Susan Juby's Blog, page 12

Thank you to The Horn Book

for awarding The Truth Commission its fourth starred review! The review will be out in the March/April edition.

I will consider that marvelous news and the Scotch Egg I’m going to eat at brunch with the Underpants Mechanic (a.k.a. my husband) this weekend my Valentine’s day treat.

Look for this announcement

in the Globe and Mail this weekend!

RepublicofDirt_Globe_final(1)

Ads are deeply satisfying when they are for one’s own work. Am I right? Heh.

Opportunities for a Good Time!

Republic of Dirt is nearly upon us. Join in the festivities!

Vancouverites are invited to an Incite event in Vancouver, Wednesday, February 25, 7:30 at the Central Library in the Alice MacKay Room. I will be reading from the further adventures of Prudence and Co. Julie Paul will be reading from The Pull of the Moon and Marguerite Pigeon will be reading from the excellently titled Some Extremely Boring Drives. (Thank you to Vancouver Writers Fest!)

Victoria and surrounding area-dwellers are invited Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 to magnificent Munro’s Books 1108 Government Street for a book launch.

Nanaimo and mid-island-types are cordially coerced to come to the launch in Nanaimo at Fibber Magees, Saturday, March 7 at 2:00. Expect cheese and a reading. [insert joke here].

Audio News For The Truth Commission!

I nearly had an audio-nerd attack when I learned the following news:

1) The Truth Commission will be made into an audiobook by Brilliance Audio!

2) They’ve chosen the amazing Kate Rudd to narrate!!

3) Yes, that would be the same Kate Rudd who so perfectly narrated a modest little number called The Fault in Our Stars!!!

It’s like, oh, I don’t know, sharing a wig maker with Dolly Parton. Okay. It’s nothing like that. I guess it’s more like sharing a narrator with Game of Thrones (Roy Dotrice! How I love me some Roy Dotrice.) It’s #%$ cool is what I’m trying to say.

I cannot wait to hear it.

Next up: launch news for Republic of Dirt, coming to you February 10!

Starred Review from Publishers Weekly!

THRILLED to announce that Publishers Weekly has awarded The Truth Commission its third starred review. Am only just barely stopping myself from wearing three stars around on my face for the weekend. The only thing holding me back is that I don’t have any star stickers. I may just have to go get some. This is a moment to be relished. I could wear my self-esteem stars to the gym and people would say: “So are you wearing those face stars because you finally went to the gym after three weeks?” To which I would reply, “No, but now that you mention it, I should probably put three more stars on my face to commemorate this occasion.”

Sigh. Thanks, Publishers Weekly.

Voya!

Thank you to Voya for the wonderful review of The Truth Commission!

Here’s a quote to make me rise from my sickbed this foggy day:

“Smart and witty, eclectic and engrossing, introspective and insightful, The Truth Commission is a creatively crafted treasure of a novel which will be deeply appreciated by readers who like their existentialism wrapped in practical reality.”

—Kim Carter.

Second starred review!

Thank you to Kirkus for the starred review of The Truth Commission! I guess it would be tacky to get the final sentence of the review tattooed on my body? What if I followed those words up with the inevitable unkind words that greet any book? It could be a conversation. Of course, that would require a full back piece and I’m not sure I want to go there just yet.

I will post the words here, just in case you don’t get to click through the link or see my back tattoo:

“Hilarious, deliciously provocative and slyly thought-provoking, Juby’s welcome return is bound to ignite debate.”

First Review!

Thank you to School Library Journal for giving The Truth Commission a starred review!

“The narrative/book is smart, darkly funny, sad, and heartening as Normandy learns some hard truths, how to stand up for herself, and how to take charge of her own destiny. While there is no reconciliation in sight, there’s no doubt that the truth has set her free. A surprising, witty, and compulsive read.”

—Luann Toth, School Library Journal (starred review)

Republic of Dirt: We Have Three Winners

Thank you to everyone who entered a drawing of a mule in the Win an ARC of The Republic of Dirt contest!

The winners are:

Carole Ann Shaw

Carrie Mac

Rachel Jackson

Winners, if you haven’t already done so, please send me your mailing addresses and when I receive my copies I will send along your copies.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who entered, including Philip Gordon, who sent along this creation:

When I congratulated him on his risk-taking approach to mule representation and compared his mule-punk image to Jo-Anne Stoltz’s cat-mule, I got this response:

The cat mule is exceptional because it redefines the concept of ‘mule-ness’ outside of the realm of physical representation–all I’ve done here is try to blur the label between ‘object’ and ‘simulacrum’, with some commentary on digital visuals wedged in. This mule t-shirt is shaping up to be a piece fit for the Louvre it seems, no doubt!

Oh quite.

Then Jo-Anne Stoltz weighed in with:

Thank you for recognizing my submission as the triumph of artistic representation that it is. I was attempting to position Fluffy the Mule in that liminal space between physical representation (see Gordon, 2014) and the post-colonial deconstructionism of Derrida and Rodchenko, but mainly Lissitzky. I think I succeeded nicely.

I’m pleased to say that all mules will be featured on an upcoming bit of promotional paraphernalia for The Republic of Dirt. Book promotion may never be the same but mules themselves will not change in the least.

The Final Mule?

Here, folks, is what may be the final mule entry in the Draw a Mule and Be Entered to Win an ARC of Republic of Dirt contest.

This magical mule by Jey Evi comes to us from Jupiter via Tijuana. He’s a dandy.

If you’d like to win an ARC of Republic of Dirt, send me a mule picture by midnight.

Winners will be announced on Monday, November 17.

Thanks to all those who have entered and shared their mulemaginings with us!