Summer Update

So, THE STAR THIEF has been out in the world for a little over 4 months now.

It was an Indies Introduce pick, and also an Indie Next selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, was featured in B&N's spring preview and has been on two B&N fixtures since it's debut. It's gotten just about as much support as a little book can get, especially with a brand new author like me.

All of this has been overwhelming, exciting, unexpected and greatly appreciated.

One of the coolest surprises has been photos from libraries and bookshops, sent to me from all across the country. It's always delightful to stop in and visit my little book in person, and just as fun to see it out there in the world, being a good little book all on its own!

In the Sauk City WI Library! 

Park City, UT top shelf! 

On the big wall at B&N 

Portland OR, face out!

B&N again, before moving to the big wall

Anderson's in Naperville IL, day of my signing! 

That's just a sampling. It's all still so new and fresh, even though these moments were 15 years in the making. Even though it took 2 years from contract to finished book, which was 1&1/2 years after submitting to my eventual editor, which was 3&1/2 years after starting to look for an agent, which was 1 year after writing the first draft of what would become THE STAR THIEF, which was 6 years after I decided I wanted to write something for publication, years in which I scraped two other manuscripts before even querying them.
Even after all that time, I couldn't really prepare for the last 5 months. There was a launch party, book signings at local indie and B&N stores, dinners with bookseller and librarians, school visits, and in June, an appearance at ALA,  including the absolute honor of being invited to the Newbery and Caldecott awards banquet in Chicago.

It's been unreal, and of course, during all the work of getting THE STAR THIEF launched into the world, I've been spending my time working on the next thing. Well, lots of "next things" because hopefully, all fingers and toes crossed, this is just the beginning. I have so many more stories I'd like to tell, books I have to write, whether they make it to publication or not. There are characters wandering around in half built worlds getting very impatient with me for not getting their stories out onto the page yet.

Because that's what writing is. This whole process just never ends, which is really the best part. As long as you want to keep going, as long as you have pages to write, you are a writer. The best part of getting my first book published and out into the world has been the reviews and responses from young readers. The next best has been the added momentum to keep writing, to keep going, to make the next thing. Writing brings me joy.