Holiday Bonuses!

What's rectangular, flat, and super-easy to gift wrap?

I guess this could describe the iPad Mini, but I meant BOOKS.

If you're planning on giving books this holiday season, we hope you'll consider ours :)

And if you do, the following Apocalypsies have special offers to sweeten the deal -- including signed bookplates, limited edition swag, and other festive bonus fun. Click the links below for more details.

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

A.C. Gaughen's SCARLET  -- > Signed Bookplates

Lynne Kelly's CHAINED --> Order signed copies or request signed bookplates

E.M. Kokie's PERSONAL EFFECTS --> Order Signed Copies of the book 

Diana Renn's TOKYO HEIST --> Signed Swag For the Holidays 

Kimberly Sabatini's TOUCHING THE SURFACE --> Help Save Inner Holiday Elves 

Tiffany Schmidt's SEND ME A SIGN --> Send Me a SIGNATURE

L.B. Schulman's LEAGUE OF STRAYS --> Signed Bookplates & Contest!

Jessica Spotswood's BORN WICKED --> Signed Bookplates

Sarvenaz Tash's THE MAPMAKER & THE GHOST --> Signed Bookplates

Geniuses at Work

I love seeing pictures of writers' work spaces. They give another glimpse into the creative process behind the books we read, a place where we can imagine the author toiling behind a computer screen, filling blank pages. It's easy for readers to attribute some special significance to the desk where your favorite novel was written, and in fact, some authors themselves are very particular about where they work. The writing space is another tool, just like a computer or legal pad, a special pen or a cherished figurine that helps the words flow. But what fascinates me most is the way a space can reflect the personality of the author, and how it may (or may not) affect way she works. Cluttered, neat, surrounded by books, or buried under Post-its, every writing space is unique.

I thought it would be fun to peek into the personal spaces of some of the Apocalypsies, to see where their debut books came to life.

Lynne Kelly: CHAINED

BIO: Lynne Kelly writes contemporary middle grade and young adult fiction and is represented by Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation. She was born in Galesburg, Illinois, grew up in Houston, lived in some much colder places, then found her way back to the Houston area, where she works as a sign language interpreter. For a few years she also taught special education, a good career for someone with excellent organizational and planning skills. Lacking those skills, she quit teaching in 2006 and thankfully has more time for playing around on the Internet writing. But it was during those teaching years that she worked with some great kids and became interested in writing, so that all worked out.

DEBUT: CHAINED (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, May 8, 2012)
The touching story of a boy and an elephant who have a friendship that’s stronger than any lock, shackle, or chain.
Ten-year-old Hastin’s sister has fallen ill, and his family must borrow money to pay for her care in the hospital. To work off the debt, Hastin leaves his village in northern India to work in a faraway jungle as an elephant keeper. He thinks it will be an adventure, but he isn’t prepared for the cruel circus owner. The crowds that come to the circus see a lively animal who plays soccer and balances on milk bottles, but Hastin sees Nandita, a sweet elephant and his best friend, who is chained when she’s not performing and punished until she learns her tricks perfectly. With the help of Ne Min, a wise old man who seems to know all about elephants, Hastin protects Nandita as best as he can. Still he wonders–will they both survive long enough to escape?

5 MOVIES FOR THE APOCALYPSE: I'm thinking we'll need some comic relief, since we'll have enough real-life drama, action, and zombies. So, for a little escape from the day-to-day adventures, I'd like to have these movies I can still laugh at after seeing them over and over again: Airplane, A Muppet Christmas Carol, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Hangover, Love Actually. Oh, and we'll need to grab a generator to charge the portable DVD player.