The Scorch Trials. Tomorrow.

Wow, how did it become October 11th so fast? How did my countdown on the blog get to under one day? How did the Braves blow the game in the 9th inning last night?

I feel like I should say something profound today. My book comes out tomorrow, and I'm extremely excited for people to read it and I'm really looking forward to meeting some of you out on the road in the next couple of weeks. I guess that sums it up.

I think you'll like SCORCH. If you liked the first book (and I'm not arrogantly saying that's everyone, but if you DID like it), then I'm confident you'll love the sequel. It begins just hours after the first one ends, and I'm pretty sure you'll never be able to guess the direction it's going. Be sure and let us know here at the Dude what you think!!!!

Have you guys seen the trailer for SCORCH? It's short but really cool. I'll paste it at the bottom of this post.

If you're looking for the tour schedule, CLICK HERE. I hope all who live within a reasonable distance (say... 286 miles) to these events will come out. I wish everyone could make it to the official Launch Party tomorrow night (The King's English in SLC, 7:00 pm, 1532 S, 1500 E), but some of you may live more than 286 miles away.

I'll try to stay very connected as I'm out and about on the tour, especially with Twitter since it's easiest. CLICK HERE to follow me there. I always seem to get very interesting drivers, so you don't want to miss out on that commentary....

You can also friend me on Facebook (CLICK HERE) or follow this blog (CLICK HERE) or "Like" the official FB Maze Runner page (CLICK HERE). So many options!

Tomorrow. My book comes out tomorrow. That's awesome.

Here's the trailer (be sure and watch some of the fan made videos on YouTube. I love them!). If you can't see the whole thing, just go to the actual website: CLICK HERE.

Kirkus Review, Tour Dates

One week. One week from TODAY! The Scorch Trials will be in a bookstore near you. I'm so excited for all of you to read this book. Extremely excited. Here's hoping you'll like it.

I'm ecstatic to say that Kirkus sure seemed to like it! It REALLY made my month to get the following review. And what better way to preface the list of events of my upcoming tour. If you don't like slight spoilers, you might want to skip it though. I love at the end they label it not only as science fiction, but as a "thriller." That's music to my ears...

Here's the full review:

THE SCORCH TRIALS
Author: Dashner, James
Thomas led the Gladers to safety in The Maze Runner (2009). But after just one night’s rest, the survivors are told that a true haven is still a long way off. To reach it, they have to pass another trial: crossing an expanse of scorched earth while being pursued by the Cranks, humans infected by the Flare, a disease that inflicts madness. If they can just make it to the designated meeting point on time (and alive), they will be met by a rescue team from the shadowy organization behind these trials, receive the cure to the pandemic and never have to face danger again.

Constantly on the run and threatened, the Gladers struggle to win. Thomas tries to protect his friends while searching for Teresa, the lone girl from the Glade, and grappling with elusive returning memories. Taut and bleak, continually intriguing and surprising, this is a solid sequel that keeps both Thomas and readers wondering what is really going on. Hooked readers will hope they won’t have to wait long for the answers that have been promised in the next installment. (Science fiction/thriller. 12 & up)


TOUR EVENTS:

Official Launch Party (Please come and make it big and great!):

Tuesday, October 12th @ 7 p.m.
The King’s English
1511 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84105

Wednesday, October 13th @ 7 p.m.
Borders
255 Grossman Dr.
Braintree, MA 02184

Thursday, October 14th @ 7 p.m.
Barnes and Noble
98 Middlesex Turnpike
Burlington, MA 01803

Friday, October 15th @ 7 p.m.
Boswell Book Company
2559 N. Downer Ave.
Milwaukee WI 53211

Saturday, October 16th @ 1:30 p.m.
Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival (sponsored by Next Chapter Bookshop)
Presentation and signing
Sheboygan, WI

Monday, October 18th @ 7 p.m.
Barnes and Noble
Greyhound Plaza
14709 US Hwy 31 North
Carmel, IN 14709

October 19th @ 7 p.m.
Left Bank Books
399 N. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108

Wednesday, October 20th at 7 p.m.
Barnes and Noble
Chesterfield Oaks
1600 Clarkson Rd.
Chesterfield, MO 63017

Thursday, October 21st @ 7 p.m.
Powell’s
2720 NW 29th Ave.
Portland, OR 97210

Friday, October 22nd @ 4 p.m.
A Children’s Place
4807 Northeast Fremont Street
Portland, OR 97213

Monday, October 25th @ 7 p.m.
Kepler’s
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Tuesday, October 26th @ 7 p.m.
Copperfield’s
2316 Montgomery Drive
Santa Rosa, CA 95405-5000

Wednesday, October 27th @ 10 a.m.
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA 94925
(In-store with school groups)

3 Weeks! Tour Dates.

It really hit me today. The Scorch Trials comes out in THREE weeks. That's nothing. That's, like, 21 days is all! Roughly.

Yes, in 21 days, on Tuesday the 12th of October, The Scorch Trials will be available in stores nationwide (USA and Canada only, other countries later). I'm so excited for you all to read this book. So, so excited. The early reviews are very positive (yay Kirkus!!!! review to be shown here soon) and I just can't wait for those who liked The Maze Runner to see which direction the story goes. I can promise you'll be surprised.

I wanted to give some heads up on events over the next month. I'll be a very busy boy, and I hope to meet many of you while out on the road. Please come and see me!

First up, for those of you in Utah, I'll be at the Orem library tomorrow (Wed the 21st) night at 7:00 pm.

Then I head to Toronto for the Teen Read Awards sponsored by the Indigo bookstore chain, as well as a few prepublicity events for TST. Sidenote: I'm very excited to meet Ally Carter!

After that, it's Austin TX for the big book festival on October 2nd. Anyone out there coming to that?

And then comes the official release tour. My release party will be held at the amazing King's English bookstore in Salt Lake City on October 12th (Tuesday) at 7:00 pm. To all my faithful and long time readers and friends in Utah, please come. Please come!

And then I head off to several cities. The schedule isn't set in stone yet, so look for that in the coming days. But I CAN tell you which cities I'll be visiting, and the dates, so you can mark your calendars. We're trying to go to different places than we did last year. More details to come...

Boston, 13th and 14th
Sheboygan Book Festival in Wisconsin, 16th
Indianapolis, 18th
St. Louis, 19th and 20th
Portland, 21st and 22nd
San Francisco, 23rd - 27th

I really hope to meet a lot of you. Be sure and let me know if you're a Duder!

More soon...

Finally, we've now spent two weeks on the NYT Bestseller List. Two is twice as good as one! Stay tuned for lots of fun stuff and information leading up to Release Day.

Sidenote for comments: What did you guys think of THE EVENT series premiere? I want it to replace LOST for me, even though I know that's impossible. I had mixed feelings. It's no LOST, but it was definitely intriguing.

The Limit by Kristen Landon

Hey guys. THANK YOU for all the congrats on hitting the NYT Bestseller list!!!! A lot of you have been hanging out here from the beginning, and you helped my book get there. So thank you very, very much.

Today I just wanted to give a quick shout out to a book that is now released and in a store near you.....

It's called THE LIMIT, by Kristen Landon. I had the fortune of reading this book early, and I absolutely loved it and gave it a blurb, which just so happens to be on the back cover! Here is a little more info:

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn’t let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit–and to change his reality forever.

“The Limit depicts a frighteningly familiar world with an unsettling twist . . . will keep readers guessing all the way to the end as they cheer on Matt’s ingenuity and his relentless search for answers.”
- Margaret Peterson Haddix, bestselling author of the Shadow Children series

“The Limit is a wonderful book. This glimpse into a possible future becomes all the more frightening because of Landon’s incredibly developed characters and setting, making the whole experience feel all too real. Fast paced, full of great humor, adventure, and surprises, this is sure to be enjoyed by all ages.”
- James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner and The 13th Reality series

For more information, go check out Kristen's website: CLICK HERE.

You guys should all read it!

Maze Runner a NY Times Bestseller!

Today's been a good day for three very big reasons.

1. It's September 1st. To see how I feel about this date, go back and read my post from last year: CLICK HERE. Ignore all the stuff after the first bit.

2. I just turned in my manuscript for The Death Cure, the third and final book of The Maze Runner trilogy.

3. My agent called and gave me the news that The Maze Runner is now a NY Times Bestseller!

I have to admit, that last one hit me a lot harder than I ever would've thought. After all the years of hard work, all the rejections, all the revisions, all the disappointments, it really smacked me over the head and I got a little emotional. I'm so thankful to all the people who believed in me and helped this happen. ESPECIALLY all of my readers!!! Thank you.

Paperback, Facebook, Articles

Well hi there everybody! I hope your week is turning out just swell.

Just a few cool things:

1. The paperback of THE MAZE RUNNER is officially in stores! I'd love to hear from anyone who has picked it up, discovered it for the first time, what you think of the bonus material, etc. Speak!

2. Random House has put up an official Facebook page for the MAZE RUNNER trilogy, and I need all my Duders to show your presence! Check it out: CLICK HERE.

3. I owe a TON to the HUNGER GAMES trilogy. Though my series was sold to Random House well before the first book even came out, I was in the right place at the right time because the dystopian/post apocalyptic tale has really surged because of Suzanne Collins' books. Thank you Ms. Collins!!!! How has it helped me, you ask? Here are two examples:

4. I was mentioned in this USA TODAY article about the release of MOCKINGJAY: CLICK HERE.

5. As if that wasn't cool enough, a few days later, I was mentioned in this NEW YORK TIMES article: CLICK HERE.

6. Both of those were very surreal to me. I know I'm still acting like a giddy rookie, but I am and I can't help it!

7. Random thought of the day: I love my new iPad more than my children, but I would never tell them. Doh!

First Draft Done, Scorch Preview

I would just like to publicly announce (calmly and collectively) that I'm officially done with the first draft of THE DEATH CURE, the third and final book of THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy. I'm happy about this, but I'm choosing to act like I've been there before and not make a fool of myself. There'll be no giddy rants or silly phrases about dancing or jumping or kissing complete strangers, and certainly nothing about knocking over old ladies in the park, my old standard.

And now I have an incredibly busy two weeks of revising and editing before I send it off to my editor.

To celebrate, I thought I'd reveal the little summary thingamajig that will be on the inside cover flap of THE SCORCH TRIALS, because I've noticed it's not available anywhere on the Internet yet. Honestly, I don't know why. But since it'll be on the book, I'm assuming it's okay to share with you guys.

It's always impossible to make these things perfect. As I read the paragraphs, some things in it are KINDA true, but when you read the book you'll see it from a different perspective. But it definitely gives you the flavor of what the book is about. And it contains a lot of spoilers.

Personally, I don't think you should read it. I never do. I like to go into a book knowing absolutely nothing, which is the same reason I refuse to watch movie previews. But then again, most people think I'm weird about this, so whatever. If you want to read it, read it. If you don't, STOP NOW!

!SPOILER ALERT!

The Maze was only the beginning...

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more Variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety... until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, much of the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated--and with it, order--and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal.

The Gladers are far from done running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder--does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

!END OF SPOILER ALERT!

I really think you guys will like it. It's very different from Book One, and you really start finding out what's going on behind the scenes, the bigger picture of WHY they're being put through these trials. Not everything, but a lot is answered. Of course, new questions arise...

Less than two months away!!! And remember, the paperback comes out in one week!

Quick Updates

Just wanted to drop in and give a few tidbits of information:

1. I'm participating with a BUNCH of authors in a "Writing for Charity" event on Saturday, August 21st at the Waterford School in Sandy, UT. All proceeds go to buying books for under privileged children (and that's a good thing in case you're wondering). Some of the authors include Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Bree Despain, Brandon Sanderson, Jessica Day George, Dan Wells, Wendy Toliver, Sara Zarr, Anne Bowen, Emily Wing Smith... okay, you get the point.

If you have any interest in writing, or just like to meet authors, check it out. The evening event will be a lot of fun, and, ahem, yours truly will be serving as the MC, so you never know what might happen. For all the details, CLICK HERE.

2. I'm working hard on the third and final book of the MAZE trilogy, THE DEATH CURE. I'm writing the climax right now, which is very bittersweet because it means I'm almost done with this story. Boohoo.

3. The paperback for THE MAZE RUNNER comes out in two weeks!!! (Tues, August 24.) That's the same day as MOCKINGJAY, so at least I know a lot of people will be in the stores. The first two chapters of THE SCORCH TRIALS are in the paperback of MAZE, and there's also another little surprise that I'm not allowed to share yet...

4. Speaking of SCORCH, it comes out in two months! (Tues, Oct. 12.) I'll be going all over the country that month, so hopefully I'll get to see/meet a lot of you. Looking forward to it.

5. If you live in the United Kingdom (that's not Disneyland, for my less educated readers), MAZE is now available there. I'd love to hear from some of our UK Duders if you've seen it, read it, whatever. I know you're out there!

6. My wife has officially agreed that I can get a brand new iPad as a reward for something that, ahem, I'm not allowed to tell you about yet. (I do love throwing that around. I really do.) I would just like the world to know that I'm very excited about this.

7. I swear I had more to talk about, but I should cut it short anyway. Lots of writing to do!

8. Have a wonderful day.

9. Oh, this just in: a soon-to-be giveaway of the SCORCH ARC from our very own faithful Duder, Dave: CLICK HERE.

And the ARC goes to...

Alas, our fun and exciting contest has come to an end. (Don't you hate when people use the word alas?) I'm kinda sad because I really enjoyed reading about all the good deeds you guys have been doing out there. I know they were things you would've done anyway, and it makes me proud of my Duders. You're all good people.

This wasn't easy. We had over 350 entries! Through a joint collaboration of my family's efforts, and combining randomness and goodness, the winners of an ARC for THE SCORCH TRIALS are as follows:

Shallee

Scott Pollack

Jenny Granola

Eric

Leesie

Congratulations!!!! Please let me know your email address, and we'll contact you to get your mailing address. And be sure and let us know what you think! (especially, ahem, if you, ahem, like it.)

Note: For those of you who know me personally and entered, we purposefully didn't pick you. Sorry about that. I figured you can come over and borrow it. Haha.

More ARCs!

Wow, over 250 comments for our giveaway contest!

My publicist has graciously allowed me to give away FIVE ARCs instead of just one! That's five times the number that I thought originally. (Because at first I was only going to give away one. And five times one is five.)

Because of this switcheroo, I'm extending the contest by 24 hours. Not just to give more people a chance, but because I need to put some thought into the winners. It was going to be random, but now I think I'll do a mix of random and judging your deeds for some that stand out. Maybe I'll let my kids decide one...

For those of you who haven't entered yet, feel free to leave the comment on this post. Both will count.

I have to tell you guys. Wow. I've read each and every entry, and I'm really blown away. There's been a lot of good done in the world for this, and I say thank you!