I just thought I would mention the interview Marsha Ward did with me over on her blog. If anyone's interested, it's at www.marshaward.blogspot.com. It's kind of exciting seeing this interview pop up at the same time my newest reviews about my new novel are starting to hit the internet. Below are the links to the first two reviews on Freefall. So far, they're all good. :)
AML review
Meridian review
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
They're here!!!
Yes, after weeks of waiting anxiously, my copies of my newest novel finally arrived on my doorstep. Ironically, the package was delivered when I wasn't at home. A friend had just started work yesterday and I had offered to watch her son so that she wouldn't have to deal with getting both herself and her four-year-old out the door during her first week. With this in mind, I spent the first part of the day at my friend's house.
I would love to say that this bit of service kept me from thinking about the impending arrival of my books, but I admit I had a few moments when I wondered if the UPS driver would think to put my package in a plastic bag to protect it from the falling rain. Thankfully, I have a very efficient UPS delivery man and my box was sitting on my front step in a large plastic bag when I got home.
I pulled the package inside, ripped away the wet plastic and rushed to my desk to grab a pair of scissors.... No scissors. Two pairs are usually in my pencil holder on my desktop, but both were missing. I pulled open my top desk drawer to find my third pair, the pair that I keep hidden from the rest of the family. Nothing.
Refusing to get annoyed at my children for borrowing my scissors and not returning them AGAIN, I pulled open my husband's desk drawer to borrow his. Again, nothing. Now, at this point I am wondering how I can have a family with six people in it and have four pairs of scissors disappear in a matter of a day or two. The only scissors I could find were the three pairs I had purchased at Costco a week before, all still safely guarded behind the thick plastic packaging. Of course, they didn't do me any good because I couldn't open them without... you guessed it... scissors!
Still too excited about my books to get annoyed at my children, I went into the kitchen for the kitchen scissors only to discover that they too were not where they were supposed to be. I did a quick search of the kitchen counters and finally gave up. Instead I ran up to my bedroom and found the last pair of hidden scissors.
Still wondering who in my family is hording the scissors, I opened up the package and pulled out my newest creation. The cover looked even better than I had imagined, and I am looking forward to stealing a few minutes (or hours) in the next few days to read my book and see how it turned out.
I just hope everyone else doesn't have this much trouble getting to a copy of my book!
I would love to say that this bit of service kept me from thinking about the impending arrival of my books, but I admit I had a few moments when I wondered if the UPS driver would think to put my package in a plastic bag to protect it from the falling rain. Thankfully, I have a very efficient UPS delivery man and my box was sitting on my front step in a large plastic bag when I got home.
I pulled the package inside, ripped away the wet plastic and rushed to my desk to grab a pair of scissors.... No scissors. Two pairs are usually in my pencil holder on my desktop, but both were missing. I pulled open my top desk drawer to find my third pair, the pair that I keep hidden from the rest of the family. Nothing.
Refusing to get annoyed at my children for borrowing my scissors and not returning them AGAIN, I pulled open my husband's desk drawer to borrow his. Again, nothing. Now, at this point I am wondering how I can have a family with six people in it and have four pairs of scissors disappear in a matter of a day or two. The only scissors I could find were the three pairs I had purchased at Costco a week before, all still safely guarded behind the thick plastic packaging. Of course, they didn't do me any good because I couldn't open them without... you guessed it... scissors!
Still too excited about my books to get annoyed at my children, I went into the kitchen for the kitchen scissors only to discover that they too were not where they were supposed to be. I did a quick search of the kitchen counters and finally gave up. Instead I ran up to my bedroom and found the last pair of hidden scissors.
Still wondering who in my family is hording the scissors, I opened up the package and pulled out my newest creation. The cover looked even better than I had imagined, and I am looking forward to stealing a few minutes (or hours) in the next few days to read my book and see how it turned out.
I just hope everyone else doesn't have this much trouble getting to a copy of my book!
Friday, February 22, 2008
My books are coming...
...next week. My impatient self couldn't take it anymore. I had to call my editor about a question on my next book and I broke down and asked the receptionist if she could find out if my author copies of Freefall had been shipped yet. Thankfully, all of the people who work at my publisher are wonderful to me, and she managed to find out that the books were shipped out and are due to arrive around the 26th.
If nothing else, this buys my husband a brief reprieve of listening to me say, "I want to read my book!" Okay, I'll probably still be saying it, but at least I won't run to the window every time I hear a delivery truck outside.
I know this may seem odd to some people, but I really look forward to reading my finished novels. Even though I read each of my books dozens of times during editing, I always love the moment when I have the actual book in my hands and I can see what ended up on the pages. The transition from rough draft to finished product is often so subtle that I sometimes forget how the latest version played out, especially since the editing was finished months ago and I've long moved on to other projects.
Now if I can only wait until Tuesday....
If nothing else, this buys my husband a brief reprieve of listening to me say, "I want to read my book!" Okay, I'll probably still be saying it, but at least I won't run to the window every time I hear a delivery truck outside.
I know this may seem odd to some people, but I really look forward to reading my finished novels. Even though I read each of my books dozens of times during editing, I always love the moment when I have the actual book in my hands and I can see what ended up on the pages. The transition from rough draft to finished product is often so subtle that I sometimes forget how the latest version played out, especially since the editing was finished months ago and I've long moved on to other projects.
Now if I can only wait until Tuesday....
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Freefall Reviewed
I received an exciting e-mail today from my publisher that contained my first review on my latest book, Freefall. I braced myself as I started reading. Obviously I love my novel, but I'm always a bit nervous to see what reviewers think I could have done better. So far I have been extremely fortunate to have positive reviews on all of my books. Of course, some have been better than others.
As I began reading this latest review which posted yesterday on AML's website (http://www.forums.mormonletters.org/yaf_postst319_Abramson-Freefall.aspx), I was thrilled to see that it was entirely positive. Excited by the reception my novel had received, I e-mailed it to my husband. His response was almost immediate, and extremely humorous. He wrote back something along the lines of "Sure you're a good author and everything, but he didn't answer the really tough questions like will she make me dinner or will she ever find her desk under the mount of paper."
Maybe making dinner isn't my strong point, and yes my desk had been buried for the entire four months of swim season, so I could hardly do anything but laugh. Admittedly, I had spent several hours over the weekend clearing off my desk, and I fully acknowledge that my husband does his fair share of cooking and then some. My response was simply, "Hey, I can see my desk. As for dinner...." Is it too much to hope that he'll be willing to cook dinner tonight...again?
As I began reading this latest review which posted yesterday on AML's website (http://www.forums.mormonletters.org/yaf_postst319_Abramson-Freefall.aspx), I was thrilled to see that it was entirely positive. Excited by the reception my novel had received, I e-mailed it to my husband. His response was almost immediate, and extremely humorous. He wrote back something along the lines of "Sure you're a good author and everything, but he didn't answer the really tough questions like will she make me dinner or will she ever find her desk under the mount of paper."
Maybe making dinner isn't my strong point, and yes my desk had been buried for the entire four months of swim season, so I could hardly do anything but laugh. Admittedly, I had spent several hours over the weekend clearing off my desk, and I fully acknowledge that my husband does his fair share of cooking and then some. My response was simply, "Hey, I can see my desk. As for dinner...." Is it too much to hope that he'll be willing to cook dinner tonight...again?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Freefall is out...I think.
Aside from the thrill of getting a call from an editor saying that a novel is being accepted for publication, the best part of being an author is receiving fan mail. Finding out that someone enjoyed one of my books as much as I did always gives me a boost and definitely makes up for the long weeks and months of writing and editing that take place to create a novel.
The thing that has struck me this week is the fact that I am beginning to get e-mails about my newest book, Freefall, and I have yet to even see a copy of it. This isn't a new occurance, but I find humor in the situation just the same. One would think that the author would be one of the first people to see a new publication, but that simply isn't the case in my genre. The books ship out to the stores to get them on the shelves about a week before my author copies are sent to me. The fact that I live on the opposite side of the country from my publisher adds to the number of days I have to wait to see my latest creation.
So now I play the waiting game, each afternoon hoping that the UPS truck will drive down my street and deliver the package that I am waiting for. In the meantime, I'll keep my fingers crossed that people in the West are reading my book and enjoying what I've written as much as I enjoyed writing it.
The thing that has struck me this week is the fact that I am beginning to get e-mails about my newest book, Freefall, and I have yet to even see a copy of it. This isn't a new occurance, but I find humor in the situation just the same. One would think that the author would be one of the first people to see a new publication, but that simply isn't the case in my genre. The books ship out to the stores to get them on the shelves about a week before my author copies are sent to me. The fact that I live on the opposite side of the country from my publisher adds to the number of days I have to wait to see my latest creation.
So now I play the waiting game, each afternoon hoping that the UPS truck will drive down my street and deliver the package that I am waiting for. In the meantime, I'll keep my fingers crossed that people in the West are reading my book and enjoying what I've written as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Districts
The last few days have flown by in a blur. The district meet for my high school swim team was on Saturday night so my co-coach and I have been diligently working toward preparing our team for the big event, all the while hoping and praying that our girls' team would perform at the level we knew they were capable of to bring home the district championship.
My focus was somewhat scattered with trying to prepare and also going about my normal daily activities. As I struggled to keep up with everything, a few simple moments stood out to remind me how lucky I am. One day late last week my husband gathered his keys and informed me that he was going to the grocery store. This is a chore I normally take care of and by the state of the refrigerator, I clearly had neglected my duties over the past week or so. He teased me a bit when he said that he had to go since his wife kept forgetting. In his typical good-natured way, he did the shopping so that I would have one less thing to do as I prepared for the big meet.
I was thinking of how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful husband when I stopped by the nearby cemetery. My brother-in-law died a few years ago at only 32 years old and is buried a short distance away from where my friends' recently buried their twin 15-month-old sons. I can't say why I've been drawn to visit the cemetery so much recently, but each time I drive that way I find myself stopping in and driving to the back to visit these two gravesites. I look down at the simple markings and marvel at how tragic their deaths were and how lucky I am to have my family healthy and whole.
My husband had everything well under control when I left for the meet, and I remember resolving to enjoy the day. I was looking forward to the motivational speech that the team's captains had prepared and the girls were so excited about the possiblities. The girls won the first event, and then the second. There was a great photo taken after the conclusion of the second event in which the girls who came in first and second were hugging each other after the race. The winner was a senior captain, the second-place finisher a freshman.
It was early Sunday morning when I arrived home after the district championship meet. I shifted the trophy in my hands as I slipped through the door and tip-toed up the stairs to check on my sleeping children. Once I was assured that they were all well, I looked down at the trophy and smiled at the many wonderful memories that had been made that night. My team swam so well and had so much fun cheering for each other. More than anything though, I was grateful to be home and know that my family was safe and all was well.
My focus was somewhat scattered with trying to prepare and also going about my normal daily activities. As I struggled to keep up with everything, a few simple moments stood out to remind me how lucky I am. One day late last week my husband gathered his keys and informed me that he was going to the grocery store. This is a chore I normally take care of and by the state of the refrigerator, I clearly had neglected my duties over the past week or so. He teased me a bit when he said that he had to go since his wife kept forgetting. In his typical good-natured way, he did the shopping so that I would have one less thing to do as I prepared for the big meet.
I was thinking of how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful husband when I stopped by the nearby cemetery. My brother-in-law died a few years ago at only 32 years old and is buried a short distance away from where my friends' recently buried their twin 15-month-old sons. I can't say why I've been drawn to visit the cemetery so much recently, but each time I drive that way I find myself stopping in and driving to the back to visit these two gravesites. I look down at the simple markings and marvel at how tragic their deaths were and how lucky I am to have my family healthy and whole.
My husband had everything well under control when I left for the meet, and I remember resolving to enjoy the day. I was looking forward to the motivational speech that the team's captains had prepared and the girls were so excited about the possiblities. The girls won the first event, and then the second. There was a great photo taken after the conclusion of the second event in which the girls who came in first and second were hugging each other after the race. The winner was a senior captain, the second-place finisher a freshman.
It was early Sunday morning when I arrived home after the district championship meet. I shifted the trophy in my hands as I slipped through the door and tip-toed up the stairs to check on my sleeping children. Once I was assured that they were all well, I looked down at the trophy and smiled at the many wonderful memories that had been made that night. My team swam so well and had so much fun cheering for each other. More than anything though, I was grateful to be home and know that my family was safe and all was well.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Whitney finalist???
I received word that I had been nominated for a Whitney award for my book, The Deep End, in early August. Another author for whom I have a great deal of respect had nominated me and e-mailed me to inform me of the nomination. She went on to tell me how much she had enjoyed my novel. I was floored! I didn't know what a Whitney award was at the time, but it sounded good.
While in Utah a week or so later, I met some authors from LDS Storymakers at the LDS Booksellers convention. They explained that the Whitney awards are a new program that recognizes LDS authors. Authors have to receive at least five nominations to be eligible for the award, and then a panel decides which five books in each category will be the finalists.
With that information I pretty much discounted the possibility of becoming a finalist. It was great that I was nominated, especially by another author, but since many people I go to church with don't know that I write (unless they happened to see my name in a catalogue or a copy of my book at an LDS bookstore), I figured I would end up with just the one nomination.
Several weeks later I received some more good news when an e-mail informed me that I was in the top ten of the Deseret Book's bestseller list. I was excited about this milestone even thought I have tried not to let such things take too much importance. Instead I try to stay focused on writing stories I enjoy and hoping that others will enjoy them with me.
This morning I received a string of e-mails relaying the information that the finalists for the Whitney awards would be posted this morning at 7am MST. It was about 8:30 here in Virginia so I went about my business for an hour or so before I got back on my computer and checked my e-mail. I had one from another author who was understandably excited that she had made it as a finalist.
Curiosity got the best of me and I decided I would see who else made the list. Since I didn't really expect to see my book on it, I started looking through each category, noting the books that I have read and others I am considering adding to my list of those I would like to read. I took note of the best novel of the year nominees, then the best new author books. I saw that a book I read this summer, Counting Stars, had also made it as a finalist in the Romance category. Then I got to the Best Mystery/Suspense category and stared. My book was the first one listed. (I'm sure this is because I'm first alphabetically, but I was still shocked!)
The other books in the category are all ones I have heard good things about and I amy truly humbled to find my book displayed beside those of several talented authors. After overcoming my shock of seeing my book on the finalists list, I find myself excited about all of the authors who are undoubtedly sharing the same euphoria that I am, the idea of being recognized for creating something worthy of recognition when the product is simply the result of doing something we love.
While in Utah a week or so later, I met some authors from LDS Storymakers at the LDS Booksellers convention. They explained that the Whitney awards are a new program that recognizes LDS authors. Authors have to receive at least five nominations to be eligible for the award, and then a panel decides which five books in each category will be the finalists.
With that information I pretty much discounted the possibility of becoming a finalist. It was great that I was nominated, especially by another author, but since many people I go to church with don't know that I write (unless they happened to see my name in a catalogue or a copy of my book at an LDS bookstore), I figured I would end up with just the one nomination.
Several weeks later I received some more good news when an e-mail informed me that I was in the top ten of the Deseret Book's bestseller list. I was excited about this milestone even thought I have tried not to let such things take too much importance. Instead I try to stay focused on writing stories I enjoy and hoping that others will enjoy them with me.
This morning I received a string of e-mails relaying the information that the finalists for the Whitney awards would be posted this morning at 7am MST. It was about 8:30 here in Virginia so I went about my business for an hour or so before I got back on my computer and checked my e-mail. I had one from another author who was understandably excited that she had made it as a finalist.
Curiosity got the best of me and I decided I would see who else made the list. Since I didn't really expect to see my book on it, I started looking through each category, noting the books that I have read and others I am considering adding to my list of those I would like to read. I took note of the best novel of the year nominees, then the best new author books. I saw that a book I read this summer, Counting Stars, had also made it as a finalist in the Romance category. Then I got to the Best Mystery/Suspense category and stared. My book was the first one listed. (I'm sure this is because I'm first alphabetically, but I was still shocked!)
The other books in the category are all ones I have heard good things about and I amy truly humbled to find my book displayed beside those of several talented authors. After overcoming my shock of seeing my book on the finalists list, I find myself excited about all of the authors who are undoubtedly sharing the same euphoria that I am, the idea of being recognized for creating something worthy of recognition when the product is simply the result of doing something we love.
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