Rachel Hartman's Blog, page 11

Will you be in Madrid tomorrow?

If so, there’s a Seraphina event you could go to:

The Spanish first edition has already sold out, apparently, so this is a celebration of the release of the second printing. It will also feature a very short video of me speaking Spanish (five sentences I wrote myself; my very kind translator helped iron out some grammar wrinkles). I am twenty years out of practice, so I was a little nervous, but I think it turned out pretty well, considering.

I wish I could be there for this! It sounds like fun...

Now we pause for Estonian folk singing

Oh yes we do indeed.

Sometimes you gotta. Couldn’t be helped.

The long road back to here

Yesterday I went and spoke at my good friend Susin Nielsen‘s class. I’ve done this before; I go in and she asks me a few questions and I tell the convoluted tale of my road to publication. It was nothing I’d usually be nervous about, but I must have been a little bit worried because I had an anxiety dream the night before.

It began as the most hackneyed of all anxiety dreams: the one where you suddenly realize you have to take the final exam but you haven’t been attending the class. Maybe you...

I contain myself, but just barely

I thought I was immune to this kind of excitement, but I opened the package and squealed like a little piggy:

I tried to get the sun on it so you could see the shiny, but nothing is as shiny as the real thing.

So there it is, my friends. The hardcover. It comes out two weeks from tomorrow. Did you think the day would never come? Me, too, darlings. Me, too.

But there is more news, by golly! There is a party happening at Kidsbooks and you (yes, YOU!) are invited. March 10th, 7pm. Here are the rele...

A bit of prog for a Friday

So this week I am enjoying the heck out of Spock’s Beard. My darling husband got their album Day for Night for Saturnalia, and I’ve been listening to it while doing all kinds of annoying chores. “Gibberish” is my favourite song so far:

It’s like YES and Kansas had a big goofy baby. In fact, there are a few sections, first at 0:26 and a couple more times after that, where they seem to be blatantly quoting Kansas (instrumentally) (I’ll go find the Kansas song, if you need me to, although it migh...

Cherry blossoms bloom in our courtyard…

… and it’s exactly one month untilShadow Scalecomes out.

Feb 2nd: Palo Alto, CA!

Just a wee reminder to friends in the Bay Area that I will be appearing at Books, Inc. in Palo Alto tomorrow evening. Full info at the Not Your Mother’s Book Club Blog.

The Story of Owen: Dragonslayer of Trondheim

Today it is my pleasure and honour both to interview the witty and sagacious E. K. Johnston about her Morris-nominated novel, The Story of Owen: Dragonslayer of Trondheim. As the previous dracographical Morris winner, it seemed logical that I should be the one to interview Ms. Johnston and put her feet to the (dragon) fire, as it were.

In fact, it’s not just dragons that we have in common.Owen, like Seraphina,is the story of a musician swept into a world she never expected to be a part of, it’...

The upcoming adorable tiny tour

I have updated my Appearances page, friends, with actual times and places and stuff. I know, I’m out of control over here. Toronto readers, take heart: I am returning for sure in March with public events. L.A. friends, alas, I am breezing through and visiting some schools and teachers, but not doing any open-to-the-public events this time around. If that changes, I’ll make sure you hear about it.

The Carnival at Bray

Today’s Morris interview, Blythe Woolston (with special guest Carrie Mesrobian!) talks to Jessie Ann Foley about The Carnival at Bray. Go! Enjoy!

Coming up Thursday: my interview with E. K. Johnston, author of The Story of Owen.

Coming even sooner than that: I update my appearances list — again! Part of my delay in posting is that it looks like my appearance in Toronto this week is not a public event, but a librarians’ conference. Not that we begrudge the librarians – of course not! – but I hat...