Read the First Chapter of 'Three Day Summer'

Last night I got an awesome surprise in the mail...the first pass pages of Three Day Summer! The first pass pages represent the final layout of the book. This is where I actually get to see my manuscript look like a real book for the first time, complete with all the design work that goes into things like chapter headings and page numbers.

In a nutshell, I love it! I think the layout looks super '60s and groovy and really works well with the cover. And to celebrate...I want to share the first chapter of Three Day Summer with you, exactly how it's going to look in the book!

But first...let's ooh and aah over some of these amazing design elements, shall we? (You can click on each photo to see a larger version...)

First, the title page, which is basically a black and white recreation of the cover:

Then there are the awesome chapter headings. Three Day Summer is told from the dual perspective of my two main characters, so each chapter starts with one or the other of their names. I really like how bold they made that.

And, finally, I really like the tiny graphics that are at the top of each page right by the title and my name.

So, without further ado, may I present the first chapter of Three Day Summer:

New Book News, Part Deux!

Sooooo....this announcement just went up on Publishers Marketplace today!

Sarvenaz's Tash's THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE, a Comic Con rom-com about a lovelorn nerd who decides to profess his love for his best friend at the biggest event of their social calendar, pitched as PRETTY IN PINK goes to Comic Con to Zareen Jaffery at Simon & Schuster Children's, by Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider/ICM.

So, YES, I sold another book! I honestly did not think I'd be writing another blog post that said that this year but...well, it's been a really amazing 2014. I feel really grateful and excited for it.

Here are a few more things to know about The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love.

First, a little synopsis:

When ultra-reclusive comic book creator Robert Zinc makes a surprise announcement that he will be at this year's New York Comic Con, 16-year-old Graham Posner makes an equally profound decision: he will finally profess his true feelings for longtime best friend Roxana Afsari. And he will do it at the biggest event of their social calendar, right after they've finally met their hero. Only, of course, nothing goes exactly to plan...

Second, my impetus for the book came from combining my extreme nerdiness with my love of John Hughes movies. So you should know that a) oh boy, is it nerdy and b) it has been so ridiculously, awesomely fun to write.

And, finally, this is actually the first book I sold on proposal. Meaning I had only written a partial manuscript and a synopsis when my editor scooped it up. What does this mean? Well, it means I now have a hard deadline for the completed first draft (which I've never had before since my previous books have all sold as full manuscripts). And that the next few months will be challenging...but in the best way. I can't express how excited I am to write this story and know as I'm writing it that it will get in the hands of readers. That's something that has never happened to me before either!

Oh, and the book is slated for Summer 2016, which means it will be out exactly one year after Three Day Summer!

And, in conclusion, here's a photo of me nerding out with my friend Billy at this year's Comic Con. Because why not?