Friday, March 30, 2012

And, still more winners!

Thanks to everyone who stopped in to enter for signed copies of LAST RITE and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. And thanks for all the book comments. My favorite books are the ones that take me to new places, then take me by surprise, so I'm always looking for suggestions.

So, I'm randomizing you...

and the winner of a signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN is...

Lexie@BookBug









And the winner of signed copies of LAST RITE and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is...










Brandileigh2003


Congrats to the winners! Don't forget to check back Monday for another chance at a copy of LAST RITE and a fabulous surprise book.

Monday, March 26, 2012

The evolution of a writer (And LAST RITE giveaway #4)

Six weeks from tomorrow, Last Rite will be on shelves. I'm so excited to have it out there in the world so you can all follow Frannie, Luc and Gabe through the end of their journey together. But it's bittersweet. At the same time as I'm excited, I'm also mourning a little.

I've discovered that my writing process with Personal Demons was a little different that most of my writer friends'. Some of them call themselves "pantsers" (meaning they don't outline their novels) but I've never talked to anyone else who literally didn't know ANYTHING that was going to happen in their novels until it did. Most "pantsers" tell me they have a general sense of where the story's going, they just don't know how it's going to get there.

Not me. When I sat down to write Personal Demons, all I had was a character. I joke that the book wrote itself, but it's really not a joke. Scenes would pop into my head and I'd write them down. That's all. Many times, they'd shock the hell out of me. I was all over the place with my writing. The first day I sat down, I did write the beginning, but after that I wrote whatever was in my head that day...chunks in the middle, the end. Whatever. Six weeks later, I pieced it all together and found out I had kind of a cool story.

So I got an agent.

She asked me what else I was working on. It turned out Frannie, Luc and Gabe weren't done with me because, as stupid as I knew it was to write a sequel to a book that hadn't sold, the scenes that were popping into my head when I sat down at the computer were more Personal Demons. She said "good," which I decided gave me the go ahead to write Original Sin. But I still had NO CLUE where it was all going.

Can I tell you the dirtiest, nastiest, most horrifying word you can say to an author?

SYNOPSIS

Especially an author like me, who only knows where her story is going when it gets there.

We went on submission and my truly fabulous agent told me I needed to write a series synopsis. I almost puked. I could give her a sketchy sense of Original Sin, cuz I was already halfway into it, and even though I didn't have any idea how it was going to end, at least I knew part of what was going to happen. But how do you write a synopsis for a book three when you're clueless about where book two is headed?

Thank God my editor lost the synopsis, is all I can say.

So, Last Rite surprised me a lot. When it was finally all done, I looked back and thought, of course that's where this was going, but I didn't see it until it got there. So, what I mourn isn't my characters. They'll always be in my heart. What I mourn is the excitement of watching their story unfold and seeing where it lead. So, in that way, I'm just like you. The story unfolded for me as if I was a reader. I miss that and I kind of want to go back and do it again.

I am, sort of, with other characters in new worlds. But the process has changed for me. I'm not as pantsy as I was. I've known the end of my last few projects before I started, or very early on, and that takes a little of the excitement out for me. But it's safer. So, does this mean I'm getting more weathered? (In writer's terms.) Or less spontaneous? Or just tired? Maybe. But I really feel like it's my perspective that's changed. When I started writing PD I was a reader. Now I'm a writer, and a writer's mind works a little differently. So I really thinks it's an evolution.

I've evolved. Into what, I'm not exactly sure. We'll see.

Enough of my waxing poetic. I know y'all are just here for the contest. Let me look through my stack of signed books and see what I can come up with... Okay. Got it. How about, in addition to a signed finished copy of Last Rite, I throw in a signed copy of Across the Universe by the lovely Beth Revis.




















Remember that entries do not carry over from week to week, so your name needs to appear in the comments below to enter for this giveaway. To enter, all you have to do is comment below and tell me what book has taken you most by surprise and why. You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:
Follow this blog: +1
Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez): +1
Tweet or Facebook a link to this contest: +1
"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +1

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday March 30th at 12 noon, PST. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books (think Holly Black, Jessica Spotswood, Marie Lu) every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!

Friday, March 23, 2012

More winners!

Yup! It's that time again! We have winners of this weeks LAST RITE ARC giveaway! Thanks to everyone who stopped in to listen to the song that is LAST RITE and enter in the contest. If you're not the lucky winner this week, remember to stop in again on Monday to enter next weeks giveaway. (note: entries DO NOT carry over from one week to the next, so be sure to enter each week.)

So, here we go. Putting y'all into the randomizer...

And...

The winner of a signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN is...

Froze8!!






And the winner of signed copies of all this:

















is...

Lynsey Newton!!!

Congrats to the winners! I'll be emailing you soon!

Monday, March 19, 2012

The song that is LAST RITE and ARC giveaway! (Plus, win John Green!)

There is a song. I play it all the time. It is not unusual to find me sitting in my car in the garage blasting it and screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs. (Ask my kids.) I could hear it one hundred times in a row and the last 2 minutes will give me goose bumps every time. It is the musical embodiment of LAST RITE and I only wish I'd found it earlier because it would be in the acknowledgments.

This song is EPIC and I hope you'll think LAST RITE is too when you get a chance to read it. It's the culmination of Frannie, Luc and Gabe's struggle, and all Heaven's wrath rains down as all Hell breaks loose. The lyrics of this song totally tell Frannie, Luc and Gabe's story. (I swear the band must have hacked into my email or something!)

The song is War by Poets of the Fall, and here it is.


*note: Some of the lyrics near the end of this vid aren't quite right, but...

If you have not heard of this band, you must check them out. I love this song sooo much I'm giving a buttload of extra entries into this contest if you download this song from any legal music site.

So, the contest...

If you'd like a chance at your very own signed ARC of Last Rite, here's your chance to win one. Because I love you, I'll also throw in a signed copy of the amazing John Green's The Fault in Our Stars--which, btw, is still sitting on top of the NYT bestseller list. (You thought you were going to be able to win the real John Green, didn't you? Admit it ;p) A runner up will receive a signed copy of Original Sin.

















To enter, all you have to do is comment below and tell me any lyric (one full line) from the Poets of the Fall video embedded above. If you have a favorite, pick that =) You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:
Forward email receipt (or other proof) for purchase of Poets of the Fall War to lisadwrites(at)yahoo(dot)com: +10
Follow this blog: +1
Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez): +1
Tweet or Facebook a link to this contest: +1
"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +1

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday March 23rd at 12 noon, PST. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books (think Holly Black, Marie Lu, Beth Revis) every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Winners!!!!

Ah! It's time for more winners!

Thanks to all of you who checked out the first chapter of Last Rite and entered for your very own ARC =) If you aren't the luck winner this week, don't despair! There will be another contest up on Monday and, in addition to a signed ARC of LAST RITE, I'll be giving away a signed book by someone who's been dominating the NYT list for the last few months! (Think: John Green :p)

But, for today's winners, we go to the randomizer.

Our first winner for a signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN is...

.Ambur!!




And, our grand prize winner, for a signed LAST RITE ARC and a signed copy of Juliet Immortal is...

Crystal!!! (@cfulcher)





Congrats to both our winners! *throws virtual confetti* (because I don't want to clean the real stuff up)

I'll email you soon!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Last Rite sneak peek and ARC giveaway!

Hey, y'all! You want a sneak peek at the first chapter of Last Rite?? Well, Tor Teen's Facebook page has an exclusive preview here. Warning: there are spoilers for Original Sin, so read at your own risk ;p

If you'd like a shot at winning a signed Last Rite ARC of your very own, here's your next opportunity. And, because I love you, I'll throw in a signed copy of Juliet Immortal by the fabulous miss Stacy Jay. A runner up will receive a signed copy of Original Sin. =)


















To enter, all you have to do is comment below and tell me which you'd choose, a gorgeous glowing guardian angel who would do ANYTHING to protect you, or a hot (in all conceivable ways) demon who is changed by love. You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:
Follow this blog: +1
Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez): +1
Tweet or Facebook a link to this contest: +1
"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +1

Entries from last weeks contest DO NOT carry over, so be sure to enter here. Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday March 16th at 12 noon, PST. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books (think Holly Black, John Green, Beth Revis) every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!

Friday, March 9, 2012

And, YES! We have our first LAST RITE WINNER!

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to enter for a signed ARC of Last Rite! If you didn't win the ARC, remember that you'll have a brand new chance on Monday, and there will be a fabulous bonus book signed by the author. Come find out what it is =) And there will also be a sneak peek at the first chapter of LAST RITE! So don't forget to check back Monday!

Okay, here we go. Putting y'all into the randomizer...

And the winner of the signed Penguin Breathless Reads poster is...


Amanda Sarinana

And, the winner of a signed LAST RITE ARC is...

Emilie

Congrats to all the winners! I will contact you soon! =)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Last Rite giveaways because I love you and I love Spring!

I LOVE this time of year. Everything's coming back to life. Here's my apricot tree:

Here's the almond orchard near my house:

Here's my daughter, who's graduating this spring:

And you know what else is coming alive this spring? Yep! Last Rite! The end of the Personal Demons trilogy is here. This makes me both very happy and a little sad. It's been over a year since I wrote this book and I miss Frannie, Luc and Gabe every day. I've written and fallen in love with many characters since writing them, but they'll always have a special place in my heart.

So, to celebrate Spring and the birth of my book baby, Last Rite, I'll be holding weekly contest in which you can win a signed copy (ARC or finished) between now and Last Rite's release on May 8th. Here's your first chance to win, and because I love you sooo much, I'm throwing in a prize for a runner up. The runner up will receive this poster, signed by all four authors (one of which happens to be my fab critique partner :p).

To enter, all you have to do is comment below and tell me what your favorite season is and why. You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:
Follow this blog: +1
Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez): +1
Tweet or Facebook a link to this contest: +1
"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +1

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday March 9th at 12 noon, PST. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books (think Holly Black, Andrea Cremer, Beth Revis) every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!