Skyship Academy: The Music - Day One

It's hard for me to even process, but my debut novel, SKYSHIP ACADEMY: THE PEARL WARS, will be released in just over a month (Sept. 8th, to be exact). In honor of that, all this week is going to be a fusion of the largest portions (non-day-job) of my life: music and writing. Each day I'll take a character from the book and post two songs that not only sound futuristic and awesome, but fit that character as well. Should be fun! And today, we start with one of the main characters:

JESSE FISHER

Who: fifteen-year-old Skyship Academy trainee ** slacker/klutz deemed all but hopeless by the faculty ** mysterious past may lead to a truth both powerful and dangerous

Songs:

Pnau - The Truth
Much of Jesse's past is shrouded in mystery. His parents were killed in an Academy mission when he was only a few years old. The faculty of the Academy act strangely around him, and he's never sure who he can trust completely. This, understandably, leads to a lot of confusion, self-doubt and frustration. The lyrics to this track express all of this, but the giant, aggressive melody does it one better by truly summing up all the feelings swirling around in his mind.

The Truth by Pnau

The Sound of Arrows - Into The Clouds
Because of the isolated nature of the Academy, Jesse often expresses a fantasy of breaking free and leaving for good (preferably with his crush, Avery Wicksen - more on her later this week). Of course, the teachers and staff aren't about to let this happen. This song has the wistful sound to it that compliments the first track as well as presenting more of the optimistic, adventurous side to his personality. Plus, I think the general feel is very Skyshippy.

Sound of Arrows - Into The Clouds by jonnylightning

Preorder the book here!
And find out more by joining the facebook group

Skyship Academy: The Music - Day One

It's hard for me to even process, but my debut novel, SKYSHIP ACADEMY: THE PEARL WARS, will be released in just over a month (Sept. 8th, to be exact). In honor of that, all this week is going to be a fusion of the largest portions (non-day-job) of my life: music and writing. Each day I'll take a character from the book and post two songs that not only sound futuristic and awesome, but fit that character as well. Should be fun! And today, we start with one of the main characters:

JESSE FISHER

Who: fifteen-year-old Skyship Academy trainee ** slacker/klutz deemed all but hopeless by the faculty ** mysterious past may lead to a truth both powerful and dangerous

Songs:

Pnau - The Truth
Much of Jesse's past is shrouded in mystery. His parents were killed in an Academy mission when he was only a few years old. The faculty of the Academy act strangely around him, and he's never sure who he can trust completely. This, understandably, leads to a lot of confusion, self-doubt and frustration. The lyrics to this track express all of this, but the giant, aggressive melody does it one better by truly summing up all the feelings swirling around in his mind.

The Truth by Pnau

The Sound of Arrows - Into The Clouds
Because of the isolated nature of the Academy, Jesse often expresses a fantasy of breaking free and leaving for good (preferably with his crush, Avery Wicksen - more on her later this week). Of course, the teachers and staff aren't about to let this happen. This song has the wistful sound to it that compliments the first track as well as presenting more of the optimistic, adventurous side to his personality. Plus, I think the general feel is very Skyshippy.

Sound of Arrows - Into The Clouds by jonnylightning

Preorder the book here!
And find out more by joining the facebook group

Skyship Academy has a new Cover!!

And it's glorious!



A reminder: the book's out on September 8th
And "like" the Facebook page if you haven't already

Skyship Academy has a new Cover!!

And it's glorious!



A reminder: the book's out on September 8th
And "like" the Facebook page if you haven't already

Win an ARC of SKYSHIP ACADEMY!

Pausing music posts for a moment, I wanted to announce that you can enter to win an Advanced Readers Copy of my debut novel, Skyship Academy, over at my goodreads page. It's only open to readers from North America, but if that's you, go on over and enter! The contest is open through May.

Enter here!

And a reminder, if you haven't already, to head over and "like" the facebook fan page so you can stay updated on the latest news :)

Win an ARC of SKYSHIP ACADEMY!

Pausing music posts for a moment, I wanted to announce that you can enter to win an Advanced Readers Copy of my debut novel, Skyship Academy, over at my goodreads page. It's only open to readers from North America, but if that's you, go on over and enter! The contest is open through May.

Enter here!

And a reminder, if you haven't already, to head over and "like" the facebook fan page so you can stay updated on the latest news :)

Skyship Academy - Presale

Hey, good readers! Just a friendly note to let you know that my debut YA novel, SKYSHIP ACADEMY: THE PEARL WARS is now available on Amazon for presale. I promise I won't be bombarding you with advertisements on a regular basis (this is a music blog, after all), but if you want more information and this post gets buried, just click on the cover image in the corner of the blog. It'll be up for awhile...

And on a personal note, seeing my book on a site like Amazon is definitely a dream come true. It's one of those weird things that make it all seem real.

Below is the cover (again) and the blurb from my publisher:

A devastated Earth�s last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space, and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers�political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth�s stratosphere�and the corrupt Surface government.

Jesse Fisher, a Skyship brat, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable�and dangerous�abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess. Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn�t know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls.

�Skyship Academy is one of those books you�ll read straight through if at all possible. I absolutely devoured it from page one. And even though the story itself kept me captivated, I think the characters became the part I Ioved the most. A definite must read!�

�James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of THE MAZE RUNNER and THE 13th REALITY series

Here's the Amazon link.
You can also preorder the book directly from my publisher, Flux.

Skyship Academy - Presale

Hey, good readers! Just a friendly note to let you know that my debut YA novel, SKYSHIP ACADEMY: THE PEARL WARS is now available on Amazon for presale. I promise I won't be bombarding you with advertisements on a regular basis (this is a music blog, after all), but if you want more information and this post gets buried, just click on the cover image in the corner of the blog. It'll be up for awhile...

And on a personal note, seeing my book on a site like Amazon is definitely a dream come true. It's one of those weird things that make it all seem real.

Below is the cover (again) and the blurb from my publisher:

A devastated Earth�s last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space, and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers�political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth�s stratosphere�and the corrupt Surface government.

Jesse Fisher, a Skyship brat, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable�and dangerous�abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess. Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn�t know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls.

�Skyship Academy is one of those books you�ll read straight through if at all possible. I absolutely devoured it from page one. And even though the story itself kept me captivated, I think the characters became the part I Ioved the most. A definite must read!�

�James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of THE MAZE RUNNER and THE 13th REALITY series

Here's the Amazon link.
You can also preorder the book directly from my publisher, Flux.

Skyship Academy - The Cover!

No music post today, because I've got something much more exciting. After three years of writing, revising, hunting for a publisher, etc etc, my debut young adult novel will be released this September. And today, I get to reveal the gorgeous cover.

So here's the first book in the series, Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars. I'll have preorder links on the blog when they become available, but for now you can find more information on my newly launched website, my personal facebook page, or the facebook fan page I've set up for the book (go ahead and "like" it! You know you want to :)



Short blurb: When a fifteen-year-old slacker discovers that he has the power to control Pearls � fragments of space debris that are a dying Earth�s most important energy source � the government�s forces work to capture him.

Skyship Academy - The Cover!

No music post today, because I've got something much more exciting. After three years of writing, revising, hunting for a publisher, etc etc, my debut young adult novel will be released this September. And today, I get to reveal the gorgeous cover.

So here's the first book in the series, Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars. I'll have preorder links on the blog when they become available, but for now you can find more information on my newly launched website, my personal facebook page, or the facebook fan page I've set up for the book (go ahead and "like" it! You know you want to :)



Short blurb: When a fifteen-year-old slacker discovers that he has the power to control Pearls � fragments of space debris that are a dying Earth�s most important energy source � the government�s forces work to capture him.

My Other Gig

The link's been hanging out in my blogroll for awhile now, but for those of you interested in fantasy and sci-fi young adult books, I post a couple times a month on The Spectacle, a blog run by writers of the genre. This week we're talking about movie adaptations, and today I posted a review round-up (similar to this blog's Pop Blitz) of movies.

Also, I did an interview with them a couple of months ago about my upcoming book, Skyship Academy.

My Other Gig

The link's been hanging out in my blogroll for awhile now, but for those of you interested in fantasy and sci-fi young adult books, I post a couple times a month on The Spectacle, a blog run by writers of the genre. This week we're talking about movie adaptations, and today I posted a review round-up (similar to this blog's Pop Blitz) of movies.

Also, I did an interview with them a couple of months ago about my upcoming book, Skyship Academy.

Skyship Academy

Ever since I was a kid, I've been writing stories. As I grew up, I realized that story-writing could be more than a hobby, and about six years ago I started writing seriously with publication a distant, seemingly unattainable dream. Thousands of pages of unused manuscripts later, I began tackling the business side of publishing, seeking out an agent in the summer of 2008. As the new year began, I took the next step and found representation for my novel. Eight months later and I'm thrilled to announce that I've signed a two-book deal with Flux for the first two installments of my Skyship Academy series. The first book will be released in 2011!

I write for teens and kids, and have always focused on that audience. It's what I personally like to read as well, and a place where I can be truly imaginative without having to explain myself. Skyship Academy is a fast-paced sci-fi adventure, inspired by some of my favorite authors in the genre - Eoin Colfer, Anthony Horowitz and James Patterson among many, many others. Here's a very brief summary/teaser taken from the official announcement on Publishers Marketplace:

SKYSHIP ACADEMY
When a fifteen-year-old slacker discovers that he has the power to control Pearls - fragments of space debris that are a dying Earth's most important energy source - the government's forces work to capture him.

As with any book release, there's a lot of work to do between now and publication, but I'll keep you guys updated throughout the process, as well as link to my author site when it's up and ready. And, as always, you can follow me on twitter for updates on this and other little day-to-day things that I like to pretend are one hundred times wittier and interesting than they actually are.

And a huge thank you to this blog's loyal readers. It's been a struggle at times to keep everything up and running this year as revisions and editing knock down my door, and I imagine it'll only get busier, but rest assured tattoowesley is going nowhere. I love my pop music too much!

Skyship Academy

Ever since I was a kid, I've been writing stories. As I grew up, I realized that story-writing could be more than a hobby, and about six years ago I started writing seriously with publication a distant, seemingly unattainable dream. Thousands of pages of unused manuscripts later, I began tackling the business side of publishing, seeking out an agent in the summer of 2008. As the new year began, I took the next step and found representation for my novel. Eight months later and I'm thrilled to announce that I've signed a two-book deal with Flux for the first two installments of my Skyship Academy series. The first book will be released in 2011!

I write for teens and kids, and have always focused on that audience. It's what I personally like to read as well, and a place where I can be truly imaginative without having to explain myself. Skyship Academy is a fast-paced sci-fi adventure, inspired by some of my favorite authors in the genre - Eoin Colfer, Anthony Horowitz and James Patterson among many, many others. Here's a very brief summary/teaser taken from the official announcement on Publishers Marketplace:

SKYSHIP ACADEMY
When a fifteen-year-old slacker discovers that he has the power to control Pearls - fragments of space debris that are a dying Earth's most important energy source - the government's forces work to capture him.

As with any book release, there's a lot of work to do between now and publication, but I'll keep you guys updated throughout the process, as well as link to my author site when it's up and ready. And, as always, you can follow me on twitter for updates on this and other little day-to-day things that I like to pretend are one hundred times wittier and interesting than they actually are.

And a huge thank you to this blog's loyal readers. It's been a struggle at times to keep everything up and running this year as revisions and editing knock down my door, and I imagine it'll only get busier, but rest assured tattoowesley is going nowhere. I love my pop music too much!