SCHOOL SPIRITS! A WEEK FROM TOOODAAAY!

Sooooo, I think we can all agree that I'm the worst blogger ever, right? Right. In case you were afraid I died, I DID NOT (obvi), but I'm more often on Tumblr or Twitter these days, so if you haven't found me there, go check it out!

There's actually a chance this blog may not last that much longer as I will be working on some New Fancy Internet Stuff in the near future, but for now, I wanted to be sure y'all knew that I have a BRAND NEW BOOK and it is coming out in SEVEN DAYS! Yes! Just one week!

Said book is School Spirits, a spin-off to Hex Hall featuring one Isolde Brannick. There is kissing and jokes and a seriously pissed off ghost and a dude who wears too much purple and pretty much all the things you've come to expect from my books. :)

It is also very pretty.

I'll be touring for this book, and will be posting dates/times very, very soon now (here, and also on Twitter/Tumblr, so seriously, go find me.) As for where you can find the book, obviously your local bookstore is bestm but online, you can try here, here, and here! And if you'd like to read PW's lovely starred review of it, you can do that, too!

XOXO!!

R

For Daddy, 15 Years Later

Today is the 15th anniversary of my dad's death. I've talked about that in a couple of other posts (namely here and here), and I always try to mark it on the blog in some way. This year, I'm doing it with this, the song we had sung at his funeral.

I really, really love it, and think this cover is especially beautiful.

The song comes from a poem by Hannah Senesh (who you should all go read about because honestly, what a bad-ass), and the lyrics roughly translate to:

My God, My God, May these things never end:
The sand and the sea
The crash of the water
The lightning in the sky
The prayers of Man.

I think that's as good a tribute as any. XOXO.

JUNE SPLOON

I tried to do this here on my regular blog, but then it was being all DUMB and my pictures were ending up in the middle of text and everything was all SQUASHED TOGETHER and I hated it and had to go to my Ancient and Unused LJ to post this. SIGH. But if you haven't heard me on Twitter, this month, were are SPLOONING, and you can read all about it HERE! XOXO!

Links And Shizz!

Mes Anges! It's been so long! I hope you are all well! I am well, and HOME after 3 weeks on the road. Tour was amaaaaazing this year. Like, it's been excellent every year, but this year was especially lovely. I think it's because Ally Carter was there, and if you've never met Ally, well let me just tell you: You know how her books are hilarious and charming and lovely? She is EQUALLY IF NOT MORE SO hilarious and charming and lovely. We had such a good time that eventually, Hyperion had to send her to Seattle and me to Miami, thus putting an entire CONTINENT between us.


Pictured: Too much fun. At least we're in the right state. If you came to see us, you know why this is a Major Accomplishment.

But now is not the time to talk of tour, for that was but weeks ago, and I'm still recovering, Victorian Lady-Styles. So today, have a whole bunch of links!

First off! One of my All Time Beffies, Lindsey Leavitt wrote this amazing post that made me Feel Feelings, and is full of The Smart and The Funny much in the way LL is herself.

Secondly! There was this article in the NYT that ALSO made me Feel Feelings, but not in the good way. And then my new Beffie Ally commented on it very smartly while also linking to Maureen Johnson who IN ADDITION said super smart things, thus negating any need I had to write about said article. YA Ladies: Full of The Smart, Obvs.

And for thigns full of THE SILLY, I have started blogging about Game of Thrones. It's basically the same format as this blog (random pics, silly captions, CAPS LOCK ABUSE), but language may be slightly....saltier, and it IS dealing with a show on HBO. So...caution. Proceed with. (Although it's still more or less PG-13 because I am incapable of using the f-word on the Interwebz.)

So there you have it! Happy reading, and have a fabulous Easter weekend, lovelies!

XOXO!

Redesign SPELL BOUND's cover!

Bonjour, Mes Anges! I am frantically typing this from my hotel room in D.C., and I have a train to catch in about 30 minutes, so I must be SWIFT! (Although speaking of said train, tonight, Ally Carter and I will be at the Fairless Hills, PA B&N at 7PM! Come see us!)

So yesterday was SPELL BOUND release day, and it was glorious and magical and the best release day I have ever had. Went to 2 awesome schools, had an AMAZING signing in Bethesda, and have enjoyed Ally's company EVER so much. And I hope all of YOU are enjoying SPELL BOUND!

Which brings me to THIS! Hyperion is doing a REALLY fun contest that lets you- yes, YOU!- make your own cover for SPELL BOUND! And I get to judge the Ultimate Grand Supreme Winner!

This is where I'd put a picture of a kid from Toddlers and Tiaras with a pithy caption, but I have NO TIME.

There's lots of fun stuff to win, so go check it out!

And hope to see some of you on the rode!

XOXO!

NEWS! And UPDATES!

AHHHH LESS THAN A WEEEEEEEEK!! And then you can all read SPELL BOUND, and I can TALK about it! And THEN I can tell y'all more about UPCOMING BOOKS, and I will be SO HAPPY and hopefully SO WILL YOU. :)

But for today, I have some "housekeeping" things to discuss. First off, there's been a change to some of my tour plans, so I wanted to update y'all RE: that. I'll also be changing the original blog post, but I wanted to make SURE the news got out, hence extra bloggage.

1) BOSTON LOVELIES! I will now be doing a signing at Wellesley Books on THURSDAY, MARCH 29 from 4-6PM. Originally, I was only doing school visits that Friday, so this is actually a GOOD change! Now there will be a public event!

2) MIAMI LOVELIES! You actually get the REVERSE news. I will NOT be doing a public event at Books and Books, just school visits. HOWEVER, I will be signing stock and pre-orders there, so if you want a signed copy, please call the store and they can hook you up!

3) CINCINNATI LOVELIES! I am now doing an event for Y'ALL. MARCH 21st at 7PM, I'll be at the Groesbeck Library.

WHEW. Okay, that's all the updates, but while we're talking about tour, lemme answer a few questions I've gotten about it.

A) RACHEL! Will books be for sale at all the events?

Probably? Definitely at the bookstores. But I always recommend calling the venue and checking with them.


B) RACHEL! Can I bring other books for you to sign? Like the 1st two in the series?

ABSOLUTELY! I will sign anything you got! I'm supposed to say stuff like, "But be respectful of other people in line and don't bring too much, etc." BUT WHO AM I KIDDING? You bring it, I'll sign it. And it's not like I'm Stephenie Meyer, so lines will probably not be that big of a deal.


Pictured: Not My Signing Line

C) RACHEL! Do I have to buy my copy of SPELL BOUND at the place holding the event?

Not technically, but if you can, OMG YOU GUYS THAT IS SUCH A NICE THING TO DO. See, signings are EXPENSIVE for stores, so they wanna make some money off yours truly, and I want to keep getting to GO to fabulous stores, and if I don't sell that many books, stores will be like, "LOL THAT RACHEL HAWKINS,NO ONE BUYS HER BOOKS, NEVER AGAIN SHALL SHE DARKEN OUR DOOR." Or something like that. And it's always awesome to support your local bookstore.

D) RACHEL! Will I need tickets for anything?

Again, call the place. Honestly, they just tell me where to go and when to be there, and occasionally they attach a note reminding me that I will be out in PUBLIC and therefore must wear ACTUAL PANTS.


"Yes, Rachel, we know that they're comfy, but these are what we like to think of as 'Inside Pants.'"


And there we have it!

Oh! But WAIT! I also promised NEWS! Some of you may have seen me talking about this on Twitter, but if you HAVEN'T, I am sooooooo excited to announce that I'm going to be in an ANTHOLOGY! Specifically, this one here, coming out form Harper Teen in 2013. (2013 would ALSO be the year I have 2 books coming out in back to back seasons. IT WILL BE A VERY HAWKINS YEAR, IS WHAT I'M SAYING.)

Saundra Mitchell first told me about this antho at a thing in Houston last year. We were down at the hotel bar, and she was like, "I wanna put together a book about the DARK, both literal and metaphorical, and there will be all TYPES of stories, and it will be AMAZEBALLS!"

And I was all, "Huzzah! Can I write a story about [mythical creature redacted]?" And Saundra blinked, looked at my wine glass to see how much I'd already had to drink, and then, solidifying my love for her forever, said, "YES! DO THAT!"

So I did. It's a story I've wanted to tell for a very long time. I actually came up with it on a drive through the woods with The Husband (back when he was The Boyfriend.) As I kept telling the story, his eyes got bigger and bigger, and when I was done, he said, "Rachel, that is MESSED UP. But you should write it down."

And now, about twelve years later, I HAVE. :)


No, I didn't write about a manticore. YET.

XOXO!

TOUR DATES!

Mes Anges! We are less than THREE WEEKS AWAY from SPELL BOUND coming out! I am EXCITED!! Are YOU excited?


EEEE NEW RELEASES! WHATEVER COULD BE IN THIS BOX?


As we get closer and closer, I'll have more goodies (sneak previews, some "behind the scenes" stuff, and of course, that Cal story I still owe y'all). There's also a SUPER fun contest coming up that you can read more about HERE!


It will be hard to improve upon this loveliness, but if anyone can, it's YOU, Mes Anges!


But for now, let's talk TOUR! I'm particularly excited for the SPELL BOUND tour, both because it's always so fun to get on the road and meet readers, and also because this is *gulp* the longest tour I've ever done. Nearly 3 weeks! That's a LOT of room service!


True Tour Story: I asked my friend Becca for advice on my first tour, and she was like, "Remember to eat." And I was all, "LOL SWEET BECCA LIKE I WOULD EVER FORGET TO DO THAT." And then, about 3 days into tour, I found myself nearly fainting in an elevator. "OMG WHY AM I ALL SWOONY AND VICTORIAN LADYISH?" I thought to myself. And then I remembered that I hadn't eaten in, like, hours and hours and hours. Becca Fitzpatrick= Wise Lady.

So without further ado, here are the places I'll be starting March 12! You'll notice I don't have times, but those will come soon. I figured the days would be good enough for now. :) OH! And WAIT! There is a bit more ado: I say this every time, but just so it's super-duper clear, I have no control over where I go on tour. Seriously. My publisher and the company they work with for this kind of thing pick cities based on Business-y Things like "markets" and stuff. So while I would LOVE to go everywhere, it's just not feasible. If you WOULD like me to come to your town, the best thing you can do is talk to your local bookseller or librarian, and let THEM talk to Hyperion.

And hey, if you don't see me on THIS tour, I have several more events coming up in the spring, AND four more books coming out over the next 3 years. I'll be all over the place until AT LEAST 2015. So there's that. ;)

OKAY NOW FOR REAL NO MORE ADO.

SPELL BOUND TOUR DATES:

MARCH 13: WASHINGTON D.C., Bethesda Public Library (with Ally Carter!)

MARCH 14: FAIRLESS HILLS, PA, Barnes and Noble (with Ally Carter SOME MORE!)

MARCH 15-16 : HARLEYSVILLE, PA AND DOYLESTOWN, PA, Harleysville Books and Booktenders.

MARCH 17: RALEIGH, NC, Quail Ridge Books (with Ally Carter again! YAY!)

MARCH 19: CORAL GABLES, FL, Books&Books.

MARCH 22: DAYTON, OH, Books&Co.

MARCH 26: JACKSON, MS, Lemuria.

MARCH 27: OXFORD, MS, Square Books Jr.

MARCH 28: NASHVILLE, TN, Parnassus Books.

MARCH 30: BOSTON, MA, Wellesley Books.


PHEW. You see what I mean! That's a lot of stops! I'm super excited for all of them! If any new events pop up, I'll be sure to post them, but for now, this is all I know. Can't wait to see y'all!

XOXO!