So first off, before I talk about everything else I’m gonna talk about, the very lovely Mary over at Bookhounds has offered to do a giveaway of Lizzy Speare and the Cursed Tomb.
What’s better than free books, huh? Toss your hat into the ring. Why not?
She was also kind enough to chat with me a bit and ask the question I know everyone wants to know:
What is the last thing you Googled?Places in Vienna that Mozart lived
That’s a true story.
I have a trip planned this year and I don’t want to miss anything.
So in other news – it’s been really great to have this book out in print and to talk to people about it. See the thing is many of the characters in Lizzy are based on real people. One in particular is based on someone who I loved dearly and who died back in 2003. He was my best friend’s father but also more than that because he was like an extra father to me too. He was one of my favorite people in the world and I miss him dearly.
One of his son’s sent me an email the other day saying that reading Lizzy gave him an entirely unexpected emotional sensation of having a conversation with his father. He went on to say that even though he thinks of him every day, it had been a long time since he felt his presence the way he did this evening.
And that right there, is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. It was all happy/sad/happy/sad/happiness. I swear, it won’t get any better than that. Now, I’m humming Lost:
No one’s ever lost forever
When they die they go away
But they will visit you occasionally
Do not be afraid
No one’s ever lost forever
They are caught inside your heart
If you garden them and water them
They make you what you are-Amanda Palmer
I also wrote a piece recently for Pen and Muse about getting rejected by 16 major publishers. I realize this isn’t something that I should be particularly proud of but hey, it’s been a strange and winding road and THIS is my story. The good, the bad and the fugly.
Also, I told myself a long time ago – when I was in the midst of getting rejected by 16 major publishers that if this whole thing turns around and works out and I get this book published and if anyone ever asks me about how it went down, I will be honest. Because that was a pretty low point in my life and I REALLY could have used to hear a story about someone who got rejected by 16 major publishers and still managed a way to share their story with people.
Cause that’s what it’s all about. Sharing.
If they decide it’s far too pathetic for words, then I’ll blog it here. Cause why not? Dignity is totally overrated. Also, I value the truth.
Ally Malinenko 
I think it’s really brave putting your work out there I am too shy for it most of the time!
You know, once you get a decent number of rejections you build up a tough skin. You learn that not everyone is going to like everything and sometimes everyone will dislike something and sometimes everyone will love something and it doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t matter. What matters is what you think of your art. And those moments when people tell you that they were touched or moved, those moments are pure gold.