I want to go dive under a couch right now. I just discovered it like, this morning, and I’ve resolved it and this will not happen again and I’m SO SORRY. I’ve already heard about invites to events I’ve never received and ARC requests that never got forwarded (back when we had ARCs…) Guys, I’m so so sorry. And Angry. In fact, this is the “test” email I sent to my contact form while trying to resolve the issue:

From: “Diana’s Very Upset Right Now”
Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 2:51 PM (6 minutes 56 seconds ago)

Name: Diana’s Very Upset Right Now

Subject: GAAAAAAAAH

Message: TEST TEST TEST

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Pretty colors! And ooh, a note. Wonder what it is? Let’s open:

It’s For Darkness Shows the Stars!

Why yes, that is my excited face. Why do you ask? And oh, so shiny:

That quote there you see in gold on the cover is from Simone Elkeles, who called the novel “A beautiful, epic love story you won’t want to put down!” There are even more quotes on the beautiful back:

Click to embiggen.

Anyway, along with it’s gorgeousness came a few remaining FDSTS ARCs, and given that I talked today at Genreality about what I’ve gotten out of blogging (mostly, you guys — I love interacting with you all!), I thought I’d have another giveaway. Well, two actually. I’m going to pick another winner from last week’s FAQ post, and then I’ll pick one more from anyone who leaves a comment on this post here today. (Yes, international included.) Runs through the weekend.

Have a great weekend!

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In other news, I’ve added a new event onto The For Darkness Shows the Stars Release Extravaganza. (I’m sure it’s the first of many such add-ons.) This one is super-exciting and one I’ve wanted to do for a long time:

Reading at Lady Jane’s Salon

When: Monday, June 4, 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Madame X, 94 Houston Street, New York, NY 10012, 212.539.0808, www.madamex.com
What it is: New York City’s romance reading series. Diana will be joining other authors (names TBA, but I know it also includes Mari Mancusi) and reading from For Darkness Shows the Stars. Admission is $5 or one gently used romance novel. Cash bar (with $5 drinks). Proceeds to benefit women in crisis / transition and books to HousingWorks charity bookstore.

Please note: Diana is still in negotiations with her publisher to see if she can get her hands on a few copies of FDSTS to sell pre-release at this event. As this reading is in a bar, Diana does not know the policy regarding young ‘uns. If you’re not going to BEA and you want to see Diana in NYC in June, this is the place. (There will be more NYC-ish events later in the year). And if you are going to BEA, think about stopping by here anyway, because it promises to be a blast!

Other tidbits of fabulosity for this dreary Wednesday: the For Darkness Shows the Stars swag has started to show up Chez Diana, and I’m doing a whole lot of snoopy dancing ’round these parts. I mean, seriously pretty (and also pretty delicious) stuff happening here. I can’t wait for the events to start! I’ve also been keeping a mondo extreme secret for the past few months that is alllllmost ready to roll out and that’s driving me rather nuts (I thought I’d share some that anticipatory insanity with you).

This is what happens when I don’t have a book out in two years, and lucky, you guys are the beneficiary of my overboardness. I didn’t do much for Morning Glory given its tie-in novelization nature, and Ascendant came out at the same time my baby did, so events and publicity were kind of shot. (I remember attending the Baltimore Book Festival for the Zombies vs Unicorns panel on my due date and Holly and Kathleen were a wee bit concerned I was going to go into labor right there (it was very warm, y’all)l. Fortunately, Queenie was as big a procrastinator as I am.)

Anyway, that was all a year and a half ago, and now I’m training Queenie to say “For Darkness Shows the Stars is a richly envisioned portrait of a society in flux.” It may take a while, seeing as how she’s 19 months old, but I can wait. After all, that dude on the Geico commercial taught his hamster to say “Row.” And if not, well, I’ll just settle for “Yay, Mommy’s book.”

For more in-depth analysis than one might get from a toddler, I direct you to this recent write-up of For Darkness on the cool Janeite blog, “From JA to YA,” which is devoted entirely to Jane Austen adaptations for the younger set. Yes, there are enough to devote an entire blog to them — how cool is that? Part review, part article on the nature of adaptations, and raising some very provocative questions about whether Persuasion can even be properly done for a YA audience (one of the questions that’s consumed me for the last two years, let me tell you!), it’s a must read.

Ooh, the sun is coming out. Maybe I’ll go out and try to coax my garden into not dying on me. I know I owe you a goals update post. Coming soon.

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For Darkness Shows the Stars

Diana Peterfreund. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-06-200614-1

Dystopian, ideological, rebellious—Peterfreund’s fantasy homage to Austen’s Persuasion departs from the original in many respects, and with great success. Elliot North is a strong and creative woman, holding together the estate her father neglects and conducting secret agricultural experiments that defy “the protocols,” which were established after genetic tinkering nearly destroyed humanity. Antitechnology “Luddites” took sanctuary underground, emerging as overlords of the mentally diminished above-ground survivors. Those survivors, the “Reduced,” are now having normal children, and the Luddites’ status is no longer unquestioned. Four years earlier, Elliot refused to elope with Kai, a mechanical prodigy and descendant of the Reduced. Now he’s back as Capt. Malakai Wentforth, flirting with Elliot’s pretty neighbor and being savage to Elliott. Resemblance to Austen’s story lies largely in the superficialities of the plot—Peterfreund (Rampant) invokes less of Austen’s subtlety or social critique, and she really doesn’t need to. The story stands on its own, a richly envisioned portrait of a society in flux, a steely yet vulnerable heroine, and a young man who does some growing up. Ages 13–up. Agent: Deidre Knight, the Knight Agency. (June)

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When: Friday, May 18, 2012; 5:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1), Arlington, Virginia 22202
What it is: A huge signing with many of the authors attending the Nebula Awards weekend. Incomplete list and other info here. Admission is  free, and you can buy books on site or bring already purchased books to sign.

(Bad news: There will be no For Darkness Shows the Stars available at this signing. Sorry. Good news: all my other books will be there.)

Book Expo America

When: Wednesday, June 6, 2012; 1-1:30 p.m.
Where: Signing area, Javits Center, NYC
What it is: Diana will be signing copies of For Darkness Shows the Stars

JASNA-Washington DC’s Jane Austen Book Fair

When: Saturday, June 9, 2012; 1-4 p.m.
Where: Walt Whitman High School Cafeteria, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, Maryland 20817
What it is: Reading and Author Panel with Sandy Lerner, Margaret Sullivan, Catherine Reef, Janet Mullany, Lori Smith, Amy Corwin, and Diana Peterfreund. Also featuring a used book sale to benefit the Jane Austen Society of North America’s DC Chapter, with a variety of Austen and Austen-related fiction and non fiction. Diana will be reading from, discussing, and signing For Darkness Shows the Stars (and any other book you might bring).

Launch Party and Signing at Hooray 4 Books

When: Saturday, June 30th, 2012, Time TBA
Where: Hooray 4 Books, 1555 King St.  Alexandria, Virginia 22314
What it is: Panel and signing with Elizabeth Scott, Alethea Kontis, Brigid Kemmerer, and Diana Peterfreund. Celebrate the launch of For Darkness Shows the Stars and partake of the sweets she’s bringing.

Turn the Page Books 17th Anniversary Signing

When: Saturday, July 7th, 2012, Noon-2 p.m.
Where: Turn the Page Books, 18 N. Main St., Boonsboro, Maryland
What it is: Celebrate the 17th Anniversary of Turn the Page Bookstore with a group signing. Diana will be signing with the legendary Nora Roberts and other authors TBA.

Library of Congress “What If?” Science Fiction & Fantasy Series

When: July 18, Noon
Where: Library of Congress, Pickford Theater LM-302, Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington DC, 20559
What it is: As Part of the “What If?” Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum, Diana will be speaking on the topic of “Apocalyptic Fiction and Why We Love It”. Will also sign books, natch.

More to come, including Dragon*Con info.

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2. I know I said I was posting my upcoming events this week. I haven’t because I’m still waiting on some time and date info and I didn’t want the whole thing to be a bunch of “I’m doing this signing sometime soon — stay tuned!”

3. I’m over on Genreality today discussing my excitement about going to see The Avengers movie today, why, and how that relates to writing (I swear it does!)

Have a great weekend, y’all!

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But first, let us start with a teaser:

_______

“Ah, here he is,” said the admiral, bounding from his chair to the window. Two figures in free Post dress were coming up the steps of the porch. “Miss Elliot, I’m so excited to introduce you to the pilot of the ship we’ll be building here, to the captain of the Argos—”

But Elliot saw him clearly through the window. She needed no introduction.

No midnight blue jacket, no new, longer haircut, no strange, noble bearing—nothing would serve to disguise him to her eyes. She had only a moment to compose herself and then he walked into the room. Into her house, for the first time in years.

“Miss Elliot,” said the admiral, as she staggered to her feet. Out shot her hand, reluctantly, mechanically, obeying a courtesy so ingrained as to be unconscious. He was taller now. Taller than her. And though he turned in her direction, his hand did not rise to meet hers, and his eyes remained fixed on the mantle beyond her head. “May I present Captain Malakai Wentforth.”

“Hello.” His voice was the same. It rang through Elliot’s body like a thunderclap announcing a storm.

“Hello,” said Elliot, for parroting him was all she could trust herself to say, there in her old, worn clothes, with her braids all mussed; there, in the same room with the same furniture and the same fire and her hand floating in the air between them, curling out into space like a misguided vine, yearning desperately for him to reach across the distance and touch her again.

Hello, Kai.

____________

And now, on to some of the questions folks have been asking:

Q: Will you be going on tour for FDSTS?

A: Unfortunately not. However, I will be doing a bunch of book related events both near to home and far away, starting with my signing at BEA in New York City on June sixth. there are a bunch of other events on the schedule,a nd I’ll be announcing three right here in the DC area tomorrow.

Q: Ooh! Ooh! Like what?

A: Patience, young paduans. Padoowans? I have no clue how to spell that. Also, in passing, Sailor Boy got a totally random hankering to read some Star Wars Book so he got the one that the general fandom thinks is one of the top ones and is reading it and it was written int eh early nineties and so doesn’t have any of this “paduan” or “Sith” or “metachlorians” nonsense. When they mean “Sith,” they say “dark Jedi.” You know, like the Dark Side Of The Force.

Q: Is For Darkness Shows a Stars really, truly a standalone?

A: Yes. Ish. I have a forthcoming announcement about that, too.

Q: Ooh! Ooh! What is it?

A: See above. Also, it’s actually spelled “padawan.” Thank you, Google.

Q: I would like to interview you or have you come do a guest blog regarding your recent release. May I?

A: Yes! Please! And Thank You! Email me at diana AT dianapeterfreund DOT com. I would love to guest blog/be interviewed/etc. I shall even give away fun swag. (Hint: it’s sparkly.)

Q: How did you make the book YA in such an adult world?

A: This is probably one of the questions I get asked the most. The short answer is I don’t know if there’s such a thing as an “adult world.” Every world, with the exception of the kind in a Michale Grant novel, has people of all ages in it. Any kind of YA that isn’t contemporary American YA is not going to be the kind where the kids are in high school and worried mainly about how they’ll afford Prom (and even that isn’t really accurate — look at books like Coe Booth’s or Laurie Halse Anderson’s or Ellen Hopkins or even just the fact that there are teen gang members or teen moms or teen soldiers and you’ll see that even in our world, teens sometimes have to grapple with really “adult” issues).

But teens act like teens, whether that’s in a post-apocalyptic future or in Jane Austen’s time. Look at the impetuous behavior of the fifteen and sixteen year old Lydia Bennett and Georgiana Darcy, who are willing to run off with the older Wickham at the drop of a hat. Look at seventeen year old Catherine Moreland, who wants to believe that life is just like her favorite novels, or seventeen year old Marianne Dashwood, who goes into the queen of all emo dramas when she gets her heart broken. Anne Elliot is a teenager when she accepts Wentworth’s proposal, and also when she accepts the decision of those older and wiser and in charge of her to break it off. What could be more teenage than letting your dad and your godmother tell you who to date?

And what could also be more teenage than the immature revenge fantasy Wentworth plays out when he comes back into town? He ignores Anne, he insults her behind her back, he flirts wildly with any woman younger than she is in her presence, and he drops pointed comments about their history whenever he can use it to embarass her. It’s so VERY high school.

It’s true that the teens in my book have more on their plate than the average contemporary American teen. But it’s also not out of the realm of experience, even today. Many teens, even those with what my friend Justine Larbalestier calls “picket fence lives” know someone who is a runaway, who joined the military, who has been forced to become responsible for children –either their own or younger siblings, who have to deal with the illness of their parents, who is responsible for his or her family getting food on the table, who has to take a leadership role at home.

And though these teens do have all kinds of responsibilities, they are still teens. In my novel, there are many adult characters around who form different functions. Kai, who lost his father at a young age, is close to the Admiral and Mrs. Innovation, who are his bosses but also his caretakers, and reign him in whenever his youthful exuberance endangers their mission. Elliot is still very much under the control of her horrible father, and even though she has a higher status than the adult servants on her estate, they aren’t idiots. They know she’s a teenager and can’t handle the weight of the world on her shoulders, so they step in when they’re needed as well.

Okay, that’s probably enough FAQ for the day. If you have any more questions, leave them in the comments.

ADDITIONALLY, I WILL BE GIVING AWAY ONE OF MY LAST PRECIOUS FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS ARCS TO COMMENTERS, SO ASK ME SOMETHING!

Contest runs through Friday.

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Off for my morning margarita…

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And me!

Here is the U.S. cover, which I adore (click to embiggen and see all the lovely, smoky names). The U.S. publisher is Random House, and the book will be out this fall. You can pre-order it here.

And here is the U.K. cover. Across the pond, Under My Hat will be part of the launch of the new imprint, Hot Key Books.

The anthology, in case it’s not obvious, has a witch theme. My story starts the anthology and is called “Stray Magic.” It’s, um, my favorite short story I’ve ever written. It’s about a girl who works at an rural animal shelter and the witch’s familiar who comes under her care.

Regular blog readers know about my work with animal rescue organizations and how, prior to the arrival of Queenie, Sailor Boy and I opened our home to homeless foster dogs. “Stray Magic” draws on that experience.

Can’t wait for fall!

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There are two free stories out there!

Some of you may already be familiar with “Errant”, but if you aren’t or if you know a friend who’d love it, tell them they can now read it for free at Kindle, Smashwords, and other e-book stores.

• “a harsh and poignant take on the unicorn myth” – Publisher’s Weekly
• “[A] deliciously dark tale of unlikely nuns and even more unlikely unicorns.” — Booklist
• “fine and engrossing.” – School Library Journal

In 18th century France, a noble family prepares to celebrate their daughter’s arranged marriage by holding a traditional unicorn hunt. But when an unusual nun arrives at the chateau with her beloved pet to help the rich girl train, nothing goes as expected. Starring hunters, fine ladies, fancy frocks, and killer unicorns. A 2010 Locus Recommended Read, “Errant” first appeared in the 2010 anthology collection, Kiss Me Deadly.

The second free unicorn short story available is “On a Field, Sable”, part of the brand new anthology Eternal Spring.

Flowers, vacation, baseball, prom…what does spring mean to you? From unicorn hunters and teenage exorcists to Egyptian princesses and aspiring ballerinas, this collection of thirteen stories by some of the most exciting authors in Young Adult fiction explores young love and new beginnings during the most beautiful time of the year.

My story, “On a Field, Sable” stars oft-maligned unicorn hunter Melissende Holtz. I really love Melissende, and feel that since the books focus on Astrid, and she and Melissende are so often at odds, you don’t always get to see where she’s coming from, and what drives her. This story is my attempt to remedy that (no pun intended). After the shocking events of Ascendant, what awaits Melissende on the mountaintop where she watched her comrades fall?

Eternal Spring is currently only available free on Smashwords, but it is available in all formats, so you can read it on your Kindle/Nook/etc. It should be going out to the other e-retailers soon soon soon. Check it out!

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