1. L. M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon.

I read the Anne books first, but this is the trilogy that stayed with me. Emily Starr is, like Anne Shirley, a fiery, much-misunderstood orphan raised by loving but emotionally stunted adults in Prince Edward Island. But despite the similarities, the Emily novels are a bit darker, a bit subtler, and that much more perceptive. At least, I think so – I’m terrified to re-read them because they’ll never live up to my childhood experience of reading.

2. Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time

Oh, the Murrys: they were the first intellectual family I read about, and I was absolutely enchanted. As much as I loved Meg’s and Charles Wallace’s adventures (Mrs. Whosit! Aunt Beast! Meg, declaiming poetry to save Charles Wallace!), it was the family bond that I found truly addictive. They’re such serious, thoughtful, nuanced YA novels.

3. George Eliot, Middlemarch

I love this novel so much that I have trouble talking about it critically. I first read it as an undergrad and it changed the way I thought about Victorian novels. It’s rich and subtle, and every time I re-read it I marvel at different aspects of the story. It’s beautifully written, utterly moving, and I think everybody in the English-speaking world should read it. Really.

And that’s my desert-island 3. For now. What are yours?

I feel oddly unencumbered at the moment because I’ve just delivered the manuscript for the third MQ novel, The Traitor and the Tunnel, along with the proofread galleys for the UK ed of book 2, The Body at the Tower. It’s a lovely, surreal sort of freedom and much of it involves wondering, “What shall I write next?”

This might be my favourite part of the writing life: cooking up the next project. Once I’ve dealt with the mundane things – cut hair, clear desk, re-design filing system – I get to research and ponder and play and puzzle. Does that sound familiar to all of you? Or is there some other aspect you find more appealing?

Happy June, everyone!

portrait by Sir George Hayter*

Did you know that Canadians celebrate the anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth each year? Truly. May 24 (or the closest Monday to it) is a national holiday. It’s a bizarre little colonial hangover** but today’s the day, and I could hardly let it pass unremarked.

The real reason I’m posting today is because I’ve put up an excerpt from The Agency 2: The Body at the Tower. Click here to read! And do come back next week, when I’ll have sent off the ms for book 3, The Traitor and the Tunnel and will feel celebratory as a result. Yes, I think a contest is in order…

Hope you enjoy the snippet!

*This image is from the National Portrait Gallery. There’s some nice context for it here.

**Okay, okay – most Canadians are either doing yardwork or getting drunk and falling out of sailboats. But hey, it’s an extra stat hol.

YA & genre:
Perchance to Dream, by Lisa Mantchev
The Hunchback Assignments, by Arthur Slade
In the Serpent’s Coils, by Tiffany Trent
Hearts at Stake, by Alyxandra Harvey
The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, by Alan Bradley

Sairius Littricha:
Empire of the Sun, by J G Ballard
Changing My Mind, by Zadie Smith (yes, a foray into non-fiction)
Romola, by George Eliot

So, bookish friends – what am I missing? What else would you recommend?

This week, in reviews:

Lynn Rutan of Bookends (Booklist’s children’s & YA blog) calls Spy “terrific… intriguing… enticing” and demands, “More more!”

Teens Read Too gives Spy a Gold Star Award for excellence! Reviewer Jennifer Rummel says it’s “pure magical entertainment. A great feisty heroine, lots of danger, plenty of mysteries to untangle, and a little romance creates a wonderfully perfect first edition to a new series.”

At Pipedreaming, Vikki VanSickle says, “A Spy in the House is the love child of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy and Ally Carter’s Gallagher series and then some”!

Thank you so much, you enthusiastic librarians and booksellers. I’m honoured.

This week, I can finally share some wonderful news from my UK publisher, Walker Books. In September, Walker will publish the second Agency novel, The Body at the Tower, with a redesigned cover:

from Walker Books, September 2010

But I just recently had confirmation that they’ll be reissuing A Spy in the House at the same time, with a matching redesigned cover. What do you think of it?

to be re-released in September 2010!

Me? I think it’s perfect.

In other news, YA historical novelist Marie-Louise Jensen highlights Spy at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure, calling it her “favourite unexpected read of last year” (it came out in the UK last April).

Flashlight Worthy and Steph Su combined forces to recommend Spy on their list of YA Novels Featuring Women from Another Era (it’s #2 on the list!).

And GAL Novelty spotlighted my recent blog tour with praise so effervescently shy-making that I can’t possibly repeat it myself. (But I’m not above linking to it, oh no…)

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support, friends and readers!

This is, appropriately enough, a week of both endings and beginnings. My final stop in the T2T blog tour is at Ticket to Anywhere, where I guest-blog about that most Victorian of fashion items: the corset. True or false? Prince Albert wore one. Also, blog host Irish reviews Spy and gives it four stars for being “hard to put down”. Hurray!

I’ve been busy elsewhere, too. Shades of Romance Magazine interviewed me and I talked about Things I Learned at My Book Launch Party at BookLounge.

On Tuesday, I had my first, real-life confirmation that I’m not, in fact, hallucinating everything: while driving from Toronto to Kingston, I stopped in Belleville for a coffee at the Organic Underground and a sly little mission to Greenley’s Book Store, a gem of an indie. And there it was.

Does this ever become a routine and ho-hum experience? I certainly hope not.

I’ve just finished reading Philip Hensher’s The Mulberry Empire and am still recovering from the experience. It’s a swaggering, playful, beautifully postmodern (as opposed to annoyingly, pretentiously postmodern) homage to the Victorian three-volume novel; it’s a joke about Boy’s Own Adventures; it is MAGNIFICENT. Please, please, read it and come back to discuss.

I received an ARC of Lisa Mantchev’s Perchance to Dream in the mail this week. Huzzah! I thought Eyes Like Stars was terrific – so much so that I’m going to save PtD until I’ve finished my own book 3 in a few weeks. Not only will it be a delicious treat, but I won’t be tempted to write obnoxious fairies into my own novel in an insane act of homage.

Finally, a lot of new and lovely reviews of Spy are popping up everywhere – hurray again! I’ve included snippets below, with links where available.

The trade publications:

“Woven throughout the cloak-and-dagger play is plenty of flirtatious repartee, and even the most perilous of adventures is leavened with a comic edge that winks at the mystery genre.” Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books

“Historical details are woven seamlessly into the plot, and descriptive writing allows readers to be part of each scene.” School Library Journal

The bloggers:

Susan of Readspace, a diehard mystery fan, is “thrilled that this series is being published for young adults.  Unlike adult fiction, there are few high quality true mysteries to offer teens… In my opinion, this could just as easily been picked up by an adult mystery imprint, that’s how good it is.”

Kelly Peres of Midnight Glance was initially suspicious, but I converted her! She admits, “I went in with a closed mind on the topic, but I have to say Y.S. Lee captivated me from the first chapter to the end.”

A Patchwork of Books calls it “a brilliantly addictive plot filled with twists and turns, as well as high fashion, old money, and handsome gentlemen… If you’re a fan of The Luxe or just a lover of good mysteries or historical fiction, this is a fantastic choice.”

The Passionate Booklover “really loved this captivating tale and I wanted to read more about Mary and her fascinating adventures!”

The Unread Book says, “The story twists and turns and every time you think you have figured it out Lee throws you another curveball.”

Milk and Cookies calls it “a great new series to look forward to!”

I’d call that a great – and full – week. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a novel to write. See you next Thursday!

In the lead-up to the Big Day, I am doing my best to be omnipresent. (There is no hope of omniscience or omnipotence, but I do what I can.) What this means is, starting on February 28, I will be blogging. Every. Day. Specifically, I will be guest-posting or giving interviews here (don’t worry, I’ll come back each day and link to the correct post):

Sunday, Feb 28 – interview at Bookworming in the 21st Century
Monday, March 1 – guest post at GreenBeanTeenQueen
Tuesday, March 2 – interview at Steph Su Reads
Wednesday, March 3 – interview at Books are Life
Thursday, March 4 – guest post at Books by their Cover
Friday, March 5 – interview at That Chick That Reads & a guest post at Teenreads.com
Saturday, March 6 – guest post at Reading in Color
Monday, March 8 – guest post at the Epic Rat
Tuesday, March 9 – guest post at Chick Lit Teens & at Book Chick City, & an interview at In To Views
Wednesday, March 10 – interview with the Catastrophizer
Thursday, March 11 – guest post at the Story Siren & an interview at Shades of Romance
Friday, March 12 – guest post at Rebecca’s Book Blog
Saturday, March 13 – guest post at Ticket to Anywhere

That’s a lot of me. But wait – you’re not off the hook yet. New reviews of Spy are cropping up everywhere!

BookPage says it’s “entirely true to the genre, full of thrills and danger and wonderfully sharp writing”.

Publisher’s Weekly calls it “richly described… Mary’s lively escapades… will hold readers’ attention and whet their interest for the next installment”.

Bookphilia got the metanarrative jokes (YAY!) and confesses, “I did absolutely no work on Friday because I was reading it and couldn’t put it down”.

Its sensibilities are a bit too modern for the BookWitch at first, but eventually she reckons, “if you want a female Alex Rider in Victorian London, then this is for you.”

Persephone Reads calls it “transporting”.

BookLoons loves the “rich setting in Victorian London”.

Heck, even Kirkus Reviews liked it, but I can’t link to the review without a subscription. Take my word for it?

Phew. I’ll see you on Sunday.

This week, the wonderful Deborah Wayshak of Candlewick Press sent me an advance copy of the Real Deal. Yes, a crisply dust-jacketed, super-extra-luminous copy of A Spy in the House. It’s a hardcover. It makes me a little bit dizzy. And if you’re in my house, seriously – don’t even breathe on it.

I haven’t been able to take a photograph that truly conveys the depth and lustre of the dust jacket. But! It looks pretty cool on the shelf, non? (The whole photo is extra-warmly lit. This is not a pretentious artistic device on my part, but an attempt to avoid using the flash.)

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And now, the lucky devils who won the First Lines Contest:

The second and third place winners of the Walker Books edition of The Agency: A Spy in the House are Becky Earl and Catherine N!

And the winner of the Grand Prize – an ARC of the Candlewick Press edition of Spy and an exclusive Agency t-shirt is Lexie C!

I like giving things away, you enjoy receiving swag (I assume), so congratulations all around.

And for those of you who entered and are now feeling victimized by the evil machinations of random.org, never fear – there will be a New and Even More Amusing Contest happening… ooh, right around March 9, I’d say.

No idea why.

La Detective, published by Mondadori

Here’s the full dust jacket:

And now, the truth: I screamed like a girly-girl when I saw this. I can’t get over it. I love the use of period photographs, the wrought-iron ornamentation around the title, the flash of pink. If I were in the mood to cavil, I’d point out that Mary never, ever uses a gun – but what the hell. It’s not as though a handkerchief or a pen would be a good substitute.

God, it’s exquisite.

Sigh.

Hah.

In other news, I have BOOKPLATES! These are basically large & fancy stickers with a blank space for personalization. If you’d like me to sign or inscribe your copy of The Agency but don’t think you’ll see me in person for a while, feel free to request one. You need to tell me exactly what you want the bookplate to say: just my signature? “For Pinkie, a goddess amongst mortals”? “To the winning eBay bidder”? As you can see from the foregoing examples, I’m rubbish at clever dedications, so it’s up to you. The design looks like this:

I’m a sucker for old botanical drawings. And weeds. So this was pretty much a foregone conclusion. I hope you like it, too!