Want to win an ARC of THE OTHER LIFE?

I'm giving away my first ARC of THE OTHER LIFE. But not on my blog.
Lenore Appelhans (author of upcoming LEVEL TWO) interviewed me on her awesome blog for Dystopian August and I'm giving away one ARC of THE OTHER LIFE there. And the giveaway is international! So read my interview and enter!

Cover reveal The Other Life!

The moment I’ve been anticipating for months has finally come!!

The cover of The Other Life:

And here’s the blurb from goodreads:

Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.

I couldn’t be happier. Usborne did a fabulous job. Isn’t the bleeding butterfly deliciously creepy???

The Other Life in The Bookseller!

The Bookseller selected The Other Life as books to watch in 2012!

Isn't that exciting?? I grinned like a maniac when I saw it!

Here's the scan of the Bookseller page!

And you can even catch a glimpse of the cover!!! (see it there beside Wither??)

The big reveal of the final cover will be soon! So stay tuned. I can't wait to show it to you!

And that red butterfly? Isn't it perfect for business cards and other things...like earrings or, you know, a necklace?

Hehe. So you see. I simply had to browse the internet for jewelry with butterflies after I saw the first draft of the cover. I might even have bought blood-red nailpolish.

You know what all this means? We're getting closer to The Other Life's release and soon there'll be ARCs and that means contests in the near future!

So watch this blog if you want to win ARCs of The Other Life!

Vacation Impressions!

Sunday my husband and I returned to Germany from our east coast trip. It was amazing!
And I met my lovely crit partners!
Here are a few pics:

My crit partner Tracy and I! We met at a baseball game. Tracy invited me! She's lovely like that!

From right to left: Shari ( my crit partner and fellow Apocalypsies member, her book Mystique hits the shelves next year ), Leanna Renee Hieber ( also an Apocalypsies member, her book Darker Still hits the shelves this November) and I. We met in New York during a Teen Author Reading.

I - looking at the breakfast menu of our hotel in Newport.

The beach in front of our hotel.

The bed in our hotel room.

My husband (he's sitting in that pic. He's usually more than a head taller than me...lol) and I at the end of the baseball game. Orioles vs. Cardinals. That's Camden Yards in the background. The game was fun, though my husband and I don't know anything about baseball. I'm not even sure if it's being played in Germany.

Dinner with the White House in the background! (that illuminated little building in the background.)

Me again in Washington.

On top of the Empire State building!

I think you all know what that is behind me!

So much fun!!!

Official Publication Date!

I got my official publication date (UK). Yay!
It's February 1st, 2012!
Somehow that makes it feel more real!
Only 202 days until The Other Life hits shelves!!!

Resolution-Update and Photos

The first half of 2011 is almost over, so it's time to take a look at my resolutions for the year to see how I've been doing.

Reading

· Read the 20 books I listed for the Debut Author Challenge 2011.

Update: I've read 6 of the books so far (XVI, Timeless, Warped, Divergent, Across the Universe, The Near Witch). I've fallen behind. Need to read more debuts in the second half of 2011!

• Read more books than in 2010 (more than 45). This resolution might interfere with the two following resolutions...

Update: I've read 36 books so far. If I keep it up I'll definitely reach my goal!

Writing

· Write the sequel to THE OTHER LIFE

· Write secret novel. Let's call it ALOMF. (I'm soooo excited about that one)

Update: I wrote both books. Yay! Reached my goal early!

Personal

• Clean the house more often

Update: Umm...let's not talk about this one...

• Use the WiiFit to get fit

Update: I've been using the WiiFit now and then. Need to work out more often! BUT I lost 14lbs since the start of the year, so yay!

I spent a few days in Stuttgart last week and it was lovely! Here are a few photos:

There's a new group blog of debut sci-fi authors. It's called BRAVE NEW WORDS!

I'm leaving for my vacation tomorrow. Almost 3 weeks touring the east coast! I'm not looking forward to the 8-hour flight but apart from that I'm super excited!

Summer time!

It's summer. Finally!
That means I'm spending less time online and more time outside! Like in the zoo!

Oh, and I thought it was time for a new styling.

New haircut!

Enjoy the summer! In less than three weeks I'll be on vacation for a few weeks. I can't wait. Blogging probably won't happen unless there's news.