I’m excited to share the cover of Exo, which releases on January 31, 2017. I love what Phil Falco, the designer at Scholastic, did with this. It’s eye-catching and screams science fiction action. The novel features teenage soldiers with alien armor in their bodies, and it’s clear that Phil drew on that for aesthetic inspiration in all the background details. Go to YA Books Central to enter the giveaway for a signed ARC of Exo, and don’t forget to add the book on Goodreads.
My next novel has a title! EXO will be released by Scholastic on January 31, 2017. Cover reveal to come soon. In the meantime, you can add it on Goodreads.
It’s my birthday today, so I’m giving away a present to my email newsletter subscribers: a CD copy of the Zeroboxer audiobook! Enter below:
The 2015 Nebula Awards have been announced, and Zeroboxer is a nominee for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy! The Nebulas and the Norton are voted on by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, so I’m incredibly honored to have been recognized by peers in my field, and to be included in this year’s incredible slate of nominees.
Awards will be presented at the Nebula Conference in Chicago, May 12-15.
Zeroboxer has been listed in CCBC Choices 2016, the annual best-of list compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center.
Zeroboxer is on the Young Adult Library Services Association’s 2016 list of Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.
I’m particularly pleased by this because I’d never heard the term “reluctant reader” before this year, when I started seeing it used a lot in trade reviews of Zeroboxer. The Quick Picks list suggests books that, according to the American Library Association, “teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure; it is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read.”
I became an author wanting in particular to write fast-paced, action-packed, thought-provoking books that inspire teens to read when they could be doing any number of things including watching YouTube videos or playing video games. Reading was so important to me when I was young. Authors are doing vital work when we make young people realize that reading is fun and turn them into readers for life.
So yeah, this one’s important to me.
The Zeroboxer audiobook, produced by Skyboat Media, and narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, is now available wherever audiobooks are found, including Audible, Downpour, Barnes & Noble, and your local library. I’m a huge fan of audiobooks, so needless to say, I’m pretty excited. Also, I love the new cover that Blackstone Audio created for the audio release.
I’m honored that Zeroboxer has been named a finalist for the Oregon Book Awards in the Young Adult Literature category, along with four other very deserving nominees.
The 29th annual Oregon Book Awards ceremony will be on April 11, 2016 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory. Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, will host the ceremony. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets.Com
The 2015 Debut Authors Bash hosted by YA Reads is a fantastic way to discover new authors and their books. Check out the interview and Zeroboxer giveaway at Teen Librarian Toolbox.
I’m honored that Zeroboxer has been named to the 2016 TAYSHAS Reading List. The TAYSHAS is an annual list of recommended YA fiction compiled by the Texas Library Association and it’s an excellent resource for teachers, parents, librarians, and readers.