I'm so pleased to be participating in the Fox Forever blog tour! I have been a fan of these books since the very beginning. I have reviewed the first book not once, but twice. The Adoration of Jenna Fox was one of the first ARCs (if not THE first) that I ever received from a publisher. I even have it in French!

Today Mary is here to talk about a passage from Fox Forever. Although this will not be spoilery for Fox Forever, and not explicity spoilery for the first two books, just know that some things will be revealed here that might change how you see the first two books if you haven't read them yet. You've been warned!

With that said, here's Mary!

This passage is from Page 58.
Locke has just arrived at a dance—his first in this new future world but he has to keep his true origins a secret:

“Hi. I’m Locke Jenkins. New to Boston— and all of this.”

Raine doesn’t respond. She just looks down at the torn knees of my pants and then away.

The blond girl next to her smiles. “I heard there was a new guy in the Collective. We rarely get new blood. I’m Vina.”

She holds out her hand, the backside of it up, like I’m supposed to kiss it. I’m caught off guard. I missed this lesson on social graces, but since I don’t know what else to do I take her hand in mine and lightly kiss it. “A pleasure, Vina.”

The group’s eyes widen and I know I’ve missed the mark, but Vina giggles and seems pleased.

“And you are?” I say to Raine.

“Bored,” she replies. She begins to look away again but I don’t give her a chance to disengage.

“Not having fun?”

She’s a piece of work. She blinks her eyes at glacial speed. “This is a requirement of the Collective. Do I look like I’m having fun?”

“Dance?” I grab her hand and pull.

She doesn’t budge, but there’s a brief moment of surprise on her face. It’s a relief to see any expression there at all, but just as quickly she gives me a very firm and deadly, “No,” and shakes my hand loose.

From behind her shoulder I see a large Bot rapidly approaching us. He’s taller than me and his skin is rigid metallic gold. Even his eyes are gold and he has no pupils at all. He looks like he’s been extruded from one solid chunk of metal. He steps around her and grabs me by the throat, lifting me off the ground so we’re eye to eye. “Never lay a hand on the Secretary's daughter unless you would like your hand permanently removed. Do you comprehend?"

Mary: Social situations can be so awkward! Ha! That's a bit of an understatement I guess, but I think we’ve all been there done that—like being at some fancy schmancy dinner with 500 forks and trying to figure out which one to use!

But Locke’s situation is even worse. It’s 260 years in the future and it’s his first time at a real social gathering. He has to wing it! Not only wing it but not make the others suspicious about who he really is. When he makes gaffs he has to roll right past them and improvise. Of course, some gaffs incur the wrath of big gold Bots, and have bigger consequences like losing a hand. Suffice it to say, Locke made it through the dance with his hand intact, but just barely!

Besides exploring the technological advances in the future world of Fox Forever, I had a lot of fun thinking about how our social world might change. But some things—like Vina flirting with Locke—are timeless.

Thanks for hosting this leg of the tour, Enna!


Macmillan has been kind enough to provide a great prize pack! Enter the rafflecopter to be entered to win paperback copies of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, The Fox Inheritance, and a hardcover copy of Fox Forever!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello everyone! Sorry for the radio silence this last week. I actually HAVE read some books, I just haven't had time to flush out whole reviews. Hopefully I'll have time over the long weekend.

Speaking of long weekend, there are two HUGE signings going on this weekend, and I wanted to make sure you were aware of them:





So who's coming to either of these? We should meet up and have a party!

Here's the fourth and final post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. Today's author is Marissa Meyer, author of the fairy tale retellings Cinder and Scarlet. I was UBER excited that Marissa decided to participate. Did you know that she actually got her start writing fan-fiction? Read on, squeakers!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

To me, fanfiction is when a work takes specific characters or settings from an original work and re-uses them. For example, setting a story in Hogwarts, or taking Bilbo Baggins and dropping him into the middle of Manhattan, would both constitute fanfiction.

Alternatively, a story about a boy who discovers that he's a wizard or a band of magical beings who go on an epic journey to destroy a dangerous artifact - while they may have very direct and obvious influences - wouldn't be considered fanfiction in my opinion, because they aren't making use of the world and characters from the original.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

I, personally, don't consider most retellings, like "Cinder," to be fanfiction - although this could vary on a case-by-case basis. While the influences of the Cinderella fairy tale are evident throughout "Cinder," the world and characters are my own creation. Hence, I don't think of it as fanfic.

To give another example: "West Side Story" is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet and, in my mind, not fanfiction, as the characters and setting are brand new. Alternatively, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," which gives a spin on two minor characters from the play, I would consider fanfiction because those characters were Shakespeare's creation.

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

'm going to start my response by stating that I am by no means an expert on copyright law and anyone concerned with the LEGAL implications of fanfiction and how it relates to concerns of copyright and plagiarism should look elsewhere. My response is based solely on the personal opinions of a writer who has been on both sides of the fanfiction equation.

I am in favor of writers creating the stories that inspire them, whether originals or retellings or fanfiction, and publishing them, whether for profit or not for profit, so long as they pose no harm to the original work or creator.

This is where it gets tricky, as people have different ideas of what poses harm to the original work. There are writers who have requested that no fanworks of their books be posted on the internet, and I feel that desire should be respected. For me, personally, I encourage fanworks of The Lunar Chronicles. Not only because it would be hypocritical of me not to (I did write fanfic myself for years), but also because I see it as a means of connecting the fans of the series and keeping the story and characters at the forefront of their thoughts in between book releases. I feel that the existence of Lunar Chronicles fanworks benefits the series, my fans, and myself.

Regarding publishing fanfictions for profit, I feel that it should be stopped, again, if it harms the original work or creator, such as a derivative work that is so similar to the original that it could create confusion in the market between the two.

Example: If E.L. James had published her book as a continuation or alternate reality version of Twilight, some readers who were looking for Stephenie Meyer's book may have grabbed E.L. James's instead. I would consider this to be harmful to the original.

However, "Fifty Shades of Gray," while it may have begun life as a Twilight fanfiction, has been revised into an original work with original characters, and I don't feel would ever be confused with the original works. Therefore, I am perfectly okay with it being published and doing well in the marketplace.

(Note: This entire issue is further complicated by parodies like "Nightlight," but I won't go into all that.)

So in summary, I recommend that people write what they want to write, read what they want to read, and be respectful toward the authors of both original works and fanfiction.

Here's the third post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. Today's authors is one of my favorite fairy-tale retellers: Zoe Marriott!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

I've always understood fanfiction to be any piece of writing which utilises a world or characters that already exist (in whatever form) under copyright to the original author. So, for example, if I were to feel a sudden passionate need to write a new version of Twilight from Jasper's point of view, in which Jasper actually does bite Bella at the birthday party and then the two of them fall in love and Edward goes insane and joins up with Victoria to bring a newborn army to forks, that would be fanfiction. What makes it fanfic is that you're playing with fictional elements which legally and morally belong to another person. That other person may not mind - I certainly don't! - but you're still only borrowing, because no matter what you do, the author is the only one who has the right to change the 'canon' or profit from those creations.

Something is not fanfic if the world and characters that you use are out of copyright - if they no longer belong to someone else. If I decide to write a new take on Pride and Prejudice in which Darcy is an emotionless cyborg and Lizzie is the brilliant mechanic who installs his Heart Chip, that would be a retelling rather than fanfic, because Lizzie and Darcy, and the plot that binds them together, and their fictionalised Regency universe, are all out of copyright and no longer belong to anyone. As a reteller, I still can't change the canon of the original story. But since the author isn't able to profit anymore from that world and characters, it's OK if I do.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

I don't think that fairytale retellings count as fanfic, no. Firstly, folklore and fairytales are not only not under copyright - they've never been under copyright to anyone (not even the brothers Grimm, or H.C. Andersen, although they of course owned their personal takes on those stories) because they're part of a tradition of oral storytelling that stretches back hundreds of years, and those stories have already been told and retold more times than any human could count. In a very real way, the folklore and myths of each individual culture form a part of the identity of its people, and those stories are a birthright, to be dipped into at will. Fairytales and folklore form archetypes, and there's a part of the human brain which is hardwired to seek out and respond to those elemental archetypes. We see the same story shapes and the same kinds of characters crop up over and over again because of that. Cinderella, for instance. There's a Cinderella element in Twilight and one in Pride and Prejudice. That doesn't even make those stories retellings, let alone fanfic. People have been retelling and re-imagining folklore and myths and fairytales in their own ways since we started painting on cave walls. The term fanfic has only existed for about fifty years. I think it's a bit presumptuous to come along and slap that label on stuff which has been a natural part of our cultural evolution for millenia.

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

This is a tougher one. It's in the nature of creative work that you take inspiration from all kinds of sources. There are books of mine which couldn't exist if I hadn't taken inspiration from other books (ME: Argh, I can't believe the author did that to her strong girl warrior! I'm going to write a strong girl warrior of my OWN and mine won't turn into a wimp!) or films, or music, or pieces of art. There's nothing mortally wrong with this process. West Side Story wouldn't exist without Romeo and Juliet. Some of Shakespeare's plays wouldn't exist without the work of Marlowe. My The Name of the Blade Trilogy wouldn't exist without the Robert Graves poem 'The Bedpost'. Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series might not exist without A Tale of Two Cities. And I've read fanfic which diverged so wildly from its source material that it felt exactly the same - like original fiction which had merely taken a spark of inspiration from something else.

Any work of original fiction which started life as fanfiction can't legally be published unless someone comes along and 'files off the serial number' so to speak. If that's merely a case of (for example!) removing the names Edward and Bella from your all-human, zany, college comedy, and if no one would ever guess that the book was originally inspired by Twilight unless you told them, then I think it's OK. You're not profiting from someone else's work there, but from your own original creations - creations which were merely sparked to life by your reaction to the source material. But I think if your characters are exactly the same as the source characters, and anyone reading your work could see exactly where those serial numbers have been filed off - and most especially if your new book is *promoted* using the fact that it used to be fanfic, and benefits from that - well, then morally you may be on thin ice, even if you can get away with it legally.

The true test, I think, is that fanfiction relies on the reader having familiarity with the original material. It falls flat or feels nonsensical to readers that don't. Original fiction, even fiction that was inspired by another work, can stand alone. It's strong enough - it's characters and world and plot are strong enough - to mesmerise a reader who has never read the story from which the inspiration was drawn.

Here's the second post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. The second author is the Jane Austen master re-teller: Amanda Grange!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

I think everyone has their own definiton of fan fiction. I've never thought about it in any great depth but I suppose to me fan fiction is something based on other people's creations, written solely for the pleasure of the fan fiction author or possibly the pleasure of the fan fiction author's family and friends as well ,and then posted online. It doesn't have to meet any standards so it can be good, bad or anywhere in between.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

I think my books are different for a number of reasons. Although I get a lot of pleasure writing them and they are based on someone else's creations, I was a published author before I started my retellings (I'd had about ten Regency romances published), so I'd already spent years honing my skills, whereas a lot of fan fiction is often the author's first experience of writing. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact it gives a lot of people a taste for writing and they go on to become professional authors, but it means that for the most part the fan fiction authors don't have a control of their writing skills and so the results can be uneven. My books can't afford to be uneven. They have to meet professional standards and they also have to meet publishers' requirements. I have to deal with a whole variety of things like accuracy, length, deadlines and consistency, as well as adding something new while being true to the original. I have to do a lot of research to make sure all my historical details are correct, the language is suitable for the Regency period etc. and my book has to pass muster with an experienced editor before it sees the light of day. If I'd written the diaries as my first attempts at writing a novel, they wouldn't have been anything like the published novels they are today. They would have had problems with pacing, style, characterisation, narrative flow and everything else, so I'm glad the idea didn't occur to me until I'd already been through the process of writing my own books.

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

I really can't say. Some fan fiction authors don't want to be published, some publish themselves and some are picked up by mainstream publishers. But it's an interesting topic. I think anything that gets people writing and reading is a good thing!

Here's the first post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. The first author is the amazing Diana Peterfreund!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

Fanfiction is unlicensed derivative work. Derivative work is a legal term, which is why you get workarounds like "filing the serial numbers off" something that might have once been fanfic and then selling it. So that's the legal POV. Here's the personal one. I used to read and write fanfiction when I was a teenager, and to me, the essence of fanfic was sending established characters in established worlds out on new adventures that the creators didn't or wouldn't or hadn't or had only hinted at. The important part of the term is it's being produced by "fans", for fun.

There are currently things being called "fanfic" and posted on fanfic sites that I personally wouldn't consider fanfic. For instance: someone who types up the words of a published novel and then changes the names of the characters in that novel into the names of the characters in the "fandom" -- that is not fanfiction. That is not "crossover fanfic." That's not "AU fanfic." That's just plagiarism. (It's happened to me and it's just baffling -- they're missing the whole point!)

I suppose there were genuine "AU" (alternate universe) fanfics around when I read and wrote them, but they never interested me at all. I was in that fandom for those characters and that story. Why would I want something totally different with the same names? Like why would i want to read Buffy fanfic where Buffy wasn't a vampire slayer, but just a high school student named Buffy? I'm not sure why people would even call it fanfic, except they want the established fandom. I've read that's how 50 Shades started. Had I not been told that, I probably would not have seen the connection between the stories. There is almost no similarity in plot and only vague and generic similarity in characters. (this is how they got away with publishing it with the names changed).

Finally, I wouldn't call the people writing fantasies about meeting and dating rockstars or other real people fanfiction either. They are fans, and it's fiction, but that doesn't make it fanfic.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

It is not unlicensed derivative work because there is no license. All of Jane Austen's works are out of copyright. But beyond the legal perspective, I think it's different because of the "essence" I talked about above. When I personally think of Jane Austen "fanfic", I actually think of books like Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife or Lost in Austen any of the other sequels or books that feature the actual Jane Austen characters in the actual Jane Austen stories and put them on new or different adventures. But I think we all have a lot in common, in the sense that we are all fans writing fiction inspired by Austen's works. So you can call it fanfic if you want. I don't have any moral feelings about that term. I'm in the same boat as "fanfic" like West Side Story... and that's a very happy place to be!

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

It's not a "should" question. If one attempts to publish and profit from unlicensed derivative work, the owners have the right to come down on you. But it's important to recognize that there is plenty of LICENSED derivative work going on. When you see a Star Wars novel, it's because Lucas (or I guess, Disney now) has hired someone to write it. (Just like Lucas hired someone to write the scripts of the original Star Wars movies.) When you have something like a movie or TV show, there are dozens of creators who have already gone into that production, and novelists working with Lucas to bring forth a particular vision (I know a few Star Wars novelists) are doing the same thing a scriptwriter or a production designer are.

Same thing with the new Bane Chronicles where other writers are writing in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on fan-fiction and an interesting question was brought up: where is the line between fan-fiction and retellings?

I spent a long time talking with Nicole on twitter about this issue. And she just wrote a post on her opinion on the matter. I agree with pretty much everything she said, so rather than restate a similar opinion I decided to take it to another level.

I have contacted four authors of "retellings" and asked them the following questions:

What do you consider fan-fiction?
Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?
Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

Their answers are very interesting and very different. Here's a preview of each of their answers, and then I'll be posting their individuals answers over the next few weeks.

Marissa Meyer
Author of the fairy tale retelling Cinder

To me, fanfiction is when a work takes specific characters or settings from an original work and re-uses them. Alternatively, a story about a boy who discovers that he's a wizard or a band of magical beings who go on an epic journey to destroy a dangerous artifact - while they may have very direct and obvious influences - wouldn't be considered fanfiction in my opinion, because they aren't making use of the world and characters from the original.

I've always understood fanfiction to be any piece of writing which utilises a world or characters that already exist (in whatever form) under copyright to the original author. Something is not fanfic if the world and characters that you use are out of copyright - if they no longer belong to someone else.

Amanda Grange
Author of numerous Jane Austen inspired novels

I suppose to me fan fiction is something based on other people's creations, written solely for the pleasure of the fan fiction author or possibly the pleasure of the fan fiction author's family and friends as well ,and then posted online. It doesn't have to meet any standards so it can be good, bad or anywhere in between.

There are currently things being called "fanfic" and posted on fanfic sites that I personally wouldn't consider fanfic. For instance: someone who types up the words of a published novel and then changes the names of the characters in that novel into the names of the characters in the "fandom" -- that is not fanfiction. That is not "crossover fanfic." That's not "AU fanfic." That's just plagiarism. (It's happened to me and it's just baffling -- they're missing the whole point!)

Want to see more of their answers to the other questions? Check back each Wednesday to see what each of them have to say in more detail

Hey local yokels (and non-locals too)! Would you do me a favor? Would you please go here and vote for some awesome authors to come to SLC, UT? I would love you forever. Seriously.

Anyone can vote! DO IT!

Of COURSE you do! And there's a few ways you can do it!

1) If you are a local, you should TOTALLY come to the release party for Reached on this coming Tuesday (November 13). It's going to be so much fun! Ally is the best ever, and so is TKE. So you know it's going to be the event of the year, if not the century. ;) You can click here for more event details.

2) Even if you aren't local and can't come to the event, you can still get a signed and personalized copy of Reached if you order before November 13! What are you waiting for?! You can order over the phone or online and they will ship to you. More information about that can be found here.

So whether you come to the event on Tuesday, or preorder a copy from TKE's website, I really hope you take the chance to support this AWESOME author and AWESOME bookstore. They both deserve much love!

This last Saturday I had the AMAZING opportunity to attend the Libba Bray and Shannon Hale event. It was BRILLIANT. Probably the funniest author event I've ever gone to. And you can enjoy it to! I uploaded the entire hour to YouTube!

The first video is the entire event, the second video is Libba and Shannon singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and the third video is my favorite rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Which you can only see if you actually come to the blog. No feed readers!). Enjoy! When I have more time I'll try to come back and add bookmarks to my favorite parts. But no promises.

It's time for the Reading Road Trip! And I'm today's stop. So I'd like to welcome you all to Utah! Utah is a fabulous place full of a bajillion authors. Including some award-winning ones. I'm not sure what it is about Utah, but we also seem to draw in big authors from out of state/out of the country! I really do love my state. Today is also our state holiday! WAHOOO PIONEERS!

And I want YOU to love Utah too! As part of the Reading Road Trip, I'm going to give away a book that both is written by a Utah author, and takes place in Utah! Any guesses? Here 'tis!


Everneath, by Brodi Ashton!

Not only is this book fabulous, but Brodi herself is as awesomesauce as it gets! She once critiqued two pages of my manuscript, and will be forever remembered as the author who made me love Thai food.

So you have a choice in this giveaway, you can either get a hardcover of Everneath right now, or I will pre-order you a copy of Everbound. You decide! Enter the rafflecopter to win!

If you'd like more info on the road trip, check out the host blogs: I Like These Books & Icey Books

Open international!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

So last week I reviewed the Fierce Reads books. If you missed them, here they are. Click the title to go to the review:


These are some AWESOME titles, folks. And I have some GREAT news for people in Utah! These lovely ladies are coming to our state, twice! If you would like a ticket to the Provo event, I will get one for you. You just have to fill out this form with your name! I can only get 8 tickets (including one for me) so act fast! This is NOT something you'll want to miss.

I hope you all are enjoying your day of remembrance!

Are YOU going to go? What about you MO and CA residents? Excited?!

So I just finished an AWESOME book. It's called Starters. I'm meeting the author tonight. You should come too. Here are the details:


Seriously peeps, this book was super-cool. Come have fun with us!

So I didn't keep it a secret how much I LOVED Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, but now I'm going to shout it to the world!


This week, 48 bloggers are celebrating the release of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows by participating in a treasure hunt with clues, activities, and lots of prizes including signed books and handknit fingerless mitts. You've reached an ACTIVITY blog, which means on this page, you can gain extra entries for Jodi's grand prize drawing by completing my activity and filling out the accompanying form. Then head to the next activity for more Incarnate fun! There are over twenty Incarnate activities around. The more you do, the better your chances of winning the grand prize.

For more information on the INCARNATE Theater Treasure Hunt, check out Jodi's post. The Grand Prize gets you: A signed, annotated hardcover of INCARNATE; handknit fingerless mittens; a first-edition hardcover of one of my favorite books; a (possibly dead) character named after you in Incarnate 3 (spelling adjusted for worldbuilding); a handful of INCARNATE stickers.
Two runners up will get: A signed hardcover of INCARNATE; handknit fingerless mittens; a handful of INCARNATE stickers.

My activity is similar to the "guess the cover" contests I do, but in this case there's a butterfly theme! I found 12 covers that have butterflies on them (most are YA, by the way). I'll show you the entire cover, with the title and author blurred, and you just need to tell me the title! Each one you get right will give you an entry into the GRAND PRIZE giveaway!


All right, so here are your covers. You can fill out the form here or below the image. And below the form are some links to MORE activity bloggers! Good luck!



Other Activity Bloggers:
(Go to their blogs to get even MORE links!)

• Down the Rabbit Hole
• Libri Ago: Book Lives
• The Mod Podge Bookshelf

Yes! Today is the release of Ally Condie's newest book: Crossed! What better way to celebrate then with these AWESOME pumpkins?!
Pumpkins carved by my super-amazing friend, Laura. You can see more of her pumpkins today at Shannon Hale's blog!

My review of Crossed will go up as soon as my brain gets back from it's "vacation" to school-land. Which could be quite a while...

...stupid math history.

I don't often do this. In fact, I can't think of a time I have EVER done this, but I want to re-highlight a book.


I read this book back in May and in my review I said it was a masterpiece. I want to repeat that IT IS A MASTERPIECE.

Don't believe me? Well, it's now been 5 months since I read it, but tonight I met the author and as soon as she said hello to me I unexpectedly BURST INTO TEARS and began to blubber about how "It's one of the best books I've ever read. I never thought I'd ever get to meet you." Then she stood up and hugged me. I seriously wasn't feeling emotional at all until she spoke to me and then all the emotions I felt while reading this book came RUSHING back. GAH! It is SOOOO good! Don't let the phonetic writing or lack of quotation marks throw you off. Please. Give it a chance.

Here are links for you:


And here's the picture of me and Moira. Edited, of course, to hide my face.


(many thanks to Diana for taking this picture for me!)