It’s T-minus 11 hours and counting

The Crow book launches in about 11 hours, at least for the Pacific Coast. It will be earlier/later in other time zones, (I think Australia will actually go on sale later today) but this is the one I’ll track, because it’s all moonshine anyway until there’s a sale somewhere, and it’s all I can do to keep track of GMT with silly daylight savings putting us back on a war footing for no good reason.

All I can think about is all the stuff that was supposed to be done by now and isn’t, since I’ve had to scramble to find someone else to do my taxes this year after the first guy unexpectedly bowed out. But we shall perservere.

And that’s incentive to get everything done this weekend, right? The rain will help.
I will be doing a little bit of tweeting and FB posts, and will try to be as un-annoying as possible.
I know how that can boomerang – (“I don’t know you but I dislike you because you keep tweeting about your &^$# book!”)

We’ll see how tasteful I can be while saying “look at my book!”

My middle-grade fantasy is done. Yes, really.

It’s been a long haul, but after a thorough copy-edit by the illustrious speculative fiction writer and hardcore editor, Laura Blackwell, or She Who Requires Commas, as I shall call her henceforth, this baby is ready to spread her wings and fly.

Which is appropriate because the book is about a 12 year-old girl who talks to crows…and learns to fly.

I just had to crow a little myself, that it was finally done.

Coming back from radio silence

(New Yorker cover by Maira Kalman)

I’ve had an incredibly busy last three months, and have neglected all that was not required of me – like this blog. Two deaths in the family, barely two months apart, a writing conference, ramp up at work, and deciding about surgery…well, it’s been a lot to organize.

The writing conference was the Northern California SCBWI conference in Oakland, at the beautiful Preservation Park, a collection of restored Victorian houses where many non-profits are located. I love this location, especially when it’s not raining and you can spread out outside on the benches.

Quite unexpectedly, I won one of the writing contest prizes. It was unexpected because I thought you had to enter to win (right?) and I was sure I hadn’t, but apparently this year they simply asked each agent or editor who was critiquing manuscripts to pick their favorite. My prize was eating lunch with the Executive Editor for Dutton books for Young Readers, Andrew Karre, and we chatted about all things publishing. He read the first chapter of my Restoration YA, Glimmerglass.

But the surprises didn’t stop there: I even won one of the raffle prizes – a comp toward membership or a SCWBI conference. I never win things, so this was great. Thank you SCBWI Norcal!

Oh yes, the conference was great too. Lots of good information and great portfolios of art.

The last time I went to this conference (a couple of years ago) we got to see Katherine Applegate officially presented with her Crystal Kite award for The One and Only Ivan. She gave a most moving presentation and I was really inspired by her long journey in the industry, from turning out series books to where she is today.

More updates about actual writing later.