Original Sin Teaser #43

Had an awesome night at Barnes & Noble in Westlake, Ohio last night! Thanks to everyone who came out! Got to hang out with my tour partners Leah Clifford and Courntey Allison Moulton, and awesome authors Scott Tracey (Witch Eyes, Flux 2011) and Dan Krokos (False Memory, Hyperion 2012). A fun time was had by all! =)

Do you see that stack of finished copies of Original Sin??? Squee!!

Tonight, catch the Dark Days Tour in Lansing Michigan at Schuler Books and Music, 2820 Towne Center Blvd at 6pm with uber-special guest, Aimee Carter (The Goddess Test)!

Also, if you want your very own signed copies of Personal Demons and Original Sin, don't forget to enter my contest! It ends tomorrow, so scoot on over there!

And, todays Original Sin Teaser! Luc still has his cocky demons ways. Here's a snippet from Frannie's perspective.

#OriginalSin p114 Frannie: I squeeze Luc tighter. “I love you.”
One corner of his perfect mouth curves up. “I know.”

Happy Thursday! The winner of my latest contest will post when I get home from tour tomorrow, so check back!

After Dark Tour with Leah Clifford, Courtney Allison Moulton and Moi! Plus OS Teaser #42

I was on a plane at ugly o'clock this morning on my way to Cleveland, Ohio for the After Dark Tour! If you're in the Cleveland area, come out and see Leah, Courtney and me at the Westlake Barnes & Noble, 198 Crocker Park Blvd, at 6:30pm.

If Lansing, Michigan is closer, tomorrow (Thursday) we'll be at Schuler Books and Music, 2820 Towne Center Blvd at 6pm with uber-special guest, Aimee Carter!

SQUEE!!!

I'm so excited to meet some of you, as well as the amazing authors I'll be signing with! And there will be PRIZES!!! Yep, you heard me right! FREE STUFF!!

And, now for today's teaser. A little Luc and Frannie hotness to see you through the rest of the week :p

#OriginalSin p113 Frannie: Most of our clothes are on the floor and we move together on Luc’s big black bed to the rhythm of music playing softly from the stereo. A tiny part of me wishes he could still shift his essence into me the way he used to when he was a demon. My head swims at the memory of how it felt to have him that close. There’s something surreal about being possessed by the essence of the boy you’re crazy in love with—even if he is a demon.

*swallows hard* *clears throat*

So, we'll see you later today in Cleveland!!

Why YA appeals to adults, my take...and OS teaser #42

So, here is my little girl graduating junior high school.

I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. She was a baby just last week. It's totally crazy how fast time goes. I sort of wonder if there's something to those time travel stories, cuz I feel like I must have jumped forward at least ten years. And, the thing about time is, once it's gone, you can't get it back. Makes me think that all the time I wasted waiting for things was...well...wasted.

I'm one of those people who are always looking forward. When I was little, I wanted to be bigger. When I was bigger, I wanted to be old enough to drive. Then I wanted to be old enough to drink. Then I wanted to be out on my own. Then I wanted my graduate degree. Then I wanted to travel. Then I wanted kids. And, with every new goal I forgot to pay attention to the moment. Instead, when I accomplished one goal, I'd just set another and keep looking forward.

I recently heard an young author friend of mine (who I love dearly and am not criticizing) say that she thought the reason that adults were drawn to YA literature is that their lives were boring and they wanted some excitement. I worked really hard not to burst out laughing. I see it totally the opposite. My life is so nuts most of the time with three jobs and two kids that I just want to go back to the simplicity of childhood, even if for a short time. Many young adult books deal with the coming of age issues we all remember from our youth (because, really, it wasn't that long ago). And, as much as most of us wouldn't want to go through all of that again, it's a nice diversion from our crazy existences to remember how it felt.

As a writer, I've taken it one step farther. I've found my escape from my crazy life in my characters. They take me for some wild rides. Maybe my friend had it a little backward, but she was right in that I get to relive some of my misspent youth through my characters.

So, if you're a "grown-up," why do you read YA? (If you do.) Is it for the characters? The kick-ass plots? What draws you to the genre.

And now, Original Sin teaser #42. Once again, here is Matt. And he's not happy. I'll leave it at that and let you figure out what's going on. ;p

#OriginalSin p113 Matt: Finally, I slip back through Luc’s wall. But the first thing I see—a flash of skin in the tangled sheets—feels like a punch to the gut. I push back into the hall and sit with my head in my hands again, forcing myself not to storm in there and pull him off her. It’s too late. I got distracted and forgot where the real danger was.

Don't forget to enter for a signed set of Personal Demons and Original Sin if you haven't already!

After Dark Tour, a chance to win PD and OS, and OS Teaser #41

It’s Memorial Day so, if you know someone who is or who has served our country in uniform, give them a big hug today. My daughter is on her 8^th grade trip to Washington DC this week and got to hear President Obama speak at Arlington National Cemetery this morning!

And in other news, the After Dark Tour with Courtney Allison Moulton (Angelfire), Leah Clifford (A Touch Mortal), and me starts THIS WEEK!! Squee!

We’ll be in Cleveland, Ohio Wednesday night and Lansing, Michigan on Thursday, where Aimee Carter (The Godess Test) will be our special guest, so come out and see us!!!! Rumor is there will be a VERY LIMITED number of copies of ORIGINAL SIN that will be available in Cleveland. Check here for tour locations and times.

Also, there’s a fun poll going on over at Down The Rabbit Hole! Amber is taking votes on YA’s Most Eligible, and Luc is in the running. :p If you love Luc like I do, please go over and vote for him and all your other favorites!

It’s also five weeks until Original Sin’s release and I feel like giving stuff away, so starting today, from now until release, every week I’ll give away signed sets of Personal Demons and Original Sin! YAY!

Before I get to contest deets, however, here is today’s Original Sin teaser. Matt is pretty much a rookie in the guardian angel department. Here’s a scene from his perspective where he’s still trying to figure everything out.

#OriginalSin p108 Matt: Luc sidles over to the window and looks me up and down. “You’re nervous.”

“No, I’m not,” I say, suddenly sure that, stomach or not, I’m going to puke.

He scowls at me. “You’re glowing. Either you’re nervous or you swallowed a compact fluorescent. Either way, you need to turn it off.”

I realize he’s right. My self-awareness isn’t what it should be. I tone it down and try to keep a brain cell trained on the glow factor.

Okay…so the contest: If you want to win signed copies of these:

all you have to do is comment below by noon (PST) Friday 6/3! Your comment is worth one point, and if you’d like to accumulate more points, here’s how:

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, Twitter or FB: +1 point
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 contest will close at noon on Friday, June 3^rd, so be sure to enter before then! The winner will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here after noon on Friday.

And, there is a contest going on right now on Goodreads! 23 copies of Original Sin are up for grabs! Good luck!!!

Spanish PD Cover Reveal and In My Mailbox, the Italian Edition! Plus OS Teaser #40

I have to say, so far, I've really liked all my foreign covers. The Spanish translation of Personal Demons (Demonios Personales) is scheduled to release on June 10th and here's the cover...

What do you think? I really like the framing and the font. And, I have to say the angel and demon (Gabe and Luc) are very angelic and demonic ;p I think it's fun. And Frannie looks Frannieish to me.

And, in other fun news, look what was in my mailbox when I got home from BEA yesterday:

There are Italian words inside and everything!

Squee!!! If you've been around the blog, you know my love affair with Italy, and specifically Cinque Terre, where I totally plan to have a summer place someday. (I was there two years ago today, actually.)

So, this translation is really special to me. It's fun too, cuz they have L.J. Smith, Lili St. Crow and this page in the back:

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the lettering is shiny. They have all of my blurbs on the back cover.

Can you tell I'm excited? If you come over, I'll give you a tour of my Italian book :p

Okay, so now for the teaser. Taylor is pretty much as boy crazy as ever, and once she catches sight of Rhen, she's all over that.

#OriginalSin p105 Frannie: Taylor peers out the window. “So, if that guy is from where Luc used to live, it must not be too far away.”

“I guess,” I say, not knowing where she’s going with this, but sure it’s somewhere.

“So, where is it?”

I spread glue on the back of Angelina’s lips. “South.”

“Like Southie? Really? I thought everyone in South Boston was Irish. No way in hell Luc’s Irish.”

“No way in hell,” I repeat.

I didn't forget I promised you a contest. It's coming next week! Promise! =) Happy weekend! I'm going to go read my Italian book now!

BEA wrap up and Original Sin Teaser #39!

So, wow! No one told me BEA was a contact sport! My BEA is officially over. I'm on my way home this morning. I would love to share pictures of my three days in NYC, but I didn't take any. =(

But, my first event of BEA week was Teen Author Carnival on Monday night, which started out with the cab ride from Hell. I mean, is it just me, or is it a problem when the cabbie asks the passenger for directions? My cabbie COULD NOT find the library that TAC was being held at, and I sort of panicked and spam texted everyone I knew who would be there to help me figure out what to tell him. What I didn't know was that the event is like two floors underground in this really cool library, and there's no cell service down there. O_O

Anyway, we finally stumbled on the library just in the nick of time, because I was supposed to moderate the Kick-Ass Females panel at 4:10. Thankfully, I made it and a fun time was had by all. I met tons of bloggers and authors that I feel like I know really well, but have never actually met. Oh, the wonders of social networking.

After, a group from FinePrint/Nancy Coffee Literary Agencies went out for pizza and I got to hang out with my fab agent, Suzie Townsend, Joanna Volpe, Kody Keplinger, my agent sisters Hannah Moskowitz, Rebecca Behrens and Arlaina Tibensky, and assistants Brooks and Sara.

Tuesday morning I signed TONS of finished copies of Original Sin in the formal autographing area in the back corner of the BEA exibit floor. I couldn't believe all the people who stood in line for Kiki Hamilton (The Faerie Ring) and I. The line was so long we couldn't get through it in an hour, so they moved us to an overflow table where we signed until the books were gone (at least 100). It was so fun to see everyone! I was so happy Dawn Metcalf (Luminous) came to say hi, as well as Kristi (The Story Siren) Harmony (Team Luc Fangirl Captain and blogger extraordinaire) Darla and Sandy all the way from California, and Lynsey from the UK. My only regret: I didn't get a finished copy of OS for myself. It's the first time I've seen my finished copies and I wanted to scan through one. Thankfully my roomie, the fabulous Kody Keplinger (The Duff) stood in line for a copy, so I was able to look through hers.

Yesterday morning I was able to have breakfast with my critique partner, Andrea Cremer (Nightshade). It was so fun to have a chance to sit and relax and catch up on everything. She is a very busy lady, with lots of projects in the works, which I know makes all of you VERY happy =)  Then I was off to my Personal Demons signing at the RWA booth, where I signed like a crazy person and the books were gone in a flash. I hope you all enjoy your new books!

So, now I'm on my way home. My daughter graduates junior high tonight, so the excitement continues. =)

But...I know you want the teaser. This is a short one. You all remember Rhenorian, the head of Security in the Abyss, who's sent to bring Luc back. He's got his eye on Luc and he's just waiting for his chance:

#OriginalSin p101 Rhen: “My, my, Lucifer—all the pretty young things. Philandering is a sin, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Tomorrow I have a fun cover reveal for you...and maybe another contest. So don't forget to check back!

BEA madness and Original Sin Teaser #38

I am running from breakfast with the lovely Andrea Cremer to my Personal Demons signing on the BEA floor, but wanted to stop in with todays Original Sin teaser.

We all know by now how Matt feels about Luc. This is a continuation from yesterday's teaser.

#OriginalSin p91 Frannie: Luc smooths his fingers over my cheek. “Is Matt here?”

I nod, pretty sure it’s true, and then a rock flies through the air and hits Luc in the back of the head. He winces and shoots a look behind him—where, of course, nobody is.

“He’s here,” he says, disgusted.

I promise to have a BEA recap for you tomorrow!