Approximately one year and ten and half months ago, I received one of the coolest things EVER. It was an Advanced Reviewer Copy (ARC) of that book I wrote that one time, Freefall. I wrote about it here and included photographic evidence of the rollicking good time being had at my house that day.

One of the pictures taken of me and the Freefall ARC was of us chilling in the driveway. Another was of us having the time of our fricken lives, like so:

On this past Friday, I received pass pages, which are regular 8×11 sheets of paper that are printed to show precisely what the layout and font of the book will look like. I had good great fun taking pictures of the title pages and all the hot pink and florescent green Post-Its that I was using. See?

I intended to put up a little entry to share the joy in this milestone. (Because, I’m not going to lie, there was a time when reaching this stage with this book felt so impossible. And somehow . . . I did it!)  But then this week came along before I could post that proposed entry. And with this week came a Live Through This ARC, which kinda sorta trumps the pass pages discussion since it is my book in actual book form!

So here is me and the LTT ARC, chilling in the driveway:

(It’s amazing what a difference a month and half makes in the appearance of that bush behind me, isn’t it?)

And I didn’t want my old, falling apart Freefall ARC to feel left out (yes, I still have it), so here’s a pic of me and both ARCs, having the (dark and blurry) time of our fricken lives:

So, yay!

And, I know. It’s the middle of February. And Live Through This doesn’t come out until October. (OCTOBER? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!) As recently as a few weeks ago, I was all, like, “Oh, October. You will be here soon enough. La la la,” but now I am ready for October right this second.

So you’re maybe feeling as sad as I am that I’m showing you the outside of the ARC, but not the inside, because that’s just mean, right?

WELL. We are in luck! My editor gave me permission to share with you the very (er, shocking?) first paragraph of the book as it will look in the real book that you will one day be able to acquire for yourself. So here it is!

The day has finally come, you guys!

DUN DUN DUN.

If you want to know what my next book, Live Through This, is about, and see the pretty, pretty cover, please click here!!!!

It’s now 2012, which is exciting to me for this major reason: my second novel, Live Through This, will come out this year!

I spent January 2 through November 18, 2011 working like crazy on this book. I first started it in January of 2010 and worked on it some throughout that year, but the debut of Freefall that autumn was a huge distraction. My progress was much slower than I (or anyone) would have preferred.

My agent officially sold LTT in February 2011, and I then worked on writing and revising it almost every day after that. My editor’s turn-around on my drafts was so fast each time that I literally had only about three weeks when I was truly on a break from it in almost eleven months. I have a feeling that when I look back on 2011, it will be even more of a blur than 2010 was!

Live Through This is slated for release October 2, 2012. The day before my birthday! It’s going to be a simultaneous hard cover and paperback release, which is very, very exciting. I’ve now seen the cover (and I adore it!) and I’ve read the summary that my editor put together. I’m assuming that I’ll be able to share those in the next month or two since ARCs should be out around then.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Over at book blog, The Reclusive Bibliophile, Melanie has a feature called “If You Like . . . ” where she has one topic or theme and various other book bloggers weigh in with suggestions.

Last week, the topic was “If You Like Male Narrators.” Freefall was one of the suggested titles, and there are many, many more on the list. I see lots of search terms coming up through my website indicating that readers of Freefall are looking for something similar, so this list might be a great place to look!

Drea at Tangled Up In Words asked me a few questions about being a writer, and I answered them here, for your perusal!

The city of Snohomish, Washington, is celebrating KlaHaYa Days this coming weekend. Denise Jaden and I will be at the Uppercase Books booth, hanging out and signing books on Sunday, July 24th from 3-4 p.m. So if you’re in the area, please stop by!

I posted over at the Contemps today, detailing the (unusual?) rules at my high school against displays of affection!

Please visit the Contemps site to read it. And, if you’d like, leave me a comment there sharing what the rules were like at your high school. Pretty please?

* have a contemporary YA novel with a traditional publisher coming out between 9/2011 and 8/2012.

Author Tara Kelly recently blogged about the importance of realistic stories in the young adult market and how many of these titles just don’t get the attention that books of other genres receive.There’s a great discussion going on at her blog (over 70 comments so far) with lots of recommendations for readers who enjoy realistic YA.

In addtion, Tara is hosting a giveaway of over one dozen books! Check it out here. The drawings will take place on June 30th, so get on over there with your recommendations!

Taylor Morris writes middle-grade novels for Simon & Schuster’s Aladdin division. Her most recent title is BFF Breakup, and in honor of its release this year, Taylor found bunches of middle-grade and YA authors to answer questions about best friends for her blog.

This week, features Nikki (whom I met when I was fifteen) and me! Bonus: A vintage photo from our high school years is included in the post!