Quick post to announce…
THE NIGHT WE SAID YES will be released on June 16, 2015! Hooray release date!
Don’t forget to add it on Goodreads here.
Category: Uncategorized
Two-Year-Versary
Two years and one week ago, I had one of the coolest weeks ever. So every year at this time, I like to celebrate it, because the week changed my life significantly.
We’ll start on February 23rd.
On February 23rd, my best friend was scheduled to have her first child. While at work, I had my phone glued to me, waiting for any sort of information from her husband (who is also a very good friend). The day went by. By the time I left work, the baby was still not here. That night, I went to the supermarket with S and another good friend. While waiting at the deli, I checked my phone again. I didn’t have a message from her, but I DID have an email from an agent I had recently queried.
She liked my book. She wanted to chat.
I freaked out in the supermarket and responded to her as soon as I returned home. We scheduled a phone call for the following morning and an hour later, my friend’s baby made it into the world. And here’s the thing – my friends have had babies before. My relatives have, too. I love them all dearly. But seeing the first picture of the little guy filled me with so much love, I couldn’t even control it.
February 24th. I spoke with said agent in the confines of my office (I was working at a college library at the time, where I had a fancy office within the fancy library’s main floor). She knew my book so well, she knew my characters. It was that call I waited for, that I only dreamed would come. She offered to represent me and TNWSY, and I danced around the room. I had to contact the other agents who had my book of course, but my mind was pretty much set.
March 2nd. I had my third interview with another library. They were hard interviews, including presentations, one-on-one meetings, q&as and more. After meeting with the director of the entire county-wide system that morning, I was taken aside and offered the position of librarian. I took it on the spot, knowing instantly that it was the right decision.
An hour later, I accepted representation from my now-agent Michelle. Like I said, I knew she was it from the beginning.
That night, S and I had a lot to celebrate.
So I find it crazy that, two years later, i’m in the same place, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m still (very happily) at my job. I’m still represented by Michelle. And, well obviously, my friends still have their baby (who is now two!). The only difference is that things are, crazy enough, better. I’ve become more comfortable in my job, and continue to strive for more exciting programs. My agent got me my book deal, and I’m currently sending her my next manuscript. And my friend? Well just yesterday she threw me my own baby shower.
It’s weird what a difference one week could make. And what two years can make. And I can’t wait to see what happens next year at this exact same time.
Reading: 2013 In Review
I read some books this year. Check them out.
- Peter and the Starcatchers – Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
- Forgotten – Catherine McKenzie
- Guitar Notes – Mary Amato
- Just One Day – Gayle Forman
- The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight – Jennifer E Smith
- Splintered – A.G. Howard
- A Visit from the Goon Squad – Jennifer Egan
- The Wrap-Up List – Steven Arntson
- Drama – Raina Telgemeier
- Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
- Attachments – Rainbow Rowell
- Who Done It? – ed. by Jon Scieszka
- Requiem – Lauren Oliver
- Anya’s Ghost – Vera Brosgol
- Friends with Boys – Faith Erin Hicks
- War at Ellsmere – Faith Erin Hicks
- Trickets – Kirsten Smith
- Graffiti Moon – Cath Crowley
- The One and Only Ivan – Katherine Applegate
- The Geography of Girlhood – Kirsten Smith
- Where’d You Go, Bernadette? – Maria Semple
- This is What Happy Looks Like – Jennifer E Smith
- Winger – Andrew Smith
- Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong – Faith Erin Hicks & Prudence Shen
- You Look Different in Real Life – Jennifer Castle
- Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia – Jenny Torres Sanchez
- All the Summer Girls – Meg Donohue
- Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin – Liesl Shurtliff
- The Moon and More – Sarah Dessen
- Blankets – Craig Thompson
- The Book of Broken Hearts – Sarah Ockler
- Doll Bones – Holly Black
- The Next Best Thing – Jennifer Weiner
- The Engagements – J. Courtney Sullivan
- Uses for Boys – Erica Scheidt
- Don’t Turn Around – Michelle Gagnon
- Starglass – Phoebe North
- In the Bag – Kate Klisse
- Wild Awake – Hilary T. Smith
- When You Were Here – Daisy Whitney
- The Longest Holiday – Paige Toon
- The Infinite Moment of Us – Lauren Myracle
- The Beginning of Everything – Robyn Schneider
- Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell
- The Vow – Jessica Martinez
- The History of You & Me – Amanda Grace
- Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
- Monster on the Hill – Rob Harrell
- Johnny’s GIrl – Paige Toon
- Horde – Ann Aguire
- Will & Whit – Laura Lee Gulledge
- Spring Awakening – Steven Sater
- Little Fish – Ramsey Beyer
- Year One – Ramsey Beyer
- Battling Boy – Paul Pope
- The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Reece Malcolm List – Amy Spalding
- Going Vintage – Lindsey Leavitt
- Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth – Jenny McCarthy
Though not a published book, I’m also counting my friend Joe’s adult fiction manuscript because it was wonderful, and is currently in search of an agent. So, 60 books! Yay!
Some observations:
If I like an author, I will immediately read everything else they’ve written (or illustrated, in regards to graphic novelists).
Speaking of, this was the year of graphic novels for me. And, not surprisingly, YA books. For the library, I’m on the summer reading booklist committee, so I have to read a bunch to see what might be a great fit for our list. Thus, quite a few listed. I might not have read them on my own, so I’m glad I was asked to check them out. And that led to my newfound love of coming-of-age graphic novels.
It’s really neat looking at my list and seeing friends on it (hi, Panera crew). And books my agent represents. And books my editor edited. So proud!
All said, my adult reading was very light this year. Whoops? I wondered what my ratio was, so I’ve decided to make a pie chart for my 2013 reads. Observe!
Fiction: 12, Non-fiction: 1, YA: 30, MG: 4, GN: 11, Play 1
I guess to make up for this, the two books i’m currently reading are both non-fiction.
I’m happy to say that i’ve enjoyed all books read this year. Some I absolutely adored and will remain top books in my heart for a while.
And now, I look forward to what 2014 will bring!
What were your reading habits for 2013? Read anything great that you think I should check out? Let me know – I love recommendations!
Fearless
A few weeks ago, a group of 2015 MG and YA debut writers and I created a wonderful website entitled…FEARLESS FIFTEENERS! On the site, we’ll discuss our books, other books, writing, publishing, life, and more. So stop on by! There will be interviews and giveaways and other awesome things as we lead up to our releases. We’re taking over for One-Four Kid Lit, and all the other MG/YA debut websites that paved the way before us. We’re really excited!
On the note of being fearless, this past week something kind of scary happened – I left my 20s. Just left them behind, discarded with my dirty clothes and dinner crumbs. I’m now 30, which is weird to say and process. And though I was a bit scared to start this stage of my life, I’m also really…excited. Because with 30 comes a book deal and a baby. A sense of comfort with my job, and a new year of writing possibilities. A sense of knowledge and pride in who I am. Sure, maybe i’m in a new box when I check off my age, but I’m also entering a new stage of my life. And perhaps I should be scared that i’m halfway to 60, or no longer in the “best years of my life,” but really? I’m looking forward to it. Because if my 30s are anything like my 20s, I’m okay.
I’ll be okay.
Here’s to new, fearless adventures.
Cover Reveal?
I think it’s time to show everyone the amazing cover of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES…
Isn’t it just BEAUTIFUL?! The depth! The darkness! The uniqueness! The night!
Okay I’m kidding. One of my amazing nerdfighters made this for me as a joke, and I think it’s perfect. (It’s an accurate representation of the night saying “yes,” obviously.) So of course I had to share. My actual cover design team has a lot to work up to now…
(Mathur, by the way, is my married name I use in my librarian world. The book will be published under my maiden name, Gibaldi.)
Lauren Gibaldi 