Full to Bursting

Moving to a new city is hard. Moving to a new city when you’re a kid and it’s the middle of the school year can seem impossible. That’s what’s happening to seventh grader John Regan in the new novel Full to Bursting, coming next week from Kissing Frog Books. He doesn’t want to move, but since his dad is being transferred for work, he doesn’t have much choice. He’s convinced he’ll be as lowly as an earthworm crawling along on his belly through the hallways of the new school.

I wrote this book a few years ago and originally published it under a different title. To put it mildly, it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. That said, my husband insists it’s his favorite story I’ve ever written. Then I found a book cover that suited it perfectly, and I decided it was time to give it a fresh start. It’s funny and optimistic and doesn’t have any monsters in it at all. I hope lots of people read it and enjoy it. If you do, could you please post a review on Amazon or somewhere? As a big thank you, I’ll be posting a discount coupon on Smashwords when Full to Bursting is released.

Thank you and happy reading!

Author Fairs

Over the past couple months, I've been lucky to attend a few author fairs at libraries in the Chicago area. I started attending these events back in 2006 when Stones of Abraxas was first published, and I loved them then. Now that I've got my self-pubbed version of Stones out, along with the Heroes of Abraxas sequel and My Life as an Earthworm, they're even more fun because there are more books to talk to people about. For these most recent fairs, I also brought promotional postcards for the upcoming nonfiction book I wrote with my aunt, psychic Louise Helene. The book is called I Saw Your Future and He's Not It, and it's going over big with readers.

One of the things I find most interesting about author fairs and other book signing events is that you can never tell who's going to be most interested in your books. When a 12-year-old boy walks past my signing table, I used to automatically assume he'd like my YA fantasy novels with a dragon and gargoyle on the covers. And sometimes he is interested in fantasy, but a lot of times he's not. One time there was a kid who I thought would love fantasy, but he came over and picked up my nonfiction book about Muammar Qaddafi in Libya. When I looked surprised, his mom explained, "He's really interested in dictators." Go figure.

At least half of the people I talk to and sell YA books to at signings are adult women. Sometimes they're looking for a gift for kids or grandkids, but more often they're looking for themselves. I understand where they're coming from because at least half of what I read is classified as young adult.

Maybe most surprising is that it's not just women who are picking up the promo cards for I Saw Your Future and He's Not It. Men are curious, too. Mostly they're dads who have daughters, and they're eager for help in warning the girls away from lousy guys. The book's title really strikes a chord for those dads, I guess.

So, like books, it seems that you can't tell a book reader by his/her cover.

Aurora Library Author Fair

What are you doing Saturday, September 8? You say you're standing up in your sister's wedding? Skip it and do something fun instead! Admit it, you never liked that clown she's marrying, anyway. Instead, come on down to the Aurora Public Library for their Third Annual Catch a Bunch of Authors Fair. Meet authors, see the latest books, and get your copies signed. What a great way to spend a Saturday! It's way better than having to make small talk with distant cousins while doing the Chicken Dance.

The event is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. in the Prisco Community Center (attached to the library) at 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora, IL. Lots of Chicago-area authors will be there with a wide range of books. Fiction and nonfiction for adults and kids of all ages will be available. And I guarantee no one will corner you and ask the uncomfortable questions you'd get at a family wedding. You won't have to think up good responses to, "Why aren't you married yet?" or "When are you going to start a family?" or "Do you think I ought to have this mole checked out?"

So, I'm looking forward to seeing you at the Aurora Author Fair. Make sure to stop by my table where I'll be signing copies of my Abraxas YA fantasy novels and my brand-new-hot-off-the-presses-the ink's-still-wet YA novel My Life as an Earthworm. We'll have a few laughs, chat about books, and, what the heck, maybe do the hokey pokey in honor of your sister's special day.