Diary of a Debut Author: Road Trip #2

It's about time I announced the winner of MP Barker's book! The lucky winner is...KAYLA! Kayla, email me for details on how to claim your prize. A big thank you to MP and I hope you all run out and get a copy of her book.

I'm in New Jersey and am T-I-R-E-D after all of the traveling. But I can barely sleep! I'm soooo excited about the photo shoot and spent an hour on the treadmill tonight trying to get tired so I'd fall asleep earlier. I feel like I'm running on 80 cups of coffee and sheer excitement about the shoot. :)

Here's a new video for you guys that I shot today. Enjoy!

Big surprise reveal!! :)

It's a double post day!

Okay, everyone!! Finally! I’m ready to reveal the super-secret surprise! :) I was waiting until more details firmed up and while I’m not going to give a date just yet, I WILL tell you why I’ve been bouncing up and down for the past couple of weeks. It has been torture not to share, but I wanted to be one hundred percent sure I could make it before I spilled the news.

So, here we go…

Sometime very soon, I am headed to New England for the photo shoot for the four covers for Canterwood Crest! I’m BEYOND (there will be lots of capitalized words, sorry) excited and the best part is that I’ll be sharing the trip with you via Diary of a Debut Author videos! Yep, I’ll be taking photos and video of some behind the scenes stuff and will share what I can without giving away spoilers. I should be able to make a video when I get into town and will keep you guys updated via blogging when I can get online. It’s going to be an insane day and I can’t wait! (There may also be video from the car when, after 17 hours of driving, I just need to ramble. Okay?)

I’m already obsessing about this. What will the models look like? Will the horse be calm? Will it be warm outside? Windy? See…questions, questions.

As a typical girly girl, I’ve been trying to figure out THE outfit for the photo shoot. I’ll be meeting Agent A and Editor K (major excitement!) for the first time and I want to find an outfit that conveys: professional, fun, fresh, young and serious all in one. Yeah, try to find clothes that scream all five of those things. It’s not easy. I’ve been in and out of my closet practically every day since I got the news about this and am still not settled on the right clothes. I’ll try to get a pic of the outfit I’ve decided on. If I ever decide. :)

There you have it! I’ll keep updating about this when I can and I hope you guys are as excited as I am. And no, even though several people were convinced Paris Hilton was coming along on this trip and we were new BFFs that’s just not the case. But your guesses were close. ;)

Happy Friday!

Diary of a Debut Author Video: Horsing Around

Here's a new video from Sundance Oaks Miniature Horse Farm! A very special thank you to Mary Lackey, Chance and the minis! :) Above are some outtakes from our day!

Author Photo Friday

On Friday, I'm going to get my author photo done with a beautiful palomino gelding! I'm so, so excited! I'll be taking pictures (obvi!) and video for a new Diary of a Debut Author segment on author photos. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rain. It's supposed to be 85 degrees with a 30% rain chance, so we'll see.

Anyone else got any exciting Friday plans?

National Novel Writing Month: Day 10 & Announcement

Finally! Saturday and a few uninterrupted hours to type! I went to a craft fair this morning with my mom and it just made me feel bad that I'm not a crafty person. Seriously, we saw some stuff I couldn't even begin to make.

How's everyone's typing coming? I managed to get in 1900 words yesterday and I'm hoping for the same or more today. I love seeing my little pie graph fill in the more I type and chart on the NaNo progress report. :)

I'm also making a small announcement today. Starting next year, I'm going to be doing video podcasts (when the situation arises) with quick segments of what it's like to be a debut author. From calls with agents, to stacks of paper drafts I've amassed, to visiting the local bookstores (chains and indies), to getting ARCs, deciding on giveaways, going to book fairs, etc. I want to take you all with me on this insane, exciting journey! I'm going to tape the most important moments and start a new section of the blog on the sidebar. So, in January of 2008, look for DIARY OF A DEBUT AUTHOR videos.