Book signings then and now

When I first became an author I thought book signings were all about meeting my public, finding out what they wanted, and making them happy.

Sorry public, I gave up on making you happy long ago.

Now it's all about not looking bad in front of the book store personnel. If that means begging everyone I know to come into the store then I will do it unashamedly. Because there is nothing worse than having the book store personnel think you are a friendless, readerless author who can't draw a crowd.

So, although I know it seems like I just told you about a book signing, (because I did,) now I'm telling you about another one. I'll be at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe with super fun author Janni Simner doing readings and a signing.

This is your official invitation begging you to come!

Tuesday, March 31
7:00 PM

Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85283.
480-730-0205

Want to hang out with Stephenie Meyer? (Okay, that got your attention, didn't it?)

Come to projectbook.babe on Saturday, April 4th 2009, 2:00PM to 5:00PM at
Marcos de Niza High School Auditorium,
6000 S. Lakeshore Dr.,Tempe, AZ 85283

Look at this a-list of authors who will be there (in alphabetical order):

Frank Beddor-The Looking Glass Wars series
Chris Gall-There’s Nothing to Do on Mars
P.J. Haarsma-The Softwire series
Shannon Hale-The Princess Academy
J.S. Lewis-The Revenge of the Shadow King
Dean Lorey-Nightmare Academy series
Stephenie Meyer-Twilight saga
Brandon Mull-Fablehaven series
James A. Owen-Here, There Be Dragons
Janette Rallison-Just One Wish
Laini Taylor-Faeries of Dreamdark series

And it’s all for a good cause too. We’re helping out our very good friend and YA advocate, Faith Hochhalter, who is going up against cancer—a nasty villain in anybody’s book.

Everyone who buys a ticket will receive an autographed copy a book. Really, it is going to be a ton of fun, and I won’t let the cat out of the bag, but Shannon Hale is busy at work guaranteeing that we will all make fools of ourselves. Also Stephenie is auctioning off some Twilight memorabilia, which as you all know, has an ample sprinkling of vampire dust on it. I’m pretty sure Edward Cullen has touched all of it, so touching it is just like being caressed in his marble cold embrace.

You can buy tickets to this fab, once-in-a-lifetime event by going to projectbookbabe.com

Hope to see you there!

Book signings and teaser

Despite the fact that I'm always afraid my book signings will turn out like a bad version of a Junior High dance--me standing idly around trying to look like I'm perfectly happy to not be doing what I came to do, but desperately wishing that I could be on the dance floor--I have two book signings set up this month. (Where I may be sitting idly around trying to look like I'm perfectly happy to not be doing what I came to do, but desperately wishing that I could be on the dance floor--er, I mean, signing books. Although the dance floor would be a great reprieve too.)

Here are the dates/times/places:

Tuesday March 24th at 7pm
Barnes & Noble
Desert Ridge Marketplace
21001 N. Tatum Blvd. Suite 42
Phoenix, AZ 85050
480-538-8520

Tuesday, March 31st at 7pm.
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283,
Cross streets: Guadalupe and McClintock



Just One Wish

It seemed like a good idea at the time, a foolproof plan, and not something that was likely to get Annika Truman, say, thrown in jail. All she was trying to do was help her six-year-old brother, Jeremy, beat his cancer. He’d been so afraid of his upcoming surgery that she was trying to use some of that “Power of Positive Thinking” everyone keeps talking about.

Annika told Jeremy that she had a genie and still had two wishes left. He could use one for anything he wanted and one to make sure his surgery went well. She knew he’d ask for the new action figure of Teen Robin Hood. It’s all he’d talked about since he started watching the TV series.

But there is no such thing as a foolproof plan where six-year-olds are concerned. Instead, Jeremy asked for the real Teen Robin Hood to come teach him how to shoot arrows. And now Annika has just a couple of days to drive to Hollywood, find the actor who plays Teen Robin Hood—incredibly hot and way too famous Steve Raleigh—and convince him to visit her little brother.

At times like this she could use a genie herself.

More thoughts on revisions

I was just at the Tucson Book Festival last weekend where I got to hang out with many fun writers including political cartoonist David Fitszimmons. He gave me this cartoon that he used during his presentation. No particular reason why. Nope, none at all.

Round two of revisions for Faking It

I got my second revision letter and manuscript comments from the bow-tied one. I will share some of it with you and interpret it for you along the way. In his email to me, he said, “You’re doing great! We love it!”

Ohhoho. I know better than to believe those words. He is not taking me in with those pretty exclamation points. He always says those sorts of things right before he butchers my manuscript and sends me back the bleeding entrails.

I opened the revision letter and braced myself. I read a few lines and then he said, “We can discuss deadlines after you’ve had a chance to sit with all of this.”

Ahh, the truth first peeks out with its beady little eyes. The bow-tied one knows full well that when I read what follows I will be so torked out of shape I will not speak to him for a solid week. It is going to be bad my friends, very bad.

He then says, “You will be relieved to see that there are fewer comments on this pass (only 407 this time, down from 435), so clearly you are moving in the right direction!"

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I would make some other sort of statement about his 407 comments, but I haven’t read them yet. I can’t. I’ve made a bargain with myself. I will only read his revisions notes until I get so upset that I want to scream, then I will walk away from the computer and do something else for the rest of the day. It is the only way I can get through this.

It will take me at least another day to finish his revision letter before I even open the manuscript.

I have finally figured out why he wears a bow-tie instead of a regular one. Bow-ties are harder to grab a hold of when you want to strangle people.

Just One Wish is out! Well, maybe sort of . . .

The long awaited and much anticipated (at least by me) release date of Just One Wish is here! According to the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, my latest book was released March 5th.

Unfortunately someone emailed me that their book store didn't have it yet, which made me call my local book store and they told me that although they had the book on order it hadn't come in.

I emailed the bow-tied one to see if there was a distribution problem--I also haven't gotten my author copies--and he told me not to sweat it because we hadn't reached the release date yet.

Which proves what I've said all along, that editors have no concept of time.

So anyway, I'm not sure if your store has copies yet, but it should, and if it doesn't, then you should demand in a loud voice that they get it in soon because obviously there is going to be a rush on the limited first edition copies and things could turn ugly like they did years ago when shoppers were trampling each other to get Tickle Me Elmos.

Maybe we can create a frenzied shopping demand for the book. I'd be happy with that.