…And here’s the cover. Expect Crusade in stores on 21 September 2010 (or so we’ve heard so far…).

The Crusade cover is going to debut Thursday, March 18th on the Wicked Facebook Fan page!  Check it out!!  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wicked-Series/112951947795

Debbie’s first Once Upon a Time novel – Midnight Pearls was recently re-released with a new cover. Have you seen it? It’s interesting how one book can have several different covers over its lifetime, don’t you think?

Here’s a look at the cover migration:

Cover 1:

Cover 2:

Cover 3:

It’s also fun to see how Debbie is identified differently on each successive cover. So, which cover do you like best?

Yes! Check out this press release. The Wicked series has been optioned for the big screen. Squee!

DreamWorks Studios Acquires Rights to Young Adult Book Series “Wicked”

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DreamWorks Studios has acquired the rights to the young adult book series “Wicked” it was announced today by Mark Sourian and Holly Bario, Co-Presidents of Production for the studio. Aaron and Matthew Benay have signed on to write the adaptation based on their own pitch. The Gotham Group will produce.

A New York Times bestselling series and published by Simon & Schuster, “Wicked” is a five book series written by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié. The first two books, “Witch” and “Curse,” were published in 2002, followed by “Legacy” and “Spellbound” in 2003. The fifth book, “Resurrection,” was published this past summer.

Story follows the journey of a young woman who learns she is a descendent of a powerful coven of witches. Complications arise when she falls in love with a boy who turns out to be a member of a rival coven sworn to destroy her family.

“’Wicked’ has all the elements for a great movie–adventure, mystery, star-crossed lovers, bitter enemies, and the supernatural,” said Mark Sourian. “Aaron and Matthew came in with an intriguing take on the books and a story that we feel will really speak to all audiences.”

Aaron and Matthew Benay, who are brothers, wrote the script for “1906,” which Pixar, Warner Brothers, and director Brad Bird are readying for release in 2012.

Best-selling author Nancy Holder has published sixty books and more than two hundred short stories. She has received four Bram Stoker awards for fiction from the Horror Writers Association, and her books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. She has written or co-written twenty Buffy and Angel projects based on the characters from the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” film and television series.

Debbie Viguié is author of the Once upon a Time novels “Scarlet Moon” and “Midnight Pearls,” as well as the Sweet Seasons novels “The Summer of Cotton Candy,” “The Fall of Candy Corn,” “The Winter of Candy Canes,” and “The Spring of Candy Apples.”

About DreamWorks Studios

DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The new company is a continuation of DreamWorks Studios which was formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The company expects to put into production 5 to 6 films per year.

(This press release is all over the net, but I’ve borrowed it from Nancyholder.com)

It’s Wednesday and it’s time to talk Wicked.  Send me your questions and I’ll answer them.  Here’s a common question:  Who is your favorite character?

I feel like that’s a bit of a trick question.  I’m a writer so I have to love my characters, right?  While that is essentially true, there are some characters that are more enjoyable to write than others and some I would actually choose as friends.  For the female characters, ultimately it’s Nicole.  She started out as my least favorite of the three Ladies of the Lily and ended up as my favorite.  For the men it’s a three-way tie between Richard, Armand, and Eli.  I love writing all four of these characters. 

It’s magic!!  Resurrection is coming out early.  Your local bookstore should have it within the next few days if they don’t already!  You can also order online from Amazon or BarnesandNoble!!

 Spread the word and get people buying copies of the books!  We don’t want anyone to miss out on this opportunity to read the book early.

Debbie Viguie’s superheroine Glamour who will appear in a short story in the Chicks in Capes anthology, coming soon from Moonstone.  Artist – Em Stone.

Nancy Holder and I have written a short story called Passing for the Eternal Kiss Anthology edited by Trisha Telep which comes out July 27th.  The anthology is comprised of short stories about vampires.  Fans of the Wicked series will definitely want to pick up a copy and read Passing.  You’ll love it and there’s a surprise or two in there.  I’m not going to say more than that at the moment.