A Cover Story

This is a true cover story story.

Once upon a time, a wonderful publisher by the name of Delacorte Press/Random House decided to change the cover for the trade paperback version of I So Don't Do Mysteries.

They looked and they looked through lots and lots of stock photos and finally found two brilliant and magic pictures of the perfect girl to represent Sherry (short for Sherlock) Holmes Baldwin.

Why two photos? One for I So Don't Do Mysteries. One for I So Don't Do Spooky.

Enter Book #3: I So Don't Do Makeup. A book who deserves a brilliant and magic cover with the same perfect girl. But, alas, there are no more stock photos of this girl.

I get an email from Editor Wendy which cautions me in upper case letters not to get my hopes up. It's highly unlikely that this perfect girl will be located. And if she even is located, the odds are slim that she'll be the right age.

Three days later, I get an email from a dad. From a dad who got a phone call from a local photographer who got a phone call from Delacorte. Yes, it was the perfect girl's dad. I'm guessing he googled I So Don't Do Mysteries or I So Don't Do Spooky or me. I'm guessing he found this blog and saw on the sidebar jpegs of the covers with the perfect girl.

Guess what? She wants to be on the cover of I So Don't Do Makeup.

Guess what else? She's the right age.

Guess what else? Last weekend, a bunch of photos were shot of the perfect girl in order to choose a brilliant and magic cover for I So Don't Do Makeup.

This is SO exciting!

p.s. I am dying to see these photos. HINT, HINT! :)

Available now!                      Coming November 2009           Coming December 2009

SCIBA Dinner or FUN IN PASADENA!

Guess who this is? My FAVORITE picture book author, EVE BUNTING. Oh, yes, and me with a dorky smile. This picture has convinced me that it's time to get new glasses!

Random House sent me to the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association's Children's Book & Literacy Dinner. Wow, that is a mouthful. The dinner (delish, especially the tiramisu) was last Saturday evening and in Pasadena. Miracle #1: I actually found Pasadena! Despite my scary and dangerous lack of sense of direction, I bravely hopped behind the wheel with my nav, a google map and a AAA map and set off all by myself to find Pasadena and, even trickier still, the Westin Hotel's underground parking. I will not tell you how many concerned calls I got on my cell, while I motored up the highway in the rain. Obviously, people do not have much faith! HOWEVER, I made it in plenty of time and even managed to stop in Chino (the city that smells like manure) at the hugest WalMart for a licorice treat.


This is just a general shot of the reception before the dinner. There was a tall yummy MOUNTAIN of cheese. I met some very cool authors including fellow Delacorte Press Author Naomi Hirahara. Naomi didn't realize that I'd been somewhat stalking her for a while via Mystery Writers of America. We'll just keep it a secret on this blog. Anyway, besides her adult mysteries plus other stuff, she's written a terrific middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes.

Other authors I met and chatted with: the hilarious and insightful Lisa Yee (this is a link to her blog), the incredibly energetic Michael Reisman, Newbery winner Susan Patron (altho I didn't realize who I was talking to at the time! Yikes!) and the calming, Zen-like Hope April Smith (sorry, I couldn't find a link) and the best emcee in the world Pam Munoz Ryan. She also has great hair.

There were lots of other authors (one per dinner table, miracle #2: I did not spill anything), but those were the ones I managed to talk with. I can say that I was definitely the giddy, wide-eyed new kid on block. I had a A LOT of fun chatting with booksellers, librarians, and teachers. I hope they had fun too.

Thank you Random House for this great opportunity. Thank you Mary from The Yellow Book Road who helped set this up and who brought me a brand-new hardback copy of The Wednesday Surprise. Thank you Jennifer Bigelow, SCIBA organizer who made me feel so welcome and told me how much she liked me. Thank you to all the super friendly booksellers, librarians and teachers. Somehow, I don't think this post has managed to capture the fun and excitement of the evening. But, truly, I would participate again in a heartbeat. And I might try the vegetarian meal next time.

Miracle #3: On Sunday, I made it all the way to Irvine for water polo (Child #2 and Child #3).



The Wednesday Surprise is my favorite picture book and my favorite Eve Bunting picture book in the entire world. I cannot read it without tearing up. It is that good. You will love it. If you don't already.



Last, but certainly not least, here's a super delightful book review of I So Don't Do Mysteries on A Maze and a Maraca BY NINE YEAR OLD WINNIE! She must be a child genius!

Kicking it with Random House Canada

I spent my birthday morning with Random House Canada. (That really is my cake, BTW!)

Around 9 a.m., a very upbeat and chatty (my favorite personality combo in a new friend) publicity person from Random House Canada knocked at my sister's front door. Taylor and I talked for the entire taxi ride to the World's Biggest Bookstore. Biggest in terms of volume of books moved, although it wasn't too shabby in the square footage department either. (This store used to be a bowling alley.)
Here's Taylor standing outside the World's Biggest Bookstore with an ARC of I So Don't Do Mysteries.

Once inside, Taylor introduced me to the manager and various booksellers and handed me a Sharpie and a box of ARCs. I wanted to call a time-out, freeze everyone in the moment and step back to take it all in and commit it to memory. So many firsts. First time to be introduced in a bookstore as an author. First time to sign a stack of books (albeit ARCs). First time to hand my first book out to real live book-loving strangers.

And to think the last time I stood in this bookstore was on a winter evening near the end of an uncomfortable date. I knew things weren't going to work out with this particular guy. I'm not sure if he sensed it by this point or not. There was a hole in the bottom of my boot and I'd stepped in a slushy puddle when crossing Yonge Street after our dinner at a Chinese restaurant. My foot was like a block of ice.

Life is so full of strange twists and turns.

I'm signing ARCs before entering Chapters Indigo at The Eaton's Centre.

Me and Marlene (sounds like a book, eh?)

At the Chapters Indigo bookstore in The Eaton's Centre, there is a very enthusiastic and animated and knowledgeable bookseller in the children's section. Her name is Marlene. Seriously, I'd buy a math text book from her. And pay full price. Just so you know, Marlene, I did take your advice and visit those other Chapters Indigo stores!

And then it was on to the Random House Canada downtown office which is located in a tall building near the St. Lawrence Market. I don't always feel comfortable in office buildings. Probably because I spend most of my time in my house or my backyard or at my children's school or on pool decks (watching children swim or play water polo, not sun tanning!). There's something very special about a office building filled with books and people who love books, though.


Here's Nicola Makoway, Publicity Manager. We talked kids and books and cab rides. She's the type of person you'd like to try a new restaurant with. Fun and witty and interesting and smart. Nicola had me sign many ARCs. Handwriting is so not my strong suit and I'm embarrassed to admit that a few of the signatures actually have three r's in Barrie.

Sorry it has taken so long to get this post up. Blogger was misbehaving.

ADVANCE READER COPIES!

Once again, the UPS man snuck up to my front door and tossed a big fat envelope from Delacorte Press, Random House, then vamoosed.

Inside were TEN (I was only expecting five, so yay!) very beautiful Advance Reader Copies (ARCs or Bound Galleys as Random House calls them) of I So Don't Do Mysteries.

This version of the book goes to reviewers and, uh, wherever else Delacorte Press decides to send it. It gives reviewers a chance to read the book pre-launch and write very very loving and terrific things about it and drum up all kinds of positive advance publicity.

It's very cool, albeit a little scary, to see my story in book form. The ARCs are paperback (the book will actually be released in hardback) and don't have the fancy schmancy glossy cover. The content of the ARCs isn't identical to that of the finished polished version. But, still, it's my story. And it's a book. YAY tinged with a little bit of yikes.

Here, Chez Summy, we have built a little altar with them in the living room.

Darling Husband (DH) stole one and took it to work. I think this definitely falls under the heading of Willful Misconduct with an ARC. Or maybe under Proud Husband.

p.s. I just noticed I'm missing another copy from the shrine. Are these things sprouting legs and jogging to DH's office???

p.p.s. You have to admit the candle is a nice shriney touch.


And....


They don't build shrines the way they used to....