Launch Week Recap

What a week! Unless you've completely blocked me from all of your social media, you may be aware that my novel, The Qualities of Wood, hit the bookstores IN PRINT last week. If you don't have a copy yet, you can buy one at any point--don't even feel that you have to finish reading here before you click over and do that. Really.

Still here? OK, well, it was a fabulous and exciting week. I was quite overwhelmed with the tremendous support and well wishes from family, friends and readers, both online and in the flesh. You guys are the best, all of you. And because you are the awesomest of the awesome, you may still be wondering what else there is to do, other than sharing a glass of vino with me from time to time. Here's a great post about ways you can help me or any other author:

10 Ways to Help Your Favorite Author

I would add to the list: Request the book if you don't see it in your local store. Especially an indie store.

So, to recap some of the very nice things that happened to me over the course of the week:

June 14: Check out this piece I wrote about ways to stay creative: Looking Inward, Opening Outward. And look further into the Debutante Ball blog, which has been celebrating debut authors since 2007. You'll find some great reads on their pages.

June 16: A lovely review from Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews, which you can read here.

June 17: The book's release date! Highlights: sneaking over to Barnes & Noble before the signing to see my books on the shelf, spending the afternoon with my lovely daughter, who also served as queen of the refreshment table that evening, and then...

reading from the book to all the lovely people who came out to celebrate with me:





















June 18: I wrote a guest blog for Shelf Pleasure, another great source for all of your What-to-Read questions. What should you say when people ask Am I in Your Book?

June 20: A very nice review from Fiction Is Stranger Than Fact, written by Helen Hunt, who is not THAT Helen Hunt but still, obviously, a very astute reader of books. Thank you!

And yesterday, June 21, I drove up to Pasadena on a lovely, blue-sky-California kind of day, to the venerable and much-loved Vroman's Bookstore. If you live within 100 miles and haven't paid this store a visit, you've been remiss. It's southern California's oldest and largest indie, and it's fabulous. And when I walked upstairs to the room where they hold readings, I saw this:

This was definitely a pinch-yourself moment. And here I am in my authorial glory (more photos of both events at my Facebook author page).

Again, a HUGE cyber-hug of gratitude to everyone who drove out to see me this week, either from across the San Fernando Valley or down from the Antelope Valley, or across town here in the OC on a busy school night! Old friends and new friends, my loyal family and my great kids. THANK YOU. As I said at the beginning...what a week! And there's more to come, so stay tuned.