End of Summer Update

Things have been quite busy since my last post, and I'm long overdue for an update!

I had a fun and productive summer overall. In fact, it went by so fast, I can't believe it's already almost October! (Seriously, what happened?)

In June I went to the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, which happens to be one of my favorite cities to visit.

I was also pretty stoked about the very official looking badge I got to wear.

Being a veteran of comic conventions, it was weird going to a conference where almost no-one was cosplaying, but it was also a really pleasant experience because everyone was polite, orderly, and, dare I say it, smelled nice (remember -good hygiene is important at cons, people!)

Have you ever seen so many librarians in one place before?

And because it was a book convention, practically every booth on the exhibit floor had free ARCs to hand out. I was in heaven! This is pretty much how I looked walking down the aisles.

I tried to contain myself because I only had one carry-on bag, not to mention a huge TBR pile already waiting for me at home. So... how did I do?

But, back to Warren the 13th, which is the whole reason I was there in the first place. Check out this sweet ad that Quirk put in the daily ALA program. Woo hoo!

During my time at the conference, I had the opportunity to speak on a gender and diversity panel as well as meet with dozens of librarians during an "author speed dating" event where I went from table to table pitching my book.

Much like real speed-dating, it was a little awkward and nerve-wracking at first, but everyone seemed to really like the concept and by my 10th table or so, I had my elevator pitch down pat. Here's a pic of me in action taken by Quirk publicity/marketing extraordinaire, Nicole.

Can I just say again how much I love librarians? Sometimes I feel down when I read depressing articles about how print is dying, or how no-one reads anymore. But being surrounded by so many passionate people who care so much about books and their readers really made my week. As long as we have people like that around, I don't think our society will ever abandon books. Librarians truly are the stewards of literacy. (And they're all really nice too).

After the conference I even had a little time to do some sight-seeing and enjoy some oysters on the wharf! Yummm.

In July I went to San Diego Comic Con where I got to meet up with Quirk publisher Jason and president Brett as well as a group from Penguin Random House for a terrifying night of escaping zombies at The Walking Dead Escape at Petco Park.

I have to say I was doing pretty well until a clown zombie jumped out at me. I AM NOT OKAY WITH CLOWNS.

I was too busy running for my life to grab a pic during the action, but here's a great photo of everyone at the end of the run. We survived!

During my time at SDCC I also got to see my Archie family, including Bill Galvan who illustrated Diary of a Girl Next Door: Betty, which I wrote last year. Here we are, along with Bill's daughter, who is also a big fan of our book and an aspiring writer, herself!

And just because, here is a rad biker dog that I spotted outside the convention center. Every year I see at least one amazing dog in costume, and this was one my my favorite sightings yet.

In August it was back to work. After completing an outline for the 2nd book in the Warren series (the name of which I can't yet reveal!), I moved onto the fun part - actually writing it! 

I was also very busy packing and getting ready to move. For the last 8 years I've lived in Venice Beach, but it was time for a change of scenery (and my landlords were selling my place, so I had to leave my cozy nest one way or another). 

I am now a resident of Pasadena, California! It's only about 45 minutes away from Venice (without traffic... which, let's face it, is almost never), but it feels like a whole new city. The sad thing is being so far away from Dunkin' Donuts. If you need to know one thing about me, it's that I am a Dunkin' Donuts fanatic. 

Don't believe me? I was selected as Dunkin's September fan of the month. BEHOLD!

I waited patiently for years for Dunkin' to open in L.A, and when it finally did, I waited patiently for hours to get my first coffee there. It's become a daily habit for me, getting a medium hot coffee with cream and sugar to help me face the world.

Of course I would be awarded fan of the month ON THE DAY that I move away from Dunkin' Donuts. It's tragic. 

But, on the plus side, Pasadena has a lot of other great things to offer and I've been having fun exploring my new neighborhood. The BEST part about being in Pasadena is living near two of my favorite places. The first is one of the best indie booksellers in LA, Vroman's! The other is the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens where I love to go and write.

So, if you need to find me, that's where I'll be.

Speaking of - If you're local to Los Angeles, mark the date November 30th for my Warren the 13th launch party! I'll post more details as we get closer to the date. 

You can also sign up for my new newsletter which will go directly to your inbox once a month with news, giveaways and other fun goodies. 

Now it's back to work for me... I've got a book to finish!

Cover Reveal for Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye!

It's here! The final cover for WARREN THE 13TH AND THE ALL-SEEING EYE is finally out in the open! Will designed a ton of fantastic cover possibilities over the last couple months (as he does), but this is the one that everyone loved best. I think it's beautiful - it captures both the elegant Victorian aesthetic as well as the creepy, fun, and adventurous side of the book. It will look even better in person - word on the street is that there will be foil on the cover! Click the image for a larger view.

I also got a chance to see all the final art for the interior and Will did a knockout job on everything! With every step this book feels more more real...and more surreal. Check out this sample spread:

It reminds me of a tarot card. Hmm... Warren the 13th tarot... there's an idea! Seriously though, Will and I keep brainstorming all kinds of crazy and fun things to promote Warren with. Hopefully we'll be able to make some of them a reality.

In other news, I'm getting ready to attend the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco this weekend. I'll be participating on a GraphicCon diversity panel on gender and comics (Friday at 12:15 at the Moscone Convention Center 3010 W), so if you're at the conference, I hope to see you there!

I'll also be taking part in an author speed-dating event where I'll be pitching Warren to a bunch of librarians. I wanted to come up with something special to leave behind with each librarian I speak to (and woo them with), so I've been constructing little "invitations" to the Warren Hotel, complete with a room key, hotel newsletter, and bookmarks.  I even bought a "W" wax seal to seal the envelopes with. I'm not gonna lie, I've always wanted a wax seal, I just never had a real reason to own one. But now I do and I can get all Game of Thrones up in here!

Well, that's it for now. I'll post an update after the conference and let you all know how it went! :)

My Fantabulous Philly Visit!

A couple weeks ago I went to the beautiful city of Philadelphia to attend Wizard World and visit my family. But the best part about being in Philly was getting to visit the Quirk headquarters for an afternoon. It's very serendipitous that my trip brought me to the city where my publisher is, so naturally I was excited to see it for myself and meet all the awesome people who work there.

I was fresh off a red-eye flight (a turbulent red eye flight, so I wasn't able to sleep for gripping my armrests so hard), and I may have appeared slightly zombiefied. Luckily Quirk books is no stranger to zombies, so I think things went well, overall!

Me in front of the Quirk Building

I got to meet my editor and publisher, Jason Rekulak, and he gave me a tour of the place, introducing me to everyone as he led me through the labyrinthine Quirk Books building (so many stairs!-including a vertigo-inducing spiral staircase - not for the faint of heart. Incidentally, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Warren hotel with all its narrow, twisting corridors!)

It made me really happy how excited everyone seemed to be about Warren the 13th - it feels so good knowing that everyone at Quirk is a fan and is supporting it 100%. It was also really nice to meet the marketing team in person, especially after so many faceless emails exchanged back and forth over the last few months.

I then had an excellent lunch with Jason, Rick (another editor at Quirk), and Nicole (associate director of marketing), followed by a meeting with Jason and Rick to discuss Warren Book 2 (and beyond??). We brainstormed some great ideas, and I'm now working on a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the next book. I'm really looking forward to writing this one - I wish I could give you a hint about what it's about, but the first book isn't even out yet, so you'll just have to wait! ;)

Anyway, my entire trip to the east coast was worth it just for getting to visit Quirk alone. I left there feeling so invigorated and excited about Warren (even more so, if that's possible).

OH! And the BEST thing was that I got a copy of the Warren the 13th ARC! Look at it! It's gorgeous!  I wish I had more than just one, because I'd totally host a giveaway, but I think they're saving most of the ARCs for Book Expo America, which is coming up this weekend. (So if you want one, stop by the Quirk booth! I believe there will be a little game you can play to earn one.)

My preciousssss

After my Quirk visit, I headed over to my table at Wizard World where I handed out Warren bookmarks to the kids. I was pleased to see how many people seemed curious and intrigued by the project! 

 But I realized later that the bookmarks have a tiny typo. Can you spot it? (Hint: it's on the front).

How annoying! Well, I also forgot to put the ISBN on the bookmarks so maybe this is a sign I just need to have new ones printed...

But in happier news the Warren the 13th website is now live if you want to take a peek! 

Anyway, that's all the news for now. I should be having more updates soon about my upcoming appearances to promote the book, so check back!

Six Months to Go!

It's May! Which means that there's only six months left until Warren the 13th comes out. It's not long now before promotion officially kicks in. As I write this, ARCs have been printed and are in Quirk's hands in time to be handed out at BEA at the end of the month. I can't wait to get my hands on one! (Luckily, I don't have to wait long - I'm flying to Philadelphia tonight and am going to visit the Quirk headquarters tomorrow!)

Here's a look at the ARC pre-printing, marked with all my notes and changes. Mostly minor stuff, luckily!

I'm so excited people to see what Will and I have been working on, but I'm also a little nervous to have our beloved project in the hands of early readers and critics. Granted, it's just an ARC and not the final book, but not all of Will's art is completed yet, so more pressure falls upon my writing. Fortunately, I think it holds up, even though I didn't add as much visual description as I normally would (due to the fact that Will's art will be supplementing the text).

In fact, of all the projects I've completed in the past (both published and otherwise), I feel the most confident about this one. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by such a supportive team - between my editor and the folks at Quirk, and Will lending his creative vision, I've felt so buoyed all throughout this journey. I DO feel like we've created something special, and I'm confident that we have something that people will love.

In fact, my main "problem" with Warren so far has been convincing myself that this is actually happening. I've been dreaming of a project like this for so long that I don't think my brain has yet caught on to the fact that it's REAL. I remember after the initial offer was made for Warren I was so careful not to get my hopes up because a part of me was certain that they'd call up and say "Oh, psyche!* It's not YOUR project we want, it's another one!"

*my imagination is stuck in the 90s apparently

I told myself that once the contract was signed I could rest assured that this was, indeed, real. But even after the paperwork was finalized, I was still pinching myself and fearing that someone would say it was all a big mistake.

Even now, just six months from publication, a part of me is waiting for the the curtain to be raised, revealing that this is all part of an elaborate prank show, You Thought You Had a Book Deal! (That would be a cruel show).

Honestly, I think this will only become really real once people start reading Warren the 13th. Because stories gain power the more they are told, the more people hear them. Before books are released into the open, they exist in some nebulous ether, like a dream. That's why I'm so eager to hear what people think of Warren (those that are fortunate enough to get an ARC in their hands!)

And despite all the self-doubt that pops up now and again (a writer's curse), I actually kind of hope this feeling of wonder doesn't go away because I don't ever want to take it this for granted. I don't want to become complacent or forget what it feels like to manifest something I've been striving towards for so long.

Well, I must be off to finish packing. I'm on a red-eye tonight and have a long convention weekend ahead of me. If you're attending Wizard World Philadelphia by chance, stop by my table B5 in Artist's Alley for a Warren the 13th bookmark!

Title Reveal and Synopsis!!!

Woo hoo! I can finally reveal the title of the book I've written for Quirk, as well as the synopsis! I've been bursting at the seams for what feels like forever to share this - especially since Will Staehle and I first conceived of this project over 10 years ago!

Without further ado...

The title is...

WARREN THE 13TH and The All-Seeing Eye

Meet Warren the 13th, a cursed 12-year-old Victorian bellhop who’s terribly unlucky . . . yet perpetually optimistic, hard-working, and curious. Orphan Warren’s pride and joy is his family’s hotel, but he’s been miserable ever since his evil Aunt Anaconda took over the management. Anaconda believes a mysterious treasure known as the All-Seeing Eye is hidden somewhere on the grounds, and she’ll do anything to find it. If Warren wants to preserve his family’s legacy, he’ll need to find the treasure first—if the hotel’s many strange and wacky guests don’t beat him to it! This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and delightful mystery.

The final cover is still being designed and illustrated by Will, but it's looking awesome so far and I look forward to sharing that as soon as I can! Oh, and mark your calendars because the book is set to be released on November 24th! 

Quirk Book Update

I realize it's been a while since I've posted. Time flies when you're busy! I've been itching to give an update on my middle grade novel for Quirk Books, but it's a little tricky as the project is still under wraps at the moment. I can't wait to reveal the title, which I believe will happen very soon!

Buuuuut here's a little hint in the meantime ;) :

As I mentioned previously, I'm collaborating with illustrator and designer, Will Staehle, and we have a phone meeting set up with Quirk's marketing team next week. I'm looking forward to this because it means we're going to start the process of book-promotion before long! Woo!

The manuscript is just about done and ready to go to - after cranking out the first draft during NaNoWriMo, I've been spending the last few months doing revisions. The downside of rushing to complete an entire novel in the span of a month means that it isn't going to be perfect. It also means MANY revisions/tweaks are needed to transform it from a first-draft to a polished manuscript fit for publication.

I've going back and forth with Quirk publisher/editor/man-of-many-hats, Jason Rekulak, to make the story as tight as possible. This has been my first time working with an editor who is so hands on, and it's been a wonderful learning experience. Jason is a writer and author as well, so his insights have been really valuable. It actually reminds me of being in a writing group, which I was until recently (sadly, it disbanded because, life).

There's still been the pressure of a time crunch because Will is going to need as much time as possible to do his portion of the book if we want this to be released on schedule. You see, it won't just be a novel with a few spot illustrations - this is going to be a really cool looking book with a unique interior design and lots of art! If you look through some of Will's other design projects, you'll have some idea of what he's capable of! But Will can't get fully started on his art and design duties until the text is 100% complete - and we're very, very close! The final manuscript should be wrapped up within the next week or so!

Watch this space, because once we get going with marketing and promotion I'll be able to post a lot more! I can't wait to share more of this project with you guys! :D