New book deals for @DrTempleGrandin, @CeliaCPerez, @GinaLinko and more: https://t.co/xfMRj8i1PE pic.twitter.com/Jzsqrx3N8C
— Children's Bookshelf (@PWKidsBookshelf) September 13, 2016
More books I've been LOVING...
A touching tale of friendship, of growing up, of believing in the magic around us!
This book is a revelation. Told through e-communication and top-secret agency reports, this book has one AWESOME twist at the end. I loved it.
Books I've Been Reading and Loving
This is a serious psychological thriller. I loved the writing, with the jumps back and forth between past and present!
What an intense read! Edge-of-your-seat, hold-your-breath action. I loved it!
INDIGO paperback →
The INDIGO paperback came out yesterday! It is beautiful and shiny and it has the same cover ... except for the blurb! I have talked about this before, but Tamora Pierce (yes, I know! that Tamora Pierce!) read INDIGO, and she had this to say about it:
"Romantic, tense, edge-of-your-seat reading!"
And now on the lovely new paperback version of INDIGO, this quote is front and center! Thank you, Tamora Pierce!
A Fun Interview!
The wonderful Ms. Kate Hall, the director of the library where I work (and where I live!), asked me to be a part of this fun and informative new series about local artists and authors. Check out the super cool interview. Try to ignore the many strange faces I make as I talk. (And the umms....) However, I do have good hair and a cute dress. So.
Thanks to Kate and library for having me on the show!
What I've Been Reading
We Were Liars. Loved this book. Tight, suspenseful writing. Not a word wasted. I will say nothing else. Trust me, you don't want it spoiled!!!
AJ Fikry. This is one of those books that I really liked, and then the more and more I think about it, I LOVED it. It is going to warrant a second reading, and that is a mark of a really good book! Makes me want to read more of Zevin, as I somehow haven't had her on my radar, and I must remedy that!
The Husband's Secret. I really enjoyed this one. It reminded me of Maeve Binchy in a way. I love finding new authors and knowing they have a backlist that I can work my way through.
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal has a lot of wonderful things to say about INDIGO, and I so appreciate it. Reviews like this one get my book into the hands of young readers, through libraries and classrooms, and I'd just like to say thank you!
School Library Journal
02/01/2014
Gr 7–10—Contemporary issues such as bulimia, oil spills, and Hurricane Katrina augment this romantic coming-of-age saga while drawing on an ancient spiritual practice of seeing auras. After dealing with tragedy, Corrine sees everything through the blue lens of her changed vision. Set in New Orleans, a city where musical roots run deep, Corrine's story focuses on her attempts to reconnect with her family while she herself comes to terms with the traumatic loss of her sister. Corrine blames herself for many of her recent hard times and experiences some confusion regarding her own identity as a gifted and powerful seer. Her childhood friend Mia-Joy's struggles with bulimia help her to realize that even people she perceives as perfect have obstacles and problems to overcome. Teens will enjoy this compelling novel that offers a fresh, modern voice, a touch of the otherworldly, and a satisfying resolution.—Magdaline Henderson-Diman, formerly at Bass Harbor Memorial Library, Bernard, ME
Winners!
I have the five winners from the Goodreads giveaway below. You will each receive a signed hardcover of INDIGO very shortly in the mail. And Hailey, you are the extra-awesome winner in that you also get a paperback of FLUTTER!
- Hailey N.
- Spencer W.
- Debbie P.
- Karen D.
- Mary N.
Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to the many readers who entered! We will do this again soon.
Gina
Win a copy of INDIGO!
There are five hard copies of INDIGO ready to be given away. All you need to do is enter through the Goodreads form below! US only for this contest please.
And thank you to all of my readers!
Also, one lucky winner of this giveaway will also receive a free paperback copy of FLUTTER!
This tweet made my day!
This came from Booknut101, a reader who has a really awesome blog. And this tweet made my day, because I also LOVE this scene in INDIGO between Rennick and Corrine.
@GinaLinko I loved it! The chemistry between Corrine&Rennick was brilliant + the concepts unique. 1 of my fave scenes pic.twitter.com/ykke7IXOka
— Booknut101 (@Booknut101) December 17, 2013Come to the Prairie Trails Library!
I will be at the Prairie Trails Library in Burbank, IL, at 7:00 on Tuesday, December 17th, to read from INDIGO, to sign books, and to talk writing.
Please come out for fun, books, and prizes!
Thank you to the wonderful Prairie Trails Library for having me.
Christmas Presents!
A signed book makes a great gift, and you can get FLUTTER and INDIGO already signed from the wonderful Anderson's Bookshop.
Also, if you order one of my books before the holidays, all you have to do is send me an email at gina(at)ginalinko.com, with your address, and I will send you a personalized bookplate in the mail! And I promise to send it quickly so it gets there in time!
Check out the bookplates below with a few of my favorite lines from the books. And, as always, thank you, dear readers, and Happy Holidays!
~ a million yesses ~
~A life without love is like a year without summer~
Happy Release Day!
Tomorrow is release day for two books I've been SERIOUSLY wanting to read! Elana K. Arnold's SPLENDOR, the sequel to the deeply romantic and beautifully written SACRED, and Julie Halpern's much awaited THE F--- IT LIST!
Take a look at the gorgeous covers, and then read their summaries on Goodreads. Better yet! Buy a copy! I'm going to!
The hook is not enough.
I'm going to speak at a school today about the writing process, and I was revising my Powerpoint Presentation, when I added a new slide. It said quite simply:
The hook is not enough.
I think this is excellent advice for all of us writers while we have that gorgeous, new idea floating around in our heads (my precious!), while we are brainstorming and researching and taking notes on napkins, scratch paper, and the stray index card.
In my talks with students, I often will ask them to boil down their favorite book or movie into seven words or less. I usually get things like:
Boys finds out he is a wizard.
Girl visits over the rainbow.
And that is where I realized I needed a new slide. This is not enough. This is the HOOK, and it is good. It is needed, but what is the conflict? What does that character want or need?
Because once you have what it is the character NEEDS (or thinks she needs), then you have not only your conflict, but you have your plot. Because all your plot really is, is your character trying desperately to get what she needs. And, of course, failing over and over, at first. The plot is the ACTION that takes your character to her goal, eventually.
I don't know. I spend a lot of time as a writer, before I actually sit down to write, thinking of and perfecting THE HOOK. But that, my friends, is only half the battle.
The real meat of the story is this: What does your character want?
In INDIGO, Corrine has a sixth sense, the indigo touch. There it is: THE HOOK. But that's not enough. What does she need/want? Now there is the story.
Pictures!
The wonderful people at the White Oak Library put on a fabulous launch party for INDIGO! And I just wanted to say thank you to all who came to the event, and especially to Cindy and Natalie for their hard work! I really appreciate it! I didn't get a pic of the cupcakes! They were indigo, sparkly, and glorious! And they had little bookcovers on them!
And on Thursday, I had my first ever signing at the famous Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. A big thank you to the people at Anderson's for having me, to all my friends and family who came out, as well as a few fans!! Plus, my kids LOVED the bookstore. My oldest said she could spend a thousand dollars there EASY. And I agree.
I'm sure I was saying something oh-so-inspiring. Ha ha.
A Post of Gratitude!
Thank you to so many people on this book release day:
Caryn Wiseman: You are awesome! Thank you for always, always having such great editorial and professional advice.
Mundie Moms: You are awesome for all you do for authors! I so appreciate it.
Chelsea Eberly and the team at Random House: Thank you for the great cover, the spot-on editorial process, and for getting Corrine's story out to the world!
Egzon Shaqiri: Check out that trailer! It is beautiful. Thank you!
C.K. Kelly Martin: Every writer needs someone to look up to and turn to with questions. Thank you for giving me an ear, excellent advice, and inspiration as well! Not to mention an early read of such a great book, TOMORROW!
Tamora Pierce: Thank you for your beautiful books, your inspiration for thousands of young girls, and for your Indigo blurb. I still can't believe you read my words on a page!!
Readers: Thank you so much! And in thanks, you must go see the debut of the trailer and enter to win a Kindle Fire! Happy INDIGO day, everyone!
http://mundiemom.blogspot.com/2013/10/indigo-by-gina-linko-blog-tour-book.html
Meet Egzon Shaqiri!
This is the very talented Egzon Shaqiri, the creator of the trailer for INDIGO. You will get to see the trailer debut tomorrow, and it is AWESOME! Thanks to Egzon and his talents as a graphic artist. Egzon was nice enough to answer some of my questions about art and creativity and books, so please read below! His answers are so thought-provoking and inspiring. I especially love his advice to students thinking about going into a creative career.
What attracted you to art as a kid growing up? Why do you think art is important for young people?
Growing up, I credit my grandfathers on both sides of my family as the primary individuals that directly influenced and sparked my curiosity in art. One was an Architect who helped me develop problem solving skills and the other is a retired Tailor that helped me see the aesthetic side of art. After immigrating to the United States from my home country of Kosovo at the age of eight, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Ball, chose my drawing as the best artwork of the year. It was such a great feeling that it inspired me to continue making better artwork in pursuit of this fulfilling sensation.
I believe art is important for young people because it helps them realize that their thoughts do hold value and that they can share them with others.
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What is your major and what do you hope to do with your degree?
I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Art & Design with a concentration in Graphic Design and Digital Photography. I hope to be able to use this degree to find a career that allows me to share my acquired skills with the people around the world.
What is your favorite medium to work in and why?
Initially, I was drawn to fine art mediums such as drawing, oil painting, architecture, etc. However, I have slowly transitioned and developed a keen interest in digital mediums including graphics design, photography, video, and web design. If I had to choose a favorite it would have to be videography.
Have you always been a creative person?
Yes, I have always been a creative person but I think everyone is creative; it’s just that some of us just think about a problem longer than others.
What advice do you have for other teens that might want to pursue a creative career?
What are you waiting for?
What are some of your favorite books and why?
Some of my favorite books are by the author Dale Carnegie such as the book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People because it reflects on the fundamental principles of human nature and how to correctly interact with various people.
Favorite movies and why?
I really enjoy movies that are inspired by true events and one of my favorite movies is A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe as John Forbes Nash.
In honor of Halloween, what do you find scary and why?
Any animal that is bigger than me, because I would be at their mercy if they ever became upset with me.
How was the process in making the trailer for INDIGO? Did you enjoy it? Is it something you might want to do again?
Making the trailer for INDIGO was really fun and educational for me. It was such a great experience and opportunity to work with a real client and be able to use some of the skills that I’m currently acquiring at school. Along the way I learned different tips and techniques that I can use in forthcoming art projects. The whole process was enjoyable mainly due to the wonderful client, Gina Linko, of whom I had the pleasure of working with. She gave me a lot of creative control on this project which is quite uncommon in this industry, and with her guidance we were able to create the final INDIGO trailer. I would definitely do this again especially if all the clients are as awesome as her.
Thank you, Egzon, for sharing with us today on the blog. And for being so complimentary! I definitely LOVED the process of making the trailer with you as well. I think you really nailed the spooky, eerie, New Orleans vibe of the book. The trailer exceeds all of my expectations, and I can't wait for everyone to see it tomorrow on Mundie Moms!
Please check out more of Egzon's work at egzonshaqiri.com and at thecompmagazine.com.
Tomorrow by C.K. Kelly Martin
The Real Thing
Sparkle wanted to know what was in the box. And so did I! Behold, the actual hardcopies of the FLUTTER paperback. With its supercool new graphic cover. So cool! This is out in stores tomorrow!
But that wasn't it. The UPS had a bunch of boxes for me today! Look at what else came in the mail! My author copies of INDIGO! Actual hardcover, shiny, beautiful books. I am so thankful to get to do this for a living. So incredibly thankful!
So one last photo: the sisters.
Launch and Events for INDIGO!
It's an exciting time for me with the launch of my second book, INDIGO, coming up quickly. I can't even believe it's almost here. I am going to post the events that I will be doing, and I hope that you will come and join me, so that I can thank you in person for all of your support. It means so much to me!
Anderson's Bookshop at Two Doors East
Thursday, October 24th at 7:00
*You must purchase a copy of INDIGO from Anderson's to attend this signing.
201 W. Normantown Rd. Romeoville, IL 60446
Sunday, October 27th at 2:00
The wonderful people at this library are having me back for a reading, signing, and basically a party! I will have giveaways and food and fun stuff! Plus, you get a free bookmark if you bring a canned good for the St. John Food Pantry.
Wednesday, October 30th at 7:00
This is a teen event! There will be books and signings and a giveaway for an iPod shuffle, and lots of fun stuff!
Hope to see you!