Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Upcoming Appearances and Blog Tour Info

So, try as I might to hold those finished copies tight, it seems that Silver shipped early to retailers, and in some places Silver is already available.  Three weeks early!  Needless to say, I am not at all prepared.  I do have some fun events coming up in the next few months that I wanted to share in case you get a chance to check them out.

APPEARANCES:

August 26, 2012 4:00 p.m.  Litquake, Palo Alto, CA

Appearing at Litquake with a panel of Young Adult authors including Katherine Longshore (GILT), Corrine Jackson (IF I LIE) and Veronica Rossi (UNDER THE NEVER SKY). We will be discussing our books and publication journey, and doing a signing. The event takes place at the Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303. Admission is free.

September 15, 2012 4:00 p.m. The Avid Reader, Davis, CA

SILVER launch party! Come celebrate the release of my debut novel at the Avid Reader in Davis, CA. I will be joined by Katherine Longshore (GILT), Veronica Rossi (UNDER THE NEVER SKY) and Donna Cooner (SKINNY).

September 29, 2012 2:00 p.m.  Bay Books, San Ramon, CA


Appearing with Katherine Longshore (GILT), Corrine Jackson (IF I LIE) and Veronica Rossi (UNDER THE NEVER SKY).

October 12, 2012  2:00 p.m.  NCIBA Annual Conference

Signing finished copies of Silver at the Flux booth during the Northern California Independent Booksellers Annual Conference in South San Francisco. 

October 24-26 Charlotte, NC


YOUR BEST BOOK Workshop. I'll be on a panel with fellow YA Muses Katherine Longshore (GILT), Veronica Rossi (UNDER THE NEVER SKY) and Donna Cooner (SKINNY) and Bret Ballou, discussing revision and our journey to publication. We are also planning to do a local signing so stay tuned for details.


BLOG TOUR:

Stop by the SILVER blog tour hosted by the fabulous Jaime and Patricia at 2 Chicks on Books:

9/1/2012- YA Sisterhood- Blake Interview
9/2/2012- Page Turners Blog hosted by Sophie- Lightening Round Q&A
9/3/2012- The Review News- Review
9/4/2012- Two Chicks On Books- Dream Cast Post
9/5/2012- What The Cat Read- Silver Playlist
9/6/2012- I'm a Bookshark- Top Ten Scenes from Silver
9/7/2012- Debbie's World Of Books- Guest Post
9/8/2012- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads *****Release Day**** Scene from Blake’s POV
9/9/2012- The Ravenous Reader- Interview and Review
9/10/2012- Taters Tall Tales- Review
9/11/2012- Books Over Boys- Interview
9/12/2012- Jean Book Nerd- Interview
9/13/2012- Fiktshun- Celtic Myth Guest Post
9/14/2012- Literary Exploration- Interview


Saturday, August 11, 2012

Reality is Sweet and Sad and Scary

Every writer dreams of the day when a story becomes a book.  Since Flux first offered on Silver nearly two years ago, I knew this day would come.  But knowing it and experiencing it are two totally different things.

Today, the dream is a reality. I am holding a finished copy of Silver in my hands.  I don't know whether anyone will buy it.  I hope so.  I hope that some of them will like it.  But as I sit here today, one month before my debut novel is released, I don't want to think about sales and reviews and marketing. The reality of my dream is something completely unexpected to me. 

I am excited, of course.  Still, there is a bittersweet quality to publication that no one warned me about.  The reality is that this book is no longer going to be mine.  I am going to have to let it go out into the world, to succeed or fail on its own.   

Before that happens, I want to keep it close.  I want to remember that when I sat down to write this book, there was no expectation that anyone but me would ever see it.  This book was a labor of love, a place to explore characters and themes and stories that mattered to me.  It was a playground for me to escape to and let my imagination run loose. 

I want to remember how these characters took on a life of their own, surprising me in the most delightful and exciting ways.  I loved uncovering their secrets, especially the ones they tried to keep buried. 

I want to remember how difficult it was to keep going at times.  There were days when I thought I might never finish.  Still, I kept coming back to it, one weekend day at a time.  There were days when my heart bled onto the page, and days when I laughed out loud.  Everyday was a journey.

I want to remember that I didn't write this book for others.  I wrote it for me.  And whether it sells or not, whether people read it, whether they love it or hate it, one simple thing will always be true: I love this book.  I am proud of how far Silver has come from those quiet days when it was just me and these characters and a keyboard, feeling my way through the story.  But it is those days, when I wrote for the sheer joy of discovery, when pieces of me tangled up with the words, those days are the reason this book even exists.

In a month, Silver won't be mine anymore, it will belong to the marketplace.  I will let it go and hope for the best.  For now, I am holding my finished copies tight.