Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Launch Party!

I'm crawling out of my revision cave *waves to the sunshine* for a few minutes to share the awesomeness that was my launch party day.

I thought my official release day was epic; I was flooded with friend well wishes and book reviews all day long with no time to breathe. But party day was craaazzy.

I woke up at 3:30 am to get to the ABC4 Studios for a live interview later that morning:



After a quick breakfast with my publicist, I headed to a radio station for a twenty-minute interview that was a ton of fun:


I had a few minutes to spare and went home to attempt a nap, but I mostly just sat still for an hour and tried to rest the best I could. Then I was off to another live TV interview on CBS:


Then it was launch party time at The King's English. I talked for a bit, my friend and CP Emily (who flew in from San Francisco just for my launch) read some of my book, I made a couple of secret announcements about Remake (that I hope to share with you all soon), and I answered lots of questions from the audience.

My CP Katie gave me and "Nine" a happy book birthday cupcake!


Emily and her gorgeous radio voice.

The space was filled to capacity, and the room in back was packed too--standing room only! So cool.


Then it was signing time, which lasted over an hour but flew by quickly. So much fun to see friends, family, writers, strangers, my publisher peeps, etc. who all came out to support me. Hopefully everyone got a chance to mingle and snack while they waited. I wish I could have chatted with everyone!


My favorite fan of the night...and the only one I let get that close aka my husband. :)

The King's English was fantastic, of course. They said they ordered way more books than they usually do for a launch because they had a feeling it might be crowded. But the turnout was still way more than they expected and they only had a few books left at the end of the night. My amazing wonderful spectacular publisher, Shadow Mountain, set up a rockin' party for me, and they all came out to support me too. So awesome!

THE LINE

As if that wasn't enough, a few of my writer friends and I went out to eat afterwards. So. Much. Fun. It's kind of a miracle I didn't fall asleep driving home, whew.

My CPs Emily, Katie, and Robin(who was back in NC with a newborn).

David, Katie, Angie, Emily P, Robin, Christy, Emily K, me, Celesta.

All in all, I can't think of how the day could have been any better. It's a once in a life time experience that I will never forget, and I'm thrilled with how the day went. Thanks again for all of my friends who came out to support REMAKE!!!

*Crawls back into revision cave*

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Remake Release Day!!!

It's here, it's here! The day I've been waiting for for YEARS. My dream come true. The day I become a published author! REMAKE, my debut novel, is officially released today.


Spread the word. Do a happy dance. Buy the book. Eat some chocolate. Whatever you feel like doing to celebrate with me.


Don't forget to join me for the launch party at The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City this Friday at 7pm. There will be refreshments, I'll talk a little bit, sign books, mingle--it'll be awesome. If you're in Utah, I hope to see you there!


I have some fun announcements coming soon, but for today, let's just relish in the awesomeness of my book baby finally out in the world. Squee!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Insecure Up To My Ears

IWSG
I'm not sure that non-writers, or even friends and families of writers, truly understand how difficult this career path is. I've heard of classes, seen online discussions, talked with friends, and even discovered websites and programs (like the IWSG) dedicated to mental health issues as it relates to writing. Depression and anxiety is real, and it can be crippling.

Why is writing so stressful? Is it because it's a creative endeavor that reaches in and grabs the rawest parts of ourselves? Is it because we face rejection in hundreds of forms every step of the way, from agents to publishers to readers? Is it the solitary nature of the job, where lack of sunlight and no social interaction from day to day is the norm?

As for me this month, I'm feeling way too insecure to share the details of my endless list of insecurities. So how about this? Tell me something GOOD that is happening for you right now, whether writing-related or not, and I will celebrate with you today.

Cyber hugs all around.

I'm holding on for dear life.