Four Weeks! FOUR!

Is it really possible that only four weeks stand between me and the U.S. release date of HEREAFTER? The day when I see my first novel sitting on bookstore shelves, the day my lifelong dream comes true?

It's humbling. It's exciting. It's scary as hell.

Mostly, it's going to allow me to meet some unbelievably cool people, i.e. all of you. Below are the dates and locations of my signings for the month of June. I really, really hope each of you can make it to one to see me. If not, let me know, and I promise that when I plan future tours this year, I will try my best to come see you.

Because one the best parts of this crazy journey is meeting you.

June 7, 2011: Anderson's Bookshops, Naperville, Illinois, 7 pm - 10 pm
June 8, 2011: Clackamas Town Center Barnes & Noble, Portland, Oregon, 7 pm - 10 pm
June 9, 2011: Book People, Austin, Texas, 7 pm - 10 pm
June 11, 2011: Full Circle Bookstore, Oklahoma City, OK, 3 pm - 6 pm

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous

I have to share this NOW, because it is so beautiful, I'm kind of freaking out! HEREAFTER will be released in Germany on August 29th, 2011, by Heyne Verlag (an imprint of Random House). The German title is "Wenn Du Mich Siehst," which translates as "When You See Me." Love the title, and absolutely love this cover:



Man, the country of my ancestors knows how to treat HEREAFTER right!

It's the Little Things...

There are certain things and places that make me inexplicably happy.

If you're anything like me, then this would make you happy, too.

Bridges of DOOM

I have to say, you folks know how to identify your spooky architecture. Makes you much more likely to survive an encounter with a murderous ghost, who may or may not be named Eli.

The winner of the Creepiest Bridge Photo Contest is...

Natasha Parker!

Her crazy-spooky bridge in Scotland actually seems to cause - wait for it - dog suicide. How bizarre and just plain wrong is that?



Natasha's keen eye for the weird has earned her a signed ARC of Hereafter. But I have to give an honorable mention to Danah, @Peppermint1013, for this gut-wrenching view:



So Danah gets a signed ARC, too! Natasha and Danah - please send your addresses to tara@tarahudson.com, so I can get those shipped to you.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated - I wish I had enough ARC's for everyone. I'm just glad you all have such eerie bridges of your own, to tide you over until June 7, 2011!

NEWS!

You have all waited patiently...some more patiently than others.

My favorite part of this whole, I-have-news game has been fielding the predictions that you've offered: from pending pregnancies (shame on ya'll, by the way - you know I have a sleep-vampire five month old), to pending missions to space (that was only one person, though, and I still don't know if they were joking).

But none of you guessed it, which is great considering how AWESOME this news is. So, to torture you no longer, I officially announce that the second book in the HEREAFTER trilogy will be named:

ARISE

How much do you love that title? Isn't it perfect? Isn't it spoilery and tantalizing? Doesn't it make you want to know what's going to happen next?

Even better, I'm revealing it on April 7th, exactly two months before HEREAFTER officially releases in the United States. To celebrate my crazy-perfect second title and the fact that we're only two months away from HEREAFTER-day, I'm having another signed ARC giveaway contest!

HEREAFTER centers around a seriously creepy, mysterious bridge in southeastern Oklahoma. To enter this contest, Tweet or post on HEREAFTER's Facebook page a picture of the creepiest bridge you've ever seen.

For example:



Spooky, right? Can't you just picture a certain ghost girl walking down it, late at night?

Now your mission is to find one even spookier! The winner will be chosen completely at my discretion (since I'm electing myself Grand Priestess of Creepy Bridges), on Friday, April 15th. When you tweet, just be sure to include @thudsonwrites. So start shooting, start tweeting, and get ready to ARISE!

I'm a tease like that

Big news coming this Thursday, exactly two months before the US release of HEREAFTER.

Seriously - big.

BIG.

Get excited.

Winning. Winners.

You know, those words have a completely different meaning in a post She-nazy (Sheen Crazy. She-nazy) World.

In all seriousness, I am thrilled and humbled by the response for my first HEREAFTER giveaway. From Romania to Moore, Oklahoma, the entrants were not only globally located but also globally awesome. So, without further adieu, I've drawn the winners for the signed HEREAFTER ARCs! Four of them!

Congrats to:

Jaz Parks
Faye Roberts
Dana Wright
Lucille Ogie

I doubled checked, and I already have your addresses, so I'll get those books in the mail this weekend.

Didn't win this one? Don't fret - you have another chance! In its typically cool fashion, HarperTeen has decided to run a HEREAFTER ARC contest on Goodreads, which should go live on March 10. These won't be signed, but still...how awesome is that?

I'm going to try to post all the appropriate links to the new contest tomorrow, when I figure out this whole, Javascript thing.

Congrats again to the winners, and many thanks to everyone who participated...I have kind, generous, and seriously funny future readers.