One of the things that is absolutely true about being an author, especially for teens and kids, is that to succeed, you depend on a huge network of people — not just your editor and publisher, but reviewers, librarians, bloggers and booksellers — to get your books into the hands of people who will read and love them. Just one passionate advocate for your book can make all the difference.

One of the most passionate advocates for young adult literature out there in the book buying world is Faith Hochhalter, The Book Babe. She was absolutely lovely to me when I met her in Phoenix on tour for City of Ashes, and has hand-sold countless copies of my books. She's done the same for so many other authors like me, and is universally loved and respected in the kids book world — so you can imagine that the news that Faith, who is only twenty-seven, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, hit the community like a ton of bricks.

This is why over 40 authors have come together to support Project Book Babe, which aims to raise enough money to support Faith while she goes through cancer treatment, and to help with her medical bills. They held a fabulous fundraising event on April 4 in Phoenix, which you may have already read about on Stephenie Meyer's site, where she and a dozen on authors like Shannon Hale, James Owen, and Dean Lorey auctioned off items live to raise money for the Project. Though I was on book tour and couldn't get to Phoenix for the event, I decided to do the next best thing and join the online auction, which features all sorts of cool items like books signed by Christopher Paolini and Lisa McMann, and Ally Carter's offer to critique the first ten pages of an aspiring writer's manuscript (just check the side of the page here for a list of what's up now.)

I decided to auction off the name of a character in my next Shadowhunter series, The Infernal Devices. Here's the listing (click text to go through to Ebay page):

Have a character in one of Cassandra Clare’s upcoming books named after you! Cassandra Clare will use the name of the winner in her upcoming series, The Infernal Devices, and include the full name of the winner in the acknowledgments.


So basically, yes, if you win the auction, you'll have a minor character in the ID series named after you, and I'll thank you in the acknowledgments and explain why.

They will also be auctioning off signed copies of my books, so you can bid on those as well (I don't have links as they have no gone up yet, but you can look out for them in the sidebar on the website or check the Project Book Babe store on Ebay.)

Faith has given so much to the book community and I'm glad to have a chance to give something back to her.

ETA: I know the auction listing says the winner will not receive a book as the publishing date isn't set, but I am happy to send the winner a signed copy once it's published.


Cassie