Mini-Blog: Embracing the Accomplishments of Others

Happy Release Day, Carrie!!!

Don't forget to pick up your copy of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH today! Borders will definitely be my first stop after work. Click the book cover to buy it from Amazon.com.


Critics are saying...

"...reminiscent of the paragon of the genre, George Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead...Ryan's vision is bleak but not overly gory; her entry in the zombie canon stands out for how well she integrates romance with flesh-eating."
—Booklist

"Mary's observant, careful narration pulls readers into a bleak but gripping story of survival and the endless capacity of humanity to persevere...Fresh and riveting."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A post-apocalypse romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line."
—Scott Westerfeld, author of Extras and Leviathan

"Intelligent, dark and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget."
—Cassandra Clare, author of the Mortal Instruments trilogy

"Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box; a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it!"
—Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange

"Dark and sexy and scary. Only one of the Unconsecrated could put this book down."
—Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy

Embracing Virtual Write-In Logistics

I just learned that Carrie Ryan, Ally Carter, and 8 other YA authors are going on a writers' retreat, to Ireland, to a castle, for a week.

...

In addition to the intense feelings of utter jealousy this information causes, I feel a renewed drive to make the Virtual Write-In happen. My apartment's den may not be as scenic as an Irish castle, but it's not as drafty or as dusty either. :P

Anyway, my resolve has led me to make a few executive decisions.

1. Because I'm an "early-bird", SEFEVWI will last from 9 a.m. EST until the last participant crashes on an upcoming Saturday/Sunday, date to-be-determined. (See the poll to the right.) Participants are welcome to join when they are able and leave as-needed, though the idea is to spend the day writing.
2. I'll create a private (password protected) chat room on Meebo.com, which allows for people to sign in and join rooms using AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, ICQ, gtalk, Myspace, and Facebook instant messengers. Hopefully everyone interesting in joining us has at least one of those, if not more *coughlikesixoutofsevencough*. If not, it takes about 5 minutes to create an account on AIM. Suck it up, people.
3. A few days before The Big Day, I'll post a blog entry listing the pertinent details about the WIP (work-in-progress) that I'll be working on during the VWI. You all can then share yours via comments, and then we'll all be on the same page the day of and not have to waste time explaining the details. (Thanks for the great idea, Kage!)
4. Sometime soon, I'll post an entry about the VWI's etiquette and "rules", which you all should feel free to contribute to. But, to ease your minds, I don't think that this thing is going to need to be moderated as much as it will need some direction.
5. This VWI is BYOWF (Bring Your Own Writer Friends). The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned.
   

I think that's it for now. Thoughts?

Mini-Blog: Embracing...Holy Moly, is it Wednesday already?

I was thinking that it was about time to update my blog (Thanks again for joining us, Carrie!!). And then I realized that it's been almost a week. What happened to the last five days of my life?

I feel as though I've been in a fog or something for the past few days, going through the motions and not really registering anything. The strangest thing is, there was no catalyst. I just went on autopilot last week and didn't even realize it. 

Très bizarre.

I think all of this interacting with zombie authors (authors who write about zombies, not authors who are zombies...then again...) is starting to rub off on me.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm back among the living and should return to my regularly scheduled madness soon.

Embracing Author Interviews: Carrie Ryan

I promised you something special, and I am here to deliver...an interview with 2009 debut author, Carrie Ryan!

A Little About Carrie: 

A Greenville, South Carolina native, Carrie is a litigator-turned-writer. (Come now, we here at Wuthering Life don't hold the past against people. What matters is that she's better now!). She and her fiancé currently live in Charlotte, North Carolina with their two fat cats and one large puppy. And apparently, they are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse. (Tsk, tsk!)

A Little About the Novel:

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is Carrie's debut young adult fantasy. It arrives on bookstore shelves March 10, 2009. 

The Blurb:

In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

The Interview:

(Note: When I asked Carrie to complete the following sentences, I gave her explicit instructions to not upstage me on my own blog. She disregarded those instructions. I'm currently trying to think of ways to get back at her.)

Writing...makes time stand still.

My favorite part of the publishing process (so far) has been...seeing people excited to read my next book and liking it when they do read it.

My least favorite part was...waiting. LOTS of waiting and not being sure what comes next.

Without my agent...I'd be utterly lost and confused!

The best thing my editor suggested was...to add contractions to the book (I'd originally written without any). It was a tough decision, but ultimately I think it reads better.

My greatest writing asset is...being in the scene I'm writing, seeing what the main character sees and feeling what she feels (hopefully!).

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is like...The Village meets Dawn of the Dead.

Mary's biggest problem is...trying to figure out how to go after what she wants.

Don't read this book if...you're expecting "Buffy" but with zombies.

If I were a zombie and had to choose between brains and flesh, I'd eat...brains, though then I'd have to crack the head open, which could be a pain.

The best zombie movie EVER is...(Trick question! They all rock!)

Come zombie apocalypse time, I won't be able to live without...JP, my fiancé. And some sort of weapon.

If I had to be on a reality TV show, I'd choose...Amazing Race, that way I'd be able to really see some cool places!

If I had to be on a reality TV show with zombies, I'd choose...Man vs. Wild — that Bear Grylls could have everything under control in a heartbeat! Or Top Chef, for two reasons: lots of cutlery to use as weapons and a way to cook the brains!

Zombies...rule, unicorns drool.

(The opinions and views contained in this interview are not the opinions of the blogger...particularly since said blogger's own novel contains unicorns, and everyone knows that flesh is better than brains! Wait, that came out wrong...)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed having Carrie here as much as I did. Class, say, "Thank you, Miss Ryan."

If you want to know more about Carrie or THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH (on sale March 10, people!!), her Web site and blog are great places to start.

Please stay tuned for more author interviews in the future, and don't forget to buy me...I mean yourself...a copy of FHT a week from Tuesday!

We interrupt this broadcast with a special (not-so-breaking) news bulletin:

Imagine, if you will, an aspiring YA writer.

Imagine that she has returned from a long day at the office and chooses to unwind by catching up on her blog reading.

Imagine that as she's browsing the blog of debut YA author Carrie Ryan she finds this post linking to this article.

Imagine how she feels.

Embrace rage.


And now back to your regularly scheduled program...