Here’s a video interview I did during Comic-Con with a charming fellow from Suvudu, a SF/F website affiliated with Random House. Considering how little sleep I’d had, and that I had just come off a panel and a signing, I’m pleased that I was able to remain relatively coherent.
Thanks again to Matt, my intrepid interviewer, for this opportunity!
One day only! Come see me in the epic fantasy panel at 3:30, where I will be sitting alongside the likes of Brandon Sanderson, Christopher Paolini, and Robin Hobb. I know, right? Everybody’s gonna be like, “Whoa, who’s that lady with the unruly hair, making all the goofy faces??”
In point of fact, I’m writing this from San Francisco the night before. My connecting flight is delayed by at least two hours. I will be getting to San Diego at Extremely Late O’Clock .
But that’s ok! Sometimes I do really well on little sleep. Sometimes I end up singing silly songs. I guess we’ll see!
Tuesday evening we had a charming soiree at KidsBooks, a wonderful children’s bookstore here in Vancouver. It was by invitation (mostly — we had a few walk-ins too, which was awesome). I invited everyone I could think of, and was delighted with how many people came. I even had friends come up from Seattle and Vancouver, WA!
As I had long threatened, there was cake:
It’s a girl!
The first forty-five minutes or so were spent greeting people. I knew pretty much everyone who came, so there were a lot of hugs. It was nice to be able to have my very first event in the company of friends.
Then I did a little reading. Here’s Phyllis Simon, one of the owners, introducing me. Thank you so much for your kind hospitality, Phyllis!
I’m the one on the right. Thanks again to all the KidsBooks staff!
Apparently I make a lot of faces while reading. My friend Liz Edgar caught this one:
Then I signed books. This picture is me at the very end signing stock for the store, which is less interesting, but it’s the only picture I seem to have gotten of my local Random House rep, Trish Kells, who helped arrange and coordinate the whole event. That’s her in the pink. Thanks, Trish! It was wonderful!
We had this down to a science by the time we got through that pile.
Here are a few more pictures from Liz, who is an excellent photographer, just to give you a little more flavour of the evening.
That last picture is my husband, looking tired but happy. That about sums it up for all of us at the end of the day.
Hello, friends! We had a wonderful time last night at KidsBooks, and I will be posting pictures as soon as I get my act together. In the meantime, here’s a bit of fun: Deva Fagan interviews me at The Enchanted Inkpot. Ms. Fagan asks some really insightful, interesting questions, which were fun for me to answer. Enjoy!
Update: just had to pop back and share this review at Lytherus as well!
Here is the exciting video interview I did with Misty at The Book Rat! I have to warn you, I get silly. I sing (if you can call it that). I was operating on maybe two hours’ sleep. It was a coffee miracle.
I believe my guest post at The Book Smugglers goes up today too. I’ll update with the linky when I get it. Update: Here it is! Come see which nerdy albums I listened to most while writing Seraphina!
(I almost wrote “The Book Snugglers”, which strikes me as adorable.)
Second Update: A lovely review at Bookalicious.org!
Tomorrow is the big day, friends!
An enthusiastic review at Bookyurt: “This book gobsmacked me, with its assured storytelling, sheer originality, and lovely, lovely voice.”
Misty at The Book Rat seemed to enjoy it too. Maybe just  a little bit. Also: another of the video interviews I did this spring will be up at her site soon. It’s the one where I sing, you lucky people! I’ll make sure it gets inflicted upon all of you when it’s up.
The fellow at YA Know What I Mean? was not as impressed. But YA know what? That’s cool. It’s important to get another angle on things, I think.
Misfit Salon likes the use of music in the book. Thanks! Those were some of my favourite passages to write.
Paranormal Indulgence has rated it “Perfect Bed Partner”. As someone who loves to read in bed, I appreciate that! Possible spoilers, maybe? I can’t ever tell.
Hello darlings! Most excellent news: The Book Smugglers have put up their review of Seraphina. They’ve been very careful about spoilers, so if anyone has been avoiding reviews for that reason, you’ve nothing to fear here.
I am so very pleased, not merely because they liked the book, but because The Book Smugglers was one of the very first fantasy/YA review blogs I came across, back when I first went looking for such things. I have always been impressed by the care and thoughtfulness they put into their reviews, and I feel honoured to have been featured there.
As it says at the end of the review, they invited me to write an “Influences & Inspirations” guest post, which will be up on Monday along with a chance to win a copy of the book. Spoiler: I wax even nerdier than usual about music! Go me! I feel like I should assign some listening homework over the weekend.
Happy 4th of July to our charming southern neighbours! I know we sometimes refer to your fine nation as “Canada’s pants”, but we mean it with all the love and respect in the world.
Today’s bit of excitement is a review of Seraphina from Tamora Pierce herself! Back in ancient times, when I worked at Children’s Book World in Haverford, PA, I heard Tamora Pierce talk to a school assembly. She fearlessly engaged the students right off the bat, taking all questions and giving the sharpest, wittiest off-the-cuff answers you ever heard. I was in awe and still am. She was such a charismatic presence up there on that stage. Her books are great, too. 🙂
Here’s her take on mine. Thank you so much, Tamora Pierce. I am moved and humbled and out of words for once.
Edited to add: some folks are finding this review a bit spoiler-y. If you’re spoiler-averse, you may want to hold off on reading this one.
These went up at Book Chick City while I was out of town, and I failed to notice until after I’d already posted yesterday. But if anyone’s interested in ten amusing and largely silly facts about me, here they are.
One thing I failed to mention, but could have, is that I am completely incapable of resisting a jigsaw puzzle. My son recently got a jigsaw puzzle of the Rosetta stone. It’s either extremely cool or it’s going to make me go blind from squinting at tiny Greek letters. Probably both.
I am back from my top-secret vacation to an undisclosed location, and just in time for Canada Day. Happy birthday to my beloved second homeland. You don’t look a day over 145!
In honour of that, and of this month being the final countdown to my book release, Seraphina gets a nice mention in a post on Hidden Canadian Gems at Badass Book Reviews. Thanks, AH!
Also, thanks to Rebecca at Book Chick City for this lovely review. It went up a few days ago, while I was still off the radar.
As the month progresses, there will be guest posts by yours truly in a number of locations. I will try to stay on top of things and link to them as they happen, but if you spot one before I do, don’t be afraid to speak up!
Rachel Hartman 