Special Announcement: Release Week for The Clearing April 12-17th

Monday, April 12th, 2010 is the actual Release Day for my second novel for teen readers, The Clearing.

This book is a time-travel, paranormal YA romance published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It's the story of Amy, a girl who moves out to the country to recover from an abusive relationship. All she's looking for is some peace at her aunt's farm, but in a misty field at the back of the property, she finds Henry, a boy living in the endless summer of 1944, staving off a tragedy that could rip his family apart. Both teens must gain the courage to face what is meant to be, even if it means losing each other forever.

Here at Booksboysbuzz.com, in celebration of Release Week, from Monday through Saturday we will be posting stories about where we'd would like to travel in time.

You can enter to win a signed copy of The Clearing each day, simply by responding to the post in comments. At the end of the week, we'll draw a winner from each day's commenters!

AND...

Because so many teens don't have a place to go to recover from abuse like Amy, I will also be making a donation to Teen Feed in honor of The Clearing's release. Teen Feed is a wonderful organization in my city that serves homeless teens hot meals and helps them find the resources to get identification and counseling that will lead to employment, housing, and a new life. I will donate 50 cents for each unique commenter during the release week, up to $250.

SO... please spread the word about Release Week for The Clearing and help me support teens who need safety from the streets and a life free of the emotional and physical abuse they've faced at home.

Love & Light,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

The Clearing - April 12, 2010 HMH

Never Cry Werewolf - Out now from HarperTeen

It's Almost Here!

^{It's been a busy week as I gear up for the release of The Clearing next Monday.}

^{The funny thing with this book, as opposed to Never Cry Werewolf, is that the publisher shipped the book early – so it’s in stores already and available at Amazon. On release day for Werewolf, I had to persuade the bookseller at B & N to look in the back for the unopened box of books. This release day, my book will already be on shelves.}

It was super excited to see the book for real. Here’s a picture of my mom by my two novels at my local indie store, Queen Anne Books, which is hosting my launch party on April 16th. It was really cool to see The Clearing on the table with Werewolf. I feel so lucky to have two books out there in the world. In fact, I still can’t believe it.

When I first had the idea for The Clearing, I was living in a mountain town of four hundred people. The mist in the field next door to our property was where the book began. Some days the mist was so thick the big red barn at the end of the field would nearly disappear. And then one day, Henry Briggs came walking out, a boy locked in an endless summer. It was several years before I wrote the book, but the genesis was right there in that field.

The official date of the release is Monday, April 12th. So, in honor of the release – we will be having a special giveaway week. Check back in on Sunday for details…

So, I’m wondering if you guys think it makes a difference whether or not a release day is a firm date or not. In some ways I’m glad the book is shipping, but on the other hand, I wonder how it affects the buzz for the book. What do you guys think?

Hugs,

Heather

^{www.heatherdavisbooks.com}

Never Cry Werewolf – HarperTeen

The Clearing – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Wherever You Go – Fall 2011 Harcourt

Guilty Pleasures: Time-Travels, Gotta Love 'Em

We’re starting a new theme for the next three weeks, one I think is going to be a lot of fun and show deep glimpses into the hearts of the Buzz Girls.

It’s called “Guilty Pleasures,” and as usual, we’re going to break in into three sub-categories, Books, Boys and Buzz.

* * * * *

My book-related Guilty Pleasure is only rarely satisfied, but when it is, I fall like a ton of bricks. It is my love of a beautifully written time-travel that moves from present day to the past and often back again.

I am not very focused on the scientific or magical properties (as long as they make sense), as much as the main character’s emotional journey, how she adjusts and hopefully triumphs. I can’t help putting myself in her place and trying to figure out how I’d retain my sanity and yet manage to suitably cope. For me, it’s almost like the best of both worlds, getting to read and create the happenings at once. And these are the sorts of books that I find myself thinking about for days, and talking up to friends.

A number of these much-loved time-travels contain scenes that some readers find disturbing, so instead of listing my favorites, I’m going to focus on one in particular that I'd recommend to anyone--the landmark time-travel that I came upon in the 1980’s, that first drew me in.


The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser focuses on a young woman on the eve of her wedding, who looks into the family heirloom mirror, and falls back into the young body of her grandmother on the eve of her wedding day. In contrasting chapters, the grandmother moves into her granddaughter’s body, which is an even greater culture shock.

This book was re-released about five years ago, and if you get a chance to check it out on Amazon, you’ll see 127 reviews, and many from readers like me, who just had to read it again. And loved it again! Although warning, when you read it now, the “present day references" to cassette players and disco music seem a bit historical, too!

Any other time-travel book lovers out there? And if so, can you recommend some others I could try?

What I’m Reading: Austenland, Shannon Hale

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie, January, 2008
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, Spring, 2009
www.tinaferraro.com