New 'Three Day Summer' Reviews and a Giveaway!

I'll make this short and sweet but I'm super thrilled to announce that some lovely reviews have recently come in for Three Day Summer (now only about a month away from release!)

From School Library Journal:

"Extremely charming...This sure-to-be-popular, mesmerizing novel...[is] a real page-turner for fans of romance, music, and the swinging '60s."

From author Tamara Ireland Stone (Time After Time and Every Last Word):

"Three Day Summer will transport you back in time to Woodstock, drown you in incredible music, and introduce you to a couple you'll never forget. It's the perfect summer getaway."

From Publishers Weekly:

In short chapters full of vivid historical detail, Tash takes readers through each of the major acts at Woodstock (the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, among others), plus all of the drugs, mud, and shed inhibitions. As Cora and Michael meander (and sometimes stumble) through the chaos, they evoke the spirit of the festival in their awe for the music, adding their own dash of romance to the free love around them... the author’s love for the era and this defining musical moment shines through.

From Pure Imagination Blog:

The music, artists, and the feelings it inspires are talked about so much that it feels like you are there with Cora and Michael. That was an incredible feeling. Three Day Summer is a short, well paced read. It’s perfect for summer and music lovers. This is such a fun debut.

In other serendipitous news, I recently came across a couple of extra Three Day Summer ARCs. So I will be giving signed copies away to two winners right on this blog! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The contest is open internationally!

Everyone gets one free entry. You can also gain extra entries by leaving a comment on this post about your favorite thing about summer, tweeting about the contest (once per day), following me on Twitter, liking my Facebook fan page, or adding the book on Goodreads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Book News!

I don't think I can fully express how excited I am to finally share this news so, without further ado...

Okay, one ado...this photo:

#96243785 / gettyimages.com

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers will be publishing my new YA novel! We're still searching for a perfect title, but I can tell you that it's my Woodstock love story pitched as Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist meets Bridget Jones. It's got hippies! And music! And humor! And romance! It was honestly the most fun I ever had writing a book and I am beyond thrilled to finally get to share it with you.

So many, many thanks to my agent Victoria Marini and my new editor Dani Young. I cannot wait to work with the team at S&S. And I absolutely cannot wait for you to finally get to read this one...currently slated for Summer 2015!

XOXO

The Paperback of 'Mapmaker' Is Coming...and It Has a New Cover!

You heard right! On March 26th, get ready for the backpack-friendly, totally tote-able paperback edition of The Mapmaker and the Ghost. Available at a bookstore or online retailer near you!

And guess what? The paperback edition has a NEW cover. Well, sorta. If you've been following me for a while you might recognize...THIS:

Why, yes! That is my original, beloved cover back -- for real -- on the paperback! I absolutely adored this cover and am so glad I'll get to finally see it on bookshelves.

Oh, and here is the complete design because there are some exciting things happening on the back too!

Namely:

- a new fantastic tagline: "Sometimes the best adventures await you in your own backyard..."

- a brand, spanking new synopsis that I adore:

Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest. So, inspired by her heroes, Lewis and Clark, she vows to spend the summer exploring and mapping the forest behind her home. But soon after she begins, her task is complicated by a series of rather unique events. A chance encounter with a strange old lady has her searching for a legendary, possibly world-saving blue rose -- which incidentally lands her in the middle of a ragtag gang of brilliant troublemakers, whose plot to attain infamy and fortune will devastate the town of Pilmilton. But when Goldenrod stumbles upon a real, live ghost haunting the forest, she knows this will be anything but an ordinary summer...or an ordinary quest.

- AND two amazing pull quotes from reviews:

 "This page-turning adventure will tickle readers' funny bones." - SLJ

"Full of adventure and mystery, this novel is sure to bring out the explorer in every reader." - LMC

Who's excited? This girl!

SLJ Reviews Mapmaker: 'Page-Turning Adventure'

A few months ago, I received my very first print review from Library Media Connection. (It was a good one).

And now, I just received my very second...from School Library Journal. Without further ado...

Gr 3-6—When her best friend moves away, 11-year-old Goldenrod Moram tries to think of a project that will keep her busy during the long summer before school starts. She loves looking at and making maps and she idolizes Lewis and Clark. She decides to create a map of her town and convinces her mother to let her explore beyond the one-mile radius that has been her unsupervised exploring limit. She beings by setting out to map the forest area at the edge of town. Along the way, she has a series of adventures that include a mysterious old woman who send her on a magical search, a gang of colorful would-be thieves, and most surprisingly, an encounter with the ghost of Meriwether Lewis, who makes his own demands on her time. In this debut novel, Tash has created a memorable cast of characters and a story that combines both humor and suspense. Goldenrod is on a mission, and nothing will deter this determined girl. When the Gross Out Gang captures her curious little brother, just enough danger is created to keep readers in suspense. Children are sure to enjoy this combination of an intrepid heroine, some slightly disreputable characters with humorous and disgusting habits, and a ghost in need of assistance. This page-turning adventure will tickle readers’ funny bones. –Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY

I love librarians!!

Really, though, I genuinely do. They are truly one of the biggest gatekeepers for us MG authors who are trying to get our books into the hands of kids. I'm beyond thrilled that Mapmaker seems to be resonating with them.

Hooray! Sparkle confetti for all!

 

Release Day Recap

Yesterday felt like my birthday.

I woke up to a ton of sweet, funny, touching, wonderful messages on Facebook and Twitter. I got to post the awesome, giant giveaway I've been itching to post forever. (You should enter if you still haven't! Chances are you already qualify for at least one entry so just fill out the form at the bottom.)

And then Graig and I set out on our mini bookstore tour of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Now, I admit, I was nervous. I thought it was possible that none of the stores would have my book, either because they weren't carrying it or they just didn't have a chance to stock it yet.

Regardless, valiantly we set off. Goldenrod is nothing if not brave, and I couldn't let my girl down. I had to try and visit her in her new homes.

The first place we went to was the lovely Greenlight in Brooklyn. With bated breath, I went to the children's section and...

There it is, on the bottom shelf. My very first sighting of The Mapmaker and the Ghost in the wild!

For the most part, this bookstore only shelves one book out on the floor at a time (even books like Twilight, so I wasn't too worried that it was currently the sole copy).

Next, we headed to the fantastic BookCourt, also in Brooklyn. This is the store that is hosting my launch party on Saturday, so I figured they had to have the book!

We wandered around the children's section but couldn't find it. I figured it must be in the back somewhere. Graig asked if we should try looking further in the store. I was skeptical since I figured it wouldn't be anywhere but the children's section.

Then Graig looked behind the register.

Yup, that is four, filled stacks of them back there in a very prominent display. It rocked. (And, hey, look...Goldenrod is hanging out with Stan Lee.)

Our next stop was the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope. I'll be honest. I had checked online before we left and it had said it was out-of-stock at that particular store. But I figured, why not throw caution to the wind? Graig double parked; I ran inside.

And lo and behold:

There it was in the MG new releases section! All turned out and proud.

The bookseller told me she had just stocked them. I then asked her if I could sign them and she said of course. So they now have that cool, green little "Autographed Copy" sticker on them (not pictured). If you're in the neighborhood and want an autographed copy, you know where to go!

I had just a little time to squee before I had to get back to Graig and his double park.

After lunch and a little break, we went to the Barnes & Noble in Tribeca where I actually worked for a few months before it first opened. I actually hadn't been back since then. I had total deja vu walking in there. And it was very surreal seeing Mapmaker there.

And then I may have done just a little bit of mischievous rearranging. Goldenrod wanted to visit her friends and I can't often say no to her...

(I'm sorry, lovely booksellers. Please forgive me!)

After that, we met up with my friend Jenny and the three of us went to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. Now, this is a particularly special store for me because, almost five years ago, we were all at Midnight Madness for Deathly Hallows there. And that is one of my favorite memories ever.

Behold us then:

We are a little bit excited.

We are a lot bit dorky.

And now...with Goldenrod!

Jenny had actually checked that store in the morning and Mapmaker hadn't been there yet, so it was particularly awesome to see it there now.

And, finally, we went to the wonderful Books of Wonder where, right outside the front door, I found a flier touting my appearance there on Saturday!

Forgive the Miss America look. Lovely Jenny bought me flowers. And my face wouldn't stop grinning as it was.

They actually didn't have books on the floor yet because they're somewhere in the back waiting for me to sign them at the event. (You can order signed books from them here.)

Then we went out to dinner and I came home to more messages of love and, even more fabulously, pictures from my friends with their copies of the book. They were busy visiting Goldenrod too...because my friends and family are awesome.

It was a perfect day and I wouldn't change a bit of it. The best part was that I didn't feel nervous leaving Goldenrod alone in her new habitats. I was just as excited as she was for her new homes and new adventures. That's my girl!

My First Print Review!

The first print review of The Mapmaker and the Ghost is appearing in Library Media Connection magazine this month. Not only is this the first print review I've ever had, but it's especially important because LMC is targeted toward school librarians and whether or not books are good fits for their curriculum and collection.

So, without further ado, here is their review of The Mapmaker and the Ghost:

“Because her best friend and partner in exploration left her to survive upcoming middle school alone, Goldenrod sets out to create a map of her town and the forest behind her house in honor of her idols: Lewis & Clark. Several obstacles thwart her efforts, but the ghostly image of Meriwether Lewis encourages Goldenrod to pursue her goal. As she gets closer to finishing her quest and map, events come into play that will change the course of the mission. Full of adventure and mystery, this novel is sure to bring out the explorer in every reader. There are many minor characters that are sometimes difficult to keep track of, but each character’s back story helps. Historical tidbits will give some readers an incentive to learn more about Lewis & Clark, and maybe even mapmaking. RECOMMENDED.” – Lisa Wright, Library Media Specialist, West Yadkin Elementary, Hamptonville, North Carolina

And their key:

Recommended: Consider seriously for inclusion in the collection.

So...I'm thrilled. This line alone makes me extremely happy:  "Full of adventure and mystery, this novel is sure to bring out the explorer in every reader."

Thank you librarian Lisa who wrote the review and my friend, librarian Beth, who told me she ran across it when she was looking to order my book. In fact, thanks to librarians everywhere.

In related news, The Mapmaker and the Ghost will soon have a downloadable teaching guide, so if you do know anyone who might want to incorporate it into a curriculum, stay tuned (or have them email me at sarvenaz at sarvenaztash dot com and I will let them know as soon as it's available).

Confessions of a New Book Mommy

I was working from home yesterday when the mailman came and basically rendered me useless for the rest of the day (luckily, it was in the late afternoon).

Because...he brought with him an actual, genuine, hardcover copy of my final book.

Squeeeeeee!

I knocked on it and everything. Yup, it's real.

Immediately, like the overprotective mother I am, I made it make friends.

True that it's cavorting with those above its station, but I figure it could pick up a few pointers.

Then I took some pictures of it naked and posted it on Facebook.

Then I took pictures of it from every other conceivable angle.

Sneak peek at the inside map!

And, finally, I shoved it in other people's faces and asked, "Isn't it pretty?!"

I think I'm going to like this book mommy thing.

If I Could Squish a Chain Store, This Is the One I Would Pick

I have long had a very soft spot in my heart for Barnes & Noble.

When I was a teen, after Waldenbooks and B. Dalton closed in our local mall, a B&N opened and it definitely became my bookstore. I worked at a Barnes and Noble briefly (in the children's section!). I bought a Nook within a week of its initial release. And it's one of those stores that, if I'm in a strange place or town, I'll seek out for comfort. Green awning, coffee and books everywhere: basically a recipe for calming me down no matter what.

I'm really, super excited to say that The Mapmaker and the Ghost is now available for pre-order from Barnes & Noble! Check it out here.

By the way, if I ever walk into my hometown Barnes & Noble and see my book on the shelf there, I will probably die. You know, in the Rachel Zoe sense of the word.

Catalogue Copy

Last week when I received my ARCs, I noticed there was a little something extra in the box:

It's the Winter 2012 Bloomsbury/Walker catalogue!

Incidentally, that cover art belongs to my fellow Apocalypsie Megan Miranda's Fracture. I've been lucky enough to read an ARC of this book and it's absolutely stunning. I can totally see why Bloomsbury chose to make Delaney (Megan's main character) their cover girl!

And look what's on page 33.

It's so pretty and colorful and full page-like!

My favorite part is that Bloomsbury does these Debut Discovery "From the Editor's Desk" notes for all their debut authors. Here's a close-up of mine.

 Oh, I love it. Thanks, Stacy!

Now, is it considered bad form to ask your editor to blurb your book?

By the way, Firefox's spell check keeps wanting me to spell catalogue without a 'ue' at the end. But I refuse, Firefox. I have looked it up and both are technically correct so you can just continue to chase your own tail, my friend.

Amazin' Amazon

Yesterday, my mom called me and the conversation went a little something like this:

My mom: Hi. How are you?
Me: I'm good. How are you?
My mom: I just pre-ordered your book.
Me: Wha?!
My mom: Oh, yeah. It's on Amazon now.

Of course I immediately went online and saw that it was, indeed, available for pre-order on Amazon. Behold it here!

That made this whole thing seem pretty real. By which I mean unreal, of course.

By the way, at some point, I think I will conduct a study on moms and how much better they are than Google alerts.

In other news, my nails are ready for watching the final Harry Potter movie tonight.

The rest of me, decidedly, is not. I think I'll forgo the mascara today.

I Go Away for One Weekend and Suddenly There's a Release Date, Jacket Copy and...an ARC!

This weekend, I went away for a short beach trip with 13 of my very favorite people. It was glorious fun and I did NOT bring my laptop. Just my iPhone.

About an hour after we arrived, I noticed that one of my fellow Class of 2K12ers had emailed to say that the Bloomsbury/Walker Winter 2012 catalog was online. And guess what it included?

My book. With jacket copy. And a release date!!

The first thing I wanted to do was blog about it, but I came to my senses eventually: by which I mean that I realized enjoying the gorgeous beach trumped spending hours trying to compose a post on my iPhone.

But now I'm home. And though I'm very sad that my short vacation is over, I'm very happy to be able to share the following.

My jacket copy!

The Goonies meets Holes when a simple summer outing turns into a wild adventure!

Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest. Intrepid, curious, and full of a well-honed sense of adventure, she decides to start her own exploring team fashioned after her idols, the explorers Lewis and Clark, and to map the forest right behind her home. This task is complicated, however, by a series of unique events—a chance encounter with a mysterious old lady has her searching for a legendary blue rose. Another encounter lands her in the middle of a ragtag gang of brilliant troublemakers. And when she stumbles upon none other than the ghost of Meriwether Lewis himself, Goldenrod knows this will be anything but an ordinary summer . . . or an ordinary quest. Debut author Sarvenaz Tash combines an edge-of-your-seat adventure, a uniquely clever voice, and an unforgettable cast of characters to prove that sometimes the best adventures of all are waiting right in your own backyard.

The Goonies meets Holes?! For real? I honestly got a little teary when I read that for the first time.

I love the rest of my editor's copy, too. It almost makes me want to read the book. And, trust me, I may be at the point where it'll be somewhere between 8-10 years before I ever want to read this book again.

But wait, there's more! I also got my release date. READY?!

The Mapmaker and the Ghost will be hitting bookstores on:

4/24/2012

Oh, how I love the perfect symmetry of that date. Like how each of its numbers is divisible by four. How the first three digits (424) were the first three digits of my home phone number growing up. How I was born on the 24th and April 24th just happens to be my half-birthday. Um, yeah. So, I'm a bit of a math geek (shocking, I know) and I like patterns.

And, finally, when I arrived home, it wasn't to a UPS slip like I suspected. But to an honest-to-god package. Which held...

THIS:

 Oh. That is an ARC. Otherwise known as a galley. Otherwise known as a REAL BOOK.

You know what you can do with a real book? You can read it!

A Dramatization

You can put it on a shelf next to other REAL BOOKS.

You can stare at the spine where it says things like your name and your awesome release date.

Which may have compelled me to create a little countdown widget like so:

So, um, you know. It's pretty cool. If you're into that sort of thing.

The Day I Met J.K. Rowling

I try to limit my Harry Potter posts here to once a week (that's hard, believe me) so as not to completely terrify you. If you couldn't guess from the title, this post is extra-special.

It was 2007. In July of that year, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released (more about my adventures with that another time). In August of that year, I quit my day job at the time to try and get back to writing, something I'd stopped doing for about a year and a half. I took a children's book writing class and I started writing what would eventually (far, far in the distant future) become my debut book.

Sometime that summer, Scholastic announced that they were running a special 4-part event with J.K. Rowling. Three of those events would be for kids from randomly selected NYC public elementary schools. One event would be for everyone, but winners would also be randomly selected from a lottery. I applied, of course, and got a bunch of my friends to apply as well.

And then I forgot about it. Because, after all, I imagine Scholastic must have gotten tens of thousands of applications (if not more) and the chances of any name being drawn were, let's just say, completely slim.

Sometime in September, my boyfriend, Graig called me. "What are you doing October 19th?" he asked. What a weird question, I thought. But then again, that date sounded awfully familiar to me. October 19th...October 19th.

"Never mind!" he blurted out. "I know what you're doing! You're going to go see J.K. Rowling with me!"

I think I screamed. I might have blacked out. Anyway, let's just say I was excited. Mildly.

The event was wonderful. Jo read a chapter and then answered some terrific fan questions (it was at this event that she outed Dumbledore--AND I WAS THERE! The audience reaction and applause was an extraordinary thing to be a part of; it made me feel lighter than air).

And then, after an all-too-short hour and a half, J.K. was going to sign each and every one of our 2,000 books. They lined us up pretty efficiently and we all waited patiently to reach her table.

Graig asked me if I was going to say anything to her. Once you got up there, you had about 20 seconds before she moved on to the next person. As nervous and terrified as I was (my heart was definitely somewhere in my throat), I knew that I had to.

So when my turn came, I said in a horribly shaky voice, "I just wanted to tell you how inspiring you've been to me as a writer." She looked me in the eye, smiled, and said, "Thank you." Actually, she looked every single person in the eye as they came up to her. All 2,000 of them. And if I felt light and airy before, it was nothing compared to how I felt then. I was practically up and away on a Firebolt.

Here it is. One of my most prized possessions:

If I ever have a horcrux, this will be it.

 And, yup, that is Mary Grandpre's signature on it as well. But that is a post for another week!

My Title Page!!

This just might be my favorite blog day EVER!

Not only did I announce the amazing and oh-so-worthy winners of my Geek-Off BUT my editor just told me that I can share my title page.

So, are you ready?

ZOMG! I don't know about you, but I LOVE IT. That font makes me teary, it's so lovely. And then there's my name. And the compass rose.

I haven't met the art director who's responsible for this yet but, when I do, I hope she's prepared for hugs.

AUTHORized

So, apparently, my book deal got announced in Publishers Marketplace yesterday. This is what it said:

Sarvenaz Tash's THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST, about a girl who sets out to make the most accurate map of her hometown that ever existed, and discovers that there is no adventure without danger, pitched as MATILDA meets THE GOONIES, to Stacy Cantor Abrams at Walker Children's, for publication in April 2012, by Marissa Walsh at FinePrint Literary Management (World).

You might be wondering, "what do you mean your deal got announced? Haven't you been pestering us all with Tweets, and blog posts, and Facebook fan pages that you're an author now?"

To which I'll say, "Ooh. Speaking of Facebook fan pages, I have one now! It's at www.facebook.com/sarvenaztash. Won't you like me?"

Then I'll grin sheepishly and answer your real question.

Deals don't get announced in Publishers Marketplace (or Publishers Weekly if it's a high-profile deal), until it's really official. And it's not really official until you and your publishing house have both signed the contract (usually brokered by your agent, if you have one). Working out the details of that contract can take a long time. Which means that I had finished all my revisions and handed in my copyedits before I got my announcement.

Here's the interesting thing, this is not unusual at all. In fact, most of the 2012 debut authors I keep in contact with don't seem to have their contracts finalized.

At first, it made me really nervous to tell people that I was getting a book published without a contract. What if it fell through and I had to say something like, "Ha! Just kidding!" But, within a month of getting my offer, my agent gave me the go-ahead to let people know and, boy, am I glad she did. I'm pretty sure I would have exploded into Sarvenaz confetti if I had to wait 7 months between now and then before I could say anything.The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Authors would have been seriously displeased.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be all official now! And, I have to admit, I love what my agent wrote for the announcement, too. Matilda meets The Goonies? Not sure I could ask for better references than that!

Which Synopsis Tickles Your Fancy?

Yesterday, my manservant Google and I were having a fine chat in the drawing room. Through our profound conversation, I discovered that The Mapmaker and the Ghost is listed in Bloomsbury's rights catalogue that they will be presenting at the Bologna Book Fair at the end of this month. The Bologna Book Fair is pretty renowned in the publishing industry and is where a lot of foreign rights are bought and sold.

1) Foreign rights mean my book could be bought in multiple languages, with kids all over the world reading it. That is...let's go with exciting. Yup, I'm excited. That's a benign enough word, right? You're not scared? Okay, good.

2) I found out the month in which my book is--as of now--slated to come out. It's April 2012 (which is still part of Bloomsbury/Walker's Winter season).

3) I found the book synopsis that I think my editor must have written. And it's awesome. It's also really strange that someone else wrote a synopsis of my work. And also, awesome. You know why? I've never been very good at shortening down the gist of my story into a few sentences (nor a few words, apparently, hence the neverending title debacle).

I have a synopsis on my website that I wrote and now I have this one, too. My question is, which one makes you want to pick the book up more? I'm asking because I'm thinking about replacing mine with the "official" house version.

Here's the site version:

Eleven-year-old Goldenrod is starting her summer vacation grounded. Not only that but her best friend, and usual partner-in-exploration, has moved away and left her to deal with the upcoming ordeal of middle school all by herself. Determined to persevere in the face of such tragic adversity—and become a Legendary Adventurer like her heroes Lewis and Clark—Goldenrod sets out to make the most accurate map her town has ever seen. What she doesn't bargain for is a true blue adventure involving a gang of brilliant troublemakers, a mysterious and very ugly old lady, and an exceedingly unexpected questmaster.

Here is Bloomsbury/Walker's version:

Goldenrod Moram loves adventure, especially when it comes in the form of mapmaking. An avid fan of the legendary explorers Lewis and Clark, she decides to start her own exploring team, the Legendary Adventurers, and to spend her summer vacation discovering the unmapped forest right behind her home. This simple task is complicated by a series of unique events--a chance encounter with a mysterious old lady has her searching for a legendary blue rose. Another, more unfortunate, encounter lands her in the middle of a ragtag bunch of nicknamed ruffians. Throw in the trapped spirit of Meriwether Lewis himself and her well-meaning but nuisance of a little brother, and Goldenrod Moram is in for the quest of a lifetime...

What do you think? Vote in the poll below and feel free to let me know your reasoning in the comments!

Which synopsis makes you want to read the book more?

Wanna Read the Opening Paragraphs of My Book?

Oftentimes, the advice you're given as a writer is to work on your opening more than you work on any other part of your book. This makes sense since, obviously, this is the first impression a reader will get of your work (and definitely the first impression a prospective agent or editor will get too). And if they're not hooked by page five or so, there's a good chance you've lost them.

My opening paragraphs of THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST have changed a bit from what I wrote in September of 2007, when I first sat down with this character on my brain. But bizarrely enough, as many drafts and revisions and titles as there were of this manuscript (see here and here), my very first sentence hasn't changed at all. And the actual setting/plot of my first scene hasn't either.

It's been an exciting week for me book news-wise, so I'd like to cap it off by sharing the first two paragraphs of THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST. It'll be the first-ever "public" excerpt of my book. Ready?

Goldenrod Moram had a first name that sounded like it belonged in the middle of a fairy tale, where she would be the dazzling princess in need of rescuing. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. For one thing, fairy-tale princesses probably didn't get in trouble practically every day of the fifth grade. (Then again, they probably didn't talk back much either.) For another, fairy-tale princesses probably had more than one friend in the whole entire world. (And, if they didn’t, they at least had servants or courtiers or some such other fan base that could pass for friends.)

But Goldenrod had only been named Goldenrod because her mother was an avid gardener and her father had lost the coin toss on the day of her birth. Had her father won, she might have been named after one of his hobbies, which included cooking and amateur house repair. When daydreaming, Goldenrod often thought about all the other things she could have been called and how they would all have been preferable: Oregano Moram, Staple Gun Moram, Brisket Moram, Spark Plug…

There it is, world! I hope it's compelling enough to make you want to read more...in about a year.

Speaking of which, THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST is now on Goodreads! You can take a look/add it to your shelves/squee with me here. I've been a member/avid proponent of Goodreads since 2008 (that's like 27 years in Internet years), but I just became a Goodreads author this week (8 months in I.y.)!

King Author

Last week was one of ups and downs. My apartment ceiling started dripping, then raining, and then eventually collapsing. Things at my day job were a bit on the mad side. And to top it all off, I had just gotten back from a gloriously relaxing Florida vacation and wasn't ready to be so unceremoniously dumped into the harsher New Yorkness of New York.

But then some amazing things happened, too. The most amazing was that I got called author multiple times. First my editor sent a mass e-mail to all her "authors" (and that included me!). I got listed on a couple of Twitter lists that involved the word author. And my copyedited manuscript had all sorts of queries for something called an AU. It took me a little while to realize that that did not stand for Australia but rather - you guessed it - author. (Although, now that I think about it, perhaps I would like to hear Australia's views on the merits of scientific kitchen concoctions that use chili beans vs. chili powder).

Ever since the second grade, when we learned all about authors and illustrators, I've always thought that the 'a' word was absolutely beautiful. It just sounded so elegant and regal, especially if I tried it out with my fake British accent (my secret's out - I've been nurturing that accent for a while. Sadly, it hasn't shown much improvement over the years).

I've tried to get used to calling myself a writer over the last couple of years. In college, one of my favorite screenwriting teachers once said, "Don't ever say you want to be a writer. If you write, you're a writer. It's not contingent on whether your work is produced or published or not." It took me a long time to get up the nerve to follow her advice.

But I never even thought about calling myself an author. That, to me, was most certainly reserved for those elusive chosen few who got their work published and on a bookshelf, who had jackets and cover art, acknowledgments and blurbs.

I can't believe that gets to be me now. I'll take a collapsed ceiling in my bathroom any day if it means I can really and truly have people call me an author and mean it.

Because, let's face it, one of the beauties of being one is you don't really have to bathe much.

Look at the pretty colors. Oh, and the 'AU' is me!

Dedicated and Acknowledged

On Friday, my editor asked me if I have a book dedication or acknowledgments and, if so, to send them over to her. Yesterday, I did.

I'm going to share a secret with you: I wrote a draft of this book's dedication and acknowledgments over two years ago. Mainly because I was procrastinating and thought it'd be fun to pretend that what I was working on was actually getting published. In other words, I was daydreaming.

I know I've said this before, but it really is very strange to be an adult who literally feels like she's having a dream come true. Of course, I mean strange in the Tim Burton-sense of wonderful and odd all at the same time. Emphasis on wonderful.

I really have no idea what will happen when this book comes out. Maybe it'll be out-of-print within a year and that'll be the beginning and end of my publishing career. But the thing is, once it's out, I will forever be a published author and no one - most especially not my mopey, self-deprecating doppelganger - can take that away from me. Now, isn't that something?

Which, of course, means I have many things and many people to be grateful for. I only wish my dedication/acknowledgments could truly do them all justice.