Live, from New York...

Have I mentioned lately that the uber-fabulous Suzie Townsend rocks? Well, she does. And so does the uber-cool Melissa Frain. I spent yesterday in the city that never sleeps with my agent and editor. They both supplied me with reading material (YAY! BOOKS!) and Melissa brought me up to speed on all things Tor. I got to meet all the amazing people there and at FinePrint Literary Management and, yes, they are as awesome as they seem.

I’ll never forget the rush of sending requested manuscripts out to agents when I was agent shopping. I remember thinking that, even if no one wanted to represent it and it never sold, at least someone else will have met the characters that I love so much. I have to say, it was a little wild talking to a whole bunch of people who had read my book. And in one of those really fun “small world” experiences, it turned out that the lovely Patty Garcia, Director of Publicity at Tor, has a brother-in-law who grew up in the same tiny town in California that I currently live in. Go figure.

I knew it was going to be a great visit when New York City treated me to a flurry on Tuesday night while I was wandering and people watching. It snowed all night and left a dusting of white in the morning. Just enough so that I got my snow experience without being nasty. (though there’s supposed to be a storm tomorrow night, so “nasty” may still be in my New York experience)

And I’m headed to the Mid-Manhattan Library (the largest of the NY public libraries) tonight for a presentation called: "Spotlight: A Close-Up Look at the Artistry and Meaning of Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' Novels," with John Granger. The description of this event is as follows:

"Why do millions of readers love these Young Adult Vampire Romances?" By looking at the "Twilight" novels' surface artistry, their implicit morality, their archetypal allegory -- a kind of Mormon Pilgrim's Progress -- as well as their hermetic meaning " the question is answered. There's a lot more here than meets the eye; this don't-miss-it event is both for Twi-Hards and for serious readers wanting to learn how to read popular literature with appreciation.

I couldn’t miss it! I wonder if Stephenie Meyers knows all that stuff is in her books. =)

I’m here until Sunday, so I’m sure I’ll find even more fun things to do. I’ll fill you in as they happen!

February 2010 debut book give-away! And New York City!!!

Yay!! It's the first of February! You've been waiting patiently and, finally, here it is, my February debut give-away!!!

A reminder of the contest and the rules:

Each month I’ll post my top four debuts of that month. (on or around the first) All you have to do to enter is comment on that post before noon pacific time on the last Friday of the month. One winner will be chosen each month using the randomizer and I’ll post the winner on the last Friday of the month. The winner will then be allowed to choose one title off my picks list OR a signed ARC or copy of PERSONAL DEMONS (when I get them)! Yay!

In addition to commenting (for which you get one point) you can earn extra points each month as follows:

Old follower: +3 points
New follower: +2 points
Link to my contest post on your blog or twitter: +1 points
Dedicated post with link to my contest on your webpage/blog: +3 points
Add me to your blogroll: +2 points

Also on your entry, please remember to tell me how to find you (email address).

And remember, there will be no rollover points. Points start new every month.

My February debut picks are as follows:

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
Dirty Little Secrets by Cynthia Jaynes Omololu
A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

So to enter, all you have to do is comment below before noon on Friday 26th! Good luck!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane before the crack of dawn tomorrow. NYC here I come!!! I'm looking so forward to "meeting" my truly fabulous agent and my seriously cool editor!!! I also have to say that I'm extremely proud to be affiliated with the publishing house that stood up to Amazon. I'm gonna stop by John Sargent's office and give him a high-five. Cuz he's just sitting around waiting for his authors to, you know, come hang out with him. =)