3, 2, 1…launch!

THE DRAGON THIEF is my 35th book for young readers! It’s my 7th traditionally published book but there’s really no difference when it comes to promotion—even if your publisher assigns you a publicist, the onus is still on the author. I don’t get that excited about a book’s “birthday”—you hope your book will have a long life and it doesn’t make much sense, after 30+ books, to make a fuss every time a new title goes on sale. So I was busy but low key. I lined up a couple of school visits here in Lancaster and the students were just wonderful (3rd graders at Hamilton Elementary pictured below). I was running around for much of the day so it meant a lot that my friends and fans on social media did much of the work for me. Librarian Christina Carter made this lovely graphic and posted it on Twitter, which I very much appreciated because it made it easy for me (and everybody else!) to retweet. Kid BookTuber Jazz, whom I met at Nerdcamp last summer, featured THE DRAGON THIEF on Snazzy Reads! I definitely felt the love for my dragons online and in person.

After my second school visit ended it started to pour; luckily friends gave me a ride to a local foundry where we celebrated the Commonwealth Monument Project and I got to meet Lenwood Sloan! Unfortunately I had to leave early so I could grab a bite to eat before our webinar with Embrace Race. Midway through our stimulating conversation about race and fantasy fiction for kids, I felt my head start to pound; I went to bed with a headache and woke with a migraine this morning. So I’ve been enjoying a day of silence and just got some more good book news that I can’t yet share…my book’s official birthday is over but I have another Lancaster school visit on Friday followed by a virtual visit with some book club kids in Missouri who filmed a birthday message and emailed it to me. On Saturday I’ll take the train to Philly, pick up my photo cake, and head to Uncle Bobbie’s. Bookstore events are always a gamble but since it’s also my own birthday, I won’t worry if it’s just me and my friends hanging out and eating cake! By the time this week ends, I will know that I’ve done my duty by my new book and will just let it live…and hopefully thrive! Another author friend on Facebook let me know that our books are in good company over at Amazon…