The Girl and the Grove: New Title & Pub Date!

Remember that little book I announced last month? The Dryad of Fairmount Park?

It has a publication date and a new title.

THE GIRL AND THE GROVE will be out with Flux on May 8th, 2018!

Me and the team at Flux all agreed that the original title didn't quite sound Young Adult, and the story isn't entirely about the magic. It's more about the character's journey as she wrestles with identity. So I really love this new title. Thank you to Flux's Mari Kesselring and Megan Naidl and my agent Dawn for the brainstorming session. I'm so happy with the result.

It's a solid year away, but for now, you can add it to your Goodreads here (thanks Shveta!).

Book News: Inked Gets a Sequel, to be Published in May 2016!

Deep breath. Here we go.

Bloomsbury's digital imprint, Bloomsbury Spark, will be publishing the sequel to my debut YA novel, Inked, in May of 2016. 

And there it is. It feels real now.

Inked 2: Ink Harder (that is not what it is called) picks up where book one left off, and introduces a class of characters that get brought up in book one, but aren't really explored. The Unprinted, the citizens without the magic, moving tattoos that define one's place in society, who have opted to live off-the-grid and away from the mandatory practice of magical Ink.

In book one you get to see an Unprinted settlement, and one of the main characters is an Unprinted warrior (Tabor!), but this time around, you'll get a lot more of them.

What's it about? I won't get into much, but in  Inked II: The Inkening (still not the actual name), war has erupted. And  smack in the middle of it, are a pack of powerful teens that have been forced into a position where they are leading the charge. It'll take them across the Realm and challenge their relationships with one another. The Citadel has new weapons, new defenses, new allies. And they'll go to some pretty horrifying lengths to get what they want.

2 Inked 2 Furious (not yet), has a bunch of new characters that I can't wait for you to meet, as well as the old ones you hopefully liked in the first book. I started working on the sequel while my superstar agent (hi Dawn you rule!) was shopping around the first book, took a little break from it, and revisited it last year. I had a finished draft ready to go back in January, but my agent spent a few months editing it with me, as every good agent should, to make sure it was up to her standards.

And now, here we are, with Inked II: Cruise Control (no) coming out in the summer.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported the first book. Those of you who helped critique the drafts and final manuscripts. Who tweeted, emailed, Facebooked, YouTubed, and blogged about it coming out, shared the cover, pushed the promotions. The many of you who took the time to write a review on your favorite retailer, on your book blog, or posted on Goodreads. Nena for pushing me. Dawn for repping it. Meredith and the Bloomsbury team for publishing it in the first place. Thank you! You're why Inked 2: The Squeakquel (haha, no) is happening.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have an edit letter to read through and a manuscript to touch up.

Inked: Rise of the Unprinted (the actual title!), coming your way May 2016.

World of YA, Here I Come: A New Book Coming Out With Bloomsbury Spark in 2014

When my super agent Dawn Frederick called me last week, late in the afternoon, the day before The Geek's Guide to Dating hit bookstores, my heart started racing. Was this it? Did it happen? Was this the phone call?

It was.

I'm thrilled to announce that my first young adult novel will debut with Bloomsbury Spark in the Fall of 2014. They're a new imprint under Bloomsbury Publishing, who you might remember from this thing called Harry Potter. The imprint is so new, that their first seven books just came out this month. Popular YA blogger The Story Siren did a cover reveal of all their first titles back in November, and I seriously can't wait to be on their list.

Excuse me, crying break.

Okay, I'm back.

Though as I write this, I'm realizing some of my friends might be a bit confused. YA book? What YA book? Didn't you write a dating guide?

Well, back in May of 2012 I announced that I had signed with Dawn Frederick over at Red Sofa Literary. I remember the day quite well, as I made local artist / BFF Britt Miller hangout with me in Cosi as I signed the contract (it was a nice moment, thanks for being there Britt).

I'd spent that last year scribbling away at a YA manuscript. I'd been inspired by all the YA novels I had been reading lately, and thought I would give it a shot. I sent Dawn the finished book, and shortly after she signed me, the opportunity for the Geek Dating book came up. She started pitching publishers and I worked on the dating guide while editing the novel.

And now, here we are! Hooray!

As for the book, it's called Inked, and it's a YA fantasy story. You know, with like, castles, swords, magic... all that good stuff. Here's a blip from the sale mentioned in Publishers Marketplace (and a screenshot, cause OMG Publishers Marketplace!).

Eric Smith’s INKED, about a society where tattoos are magical, fate altering, and mandatory, and a teen’s search for his own path leads to the discovery of hidden powers, sending the corrupt government after him and those he loves –to Meredith Rich at Bloomsbury Spark, by Dawn Frederick at Red Sofa Literary.

I look forward to talking more about it as it gets closer, but for now, I'm just happy to share this news with all of you.

Big thank you to my awesome agent, my fantastic writing group (I heart you guys!), Nena for listening to me ramble about this book, and my friends who took the time to read the manuscript while giving me notes (especially Jennifer Adams, Frankie Diane, E.C. Myers, and Preeti Chhibber). And of course, to Bloomsbury Spark and Meredith Rich for taking a chance on me.

Time to get revising!

Agented!

Oh! So that's what a contract from a literary agent looks like. Though it looks a lot less blurred in person.

Some big things happened last week, and I've basically been exploding to tell the Internet all about it. I've signed a contract with Red Sofa Literary and will be working with literary agent Dawn Frederick. You can learn more about (the wonderful) Dawn on the agency's website and via Publisher's Marketplace. You should also follow her on Twitter.

Dawn is going to be pitching out the YA fantasy novel I've been toiling away with since the Fall of last year (I spent my vacation in Puerto Rico and Montreal working on it), and really, I'm just so excited. She's got amazing ideas, and I'm already starting work on book #2 (what!) in the series.

Huge thanks to Jessica Anne, Peter Marinari, Steve Rauscher, Chris Urie, and Elizabeth Crutchley for spending the past few months workshopping this book with me. They washed down their dinner with my tears after giving me harsh criticism, and convinced me it was a story worth writing. They're done an amazing job ripping apart and improving my manuscript since we started meeting in January.

Also to Jennifer Adams for her lovely touch ups and guidance, the Quirk crew for having my back, my darling Britt Miller for keeping me company during endless nights in Cosi, Tim, Melissa, and Chris for reading the rough cuts, Frankie Mallis for weekly pep talks, and Ransom Riggs for inspiring me to give this a shot in the first place.

And of course, Dawn for believing in this book! I can't wait to work with you!

Expect lots of updates as things progress. Here we go!