In response to comments. . . .

Libby asked why the American cover of Dragon Slippers is fancier than the British cover. I have to say that I was quite entertained to see how incredibly different the two covers were. That always fascinates me. They told me that (according to market research or some such thing) they've determined which type of covers sell best in which place. So they picked Peter Fergusen's fine art for the American cover, and the fanciful abstract cover for England. Of the British covers I was shown, they did pick the one I liked, so I'm quite pleased with it. In other comments: someone (I think it was Megan but can't find the email) asked me if I had read Shannon Hale's book "Goose Girl" and if I was deliberately referencing her book. (When they go to the Fair on their day off.) YES! If you look at "Goose Girl" and "Dragon Slippers", you will see that they are from the same publisher. Additionally, Shannon is my neighbor and fellow redhead, and I simply could not resist.

Sequelitis

Ladies and Gentlecars . . . I mean, gentlemen! (I've watched Pixar's Cars every day for the past two weeks with my son, you'll have to excuse me.) I have finished the sequel to Dragon Slippers, tentatively titled Dragon Helm. All I have to do now is show it to my agent, see what she thinks, make any changes she thinks would help, send it to my editor, begin the long editing process, and voila! In about two years we'll have a finished book! So those of you who are thinking, Hey, where's the sequel to Dragon Slippers? (You know who you are, you've been emailing me!) Worry no more! Sometime in 2009 you'll have your sequel. Unless, of course, either my agent or editor hates it so much that I have to scrap the whole thing. . . .

The Blue Girl

Another recommend. I simply adore Charles de Lint. He's my hero. I am halfway through "The Blue Girl", a YA novel set in his wonderful pseudo-real city of Newford. Love it, love it. He has such a wonderful narrative voice. And speaking of narration, I'm a little bit jealous. The first novel I ever wrote, I wrote in varying first person point of view. Each chapter heading had the name of the character who was the POV person in that chapter. It was rejected oh-so-many times on the grounds that this was simply "not done". I even changed it to third person, at great personal anguish, in the hopes of pleasing a literary agent who later passed on the manuscript anyway. So my question: Can Charles get away with it in The Blue Girl because he is Charles de Lint? Or is this really off-putting to some people, and these were the people I kept sending the manuscript to?

Jessica Recommends. . . .

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. It was amazing! I couldn't put it down! I immediately sent my husband to the comic book store near his work to get me the "Hatter M" comic books, which go along with the novel. "Looking Glass Wars" is actually a multi-media experience: the novel, the comics, and the CD of music that goes along with it are all excellent. I also read this year's Printz Award winner, "American Born Chinese" which was fabulous, the Newbery winner "The Higher Power of Lucky" and the Newbery Honor book "Penny From Heaven". I thought that "Higher Power" was charming, but I think that of the two, "Penny From Heaven" will have broader appeal. Older boys may be wary of "Lucky" and it's young girl protagonist, but I can see them getting into the adventures of Penny and her wacky uncles. I'm hoping to get my hands on "Hattie Big Sky", "Rules", and "Surrender" soon, to complete my Printz/Newbery reading.