Launch Week Photos!

Wow--has it REALLY been more than 2 weeks since KEEPER released? Where does the time go????

Okay, well, so this post is RIDICULOUSLY overdue but... hey, better late than never, right?

First up--the So Cal Launch Party!!!!

I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the turnout. This is really only about 1/2 the crowd--there were so many people! It was SO HARD not to cry! Especially since there were so many kids. Here's a group shot of just a few of them:

I'd done three school presentations earlier that day--and miraculously some of them came. Plus a bunch of local writer friends brought their kids.

AND an amazing teacher I'd met at the SCIBA events I've done came and brought a bunch of her students--many of whom had already read (and loved) KEEPER. They were pretty much the cutest things ever. Here's one of my favorite pictures, from before the event even started, when they surrounded my table to ask me questions. LOVE.

I tell you, getting to talk to kid readers makes all the stress and deadlines and exhausting travel soooooo worth it. It's hands down the best part of my job!

And I have to take a minute and give a HUGE shout out to the amazing ladies at the B&N where I did the launch. Not only did they run an AMAZING event, but they went so above and beyond! They'd made a special "Lost Cities" cafe menu:

And one had even come in costume, in a cape and gown like the Foxfire Mentors wear (she'd even changed her name tag to say Lady Barbara. I TOTALLY geeked out when I saw it)

(She's the one on the right. And on the left is a peek at the signing line. My hand actually got tired--best problem to have, EVER!) :)

From there I headed to Arizona, where I got to visit three amazing schools and um... scare them all with print-outs of some of the revision letters my agent sent me to get KEEPER ready to be shopped:

 (this is the one I call the "Email of Doom")

And listen to an AWESOME teacher who'd read the entire ARC of KEEPER to his class read my favorite scene (He gave Keefe an Irish accent--it was pretty much the greatest thing EVER. I so want to to make Keefe Irish now!) :)

And... as if all of that weren't enough to put me into awesome overload, I also got to fulfill a longtime dream and do a signing and event at Changing Hands. 

Not only is that store a big part of the reason KEEPER exists, BUT, I got to be introduced by Faith (aka: The Book Babe), who I am honored to now call my friend after she has inspired me so many ways

It's a MIRACLE I made it through without crying--and I almost lost it at one point, but found a way to rally though.

I could keep going. I have so many amazing pictures and memories of all the incredible people I met--some of whom I *know* because of this blog or twitter, some of whom I met for the first time. But this post is getting pretty long, so I'll stop for now and end with one more big, THANK YOU. To everyone who came to these events and supported me and KEEPER. (and to ALL of you who've bought it--or are planning to buy it or thinking about buying it or will tell your friends to buy it or might check it out from the library)

Launching a book is a very humbling and exciting thing, but it doesn't work very well if no one supports it. So THANK YOU SO MUCH. You all truly made launch week a dream come true!