March 19, 2009

Maggie Stiefvater on Happiness


Maggie Stiefvater is the author of LAMENT, which I loved. I cannot wait for the sequel BALLAD, which comes out this year. Plus, her new series is beginning with SHIVER. Check out her el jay and the Merry Sisters of Fate comm because this is one author you'll want to learn more about. Her blog posts are always entertaining and informative.



Book Cover

I like the new cover since it gels with the contents and will match the cover of BALLAD, but I loved the old one. The charcoal details shown throughout the book were lovely.

Book Cover

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Liviania welcomed me to do a guest blog on happiness for her in honor of her birthday and her blog's anniversary. Happy blogbirthday, Liviania! I'm going to try my best to keep it vaguely book related, so here goes nuthin'.

1.Happiness is, first and foremost, sweet tea and cookie dough. Let's be serious here.

Shoot. I broke my book-related promise with the first item on the list.

1a. Happiness is, first and foremost, sweet tea and cookie dough while reading a good book.

2. Happiness is a year of books that I am dying to read: THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, by Carrie Ryan, THE DEMON'S LEXICON, by Sarah Rees Brennan, AS YOU WISH, by Jackson Pearce. Zombies, demons, and genies, respectively, all with love involves. So after your boyfriend is bitten by a zombie you can sell your soul to the devil in return for a genie who can grant three wishes: 1) eliminate the zombie threat, 2) give your soul back, and 3) give me the sequel.

3. Happiness is also a year of books that I've loved being made into movies that will hopefully not suck: HARRY POTTER, THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, and THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. Okay, wait. TTW doesn't come out until 2010, but that's still enough fun movieness for happiness. I am currently trying to stop watching the Harry Potter trailer on repeat so that I can continue on to #3.

4. Happiness is Melina Marchetta. I have read SAVING FRANCESCA and JELLICOE ROAD in quick succession and I'm about to start in on FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK. She writes such wonderful reluctant love stories into her redemption stories. They entertain even a reader such as myself who is more often entertained by novels that involve supernatural creatures popping people's heads off.

Book Cover

5. Happiness is having two books coming out this year that I'm really proud of: SHIVER, on August 1 (a girl and boy fall in love; the boy must become a wolf each winter), and BALLAD, on October 1 (the sequel to LAMENT where James must choose between saving his best friend-long term crush or the faerie which is making him change the way he sees himself). SHIVER has been so exciting -- the German, Italian, and Dutch rights all sold right away based upon the first 77 pages (we didn't even have the full manuscript ready for them to look at) and BALLAD has this absolutely drop dead gorgeous cover with FIRE on it.

6. Happiness is having finally amassed a nice pile of young adult book review blogs that I regularly check for recommendations. This one, YAreads.com, Reviewer X, Guys Lit Wire, The YA Mansion amongst others. . . it's taken about a year and a half for me to find my way around the YA book world, but it's a great community. Great for procrastinating on writing.

7. And finally, happiness is finding good books in unexpected places. Like under a pile of clean laundry that you'd avoided folding for a few weeks. Why, hellloooo, John Green!

--

It may have broken her rule, but I can get behind tea and cookie dough. (Though really, coffee is better than tea.)

Maggie's offering one lucky duck a signed copy of LAMENT. You wanna be the lucky one? Follow the rules.

38 comments:

  1. Happiness is when I found out about Maggie and her amazing upcoming book Shiver! ;)

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  2. Woo..look! I stalked Maggie all the way to this site! I agree that nothing says happiness more than cookie dough, sweet tea and a really good book. Well, maybe a cool giveaway! HAHAHAH.

    Love ya,
    Lesley

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  3. Ooh - Shiver sounds exciting. I am crazy for tea and cookie dough (though not together).

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  4. Totally agree with the second point!

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  5. Welcome to the YA world. It is fun. :-)

    I just have to say that I love the name James. That's reason enough to read Lament. lol

    HP6!! WHOOOT. I'm so stoked for that.

    Already a follower. :)

    -Lauren

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  6. 2 books in 1 year! Many congrats, Maggie! They both sound terrific (and I love books where characters heads pop off!).

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  7. Great post. It's always wonderful to hear about the happy things in the world, and two books in one year is definitely something to be happy about!

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  8. hi kitten, i loved your blog!

    so much inspiration to me... hope you visit me soo, i have anew blog!

    kisses

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  9. I totally agree with so many of her points. Tea and cookie dough with a good book is something more people need to enjoy.

    And Ive watched that trailer for the Harry Potter movie so many times I lost count.

    Lament sounds fantastic. I love finding new books about fairies. And congrats on the 2 upcoming releases this year.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  10. I also already follow your blog. Sorry completely forgot to metion it.

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  11. Ahhh - Lament looks so amazing! Haha, bubble tea is even better than just regular tea!

    That's so awesome, about having two books coming out this year!

    Hehe, I've recently become hooked on regularly checking out these YA book blogs too! I agree - it's a great way to procrastinate.

    And I really want a signed copy of Lament. Already a follower =) In fact... I think I just may go and Photoshop up a graphic ;)

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  12. Oh, & I've now sidebar linked this contest =)

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  13. I really need to read this one!

    already a follower
    bball11kt@sbcglobal.net

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  14. i am all about the coffee and cookie dough! and I am already a follower

    sports dot erikalynn at gmail dot com

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  15. LA-LA-LA...I can't hear you!...Tea is better than coffee! ;)

    Oooh! Books with faeries! I really like the cover redesign for Lament and the cover for Ballad(even though I'm Canadian and the burning maple leaf is a little distressing...heh heh). The cover for Shiver is really beautiful and I can't wait for it to come out. The synopsis, coupled with the colour scheme and title is a bit haunting. :)

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  16. This would be a new author for me!

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  17. Thanks for the congrats, everyone!

    And there is no way that coffee could ever win a duel with tea! Never!

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  18. Sweet tea, cookie dough and a good book = heaven. I agree.

    Vanessa
    gypsyrover21@yahoo.ca

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  19. I would choose tea over coffee myself, if only because I have fond memories of the many chats I had with my grandmother over a cup of tea -- her favorite and much beloved beverage :-)

    The book sounds wonderful!

    vmlay@artsci.wustl.edu

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  20. Please include me in your giveaway.
    Thanks
    Debbie
    Debdesk9@verizon.net

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  21. I love when books are made into movies and they're done right too. Most of the time the movies don't even come close to the book.

    bridget3420(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  22. I'm a follower.

    bridget3420(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  23. Wow! The cover of Shiver is incredibly awesome! It's perfect! And now I want to read it really badly!!!

    I love the cover of Lament too; I'm sort of sad that it's being changed...

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  24. There's nothing like a cup of hot tea or a glass of iced tea while reading!

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  25. happiness is spring, lots of books and free time and green tea :)

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  26. I so agree with points 3 and 7. I can't wait til HP 6 and I find books randomly too. Plus John Green is awesome!

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  27. I so agree with points 3 and 7. I can't wait til HP 6 and I find books randomly too. Plus John Green is awesome!

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  28. Well, happiness is ACTUALLY coffee, cookie dough, a good book, and a cat on one's lap... :)

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  29. I love the cover of Shiver and the story sounds really good. Also, I cannot wait for the Harry Potter movie to come out. That is going to be one of the midnight showings that I will be going to this year!

    I am already a follower and I would love a signed copy of Lament!

    My link is in the sidebar of my blog!

    katieb206@gmail.com

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  30. By the way, I am a follower!

    Lesley
    lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  31. Wow. I have a copy of Lament, but now I really really really want to read Shiver. Maybe more than I want to read K. Cashore's Fire. Maybe.

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  32. Is it a worldwide contest?
    Cos if so then sign me up

    blodeuedd1 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  33. I agree with point number 2!


    I haven't read Lament but I've herad a lot of good things about it so I was thinking about getting a copy, and few days ago I found out about Shiver, I can't wait to read it*

    +1 I'm a follower
    +1 Link in my sidebar
    www.silviapisyabooks.com

    silvia_pi@hotmail.es

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  34. I vote for unsweetened tea!

    I follow

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  35. Happy birthday?

    Elie

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  36. I want to read Lament so, so very much. And now I have even more books to read! Like I needed that :P

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  37. hah! why hello john green! lol :)
    addictedtobooks1993@yahoo.com

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  38. Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life. This is a quote by Burton Hills and I firmly believe in it. Yours is a nice blog.

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