Ooh, sounds fascinating. And third-person, too. This is certainly new. It seems as though all the books I want come out in September when I'm too busy with the school year to read. D:

Oh my goodness, that was beautiful. I almost wish I hadn't read it because now I'm so excited for its release--and I am not great at waiting. Thank you for sharing.

Maggie, dear? Wonderful as always! And GAH, why is September so far away?!?! Seriously, cool and a bit creepy and I'm excited for it!!

That was amazing! Now I really can't wait until I can read the whole thing. There was so much in those two chapters, written so beautifully and subtly, and I have a feeling I'll love Blue and Gansey. September feels very far away.

One of my favorite things about your writing is the way you mention things subtly without having to be in-your-face direct. I learn so much more about a setting in this way, and from within the first two chapters alone the story already has such a presence. I wonder if we'll ever learn as to why Blue is Blue and not another name. :)

Thanks so much for sharing - it's lovely.

OMGSH the ulcery part of this is that I've read it and now I have to wait fooorreevvverrr to have it in my hands. *ulcer*

I LOVED it. I can't wait for the whole book!

Wonderful!

I loved it. Can't wait to read the rest. I do hope I get an ARC so I'm not tortured for quite as long waiting.

The first thing that I thought of after I finished reading was the quote from the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog. When the bayou witch was going, "It's gonna be GOOD!"

That's exactly what I thought. This. Is. Gonna. Be. GOOD!

Can't wait! Maggie my dear, you just might have outdone yourself.

Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing, can't wait till September now:)

I know that this has nothing to do with The Raven Boys, but I'm about to write two essays and minimized the page so I can go back and read it before bed tonight :D

But I noticed that you'll be going to Austin for an event on Monday, and I thought of this earlier today - I was at the TeenBookCon in Houston - but totally forgot to tell you when I asked you to sign my copy of Shiver and the Scorpio Races. There is a coffee shop in Austin called the Monkey's Nest (I was there last weekend and it is the greatest place in the world) and there is a tea there that my friends keep going on about. I'm not a tea drinker, but I know you are, so I thought I'd let you know that if you get a chance to go there you should buy the Persian tea. And you get a free refill on it! I enjoyed meeting you today, and I hope you enjoy Austin!! It's definitely an interesting place. :)

By the way, I read the first two chapters last night at midnight. When she saw the boy my roommate made a noise and it made me jump. By the time I was finished, I was working on my project again when my other roommate came out and scared the crap out of me. I need to make a note not to read those chapters again at night..

We also think we have a ghost that lives in our apartment. This didn't help.

BUT IT WAS SO WONDERFUL!!!!! <3

I am *so excited* about reading your first book told in third-person, and this excerpt increased that excitement a great deal more after I got a taste of it. Excellent sense of mood and place, and nicely tense foreshadowing, per your usual. Really hoping I can snag an ARC of this one so I don't have to wait until September!

Only question: is the moon supposed to be full or absent? It seemed like it was described in different ways across the first chapter, so I couldn't figure out which way to visualize it.

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I thought you might be interested to hear that SHIVER is included on the reading list for the graduate-level YA lit class I will take as part of my master's teaching program. My friend is in the class right now, and I gladly let her borrow my copy. I'll be in the class this summer. :)

Wow. That was just . . . beautiful and haunting and I have goosebumps all over my arms now. I think I sort of love Blue, maybe more then a little. This is a book I will be counting down the days for :)

ohmygosh I'm going to be sitting over here squealing uncontrollably for several minutes. I am SO EXCITED!

OMG... 3 pages in and I'm lovin' this. I'm searching for ways to stretch until September instead of reading 1 billion times until then.

iheartyourmind

Quick question- I'm not sure if you've answered this before within a blog (though in my head, it sounds like one you might've) and if you have my apologies in advance.

How did you know you weren't read to write The Raven Boys way back when you were 19/20? I ask because there's a particular project of mine that I've been invested in the last 3 years. I remember it took me about 9 months to write the first draft, took a break, did a second draft, and by the end of it I realized something was missing. But I wasn't sure what. I let other people read it and no one, for the most part, came back with responses that confirmed my inner nudgings. So when I began the third draft there were a lot of false starts, all of which I kept because I began to realize they were pieces to the puzzle but not quite ready to be apart of the lanscape I was focused on, they were just off to the side in a rubble of others similar pieces...

So not sure if this makes sense. Pretty sure I'm rambling but long story short I keep going back and forth in my head questioning rather I'm ready to take on this particular series knowing there's a lot of complexity to it or is it me? Am I just slacking and not investing in as much time as I need to? Or if it's both? Or if the fact that I'm questioning it is a clear indicator that I'm not and really am just being stubborn/arrogant thinking I can take it? Because it seems like I'm still learning/discovering things with it.

... Wen back and read that. I sound neurotic. Probably because I am :) Anywho any help or guidance you can provide will be much appreciated ^_^

I know I'm not who you're asking, but I've had the same thing happen to me multiple times. You're not neurotic, don't worry :) What I eventually just do is let it sit in the back of my mind while I focused on other stuff - school, relationships, friendships, just lived life, really - and when I decided to go back to it, I knew exactly how I wanted to write it, what had been missing, etc, even if it didn't hit me like a piano. It'll come to you - just give it time. I've been pretty busy lately, but if you'd want to send it to me, I can look it over and see if I find anything? Let me know. :)

First off, thank you for replying with your own experience. I think it's always helpful to get another person's perspective in writing matters ^_^ And I took what you said to heart. Part of me knew I wasn't ready but as I rolled around what you said I figured giving myself time and just working on it here and there until it does hit me. I plan on starting a list of what I think is missing instead of just keeping it in my head in hopes that this will help with the process.

Honestly, I'm not to sure that the second draft is readable. I still can't figure out how my friend got through it. But I do have some pieces from the 3rd draft that are. If you want to read that I'd be open for hearing your feedback and likewise if you need another set of eyes on anything your working on ^_^

Thanks again :)

Wow, that gave me chills at the end. I'm defintetly going to buy this book!! It was Awesome :)

I LOVED reading this sneak peek. Can't wait until the book comes out!

I also wanted to remark that, while I loved the Shiver trilogy and your magically lyrical writing, I can definitely see new growth in your writing style and I know that I will definitely enjoy reading this book :)

I love your dramatic chapter endings!

These preview chapters are so great promotion-wise.. now I HAVE to find out what happens!