Cyn Balog's Blog, page 5

Glamorous Release Day

TOUCHED releases today.



I have read so many release day stories, which included book signings, travelling to bookstores, parties with cake and friends and champagne and all those good things.

But me? Today, I'm going to work. I'll eat lunch at my desk. I'll come home and take my daughter for her yearly physical. I will go to bed. I will not have received any congratulations from anyone in my "real" life about the release of my book. All the people that I deal with on a daily basis do not know it's release date for me. They know I'm an author, but they don't read, so they don't really care.


So that's release day. Pretty much just like any other day in my life.

But here's why I'm grateful. I have some really great online critique partners and friends that have helped me with TOUCHED, and I know that the book never would have made it into print without their help. Heather, Teri, Maggie, Mandy, Karen, and Brooke, I'm looking at you! Also, I owe the team at Delacorte and my agent, Jim, a huge debt of gratitude for putting up with my craziness. And I can not forget the bloggers who have taken the time to review TOUCHED and my other books on their blogs. And lastly, but most importantly, to all the readers... thank you. My day may be very ordinary, but I'm still releasing A BOOK, my 4th one, and to me, that's extraordinary, and all because of you.

ETA: I've learned that Barnes & Noble IS carrying TOUCHED!! This has made me so happy. Thank you to everyone for the congratulations, for helping me to spread the word, and most of all, for reading my work. It means so much to me. 

YA Fest ReCap!

Well, the first YA Fest is history, and I think it was a huge success. It was last year, while I was planning to attend the Rochester Teen Book Festival, that I told Jen Murgia that I was excited about the event, but lamented that there weren't any YA events in the Lehigh Valley. "Wouldn't it be cool," I said, "If we could have one RIGHT HERE?"
Walking in to the festival yesterday morning, it was like Jen and everyone involved, had plucked the dream right out of my head and made it a reality.  I got a little teary-eyed, seeing everything they had done.  First-time events are rarely perfect, and of course there were minor bumps, but all-in-all, the event was as perfect as I could have ever imagined.  Just a whole slew of people (and yes, it was packed!) who enjoyed YA and books as much as I do.

Me and Jen (and all our neat swag!)
Josh Berk and Jeff Hirsch signing books and chatting with fans!
MasterBerk Theater Live was a hit. Even Magic Sea Otter would agree. We also learned that Jeff Hirsch and Margie Gelbwasser are shameless liars and that Jon Skovron will stop at nothing in the name of research. And, we now hold the world record for the largest number of YA authors reading from a YA book at once, or something like that. Yay, us! Here's the video:



Jen got her very own Angel Star!
It was standing-room only at some of the author panels. Here Anne Greenwood Brown, Charles Benoit, Barbara Dee, and Michelle Zink talk about their books.

 Shannon Delaney talks to fans.
Michael Northrop signs books.
I just want to thank everyone involved, especially the Stephanie Supinski, the Volunteens, and everyone at the Easton Library. You truly made it a special day for all of us!  I hope we can do it again next year!

YA Fest This Saturday, 8/4, in Easton PA

I just realized that I've never posted about this little event I've been helping out with!  It's called YA Fest, and it will be at the Palmer branch of the Easton Library on August 4-- that's this Saturday! 35 of the best YA and MG authors will be there.

Check out their website here.

Also, TOUCHED officially releases on August 14, but if you simply can't wait, you can order a copy from Harleysville Books here. They have VERY LIMITED copies of TOUCHED available now and at YA Fest, 10 days before you can buy them! Exciting?  Sort of.

I am still in a weird state of disbelief that my FOURTH book is releasing in only TWO WEEKS.

ETA:  I forgot to mention the MOST EXCITING PART of this event.  It's not that we were featured in last Saturday's Morning Call (even though that was cool!), but that one of the highlights of the event is going to be the first-ever MasterBerk Theatre Live!  Do you realize what this means? If you have no idea what MasterBerk Theatre is, here is a little something to dazzle you:





You don't want to miss more of that, do you?