EXCITING PREPARATIONS

The release of FORGET ME NOT is 17 days away (and counting).

Last week, in between working at three different high schools, attending soccer functions, arriving late at our monthly SCBWI meeting, and going to craft stores on three different occasions to find 14 t-shirts (all the same shade of neon green - at which time I discovered that an XL youth is the same size as a S adult), I met the gals who are making the jewelry for my October Ghost Tour and Bookstore Book Launch and found something exciting from UPS waiting on my doorstep...

It was the box containing my author copies of FORGET ME NOT.

Earlier in the week I was absolutey stunned when I met Sherri Erler, Shauna Mellady, and Debi Hennigen at Alamosa Books to work on the display for the book launch and saw the amazing pieces they had created. Here is Sherri showing off her many different styles of forget-me-not bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

And here are some pieces created by Shauna and Debi. Each piece is linked to a stop on the blog tour and has symbolic significance in the book. Ravens figure prominently at Raven Valley High School and there is an allusion to Odin, the Norse god of death and poetry. He had two ravens called Hugin and Munin, also known as Observation and Memory, who travelled the world and returned to report what they saw... exactly what a writer does, by the way.

There are also allusions to Shakespeare, Dante, Poe and 2Pac, so come back October 2 when the Ghost Tour begins, right here on my blog. In the meantime, if you live in Albuquerque, mark your calendars for the book launch at Alamosa on Saturday, October 27th at 6:00pm.

See you there!

FOUR FRIENDS JEWELERS

A few weeks ago I attended a home jewelry party put on by a collaboration of women who call themselves FOUR FRIENDS. We got to talking and they are now in the process of making some very exciting giveaways for my October book launch. Pictures will be revealed soon, but in the meantime, look at some of their wonderful pieces.

I was immediately drawn to Sherri's display. Sherri, top left, is a physical therapist who works with my friend Desiree who hosted the party. I had been looking all around town for flowered beads because I wanted to make forget-me-not bracelets as giveaways for my book launch and blog tour. Then I found the lovely pewter necklace at the right.

I was so excited. I love pewter and Sherri's work was so earthy. We spent half an hour collaborating on a bracelet design and she agreed to make bracelets for my book launch. Then I thought about how fun it would be to have all of the FOUR FRIENDS at my book release party at Alamosa  Books on October 31. Forget Me Not comes out in October and ghosts figure prominently.

Sherri said I had to talk to Day of the Debi. That's their nickname for Debi (seated in the photo next to Sherri). Debi specializes in Hauntwear featuring skeletons from The Day of the Dead, but she also has some wonderful steam punk pieces. Debi and I got to talking and she's going to make some cool necklaces and maybe even something with a picture of Shakespeare, who so strongly influences one of the major characters in the story that he spends several weeks speaking in iambic pentameter.

That all lead to a conversation with Kristen who makes amazing sterling silver necklaces and earrings and is also a painter. She agreed to make hand painted journals for the blog tour giveaway. Next stop was Shauna, seated to the far right, whose work is very gothic. She's going to do something fun with raven feathers and bookmarks.

So, if you happen to be in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Halloween, stop by Alamosa Books for books and baubles and beads, Oh my!

FORGET ME NOT BOOK LAUNCH

Alamosa  Books

Saturday
October 27, 2012

6:00 p.m.
8810 Holly Avenue NE

Albuquerque, NM

505-797-7101

Preparing for a Book Launch: Searching for Flowers

I can't believe it's a mere 8 weeks until the release of FORGET ME NOT.

While looking for flowers to use in the book trailer, I called the local florist to see if they had forget-me-nots. They did not, nor could they order any. I went to the craft store to see if they had plastic versions of the tiny blue plastic flower. They didn't. I finally went to Jackalope, a local nursery based on the fictitious animal that is supposedly a cross between an antelope and a jack rabbit. To my dismay I discovered that forget-me-nots were NOT in season. 

They suggested growing them from seeds. I told the helpful plant lady that I doubted my publisher would delay the release of my book to allow me time to grow flowers.

Trying to be helpful, the plant lady showed me white barcopa. It also has five petals, but it's white, not blue. I seriously considered painting the flowers, but since I've never been artistic, I put this thought aside. Just as I feared all hope was lost, I found this pretty little blue flower whose name I can't remember. It's not forget-me-nots but as long as we don't do any close up shots, I think we'll be okay.

I now have complete sympathy for those movie people who have to go around town searching for props and sets and drug stores with jukeboxes and flowers that aren't in season and whatever else the crazy author decided to put in the story.

I now also know that flowers can have stunt doubles.
There's a lot more to being an author than I ever imagined.