[m_stiefvater]

maggie. Started shiver last night. Wow. Very well done. I started reading, and read 50 pages at a clip. It's calling me today. And I have a TON to do. But wanted to let you know its beautiful!!!

Thank you! :D

And heh, my parents were very observant and VERY strict, but this particular Maggie still managed to sneak out and spend the night with her boyfriend (now husband) when I was 19. Several weeks of it!

[m_stiefvater]

I just wanted to add that I am a fan now, too!  It really was a beautiful story.  Several places in the book really moved me.

I was lucky to get to read it, I snuck it away from our school library!!  We were in there one day and it was sitting on a table so I started telling my students that I thought they might like it (going off of what you guys had been saying!!) and this girl like snatched it out of my hands.  So we got it checked out to her--and then she brought it back to me THE NEXT DAY!  She read it in one night, so I thought . . . I gotta see!  So selfish me kept it for a few days to read it, but it is now safely back in the hands of my students! lol!!

And thank you, Aimee!!

[JennaWren Posts: 1,754 Status: Offline]

After months and months of waiting, I finally got the email notification that I can get my hands on Shiver from my local library.  Seriously, my hold was in the queue forever!  And this is not a small system.  I can't wait to pick it up!

[ABailey]

Thank you! :D
 but this particular Maggie still managed to sneak out and spend the night with her boyfriend (now husband) when I was 19. Several weeks of it!

Aah, if only the boy whose window I crawled into in the middle of the night had actually figured out what I was there for. <g> I certainly wasn't able to tell him. I was hoping he'd figure it out. Duh! 

[SarahMax]

After months and months of waiting, I finally got the email notification that I can get my hands on Shiver from my local library.  Seriously, my hold was in the queue forever!  And this is not a small system.  I can't wait to pick it up!

I tried getting mine from the library but they'd just had big budget cuts and no one could order it. Not in the entire state of Ohio! I was totally bummed, so I went to the nearest bookstore and picked it up. I don't see a point in buying a book (especially a hardcover) when I can get the same thing for free at the library but I just had to get this one ASAP. There was no waiting for SHIVER.

Not after this review:

I'm about to rant a little bit because I have a y/a book recommendation for everyone. It's called "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater, and it's amazing! I had to let you all know about it because it's about werewolves and it's truly the most romantic book I've read in a LONG time. Aaanyway, the guy isn't as funny as Jacob, but he's heartbreakingly adorable, and I can't believe I have to wait over a year for the sequel! Check it out. Let me know if you guys like it.

Forgive me; I'm still in that charmed stage - all gooey inside.

[RachelS1]

I loved SHIVER. I was a little skeptical it was going to be like Twilight (even AFTER I met Maggie and made Scholastic send me an advanced copy after BEA), but it really wasn't at all, except for the fact that werewolves (and other supernatural creatures) are "hot" in the market.

I thought that romance was well done and that both characters had distinct personality traits. There were times that I had to check whose point of view it was (the book has dual POVs).

Like Cookie Monster loves his cookie, I loved SHIVER. 

[SarahMax]

Like Cookie Monster loves his cookie, I loved SHIVER. 

Here's one for the monster: 

-- And a stack of SHIVERS for you!

[cindoh Posts: 203 Status: Offline]

Insomnia at 3 a.m. last night. Usually I can read for 20 minutes and fall back asleep. But not when the book's Shiver! I finished it at 5:30 a.m. and have been cursing Maggie all day because I'm so bleary-eyed and have been trying to stay awake to edit a tax exam study guide manuscript.

SPOILER ALERT:
I do have a question about the ending, though. I'm not sure I understand the "ghost" part of Sam turning human again.

[valeriek Posts: 79 Status: Offline]

Not sure what you mean cindoh.  There's no ghost, that's really Sam at the end. He's human again because the cure worked.

[cindoh Posts: 203 Status: Offline]

Here's what it says in Chapter 65/Sam:
"I was a ghost in the woods, silent, still, cold. I was winter embodied, the frigid wind given physical form... Her face was turned toward the trees, but I was invisible, intangible, nothing but eyes in the woods... And I was right here, almost right within reach, but still one thousand miles away."

The very last paragraph of the book talks about his human body and how the cold has no power over him anymore. But the ghostly part made me wonder if he was truly alive, as a human, or whether she was seeing him as a ghost, in a physical form. Deliberately ambiguous?  Or perhaps I'm reading too much into it?

[SarahMax]

I think that just meant that he was hidden in the trees.

[HJV]

Read the book on the airplane.  Love a good book on the plane.  “Oh, we’re landing?”   

Sam was awesome.  Love the quiet, reflective types, but few can really write them.  He was perfect. The one thing that bothered me was Grace’s instant acceptance/like of Beck.  I couldn’t stand him.  Maybe I was supposed to get that vibe, maybe it’s just me, but he seemed so sneaky and sly.  So when Grace liked him instantly, well…I kind of wondered about her judgment.  Again, could be me.   Guess Linger will shed some light on that.

Anyway, great book! 

[Piper]

I finally got to work Shiver in between the piles of books I review for the-trades.com.  free books= happiness!

I liked the story, loved Sam, loved the gorgeous figurative language, though like most people I got confused about whose head I was in occasionally.

Here's my question: Did anyone have issues wth the fact that a completely untrained teenager was able to sneak into a clinic, impersonate a nurse, draw multiple vials of blood from a vein and inject them? The reason I ask is because in my WIP I have a gifted 18 year old boy who is the child of a surgeon and an ER doc, who happens to spend weekends working in mom's research lab where he routinely draws blood from dogs, draw blood successfully from his girlfriend. And all three of my crit group members questioned the scene saying "I just don't think someone without training in human blood draws could do it." Maggie, if you're around (and can I say how cool it is that you still play with us regular folk now that you're uber-famous  O0) did you get any feedback from agents or editors regarding that scene?

So my other question is, do you think reviewing 20 page chunks of each other's MS makes us tend to over-deconsruct and fixate on problems that may not actually be problems in the grand scheme of the entire novel?

Thanks,

P

PS I'm totally gonna fight my editor for the right to review Linger

[m_stiefvater]

Maggie, if you're around (and can I say how cool it is that you still play with us regular folk now that you're uber-famous  O0) did you get any feedback from agents or editors regarding that scene?

So my other question is, do you think reviewing 20 page chunks of each other's MS makes us tend to over-deconsruct and fixate on problems that may not actually be problems in the grand scheme of the entire novel?

Heh, I am around, I just *try* to be not around in this thread so people feel like they can talk openly without hurting my feelings! *grin* I didn't get any flak from editors or agents about this scene, actually, and of all the improbabilities in the book, this one bothers me the least (after years to contemplate what I'd do differently!) Because I *am* a doctor's daughter and so we grew up in ERs and clinics and we picked up a lot of knowledge on the fly. I'm quite sure that isabel's a clever girl and if she spent any time with her mother in the clinic at all, she could draw blood. Now would it probably be pretty darn uncomfortable for her poor unwitting victim? Maybe. But I've had some awfully horrible blood draws and IV attempts from trained nurses in my time, so I doubt a muggle would know the difference.

Please note that I'm really not encouraging anyone to go swipe infected blood to try out this theory. >:D

As to the chunks for crit partners, I absolutely think every 20 pages is too often. The best thing a crit partner has to offer you is objectivity, and when they see it that often, it's toast. You want them to give you the big picture crits first, and when you give them in little pieces, the bits they pick at tend to get smaller and smaller. I only send that often to my crit partners when I'm stuck and absolutely need it, because we all know the way we work now. But otherwise -- I don't even want my editor to see a draft before it's 90% perfect. Because you only get that one chance at a first read.

[Piper]

Thanks Maggie. Very helpful.

Best of luck to you in the future. Shiver, the movie, how freaking cool is that

And now back to our regularly scheduled thread...

[SarahMax]

Hey, Maggie.

I've been seeing you around on Twitter (you should have seen me shouting out names that begin with K the other day, totally bummed that you couldn't see me and that I didn't have a shot at an audiobook... not that I guessed right anyway) and so I've been thinking about SHIVER.

Earlier I was really reflecting on Grace and Sam's relationship and the dynamics of it. I never did understand how someone could skip the friend stage entirely and start dating a complete stranger. To me, a real relationship is a progression from nothing to something, and then something more. If you look back on Grace and Sam's history of knowing each other, it's pretty incredible. She was the girl and he was the wolf. For years they watched each other, basked in the other's presence. They knew each other without ever knowing each other. I think that built a very strong and unique foundation for them. And I think that's why they work so well together as a couple now.

That said, I can not wait to read LINGER. It comes out in June, right? I'm so excited. Mostly because I can't wait to see more Sam. I'm in need of my annual dose of book sugar, lol. I'm really hoping for more adorable little gestures on his part. Like the time he brought Grace coffee after school without even having to be asked. That's still my favorite part in SHIVER, can you believe that? All of that intense werewolf action and I like the scene where he brings her coffee.

[m_stiefvater]

Earlier I was really reflecting on Grace and Sam's relationship and the dynamics of it. I never did understand how someone could skip the friend stage entirely and start dating a complete stranger.

*grin* Well, I met my husband when I was 19 and knew in a week we were going to get married (we were engaged in a month and a half). I actually did a post on young love and Sams in the world. Here's the blogger version, http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com/2010/04/on-young-love-all-that-jazz.html which had some amazing comments. I wish LJ's servers weren't down right now, because there are 80some amazing comments of people's experiences on that one, but the upshot is: love can be fast or slow. There are no rules!

And in Linger, I definitely had to go slow and work hard to do gestures. I hope it paid off.

[SarahMax]

Different strokes, I guess!

I really enjoyed your blog post. And I hope SHIVER is able to inspire more girls (and guys) to settle for what they're looking for and nothing less. I hope stories like yours are able to open their eyes so they can see that their match can come in any shape or size (hopefully in SHIVER's case they're able to see past the fact that Sam is one good-looking fool lol). It really is sad to see what some people will put up with for all the wrong reasons.

Now I'm super excited to read LINGER! You can take all the extra time you need to write out those special moments. Though I might have to draw the line at like a year, haha. You rock at sweet gestures, Maggie. I've never seen anyone able to write them quite like you do.

[renella]

Hey Maggie and fans of Maggie! i just finished Shiver (just in time for Linger!) and I of course loved it. All teenage love and mysteriousness aside the one thing that stood out to me the most was the emphasis on parenting. Sam's parents tried to kill him when he was a boy and then Beck took him in and was sort of your normal dad aside from the werewolf bit. Then Grace's parents of course were very neglectful which is a big point throughout the novel. Your characters really don't have it easy when it comes to parents which is very unfortunate but it happens so it's realistic all the same. But what I'm really wondering is -all things considered- what sort of parents would *they* make? It's very interesting to me. Maggie would you mind divulging a little bit? Have you ever thought about it?

[m_stiefvater]

But what I'm really wondering is -all things considered- what sort of parents would *they* make? It's very interesting to me. Maggie would you mind divulging a little bit? Have you ever thought about it?

I'm actually sort of obsessed with the idea that we are products of our childhood, that our parents make us who we are -- either because we model on them or we run from them, or some weird combination. So while I can't say I've given much thought to the sort of parents Grace and Sam would make (I think it's quite safe to say that that's going to be outside of the scope of my trilogy)(I'm quite forthright noting there will be no werebaby at the end of FOREVER), I have thought a LOT about what sort of adults they would make. I'd argue that that's sort of the entire arc of the trilogy . . .

[renella]

Thanks for answering Maggie! Now I'm even more curious lol. You think we model after our parents so then what does that say in answer to my question? I wasn't expecting any werewolf babies in the end of Forever since it is a young adult book but like I said the idea fascinates me so I've asked around, other fans. Some people have given some terrible answers like Sam would try to drown his kids like his parents did to him and that would sort of go along with your modeling after your parents right? But I just don't believe he would do that, in fact I can see just the opposite happening. Like sometimes you really hate how your parents behaved or how they raised you so you do everything in your power to do things differently. I can see a lot of that happening in this case since they both had such odd upbringings. I think you should think about it and then I would really love to hear your thoughts. 

[Aimee W. Posts: 382 Status: Offline MADNESS]

we are products of our childhood, that our parents make us who we are -- either because we model on them or we run from them, or some weird combination.

I SO TOTALLY AGREE.

Everything I am is a combination of repeat or total opposite. I do what worked, and do the opposite of what didn't. And I was that kid (like so many) who swore I wasn't going to be like my parents. HA! There's no escaping some of it.

[m_stiefvater]

I SO TOTALLY AGREE.

Everything I am is a combination of repeat or total opposite. I do what worked, and do the opposite of what didn't. And I was that kid (like so many) who swore I wasn't going to be like my parents. HA! There's no escaping some of it.

What Aimee said.

Just like there's that thread here on the board talking about how kids are readers or not because their parents are -- we learn behaviors from our parents. And we make choices to be like them or not, but a lot of it is subconscious, because these are the people we've been with since we were infants. Which is why I model much of Sam's conscious behavior on Beck -- who raised him after age 8 -- and his unconscious behavior on his parents and what they did to him.

Same with Grace -- in order for her to be that independent, I had to go back and build her a family life that supported that.

[SarahMax]

Some people have given some terrible answers like Sam would try to drown his kids like his parents did to him

....Sam killing his kids? No way. Now that you've got me thinking about it, I can see Sam being more of a cookie-baking soccer dad, haha.

By the way, Maggie, sooo excited for Linger. As soon as I heard Barnes and Noble was shipping early, I ordered right away. First book I've ever ordered online and I've been tracking it like a hawk. Should be here tomorrow!!

[yellow_submarine Posts: 94 Status: Offline]

I spotted Shiver in the book shop today and picked up a copy. I'm really looking forward to reading it!

When I bought it, the sales assistant looked excited and said she'd "heard really good things" about the series. Later, my mum (an English teacher) recognised the cover instantly and informed me that a few of her students loved it too.

So Maggie, if you read this, you should know that word-of-mouth is going extremely well in Australia.