When You've Been Pregnant For Six Years & The Baby Turns Out Really Cute

It's here! It's here!

Yes, it's the CHAINED release day!

Here's the short version of the road to publication:

Spring 2006: Got the idea to write a story about a captive elephant and started writing
Spring 2009: Started submitting the manuscript to agents
February 2010: Signed with agent Joanna Volpe
May 2010: Sold manuscript to editor Margaret Ferguson at Macmillan/FSG
May 8, 2012: Publication day!

May 2012 seemed like so far away when the book sold, but now I can't believe it's really here. I'm kind of at a loss for words, except for the many thank yous to everyone who helped me and supported me along the way.

So I'll turn things over to Navin Johnson:



And, of course, to Spongebob Squarepants:



Have the best day ever, everyone!

That's What (S)he said: Weekly Round-Up

Hi everyone! Here's the latest "interesting things I found around the interwebs" post:

I'll start with this fascinating article from ScienceBlog, "We Actually 'Become' Happy Vampires or Contented Wizards When Reading a Book," about how our need for social connection causes us to identify with the characters we read about in books.

In The Hunger Games casting news, we found out that Woody Harrelson will play Haymitch Abernathy, mentor to Katniss and Peeta. I don't think anyone pictured him as Haymitch, (I was thinking of someone more like Phillip Seymour Hoffman or Nick Nolte), but I bet Harrelson will play the role so well we won't be able to picture Haymitch any other way after that.

Are mermaids the next vampires? Sounds like they are, from all the upcoming mermaid novels I keep hearing about and from this article in USA Today. I think the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie will contribute to mermaids' popularity too. Have you seen the creepy mermaids in the new trailer?

Glee fans, check out E.M. Kokie's post, "Don't throw yourself around like you don't matter," about the Brittany/Santana storyline and why it hasn't the attention Kurt's journey has.

I love hearing about how other authors like to write. We all do it differently, but the goal is the same--write an awesome book that readers don't want to put down. I write a lot like what Roni Loren describes in her post "My Ten Steps to Novel Completion." I tend to edit as I go, but I'm trying to write first drafts now without editing so much. The revising works out better after I've written the novel and know the story and characters better. Characters always come to me before the plot too. Still have no plot for the next novel I want to write, although I have the characters, maybe a setting, and some random stuff that happens.

Because of Blogger's recent meltdown, the Help Write Now folks have extended the bidding time for their Day 7 items, which includes the second package donated by the Apocalypsies and a critique and phone call from SuperAgent Joanna Volpe. Bidding for these listings will end Monday night.

From Blurb is a Verb, here's author Emily St. John Mandel's Five Questions Never to Ask at a Bookstore Signing. Are you guilty of any of these offenses?

Speaking of bookstore signings, Will Write For Cake buddy Christina Mandelski's debut YA novel, THE SWEETEST THING was released this week, and she had her first book signing yesterday! So happy for her but sad for me since I had to miss it. (College graduation of niece and nephew took me out of town.) Thankfully Vonna Carter was there and put up a blog post about the event right away, with pictures. No word on if anyone asked her the forbidden questions.

Have a fabulous week!