward!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">⁃<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">by </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Times;">Sallie D. Mazzur</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">My eyes refuse to open. I am standing in the middle of the courtyard on campus, wearing my favorite white summer dress, delicate sheer lace detail lining the trim. My fingers grip the sides of the tray in front of me, knuckles straining against the plastic, practically numb from holding on so tightly. I feel it dripping slowly through my hair, down the front of my dress, sliding further down to pool around my feet, becoming drenched in it. I’ve become a live wire encased in liquid, fearing an explosion, trying to refrain from letting it escape, scratching at the insides of my chest, clawing its way out into the open. My composure slipping, I feel tears begin to add to the already cool water flowing down my body, showcasing my embarrassment. I feel their eyes on me, painful goose bumps forming on my skin as if their gaze was causing an allergic reaction. A chill runs through my body as I hear gasps surrounding me. I drop the tray and wrap my arms around myself, laughter and cat calls ringing in my ears, slicing through my self-control and shredding any dignity I could muster up. I cursed myself for not wearing a bra that day. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I love that this one emphasizes awkwardness as a feeling, not just a set of circumstances. Sallie describes each moment, each physical aspect, in excruciating detail, with some inventive language and vivid metaphor. It's also great that she defuses the tension somewhat at the end of the paragraph by adding a humorous detail. It makes it even more relate-able, and all the more traumatizing!</span></b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-41724325388372839452012-05-16T10:01:00.004-07:002012-05-16T10:01:35.694-07:00JOIN THE RESISTANCE! (New Facebook App!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Wow!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I could not be more happy or excited to announce an amazing super fun new way to immerse yourself in the world of Delirium!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Now on Facebook we have a new <i>Pandemonium</i> game! Join to rally the people for the cause, and try to become a leader of the revolution.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Fight for Love! Fight for Humanity! Fight for truth! Fight for Fun! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Join the resistance at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/deliriumtrilogy/app_346071285441526" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>deliriumtrilogy/app_<wbr></wbr>346071285441526</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-32352307432755819162012-05-12T22:21:00.001-07:002012-05-12T22:30:59.438-07:00A Mother's Day Gift To My Readers<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIqh7jyfGfQJNJTnCZx0IzUnr9L5zxziUPsp9SeaK84wz_HdjwAarP56EWrckpjNOMNbmwtZyyhTzOi6kFiWPLje7CsmAg6h6np4lyC0S9QJi7qz1vb7CYbj237D-Q-fNHM_QnaOQMXqm/s1600/HT-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIqh7jyfGfQJNJTnCZx0IzUnr9L5zxziUPsp9SeaK84wz_HdjwAarP56EWrckpjNOMNbmwtZyyhTzOi6kFiWPLje7CsmAg6h6np4lyC0S9QJi7qz1vb7CYbj237D-Q-fNHM_QnaOQMXqm/s400/HT-main.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.jujubeandlolo.com (They have instructions on how to make it!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>I've been getting a lot of emails from very well-meaning fans who threaten to fall into some kind of horrible looming depression that cannot be cured by anything but a sneak peak of </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Requiem</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i> or a sequel to </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Before I Fall</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>. Sadly, neither one of those things is going to happen--but I think I might have fold a partial solution.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>As some of you already know, (and the rest of you must now be kicking yourself for forgetting), today is Mother's Day. I've got a great mother, a really excellent super awesome one, but in many of my books, moms are notoriously absent. thinking about my books I realized that there is a notable absence of good mothers hanging around!</i></span><br />
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<i>In Delirium and Pandemonium, Lena's mom impacts the story partly as a result of her absence. And so, dear readers, I thought as a special Mother's day present, and to help tide you over during the long wait forRequiem, I would share some of her thoughts with you. Here is an exclusive scene from Lena's Mom's POV!</i></div>
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When I was a girl, it snowed for a whole summer.</div>
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Every day, the sun rose smudgy behind a smoke-gray sky, and hovered behind its haze; in the evenings, it sank, orange and defeated, like the glowing embers of a dying flame.</div>
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And the flakes came down and down—not cold to touch, but with their own peculiar burn--as the wind brought smells of burning.</div>
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Every night, on TV, my mother and father sat us down to watch the news. All of the pictures were the same: towns neatly evacuated, cities enclosed, grateful citizens waving from the windows of shiny new buses, as they were carted off to a new future, a life of perfect happiness. A life of painlessness.</div>
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“See?” my mother would say, smiling at me and my sister Carol in turn. “We live in the greatest country on earth. See how lucky we are?”</div>
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And yet the ash continued swirling down, and the smells of death came through the windows, crept under the door, hung in our carpets and curtains, and screamed of her lie.</div>
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Is it possible to tell the truth in a society of lies? Or must you always, of necessity, become a liar?</div>
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And if you lie to a liar, is the sin somehow negated or reversed?</div>
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These are the kinds of questions I ask myself now: in these dark, watery hours, when night and day are interchangeable. No. Not true. During the day the guards come, to deliver food and take the bucket; and at night the others moan, scratch, and scream. They are the lucky ones. They are the ones who still believe that sound, that voice, will do any good. The rest of us know better, and have learned to live in silence.</div>
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I wonder what Lena is doing now. I always wonder what Lena is doing. Rachel, too: both my girls, my beautiful, big-eyed girls. But I worry about Rachel less. Rachel was always harder than Lena, somehow. More defiant, more stubborn, less <i>feeling</i>. Even as a little girl, she frightened me a little—fierce and fiery-eyed, with a temper like my father’s once was.</div>
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But Lena...little darling Lena, with her wide eyes and her flushed, chubby cheeks: she used to rescue spiders from the pavement to keep them getting squashed; quiet, thoughtful Lena, with the sweetest lisp to break your heart. To break my heart: my wild, uncured, erratic, incomprehensible heart. I wonder whether her front teeth still overlap a little; whether she still confuses the words <i>pretzel</i> and <i>pencil</i> occasionally; whether the wispy brown hair grew straight and long, or began to curl.</div>
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I wonder whether she believes the lies they told her.</div>
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I, too, am a liar now. I’ve become one, of necessity. I lie when I smile and return an empty tray. I lie when I ask for the <i>Book of Shhh,</i> pretending to have repented.</div>
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I lie just by being here, on my cot, in the dark.</div>
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Soon, it will be over. Soon, I will escape.</div>
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And then the lies will end.</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912113654276470804.post-5150411014028504322012-05-09T14:36:00.003-07:002012-05-09T14:36:55.236-07:00FAQ Part II!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hey guys,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here's the answers to more questions that you had! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What books are coming up for you?</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">My second book for middle-grade readers, THE SPINDLERS, will be released in October of this year. In the spring of 2013, the last book in my Delirium series, Requiem, comes out; and after that...who knows! I'm working on a teen standalone right now but it's in its very early stages.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b>How do you come up with names for your characters?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">With difficulty! I keep lists of names I like, street names, and place names on my computer. But sometimes I just mix-and-match the names of people I know! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><b>How old were you when you started writing?</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I started writing pretty much as soon as I was old enough to hold a pen and read on my own. My first stories were spin-offs of the books I loved, like CS Lewis and the Redwall series.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><b>How is Hana's name pronounced?</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I pronounce it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hah</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">-na (the way a British person might!), but most people say Hana to rhyme with the last syllable of banana, which is fine too. She's used to it!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><b>How do you overcome obstacles/writers block?</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Discipline, discipline, discipline. I've trained myself to write every day, no matter what. And remember: the first drafts don't have to be good, or even readable!</span></div>
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Hope this helps!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.laurenoliverbooks.com</div>Lauren Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09739108327943037958noreply@blogger.com18