Swag and NaNo insanity

Things have been pretty busy in my neck of the woods, aka the middle of Los Angeles, for the past couple of months. The last time I posted, it was to reveal the cover of THE STOLEN MOON. Now I have accompanying swag! Contact me if you'd like a signed bookmark or some stickers. I ordered oodles.

Oodles!

In other exciting news, THE STOLEN MOON has received a starred review from Kirkus! Here's my favorite part of the review:

"Searles’ action- and intrigue-packed sci-fi thriller is peopled with characters who are sometimes confused, sometimes heroic and sometimes brats—that is to say, always genuine. They make realistic choices that are sometimes wrong in a believable and interesting future milieu...Star Trek for young fans of the genre, who’ll be thrilled at the prospect of a sequel."

THE STOLEN MOON comes out on January 27, 2015--about three months away. I can't wait to share this book! Writing a book in less than a year for the first time was quite possibly the hardest thing I've ever done, but I am so incredibly happy with how it turned out.

So this year, for the first time, I am planning to attempt NaNoWriMo. It's never been good timing before, and it's not this time either. You may have heard that I had a baby a little while ago--she is currently sleeping in my lap. She is two months old today and has recently started smiling at people, to my utter delight. That gummy, goofy grin is just about the best thing I've ever seen. Between her and some other social obligations in November, I'm not sure how realistic it is to try NaNo. But I haven't been able to get much writing done this year, and I've got a few outlines at the ready, so as long as I can finish up some other tasks before November starts, I'm going to give it my best. The YA Buccaneers are running a Fall Writing Bootcamp, so if you're looking for a little extra motivation next month, check in to see what we're offering: http://www.yabuccaneers.com/blog/. And if you're NaNo'ing, friend me so we can cheer each other along!