Sometimes a few words is all it takes.

I'm still deep in writing the follow-up to Cold Kiss, and a lot of the time lately, I've got the brilliant Libba Bray's playlist on. (She's brilliant, trufax, but this is not really a recommended playlist unless you like to tear your hair ou out and rend your clothes.) 

I've been trying not to listen (and to distract myself once in a while with weekly injections of Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and Justified, all of which are fantastic TV, but WOW, not light on the angst, either) and just keep plugging along. And it's working, most of the time. But nothing works better than a few kind words, let me tell you, and DJ from the blog DJ's Life in Fiction sent me some not long ago. 

She's going to post her review closer to Cold Kiss's pub date (just ... counts on fingers ... four months now!), but she told  me I could share a little bit of the review. This is my favorite part: 

"At times, Cold Kiss read as a contemporary novel in the vain of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay. The balance between the paranormal aspect and the realism is wonderfully crafted."

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to hear that. Wren has paranormal powers, sure, but I wanted her to feel real, like a girl you would bump into at school or at the mall, a girl who is as worried about passing trigonometry as she is about handling the magic inside her. I was beaming when I got DJ's email, and when I need another hit, I go back and read it all over again. So go give DJ some love! 

More to come soon, including news about BEA, giveaways, contests, and blog tours. Stay tuned!    

A bad blogger ... with really good news!

I've been so deep in the new book that I'm barely raising my head lately to eat, much less tweet and blog. (An IV made of equal parts tea and cupcakes would be really helpful here, so anyone scientific out there ... get on that.)

But I had to share a piece of exciting news. (Prepare for a Sally Field moment here.) Kirkus reviewed Cold Kiss and really liked it!

To what lengths is it acceptable to go to hold on to someone you love?

Devastated by the premature death of her boyfriend, Wren enlists her natural magical abilities to bring him back—although even Wren has to admit that the Danny she has brought back is only a shadow of what he was in life. Desperate to keep what she has done a secret, Wren is forced to live a double life. ... Her plans are slowly unraveling when she meets Gabriel, a new boy who can read her thoughts and guesses her dark secret. ... Fast-paced and achingly real, this fresh tale hints at the danger that lurks beneath Wren’s spell without veering into the macabre. Driven by her selfish desires both to keep Danny and then to be rid of him, Wren is not a traditional heroine, but her character is ultimately redeemed by her decision to make things right no matter the cost.

A provocative romance rises above zombie conventions. (Fiction. 14 & up)

I'm so thrilled, I've been bouncing ever since my fantastic editor (@ericasussman) shared this with me. Writing is pretty solitary while it's happening, but the finished product is meant for others to read. And it's really hard to know if everyone (or anyone) is going to like what you've done. Reviews, in other words, are a pretty reassuring boost when they're like this one.

So ... I've been boosted! Thank you, Kirkus!

Now to start chewing my nails again and hope readers like Wren and Danny and Gabriel ...