News

Teachers!

Jun 6, 2016 | , | 0 Comments



Thank you to all of the teachers and media specialists that invited me to your school this past year. It was an amazing experience! 



As the school year comes to a close, I wanted to share some quick things for you as you plan your next school year. 


1. If you are a teacher, media specialist, or librarian, you can get a free swag pack of the Gilded series (middle and high school) or THE PRINCESS AND THE PAGE (elementary and middle school). Just fill the form out here or below. 


2. Are you looking for new books to teach next year? If so, I’ve compiled a list of free novel guides for middle grade and young adult books here. 


3. Interested in hosting a author visit? Check out Kim Norman’s blog, which lists authors by state who do school visits. 


4. I’m currently booking school visits for next year. For information and pricing of my visits, go here for US schools and here for international schools. 


5. Finally, I have a new author visit video featuring my visits. Check it out!

Reviews of the Gilded Series and Pictures!

May 31, 2016 | , | 1 Comment

Hello guys! Lots of fun things have been happening over the past few months with more cool things to share with you in the near future! But today I wanted to post 3 reviews written by Erica Luo, a middle schooler from Washington state. She sent these to me through her teacher, Mr. Pearson, since she is unable to post reviews on Amazon or Goodreads. I was so impressed with her writing and thoughtfulness that I wanted to share her reviews with you (don’t worry, she sent in her consent!).
Also, below I have posted some pictures of some of the events I’ve been doing including an author visit to Colonial High School, the Amelia Island Book Festival, and a really cool limo ride to Chili’s and ice cream autograph party for students who read all 15 of the Sunshine State books!
Reviews by Erica Luo
I really enjoyed Gilded by Christina Farley. I loved the
plot and the awesome character development. I could picture every single moment
of the book in my head. The ending is great, it leaves you wanting to read
more. The book starts with 16 year old Jae Hwa having to recently move from the
United States to Seoul, South Korea. Her life is chaos, her grandfather hates
(?) her, and this boy named Marc is SO ANNOYING, she WANTS to like him, but
family issues. Then she sees two creatures of Korean folklore on the street
after being sent outside for hurting someone in Tae Kwan Doe, she’s confused
and scared. That’s when her grandfather explains that their family has been
cursed for centuries, every generation the oldest female over 15 years of age
will be kidnapped by Haemosu, the Korean god of the sun. It turns out she is
the oldest female in her generation AND over 15. Haemosu will stop at nothing
to capture her and turn her into his bride. Even if it means hurting the ones
she loves most. Jae struggles to find a way to beat Haemosu, so she can get her
life back. Jae is a really complicated person, you wouldn’t be able to tell by
looking at her. When you listen in to her thoughts, you can almost feel her
pain, from losing her mother, and shock from seeing two mythical beings. Jae is
portrayed at the beginning to be sort of confused about feelings, she has
loyalty to her family’s favoring (Example: Not wanting to like Marc because her
father wants her to date a Korean). In the end, she seems to understand her
feelings a lot more than she did before. The books teaches you how things can
all work out in the end no matter how hard they seem to be. Jae suffers great
loss, but in the end it all works out. I’d recommend it to people who are ok
with a little romance and violence.
The book Silvern by Christina Farley builds off of Gilded is a unique way. The book somehow manages to continue a
seemingly closed off book, which is very surprising. After beating the living
daylights out of Haemosu, Jae thinks her connection to the spirit world is over.
She can go on with life and pretend that didn’t happen. Until someone sends an
assassin to kill her in a Tae Kwan Doe test. She barely manages to escape with
her life, and finds out that now Kud, the god of Darkness, and Haemosu’s
partner in crime, sent the assassin. Now ANOTHER god is trying to kill her.
Great. She and her friends must find the White Tiger orb before Kud does, and
fast. No one likes an angry god. This time, Jae feels so much more sorrow, you
want to cry for her, all her emotions are now clearer, and she learns more
about The Guardians. There is so much character development in the book, Farley
even makes the immortals have human like personalities, which makes you think
of people in history, or people you know around you.  This book teaches the lesson of hope, to
never let hope go no matter what. Throughout the book, Jae always has hope that
something good will come out of every situation. I’ll warn you though, this
book does have a bittersweet ending, so you might get a bit emotional. Once you
finish this book, you’ll be waiting for the next!

Brazen
by Christina Farley, is probably the best book in the ‘Gilded’ series. There is so much suspense and stakes for survival,
you’ll be on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. Jae is now
Kud, the god of darkness’ servant. She has to do whatever he tells her, the
contract on her arm is a sign to remind her. Now her father and grandfather
think she’s dead, even though she’s not. That’s the punishment of being Kud’s
slave. She can’t see her family OR Marc anymore. And now she and all her
friends, her supporters are now supposed to be her foe. But Jae has a plan, a
plan to break free of Kud’s control. She only needs someone to believe her. Jae
is now begging for help from her former allies, because she needs their help.
Jae is so pitiful, and when everyone calls her a ‘thing of evil’ you want to
magically pop into the book and yell at them, you will genuinely feel all Jae’s
emotions. Her fear, anger, sadness, worry, and even hate at herself. The book
taught me that when all hope is lost, you have to try your best to find hope,
even in the most impossible situations. The ending of the series is calming,
you feel like the story has closed off somehow, and peace is restored.

Colonial banner

Spring YA Scavenger Hunt!

Mar 29, 2016 | , , | 4 Comments

Hey guys! I’m Christina Farley, your hostess for this leg of the hunt. I wrote the GILDED series, contemporary fantasies about a Korean-American girl with a black belt and a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows who discovers an ancient Korean demigod has been kidnapping the first-born daughters of her family for generations. And she’s next.

Look for my next novel, THE PRINCESS AND THE PAGE, comes out early 2017.

To celebrate, I’m giving away a $10 gift card to the book vendor of your choice (open internationally). Enter at the bottom of this post!
 

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win awesome prizes!

At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive a book from each author on the hunt in my team (that’s 20 books)!  


Are you freaking out yet?

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are NINE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all to win tons of books! I am on TEAM RED!

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the RED TEAM, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, Apr. 3rd, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST
Today, I am hosting Vicki Leigh! 



Vicki Leigh grew up in a small suburb of Akron, Ohio where she learned to read by the age of four and considered being sent to her room for punishment as an opportunity to dive into another book. If she couldn’t be a writer, Vicki would be a Hunter (think Dean and Sam Winchester) or a Jedi. Her favorite place on earth is Hogwarts (she refuses to believe it doesn’t exist), and her favorite dreams include solving cases alongside Sherlock Holmes. She’s a previous acquisitions editor for Curiosity Quills Press and also writes as Tori Rigby.


Find out more information by checking out the author website here! 
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT


They may have won the first battle, but the Apocalypse has just begun.


Five weeks have passed since the battle that left Rome and Columbus in ruins. Sheltered in the hidden city of Caelum, Daniel and Kayla train alongside over one hundred Magus and Protectors, hoping that their unified ranks will be enough to take down their greatest threat yet: Richard, his followers, and his horde of Nightmares. Then a fallen comrade is returned to Caelum with a message carved into his chest and a note referencing the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Daniel knows their time for training is over.


Finally understanding Richard’s plans for Kayla and the three other Magus born on Halloween, Daniel and the rest of Caelum’s volunteers scout the U.S. in a desperate attempt to stop their enemy before he can unleash his first Horseman. But when massive attacks claim thousands of lives, people all over the world begin to fall ill—including those Daniel and Kayla care about the most.


With the Horseman of Pestilence released, Daniel knows it’s time to step aside and let Kayla take the lead. Only she has the power to rival her father’s. But when Richard’s plot turns out to be darker than they imagined, their fight is met with more death and destruction—and an enemy who might be unbeatable, after all.


Hello, everyone! Vicki Leigh here, excited to be back for my
third YA Scavenger Hunt. So excited to be on Team Red this time!
I’m also super pumped to be sharing with you my dream cast
for Book Two of my DREAMCATCHER series, FIND ME IF YOU DARE. Pretty sure every
author dreams about who they’d cast in their characters’ roles. I’ve had mine
picked out since I started writing! So here you are—the main cast of FIND ME IF
YOU DARE:

Plus get the sneak peak at the first chapter of  BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.
And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Vicki Leigh, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 7. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the RED TEAM and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author!



Don’t forget to enter my additional giveaway of a $10 Gift Card below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review the Gilded Series and WIN Big!

Jan 7, 2016 | | 2 Comments

It’s that time! My THANK YOU to all of you who helped bring the Gilded series to life. It’s because of YOU that I’m able to keep publishing books.

Giveaway: If you reviewed any of my books, I’m giving away the new 4G Kindle paperwhite with 300 PPL display to one lucky winner! (US only)

Bonus (International): If I get 100 reviews total for BRAZEN or 200 reviews total for SILVERN or 800 reviews for GILDED, I’ll add in a $25 gift card to your favorite book vendor (Indie, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc). Double that and I’ll double the amount.

It’s pretty simple. Just review GILDED and/or SILVERN and/or BRAZEN on Amazon and let me know by filling in the rafflecopter form below. Your review doesn’t have to be 5 stars or long winded. 1-2 sentences is fine! If you haven’t reviewed the books, go now and do so!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lists, Resolutions, & Action!

Jan 4, 2016 | , | 4 Comments

Every year, I make goals. I found this old post here where my goal was to
finish GILDED. It’s crazy to think at that time I had no idea that book would
someday go on to be published and hit #4
of all books on Amazon and #1 in the YA category.
I’ve found creating manageable
goals that I have control of are powerful and effective. Here’s my process for
goal setting and (more importantly), the action plan.

Reflection
One of the keys to
developing goals is to reflect over what has worked and what hasn’t in the
past.
1.     Pull
out that calendar! Look back through the last year. See what you did and when
you accomplished things. For writing, I love using Word Keeper. At the end of
every writing session, I type in my daily word count. This program graphs my
progress so in one glance I can see which months are my most productive months.
2.     Question
yourself. What were my busy months? When am I most productive in the day? What
projects did I enjoy working on the most? The least? What inspired me? What was
discouraging?
3.     Friends
and co-workers. Always surround yourself with people who are not only positive,
but also push you to become a better you. This year take the time to build
those relationships and let go of the relationships that are toxic. 
I’m a part
of the MiG Writers, a group of
six writers from all around the world, who critique each other and offer
support. 
I also a part of the YA Chicks, a group of Florida writers. We tour together and offer school
visits. Then I have my crit partners like Beth Revis and Casey McCormick who
not only give me honest and deep critiques, but are great as sounding boards. Having
these groups revitalizes and stimulates me professionally and mentality as
well as offers that support system I need.

Goal
Setting
http://intaward.org.mt/do-the-award/set-smart-goals/
Once you have a solid
handle on what worked and what didn’t, create your goals for the new year.
Remember:
1.     Make
manageable goals. Goals are created so you can be successful.
2.     List
your goals and post them in a visible location in your work place.
3.     Break
down your goals into chunks. For instance, by early January my goal is to send
my agent 3 chapters from two new YA projects I’m working on. My goal for February
is to revise my middle grade project.
4.     All
goals must be in your control. So getting a movie deal would not be on my list
because I am not the person to decide if GILDED or THE PRINCESS AND THE PAGE
would be picked up by a producer.
5.     Set
up a support system. Find friends who will keep you accountable to hitting
those goals. My MiG Writers Group emails each other from time to time with our
goals and how we are doing on them. Here’s
our post with examples. Debbie Ridpath Ohi
set up a team on #Slack for a
group of writers who wanted accountability. It’s a great place for me to tell
the group my goal and then return with my results.

Action
Plan
1.     For
each goal, determine the actions to achieve that goal. For instance, if I want
to finish a novel by February, then I need to write 2k a day. Am I having
trouble finding time to write? Maybe I need to go to bed earlier so I can wake
up earlier? Or cut out TV for two months so I can write for an extra hour that night.
2.     Rewards.
Build into your schedule freedom days. Know that if you meet your weekly goal,
then you get a day off. Or once you finish a draft of a book, celebrate by
going out to dinner.

The
Reach-for-the-Stars List
Last year I attended the
Lucky 13 and One Four Writer’s Retreat. One of the exercises we did was to
share something that we secretly really wanted for our writing career that was
a big reach goal such as movie deal, selling or hitting a bestseller list. This
is the list that is NOT in your control.
Why keep this kind of
list?
Because it:
1.     Pushes
me to be better.
2.     Forces
me to not settle or get too comfortable.
3.     Allows
me visualize hitting that next level.  
The important thing is to
remember that this is a fun/dream list. If you find yourself getting
discouraged or it’s dragging you into despair, then set this aside until there’s
a time that you are able to pull it back out.

The most powerful aspect
to goal setting is to be steadfast in your daily delivery. Think of your goals
like a marathon—one mile at a time—until you reach the finish line. 

5 Ways to Stay Motivated for NaNoWriMonth

Oct 29, 2015 | | 0 Comments

NaNoWriMonth is one of my favorite months of the year
because I know that I’m not alone in writing. There are thousands of people
just like me hacking away at their computers, desperately trying to piece
together a story. But the thing is, writing is HARD.

And writing every day with
determination and accountability is even harder. So how do we keep persevering
through doubt, writer’s block, and indecision?

Here are 5 tips to keep you motivated throughout your NaNoWriMonth:

1.     
Quotes
for Inspiration– For November, I like to print out motivational quotes, put
them into a jar, and then for each day of November, pull one out and have it
front of me as I write. For a great start, go here.

2.     
Write Gibberish–
There will be days you will be completely stuck and you don’t have any clue
what to write. In those moments, I love to send my character on an errand, get
into a fight, or kiss some random stranger. The sillier, the more freeing.
Remember, it’s okay to write gibberish in order to keep yourself writing. If
it’s bad, there’s always the delete button! But I think you’ll be surprised at
how much ‘gibberish’ ends up being amazing.

3.     
Move!
Don’t only write in one place every day. Move to different rooms, write outside,
curl up in the library with your laptop, or find a new coffee shop. Also, make
sure you take brief breaks during your writing day. During those breaks, run in
place, do jumping jacks, or just go for a walk. Exercise is proven to stimulate
the brain.

4.     
Have a
Plan– Before you begin, outline your book. You can do a full outline like I
have here,
or something more general here.
This is a great roadmap to keep you on track. The key to remember is it’s okay
to deviate or take side paths. And here’s the big kicker, it’s okay to throw
the whole outline out the window and just go with it! Here’s
a video that shows me creating my plot grid for NaNoWriMonth.

5.     
Twitter
Sprints– Sometimes my most productive days are when I participate in word
sprints on Twitter. Basically I put out a call on Twitter asking if anyone
wants to word sprint with me. We choose a time and length of writing (usually
30 min or 1 hour) and write as fast as possible. Then whoever is a part of the
sprint reports back and must post their word count. Winner gets to choose a
picture for all the losers to change their avatar to.

For more on NaNoWriMonth sprints
go here.

Need ideas on how to prep for NaNoWriMonth? Check out my
video here. Feel free to write with me on the NaNoWriMonth
boards here. I’ll be working on a new project too! I wish
you all the best in your writing. I have a feeling it’s going to be an amazing
November!

Good luck everyone and happy writing!

I’m Going On Tour!

Oct 4, 2015 | , , | 0 Comments

YA Chicks Fall Tour

I’m super excited to be touring this fall with the YA Chicks– Amy Christine Parker and Vivi Barnes, along with guest Lynne Matson- this week! We will be visiting schools, bookstores, and the Southern Book Festival. Everyone that comes to our open-to-the-public events, gets a free autographed poster!

Hope I get a chance to see some of you!


Oct. 5, 2015
Bolles Middle School


Oct. 6, 2015

St John’s Country Day School
7 pm
Barnes and Noble, Jacksonville
Oct. 7, 2015
Charles Ellis Montessori, Savannah
Savannah Arts Academy

Oct. 8, 2015
Milton High School, Milton
Amana Academy, Alpharetta
Notre Dame Academy, Duluth
Riverwood International Charter, Sandy Springs

Oct. 9, 2015
Fall YA Book Bash

6 pm
Barnes and Noble, Alpharetta

Oct. 10th
Publishing Boot Camp Panel w/ the YA Chicks 2 pm
Oct. 21-23
Nov. 5, 2015
Wekiva High School
Writing Workshops with the YA Chicks Event

YA Scavenger Hunt!

Oct 1, 2015 | | 2 Comments

Hey guys! I’m Christina Farley, your hostess for this leg of the hunt. I wrote the GILDED series, contemporary fantasies about a Korean-American girl with a black belt and a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows who discovers an ancient Korean demigod has been kidnapping the first-born daughters of her family for generations. And she’s next.

The third book in the series, BRAZEN, released just two days ago!And to celebrate, I’m giving away a Kindle Fire HD8 and $50 gift card. Enter at the bottom of this post or go here to find out the details!
 

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

I know, it’s heart-attack awesome.

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all to win a set of signed books! I am on TEAM RED!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Oct. 4th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST
Today, I am hosting Alyssa Sheinmel on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt! 



Alyssa Sheinmel is the author of several young adult novels including Faceless and Second Star, as well as the co-author of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl.  Bestselling author Luanne Rice called Faceless “gorgeous and wrenching… a vivid, compelling, beautiful, immediate novel.”  Alyssa grew up in Northern California and New York, and attended Barnard College. She now lives and writes in New York City.  Follow her on Twitter @AlyssaSheinmel or visit her online at alyssasheinmel.com.


Find out more information by checking out the author website or find more about the author’s book here! 
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT


When Maisie Winters wakes up, she’s in the hospital.
The last thing she remembers is running through the hills of her neighborhood one misty morning. Slowly, she puts the pieces together: before she made it home, a storm gathered. Lightning hit a power line and sparks rained down, the hot-burning electrical fire consuming her. Destroying her face. Where her nose, cheeks, and chin used to be, now there is . . . nothing.
Maisie’s lucky enough to qualify for a rare medical treatment: a face transplant. At least, everyone says she’s lucky. But with someone else’s features staring back at her in the mirror, Maisie looks—and feels—like a stranger. The doctors promised that the transplant was her chance to live a normal life again, but nothing feels normal anymore. Before, she was just a regular girl—a track star and a good student who loved her boyfriend and her best friend and argued with her parents from time to time.  Now, she can’t even recognize herself.

Acclaimed author Alyssa Sheinmel has created a gripping and gorgeously written tale of identity and love. This is a story of losing yourself, and the long, hard fight to find your way back. 

Click HERE to read exclusive content from FACELESS!!!!! 


And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Alyssa Sheinmel, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 7. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author!





Don’t forget to enter my additional giveaway of a Kindle Fire HD8 and $50 Gift Card below and discover details here!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

BRAZEN Blog Tour- Win Kindle Fire HD8 or Gift Card!

Sep 21, 2015 | , , , | 12 Comments

Blog Tour Banner

 

Today BRAZEN’s Blog Tour begins! Discover insider information about the book plus enter to win a Kindle Fire HD8 and a $50 Amazon gift card! There will be two winners. The Kindle Fire HD8 is the latest brand new version and open to US only, but the gift card is international.

Be sure to leave a comment and pick up the letter for each stop at the end of their post to earn extra points in the Kindle Fire or $50 Amazon gift card giveaway! Collect all the letters during the blog tour to spell out the secret message to earn more points.

Sept. 21st– Rae Sontheyon‘s Blog – Review
Sept. 21st– Adventures: Blogging About Books – Review
Sept. 22nd– Eater of Books – Review
Sept. 22nd– The AP Book Club – Review
Sept 23rd– Amia Book Lover – Review
Sept. 23rd– Crazy Book Obsession – Review
Sept 25th– Young Adult Madness – Review
Sept 25th – The Wordsmithe – Review
Sept. 28th– The Queekie Girl – Video of Reading from Brazen
Sept 28th – All the Write Notes – Brazen’s Playlist
Sept 29th– Novel Reads – Review
Sept 29th– Twinning For Twins – Review
Sept. 30th– Pandoras Books – The Gilded Series Dream Cast
Sept. 30th– Pub(lishing) Crawl – Tips on How I Turned My Stand-alone into a Series
Oct. 1st– Room 22: Epic Reads – Top 5 Places to Visit Based on BRAZEN
Oct. 1st– Tammy’s Tea Time – Review The letter for this stop is S
Oct. 2nd– Mine of Books – Review
Oct. 2nd– Ana Loves – Review
Oct. 5th– Louise Gann – Review
Oct. 5th– Philosophy By Christy –Tips on Drawing on Inspiration to Write
Oct. 6th– Joe’s Geek Fest – Review
Oct. 6th– Tiff’s Book Lair – Interview
Oct. 7th– Tez Says – Mythological Characters in Brazen
Oct. 7h– Claire Flynn – Review
Oct. 8th– Book Haven – Review
Oct. 8th– Beatrice Learns to Read – Review

Here’s a hint to help you:

  • HINT!
    The secret message is 5 words long.
    1st word- 4 letters long
    2nd word- 3 letters long
    3rd word- 9 letters long
    4th word- 5 words long
    5th word- 5 words long



Rafflecopter link
a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Middle Grade Sold to Scholastic Press!

Sep 17, 2015 | , , , , | 4 Comments

I’m so, so, SO excited because my middle grade has sold to SCHOLASTIC PRESS!!!! Here’s the deal announcement.

Pub Weekly

 

Eiffel Tower8The inspiration for PRINCESS AND THE PAGE began when I took a trip to France with my sister.

I remember telling the castle tour guide that I was going to write a book about one of the castles on our tour. He looked at me like I was a crazy. But not my sister! She knew this dream of mine to write a princess story was going to come true even before I did. (Yes, we both worked at Disney.)

So the two of us searched for secret passageways and hidden rooms at every castle we visited.

But when we arrived at Château de Chenonceau, I KNEW this was the castle for my book.

Chenonceau Castle

But the book was harder to write than I thought and soon I completely forgot about my princess book. That is until my agent called me saying Andrea Pinkney from Scholastic wanted to work with me.


This is how our convo went:
Jeff: So Andrea Pinkney and I talked, and she’d like to work with you on a project.
Me: *passes out*
Jeff: Um, Christy, are you still there? Do you have any pitch ideas?
Me: *recovering from a near heart attack* I have this one idea about a princess and a pen and castle in France.
Jeff: Wow! This sounds amazing! Why haven’t I heard about this book????
Me: Because it’s awful and unfinished and I’m stuck. But mainly because it’s awful.
Jeff: Everything you write is amazing. You are too hard on yourself.
Me: No, Jeff it’s really, really BAD.

So we set up a phone call for me to talk to Andrea. I was a wreck. I told all my parents and friends and random strangers on the street that on Friday at 5 pm to leave me alone because I had a VERY IMPORTANT phone call.

It was Wednesday and the phone rings. I was like “Hey!” And then the caller introduced herself. It was ANDREA PINKNEY! I think I dropped the phone. Then I might have said something. I’m not really sure what. But she was so calm and professional despite the fact I messed up on the day of her call.

Our conversation goes like this:
Andrea: So tell me what the name of the book is that you are thinking about.
Me: (Inside I’m thinking OMG!!!!! I’M TALKING TO ANDREA PINKEY!!!! Someone take a picture!) I can’t remember the title. Something about a princess.
Andrea: Okay. So what is the story about?
Me: (OMG!!!! SOMEBODY PINCH ME!!!!! I’M TALKING TO ANDREA PINKNEY!!!!) I um… it’s about a girl, a pen, and a fairy tale. *hyperventilating* Let me look. I’ve got it written up on my computer somewhere. (So this is the point where I don’t find it even though it was right in front of me.)

 

But in the end Andrea was incredibly kind and it was a great conversation. Afterward I emailed my agent and told him Andrea was amazing, but I was very sorry because I completely messed up on the phone call and figured she’d never want to talk to me again.

Apparently I didn’t completely mess up because Andrea loved the idea!

freak out

I went on to rewrite the book based on Andrea’s direction and she liked it! Then it went to acquisitions!

I was a wreck waiting for the verdict.

I had just finished a book signing with Amy Christine Parker and Vivi Barnes and we were walking through the parking lot to meet friends at a Japanese restaurant afterward. That’s when I got THE CALL.

The convo went like this: 
Jeff: You did it! Scholastic offered!
Me: *screaming and crying*
Jeff: Um… are you okay?
Random people in the parking lot: Is she okay? Should we call an ambulance?
Amy and Vivi: Don’t worry. She’s just very, very happy.

 

I am so thrilled and excited to be joining the Scholastic team and especially working with the brilliant Andrea Pinkney who I am now able to have normal conversations with (I only freak out once or twice).

Here’s my video of me signing my contract:


I can’t wait for you guys to read my fairy tale! You can add it to your Goodreads list here!

If you love my Gilded series, I think you’ll fall in love with this new book, too!

signing contract

Archives

Categories