Lois Lane

She Lives + Cincy Event This Weekend!

Lois Lane, Nattering, Real Life / By /

My usual oops for disappearing. This time it was to finish up my draft of Girl in the Shadows, which — hooray! — I did and turned in yesterday. On to the next deadlines! The rest of the year is all revising and proposals and such, I believe: my favorite.

LoisLanefinalcoverBut first! I’ll be at Books by the Banks in Cincinnati tomorrow. If you’re in the area, don’t miss out. It’s a great time, a truly excellent festival, with so many fantastic writers under one roof signing books and meeting readers and doing fun panels and events. I’ll be part of the Teen Scene VIP Meet and Greet at 11 a.m., and otherwise around at my table where I’ll happily sign your books and present you with Lois Lane swag. Come say hi. An excellent place to pick up early holiday gifts as well.

I know I have not yet awarded the TWO advance copies of Double Down that were part of my bonus contest, but I promise I will do so as soon as I’m back home on Sunday. I do ye olde fashioned paper slips for entries and draw, a process which I will document. Thanks for entering. I suppose we need to start cooking up a good preorder campaign for next spring too. *twirls fingers*

What have I been up to when I haven’t been feverishly writing? Working on secret projects and possible projects and other writing-related stuff, of course. But for the first time in a long time — a long long long loooong time — I decided to try something for fun and give myself permission not to be good at it. Which is to say I started going to the fabulous Bella Forza studio here in town, taking intro to aerial silks.

Yesterday was my first aerial yoga class, and I’m having so much fun. Even though I’m bad at these things! I like the people there (both the instructors and the other people in the classes) a metric ton. I was talking to someone who started with the same idea yesterday, of just trying with no expectation of rocking it, and she was talking about how she can now hold herself up on the silks for a few seconds and that’s soooo much better than when she started. And we agreed there is a real pleasure in having your goal be to get stronger and have fun, and to know that you will still be completely mediocre. So, silks and related activities, I’m becoming a big fan. Also very proud of the impressive bruise I managed to give myself last week. What an athlete I must be! Ahem, wink.

Among the other good things of yesterday was this incredible, adorable fan art of Lois and Clark in Fallout. These illustrations are just perfection. So definitely go ogle and heart them. I do. Thank you so much to the wonderfully talented Amelia. You made my day.

Back soon with contest winners and other natterings.

Review Mania (aka, Get Some Lois Swag)

Lois Lane, Silly Games / By /

Several people have asked how to get their hands on Lois Lane swag if they can’t make it to events this fall and I’ve come up with a way (actually, I stole this idea from the fabulous Megan Shepherd who did something similar with her bookmarks). Anyway, read on if you are one of these interested parties…

You may perhaps wonder why authors are always asking people to leave Amazon reviews — well, in part it’s because the number of reviews can be a factor in what kinds of promotions a book is eligible for there (and promotions are good, because they help a book get to new readers, etc). Not to mention, lots of people go consult Amazon before they buy a book, whether they ultimately purchase there or from their local indie or elsewhere. (I’m all about supporting your indie!)

Why are you telling us this, you ask? Wellll, there are a lot of you who have kindly reviewed Fallout on your blogs or Goodreads or Tumblr, but maybe not yet cross-posted those reviews to retail sites like Amazon and/or B&N (where the book could use some more reviews). So, here’s a little contest (or not so much a contest as an easy way to score some swag) to encourage you to review the book at Amazon too: The first 20 people to add a review on Amazon and send me a link to it along with your mailing address (US only, sorry! the postage is coming out of my pocket) will get swag mail with at least one sticker and bookmark. You can even state your sticker preference for the Fallout or Double Down cover. Some lucky people will also get a What Would Lois Lane Do? wristband. Let’s say this goes for the next two weeks, but it’s first come first serve so don’t delay if you want stuff. Examples of the things you will receive:

Here’s the link to Fallout’s Amazon page, and here’s the contact page where you can send me the link to your review and your mailing address. Can’t participate for whatever reason? Perfectly fine! There will be other opportunities to get swaggy things at some point. And let’s go on and say that everyone who does this will be entered into a drawing to win an advance copy of Double Down too.

Newsy + Upcoming Events

Lois Lane, Real Life / By /

double down coverThis is a semi-long post, but only because it needed to be. Forewarned!

Double Down 

So, of course, you guys already had the preliminary skinny on Double Down. But this week brought a little more excitement — including the official official announcement (publicity contact info for media can be found at that link), which got some very nice coverage. A sampling:

And more. I’m linking to these because, well, wow, this is PRETTY FREAKING COOL, NGL, I want people to be excited about the book! I am! But I also want to give some kudos to my fabulous, super-hard-working publicist on the Lois Lane series: April Roberts. April, you rock. (You can and should follow her on twitter at that handle, but the @switchpresspub handle is the best for book stuff — also a good place to follow for things in the next section of this post.)

Also, brand new interview with the Superman Super Site. Check it out.

More Excitement

Anyway! Yay! Other excitements of this week included the mail bringing some swag and some ARCs (*falls over, breathes into bag*). You might be able to score any of these things at some point online, through my newsletter (sign up at the top of the page), or — especially easy — if you’re at any of my upcoming events.

(The bookmarks are very cool and I am obsessed with the stickers.) And ARCs, so early! Ack! 

(They are so soft and nice! Yes, I am a nerd.)

Upcoming Events: Next week!Dragoncon

A reminder of my DragonCon schedule:

  • A Safe Space For Female Readers
    Description: A discussion about embracing and expanding female readership in Comics.
    Time: Friday 1 p.m. Location: Hanover F – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
    Panelists: Gwenda M Bond, Laurenn McCubbin
  • Gateway to Comics
    Time: Friday 2:30 p.m. Location:  (Hanover F)
    Panelists: Gwenda Bond, Chandra Free, Josh R. Trujillo
  • YA Urban and Contemporary Fantasy
    Description: Fantasy isn’t just dragons and knights – come see how contemporary characters and places feature in young adult fantasy!
    Time: Friday 4 p.m. Location: A707 – Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
    Panelists: Delilah S. Dawson, Gwenda M Bond, Zac Brewer, Christi J. Whitney, Cinda Williams Chima, A. J. Hartley
  • Reading: Gwenda Bond
    Time: Saturday 11:30 a.m. Location: Marietta – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

The reading will be fun! I’ll probably read for less than 10 minutes from Double Down, do a short reading with Christopher Rowe from something still secrety and then take questions, sign things, and give away books. In fact, I will give away at least one of these gorgeous Double Down ARCs, so you should definitely come. And to the other things!

I’ll be around some at DragonCon at other times too (we’re staying over there the whole weekend), and I love meeting readers and Lois Lane fans so do not hesitate to introduce yourself. Come get things! I will also have some What Would Lois Lane Do? bracelets with me, in addition to the bookmarks and stickers, and I’ll be donating a copy of Fallout and an ARC of Double Down to the charity auction too.

decatur-book-festival_1I’m also going to be doing events Saturday and Sunday at Decatur Book Festival (can’t wait). My Decatur Book Festival schedule:

  • Keeping Your Sense of Humor in YA: When the going gets tough, what’s a girl to do? YA authors Gwenda Bond and Hollis Gillespie share feisty female protagonists who are always capable of keeping their wits and sense of humor about them.
    Time: Saturday 4 p.m.
    Location: Teen Stage
    Panelists: Gwenda Bond and Hollis Gillespie, moderated by Justin Colussy-Estes

Signing after, with books available for purchase, and swag for the taking. And:

  • YA Truth or Dare: Popular YA authors are pitted against one another in a lively game of Truth or Dare!
    Time: Sunday 4 p.m.
    Location: Teen Stage
    Panelists: Becky Albertalli, David Arnold, Gwenda Bond, Libba Bray, Terra Elan McVoy, and Andrew Smith, introduced by Kimberly Jones

Miscellany

And last but not least a smattering of random things…

You made it through the entire post. *tosses confetti*

Schedule for DragonCon & Decatur Book Festival + School Visit Info + Super Radio

1 Comment / Lois Lane, Uncategorized / By /

Are you in the Atlanta area over Labor Day weekend? Me too. Here’s my schedule as it currently stands for DragonCon and Decatur Book Fest. I’ll be packing some stickers of the Lois Lane covers, bookmarks featuring same, and a few of the WWLLD bracelets. Come say hi!

DragonCon Schedule! 

  • A Safe Space For Female Readers
    Description: A discussion about embracing and expanding female readership in Comics.
    Time: Friday 1 p.m. Location: Hanover F – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
    (Tentative Panelists: Gwenda M Bond, Laurenn McCubbin)
  • YA Urban and Contemporary Fantasy
    Description: Fantasy isn’t just dragons and knights – come see how contemporary characters and places feature in young adult fantasy!
    Time: Friday 4 p.m. Location: A707 – Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
    (Tentative Panelists: Delilah S. Dawson, Gwenda M Bond, Zac Brewer, Christi J. Whitney, Cinda Williams Chima, A. J. Hartley)
  • Reading: Gwenda Bond
    Time: Saturday 11:30 a.m. Location: Marietta – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
    (Tentative Panelists: Gwenda M Bond)

Note: I’ll update these with confirmed panelists next week. The reading will be a great place to get swag or books signed (in fact, consider this a de facto signing too), and perhaps hear a little snippet of the second Lois book and I’ll have Christopher with me so we might do a short tandem reading from something you will have to keep secret for the time being. I’ll also have a few books with me in case the dealer’s room is in short supply.

Decatur Book Festival schedule!

  • Keeping Your Sense of Humor in YA: When the going gets tough, what’s a girl to do? YA authors Gwenda Bond and Hollis Gillespie share feisty female protagonists who are always capable of keeping their wits and sense of humor about them.
    Time: Saturday 4 p.m. Location: Teen Stage
    Panelists: Gwenda Bond and Hollis Gillespie, moderated by Justin Colussy-Estes

Signing after, with books available for purchase.

  • YA Truth or Dare: Popular YA authors are pitted against one another in a lively game of Truth or Dare!
    Time: Sunday 4 p.m. Location: Teen Stage
    Panelists: Becky Albertalli, David Arnold, Gwenda Bond, Libba Bray, Terra Elan McVoy, and Andrew Smith, introduced by Kimberly Jones

I sense this will escalate quickly. *twirls fingers*

School and library visit availability!

I’ve been hearing from more people about whether I’m available for school and library visits and the answer is yes. I’ve put together a page explaining the different presentations I do and the cost; I’m currently booking for the 2016 calendar year, so if you’d like me to visit your school or library get in touch via that page’s contact form.

Super Radio Tonight!

Happy birthday to Lois Joanne Lane today, August 17! In a fitting coincidence, I’ll be a guest on tonight’s “Radio Kal Live,” a weekly show produced by the Superman Homepage. You can listen in and call in with questions. Info and details here. The show starts at 7:30PST/10:30EST.

Double Down Cover Reveal!

Lois Lane, Uncategorized / By /

A sequence of tweets last night:


Hit play for full mesmerizing gif impact!

And here’s the image on its own:

double down cover

 

Thanks to my wonderful publisher, Capstone/Switch Press, and the amazing team there, who I’m so thrilled to be working with again. And to DC/Warner Bros, our super-important partners on this project, who are also an amazing team to work with. Also, as always, to my agent Jenn Laughran, the best. Long story short: I still don’t quite understand how I got lucky enough for the universe to bring me this project, but I’m so very grateful for your response to it. Keep telling everyone to read Fallout in the meantime. <3

Double Down is already up for pre-order at Amazon and will be at other places soon, I expect. The little description from there:

Lois Lane has settled in to her new school. She has friends, for maybe the first time in her life. She has a job that challenges her. And her friendship is growing with SmallvilleGuy, her online maybe-more-than-a-friend. But when her friend Maddy’s twin collapses in a part of town she never should’ve been in, Lois finds herself embroiled in a dangerous mystery that brings her closer to the dirty underbelly of Metropolis.

I hope you guys are going to love this book even more than Fallout. It’s not quite through with editing yet, but I already do. It’s got lots of juicy stakes-raising and scary danger and learning how to navigate friendships and hopefully everything you liked about book one but MORE.

You may be wondering why we did the reveal this way and when the cover is not quite yet final per that little strip on the bottom — well, I think we are always thinking, let’s just go straight to the readers, because impatient and also fun. We also knew we couldn’t wait until the cover was entirely final to show it to you for publishing reasons. Pause for nerdery: Even though the book won’t be out until May next year, now is the time when the publisher’s sales team begins to go out and show their list for next spring to their big bookstore and retail accounts to try and get them to order and be excited about the new books. Which means they have to have something to show them, and those things inevitably end up posted online at some point anyway and, hey, other people being excited about it already can’t be a bad thing, right?

Right!

Again, beaming from ear-to-ear about this great cover by the wonderful Bob Lentz (superhero name across the chest = genius!) and can’t wait to share another Lois book with you! I have OTHER, UNRELATED SECRETS that will probably be revealed before the end of the year, but for now I better go get my morning words on the sequel to Girl on a Wire. Writing about a magician is just as fun as I thought it would be.

That Little Sequel Question Answered (Newsy!) + Twitter Chat

2 Comments / Lois Lane / By /

After months of required cageyness I knew that this news would pop up soon, but not exactly when. But the when was yesterday, courtesy of the Publishers Weekly spring sneak previews:

YES, THERE IS A SEQUEL TO FALLOUT AND I HAVE WRITTEN IT AND IT IS CALLED DOUBLE DOWN! AND IT WILL BE OUT NEXT SPRING! AND I HOPE YOU ARE EXCITED!

*lowers voice* I hate secrets and I am SO EXCITED and can’t wait to be able to tell you more about DOUBLE DOWN. Which is currently in the editing process and heading swiftly toward the ARC phase (ack! they don’t tell you when you become an author nervous-making things never stop!) and hopefully a cover we can show you very soon. Along with more details about the book! Thanks to all of you and to the lovely publishers and people at Capstone/Switch Press and DC/WB for making this happen. FALLOUT has only been out a few months, so keep recommending it and spreading the word about the series and maybe there’ll be even more books to come. It’s such an honor for me to get to contribute to Lois’s legacy. Here’s a Tumblr post about the sequel news, if that’s your platform of choice.

I’ll be participating in a twitter chat hosted by YA Books Central this Thursday night about all things LOIS LANE and any other writing topics you want me to talk about.


The hashtag is #gwendabondchat — come join! I’ll also be at Gencon next week, but that schedule deserves its own post. Back soon with that.

And here are two recently released podcast interviews — I had a blast doing both of these:

  • With expert on all things geekish (and all things Superman) Alan Sizzler Kistler on his recently relaunched Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast (subscribe on iTunes or listen on Soundcloud);
  • With What the Fangirl on their podcast in a dual episode about Fallout and Kimmy Schmidt (how can you beat that? get it here)

All The Things

Lois Lane / By /

I didn’t intend to not update here since release — and of course I’ve still been around my haunts of choice, twitter and tumblr — but I had a book draft to finish and have been doing a lot of promote-y things too and so it happened. Which means I have many new things to share here, because I turned in said book yesterday. *tosses confetti of relief*

First, and most soon, there’s tomorrow night’s Lois Lane: Fallout twitter chat. Please to join! You can tweet questions in advance or during. Otherwise I’ll be forced to awkwardly chat with myself. No one wants that.

Next up, I’ll be at BEA. I’ll be signing Lois Lane: Fallout at the Capstone Publishing booth at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, and hanging around the Capstone booth party at 4 p.m. (word on the street is that some people will be wearing Lois Lane t-shirts!). If you’re coming to BEA that day, be there…or be elsewhere (but I will be sad if you are!). I’ll be around some informally on Friday too. And I finally updated my events page with all the upcoming stuff, so come catch me (and next month, the Dangerous Ladies) somewhere. There have been MANY new reviews and lots of interviews and even a guest post since I posted here. A round-up:

There is more and more to come, but to say I’m humbled and thrilled by the enthusiastic reception to Fallout so far is a major understatement. All your reviews, tweet, posts, and reactions (fan art!) mean the world. Please do buy, read, and share about the book if you love it. Word of mouth is the single most important thing you can do to ensure more Lois (and to help out any book or author you like). And do consider  leaving an Amazon review (and/or on Goodreads), if you enjoy the book — it can be long or short, and you don’t have to purchase there to do so. Amazon rankings and searches factor in the number of reviews a book has, and they really do help other readers find books. I’m also told the book is now showing up in Barnes & Noble; but remember, if your B&N or indie bookstore doesn’t have it, they can order it for you. And your library is always another option. <3

I’ll finish up by memorializing a couple of !!! moments here:

Lois Is Here!

Lois Lane / By /

Publication day has arrived! Let there be a celebration of Lois across the land!

Speaking of: tonight join in a live watch and tweet party of Superman: The Movie, featuring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as my very first Lois Lane. The fun starts at 8 p.m. EDT on twitter, using the hashtag #loislanefallout. More info on this and other Lois Lane-related online plans here.

The obligatory buy links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Powells

And if you’re headed out for Free Comic Book Day tomorrow, press copies you see in local shops into the hands of strangers. THANK YOU. 😉

If you read only one Lois-related thing today, make it this essay by my fabulous editor Beth Brezenoff, “Of Loud Girls and Lois.” Spoiler alert: It made me cry.

I could not ask to work with a better publishing or PR team than Capstone’s, and I’m so, so grateful for all their efforts on behalf and support of this book.

A smattering of other new things:

  • An interview with DC Women Kicking Ass (who says lovely things about the book).
  • An interview with Robin Herrera at the VCFA Launchpad (grad school represent!).
  • A new review at Nerd Problems: “Fans of any decade of mystery meets YA fiction will love ‘Lois Lane: Fallout’. And hopefully this is just the start of all our Lane adventures to come in this series. Fantastic writing, impeccable character development and characters you cannot help but love!”
  • A new review at Teen Reads: “Young adult readers will definitely appreciate this fresh take on classic characters no matter how familiar they may already be. I hope that this continues as a series and I’m definitely interested in checking out more of Bond’s work.”
  • And a just-published-today in-depth review by Tim Hanley at Comics Journal: “Lois Lane: Fallout is an innovative and overdue revitalization of Lois Lane, and stands on its own as a stellar YA debut for the character, but it also fits in well with DC Comics’ larger aims.”
  • More to come, so keep an eye on the at the Lois Lane: Fallout official Tumblr!

And one last reminder that Fallout’s Launch Party will be at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky, next Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Out of town? Jo-Beth will happily ship you a signed copy. Just call or email them to order. And there will be a special Lois-themed menu in the café, which is basically among the funnest things ever.

Thank you all again for the pub day well wishes and word spreading — I’m completely overwhelmed by your loveliness. You’re all superheroes to me.

Newsletter + Some News

Books, Girl on a Wire, Lois Lane / By /

I’m away at a retreat this week and also on deadline (ack!), so this will be short and sweet.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the panel at the LA Times Festival of Books — and to moderator extraordinaire Aaron Hartzler, and lovely fellow panelists Danielle Paige and Sara Benincasa. We had such fun! And it was very exciting how quickly copies of Fallout sold out, but also how many of you bought or brought Girl on a Wire. Also, this was just a tremendously well-run festival and it was a real honor for me to be a part of it. I got to catch up with lots of friends (Kelly Link and I went to dinner at the Magic Castle, a long-time dream of mine) and I met some wonderful people — including the very fancy Margie Stohl, author of this fall’s forthcoming Black Widow YA novel. A fun picture of me, Margie and Danielle:

Go Natasha Romanov! Go Lois Lane! Go Dorothy Gale! @gwendabond @daniellempaige #bookfest

A photo posted by Margaret Stohl (@margaret_stohl) on

I just did a newsletter with all the things in it, including a reminder that Girl on a Wire will be in a bunch of Wal-Marts starting next week (keep an eye out!) and of course many many Lois Lane things. Eep!

Those include the launch party (May 8 at Joseph-Beth) and some June tour news. I’ll be on the road with these fabulous, DANGEROUS LADIES, all of who are at this week’s retreat:

dangerousladies

Some recent reviews and a new interview about the book:

And next week is the official release (though I’ll still be on deadline — ack!), so keep sending your reactions and photos of the book and et cetera et cetera. There will be more interviews and other things happening. Please consider purchasing early (and often — I kid, mostly ;-), and consider posting an Amazon and/or Goodreads review and sharing if you enjoy the book. Thanks again to everyone for your excitement! I hope you love the book.

*breathes into bag*

Hair-on-Fire Update (+ LA Times FoB schedule!)

Lois Lane, Uncategorized / By /

Hello! So many things are happening. It’s busy, busy times here at Chez Bond-Rowe. And I am on deadline as well, so have not been updating here as faithfully as twitter and elsewhere.

Official release for Fallout approaches! As does the date for me to turn in a draft of new thing! And there’s lots else going on, some secret and some to be revealed soon enough!

  • First up: if you’re in the Los Angeles area, come out to the Festival of Books and say hi! I’ll be on a panel Saturday at 12:30 on the YA stage, discussing new takes on classic stories with the very fancy Sara Benincasa and Danielle Paige, moderated by the also very fancy Aaron Hartzler. We’ll be signing right afterward. I’m sure it will be a good time. So come hear the things and then say hi and get books signed (I believe there will be copies of both Girl on a Wire and Lois Lane on sale). When not paneling, I will be here and there, so also say hi anywhere, if you can’t make the panel. Though I will be dashing away to a weeklong workshop in South Carolina early Sunday, so if you see someone at bookfest who looks like me Sunday — I hope it is not me! But, in the meantime, I’m very much looking forward to rooming in LA with dear friends Kelly Link and Genevieve Valentine; I suspect there will be hijinks.
  • The “what does Lois mean to you?” entries last week were fantastic. So very happy-making. The contest continues this week–through April 17 to be precise–and there will be up to 10 more winners who’ll get advance copies, announced Friday. Tweet or you can message via tumblr using the hashtag #loislanefallout. But who do I message on tumblr? you ask…
  • There is a super-fancy Lois Lane: Fallout tumblr made by the lovely Switch Press and their PR ninjas! You can submit messages via there. Or just peruse it and pet your screen (it’s that pretty). It’s filled with snippets from the book and related info and #WWLD gets its own page heading even, and I encourage you to follow and share. Happy-making.
  • Speaking of super-fancy and happy-making things: there was a Publishers Weekly email blast ad last week that a kind soul tumblred so here it is if you missed it *and* there are early copies floating around pre-official release date and that inspired a group of fabulous Lois Lane fans to put together an impromptu live-tweet re-watch of the character’s first appearance on Smallville in honor of Fallout last Friday  night. Lurking during that was a complete blast. Truly, I appreciate so many of you being excited and (hopefully) not too sick of me tweeting about this book. In some ways, promoting this one is easier than any book I’ve written, because I feel like I’m trying to honor this character we all love.
  • Did I mention I’m finishing a book? I’m working on finishing a book that I cannot tell you about just yet. Please forgive the disarray, mental and otherwise.
Scroll to Top