Third of Many Contests-for-No-Reason WINNER and Original Sin Teaser BONANZA!

I have been a very busy girl this week and you should be VERY jealous. Not only is my new project coming together (45K words in ten days), but I've been reading my fab crit partner's new book, which you are all dying for, I know. *insert evil laugh here* I read Bloodrose when Andrea finished it last summer and have been itching for the prequel--and I'll just say, it rocks socks so far. ;p

And, that is the reason Original Sin Teaser #19 didn't go up on the blog yesterday. If you follow the PD Facebook page or Twitter, you saw it though, and here's the inside deal. Luc has defected from Hell and Hell wants him back. Rhenorian had a cameo in Personal Demons. He was there in Luc's second trip to Hell, and we got a description of his demon form. In Original Sin, Rhen is sent to retrieve Luc.

#OriginalSin p39 Luc: “So, you see, Rhen, if He wants me back in Hell, it’s going to take a little more planning and forethought on your part to figure out how to get me there.”

“Why the Hell wouldn’t He tell me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe He thought, with your limited intellectual capacity—”

He shoves the table up against me, then glares and mutters, “Go suck angel face.” He spins on his heel and storms out of Ricco’s, leaving the faintest hint of rotten eggs in his wake.

And, BONUS! You also get Original Sin Teaser #20 today! In this teaser, we hear from Grandpa, who is one of my favorite characters in the series. He's a totally no-nonsense kind of guy. He knows Luc's deal becasue Frannie and Luc told him in PD when Luc needed his help. So, here's Grandpa:

#OriginalSin p40 Luc: When Frannie heads to the kitchen with his order, her grandfather glowers at me. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Nothing, really.”

“That demon bullshit might work on Frannie’s parents, but I know a load of crap when I see it.”

I draw a deep sigh and my eyes wander to Frannie, at the soda tap. “It seems that Hell’s not thrilled about my defection.”

And now the CONTEST WINNER!!!

Thanks to all who entered!

And, the winner of signed copies of this:                             and this:

as chosen by the randomizer is...

Lisa Gail Green (proving the adage, better late than never :p)

Congrats!!! I will email you soon!

If you didn't win, please don't cry! There will be more chances! My Forth of Many Contests-for-No-Reason will be posting soon! A hint: A signed copy of my Obsession Book will be up for grabs! (If you've checked out my blog in the last month, you know which book that is ;p) Check back soon for the next contest! =)

Original Sin Teaser #18, and being in the zone.

The book I am writing is writing itself. I've laid down 36K very keepable words in the last week. It's the equivalent of being "in the zone" to me and hasn't happed since I wrote Original Sin a year and a half ago. I've written two books in between, both of which I love, and both of which I'm proud of, but they were work. It feels really good to be back in the zone. These characters are incredibly complex and very alive to me, so I'm back to taking dictation. And they've had me in tears three times already, which doesn't happen to me often. I've only written one other book that made me cry.

So, tell me: If you write, do you have to be "in the zone" to write? Or can you make magic happen on your own?

And the Original Sin teaser!

Y'all remember that PD ended just after graduation. Frannie has a summer job, and Luc can't help hanging out there.

#OriginalSin p35 Luc: Frannie saunters over with her pad and pen in hand. “What can I get for you, sir?” she purrs.

“What I want—” I rub my foot along the outside of her thigh. “—isn’t on the menu.”

She scowls but doesn’t pull away. “Where was this an hour ago?”

“I was thinking of a cheeseburger,” I say, and fight to contain the chuckle when she rolls her eyes.

The Third of Many Contests-for-No-Reason! And OS Teaser #17

I’m finding yesterday’s fun Italian news hard to follow up, so I’m going to GIVE AWAY SIGNED BOOKS!!! I can never go wrong there! I have a stack of stuff, so…which one…

All right. I’m going with Cassie Clare!

But, before we get to deets, how about today’s Original Sin Teaser????

I’ve gotten the message that you’re all sick of Gabe and you want more Luc so, wish granted. Here’s more Luc and Frannie hotness from Frannie’s POV:

#OriginalSin p27 Frannie: I lead Luc to the bed, then pull him into another kiss. We sink into the sheets, and I just want to lose myself in him—not to have to think about anything for a little while. But when I reach for the button of his jeans, he twines his fingers in mine and brings my hand up to his face, where he kisses the back of my fingers.

“Not like this, Frannie. Our first time isn’t going to be because of him.”

Now, the contest! Here’s what’s up for grabs: 

So, for your shot as a signed Original Sin ARC and a signed copy of City of Fallen Angels, all you have to do is comment below before noon PST on Friday April 29^th. So easy! In addition to commenting (for which you get one point) you can accumulate extra points as follows:

Old blog follower: +3 points
New blog follower: +2 points
"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +2
Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez) +2 points
Link to my contest post on your blog or twitter: +1 point
Dedicated post with link to my contest on your website/blog: +3 points
Add me to your blogroll: +2 points
Original Sin widget in your blog sidebar +2

Also on your entry, please remember to tell me how to find you (email address). And ADD UP YOUR POINTS because I can’t be trusted with math…just sayin’.

As always, the contest is open internationally. You must be at least 13 years old to enter. The winner will be chosen by the randomizer and posted on the blog after noon on April 29^th. SQUEE!!

Good luck! =)

Italy! Squeee!!! Check out the Italian Trailer and Cover for PD...and Original Sin Teaser #16

Squeeeee!! Fun news today! Personal Demons is about to be released in Italy. The official Italian release day is May 5^th, just around the corner. The Italian edition has a new face and a new name too! The Italian title is The Kiss of Doom. Sounds very doomy, don’t you think? If you happen to read Italian, you can go here to read the first two chapters of The Kiss of Doom. ;p  **Correction from the lovely Sheila, who translated the tagline and trailer for me in comments. Title is The Damned Kiss.

And, here is the Italian cover:

Tagline via Sheila: Hell has never been so attractive.

I wonder how they translated the line where Luc asks Frannie to be his love slave in ITALIAN!! :p

Newton Compton also did a trailer. It looks very sexy, but seeing as I don’t speak Italian, that’s the best I can do in the review department. Check out Frannie and Luc (who, I must say, I like as a smokin’ hot Italian boy).

**Translation (via Sheila from comments) "Lisa Desrochers is the author of "Il bacio maledetto" (the damned kiss), the first episode of a new exciting saga. The hell has never been so attractive.
Frannie Cavanaugh, 17 years-old, has a normal life like any other girl of her age until the day a new classmate arrives at her high school: Lucas, for whom she has an immediate attraction. There is something disturbing about him; he is extremelly reserved and acts strangely.
Frannie can't imagine the danger she is because Lucas is a messenger for Lucifer and he has arrived to Earth to capture her soul and heart."

This is very exciting to me! I’m literally bouncing. Seriously. :p The only other foreign translation that I know has been released so far is the Brazilian edition.

And, yes, with all my bouncing I didn’t forget the Original Sin Teaser.

Here is more from Frannie’s perspective. As we saw Friday, she’s starting to sort out her feeling for her boys, but that doesn’t mean she’s not still drawn to both of them.

#OriginalSin p25 Frannie: Gabe continues to stare at me and, even though his lips don’t move I swear I hear him add, “I’ll always be here for you.”

I nod again and choke back the threat of tears. I open my mouth, but there aren’t words, so I close it again. But my eyes say what my mouth couldn’t. And I know he sees it because his eyes mist and he swallows hard as he disappears.

Which books leave you a wet, snotty mess? And, Original Sin Teaser #15

So, remember what I said about having my new project all outlined on Tuesday? We (that would be the royal we, or the crazy we...and I’m going with royal) have already deviated from it. Yesterday was a 6K word day, and in those 6K words I found out a ton about my protagonist.

This is a quieter (and creepier) story than the PD novels or the one I just turned in to my agent. Consequently, it’s one of the most character driven novels I’ve ever written. The deeper I get into my protagonist, and the more of her hopes and dreams she shows me, the more my heart breaks for her. I’m about 9K into the project and she’s already had me crying twice.

So, my question of the day. What are some of your favorite character driven novels? What about the novel made it one of your favorites? You all already know my answer, because I’ve been obsessing about the book all month, but in addition to Gayle Forman’s Where She Went, I love Sarah Dessen’s Dreamland, 

Jay Asher’s 13 Reasons Why and Courtney Summer’s Cracked Up To Be. What makes all of these character driven novels great is the spare prose and the raw emotional charge that crackles over the pages.

So, now for the Original Sin teaser of the day!

We all know by now that Frannie struggles with her feelings toward the celestial and infernal boys in her life. From the beginning, both drew her in and made her feel completely different things. In Original Sin, she’s finally starting to come to terms with her feelings for the boys, and here’s how she sums it up:

#OriginalSin p25 Frannie: I can’t deny that, as much as I love Luc, I have some deep connection to Gabe. Luc is my heart and my soul, but Gabe is my anchor.

They're letting me out! And Original Sin Teaser #14

There are some fun things brewing on the horizon. I’ll be out and about this summer signing with some totally amazing authors leading up to the release of Original Sin, so I hope to get a chance to meet some of you out in the world. I'm seriously looking forward to hanging out with Aimee, Leah, Sophie, Courntey, Kiki and all of YOU! I’ve just updated my “appearances” page (see tab above), but here’s what’s on tap so far!

May 9: Orlando, FL, International Reading Association, Annual Conference, Booth signing and panel. 3-5:45pm

May 24: New York, NY, BEA, Javits Center, Autographing area, Table 12, (Signing Original Sin), 2:30-3:30pm. With Kiki Hamilton The Faerie Ring (Tor Teen/Sept 2011).

May 25: New York, NY, BEA, Javits Center, RWA Booth #3774 (Signing Personal Demons), 1-1:30pm.

June 1: Westlake, OH, Barnes and Noble, 198 Crocker Park Blvd, 6:30-9pm. With Leah Clifford A Touch Mortal and Courtney Allison Moulton Angelfire.

June 2: Lansing, MI, Schuler Books and Music, 2820 Towne Center Blvd, 6-9pm. With Aimee Carter The Goddess Test, Leah Clifford A Touch Mortal and Courtney Allison Moulton Angelfire.

June 20: Dallas, TX, Time and location TBD, With Leah Clifford A Touch Mortal and Courtney Allison Moulton Angelfire.

June 21: The Woodlands, TX, Barnes and Noble, 1201 Lake Woodlands Dr, 5-7pm with Leah Clifford A Touch Mortal, Sophie Jordan Firelight, Vanish and Courtney Allison Moulton Angelfire.

June 25: New Orleans, LA, ALA Annual Conference, Tor Booth #1122, (Signing Original Sin), 11-12pm

June 26: New Orleans, LA, ALA Annual Conference, Science Fiction and Fantasy panel. Time TBD.

July 5: New York, NY, ORIGINAL SIN RELEASE! Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, 6-8pm. With Leah Clifford A Touch Mortal and Courtney Allison Moulton Angelfire.

July 6: Burlington, MA, Barnes and Noble, 98 Middlesex Turnpike, 7-9pm. With Leah Clifford A Touch Mortal and Courtney Allison Moulton Angelfire.

July 15: San Diego, CA, Location TBD, 7-9pm

September 24: Somoma Book Festival, Details forthcoming

October 2: Costa Mesa, CA, Orange County Children's Book Festival, Details forthcoming

I’m also working on something with my Tor sisters, Kiki Hamilton and Kendare Blake Anna Dressed in Blood (Tor Teen/August 2011) for the Seattle area in October, so check back for that! =)

And now for today’s Original Sin teaser!

Even though Gabe doesn’t have a POV in the first two books, he plays a pretty major role in keeping Frannie safe, and he isn’t exempt from her special talent, which makes things especially tricky for him. In Personal Demons, we get to see Luc's and Frannie’s struggles first hand, but I’ve always said Gabe is actually the most conflicted character in the story. What he wants and what he needs are diametrically opposed and if he takes what he wants he stands to lose everything. This teaser is from Frannie’s POV.

#OriginalSin p24 Frannie: Gabe lifts a hand and brushes his fingertips along the line of my jaw. I breathe in his cool winter sunshine and feel calmer just standing here next to him. When he answers, his voice is soft and low—meant only for me. “It’s really not wise for me to spend too much time around you, Frannie.”

In defense of clichés...and Original Sin Teaser #13

If you’ve read Personal Demons, you know I had a lot of fun with clichés. I mean lets face it, could Luc or Gabe possibly be any more cliché?

Luc: Dark hair and eyes, piercings, drives a black Mustang, and his name is LUCIFER CAIN!

Gabe: Light, blonde and blue, makes everyone feel all warm and fuzzy, and his name is GABRIEL!

(You see what I did there, with the cliché colors...? ;p)

I’ve caught some flack in reviews for “not being creative enough to come up with something better,” and I could see their point if I hadn’t been so totally in the readers face with the clichés. I find it amusing that when clichés are so obviously done on purpose, not everyone sees that they were done on purpose. I like to write with humor, and sometimes, using clichés is funny.

Something else I’ve seen in reviews feeds into the reason why I used these cliché angels and demons. Comments such as, “How could she (Frannie) have not known he was a demon?” pop up occasionally.

This was exactly my point!

Think about this… In your real life, wherever you are today—in Starbucks, or the store, or at work—imagine a dangerous looking boy with dark hair, dark eyes, dark clothes and piercings drives up in a vintage black Mustang. He gets out of the car and walks up to you. “Hi, I’m Lucifer Cain.”

Ask yourself this: Are you going to think, “OMG! He must be a demon!”?

I think not. Because that's TOTALLY CRAZY!

That’s exactly what I was going for. When I was writing Personal Demons, I asked myself that question: If angels and demons truly did walk the earth, if they looked exactly how we expected them to look, and acted exactly how we expected them to act, would we recognize them for what they were?

I really loved toying with this concept throughout Personal Demons, and I’m happy with the result. Most readers seemed to have picked up on the fun in it, so thank you. *smooches*

So, question of the day: Is it ever okay to use cliché in fiction? When you see it, do you find it funny? Can you think of some clever uses of cliché?

And, our Original Sin Teaser! This, once again is from Frannie’s POV.

#OriginalSin p23 Frannie: Gabe saunters over to Luc’s wall mural. “You know you’re playing for the other team now. You’ve really got to do something about this,” he says, running a finger over the roiling orange and gold molten surface of the Lake of Fire.

Luc smiles. “Hey, you can take the demon out of Hell, but you can’t take Hell out of the demon.”

The true evil of outlining...and OS teaser #12

Yesterday, I started a shiny new project. I love this stage of writing because it’s when the idea is fresh in my head and words just flow. This particular idea took shape pretty fast. I started out with just a seed of an idea yesterday afternoon, and wrote a chapter last night while I was sitting in the car waiting for my kids at piano lessons. As I was writing, the idea shifted and changed.

When my daughter came out from her lesson, I had her read the first four pages. She was upset that I killed a character named Joe, because she has a friend named Joe. I assured her that I didn’t kill him. He was dead before the story began…so totally not my fault. As I was explaining to her why Joe had to be dead, more of the plot became clear. I’d never done that before—talked out loud about a story idea. It was amazing how saying it out loud made me see what worked and what didn’t, as well as possibilities for where it could go. It also helped me work around to something I think is really unique and interesting. Now I have enough of this thing that I could do a pretty comprehensive outline. That’s never happened to me before. I’ve never started a novel with a solid sense of where it would end—not even Personal Demons book three. You all know how I agonized over wrapping up the trilogy when I had no clue where it was going. So, you’d think I’d be thrilled…right?

Not so much.

After what I went through pulling the Personal Demons trilogy together, it should be a huge relief to have an outline for this project. And it is…sort of. But, I discovered something about myself during this process yesterday.

I think like a reader, not a writer.

I actually find it a little disappointing to know where my story is going. I want to be surprised by my own books, just like I’m surprised by other peoples’ books. If I know where it’s going—even if it’s mine—it feels predictable. Yes, I’m crazy, but it feels like I’ve ruined my book for myself by outlining it.

I had a Twitter convo with Melissa Marr not that long ago and she said if she knows where her story is going, she loses interest in writing it. I didn’t really get that at the time because it had never happened to me. Now I do.

But…I really like this story, and the characters seem to have a lot to say, so this is where I need to rely on them. I know from experience that where the story goes is totally up to them, so even though I have an outline, we may not be following it. We’ll see.

I sent the thumbnail sketch and the first few pages of the draft off to the fabulous Suzie with the WIP I just completed. There’s always the chance she’ll tell me they both suck and to start over, but I’m pretty excited about them both =)

So, you tell me: If you write, how do your ideas take shape? Do you outline? If so, aren’t you just a little disappointed to know how it’s all going to end?

Or, am I just crazy…?

And, now for the Original Sin Teaser! One of my favorite things to write is the back and forth jabs between angel and demon. Here’s some more Luc and Gabe from Frannie’s POV.

#OriginalSin p23 Frannie: Luc pulls himself out of the chair and glares at Gabe. “Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.”

“Won’t be using the door, dude.”

Dissection of a Great Character 101: A Lab Manual. Oh...and also OS Teaser #11

I totally understand that if I post one more time about this book à

people are going to start thinking this is Gayle Forman’s blog instead of mine. But, even though I have not let myself pick this book up for over a week, I still can’t get my head out of it. I think Gayle Forman has broken me.

The reason this story has gripped me and won’t let me go boils down to the characters. I’ve read so many really fabulous books with truly fabulous characters, but Adam has stuck with me like no other. Yesterday, I sat down to dissect what makes Adam great in the hope that it would be somewhat cathartic and I would be able to resume my life. It almost worked.

So, today, I want to take what I learned in my dissection of Adam and relay it in general terms that can help us all write extraordinary characters.

Dissection of a Great Character 101: A Lab Manual

The Skin: On inspection of the surface of a Great Character, notice the following:

1. Personality

On the surface, we should see the Great Character’s distinct personality. Run-of-the-mill doesn’t cut it. Some people may argue with me, but a Great Character doesn’t need to be super likable. However, if they’re not, they need some sort of redeeming characteristics so the reader is still pulling for them. There should be something in the personality that draws readers to the Great Character.

2. Relationships

Next, notice the Great Character’s relationships. They need to matter not only to him, but to the reader. These relationships should be multi-layered and not stereotypical. Some should be strained, others new, others still, maybe love/hate. These relationships may not all be healthy. Some (especially the new ones) may even be dangerous or threaten the character achieving his ultimate goal. Also notice how these relationships came about. Did the Great Character seek them out, or were they pursued? It’s the way a character interacts with others that show us all the facets of his personality and make him real to the reader.

3. External Challenges

What in the outside world is keeping the Great Character from getting what he wants/needs. This may be one big thing, or several little things—maybe of his own doing. Either way, it should be more than an obstacle of convenience.

As we cut through the skin, we see layers beneath. Pull back the skin to reveal:

4. History

Here, notice the significant events that have happened in the Great Character’s life, and how he reacted to them. These are the things that shaped him into who his is today.

5. Desires/Needs

Look for the things the Great Character needs in order to be happy/survive. What is missing and why?

6. Imperfections/Vulnerabilities

Notice the Great Character’s flaws. There should be things here that make the reader cringe. Some of what we find here may be unforgivable.

7. Inner dialogue

These are the things that the Great Character will only reveal to himself, and usually stem from his imperfections and vulnerabilities colliding with his desires and needs. The fact that he admits these things only to himself shows one more layer of vulnerability.

8. Internal Challenges

Within our Great Character, notice what it is that keeps him from going after his desires/needs. This needs to feel authentic and can’t be based on a simple misunderstanding.

And, when you probe into deeper layers of a Great Character, you find:

9. Inner conflict

Notice how the desires/needs and the internal challenges manifest into conflict within the Great Character. What is the character still struggling with and what are the obstacles keeping him from overcoming this struggle? How does what he wants fly in the face of what he believes is best or right.

10. Raw emotion

In the deepest layers, notice the things our Great Character keeps locked away. This, often, is the emotional response to the coming together of everything listed above. It may not be rational, and it may be infuriating to the reader, but it needs to be authentic to the character based on everything the reader knows about him.

So, there you have it. Hope the dissection wasn’t too gory for you! That list was off the top of my head as I was mourning Adam, and I’m sure there are things I forgot. What do you think makes a great character?

And, now for today’s Original Sin Teaser!

Friday, we shifted gears from Luc and Frannie hotness as Gabe showed up. Here is another snippet from Frannie’s POV:

#OriginalSin p23 Frannie: Gabe relaxes back into the wall and tucks his hands into the pocket of his jeans. “Some things are worth losing your wings for.” His smile is gone and his blue eyes pierce mine.

Original Sin Teaser #10 and the Second Contest-for-No-Reason WINNER!

Yes, we have a winner for my Second of Many Contests-for-No-Reason! But first, the Teaser...because I'm tricky like that ;p

So, the last few teasers have been all about Luc and Frannie hotness...which gets interrupted by a certain angel we all know and love. Today's teaser is a short one, and one of my favorite lines from OS.

#OriginalSin p23 Luc to Gabe: “For an angel, you’re quite the pervert.”

And, now for the winner of this:                                                                  and this:

          (both signed :p)

The winner of the Second of Many Contests-for-No-Reason as chosen by the randomizer is...

Melissa (Books and Things)

Yay!!! Congrats!!

*throws virtual confetti*

If you didn't win, never fear! This is the Second of MANY Contests-for-No-Reason! There will be more starting next week! MANY MORE signed books will be up for grabs here on the blog over then next few months, including the one that rocked my world and one by the author who gave me a coronary!

Original Sin Teaser #9 and the book that has left me emotionally devastated

I have two very important things to say to you today. This: 

And this:

If you haven't read them, do it. I read If I Stay last November and it amazed me. Ever since, my new answer to the question: Which book do you wish you wrote? If I Stay, without any hesitation.

Last week the sequel Where She Went was released. After reading it, I am emotionally devastated. Other books have touched me and left me thinking about them long after I closed the cover, but I can’t remember another book leaving me totally wasted. I can barely function—no joke. And, Adam has ruined me for all other fictional boys. Even mine. Gayle Foreman is a master at creating characters that are so real you can't help but sink into their world.

Not that long ago, I did a post on stakes in YA. This book proves to me that the stakes don't have to be the annihilation of the world for a story to matter. All that is at stake (for the most part) is a relationship. But it's a relationship that the reader cares deeply about.

So, my question of the day: What is the last book you read that has left you emotionally devastated?

And, today’s Original Sin teaser. More Luc and Frannie hotness, continuing from the last few:

#OriginalSin p21 Frannie: His hands slide down the curve of my hips and I look over my shoulder at him. “Oh, you enticed me just fine,” he says with a beautifully wicked grin. “The only reason I can resist right now is because I’m fairly certain we can pick up where we left off when I’m done.”

“Don’t be so sure,” I say, knowing he’s right. “You snooze, you lose.”

He looks genuinely concerned for a heartbeat; then his face clears. “We’ll see about that.” His smile is back, and all kinds of wicked ideas flash behind his eyes.

Original Sin Teaser #8 and my OMG moment involving Cassie Clare

My week was totally made last night. Here’s what happened:

I’m at Cassie Clare and Holly Black’s signing (which was awesome, btw) and I’m hanging out and talking to all the awesome bloggers who were so sweet to recognize me during the signing line. So, I’m chatting away, waiting for my turn, but the whole time I’ve got a brain cell thinking about how I’m supposed to introduce myself. Let’s face it, there’s no reason why either of these fantabulous authors would know me. I’ve worshiped at Holly Black’s feet (from afar, of course--I’m not a stalker) since she and Tony DiTerlizzi taught my daughter to read with their fabulous Spiderwick series five years ago (long before it ever occurred to me to write a book) and Cassie is…well…Cassie. So, I get up to the front of Cassie’s line feeling all self-conscious and hand her a stack of books to sign. Here’s the convo:

Me: Hi! It’s really great to meet you. *holds out hand* I love your books. I write too.

Cassie: *shakes my hand* Oh? What do you write?

Me: Personal Demons

Cassie: You’re Lisa Desrochers?! (She even pronounced it right!)

Me: O.O *nods*

Cassie: I didn’t know you were here! I have Personal Demons downloaded on my Kindle right now. I plan to read it on tour! I hear it’s very sexy.

Me: O.O *nods*

Cassie: You should have chimed in when we were talking about writing sexy scenes. (Someone asked the question about how they feel when they’re writing them.)

Me: O.O

Cassie: Is the second book out yet?

Me: Umm…July first. Wait! I mean July fifth!

Cassie: What’s the name of it?

Me: Original Sin

Cassie: Oh yeah! I think I saw the cover for that.

Me: O.O

Cassie: Awesome! Congratulations on your books.

Me: Thanks! It was great to meet you!

My life was totally made a year ago when Melissa Marr Tweeted me that she'd read Personal Demons and enjoyed it. It honestly never occured to me that my favorite authors would read my book. (Melissa actually recommended it on her blog, which nearly gave me a coronary.) The thing with that is, I didn't know that Melissa was reading it, so I didn't stress. Cassie Clare reading it is totally stressing me out. *bites nails* I think I'll choose to assume that she's so busy on tour that she won't have time to get to it.

So, there’s my OMG moment for the week. What are some of your OMG moments?

I didn’t forget about the teaser. Promise. This is continuing with the Luc and Frannie hotness from the last few teasers. Enjoy!

#OriginalSin p20 Frannie: He drops his head and looks at me, those fathomless black eyes still on fire. But then he pushes away. “If only I could finish what I’ve started.”

I tug him back to me by the waist of his jeans. “Why can’t you?”

“Because the woman from the library told me to call her at one.” He nods to the clock on the microwave, which reads 12:58.

I shove him away and turn back to the soapy sink full of dishes. “You’re such a tease.”

Original Sin Teaser #7 and YA trends

I've had some interesting conversations with writer friends over the last few weeks. A topic that often comes up when writerly types get together is what projects we're working on. I had this conversation Saturday night with a writer friend I met for the first time, but who I knew through Twitter. It got me thinking about trends. Urban fantasy, specifically paranormal romance, obvioulsy has dominated YA since Twilight, but then came The Hunger Games and dystopian took off. More recently, time travel seems to be trending and science fiction is on the cusp. Every industry professional I've ever seen comment on trends says don't follow them, set them. It sounds great in theory, but with the millions of novels already written, everything has been done, so how do you set a trend? So, my question of the day is: We know what's trending now, but what do you see trending in the future? Will something cycle back? Contemporary, maybe? What do you think?

And, now for the Original Sin teaser!

This is a fun scene from the beginning of the book which basically continues from yesterday's teaser. There is lots of Frannie and Luc hotness...but never fear, Team Gabe. Courtney Moulton (Angelfire/Katherine Tegan) told me Gabe has the hottest scene in the book. ;p Here, Frannie is trying to get Luc all hot and bothered--which has always been his forte. Let's just say he isn't hating the shift in his roll from the pursuer to the pursuee.

#OriginalSin p20 Frannie: I feel myself getting hot all over despite the cool dish suds running down my arms. I loop my soapy hands around Luc's neck and watch him grimace as the cold water drips down his back.

“I don’t think I’m done finding out. It’s an ongoing investigation. You know, like…” I press myself harder into him. “What happens if I do this.”

I feel his body react, muscles tensing, his breathing becoming faster. I smile.

“Or this,” I say, reaching up onto my tiptoes to kiss his Adam’s apple.

“Interesting reaction,” I say when he tips his head back and shudders. “I’ll have to log that in my journal.”

Luc is putty in her hands ;p

Don't forget to enter for an Original Sin ARC and a signed copy of Rachel Hawkins' Demon Glass by Friday at noon PST!

Original Sin Teaser #6

I'm on the volleyball court today. All day. Just like yesterday and the day before. The good news is the kids are playing great. (Currently #9 out of 124 teams.) Bad news: no time for entertaining you today. So, in today's teaser, we hear from Frannie, who's still struggling with her special ability, and Luc, who's struggling with everything else. Enjoy! =)

#OriginalSin p19 Frannie: I drop my face into my soapy hands and groan. “I suck at this. I don’t know what he thinks I’m supposed to be able to do, but I can’t even break up a sandbox scuffle over a pail and shovel.” I hate the tears seeping from my eyes into my hands. I hate everything right now. “I can’t do it. It doesn’t work.”

I don’t look at him as he turns me and presses me into the counter, his body hot against mine, his voice suddenly soft. “I’m sorry, Frannie. You know how hard this is for me…sorting all these feelings. Everything is going to work out.” He lifts my chin with his finger and wipes the suds off of my forehead with his hand. “It’ll all come together.” He quirks an eyebrow. “I’ll let you practice on me.”

Original Sin Teaser #5 and WHEW for finished trilogies!

The Personal Demons Trilogy is DONE! Whew! Last Friday I turned in The Novel Formerly Known as Hellbent (new title to be announced soonish) to my editor. She emailed me back that I ruined her afternoon. (Apparently she opened it when she had other things she was supposed to be doing.) Since then, no word, so I'm operating on the adage that no news is good news. I'll get a revision letter from her at some point in the not so distant future, because that's how publishing works, but, unless that letter says, "Scrap the whole thing and start over," I can work with it.

And also, just as exciting for me, I WILL finish the first draft of my new, very fun WIP this weekend. So cupcakes all around! It just needs a few transitions smoothed out and it's a WHOLE BOOK, with a beginning, a middle, an end, and characters and a plot and EVERYTHING. Woot! I love these characters. The MC has a great sense of humor that totally didn't come from me, and the boys are seriously yummy in totally different ways. Plus people die and there are fires and people die. My truly fabulous agent *hi Suzie* has read the beginning and liked, so I hope she likes the rest too.

Course, I have to squeeze those transitions between volleyball games, since we're heading to Reno for a three day Junior Olympic qualifier that my daughter's team is playing in. It's four hours of car time each way, so I should be able to swing that and finishing Where She Went, which is burning a hole in my Nook.

But, the teaser...the reason you're all here! Our last few teasers have featured Matt, but they've been from Luc's POV. Here is our first teaser from Matt's POV:

#OriginalSin p16 Matt: "So, what's the plan for the day?" I ask.
Frannie shrugs. "Well, lunch, I guess. Then..." She looks at the demon and an impish grin pulls at her lips. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking...?"
I roll my eyes and glower at Luc. He leans into the table and smirks at me. "Get your mind out of the gutter, cherub. The Mustang needs an oil change."

So, what are y'all working on this weekend?

Original Sin Teaser #4 and BEA news!

Helloooo! How are you today? I am epically awesome.

Are you going to BEA? Are you??? Because, guess what?

I AM!!!!

Squee!! I'll be signing with the equally epically awesome Kiki Hamilton (The Faerie Ring, Tor Teen 9/27/11) at table 12 from 2:30-3:30 on Tuesday May 24th! Please, please, PLEASE come see us if you're there! Otherwise it will just be Kiki and me signing books to each other, and that would be a little embarrasing. Seriously, I'm dying to meet y'all, so please stop by!

So, today's Original Sin teaser once again features Matt, who, you'll remember from the last two teasers, is Frannie's freshly appointed guardian angel. This is one of my favorite passages from Original Sin, and truly captures Matt's feelings for Luc. ;p

#OriginalSin p14 Matt to Luc: “I’ve been dying to smite someone, and nothing would make me happier than if it was you.”

I'd love to hear what you think. Feel free to leave spoiler free questions in comments and I promise to answer. And, if you haven't yet, don't forget to enter to win a signed Original Sin ARC and a signed copy of the NYT bestseller, Demon Glass, by Rachel Hawkins here.