Read HANA by Lauren Oliver free!
I had an email from HarperTeen about an awesome deal. Pre-order Pandemonium (Which was AWESOME) sequel to Delirium and we get a free short story titled HANA on Valentine’s day! Here’s the deal from Harper:
Have you heard that Lauren wrote a short story entitled HANA that tells the events of DELIRIUM as seen through the eyes of Lena’s wild child best friend? We’re so excited for it to go on sale 2/28— in fact, we’re so excited that we actually can’t wait that long to read it! If enough people pre-order PANDEMONIUM, MTV.com will post HANA for free on Valentine’s Day.
Interview – Lauren Oliver – Paper Lantern Lit
I was incredibly impressed with Fury by Elizabeth Miles. So I did the thing we all do, dug around a bit to find out more about the book and I found Paper Lantern Lit. I then thought the concept of PLL was fantastically awesome and asked Lauren Oliver (Before I Fall, Delirium) if I could ask her a few burning questions I had! Here are the answers:
Pam: First of all Paper Lantern Lit is such a creative name, how did you decide on that specific name?
Lauren: Oh my goodness. I think a lot of wine was involved! We liked the idea on the play of lit/Lit, i.e. literature and illumination. (Did you see our cool tote bags??) At the same time, we liked the retro sense that paper lanterns evoke—we knew we wanted our company to work in an old-school way, and stay grounded in ideas of integrity and collaboration. Plus, we actually really do like paper lanterns. I get some for every party I throw. They’re pretty!
Pam: Who are the founders of PLL?
Lauren: Lexa Hillyer and I cofounded PLL. Lexa and I met at Penguin books—we were both working for the young adult imprint Razorbill—and although we certainly became friends, I don’t know that either of us could have ever anticipated that we would start a business together. But both of us are deeply creative people. Lexa has been in the industry for nearly ten years as an editor; she has her MFA in poetry and writes some fiction as well. We both craved the opportunity to work with talented artists to build books from the ground-up. For our official bios, check out this link.
Pam: What are you looking for in terms of submissions?
Lauren: We look for specialness—a unique perspective, a strong voice, an innovative way of using language and imagery. At the same time, style without substance isn’t interesting. A writer, at base, must understand people. But we’d rather see a strong voice that exhibits a few technical flaws or “cracks” then a sample that is flawless but uninteresting.
Pam: How does this venture compare or differ from machines like Alloy?
Lauren: Well, nobody would ever refer to us as a machine! We are a very, very small number—three full-time employees and two interns—and we do not have strong ambitions to grow. We work out of our homes, and our meetings usually feature lots of hummus, giggling, and occasionally some dressing up. (Hey, publishing is a woman-dominant business.) We have a ton of respect for Alloy, but our approach might be somewhat more organic, and we really try to teach our writers—we joke that working with PLL is like being part of a paid MFA program.
Pam: What is the mission statement for PLL?
Lauren: We actually have an official mission statement, which is this: In the increasingly competitive world of publishing, we will represent only the freshest ideas and the most exciting writers, while keeping our focus on versatility, integrity, and passion, three hallmarks of PLL.
Pam: Anything else you want us to know, deals, news or other?
Lauren: The best way to stay up-to-date on PLL’s news and updates is to visit PaperLanternLit.com and sign up for our newsletter! It comes out once a month, and is full of news on our most recent deals, as well as our observations on the month’s top entertainment and publishing stories, plus reviews and giveaways!
I don’t know about y’all but I am super excited to see what comes next from PLL! What do you guys think?
Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Goodreads: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.
Have you ever read a book and wanted to review it but had no clue what to say? That there is nothing you can add, or no way to get your point across without revealing the twist or the ending? I am having this problem with Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall. I want to scream from the rooftops read this book, alas how do I say it coherently or professionally?
We follow Sam reliving the same day over and over Groundhog Day style. She is the popular girl, the pretty girl with the perfect boyfriend. She is a bully, and she dies. She dies seven times over and is rewound and gets a new chance at making amends. Can Sam figure out what to change in her life and how important her actions are in time?
This book is written perfectly. You know the characters immediately and even if you dislike their mean-girl attitudes, you cannot put this book down. The ending was shocking and poignant. I had mixed emotions. I was in awe, I was angry, then I was in awe again. I never saw it coming.
I love that Sam learns her actions have consequence and bullying is wrong. There is some drinking, there is some drugs, there is some sex. Trust me people your teens aren’t as impressionable as you think. This book is more about discovery, and learning how to treat others.
If you like Laurie Halse Anderson, or Gayle Forman you will love Lauren Oliver!
Book Trailer for Before I Fall:
