Monday, June 25, 2007

An amazing blueberry criminal llama-herdress am I

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for being so supportive of my book, and for getting excited with me! I'm so glad I had my blog community to share the experience with; I'd have felt very isolated without you -- it's funny to think that a year and a half ago I had never blogged; the world seems so much bigger now, and more full of smiling faces!

Thank you to Liz for calling excitedly from Barnes & Noble with a copy in her hands!

Thank you to Kim for braving the ferocious clerks at Powell's (and I'm not kidding here -- the scowls!!) and asking them to bring forth a copy from back room, and for putting up a post about it!

Thank you to Mardougrrl for the flowers!

Thank you to Amber and Deidre for both using dark chocolate metaphors for the reading of it!

Thank you to Jone for planning a book party for me!

Thank you to "Davesap" for buying the 15 copies pictured in this stack, as gifts for friends! (And I'm wearing the same T-shirt as in the last post because it was the same day!)


Thank you to Chary for staying home all day the day after the release to reread the book!

And of course, thank you to Alexandra for having a release-night party for me! There was an interview and there was a silly questionnaire for guests to fill out. Here's a sampling of responses:


One word that describes Laini is: daydreamer; creative; artistic; perfect (submitted by my dad); amazing (by my mom); hot (by Jim); tall (by myself; I was wearing my 6-inch platforms); pulchritudinous (by Chary, who out-vocabularized us all); blueberry (from Maggie, and I love it); and lastly, from Alexandra: criminal.

One word that describes Jim: affable; solid; hot (from me); caring; sweetest; sweetheart; lucky (from Jim); kind; perfect-2 (from my dad); high-fallutin (from, of course, Alexandra) -- overall, can you tell that this guy is a good guy?

If Laini wasn't an author she would be a: artist; artist; llama herdress; artist; illustrator; zookeeper; veterinarian; travel series host; reader; polka dot (yes, this last -- Alexandra). Interestingly, a few posts back, I actually said exactly what I would be if I wasn't a writer and no body got it! Don't you read my blog, folks? ha ha!

If Jim wasn't an illustrator he would be a: superhero; superhero; superhero-ninja-FBI agent; barber (ehh?); inner-city youth counsellor; movie critic; doctor; cyclops rabbit (you can probably guess by now whose this is)

Wasn't that fun? I totally recommend that as a party game! Again, thank you to everybody, to everyone who has left encouraging comments along the way -- this writing process feels very much less like, I don't know, dropping pennies into a void, with kindred spirits out there for commiseration and cheerleading. Thank you.

16 comments:

liz elayne lamoreux said...

i am cracking up at all these responses - love it!

this is so great laini! i am so happy for you! (and that picture of you is adorable)

Anonymous said...

We are so happy for you!
Did I tell you that Camille makes me take the book everywhere so she can pull it out of my purse and she then tells anyone and everyone she meets this rehearsed sentence, "Hi..My godmother wrote this great faerie book- BUY IT please !It's at Barnes & Noble by the service desk, signed & everything! "

I know, I know, she is funny.. and proud of you! And so are her parents! :)

~Jennifer :)

Fiona said...

Is it going to get a British release or should I just buy from the USA? I can't wait to read it!

Fiona (Scotland)

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

I received mine today from Amazon.com. I'll have to let my blogger fans know that I will have to disappear for awhile ... and why, in case they worry. LOL

kelly rae said...

i preordered it long ago and it arrived last week from amazon. you are an amazing story teller, author, blogger, designer, decorator, and friend. this only the beginning!
xo

turquoise cro said...

CAWWWWWWWW CAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! once again! I preordered from Amazon too long ago, I want to say February???!!!No, it was March 7, I just looked at my order form!I got this WONDERFUL book today on my brother's birthday!!!Happy Birthday Barry!!! and I will also be blogging and Crowing about your book on my Blog!!! SooOOOOooo much EXCITEMENT in Blogland!!! Phew! I must go now to take a pic of my sweet new book!!! WOOT! Thanks!!! Laini! I can't wait to read it all!! Savour this time!!! I know I am! xoCinda

Alex S said...

Who do you think you are fooling Marvel Fattybocker? This is the one and only shirt I have ever, ever seen you in in the thousands of years I have known you. Aside from being a polka dot, I could also see you potentially as a bootstrap, a paper plate, OR a thimble. And as for Jim, aside from being a cyclops rabbit, of course, he also has potential to be a light switch, right hand knuckle, tweezers, or last, but certainly not least, a Mongolian unicorn.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Laini - it's a book! A REAL book - I know cause I have one of its clones sitting on my table right this minute - and it's wonderful (I just put a photo of it on my blog). It has Jim's great cover and your amazing words - it's bound to have a wonderful shelf life.
:-)

Michelle (a.k.a. la vie en rose) said...

coNgRatUlAtiONs! CoNgrAtuLAtIons! cOngRAtUlAtIOns!

yay!

rel said...

Laini,
Congartulations, authoress!
Your book arrived today from an
Amazon preorder. I'm going to start it today. Well, right after supper. ;-)
rel

Judy Wise said...

Congratulations amazing beautiful creator. It has been a joy watching your book be born and watching you absorb all the changes. We are all so happy for your success!
xxooxx

Amber said...

We went and got our copy yesterday, and I have been staying up WAY TOO LATE reading it! Which is bad bad bad right now!! (I have too much to do, get it??!) But I am loving it so much. It is sure to be loved by many, Laini. Really. It will sit in some kids heart, and spark something in them. Give them a love of story and reading, and stay in their minds forever. Like how I still think about "A Wrinkle in Time", all these years later, after reading it at ten or something.

Wyatt did take one look at the cover and tell me it "might be too scary for me, until I'm eight or something". hehe

So add my cheers to the rest here! It is as good as dark chocolate and mangos with a side of cupcakes! (Ha! Beat THAT suckas!) ;)

Patry Francis said...

I'm almost finished and already planning to act it out in a play with the neighborhood kids. What a wonderful story--a gift to overgrown children everywhere!

Congratulations on all your amazing success, Laini.

p.s. I totally agree with your t-shirt.

Anonymous said...

I am playing catch~up, as usual...but wanted to send you very big congratulations wishes!! This is BIG doings and you should be so incredibly happy and proud of yourself!!! Hurrah!

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

I noticed that someone said "Jim's cover" and I had stopped by to ask if you or Jim did the artwork. Does this mean he did the pictures inside the book also? I'm half done (but have tomorrow off from work so I can read all I want) ... and so far I LOVE the story! [I just ordered a book for a friend in Georgia also.][& I posted your book cover & will do a review on my blog next week as well.] BTW, is your agent making plans for you to tour the country for "book signings"?

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to read it! Finally, I think its coming to my local B&N. hurray!