Twitter Chat Tomorrow (and other cool things!)

I'm excited to announce that tomorrow night, (Thursday, December 13th) I will be participating in a twitter chat hosted by the Mundie Moms and featuring some awesome YA authors!

Here are the details:

Who:

• Courtney Allison Moulton (@CAMoulton) author of the ANGELFIRE trilogy.
• Susan Dennard (@stdennard) author of SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY,
• DJ DeSmyter (@LifeinFiction) author of HUNTED,
• David James (@DJamesAuthor) author of LIGHT OF THE MOON,
• and me, aka @valeriekwrites (!)

If you haven't noticed, there's a theme going on here. Most of us are from Michigan.

When: Thursday, December 13th at 9 PM EST - (It will last about an hour.)

What: Twitter chat - We will discuss our work, answer writing questions, giveaway stuff, and generally have fun!

Where: Under the hashtag #MundieChat

Which brings me to that other cool thing I mentioned. It appears that DEFY THE DARK has a release date - JUNE 18, 2013 - and IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!! *dies* And my name is even on the listing! I'm going to be in a real live book! With a hardcover and everything!

You can pre-order it right now, in both hardcover and paperback, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The Book Depository!

So, how are these two things connected? Well, I'll be giving away two hardcover copies of DEFY THE DARK during the chat - one which I will ship internationally. And I will even sign them, you know, if you want. So, be sure to come join in the fun tomorrow! (Learn more about DEFY THE DARK at DefyTheDark.com.)

Greetings From Branson!

So, if you've been wondering where I've been the last week, I've been (and still am in) Branson for the AWESOMEST WRITING RETREAT EVER. I don't say this to gloat or make you feel bad, but to encourage you to get together with your writer friends for a few days and just hang, because it is amazing.

Writing retreats are awesome, not because of the inside jokes you come away with, but because you get to spend time with people who get you. People who don't think it's strange that the first thing you do in the morning is turn on the coffee pot and the computer, rather than shower. People who don't judge you when it's 5pm and you're still in your pajamas. People who aren't afraid when you talk about the voices in your head. It really doesn't get better than that.

I honestly can't explain how awesome it is to sit down to write and hear nothing but the soft click of fingers on the keyboard and see this:


(Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff)


(Kiersten White - below Freddy The Moose - not pictured)


(Victoria Schwab, Sarah Darer Littman, Julia Karr, Jessica Spotswood)

Not only is it inspiring, but it's demystifying. NYT Bestselling authors sit down with their laptops and write, just like me. There's no magic, just hard work.

If there's any wisdom I can offer from my time here in Branson, it's that writers need time with other writers. It doesn't have to be far away at a lodge, or for a week, with 22 other writers. It can be a weekend in your backyard, the results will be the same -- a feeling of kinship that we miss sometimes when we're on the other side of computer monitors.

So go make your own retreat, or mini-retreat, or weekly sit down with another writer. It's so worth it! (And if you can get Maggie Stiefvater to come and bake you cookies from scratch, all the better!)

Don't miss the last live chat from Branson! Tonight at 8pm EST at:
http://www.livestream.com/jacksonpearce
You'll be able to ask questions and hear answers from:
- Maggie Stiefvater (LINGER, FOREVER, BALLAD)
- Jackson Pearce (SISTERS RED, SWEETLY)
- Natalie Standiford (CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT)
- Jeri Smith-Ready (SHADE, SHIFT)
- Dawn Metcalf (LUMINOUS)