Guess what came early? Book II!
Release date was July 8 so I was expecting to see nothing before the second week in July. But yesterday I found this in the mail! It’s very exciting to see the finished cover with the spot varnish. The snake really pops! I kept it in my bag at work and would glance fondly at it now and then.
And last night, as a lovely coincidence, I had tickets to Ray LaMontagne/Brandi Carlisle/Secret Sisters. It was a beautiful evening of music under the stars with my oldest friend Julie and my second book tucked in my bag.
Perfect day!
It’s alive! This week I received my first Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of book two! I've looked at the cover art a hundred times, yet nothing quite prepares you for seeing it in book form. Funny as it may sound, it reminds me that the other book is still out there! My husband told me this morning that a high school boy came up to him yesterday and was raving about how much he was enjoying my book. We both kind of marveled at the fact that we don’t think about the book that often; it almost feels like a movie that came out and then went away. Release time was hectic with all the readings and school visits, but once the initial few weeks of fervor were over, we all went about our normal lives—which for me includes a pretty intense day job. So when I get an ARC in the mail or hear about a kid who is reading my book, it snaps me back to this alternate reality, the reality where I am an author. I didn't intend to have a double life, it just sort of happened.
My kids have been trying to get me to play Mario Kart on the Wii since Christmas. I’d honestly rather clean those vile little bolts around the base of the toilet than play video games, so it’s taken them a while to get that silly white steering wheel in my hands. When we started playing I felt like I was 15 again the first few minutes of having learner’s permit. I was overcompensating so hard that I was bouncing off rocks and guardrails and enormous mushrooms and whatnot. It was infuriating—just when I got up enough speed to clip along there’d be another obstacle or a quick turn. I asked the kids if there was a course that was simply a straight road so you could just gun it. They looked at me as if I’d just revealed a vestigial tail, and said, “Uh, no. What would be the point?”
That’s kind of what I wanted the writing life to be. You know, put out a book and then gun it. But, as my kids would say, “What would be the point?” Perhaps there’s a reason I’ve run in to an enormous mushroom or slammed into a guardrail. Perhaps it’s not supposed to be easy. Because we tend not to value what comes easily.
Raising good children, finding work you enjoy, getting published—none of it is easy. But there are moments, like the first time you touch a book that bears your name on its spine, that make it all worthwhile. I’ve just had one of those days.
I guess it was the perfect day! I would love to say, "My second book in my bag." How awesome! Congrats!
Thanks, LMJ! It's been a fun couple of days! (And the book is still in my bag :)
It looks so smooth and pretty! :) Congratulations Christy! I still haven't read your first book - can't find a copy anywhere!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Can't believe it came so early. when is the release party?
CAM
Love the cover!!! It goes so well with the first book's cover, which I've always thought was one of the coolest graphics I've ever seen.
Precious...Amazon has the Daykeepers' Grimoire available and it's a MUST read. You'll be hopping to read the second book right away, so order both. The rest of us had to wait over a year for book 2...and it was a LONG wait!!
Steve - Thank you so much for the kind words about the cover!
CAM - Book release party is at Barnes & Noble on July 27th!
Precious, I am still amazed that you cannot get the book where you are. I'm not sure what to do - every copy I send you "disappears" in the mail system. WorldCat shows that there are several libraries near you that have it - perhaps that's a way to get your hands on it?