As Effie might say: big, big, big news!

Ever since I was a little kid scribbling down horror stories about exploding heads (R.L. Stine's influence) and then fantasy stories about magical portals and flying demons (Tolkien's influence) and then bad romance novels with throbbing members SHHH WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THIS (my sisters' influence), I've only ever truly wanted one thing. Okay, wait, two things. The first was to ride a unicorn and fall into a faerie ring and live in a castle and dine with singing furniture (that totally counts as one).

But the second, more relevant thing was to be an author and someday share my writing with the world.

This is the part where I abandon all pretense at dignity b/c OHMIGOD GUYS I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED *runs in circles*

I've been waiting since October of last year (!!!) to share this, and now I feel like the Queen of Secret Keeping and don't think I didn't have a stare down with the Apocalypse because that sh*t needed to get in the back of the line (you're welcome).

So, right, this announcement just appeared in Publisher's Weekly:

"Tim Ditlow at Amazon Children's Publishing's Skyscape imprint has acquired a debut fantasy novel by Lori M. Lee called Gates of Thread and Stone. In the story, a teenage girl must keep her ability to manipulate the threads of time a secret, but when her brother goes missing, she risks getting caught up in a revolution in order to save him. Robin Benjamin will edit, for publication in spring 2014. Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary and Media did the two-book deal for world English rights."

LIFE HAS BEEN MADE. My agent is the bestest agent in all the world, and I'm so crazy-excited to be working with Robin and Skyscape.

Even though I've had what feels like ages to come to terms with it, it still feels unreal. I'm terrified and humbled and ecstatic that I'm going to have a REAL BOOK (OMG!) with, like, A COVER and PAGES and they'll even have to put MY NAME on it! (they have to, right?)

I hope you guys will like it half as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's got magic and mind control and family dynamics (no one is surprised) and gargoyles and fighting and romance and lots of other stuff you'll just have to wait and read to find out about :D :D :D

P.S. More details about the road to 'Yes' coming soon.

P.P.S. If you have any questions--about me, publishing, querying, whatever--please ask in the comments, and if I'm able to answer it, I will do so in a following post.


♥

Personality by Blood Type

Sometimes, it's fun to play around with ways to build your character's personality even before you begin writing her/him. What's their sign? Western astrology or Chinese zodiac or both? What's their MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)?

I'm sort of a manga nerd, and something you always see on manga character profiles is blood type. Here's how they classify according to The Huffington Post:

Blood Type: A
Personality traits: Conservative, introverted, reserved, patient, a perfectionist.
Worst traits: Obsessive, self-conscious, sometimes uptight and stubborn

People with blood type A are to referred to as 'farmers' and are considerate to others and extremely loyal. They can be quite secretive and reluctant to share their feelings.

Blood Type: B
Personality traits: Creative, flexible, individualistic, optimistic, passionate.
Worst traits: Forgetful and sometimes, irresponsible

Type B personalities are empathetic, easily understanding others' points of view, yet often hesitating to challenge or confront. Chameleon-like and flexible, they make good friends.

However, type B men have a different reputation and aren't considered as 'marriage material' in Korea, where they are perceived as 'players' and are often selfish and mercurial.

Blood Type: AB
Personality traits: Cool, controlled, introverted, rational
Worst traits: Critical, indecisive, unforgiving and aloof

Type AB personalities tend to be very charming and popular. They don't sweat the small stuff and can be seen as spiritual and even at times, a bit "flaky".

They are believed to be controlled by their heads rather than their hearts. Sometimes it is difficult to be an AB. AB's don't like to fit in anyone else's "boxes". If they feel too confined, they'll break out of that box and do things their own way.

Blood Type: O
Personality traits: Ambitious, self-confident, robust
Worst traits: Arrogant, insensitive, vain

People with blood type O are viewed as natural leaders and are often keen athletes. They are outgoing, expressive and passionate. They have an insatiable appetite for success and aren't afraid to take risks or a gamble.

Generally speaking, AB types are considered the worst, which is interesting because those are the characters I'm usually drawn to (in manga). RARELY is the main protagonist blood type AB (with the notable exception of Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin).

If you're curious about reading more about blood type personality summaries, here and here are some good places to start :)

Happy character building! ♥