Let There be Cake (and a New Review)

* Also posted at my author website.

With Rachael, creator of the Perfect Cake

It was a busy book weekend!

We kicked off Friday night with a Book Launch Party for Keowee Valley, thrown by my wonderful parents in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. Saturday I headed back up to the mountains of Sylva, North Carolina, for a reading and book signing at the fabulous City Lights Bookstore.

** More on each of these events to come in a later post!

But for now, here’s a new review of Keowee Valley by reviewer Michelle Griep, up at the blog Novel Reviews.


I’ll leave you with a few photos of the utterly incredible cake my friend and the artist/baker Rachael Doss Muldrow created for the launch party Friday night. Made of chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and buttercream icing, the cake was a recreation of the cover of Keowee Valley, and quotes from the novel were iced around the sides.

 

And it tasted as GOOD as it looked!

 

 

Afterglow

What a lovely week it’s been! My first novel launched, the reviews are pouring in, and I’ve had nothing but kindness and support from my nearest and dearest.

Who could ask for more?

See. Look at these gorgeous flower arrangements. The one on the left is from the sweetest parents-in-law a gal could hope for, and the one on the right is from a wonderful friend.

There’s so much I could post about here, about the whole process, about what it feels like to finally hold that novel—the physical book—in my hot little hands. And some of this, I will certainly share (as soon as I come back down to Earth). I dreamed of publishing a novel for years, and the reality of it has been both nothing like what I imagined and even more than I’d thought possible.

Life, of course, has been busy--as it is for all of us. It doesn’t come to a screeching halt just for little ol’ me and my book, and that’s okay. On my plate the past week: grading college essays, reading and writing for graduate school, promoting Keowee Valley with emails, calls and letters; solo-parenting when my husband’s been away on business, and trying with all my might to convince my rascal of a 3 year-old—who’s been getting into big time trouble at preschool—that Mama is most definitely The. Boss.

Yes, it takes convincing. She’s not convinced. But she’s still cute.

See:

 

ARGH

 

But back to the week of the book.

 

Two things I’ve learned:

 

1.) Reading back over the Acknowledgements section of the novel (because of course I’ve poured over the whole thing, examining each and every page, time and time again), I came to an incredible realization.

 

Not one person, over the course of my life thus far, ever told me I couldn’t do it. That I couldn’t be a writer. In fact, every single person—family member, friend, family-friends, relatives, and teachers—encouraged me, spurred me on, and believed in me.

 

Imagine if I'd wanted to be a go-go dancer.

 

Kidding.

 

That kind of belief? It's a magical thing, my friends.

 

And

 

2.) Watching your loved ones read the Dedication and Acknowledgements sections of a novel, watching them read words you crafted so carefully in an attempt to thank them for all of that belief and encouragement … watching them tear up with emotion?

 

Pure joy.

 

So, though the initial excitement is wearing off, and it’s back to the work-teaching-grad school-writing-family grindstone (beautiful, exhausting, wouldn’t-trade-it-for-the-world life that it is), I’m still planning to savor the moment. And we’ve got some fun things in the works: launch parties in my hometown and in the town where I live, and more. Great book events at fantastic indie bookstores, participation in book festivals, library presentations and more.

 

It’s going to be a busy, busy Fall. I hope you’ll follow along!

 

 



 



 

Audio Auditions and Big Book Giveaway

Exciting stuff still happening in the countdown to book launch! It has been such a fun, eye-opening process, and I'm still thoroughly enjoying it.

In the mail recently, I received small signature cards from my publishers, to pass out at book events. These are cards for e-readers of Keowee Valley, who may want a signed book but of course don't want me marking up their Kindle or Nook. Very cool.

Here's what they look like. Yes, that is my giant hand.

The front is a replica of the cover of my novel. The back has got the quote from Pat Conroy (sigh, happy sigh), a quick tag line or two (I think of this as a voice-over for a book), and a place for me to sign the card. EBook users can actually buy these cool signature card-holding books called Keeper Kases, featured in a recent article in Publisher's Weekly. Then, at book signings collect signature cards like mine from their favorite authors. I think this is pretty darn inventive, and a fun way to make a memory.

Of course, the thought of anybody actually wanting my signature still feels a bit odd (and even funny) to me. But, hey: any chance to meet readers and talk books, and I'll take it!

On another note, if you are a romance reader and would like the chance to win a whole batch of new books, you should definitely check out blogger and book reviewer Stephanie Gamverona's interview at "Romancing the Book." Stephanie is hosting a giveaway for readers, the prize from which will be tote bags including all kinds of goodies (books, eBooks, bookmarks, and more). I'm donating an autographed print copy of Keowee Valley. Just scroll to the bottom of the post and answer the question at the end for a chance to win.

Finally, my publishers are starting to hold auditions for the audio for Keowee Valley! Which means, of course, that it's going to be available as a book-on-tape. I fell in love with books-on-tape years ago, driving back and forth from the S.C. coast to the foothills to visit my then-boyfriend, now-husband when we were in grad school. I find this so utterly cool.

More from me as the countdown to publication continues.

Happy, Happy Friday to all!

Countdown to Novel Publication

The official publication date for KEOWEE VALLEY is September 15, 2012!

I say "official," and that's what I've been told ... so, hopefully, this won't change.

It's hard for me to believe, and oh so very exciting: in 60 days, my first novel will become a real book, out in the word, corporeal, for all to see and hold and--dear Lord, please--read. I've spent a good deal of time avoiding this thought--my publication date--because, much as I hate to admit, I've got a bit of the fatalist in me. I need to hold that sucker in my hands before I truly believe that it's real.

There are a great many things that will occur in my writing world before September 15th.

1. The cover design must be completed by my publisher's design team.
2. More endorsements/blurbs from authors who are reading KEOWEE VALLEY need to come in. (Man, oh man, I hope they do. Though I've thankfully had some wonderful advance praise so far, I've got more great authors reading the ARC right now. Fingers crossed.)
3. A book launch party must be planned.
4. An author photo for the back of the book must be chosen.
5. I've got to do all sorts of pre-publication organizing, having to do with promotional materials, press releases, book store events and speaking engagements, etc.  

Here are the things that have to occur in my personal world: (What? I can't just smile and carry my book around like a blankie?)

1. My daughter's 3rd birthday (and party). Yikes.
2. A photo shoot with my very talented cousin-in-law, Paula Player, a photographer in Myrtle Beach (more to come about this), about 6 hours away from where I live.
3. A beach vacation with my family (including my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and all our dogs). Woohoo!
4. Planning for the English courses I'm teaching this Fall. Which begin next month. Oh, law.
5. A total body makeover, including toned abs, sculpted arms, and legs like Gwyneth Paltrow. Why are you laughing?
6. The possible almost maybe perhaps chance consideration of starting work on Baby #2. Did I just type that out loud?
7. Oh, yeah, and I'm still in graduate school.

All of these things are good things. I feel very lucky, and most fortunate, to have them occurring at this point in my life.

But the book, my novel ... the book is the thing.

Right now, it still looks like this:



The Advance Review Copy of KEOWEE VALLEY

Sort of like an elegant phone book, right? I can't wait to see what cover design my publishers put together. It's been an interesting process, the back-and-forth about the cover, but I'm confident it'll be a good one because I promised them my third-born child if it is. Did I just write that out loud?

More to come on the novel publication countdown, the process, and how I'm handling (or not) motherhood, wifehood, teacherhood, studenthood, and writerhood along with it. That's a lot of hoods.