Going into the blurb request process for my upcoming novel, I deliberately kept low expectations. To ask a busy person (i.e. an author) to take the time to read your entire book and craft something pithy and nice to say publicly about it is to ask a fairly large favor—and not necessarily of someone you know well or have even spoken to before.
So the fact that we received a total of thirteen blurbs for Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is pretty exciting. It says a lot about how supportive the YA community is and even more about how kind these authors are. So, over the next couple of days, I’d like to show you what they had to say and express my gratitude as well.
Here, then, are the first four fantastic blurbs from the first four fantastic authors!
“Smart, honest, and thought-provoking, Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is like nothing I’ve read before. What an amazing debut!” — Lisa Schroeder, author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me and The Day Before
See what I’m saying? So nice. And I know from Twitter that Lisa is a big fan of Friday Night Lights, so obviously she has good taste.
Anyway, her newest YA novel came out recently and is called The Day Before. A verse novel that takes place over one momentous day in a girl’s life, it’s charming yet suspenseful, has absolutely perfect pacing, and ends on just the right note. I thought it was awesome. Thank you, Lisa!
“Maddeningly funny and heartbreaking. Klauss makes the end of the world feel like something to celebrate.” –- John M. Cusick, author of Girl Parts
This blurb meant a lot to me because Girl Parts was probably my favorite YA novel of 2010. Talk about heartbreaking. And funny. Not to mention daring and beautifully written. I’m eager to read Cherry Money Baby, his upcoming one, as well as the Girl Parts sequel. Thank you, John!
“Razor-sharp, hilarious, and so smart. Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is the book you were afraid to let yourself want.” — Hannah Moskowitz, author of Invincible Summer and Break
Isn’t that a kickass blurb? Well, Hannah is a kickass author. She writes a million books per second, including Gone, Gone, Gone, which comes out in April 2012 and sounds great, and Invincible Summer, which is already out and impressed the hell out of me. I don’t think I’ve read a YA novel like it before. I’m not sure if it’s the intense honesty or the realism of the family dynamics or what, but it’s something bold and different for sure. Thank you, Hannah!
“A moving tale of the things that bring us together and the things that tear us apart. Klauss navigates the fragile landscape of faith, friendship, and love with wit and insight.” — Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There
Surprise is one of the most crucial elements of a good story, and Take Me There surprised me over and over again. What starts as a story of a teen on the run from the law evolves into a mystery, a romance, and a coming-of-age tale with a series of revelations I didn’t see coming at all. It’s a unique, engaging, and touching novel and I’m honored to have Carolee’s praise on the cover of the ARCs for Apocalypse. Thank you, Carolee!
This afternoon, three more blurbs. And then another six tomorrow!
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