Happy Birthday DEVIL!

Us Thirteeners are very excited today, because April Tucholke's BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is finally on shelves! *blasts off confetti cannon*

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Guys, THIS BOOK! I read it in one of its earliest form (April and I (Erin) have been critique partners since we were both unagented and chasing a dream), and even then DEVIL blew me away. The morally ambiguous characters! The gorgeous, visceral prose. The copious amounts of Creepy. And let's not forget the haunting gothic setting.

A crumbling estate...

set against an angry sea...

bordered by train tracks and tunnels...

and a sprawling graveyard.

All of which only become creepier after River rents Violet's guest house. Yes, River. With his crooked smile, and mischievous ways, and sexy swagger.

  

River, who Violet can't help loving even when she knows she shouldn't. 

Go grab your copy today! Just make sure you keep the light on while reading.

Congratulations, April! We couldn't be happier for you!

April Tucholke Takes the Dare

Okay, so Robin Weeks dared me to: Compose an open letter to the author(s) who wrote the books you are comparing or have compared your own book to. Talk about what you loved about his/her/their book(s) that inspired you to such blatant *ahem* emulation.
 
I'm going to take a twist on this dare. When I lived in Scotland, I wrote a series of letters to certain tourism offices in Britain, concerning authors/books/film adaptations that I love and that have inspired my writing. Below I've posted two. This is a longer post. Stick with it.

Letter 1:
 
November 24, 2009
Welcome to Yorkshire
Dry Sand Foundry Foundry Square Holbeck

Leeds, LS11 5WH 



Dear Office,

When I was offered the post of governess at an estate located in West Yorkshire, I was overjoyed. Having read certain works of classic literature set in your lovely moors, I had reasonably high expectations of what my new life would be like. Alas, nothing has fallen into place. My charge, rather than a misbegotten daughter of a French opera singer, was instead a very legitimate British girl of four whose favorite occupation was not dressing in fine clothes and singing lewd songs but playing boyishly out of doors (!) in pragmatic, waterproof attire. 



Then there is the matter of my employer. His name was Edward, but I always referred to him as Sir -- something I knew I would cease to do as soon as, after much Gothic confusion and struggle, we became engaged. But that's just it! I was prepared for him to already be married, of course, a predicament which would surface on the day of own wedding -- the rascal! But his wife was supposed to be mad, and locked away, not traipsing about with perfect sanity, planning vacations with Edward to the south of France, and scolding me for looking dreamy and not being about my work! 



Last, but not least, was the lack, the utter lack, of mystery about the manor 
where I worked. Were there labyrinth hallways? Yes. Were there dark chambers and ill-lit stairways? Yes. But there was no lunatic laughing in the middle of the night, no unexplainable fires, no bitten strangers, and not ONE mad woman locked in an attic. 



Not one. 



Please address my concerns.

Sincerely,  
Ms. A. Genevieve Tucholke
Spinster of St. Stephen’s Parish
 

Response: None, the humorless bastards.

Letter 2:

August 21, 2009 
Hampshire Office of Tourism 
Mottisfont Court High Street Wincester, Hampshire

Dear Office,
 
I have enjoyed your travel video series on BBC hosted by one Miss Marple. She aptly demonstrates both her sleuthing and traveling abilities as she solves murder cases throughout rural England, primarily, I am led to believe, in Hampshire. She serves as something of an inspiration to the rest of us spinsters. Her tip on catching the 4:50 from Paddington has been nothing short of life-altering.

On a recent motoring trip through England, however, I must admit to a great disappointment. While the villages of Hampshire were just as quaint and lovely as depicted in the travel video series, not a single murder occurred during my travels. For several weeks I motored through rural England, spending nights at village inns and listening closely to local gossip...but not once did I encounter dark family secrets or criminal plotting. And the greatest disappointment of all: I never encountered a single murder. Not one.

Now, much as I enjoyed your travel video series, I must inform you that it was misleading. (Please refer to the episodes “Murder at the Vicarage” or “The Moving Finger” for examples of what was reasonably expected). I shall not visit England again for several years. In the meantime, however, please consider expanding such attractions as poisoning, mistaken shotgun blasts, and vengeful stabbings to various villages as depicted in the non-fiction travel video series.

Sincerely, 
Ms. A. Genevieve Tucholke 
Spinster of St. Stephen’s Parish

Response: They totally sent me a letter. It was witty and dry and British and awesome, detailing their distress at the lack of murders and crime and corpses during my travels. They "completely sympathised with my disappointment about the lack of murders" but they wanted to focus their attention on "promoting Hampshire as a safe destination where visitors can relax...without fear of loss of life." 

I kept it on the fridge for months.


Questions:

1. Any wild guesses as to the fictional inspirations for either letter?
2. What tourist office would you choose to annoy with your letters?

 
April Genevieve Tucholke is a full-time writer who digs classic movies, red-headed villains, big kitchens, and discussing murder at the dinner table.  
 
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea will be published August 15, 2013 by Penguin/Dial
 

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA Cover Reveal and Epic DEVIL Starter Kit Giveaway!

We Friday the Thirteeners couldn't be more excited to reveal the cover for our own April Tucholke's YA debut BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA! A cover is a huge milestone in the publication journey, so it's always a big deal regardless. But when you get a cover that is absolutely perfect, it just makes it that much better. So today we are madly celebrating being able to finally have DEVIL up on our blog!

Drum roll, please....

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

Damn, that is one gorgeous cover for one incredible book! Not only that, the fantastic Kendare Blake, author of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES, has this to say about DEVIL:

"Tucholke's story of devils, innocence, and family secrets is lush, and rhythmic as a song. Seductive with a capital 'S'."

All of us Thirteeners couldn't agree more! For your very own chance to win an ARC of DEVIL and a one-of-a-kind DEVIL Starter Kit put together by April herself, make sure to visit Young Adult Books Central right away!

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA will be published by Dial/Penguin on August 15th, 2013. Add DEVIL to your Goodreads, and you can also pre-order it at Amazon!

About our girl: April Genevieve Tucholke digs classic movies, redheaded villains, big kitchens, and discussing murder at the dinner table. She lives in Oregon at the edge of a forest.

April, congratulations again on BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA! Your talent blows us away, and we're so looking forward to seeing DEVIL hit the shelves next year. We're all very, very proud of you!

April Tucholke Takes The Truth

Okay, so my turn to fess up again. Laura wrote in and truthed me this: What is the worst thing you’ve ever read?

I’m going to cheat a bit, because the poem below is both one of the worst things I’ve ever read...and one of the best. It was written on plain, lined notebook paper, in a gender neutral hand. I found it in a tiny drawer inside a wobbly little table in the coffee shop I used to frequent back in college. Who wrote it? Why did they love chicken so much? Why is it so...strange? Why paste, of all things?

Chicken.
White. So Glorious.
A beak for rummaging.
How I long to pet your white feathers. 

Come to me as I yearn to boil you in water. And nibble on your flesh.
Eat you. Eat you. Eat you. 

I feed you only to kill you.
Your feathers are the color of paste.
I like paste.

I paste when the wind blows.  
As the wind blows through your feathers.
Your feathers, the color of paste.

Did you write this poem? If so, then…I love you. Write me at fridaythethirteeners[at]gmail[dot]com and tell me the name of the coffee shop where I found it, so I know it’s really you.

Questions:  

1. What's the worst thing you've ever read? 
2. What are your favorite chicken poems? Are there any other chicken poems? Besides, of course, that brilliant one by William Carlos Williams...love that sucker.
3. Fill in the blank: So much depends up a ___ ___ glazed with rain water beside the ___ ___
4. What's the worst/best line in the poem above? I paste when the wind blows or I feed you only to kill you or Come to me as I yearn to boil you in water?
5. Can you write a chicken poem as good as this one?

Next up: Ellen Oh. Send her truth and dares here. If you are a published (or soon to be published) author, sign up to guest post with us.