Tues. January 17, 2012
Yay, 2012 is here! VIOLINS OF AUTUMN will be released in five months, which might seem like a long wait but the time will fly. Of course, I live in Ontario, so I have ulterior motives for hoping the time will fly... before I know it, it will be Spring. Right? Right?!
I have received ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) of VIOLINS, and I must say, I love them. They are so pretty. I want to hug them.
I love a great book cover, don't you? Melissa Walker, author of Small Town Sinners, interviewed designer Regina Roff to get a behind-the-scenes look at book cover design. In addition to designing the gorgeous cover of VIOLINS, she created the awesome final cover of Lauren Baratz-Logstead's Little Women and Me. I also really like the cover of Allison Rushby's upcoming book, Shooting Stars.
Regina's kind words about my book at the end of the interview totally made my day. Thanks, Regina!
Wishing you all a belated Happy New Year!
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Sun. October 23/2011
Wow, I haven't updated my website blog in a year! I spent a big chunk of the past year working on my next book, VIOLINS OF AUTUMN. I started writing VIOLINS at the end of 2004, and I am soooo excited that the book is in the homestretch of publication. After a manuscript goes through copy-editing it goes to typesetting. The book's cover is created during this time, too, and the preliminary cover designs I've seen for VIOLINS have been gorgeous. I really can't wait to see the final cover. And I can't wait to reveal it here on my website.
How else have I spent my time lately? I've been biking through the countryside around London. I love to discover new places on my bike. And, despite my insistence that I would never, ever, ever tent camp ever again, we camped at Inverhuron Provincial Park this summer. Yes, it poured rain for days and our air mattress deflated. Yes, I vowed I would never tent camp again. Yes, I had a blast and will probably tent camp again next summer.
I've also been writing another young adult book. It's about two sisters who have to work together to get through an extended power outage during an ice storm. Three days without technology! Gasp!
One of the highlights of my year was definitely meeting author Cynthia Lord. Cindy and I have been online friends for years, but we had never met in person. Cindy lives in Maine, and I live in Southern Ontario. I wasn't sure if we'd ever get to meet. But then Cindy was invited to a literary festival in Ontario! So my daughter Erin and I drove to Toronto to spend the day with her. She's just as wonderful and kind in person as I thought she'd be. Our day together was fantastic but a little too rushed, so I hope we get to visit each other again some time. And, I've always wondered if my online friends would think I have a Canadian accent. I don't think I do. However, the consensus is yes. Yes, I do have a Canadian accent. :)
What I'm reading now: About to begin DIVERGENT, by Veronica Roth
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Wed. September 22/2010
My upcoming novel is about a young woman code-named Adele, who parachutes into Nazi-occupied France during WWII. She must spy for the Allies, help the French Resistance prepare for D-Day, and courier top-secret messages around the country on a bicycle (these messages were then relayed to London via radio--in my novel, this job is performed by Adele's fellow agent, Denise).
This morning, the NY Times ran the obituary for a frail, reclusive 89-year-old British woman named Eileen Nearne. After her death earlier this month, she was about to be buried in what used to be called a pauper’s grave. Then police went through her possessions. And they uncovered her heroic, secret past...
Wed. August 25/2010
My editorial letter for VIOLINS arrived yesterday. It's six pages long, so I have a lot of work to do! But I'm really excited about the changes my editor has suggested. I have a tentative publication date of May, 2012. And, also, the title of the book is going to change. I'll post news here when I know more!
Book suggestions: Jumping Off Swings, by Jo Knowles. Told from the viewpoints of four friends--Ellie, Josh, Corrine, and Caleb--as they deal with the ramifications of sixteen-year-old Ellie's pregnancy. Highly recommended! You can read a more in-depth recommendation on my blog.
What I'm reading now: Mockingjay, the final book in the amazing Hunger Games trilogy.
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Tues. July 27/2010
If you're familiar with the blog that ran on my old website, you know that after last summer I was officially done with tent camping. Done, I say!!! Well, turns out I'm not so done after all. Ah, well. My dreams of RV-camping elude me.
We spent a few days at one of my favorite Provincial Parks, Inverhuron, near Kincardine. It was a fun vacation, but
the nightly thunderstorms sure made me wish we had a trailer!
My editorial letter for VIOLINS should be arriving this week or next. I'm curious about its page-length. Revision always
make me panic with thoughts of I can't do this!!! whirling though my mind, as if the letter is asking me to assemble a
life-sized model of the Eiffel Tower with toothpicks and marshmallows. Eventually, I come to my senses. Revision is
actually my favorite part of the writing process, and when I'm in revision-mode, I totally zone out and get lost in work.
What I'm reading: Jumping Off Swings, by Jo Knowles. I've only just begun this book, but I can tell already that I will be discussing it here when I'm finished...
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Tues. July 6/2010
Welcome to my new and improved website! Do you like it? :)
What I'm reading: Just last night I finished Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Now I have to wait until MockingJay's August 24th release date. I need to know what happens! Until then, I have two summer reads: Jumping Off Swings, by Jo Knowles, which I'm really looking forward to reading, and Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater.
You can now follow me on Twitter.
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Sun. June 6/2010
I have wonderful news to share about my WWII spy novel. Here's the announcement of my book sale in Publishers Marketplace:
Amy McAuley's THE VIOLINS IN AUTUMN, after a teenager's uncle is killed in the London Blitz during World War II, she joins the war effort as a spy and soon finds herself parachuting into France for the allies, to Mary Kate Castellani at Walker, by Steven Chudney at The Chudney Agency.
Hurray! I'll post further details as I get them. I've been through a lot with this novel, and I can't wait to see it on the shelves.
Today is the 66th Anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Invasions. In Violins, the main character, Adele, and fellow SOE recruit, Denise, parachute into Nazi-occupied France months before D-day, to spy on the locations and activities of German forces. Putting their lives at risk, they courier top-secret information throughout the country on bicycles and communicate with Headquarters in London via radio. Working alongside the Resistance, they also take part in sabotage efforts to disrupt the flow of German forces to the northern beaches where D-day will take place. The sabotage activities surrounding D-Day mark a pivotal turning point in my novel.
