Meg's Diary

It’s Here

You know that old saying, April showers bring May flowers? Well, sometimes in April it can a little rain too much, bringing forth more than just flowers. This May at my house, April showers have brought forth:

a new book (in stores TODAY!)

an awesome book trailer contest (you could win an iPad!)

a Goodreads video chat, and…

– possibly even opened a door in my local cemetery to the Underworld, releasing all the vengeful spirits who feel that they were wronged by John Hayden, Lord of the Dead. Of course that could be my imagination. Don’t mind me.

But before we get into all that, let’s talk about the usual stuff that’s supposed to show up in May, such as:

1) Prom. Aw, so cute!

2) Sweeps week: Who will win on Dancing With the Stars? Will Nick move out on The New Girl? Will Leslie Knope win the Pawnee City Council election on Parks and Rec? And will Dani get her dragons back on Game of Thrones?

3) Movies with aliens in them are a May staple: The Avengers! Men in Black 3! Battleship! I plan to see them all!

4) May means summer vacation is on its way! Which means lots of time to read . . . .

5) . . . New books!

This May is bringing one of my new books, Underworld (the sequel to last year’s spring release, Abandon), out NOW in US (and Canadian and Australian and NZ) stores (and on ereaders)!

Click here for a complete list of Underworld‘s worldwide release dates, as well as other updates and Extras (including a list of Isla Huesos’s MOST WANTED, a map of Isla Huesos, an Underworld playlist, FAQs, and more, coming this week!)

In case you didn’t already know, Underworld isn’t just about a girl and a boy. It was inspired by the myth of Persephone, but really, it’s about a storm . . . not a a silly April shower, or a “storm of love,” but the kind of storm that wipes out entire populations. The kind of storm we get here where I live in Key West (also known as The Island of Bones, which are commonly found scattered across the island after such a storm). The kind of storm that looks like this:

L1020459

The New York Times called Abandon (the first book in the series) “scarier than senior year”:

“This is Hades as seen through the eyes of a 21st-century teenager . . . . Pierce struggles to regain the life of a normal teenager now that she’s seen what lies beyond . . . .

Death is just getting warmed up.”

And Seventeen Magazine says:

“Pierce is a rockstar narrator. She’s bold, gutsy, and hyperaware – she might even be too brave for her own good. We love a girl who isn’t scared to take action. Pierce might be a little reckless, but at least she’s never a damsel in distress.”

Yes! Thanks, New York Times and Seventeen, and thanks so much to all the bloggers who have already given Underworld so much love (and who appreciate the obstacles in John’s and Pierce’s way, some of which, as Book Chic astutely pointed out, aren’t of the meteorlogical OR paranormal variety)! I’m so grateful for all your comments (which sometimes made me squee!), especially YA Crush, who mentioned loving the relationship between John and Pierce (“Near the end I thought the pages were going to go up in flames. That’s how good it was between those two“) and Lost Among the Shelves, who warned readers they’re going to “fall even harder for the King of the Underworld!

P1000884
Oh, sorry, I forgot! John can’t be photographed (to the frustration of local law enforcement). You’ll just have to use your imagination to picture what he and Pierce look like.

What else is happening in May (uh, besides the sequel to Underworld that I’m writing right now, which is why I’m freaking out about giant storms wiping us all out, because the storm in Underworld is raging even harder in Book 3)?

How about a Goodreads Skype chat with Meg Cabot? Click here to RSVP (the chat is May 17 at 5PM)! I’ll be talking about the inspiration for Underworld and the Abandon series, as well as answering your questions (about writing, my cats, what to wear to prom, my obsession with Weatherunderground.com, etc).

Wait! There’s more!

How about an Underworld book trailer contest? And for the prize, a brand new iPad?


Yes, I am giving one of these away.

That’s right, I want YOU to make a book trailer for Underworld! Anyone (in any country) may enter this contest. Just read and follow all the contest rules and details here.

Remember, the purpose of a book trailer is to lure readers in, not give the whole plot away! So you just want to give them a taste of Underworld (like a movie trailer gives you a taste of the movie).

Here are some book trailers from the first book in the series, Abandon, in case you haven’t seen them:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMLDeAl3Us&list=PL34028333C3E22F96&index=1&feature=plpp_video[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbAXtI_Ebk0&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

So you see? Pretty much anything goes. To help you out a little, here’s a photo of the main characters of Underworld in their natural setting:

IMG_0197

No! The characters in Underworld are NOT tiny dolls! Actors were unavailable for this shoot so we had to substitute them with tiny dolls. Admittedly, these tiny dolls only vaguely resemble the characters as described in Underworld. But they were better than what else we had on hand:

IMG_0196

I’m sure your Underworld video will be much better! That’s why we want YOU to do it!

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check your favorite bookstore/ebook retailer for this, which it is my understanding April showers have brought forward everywhere:

Underworldbook

Happy May, happy reading, and see you on Skype at the chat!

More later.

Much love,

Meg

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