05 October 2011


This year, my sixteen-year-old daughter is considering a costume that entails the head of a baby doll, some red make-up that would look like a burn, and tattered, ash-streaked clothes. It will be a costume that almost no one will recognize -- not yet at least. She will be the lead character from my upcoming novel, Pure -- a 16-year old girl named Pressia Belze. Pressia lives in an ashen post-apocalyptic world. She's survived the detonations -- but not unmarked. The detonations caused scars, burns, and fusings. When the detonations hit, Pressia was a little girl. She was holding a baby doll. That doll's head is now fused to her fist.

So imagine my daughter cutting off the head of a rather large baby doll and fitting her fist inside of it. It's a dark image and one that I can't blame on anyone but myself. Pressia Belze is my creation, but, actually, if it weren't for my daughter she might never have seen the light of day. A few years ago, I read the opening pages to my daughter. She said that it was the best thing I'd ever written and that I had to finish the book. I did. In February the book will be published and my dark imagination -- born from my own greatest fears -- will be on full display. (And, one day, perhaps in theaters. The film rights have sold to Fox2000.)

I can honestly say that I was the kind of kid who was easily terrified. My mother -- a hyperphobic matriarch -- instilled in me fears of common every-day objects -- unwashed grapes, radiated tap water, exhaust fumes, germy doorknobs ... From there, my imagination revved. I recently walked into a producer's office in LA. On his desk was a medium-sized, square box. My first thought? That it contained a beating heart. This is how it goes with me. I once house-sat for someone and became so convinced that there was someone in the house (not just someone, but, perhaps, some grotesque thing) -- that I screamed. It was just the cat. I have trouble playing the boardgame Clue. Why would someone beat someone to death with a candlestick in a library? I see it all too vividly in my mind. (Think Inception: down to the nub of the carpeting.)

And so now, instead of living so fearfully, I've started writing novels of the things I fear -- detonations, grotesque beasts, an ashen world, a girl with a doll-head fist hiding in a cabinet in the back of a burnt-out barbershop. I hope that my dark, otherworldly subconscious one day finds yours -- via inky words on a page. 

-- Julianna Baggott is the author of 18 books. The first novel in her upcoming trilogy, PURE, will be published in February. Justin Cronin has said of the novel, "You will be swept away." Julianna hopes he's telling the truth. For more on PURE, visit 
www.pure-book.com. For more about Julianna, visit www.juliannabaggott.com.


nize the costume. One advanced reading copy of Pure has been floating through her school. It's now in the hands of her cool English teacher from last year -- a big Margaret Atwood fan. Copies are floating around out there too. 






Pure is available Grand Central Publishing, February 8th, 2012

Synopsis: We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 


Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.


Pre-order Online:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository


Find Julianna Online:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter





Enter to win a copy of PURE!


Rules and how to enter:

You MUST be at least 13 years old to enter
To enter, please fill out the form provided below
This giveaway is open to US residents only
Giveaway ends: October 19th, 2011





REMINDER: *If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry.
Please ready full entry rules >>>HERE<<<

Julianna, it was great to have you here today for Haunted Halloween. What a great idea for a Halloween costume, I'd love to see a picture! Also, thank you so much for setting up the donation for the copy of Pure we're giving away. I know I can't wait to read it!


*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this page.

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35 comments:

  1. Ooh that sounds interesting! Haven't heard of this til now! Like the cover!

    jessica(DOT)agreatread(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very nice guest post! Hope y'all have a great Halloween!

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just heard about this book from another blogger yesterday. It sounds creepy! And props to your daughter for dressing as your literary character for Halloween!

    rachel.danae226@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats on the release and the film rights!

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have a really good feeling about this one. So very excited for it!!

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is the perfect book to talk about during Halloween, it sounds nice and creepy.

    spyblue78(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting way of taking what you have from your own experiences and turning it into a truly original novel. Very excited to hear more about this book and to read it one day!
    chiri_chan29330@yahoo.com

    -Nichole

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oooooooooh, this book sounds soooo gooodd and the cover is beautiful!!!

    lilyflower999 (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  9. this sounds like an interesting...after apocalypse story. I love apoc stories.
    tlabunski *((gmail))**

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh that is just too creepy! lol a doll's head fused to her hand. Yep! Have to read it now lol

    Amanda
    hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. No need to enter me, but your daughter rocks Julianna!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Awesome post! Thanks so much! This book sounds fantastic and very creepy :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. This book sounds interesting. Thanks for the giveaway!

    minas_1989(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Pure sounds great! I'm glad you stuck with it and
    finished it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I shuddered when I read that the doll's head was fused to the girl's hand. I just thought it was like a security blanket; no, you took it to the next level of awesome! Sounds very interesting.

    candicerjames [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Can't wait to read this one. Looks so great! I love that story she told too, so creepy!

    dragonzgoil at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a crazy costume idea! lol

    chelle2006 @ aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sounds like a great read! thanks for the giveaway!

    AmethystDaydreams at zoho dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Please post pictures of your daughter's costume!
    kduff@oelwein.k12.ia.us

    ReplyDelete
  20. Seems like a sticky situation for both characters. Got my fingers croossed. Hope I win!
    Email: osnapitzAngiex3(AT)aol(DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  21. This sounds so GOOD! I'm also one of those OCD mothers lol I guess I should take a chill pill huh =)

    Thank you for the entry!

    -Brandi
    bgilvaja87(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sounds great///sweet cover. Thanks for the post
    veltara(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Another amazing story! Thanks for sharing!

    Ashley Suzanne
    ashleysbookshelf at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ooh this one sounds good, will definitely have to check it out :)

    aprilxu2222@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I've read the prolouge and the first chapter for this book and I have fallen in love with what I've read so far, plus I love how the cover of the book sort of tells the story for you too. Very insighful post, thank you for sharing and for the giveaway! :)

    Suz @ A Soul Unsung
    susanhaugland@att.net

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you for sharing sounds like a great book love the cover very pretty! Great giveaway thank you!
    tishajean@ charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  27. Now this sounds like a good read. Can't wait to check it out. Thanks for the giveaway.

    miss.smileygirlie at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow! At first I thought, ewww creepy a doll head fused to her hand! I kept reading and now I think, wow I gotta read this!! tinas_family3(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Ooh, that story sounds so creepy. Doll's heads freak me out.

    liedermadchen(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  30. This book sounds soooo horribly creepy! But so interesting at the same time! LOL

    bookcrookliza at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh what a beautiful cover!!!

    ~Brandy
    brandyzbooks at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Mary DeBorde
    zenrei57 (at) hotmail dot com

    So many wonderful books out now, it's hard to keep my list updated lol

    And that cover is BEAUTIFUL!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. What an awesome daughter. A beautiful cover and an absolutely freaky storyline. Dolls completely freak me out.
    thanks for the giveaway!
    Shelley
    therealbellacullen@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. I was already uber excited for Pure, but hearing more about this creepiness with the fusings and burns and detonations makes me want to read it so, so much more. It sounds creepy and freaky, but oh so good.

    Nikki(at)wickedawesomebooks(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Ahh, this post made me wonder what kind of damage I am doing to my childrens with my own phobias! Urg!

    bchild5 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete

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