The Winner of Graveminder is ...

Robin K!  Congrats, Robin.  Email me your snail mail and I'll drop it in the mail to you.

Sorry this is late: DEADLINES are kicking my butt this week!

Also, I'll be in Houston at Murder by the Book  at 4 pm today  and Katy Budget Books tomorrow at 2 pm. signing Tempest Rising with the Chills and Thrills Book Tour!  Stop by and say hi if you're in the area :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Come see me ...

If you live in the Dallas area :)  I'll be at A Real Bookstore in Fairview at 2 p.m. today as part of the Chills and Thrills Teen book tour and I'll be at the Hurst, TX Barnes and Noble (Fortworth) tomorrow.  I'd love to see you!!!!

Since I'm on the road all weekend, I thought I'd ask what you're up to?  Any amazing plans?  Leave a comment and be entered to win a signed copy of the Graveminder ARC by Melissa Marr.

What I'm Working on Now :)

In the middle of all the hullabaloo that comes with releasing Tempest Rising, I am also in the grips of a major deadline to finish my next young adult novel.  Currently titled Zero Day (which is tentative), this is the Pandora story I keep mentioning-- the one where, instead of opening a box, Pandora opens an attachment and hearkens technological Armageddon ...

Anyway, I've been hard at work for the past couple of weeks and thought I'd share a little bit from the beginning of the book.  I'd love to hear what you think.

My seventeenth birthday starts with betrayal. 

Lies. 

Mayhem. 

Violence.

It ends the same way but that’s a different story—at least for now.

AP English is my first class of the day and for the past two weeks we’ve been doing a unit on Shakespeare.  Love sonnets.  A history in the form of Henry V.  Biography studies.  And now, a tragedy.  And not just any tragedy, mind you, but Othello, which just might be the most tragic of the tragedies, or so I’ve been told.  My best friends, Jules and Emily, assure me that they have it worse—they’re reading Hamlet in their regular Brit Lit class-- but I’m not so sure.  Shakespeare’s Moor is no picnic, especially at eight forty-five in the morning.

Even worse, Mr. March—who is usually pretty cool—has divided us into groups to analyze scenes.  Again, not such a bad thing, except for the fact that 1) we have to act them out in front of the class and 2) he was obviously off his meds when he chose our partners. My group consists of me, Senior class president and head cheerleader Tara McKinney (who wears about an inch of make-up every day and drives a Barbie Pink Hummer—Barbie Pink!  Need I say more?), Zane Connolly (the biggest nerd in the school, which is totally fine, except he has a crush on Tara and it’s painful to watch him try to get her attention) and the new guy, Eli Sanders (who I know nothing about, except that he’s seriously hot).  Sleepy green eyes partially obstructed by his shaggy blonde hair, super-broad shoulders and a really good face complete with strong jaw, full lips and a dimple. 

A dimple.

I melt a little at the sight of it, even as I tell myself to get a grip.  But it’s hard.  I’m a sucker for a dimple and always have been.  I try not to look at it, at him, as we push our desks together.  Getting to be with Eli might make putting up with the other two group members worth it, except for the fact that I look like hell. 

I know, I know.  You’re used to hearing girls say that all the time.  But I’m not one of those girls who freaks out every time she breaks a nail (though my best friend, Emily, is). Still, today has to be an all-time low.  Not just for me, but for girls everywhere.  I was up way too late last night (insominia, thy name is Pandora—see, I can do Shakespeare) and slept through my alarm this morning.  I didn’t get up until Jules called to find out why I wasn’t already at her house to pick her up.  Needless to say, dressed in the dirty jeans I found on my bedroom floor and the vintage Hendrix tank top I slept in last night, I’m not exactly at my best right now.  Or anywhere close to it.

Eli scoots his desk into the spot next to mine and I am painfully aware of the fact that my personal hygiene is a little lacking today.  I brushed my teeth—on the run—but I’m pretty sure my hair is sticking up in every direction imaginable.  And not because I arranged it that way.

Hope you enjoyed it! Check back next week for another excerpt :)

Pictures from the Chills and Thrills Book Tour

Happy Monday!  As you know, I spent the weekend on tour with some of the most fabulous YA authors in Texas :)  We signed in Austin and San Antonio (right before Rick Riordan signed, which was crazy!!!  I've never seen that many people in a bookstore in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!)  Anyway, I thought I'd post some pictures so you could see what we'd been up to :)



I'm the one doing the weird talking with her hands thing. Jordan Dane,
Jennifer Archer and Lara Chapman are to my left.  On my right are
Sophie Jordan and Tera Lynn Childs.

 

It was so much fun to get to talk to people about Tempest.  Some fabulous
Texas Bloggers showed up, along with a bunch of fans who love to read.


 

A candid shot of some of us right before the signing.  I'm not
sure what Sophie was doing, but I wanted to make sure I posted
a pick with the beautiful, talented and very pregnant Mari Mancusi.



A photo of some of the books and swag going around the tour--
isn't Tempest pretty, up at the top?

Anyway, that's how I spent my weekend (well, that and writing my Pandora YA).  We'll be in Dallas/Fort Worth next weekend at A Real Bookstore in Plano (Dallas) on Saturday and Barnes and Noble in Hurst, TX (Fortworth) on Sunday.  If you live in the area, I'd love to see you!

Have a great week :)

Contest Winner!

Hi everyone :)

Sorry I'm a couple days late posting this, but this week has been a little crazy.  Thank you so much to all of you who pre-ordered Tempest, or who bought it in the stores.  I really, really appreciate it :)

The winner of the $75 giftcard is Andie M.  Drop me an email at tracydeebs@gmail.com and let me know which online bookseller you would like the gift card to and I will send it your way.

Thanks again, everyone!

Btw, I'm giving away a $100 giftcard over at http://www.bittenbybooks.com/ today.  Stop by and comment for a chance to win! 

And if you're in the San Antonio or Austin area, come see us tomorrow and Sunday at the Chills and Thrills Book Tour.

Have a great weekend!

The Chills and Thrills Teen Book Tour

Hi, Everyone!  Thanks so much for all your support and well-wishes these last couple of days.  Tempest's release day was a blast for me (yes, I went to BN to stare at my pretty book on the shelves, LOL) then I went to lunch with two of my closest friends to celebrate!!!!!

I'm a little late on getting this up, but in case you haven't heard, I'm part of the Chills and Thrills Teen Book Tour that is going through Texas in the next couple of weeks. Authors signing are:

Tracy Deebs
Tera Lynn Childs
Sophie Jordan
Mari Mancusi
Lara Chapman
Jennifer Archer
Jordan Dane

and we'll be signing in:

Saturday, May 14th
La Cantera Barnes and Noble, San Antonio
12-2 p.m.
(Btw, Rick Riordan is signing right after us, in case any of you are interested!)

Sunday, May 15th
BookPeople, Austin
2-4 p.m.

Friday, May 20th,
Barnes and Noble, Waco, TX
6-8 p.m.

Saturday, May 21st
A Real Bookstore, Plano, Texas
2-4 p.m.

Sunday, May 22nd
Barnes and Noble, Hurst, TX
2-4 p.m.

Saturday, May 28th
Murder by the Book, Houston, TX
4:30-6:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 29th
Katy Budget Books, Houston, TX
2-4 p.m.

Now, not all of us will be at all the stops (though I will be, LOL) so for more info, check out our website at:
http://chillsandthrillsteenbooktour.wordpress.com/  It's got all the info on our books and who we are, along with addresses, etc. for all our stops.  Hope to see you at one of the stores!

Tempest Releases Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe that Tempest Rising will finally be on the shelves.  It seems so long ago that I decided I wanted to write a YA about mermaids (October 2009) and yet it's finally time, nineteen months after I originally conceived of the concept.  It gives me shivers :)


So far, the reviews coming in are really good.  Here are a few links, in case you want to check them out:


'Tempest Rising is an unpredictable and magical tale about sea creatures and destiny that entranced me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book and was really sad when I finally closed the novel." --IB Book Blogging


http://www.ibbookblogging.com/2011/05/review-tempest-rising-by-tracy-deebs.html


"Romance and adventure abound in this mermaid tale that’s a fin above the rest. "  --All Things Urban Fantasy

http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2011/05/early-review-tempest-rising-by-tracy.html

"Tempest Rising was a thrilling, exotic, and romantic read with many twists and turns ... I'm beginning to think that the thrill of the water is more appealing than an eternity of night..." --Allykatzz

http://www.allykatzz.com/page/forus/member_blog_detail/?member_id=60483&source_id=1218866

"TEMPEST RISING, by Tracy Deebs, is a wonderfully crafted 'coming of age' story about a girl who needs to decide between the life she has always known or another life under the deep blue sea.  I absolutely loved this book."   --Sit Here and Read

http://www.sithereandread.com/2011/05/blog-tour-tempest-rising-by-tracy-deebs.html

“Among the recent spate of mermaid books this easily stands as the darkest ... an exciting  story ... which many young readers will love.” – Kirkus Reviews

And remember, if you're planning to buy Tempest Rising, remember that you have until Wednesday to show me proof of purchase to be entered for a $75 gift card to the online bookstore of your choice  :)


Have a great week!