Rgz Street Team: Vanessa Reviews Need by Carrie Jones

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Vanessa reviews Need by Carrie Jones:

"Zara just moved from South Carolina to Maine. Dealing with not only the new cold temperatures, but also the loss of her beloved stepfather, Zara does her best to fit into her new town. While making friends doesn't turn out to be so hard, Zara never expected the trouble that ends up on her doorstep; trouble that's been waiting for her her whole life. Not one to back down at what may be just a rumor, Zara faces every challenge head on, often putting herself in danger in hopes of saving her new town.

"You'll be flipping pages fast, just to see what happens next, and maybe wishing for some of Zara's bravery to have for you very own. With a cast of spunky characters, scary creatures, and the unforgettably sweet boy that all girls dream about, Need comes with the full package." -Vanessa

Thanks, Vanessa! Read two Cover Stories from Carrie Jones (Need and Captivate), plus Story Secrets from Captivate. And see Carrie's Shoutout to readergirlz, too!

Rgz Shoutout: Carrie Jones!

Celebrate awesomeness with Carrie Jones! She's shouting out.

rgz Seattle HOST: Carrie Jones and Alyx Harvey!

Hello, again, readergirlz!

So, my posted schedule had me going to see Heather Brewer last night, and I wish I could've been in two places at once. I missed Heather because a friend of mine from the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults was in town: Carrie Jones! Carrie's a wonderful writer with a super-fun blog (link on her site), another blog called Through the Tollbooth that she and I keep up with seven other Vermont Grads (it's about the craft of writing, how to get down and dirty with words), and can I please just mention that her books NEED and CAPTIVATE are both currently on the New York Times bestseller list? So, basically, Carrie is made of awesome.

She's touring the west coast with Alyx Harvey (at left, Alyx is Little Miss blurry and Carrie is Little Miss Naughty), who is making a big splash with her debut novel, HEARTS AT STAKE, the first in THE DRAKE CHRONICLES (lots of info on her site), a new vampire series that also works as a spin on the Snow White story. Trusted booksellers and librarians have assured me that it's fun and amazing and that even if you're a bit burned out on vampires, you should give it a try. I hope to bite in (couldn't resist) this weekend.

It was SO MUCH FUN to hear these two chat about their books and their lives. They told oodles of interesting stories. Some highlights: Alyx lives in a haunted house but the ghosts are friendly, Carrie wrote an awesome haiku in second grade, both of their books feature blue-skinned non-human characters, Carrie's writing space is small and rickety and Alyx's features photos of Johnny Depp, Mr. Darcy, and all the other important men, both writers love and raise dogs, and both have more exciting projects that you'll hear lots about in the near future (Victorian ghost book for Alyx! Co-written book set in spooky Maine town for Carrie!)

One of the most fun parts of the event was the group of authors and obsessive-in-a-good-way book lovers (rgz street team member Sarah, in particular) who came out. On the left, that's Sarah with rgz Diva Holly Cupala and Seattle-area author Suzanne Selfors. Holly and Carrie share the same literary agent. What a lucky agent! Other awesome people were spotted, too! The bookseller Kari said she wished there'd been a red carpet. :) I wish all of you readergirlz could've been there. Keep an eye out for this tour! Check here to see if they're coming near you!

Liz with Two Authors for your enjoyment:

See you soon!

Cover Stories: Captivate by Carrie Jones

Last year, Carrie Jones shared her awesome Cover for Need on my blog, and now she's back to talk about the New York Times bestselling sequel, Captivate (Bloomsbury)!

Take it away, Carrie!

"I had no cover ideas -- I am so horrible at that. My publisher didn’t ask for input -- and when I first saw the cover, I sort of passed out because it was so awesome.

"My editor asked if I wanted to make suggestions, but I didn’t want to. I really loved the cover. Except, I wanted to apply a little wax to the girl’s eyebrows. That’s just me though. I’m obsessive...

Read the rest of Carrie's Cover Story, find out about a big Bloomsbury contest and watch the trailer for the book on melissacwalker.com!

PS-A bit of advice from the awesome Carrie Jones, pointed out to me by Little Willow (this rocks): "... you have to follow your dreams. You have to fight for them, scratch out people's eyes for them, but you have to - YOU HAVE TO - go for them, even if it looks impossible. Believe me, I know about impossible and doing everything wrong. I know about crying because you think you suck. I know about feeling like everything you're doing is pointless. But it isn't. Not if you want it. Now go get it, because if I can get it you know - YOU KNOW - you can too." Amen.

Story Secrets: CAPTIVATE by Carrie Jones

Welcome to Story Secrets! This is a weekly feature where YA authors (some well-known, some debut) spill their secrets about their latest and greatest YA offerings.

Today, I'm excited to chat with writing friend Carrie Jones about CAPTIVATE, which just hit the shelves (along with the paperback of the first book, NEED). Whenever I get grumpy, I check out Carrie's blog for her unique brand of insight and hilarity. Carrie is a person who writes with heart. I promise, her books (and quite possibly her werewolves) will charm you.

Welcome, Carrie!

*****

First, tell us a little bit about CAPTIVATE.
CAPTIVATE is the sequel to NEED. They are stories about Zara who is tormented by human-sized pixies who are full of evil. It's really about how Zara goes from a grieving zombie-like girl to a hero that can total kick some butt while being quirky, because basically everyone should be a quirky butt-kicking hero who has peace symbols on their jeans.


How did you come up with the idea for the series?
I was at the Common Ground Fair, which is this huge, cool fair in Maine, in a rural part of the United States, that’s sponsored by Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA). To get to the main part of the fair you have to walk through this sweet trail that curves through these tall spruce trees.

Right in front of me was this guy. He had a weird vibe. He was wearing all corduroy – blazer, pants. And sticking out from his blazer was this long tail-like appendage that was wrapped in different colored earth-toned cloth. I guess he could tell I was checking him out because he turned his head and looked at me. His eye was this startling silver color. How startling? So startling that I actually gasped and got creeped out.

Then when we were in line to pay we made eye contact again and his eyes were brown. I know! I know! I probably imagined the silver eye color...

Read the rest!

Cover Stories: Need by Carrie Jones

Carrie Jones is a friendly and hilarious author, and she shared her cover story on my blog last week. It sparkled so much, I had to show the readergirlz!

NEED, Carrie's latest release, is about a girl named Zara who's had a rough life and who collects phobias. She thinks her grandmother's instinct to keep her safe in their sleepy Maine town is just silly--but she's wrong. Turns out that guy Zara sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a pixie--and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He's the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he's trailing Zara.

While she calls herself "cover clueless," I think Carrie's got a pretty good story. Here she is:

"I am a total dork when it comes to imagining covers. Honestly, I don't even think about the cover of any of my books when I'm writing them. It's like I would jinx the whole story if I actually imagined a real-live cover. I don't even think about it as a book really when I'm writing and revising. I just think of it as a story.

"My publisher didn't ask for any input on the cover design before the art department started working. The first time I saw my cover I basically gasped and collapsed back in my chair. It was sooooooooo cool and sooooooooo creepy. I pretty much started hyperventilating and I grabbed my dog Tala and showed her the computer screen, but of course, you know, she's a dog and she can't actually see the computer screen supposedly. Plus, the computer screen didn't smell like bacon so she didn't really care. Instead she started licking my cheek and sniffing my ear. She's cuddly like that. She didn't even mind me shrieking, 'Tala! Tala! It's so beautiful! Oh my gosh! It's so freaking beautiful! And creepy! And there is glitter gold lipstick!'

"The good thing about big dogs is that they don't mind when you faint on them.

"When I talked to my editor, Michelle Nagler, about the cover, she said: Do you think it's creepy enough?
"And I said:
"And Michelle said: I think the branches should extend, don't you?
"And I said:
"And Michelle said: Carrie? Carrie? Are you there? Do I need to call 9-1-1? Do they have 9-1-1 in Maine?
"And I struggled back up into the chair and said: It's so beautiful....

"From the original version, the cover became a little more creepy. Michelle had them extend the naked tree branches up a little bit. It was even more beautiful/cool/creepy in real life than it was on the jpeg image.

"If I could marry my cover, I would totally marry my cover, which probably means I'm a sucker for beautiful, tantalizing creepy things."

And I am a sucker for glittery gold lipstick. What do you guys think?