Monday, February 6, 2012

Announcing My YA Debut...!


And now…
Finally...

I get to announce my debut novel, publisher, 
and release date!




I’m thrilled to tell you that 
the title of my YA debut is…



Coming September 2012

From



Of Penguin Young Readers Group

Announcement from Publisher's Weekly:

PYRG Pre-empts YA Debut
Lucy Carson at the Friedrich Agency sold world rights to the first young adult novel by 21-year-old Jessica Khoury, Origin. Razorbill’s Laura Arnold pre-empted world rights and Penguin has already made a major commitment, promising a first announced printing of 250,000 copies when it publishes the book in September 2012. The novel is narrated by a teenage girl who has, per the publisher, been “bred for immortality” and then uncovers the dark secrets behind her creation. The book is set in a lab hidden in the Amazon. Khoury grew up in Georgia, where she was homeschooled; she has a B.A. from Toccoa Falls College.



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Here's a quick synopsis.

Seventeen-year-old Pia has lived her entire life in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. Thanks to a century of genetic experimentation, selective breeding, and the influence of a rare flower called elysia, Pia is preternaturally agile, intelligent--and immortal. She is the only one of her kind, and dreams of the day she will be surrounded by her own race. But first she must discover the secret of how she was created--a secret the scientists will protect at any cost.


Everything changes the day she turns seventeen, when Pia sneaks out of the compound and stumbles into the village of the Ai’oans. She begins to fall in love with the vibrant jungle tribe—and a half-Ai’oan boy named Eio, with whom she embarks on a quest to discover the secret behind her existence. But the truth is more devastating than Pia could ever have imagined, and the consequences will change her life forever. Because Pia must ultimately make a choice: live forever as a goddess among men... or make the ultimate sacrifice to set things right.

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It feels AMAZING to have that out in the open at last! It’s been a wild, wild ride these past few months. Had some crazy weeks of intense editing followed by weeks of intense waiting. All the while doing my best to not to spill this news all over the planet. I hate keeping secrets. Hate it. Like I hate seafood and losing a soccer match and the long summer break when there are no new episodes of Glee.

But anyway. Now you know! And now I can breathe normally for the first time in three (no, wait, almost four) months. It’s been an incredible adventure so far. I’m still in this wonderful, fuzzy kind of shock at it all. Razorbill is a fabulous imprint. They’re responsible for titles like Vampire Acadamy, Across the Universe, Virals, and Thirteen Reasons Why, among many other wonderful titles. You can check them out here.

I could go on and on, but I do want to have something to post in the coming weeks, so here are some of the topics coming up:

Before I Queried (The Origin of Origin)
How I Got My Publisher
Why I’m Using a Pen Name (Sort of)

I hope you’ll be back to read! Till then, hear more news about Origin by following my blog and my Twitter!

AND NOW…
By a funny coincidence, I'm getting to announce all of this to you on my birthday! (Technically, it's the 7th--I'm now 22!)  I want to celebrate by throwing a fabulous giveaway, with three prizes for three different winners (chosen at random). :-D

PRIZES:
Winner #1 - $25 gift card for Amazon.com
Winner #2 - $15 gift card for Amazon.com
Winner #3 - $10 gift card for Amazon.com
{winners will be posted here on Feb. 14!}

To Enter
Simply fill out the form below! (if you don't see the form, click "read more" and it will appear.)
Thanks for entering and best of luck to you!
Cheers,
Jess

a Rafflecopter giveaway

66 comments:

  1. WOW! That is huge news! A HUGE congratulations to you, and what fun to get to share it so close to your birthday :oD

    If I win...Oh man, my first instinct is to say I'd get one of the new YA releases I've had my eyes on, but let's be honest: Lady & the Tramp hits DVD tomorrow, so I'd probably use it for that ;o) haha

    Congratulations again, and thanks for the giveaway!

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  3. Congratulations. I'm stoked that I get to follow the beginnings of what I'm sure will be a successful career. Can't wait to read your book.

    Edit: typo

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  4. Oh that sounds like an awesome story! It will be cool to see how things unfold for you once September rolls around - congrats!

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  5. Wow, that is so amazing! Congrats! Your book sound incredibly awesome by the way and I can't wait to buy a copy in September!!!! Good for you. Much continued success!

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  6. Congratulations, Jessica! What an amazing opportunity God has blessed you with! I can't wait to buy your book and read it! If I win the Amazon Gift Card, I will buy your book as a gift for someone special. XOXOXOXO

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  7. Yay - so glad you finally get to spill! Congratulations!! Let me know when you're free to do an interview, maybe at the end of this month?

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    1. Sure! Anytime is good. You just let me know what works best for you. :) Thanks, Melodie!

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  8. Ooh, I forgot to add - of course I'd buy your book. :) And then I'd spend what's left over on Death Comes to Pemberley.

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  9. Wow! Congratulations! That sounds great. If I win I'll have to save it for September. :)

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  10. Billy Collins book of Poetry called Sailing Alone Around the Room. (Since I can't preorder Origin quite yet.)
    PS - CONGRATS!

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  11. I'd pre-order your book for sure! Then, I'd get a finished copy of Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi. I loved the ARC I was able to read :)

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  12. Congratulations! The book sounds amazing, I can't wait to check it out!

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  13. That's a major accomplishment! Congrats! :)

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  14. Oh my God, that's FANTASTIC. I'm so, so, so excited for you. Yay ORIGIN, yay Pia! Wheeee!

    Let's see... what would I purchase? Hm. Probably a Complete Works of William Shakespeare, because I don't own one and it's a cryin' shame.

    Can't wait for September!

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  15. ahuadhisfhf I'm so excited for you!! :D This is fantastic. Can't wait to read it.

    And if I won a gift card, I'd probably purchase Shatter Me since I've been waiting for months for the stupid local library to add it to their repertoire. :P

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  16. Congratulations on the awesome news!

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  17. Oh and if I win I'd have to consult my massive TBR list to narrow it down ;)

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  18. This is great news! I am looking forward to September.

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  19. Hello, congrats on your wonderful news. I'm so happy for you. If I win, I'll have a wonderful time searching for the perfect book to spend the money on. Congrats, again.

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  20. Congrats! If I win, I'll enjoy finding some new YA books to buy.

    And Happy Birthday! :)

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  21. If I won a giftcard... why I would buy books of course! :) I am so excited to finally hear about your book! I have been following and waiting and I'm so excited to hear the news! Wow! Super cool! Can't wait til' September so I can read your book!

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  22. What a great story! Congratulations! And Happy Birthday!

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  23. Congratulations!! That's such awesome news.. and Happy Birthday :)
    What a great way to celebrate your day.
    Very excited for you :)

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  24. Congratulations and Happy Birthday! That's wonderful news.

    I think if I won a giftcard, I'd get the new Ingrid Michaelson cd and Bitterblue - two things guaranteed to make me happy this spring!

    Thank you for the chance to win!

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  25. This is very cool! Congrats on your success at a young age. I'd be envious if I weren't so happy for you :-)

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  26. Oh yeah, and if I won, what would I get? Hmm... probably a couple ebooks from fellow AQC writers!

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  27. HUGE congrats! That is so, SO awesome :) Your books sounds phenomenal. And thank you as well for the giveaway! The gift card could definitely go towards more books =P

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  28. Congrats! This is great news!

    And I would use the voucher to support fellow authors and buy their books!

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  29. Hey Jessica! Big Congratulations! I love the story line and creativity! Amazing! BTW, I will use the card to buy your book! If I don't win, I will still buy your book ;)

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  30. First let me say Congratulations! I can just imagine how exciting that must be for you! :) Second ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY! =)

    Now, if I won a gift card what would I buy? Hmm ... good question. When I look at the books available I'm like, I want that one and that one and that one. LOL BUT if I had the money (or a gift card) in order to get those books, I'd hesitate. There are a lot of books that I'd love to get. :D So I can't think at this moment which book(s) I would get if I won.

    Lastly, thank you for this amazing giveaway!

    Pam

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  31. YAY! What wonderful news. I love Razorbill's books. Your premise sounds awesome. I can't wait to read it. I especially love it that you are a TFC grad! Me too! You might even know my father-in-law or took one of his classes...

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    1. I do indeed know your in-laws! I worked for Sharon in the bookstore for most of my time at TFC. Haha, go eagles! :-)

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  32. Congratulations, what incredible news!!

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  33. Congratulations! It sounds awesome! Can't wait for the release.

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  34. So much congrats! I have to say that the first thing I'd buy with the car would be bookends because I really need them, my books are falling off my makeshift shelf!

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  35. Congratulations, Jessica, and thanks so much for the giveaway opportunity. I usually read horror, but just recently read a romance, so who's to say that I won't continue to broaden my horizons with your book when it is released!! Don't foget to breathe during all of this excitement, okay? I have a feeling that it will be the the first of many releases for you.

    -Jimmy

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  36. Congrats! I would buy a book if I won!

    lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  37. Wow! They are printing out 250,000 copies to start out with! Amazing.

    I've wanted to read this book since I read your query on agent query connect and I will definitely buy it. I also expect it to be a bestseller.

    Just an amazing premise and an amazing sounding story. Good luck to you!

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  38. Way to go, Jessica. I was expecting this day to come. I'm glad it's come so soon. May this be a serial occurrence for you.

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  39. Jessica I am so excited for you. All the students at Liberty Elementary can't wait to hear all about your book. I told them all about you and the way you just used your imagination. Please come inspire us. From the mother of your "almost" little sister.

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    1. Just let me know a good time, and I'd love to stop by! :)

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  40. It feels good right? I know it does. Congrats on your upcoming publication. Saw your tweet and couldn't help myself, had to stop by and wish you the best. This world is all ups and downs, but you made it!
    Happy Birthday to you! Don't forget to do a dance and eat some chocolate. ;)

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    1. P.S. If I were to win, I'd spend the money on books of course! As to any specific ones I would buy... not sure but I'm always on the lookout for an awesome read. Your's sounds interesting so it'll be added to my list.

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  41. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT!!! AAAAHHHHH!! SOOOOO excited for you, Jessica!!!
    & HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

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  42. First thing I would buy? Easy, a pre-order of your book! It sounds epic!!!!

    peachandblue2(at)aol(dot)com

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  43. Such incredible news!!!!!!!!!!! And what would I buy....books, of course! Seems to be a few good ones from Lucy's girls out this year. ;0)

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  44. Your book sounds fantastic! Can't wait til it's out! Happy Birthday and thanks for the giveaway! If I win, I'm buying more books for my Kindle! :) By the way, I also graduated from TFC, in 2004! I'm really excited for your success! :)

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  45. WOW. This is amazing news! I'm so happy for you, and I can't wait to hear more about the book and its journey to publication in your future blog posts. (Oh, and I can't wait to read the book either! It sounds utterly EPIC.)

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  46. Oh, I'm pretty sure the first thing I'd buy is books. Do they sell other stuff? Why?

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  47. Wow, congrats! Seriously, origin sounds amazing! Can't wait to see its cover! :D

    And for your question- books, duh! :D I'd buy Everneath, The Pledge, Nevermore and Wildefire. Or something like that. :D

    Happy Birthday as well!!!

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  48. Congrats! That is absolutely amazing! And I remember when the title used to be "Perfectly Pia"!

    And to answer your questions, I'd go through and buy the next installment of all the series I'm following this year. It's so much fun to read the new books as they come out!

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  49. The first thing I'd buy would be books. Actually, everything I'd buy would be books. Who am I kidding here? Incarnate, The Way We Fall, Everneath, and if there's money left over (which there probably won't be, but I'll still add it to my order) will be a preorder of Insurgent. :)

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  50. I ended up here via your interview on Sarah's blog, and I'm glad I did! Congrats on your book, which sounds amazing. I'm excited to read your other posts on the process too.

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    1. Oh, and like everyone else I'm sure I'd end up buying books if I won. So predictable. :-)

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  51. So proud of you Jessica!! I actually read this Tuesday but I've been buried under copy edits (which you obviously know a little something about--hee). This is AMAZING!!! You little sneaky pants. ;)

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  52. Congrats!!! The story sounds awesome. Can't wait to read it. :)

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  53. Yay, huge congrats! So exciting. I've added your book to my "to-read" list and seriously can't wait to check it out in the future! :) :) If I won, I'd probably save it because I'd like to buy myself a music player at some point. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  54. I was excited to hear about this and spotlight you in my weekly YA recap show This Week in YA! Congrats to you! :) Thank you for the giveaway!

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  55. Great news, congratulations!! And this is a super awesome giveaway. :) The first thing I'd buy is books, obviously!

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  56. I'm going to ask you what books you recommend and I'm going to buy at least one of them! It's sweet of you to host a giveaway! Happy Birtfday to you!

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  57. Congratulations on your debut novel! I really really love the premise. Definitely going to get this on release date. (-:

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  58. Oh wow, thank you so SO much for this amazing contest! I LOVE Amazon, and am so excited I get a chance to win a gift card from it. You are so generous for giving this contest, and best of luck to all who enter!
    If I won the Amazon gift card, the first thing I would buy would be books! I LOVE reading so much, and am dying for new books. I want to get Sarah Desson's What Happened To Goodbye, as well as Beth Revis' Across The Universe. Hopefully I can! Thanks again, and I can't wait to find out who wins! :)

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  59. First thing I'd buy with a gift card? That's easy BOOOOOKSSSSSSS!!! then after that, more books, of course.

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  60. Wow! SOOOOO super exciting! Congrats!

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  61. I'm excited for you! But I have been since you got your agent. I've been watching Perfectly Pia (I guess it's Origin now) for a while because I think you started querying around the same time I did. But yay for you!

    I'd probably buy first...umm...books I suppose. Or something nice for my sweetheart. He always needs reminded that I love him.

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