DRAGONSWOOD Giveaways Dark Mind Book Tours

If you'd like to win a signed copy of Dragonswood for a summer read

Dark Mind Book Tours is hosting Dragonswood reviews, interviews, excerpts and giveaways for the next two weeks. I had a lot of fun with the author interviews and the character interview with Tess. (I had to climb over the boundary wall and follow Tess into forbidden Dragonswood to get her to talk to me.) 

Here's the Tour Schedule:

June 4th, 2012

Reviews By Molly

(Giveaway, Excerpt)

June 5th, 2012

Mind Reader

(Author Interview, Giveaway)

June 6th, 2012

Kindle And Me

(Giveaway, Excerpt)

June 7th, 2012

Close Encounters With The Night Kind

(Review, Giveaway, Excerpt)

June 8th, 2012

Chapter By Chapter

(Giveaway, Excerpt)

June 11th, 2012

Kindle Fever

(Review, Character Interview, Giveaway)

June 12th, 2012

Novel Nerd

(Author Interview, Excerpt)

June 13th, 2012

All Things About Books

(Review)

June 14th, 2012

Proserpine Craving Books

(Review, Giveaway)

June 15th, 2012

Kindred Dreamheart

(Giveaway, Excerpt)

Until next time Dreamers walk well ~ ~ ~

BEST BOOK BIRTHDAY EVER

Yesterday was the Best Book Birthday ever with many well wishers on twitter and Facebook (thank you!) I woke up wanting to go to lunch to celebrate. I’m not a last minute sort of person so I had little hope of swinging a sudden lunch, but I called friend and fellow author JUSTINA CHEN and, wow! She was free!



We lunched the launch and talked all things writing over delicious Thai food and jasmine tea.



Over lunch Justina asked some interesting questions like, “What do you love most about the book?” I shared my favorite scenes. Then she asked, “What did you learn writing it?” Another good question and one most folks (other than fellow writers) often don’t ask.

My answer: Before this tale my books have highlighted ‘the lone hero’ facing the plot on his or her own.



This reflected how I’ve lived my life, always thinking I’ve had deal with things by myself. In the last few years, life’s surprising challenges have driven me to the point of having to ask for help – what a revelation it’s been. So in Dragonswood



when Tess escapes from the witch hunter and goes on the run, she’s not a lone heroine, she’s running with her friends Meg and Poppy. The three of them share the dangers, the hunger, and the need to find safe sanctuary. Of course they fight along the way and get in lots of trouble, but the key thing is, Tess is not alone.

We talked more about Justina's books


Walden Award Finalist. Best Book of the Year (Kirkus Reviews and Barnes + Noble)
*starred* reviews - Publishers Weekly,Kirkus,Booklist

Chatted about her novel Return to Me (A beautiful book I've had the privilege to read due out Jan 2013) and her work-in-progress. Justina was All Dragonswood, but I like to talk about Her work so we took turns :)

After lunch we popped over to Bellevue Barnes & Noble for a look-see.

“I don’t think they’ll have any Dragonswood copies in yet,” I said. Justina just smiled and headed for the information desk where she asked about Dragonswood. They produced a stack for me to sign. Very nice!

It was already a Perfect Book Birthday, but there was more. In the afternoon I headed for my favorite second hand store to find something for the book launch party. I already have my party dress and didn’t know what I was looking for, just something magical. What did I find? Shoes that match the dress – and not just any shoes – fairy slippers.



Then headed to the Asian Market for dinner supplies and found a particular party treat – seaweed.

Tess Meg and Poppy eat seaweed on their journey so the Dragonswood Party goers will have the chance to nibble some. I happen to love it!



Finally, the late afternoon light was golden on the trees as I drove home and the moon was out. It made me want to view the sky from Phantom Lake. My husband and I paddled out in our canoe among the birds.



Canada geese, and cormorants flew overhead. Little buffleheads skimmed across the water and we saw an eagle with its black wings and white tale spread as it soared over Phantom Lake.



Perfect end to a perfect Book Birthday.

To all you fellow authors out there, I highly recommend celebrating your Book Birthdays in some special way that’s just right for you and your book. If you do, or if you plan to for your next book – tell us how you’re going to celebrate.

P.S. One week left on the Teen Book Scene book tour. Full Tour Page

Warmest thanks to Kari for putting this 3 week blog tour together!

DRAGONSWOOD BLOG TOUR WEEK 1



Dragons are flying this week. Here are the stops they are making.

Monday,December 26: Melina at Reading Vacation. (Author Interview with book line answers)

Tuesday, December 27: Christie at The Fiction Enthusiast (Review)
Wednesday, December 28: Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations (Cover Post)

Thursday, December 29: Jenny at Supernatural Snark (Review)

Friday, December 30: Casey at The Bookish Type (Teen Self Letter)

Full Tour Page

Warmest thanks to Kari for putting this 3 week blog tour together!

Watch the book trailer

DRAGONSWOOD Book Trailer



DRAGONSWOOD book two of the Wilde Island chronicles by Janet Lee Carey. http://www.JanetLeeCarey.com

Script & Vocals - Janet Lee Carey
Saz Instrumental - Thomas Carey
Sound Recording - Aaron Carey

In a dark time when girls with powers are called witches, Tess escapes the vengeful Witch Hunter and hides in the forest with a mysterious huntsman. She is safe there until magical voices draw her deeper into Dragonswood where she learns the secret of her birth. Caught between love and loyalty, Tess chooses the hardest path of all -- her own.

Read the Kirkus starred review

Order online

INDIEBOUND

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

WAVE YOUR BANNERS!



Today I'm waving my new DREAMWALKS banner created by the multi talented, HOLLY CUPALA!

Holly designed the new banner to celebrate DRAGONSWOOD facing the challenge of putting 4 of my fantasy covers in a small space. She did it beautifully! I'm happy to say Holly's banner will do double duty as my 2012 bookmark so readers will get a chance to have one.

Holly has so many talents, but she's best known for her authentic, hard-hitting YA novels TELL ME A SECRET (Harper Teen 2010)



And DON'T BREATHE A WORD (Harper Teen Jan 3rd 2012)



~Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.~

Here's what the critics are saying about DON'T BREATHE A WORD.

“The author's considerable narrative gifts will keep readers engaged throughout.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"[A] tense, riveting story.”
—Publisher's Weekly

“This novel recalls Laurie Halse Anderson’s SPEAK.”
—Booklist

I think Holly deserves these roses, don't you?

The BEAST is Back in Paperback!



The Beast of Noor was just released in paperback. He’s left the shadow realm and crept out to haunt the shelves this Halloween season. There will be a book giveaway to some lucky winners to celebrate his release this month.(see more below)

About the Book

Do not wander in the deeps
Where the Shriker’s shadow creeps
When he rises from beneath
Beware the sharpness of his teeth

The Shriker is back hunting those who wander in Shalem Wood. On the night of the dark moon he breaks through the great wind wall with a vengeful hunger that drives him back into the world of men. Finding passage from the Otherworld, he shape-shifts into a great, black dog of monstrous height. In the deeps of Shalem Wood, he howls. And his moon-call is a spell song for those who come to die in his jaws.

When the demon hound comes after Miles’s sister Hanna, Miles determines to go after the beast and kill him before any more blood is shed. But Miles does not know what secret power awaits him in the wood, what transformation he must face to hunt the monster down.

“Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Praise for The Beast of Noor

~ Carey is a generous and lyrical author . . . magical moments that will have your heart sing in one moment then shiver in the next. Highly recommended. ~ Charles de Lint

~ Carey delivers an eerie, atmospheric tale, full of terror and courage, set in a convincingly realized magical realm. ~ Booklist

~…the novel reads almost like a fairy tale, with the same rhythms and the same etiquette. Recommend ~ School Library Journal

~ This is a great, creepy, interesting tale. . . Perfect for a stormy, foggy night, curled up with hot chocolate, warm and safe in your house. ~ Teens Read Too

Book Giveaway
Just leave a comment and you might win one to read curled up by the fire.

Best in Books and Beasts

Janet

DRAGONSWOOD ARCS arrived!

YA Fantasy, companion book to DRAGON'S KEEP, will be out Jan 2012.

~On Wilde Island, one girl must face her destiny or there will be no peace among dragons, fairies, and humans.~


Jacket photo of girl © 2011 Gabrielle Revere

Here's what the back cover says:
Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.

Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.

In this epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy, nor human would have predicted.


Discover why School Library Journal has called Carey’s work “Truly original . . . beyond common fantasy fare . . . fantasy at its best.”

**************** ************** ************

Holding the book in my hands for the first time gave me a chill! Warmest thanks to my intrepid editor, Kathy Dawson, who journeyed with me from rough draft to final polished pages,creating Tess's challenging story. The end even surprised me! But I won't give that away. You'll have to read Dragonswood yourself when the books comes out in January.

Stay tuned for the DRAGONSWOOD blog tour.

Happy Spring!
I've been buzzing about and flying from school to school this month. It's be great presenting Words on the Wing assemblies and meeting so many readers. Thanks to Mary Harris at Parkplace Books for setting up the Read Across America visits.

Here I am with Mary

photo by Heidi Pettit

Librarian Kendra Friday @ Redmond Jr. High sent a few photos from our time together.



Students participated in the Rejection Survey. Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Did you know Harry Potter was rejected 30 times before it was accepted for publication?



Hands shot up for Q & A. I always love this part of the presentation.
"Why do your books have so many dragons in them?"




Students Divya and Amanda

Library assistant, Shirley Poblete, created the Smilebox below

Make your own digital scrapbook

Thanks to all for a great time.

IN HONOR OF THE GLASTONBURY THORN TREE

I grew up under towering redwoods. Trees and I go way back, so I was upset to learn vandals destroyed the sacred Glastonbury Thorn Tree this week, a tree legend says is related to the thorn tree planted by Joseph of Aramathea. Pilgrims have been leaving offerings at the base of the tree since the earliest days of Christianity. People from around the world still climb the hill to visit the tree by Glastonbury Abbey.

Read more: Vandals Destroy A Sacred Tree



The morning I learned the news, I was still upset when I sat down to write. Luckily I had an email from The Nature Conservancy nudging me to donate one last time in 2010,and there it was right in front of me! The best way to fight back against what vandals did to the sacred tree was to give another donation to Plant A Billion Trees

I've been donating to Plant A Billion Trees this year to celebrate the book launch for THE DRAGONS OF NOOR because the dragons in the book fight to save the last forest in their world.

So I planted 100 trees in the endangered Brazilian rain forest to honor the Glastonbury Thorn Tree. Hooray!

I met some amazing trees last month on Maui. Can you believe the size of this beautiful banyan?




Bit more about Plant A Billion Trees:
Plant a Billion Trees goal: to restore one billion native trees to Brazil's highly endangered Atlantic Forest over the next 7 years.

Tropical forests are the lungs of the earth, filtering out ten million tons of
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. Every day these valuable
trees help reduce global warming.



In THE DRAGONS OF NOOR the tree spirit Evver says to Hanna as they part:
~You have far and far to go to find the light beyond the dark. But feel the ground beneath your feet as you walk. Heart to root, remember the ones who hold you up. ~

Fellow Dreamwalkers, let us remember the ones who hold us up as we walk into this new year.

Janet

THE DRAGONS OF NOOR BOOK LAUNCH PARTY

The party photos are up! Thanks to photographer Heidi Pettit for the great party shots. Whether you joined the masquerade party or were far away and could not come, everyone is welcome to swing by and see the colorful event here at LITARTPHOTOGRAPHY

Here are just a few fun party pix from the gallery

Party goers made masks


Musicians played. The dragon danced


The Dragons of Noor Characters joined us

Miles is showing the Meer sign on his palm

Our host Mary of Parkplace Books introduced me


Characters entertained us


Party revelers bought books from our host Rebecca of Parkplace Books.


There was lots of laughter

See the rest of the photos here

Thanks to all the party goers large and small for making this such a special launch. A tree hug to the revelers who helped us raise money for Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees Together we planted 50 new trees in the endangered Brazilian Rain forest. Bravo!

READERGIRLZ DIVA LORIE ANN GROVER sent out this Love Letter.

Sip some readergirlz lemonade.



And Thank You Lorie Ann for the lemonade.



Lorie Ann, Elizabeth Law and Moi at ALA.

THE DRAGONS ARE GETTING READY TO FLY!
Friend, fellow YA author and visual artist, Holly Cupala, designed the beautiful new banner above as one part of THE DRAGONS OF NOOR launch celebration!

Thanks so much Holly. The banner is scrumptious!

Here's a shot from Heidi Pettit's LitArtPhotography gallery of THE BEAST OF NOOR book party. Do you see Holly in the shot?



This week the Carey house is getting ready for the launch party. Time to haul the huge dragon from his guardian place over my writing desk and get him ready to dance. This year we're enjoying making tons of masks for the revelers to wear at the celebration.

Lots of people enjoy coming to my book parties in costume.


Heidi Pettit
I bet there will be even more costumes this year!

Here's the scoop if you'd like to join the fun this coming Saturday!
Come to the Masquerade Book Launch Party for THE DRAGONS OF NOOR

Where: Parkplace Books
348 Parkplace Center
Kirkland, WA 98003
(425) 828 6546

When: Saturday October 23rd 7-9pm


FOOD: Delicious Eats & Noor Treats
FUN: Costumes if you please or come in comfy jeans and tees
FROLIC: Music & Dancing. Face Painting & Mask Making.
Author Reading, Riddling, & our traditional Dragon Dance!
GREEN: Add your green to donation jar for Plant a Billion Trees
COME: Writers, Illustrators, Readers, Friends, Families, Dragons, Fairies, Wind Spirits, & Tree deyas -- Fun for all ages.

Tales from the Trenches

Interview with Janet Lee Carey

How do your stories take shape in your head or on paper? For example, do you brainstorm organically or do you use an outline?

Complete outlines are too restrictive for me. I lean toward a more organic approach. I daydream and keep a story journal where I jot notes, define the core plot question, create character back-stories, and zero in on character motivation. The character has a life before he or she steps into the story. Once I have a sense of the story trajectory, I work from a gut level, use the plot to hit the character where it hurts then follow the character’s actions and reactions through every plot twist until one of us cries uncle! It’s a dangerous and exciting way to write, especially when my agent, Irene Kraas, sells the novel to a publisher before I finish it.


Tell us about your path to publication. Did anything unusual or unexpected happen?

I’d received a lot of interest but no sales for a number of years. Three factors contributed to my first sale. I joined a fabulous critique group the Diviners with Peggy King Anderson, Judy Bodmer, Katherine Grace Bond, Dawn Knight, and Deborah Davis. A few years later Justina Chen, Holly Cupala, and Molly Blaisdell joined the group.
Here's a pic of a few of us celebrating Holly Cupala's sale of Tell Me A Secret


Celebrating Molly Blaisdell's book Rembrandt and the Boy Who Drew Dogs


The Diviners helped me hone my craft. They taught me to celebrate the victories (we award each other with the Nancy Pearl shushing librarian doll)


And to keep writing after each rejection. Let’s face it there is a long apprenticeship in this business! The published authors in the group also helped me navigate the vast and unpredictable sea of publishing. I learned to send thank you notes for rejection letters especially if the editor took the time to write a little personal message on the form letter. It’s a good practice because we are not just sending in manuscripts, we are building business relationships, and with editors moving around as much as they do, you never know which editors you will be working with in future. Second, I joined SCBWI and learned from the editors, agents, and colleagues I met through the organization. Our local chapter is phenomenal! Third, I was willing to revise for interested editors at Atheneum before they sent me a contract. Revising before they buy is tricky and the result is not always a sale, but most editors like to see what kind of revisions you’re willing to do before they take you on. In my case it paid off.


When writing a series, how do you stay true to the voice or voices of the series? How do you keep track of changing events and characters from book to book?
I’m working on sequels to all three of my YA fantasy books. It’s a real challenge, but there are ways to keep a series fresh and vital. Characters are human, and flawed, their incompleteness, their desire for wholeness will always drive the plot. I also know every book in a trilogy or a series must be strong enough to stand on its own. Books two and three should be just as compelling as book one. This means No Sagging Plots! Never enter a novel without the blood scent of story in your nose.

The Dragons of Noor (Sequel to The Beast of Noor)is now complete and due to hit the shelves in October!



This article was previously published in The Chinook, quarterly newsletter for SCBWI Western Washington

Thank you Elizabeth Mills for the fine interview and permission to repub here on Dreamwalks.

Toady we're celebrating the launch of Holly Cupala's YA book TELL ME A SECRET!

Here's the much-talked-about trailer!



Author Holly Cupala will be featured on readergirlz for the entire month of August, with a live Twitter chat coming up. Hope you enjoy the trailer, and thank you so much for being part of the virtual tour and party!

DRAGON-SNATCHING AT ALA!



Photo of my friend and writing colleague, Holly Cupala (author of TELL ME A SECRET).

While at the ALA conference last week, Holly swung by the EGMONT USA booth, and snatched up THE DRAGONS OF NOOR Advanced Reader Copy.

Evidence of the said Dragon-Snatching is here for all to see in the above photo!


A bit of a teaser . . .

THE DRAGONS OF NOOR opens when Hanna's little brother, Tymm, is stolen by a mysterious wind. Hanna is haunted by the words from a game she used to play with her little brother . . .

~Children fly when worlds are shaken,
Now the children are Wind-taken.
Seek them there, seek them here, before the children disappear.~



Stay tuned for more about THE DRAGONS OF NOOR as we get closer to the launch date October 12th.

Meanwhile remember to feed your imagination and go on lots of Dreamwalks.

STEALING DEATH WATER FOR LIFE CHALLENGE update


*Thanks to PlayPumps International for photo

Bravo to Readers:
My warmest thanks to all of you who donated to the STEALING DEATH Water for Life Challenge. Your donations helped bring clean drinking water to children and families in sub-Saharan Africa.

Why I support Water for People:
While researching drought-ridden sub-Saharan Africa to create a realistic landscape for STEALING DEATH, I learned more than one billion people in the world do not have access to clean water. And that water-related diseases take the lives of 6,000 people a day.

STEALING DEATH Water for Life Challenge became a key part of the fall book-launch. Through speaking engagements and website donations, we successfully raised awareness of the global water crisis and raised funds for clean drinking water.


The water crisis is on-going, so are the solutions:
PlayPumps International has joined Water for People to continue the work of bringing clean drinking water to schools and communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

A Word about Water for People:
"Water For People envisions a world where no one suffers or dies from a water-related illness. Some may say that’s too lofty a goal, but frankly we have high expectations. They lead us to succeed in our 11 country programs so that we can change the world for millions.”


*Thanks to Water for People e-cards for Photo

When clean water well pumps are installed, families no longer have to heft water from miles away. They can enjoy clean drinking water pumped directly to villages and schools.

Let us continue to give that others may live.

Information and Donation click:
Water for People playpumps

Link through my website: 

HAPPY CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK



Librarian Karen Kline and Moi at Dickinson/Explore Elm.

Thanks to Mary Harris at ParkPlace Books in Kirkland for setting up 20 PacNW Children's Authors in 20 Schools to celebrate Children's Book Week. May 10th-16th. Some fellow authors such as Kirby Larson, David Patneaude, Wendy Wahman, Robert Ferrigno and Carl Deuker, myself and more are offering hour long presentations in 20 schools all week long.

I had a great time presenting my books and holding lively Q & A sessions with three
6th grade classes as Dickinson/Explore Elementary in Redmond. Met the Dickinson Dragon who fiercely guards the books in their library. And readers got a sneak peek at my October 2010 release book THE DRAGONS OF NOOR.


Here I am with Dragon's Keep and claw.

Happy Reading

INTERVIEWS AND NEWS

JANET'S INTERVIEWS:
This month I did a fun interview at TeensReadToo. A terrific site when a new YA author each day.

Monday 2/15 I did a radio interview and reading of STEALING DEATH on Robin Falls Kids Let's Talk
(Interview is in second half of the show beginning min. 31:17. To go directly to interview, move mouse to right hand corner under BlogTalkRadio to min 31:17 -- sit back and enjoy).

KATHERINE'S NEWS:


(left to right, Katherine Grace Bond, Moi,Dawn Knight, Holly Cupala, Molly Blaisdell)
The Diviners awarded Katherine Grace Bond
the coveted Nancy Pearl Shushing Librarian Award this month. Here we are celebrating Katherine's feats of Glory!

Katherine won the award after being chosen for the prestigious Jack Straw Writer’s Program! We gave a cheer complete with pom-poms.

The next week our talented friend and colleague had even more to celebrate. Literary Agent Sara Crowe with Harvey Klinger, Inc., NY, called Katherine after reading her novel BODACIOUS MYSTERY GAL PAL TELLS ALL
Sara Crowe is now Katherine’s agent!

Hooray for my friend and fellow writer. Her talent truly shines!