My Book is Here, for realz

There have been a load of fun moments in this 2 year process of publishing a novel. I've learned a lot along the way, never knowing what to expect next until I got an email or phone call from my publisher or agent. (Actually landing an agent and editor were HUGE moments in and of themselves.)

Some of the highlights include my "first pass" pages, which was basically my book in a stack of loose leaf pages bound by a single rubber band. This was the final chance I had to make revisions and tweak my a dedication/acknowledgments. A fun moment following that was receiving my ARC (advanced readers copy). This was basically my book as a paper back. That was an awesome day.

Then I was assigned a publicist and she has worked like crazy to set up events for me surrounding my launch (only a couple of weeks away - eek!). It will be fun to be on Channel 27 news back home with an anchor who is actually a girl I know from growing up in the same small town. And it will be great to do book signings and read aloud from a book that's been like my baby for a couple of years now.

But the most exciting part happened today - when I received my copy. The real deal. A hard cover copy of The Queen of Kentucky. I'm in love with the cover, the copy, the bound book itself. When I opened that box today, not expecting anything in the mail to begin with, I was surprised that new book smell is actually even better than new car smell. It was a beautiful day.

And the best part is that you'll be able to get your very own copy soon! If you haven't ordered your copy yet, you can pre-order by calling these bookstores and they'll have your copy waiting at the signings... where I'm sure you'll want to come get it signed by yours truly. Right? 

BOOK SIGNINGS

The Corner Bookstore  -  Jan 5th, 6pm

1313 Madison Ave @93rd St

NY, NY

(212) 831-3554

Carmichael's Bookstore  -  Jan 13th, 7pm

2720 Frankfort Ave

Louisville, KY

(502) 896-6950

Joseph-Beth Bookstore  -  Jan 14th, 6pm

161 Lexington Green

Lexington, KY

(859) 273-2911

Joseph-Beth Bookstore  -  Jan 15th, 2pm

2785 Dixie Highway

Crestview Hills, KY

(859) 912-7860

Cynthiana Public Library  -  Jan 17th, 4:30pm

104 North Main Street

Cynthiana, KY

(859) 234-4881

Fan Club Friday - My Book Trailer!

Book trailers have become huge in the young adult world. Teens are connected, are online all the time, and are much more willing to watch a clip on YouTube than read a synopsis on a blog. And why not? Moving images paint a vivid scene and can draw you in quickly while leave you wanting more.

I knew I wanted to do a book trailer from the get go. And since the book is already an homage to my home state, I wanted to use young Kentucky talent for the job. I contacted The Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts and they hooked me up with a couple of 17 year old New Media students: Sam Stucky and Julie Willian. I mailed them advanced copies of the book so that they could get a sense of the story. Then I posted a casting on Facebook and used this social network to cast the actors. Everyone, including the actor playing Ricki Jo's dog Bandit, is from Kentucky! The students were so professional and amazing to work with. I organized the major shooting day and wrote a shooting script, we had lots of long phone calls, and I sent emails with character descriptions. But it's amazing to me that I've never personally met these kids, we did it from different states, and the outcome is this rewarding. 

So, I hope this book trailer makes you as eager to buy and read my first book as I am for its release on January 2, 2012 wherever books are sold. Of course, you can go ahead and pre-order it at B&N.com or Amazon.

Check out more of Sam Stucky's videos here. I'm a Sam fan - a big fan.