WEDNESDAYS on a Sunday

News, news, news!  (Also, more news!)

I haven't blogged much lately, so there is lots to cover!  Strap yourselves in!

First of all, WEDNESDAYS IN THE TOWER will be out on May 7th!  Mark your calendars, kids!  And how much do you love this cover?  Because, personally, I love it a LOT!  I will be going on a book tour to celebrate the release, which is super exciting!  There are no firm dates/locations yet, but places being bandied about include: Chicago, Florida, Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington DC.  That's in addition to places around Utah, of course.  As soon as we get fixed dates and details, I will post them.  Please remember that if you are in a place where I will NOT be signing, you can always order a signed and personalized copy of any of my books through The King's English in Salt Lake City.  They are wonderful, and they will be happy to help you!

Second: Lots of people have been telling me how much they loved PRINCESS OF THE SILVER WOODS, and I thank them for their very kind words!  It's a great book, if I do say so myself!  So please remember to show it some love!  But then they want to know when the next princess book is coming out . . . and, um . . . there isn't one.  They all live happily ever after!  The end.  (Sorry!  But a twelve book series just isn't my style.)

Third: TUESDAYS IN THE CASTLE is nominated for a Beehive Book Award.  HOORAY!  So all you Utah peeps, head over to the library and vote for Celie and Castle Glower!

Fourth: This fall SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW will be released with a brand new cover!  I have seen this cover, and behold, it is beautiful!  It's by the same artist who did the Princess covers, and I screamed and jumped up and down when I saw it.  As soon as it gets finalized with titles and pretty shiny things, I will be sure to post it.  It will only be available as a paperback, both beautiful AND affordable!

Fifth: In February of 2014, the DRAGON SLIPPERS trilogy will be released with new covers as well!  The new covers are by David Hohn, the fantastic talent behind the Castle Glower covers.  I've seen some of the sketches, and I actually burst into tears.  Tears.  Burst.  Into.  No shame.  The new DRAGON SLIPPERS cover, even as a pencil sketch, is . . . is . . . Okay, I love Peter Ferguson's original painting for the DS hardcover.  I bought it, it's hanging in my house, I love it.  He also does the Sisters Grimm books, and he's wonderful.  But seeing the sketch for the new cover reminded me of what it was like to be writing that book, eight years ago, and I wept.  I can't wait to show you these covers, guys.  Shardas lives!

Sixth: I am planning not one, but several giveaways in the next few months, so be warned.  The best, easiest way for me to do a giveaway is through Facebook.  Make sure that you have liked my author page, please!  I usually ask for likes or comments as entries into the contests.  If you don't have a FB account, get someone you love to check my page for you!

Seventh: If you want to see my crazypants to-read shelf (currently clocking in at 321 books) and my reading challenge over on Goodreads, make sure and friend me over there!  I love Goodreads, because I'm one of those nuts who loves lists anyway.  I am trying to read 160 books this year, and I've currently read 26!  I'm about to finish the awesomely twisty thriller MIND GAMES by Kiersten White, and next up will be TIMELESS by Gail Carriger!  Love me some good books!

And now, to eat some chocolate!  Farewell!

It's Summer Reading Time, Kids!

BONJOUR!

I am feeling in high spirits (and also slight French, apparently), because I have finished the major edits for PRINCESS OF THE SILVER WOODS.  I dislike editing.  Editing is hard.  Writing the rough draft of a book is my favorite thing in the history of ever.  I go through rough drafts like a toddler running screaming through a meadow full of puppies and candy.  Every word is magical, and I am a genius.  So when I have to go back to that magical manuscript and cut some of those magical words, and fix the flaws that I was convinced did not exist . . . well, it's not my favorite, okay?

So let's not talk about it anymore, because that is as done as a pair of doney things!  YAY!

And now I can buckle down and KILL THE TO-READ PILE.  I think I blogged at the beginning of the year about how I wanted to get my to-read shelf on Goodreads down to less than a hundred or something.  Well.  My to-read shelf now has 316 books on it.  Yes.  It's gone UP.  I'm reading, I swear I am!  But people keep writing more wonderful books!  It's very stressful.  So this summer I'd at least like to get below 300.  That seems doable, right?  And I have some great things to read.  Right now on my bedside table, in my to-read-immediately pile, I have:

UNEXPECTED MAGIC by Diana Wynne Jones
THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson
ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson
THE WISE MAN'S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss
THE HYPNOTIST by Lars Kepler
LADY FRIDAY by Garth Nix
GANYMEDE by Cherie Priest
CITY OF FIRE and CITY OF ICE by Laurence Yep (Give a cheer if you know his wonderful, award-winning DRAGONWINGS!)
DOWN THE MYSTERLY RIVER by Bill Willingham
THE MIDNIGHT PALACE by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
ROT & RUIN by Jonathan Maberry
CATE OF THE NEW COLONY by Lisa Klein
DANIEL DERONDA by George Eliot
THE CLOCKWORK THREE by Matthew Kirby

I'm currently reading CRYER'S CROSS by Lisa McMann (which I love), and I just finished CINDER by Marissa Meyer (which was AWESOME).

But.  There's a little thing called rereading.  It's a little something I've been in the mood for lately, y'know?  I'd like to do some comfort reading.  Sure, these shiny books on the bedside table are calling my name, and some have been there for a sad amount of time.  But lately I've had quite the hankering to reread SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley.  And THE WAR OF THE FLOWERS by Tad Williams.  I keep telling people about JANE by April Linder, which makes me want to pick it up again myself.  Last year I reread THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR and THE STONE OF FAREWELL by Tad Williams, which means it's time for TO GREEN ANGEL TOWER.  Sigh.  Fortunately, my kids are providing a great excuse to reread some things, too.  Last night we started HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, and I'm wondering if we should try THE SECRET GARDEN or A LITTLE PRINCESS next.

It's a big wide world full of books out there, kids!  Exciting and wonderful!  Go ahead and tell me in the comments what books you're excited to read this summer!  And if you're on Goodreads, make sure you "friend" me so that we can see each other's books!

And by the way: this week I signed myself up for my local library's summer reading program.  I also signed up Boy and Baby Girl.  Boy gets a free book for reading 20 minutes for x number of days, I just need to read 8 books by August, and Baby Girl gets points when we read aloud to her.  Fun!  Check out your local library to see if they have a program!