Mar 23, 2012

Behind the Scenes of the Book Trailer - Part Three

Hello! Here are some final shots of the shoot for the UNDER THE NEVER SKY book trailer.

This is one of my favorite shots from the whole shoot. Unfortunately, it didn't make the cut. I was surprised (pleasantly) by how much of a gamer Wyatt was for the physical stuff we asked him to do. (Wyatt, my fingers are crossed you land a part in a big action movie, because you'd rock it.)


A final shot of the cast. These guys were all terrific! Thank you Madison, Wyatt and Bryan!

I've posted a few more over at the Facebook Page. Check 'em out!

Also, head over here for April/May book tour dates. Hope to see you!

Now, who's ready to go watch the Hunger Games movie? If you've already seen it, what did you think?

Mar 22, 2012

Spring Tour Dates!



Hey guys!

Heading out on the road in April with some incredible authors (Tahereh Mafi, Anna Carey, Cynthia Hand, Lauren Oliver, and Marie Lu... So much awesome, right?) Check out the list of stops below. We have a Facebook page for the tour, with more tour information and prizes. You could win ARCs of great upcoming titles, and signed copies of our books!

Let me know in the comments if you're coming--I'd love to see you at one of these stops!

A P R I L  2 0 1 2

LOS ANGELES, CA
Thursday, April 12th, 2012
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
6 o'clock in the evening
(With authors Tahereh Mafi, Anna Carey, Cynthia Hand, and Marie Lu)

CHICAGO, IL
Friday, April 13th, 2012
Anderson's Bookshop
123 West Jefferson Avenue
Naperville, IL
7 o'clock in the evening
(With authors Tahereh Mafi, Anna Carey, and Cynthia Hand)

WASHINGTON D.C.
Saturday, April 14th, 2012
Hooray For Books!
1555 King Street, Suite 101
Alexandria, VA
3:30 in the afternoon
(With authors Tahereh Mafi and Anna Carey)

NEW YORK CITY, NY
Sunday, April 15th, 2012
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York City, NY
1 o'clock in the afternoon
(With authors Tahereh Mafi, Anna Carey, and Lauren Oliver)

HOUSTON, TX

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
Blue Willow Bookshop
14532 Memorial Drive

Houston, TX
7 o'clock in the evening
(With author Tahereh Mafi)

AUSTIN, TX
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
Book People
603 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX
7 o'clock in the evening
(With author Tahereh Mafi)

MIAMI, FL
Saturday, April 28th, 2012
Books and Books
265 Aragon Avenue
Coral Gables, FL
6 o'clock in the evening
(With author Tahereh Mafi)

M A Y  2 0 1 2

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
May 3rd, 2012
Copperfield's Books
140 Kentucky Street
Petaluma, CA
7 o'clock in the evening
(With authors Tahereh Mafi and Anna Carey)

PORTLAND, OR
May 4th, 2012
Barnes & Noble - Clackamus
12000 Southeast 82nd Avenue
Portland, OR
7 o'clock in the evening
(With authors Tahereh Mafi and Anna Carey)

SEATTLE, WA
May 5th, 2012
University Bookstore - Mill Creek Town Center
Teen Brunch
15311 Main Street
Mill Creek, WA 98012
11 o'clock in the morning
(With author Tahereh Mafi)

Behind the Scenes of the Book Trailer - Part Two

Hey there~

Here are a few more photos from the shoot!

Aria, Perry and Roar
Isn't this shot beautiful? You can't see it, but there's a ravine where the two hillsides meet, and it's actually fairly steep. At one point during the shoot, I tried to cross this steep ravine--which is also strewn with dead (and very slippery) leaves--while holding four bottles of water. The result was something of an I LOVE LUCY episode, with me almost climbing out of the ravine about ten times, losing a water bottle, watching it roll down to the bottom, and having to restart the whole process over again. I made it, though.


I mentioned yesterday how wonderful these actors were. Also in this photo is Pedro Castro, the Director of Photography, who I'm a little obsessed with right now. Sweet, patient, and a true artist, Pedro climbed up trees, worked in the rain, in the mud, etc. I was amazed watching this guy work. I'm a total fan.


Wyatt, the actor who played Perry, happened to be an archer--and a great one at that. I love this shot, though we didn't end up using it in the trailer.

Want to see some more? I've posted a couple over at the Facebook page and tomorrow, I'll share my favorite shots right here, so come on back!

Mar 21, 2012

UNDER THE NEVER SKY Book Trailer

Hey guys! Have you seen the UNDER THE NEVER SKY Book Trailer? 

Filming this was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. My friend--the amazing Roman White--was the driving force behind it. When I asked him for some help with a trailer, I expected a thirty-second clip with some photos, maybe a little bit of voice-over. To say the end result blew me away is the understatement of the year.

We shot this in Los Angeles a few weeks ago during two days in a studio, and at a local park. The actors, extras, and crew were generous, talented and so much fun to spend time with. Thank you Madison McMillan (Aria), Wyatt Nash (Perry), Bryan Lillis (Roar), Jonathan Vane (Hess), Liam Ackerman (Cinder), Rocky (Talon), Pedro Castro (DP/The Spaniard), Gray (Make-up/The Mask-Maker), Sammy, Tiffany, Rose, Kermit, Frankie, Betsy, Lia, Talia, Michael, Luca, Roman, Roman, Roman. You were all amazing!

Some of you have reached out to me with questions about why Perry doesn't have long hair, or why Aria isn't wearing her army fatigues. (I love that you know the story so well!) The answer is that we had a limited budget, sadly. If you want to see the world and characters depicted to their fullest, cross your fingers for the green light by Warner Bros., who have optioned the film rights. No, really. Cross them. Please.  ; )

I'll be posting a few behind-the-scenes photos of the shoot over the next week. The first one is of the cast, Roman and yours truly. (I need to make a disclaimer that it was freezing and raining in Los Angeles that day, which is why I'm dressed in layers of "wardrobe." Because.... Well. I just needed to say that...)  The second was taken during the studio shoot.

Cast, Me, and Director Roman White

Studio day! Our "Perry" was actually a skilled archer. Look at that form!

I've uploaded a few more to Facebook page, and head on back tomorrow for more photos and tidbits about the shoot. If there's something specific you'd like to know, leave a question in the comments below!

-V

Mar 12, 2012

Spring Into The Future Giveaway!

Win a Spring Into the Future Tote Bag!

Seven Books! Four Chances to Win!

We're getting excited to hit the road next month! If you're in the LA, Chicago, New York, Houston, Austin or Miami areas, we'd love to meet you! Check our Facebook page for tour stops!

In celebration, we're giving away four tote bags packed with books for your spring reading.

Each prize includes signed hard cover books by each of us, Anna Carey, Tahereh Mafi and Veronica Rossi, PLUS Advanced Reader Copies of these hot spring titles: 

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, by Bethany Griffin
DREAMLESS, by Josephine Angelini
TIGER LILY, by Jodi Lynn Anderson
DESTINED, by Aprilynne Pike

To enter, LIKE the Spring Into the Future Facebook page. We'll be drawing winners at every 100 followers, beginning at 300! (Contest open to US Residents only. Winners will be randomly selected.)
Ready, Set, Go!


Mar 5, 2012

We have a winner!

Thank you to all who entered the German Trailer contest! I've loved reading all your comments. (And I think we can all agree that Google is indispensable.)

The winner, by random drawing, is Erin W. Congrats, Erin!

If you liked the German trailer, keep your eyes out. I've got something in the works that'll blow you away!

Mar 1, 2012

German Book Trailer and an International Giveaway!

Check out this AMAZING book trailer for UNDER THE NEVER SKY created by my fabulous German publisher, Oetinger.

Isn't it incredible?


INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY:

Learning to get along with different cultures is at the heart of UNDER THE NEVER SKY. If you can correctly translate the German text in the video, then add your translation to the comments below for a chance to receive a signed US edition of UTNS (open internationally)!

Want to enter twice and increase your odds? Add yourself to the Awesome People who follow my blog and I'll give you an extra entry. Be sure to let me know you've done it. And, yes, I check. :)

A winner will be picked from the correct entries using random.org and I'll announce the result over the weekend.

Good luck!




Other news: 
  • This week I talk about The Act One Turning Point with the YA Muses
  • UNDER THE NEVER SKY got a starred review from the School Library Journal!
  • I have a surprise coming in a couple of weeks for anyone who wants to see Perry and Aria. That's all I can say for now, but stay tuned!