YA Crush Round #2 TODAY!

Patch is competing in round 2 of the YA Crush Tournament today.  He's facing a touch challenger and needs your help!  Please vote for him from all of your devices and ask your friends, family, neighbors, mailman :-) to as well.

As an incentive to vote, Becca has generously said that if Patch gets 1,500 votes she will donate $500 to Kids Need to Read and if he gets 2,000 she will donate another $500.  Give your favorite bad boy your vote AND help kids get books. Now that is win win! Vote here!   UPDATE:  Thanks to all of the amazing fans who have voted for Patch, he has surpassed both 1,500 and 2,000 votes!!  Thank YOU!!  

A few important tidbits....

Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes is Patch's Advocate and she is doing an amazing job!  Be sure to stop by her blog today to read her interview with Nora and a few other HUSH, HUSH peeps as well.

Some super fans have stepped up to make some avatars, and I think you guys are going to love them. (See one of them above) You can find them here, feel free to use them especially today!  (check back for new ones throughout the day)

Love Has No FINALE Tour

Hi, all!

A tiny bit of info on my upcoming U.S. tour. First, it has a title! I don't think any of my previous tours have had official names. But I'm proud to say this October's tour will be called...

DRUMROLL...

(DON'T PEEK AT THE TITLE OF THIS POST)

The...

Love Has No FINALE tour! 

Drew Doyon, the cover model who portrays Patch, will be joining me on tour. I suppose this means I can no longer tell stories about him during my presentations. You'll miss out on the anecdotes, but you will get to talk to Drew in person. My publisher is taking into account your opinion as they decide which city Drew/Patch will visit. In the running are Provo, UT, Phoenix, AZ, Portland, OR, Houston, TX, and San Fransisco, CA. Please take a moment to cast your vote.

See you in October!

-Becca

UK Tour!

Hey guys!

I announced a few UK FINALE tour events on Twitter this morning, but here is the info in one nice, tidy place.  As always, please keep in mind that my publisher chooses where to send me - so please don't be angry at me if I'm not visiting your part of the country! Be angry at them, ha! ;)

Without further ado...I will be in the UK doing book signings November 4th - 7th. A few events are still being sorted out, but these are the two events that I know about for certain.

Also, I am totally expecting to see sheep like this when I visit! (Photo courtesy of my UK publicist, Kat.) 

Sunday 4^th November

Public signing – 12pm

Waterstone’s

93-97 Albion Street  

City Centre,

Leeds LS1 5AP

To book or for more information about the event, please call 0113 2444588.

Wednesday 7^th November

Evening talk and signing – 6.30pm

Waterstones

203-206 Piccadilly
London

W1J 9HD

This event is ticketed. To book or for more information about availability, please call 02078512400 or email events@piccadilly.waterstones.co.uk. Tickets are £5/£3 for Waterstone’s Loyalty Card holders.

Sunday 4^th November

Public signing - 3pm

WHSmith

45 High Street

Meadowhall Shopping Centre

Sheffield

S9 1EN

No ticket required. For more information visit http://www.whsmith.co.uk/Support/InStoreSignings.aspx. 

Writing Conflict

First thing this morning, I went outside to water my garden.  It's not a very big garden.  Keep that in mind when I tell you that there were six (SIX!) bunnies inside it merrily eating away.  After I chased them off, I started thinking about one of my boys' favorite picture books, MUNCHA, MUNCHA, MUNCHA by Candace Fleming. My boys used to giggle every time I read it out loud.  At first I thought they were laughing at the way I would boom, "Muncha, muncha, muncha!" But they finally told me the truth: they laughed because it was hilarious to watch the bunnies and Mr. McGreely fight over the garden. In the story, both the bunnies and Mr. McGreely want the same thing: to eat the tasty vegetables. Who wins? You'll have to read the book to find out.  But I will say this: great story conflict happens when the main character and the main opponent want the same thing.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, as I've started plotting my next book. Often, writers and readers alike say, "The middle of the book sagged."  I think saggy middles can be avoided by creating a suspenseful tug-of-war between the protagonist and antagonist.  I'm still learning how to execute this plotting device in my own stories, but the more I study other books, I think there is great storytelling wisdom in driving the protagonist and antagonist toward the same goal. 

As an example, I'll fall back on one of my favorite stories: Romancing the Stone.  (You know by now just how much I love this movie, right?)  In the movie, Joan Wilder wants the treasure map so she can exchange it for her sister, who is being held by bad guys. Jack, her main opponent, also wants the treasure map.  Only, he wants it because he wants money to buy a boat and sail around the world.  We can also throw in the bad guys here.  They want the treasure map because they, too, want to be filthy rich.  Anyway, back and forth Joan and Jack go--each desperately trying to maintain control of the treasure map.  I won't ruin the rest of the story for you, but the middle of the movie is anything but saggy as our hero and heroine struggle to reach their goal.

If you're looking for a way to put tension into your stories, I suggest trying this device.  I'm using it right now, and while I'm only in the planning stages of my next novel, giving my heroine and her main opponent the same goal is building the foundation for lots of exciting conflict and character growth.

Happy writing!

Becca

HUSH, HUSH at Comic Con

Becca's publisher, Simon & Schuster will be doing a preview panel at Comic Con tonight!  The first 300 people will receive limited edition HUSH, HUSH t-shirts!  They are the awesome ones that were given away at BEA.  If you are there, be sure to stop by! 

Becca (with the angel models) in her limited edition
HUSH, HUSH shirt at BEA

 Here are some of the details 

Simon and Schuster, Thursday, 7/12/12, 7:00p.m. - 8:00p.m., Room: 9:

The Scoop at Simon & Schuster! — Get the inside word on Simon & Schuster’s upcoming books and the chance to win exclusive prizes! Lucille Rettino (Director of Marketing), Carolyn Swerdloff (Marketing Manager), Chrissy Noh (Senior Marketing Manager), Liesa Abrams (Associate Marketing Manager) and Anna McKean (Publicity Manager) give you the scoop on upcoming books from exciting authors, including Cassandra Clare, Tonya Hurley, Tony DiTerlizzi, Orson Scott Card and Brandon Mull. Hear what is going on with S&S’s hot properties — Star Trek and The Smurfs — and get a chance to win exclusive giveaways. All attendees will receive a limited edition T-shirt for Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush saga.

Another reader question. This one from @HeffronRusher: What's your favorite thing about writing? What keeps you inspired? 

These are good questions. And they have tricky answers—tricky, because they are always changing. But, in general, I would say my favorite thing about writing is creating the first draft of a story. When I'm writing the initial draft, I don't worry if the plot has holes. I don't worry if I properly show my characters' motivations. I don't worry if readers won't like my characters' flaws, and judge them harshly because of those flaws. I just...write. It's a lot of fun, and it's stress-free. During this phase, I do a lot of giggling, groaning, squealing, and dancing in my chair. I don't think about revisions. I simply...go to town.

As for what keeps me inspired? Life. Going out into the world and doing stuff. Lots of different stuff. Trying new things, even when they scare me. Hanging out with people I adore. Listening to smart, witty and engaging speakers. Going to a concert and listening to really good music. Playing made-up games with my kids at the park. Going to a restaurant and ordering appetizers, a main dish, and dessert. And eating it all. Eavesdropping on conversations. Reading a book that makes me laugh. That makes me cry. That makes me think, “Man, I wish I'd written that.” Going to an amusement park and searching out the scariest ride. Running. Hiking. Swimming. Making banana spits. Watching the perfect movie. (Ahem, Romancing the Stone.) 

Being alive inspires me. I steal from my personal life all the time, and put that content into my books. I steal from my friends' lives. I people-watch. I try to sponge up everything I can. 

It's pretty darn inspiring.

The other day on Twitter, @lilyalbert asked me this question: Just wondering if you've ever had a bad review and if so, how you dealt with it?

Here's my answer. 

At some point during this past year I read an article (I think it was an article, it might have been a blog post—I don't remember) saying that all authors read reviews of their books, even if they claim they don't. I smiled and thought, Actually, I don't read reviews of my books. At least, I don't anymore.

When Hush, Hush first came out, I was wildly curious about what people were saying about my debut novel. It was such an exciting time for me. The book I'd been working on for six years was finally being published. I checked online retailers and book blogs for reviews. I Googled my book's title. I wanted readers to love the book as much as I did. As might be expected, some people loved it. Some people thought it was okay. And some people hated it. There were so many varying opinions about Hush, Hush, it was hard to know who was right. The people who loved it—were they right? The people who hated it—were they right? It took me a long time to realize it doesn't matter who is right. Our opinions aren't valuable because they're right—they're valuable because they're ours.

 I read a handful of reviews for Crescendo, my second book. I don't recall reading any reviews for Silence. And I don't plan on reading reviews for Finale. If I'm going to judge my self-worth and my writing based on what other people are saying about me and my books, I'm never going to be happy. I'm never going to be satisfied. I'm going to be too busy worrying about others' opinions to do what I should be doing—which is trying to become a better human being. And trying to write better books.

I'm worried some people are going to read this and misinterpret my words. I'm worried some people are going to think I'm saying I don't care about reviews. That's not the case. Not at all. I love knowing people are out there reading and reviewing my books. I encourage readers to review books and share their opinions and insights. I'm grateful when they do. Because, as a reader, I rely on friends' recommendations. I rely on book-talk. I like knowing what people are saying about a story I'm contemplating reading. It helps me make decisions about what to read. It does me a great deal of good to read book reviews—just not for my own books.

The short answer to @lilyalbert's question is that I don't deal with negative reviews. When I'm writing, they aren't part of the equation. I write the best books I can, and while they aren't perfect, they're mine. They are my contribution. Writing makes me happy. I get so much joy from creating stories and sharing them with you.

That is what I focus on when I write.

-Becca

Team Patch

Hey everyone -

It's that time of year - the YA Sisterhood's Crush Tourney is happening now! As I mentioned a few entries ago, Patch was nominated as one of YA lit's hottest crushes. I'm super honored! I'm also super grateful to Jen at Jenuine Cupcakes who has volunteered to be Patch's advocate. She's doing a fantastic job of spreading the #TeamPatch love, and I'd highly recommend keeping tabs on her blog if you want the latest #TeamPatch news during the tourney. She's also created a couple fun buttons to show your support for Patch. Grab 'em and get ready for his first match on Wednesday!

Old Town Book Fair

First off, thanks to everyone who came out yesterday and helped make the inaugural Old Town Book Fair a big success! I had a wonderful time on the panel answering questions, reuniting with old writer friends, and making new friends. I genuinely appreciate good writer friends - in a business filled with ups and downs it is always nice to feel a sense of solidarity. Speaking of writer friends, here is a picture of Laura Resau and me. I met Laura for the first time a couple of years ago at the Colorado Teen Lit Conference. Laura must be one of the best human beings I know. She's smart, well spoken, thoughtful and has a huge heart. I always enjoy listening to her words of wisdom when it comes to writing. I enjoyed her book, THE RUBY NOTEBOOK so much, and seeing her yesterday reminded me I should give myself a treat and pick up another one of her books.

And another pic with Amy Kathleen Ryan and Brenna Yovanoff. We are standing in front of the yurt, a.k.a. the Toaster. That rosy color in my cheeks is not a sunburn, rather the early stages of heat stroke! I can now officially say I have done an event inside a yurt. Bragging rights!

Finally, a few more event pics. Thanks go to the event organizers - hopefully we get to do this again next year!

Lazy Summer Days

Hi guys -

I am lovin' this summer, which has got to be my laziest and most relaxed to date. The kids stay up late, playing outside, and sleep deep into the morning. I've been getting up early to run and/or bike since it has been so hot lately, but it has given me an excuse to indulge in afternoon naps. My days have been filled with trips to the pool, to the park, or shooting hoops with the kids in the driveway. Not much writerly news to report. FINALE is on its way to the press. I can't believe in just over three months, you will be reading it!

Of course, since I'm not working on any writing projects at the moment, my mind is furiously searching for other ways to be creative. Almost always, this means playing around with my home. I must have been feeling especially patriotic yesterday because, on a whim, I decided to paint my dining room RED. The right side of my brain is dancing with joy!

Speaking of the Fourth, I hope those of you in the States had a very happy Independence Day!

-Becca