Twitterpated

I got my new books today!


It was a week earlier than I expected, but it's so fun to open up those boxes and see them--even when I look dumb doing it. My son played photographer today because I didn't want to wait for my husband to get home so I could open the box.


Here is the ceremonial unpacking of the author copies:

Once again, I will remind everyone that my teeth aren't really that crooked. It's this shadow thing that happens on my right tooth because it's stupid.


When James saw the book, he started laughing. "Twitterpated? Hahaha! Is that a real word?" Well, YEAH. I tried to explain it, and how it's even in the movie Bambi or whatever. And he was all, "Nope. It sounds like being constipated, like someone is saying, 'I want to Tweet, but I just . . . can't.'" And then he fell over laughing again. And I kicked him. But not very hard.


Anyway, this book has kind of snuck up on me a little. And I bite my thumb and at anyone who says "snuck" isn't a real verb. Uh . . . oh, yeah. So it's taken me by surprise. Twitterpated is actually the very first book I wrote. It's so fun to finally see it coming out now. I remember the sweat and tears that went into it. The amount of time I spent playing Insaniquarium because I didn't know what to write next. The elaborate character sketches I wrote before I ever started the story. The giant dish of frozen yogurt Kenny ran out and got me at 11:00 at night because that's when I finished writing my very first book. How amazing that felt. How amazing that still feels.


The thing is, I'm in a much different place career-wise as an author. On the same day that I'm opening my author copies for one book, I'm trying to compose my final bio-sketch for my agent so she can send my first national book out on submission this week. (That's a really huge deal that I'm probably not supposed to discuss publicly so let's not tell anyone I told you, okay?) And now instead of trying to whip my first chapter into shape for the LDS Storymakers contest, I'm judging one of the categories. And instead of picking the classes I want to go to, I'm planning the one I'll teach. And instead of trying to figure out how to find critique partners, I'm trying to figure out how to balance all the requests I get to read people's work against my own deadlines and family obligations.


But there are still things that are really fun. Like getting a royalty check last week, and my author copies today, and going on submission on Thursday. So we went out to eat as a family to celebrate it all, which reminded us why we haven't done that in a really long time (go out to eat) since we have a toddler, and that was supernotfun. And then my book came up on Goodreads tonight, which I love to see.


And I'll be telling you more about book stuff soon, but for right now, just because I'm so stoked to see Twitterpated on Goodreads, I made up a contest right on the spot (like a half hour ago). If you're on Goodreads and you add it To Read, whether you know you entered this contest or not, you're automatically entered to win a copy of the book. So you can wander on over here to Goodreads and add it To Read, if you want to.


And I'm going to go pet my pretty little books, and then curl up with my husband and a different book from the The Whitney finalists, and I'm going to soak up this day and all its good stuff. But not the two little kids at dinner part. The rest of it.

What I did with my four day weekend

I guess I could have used my four days to rest and rejuvenate. Or even straight up resuscitate, given the craziness around here lately.


But of course, that's not how I roll. I was all homesick for Louisiana seeing the Facebook  posts of my childhood friends' fun-having, so I said. "Fine, then. Massive Mardi Gras party it is." And I threw one.


My mother-in-law made the cutest glittery Mardi Gras cards for me (and I'm an idiot for not taking a picture before mailing them all out). Then we delivered invitations to all the neighbors with kids on our cul-de-sac to join us (because 1. they're nice and 2. they're less annoyed about parades they're invited to) in a mini-Mardi Gras parade. Three rules: can't spend more than $10, must be powered by a kid, must be a bike/scooter/wagon/stroller/etc.


Then I did a bunch of other non-Mardi Gras stuff. And then two days before the party, I really buckled down. We started making paper chains and ordering a king cake for overnight delivery from New Orleans and I cooked a gumbo and then on the day of I cooked a jambalaya. We hung the paper chains and balloons and put out all of our other swag. We decorated our float. My oldest son put his magnifying glass to work and made a sign that said "Laissez les bon temps rouler" (the party cry that means "let the good times roll" that you hear and see everywhere in Louisiana). My husband put together a play list of zydeco music and New Orleans jazz. 


And then we greeted people. 


And here's the outcome. First up, our classy float.

Then the "before" party pictures:

And the "after" party pictures:

So that went well.


And then because all of that wasn't enough, we spent a whole holiday disemboweling our SMALL toy closet under the stairs to reorganize it:

And that's how I spent my four day weekend.

HOORAY!

I've got exciting news. But if you want to hear about it, you have to wander over to the blog I keep under my maiden name. And why I'm using my maiden name has to do with the news. And it's GOOD NEWS. I am still happily married and will stay so forever because I haven't mentioned it a thousand times, Kenny rocks. So don't worry.


Anyway, the point is, you can wander over there and read all about it.


Happy Monday!

Yeehaw!

It's here! The new cover is here! And I'm sharing it on my Facebook author page! And it's really cute!


Go check it out here. If you don't like that page, LIKE IT. And yes, I intended that to sound exactly that bossy and threatening.


And then tell me what you think--OVER THERE. I'm closing comments here.


HOORAY!

I would like to hug the world.

SOOOOOOO many things have been  making me happy lately. They're little things and a couple of huge ones.


Like for example . . . I FINISHED ANOTHER MANUSCRIPT.


Whoo hoo!


And it was way too long and even the edits, which I normally loathe, have been going pretty well. I have to cut at least 13,000 words out and I've already knocked out 9,000. Yes!


And there's other good book news. For various reasons that turned out to be utterly stupid, I thought my Not My Type wasn't doing so hot. As it happens, I'm crazy. It's selling really well. Better than The List, even. And do you know what that means? DO YOU?


It means I GET TO KEEP WRITING! And that is what I want the very mostest. After happiness for my family and world peace.


Here's other stuff that's making me happy. See this apron?

The cute lady in the picture with me, my friend Sarah, made it. And it is PERFECT. Perfect length and on my right, if you squint, you can see one of two reasons why: the pocket. This is the perfect place to drop my iPod so I can listen to podcasts (especially This American Life) while I cook. Suddenly, dinner is less of a chore. And I can't hear the children, whose meltdown hour coincides with dinner prep hour. The second reason is the length. I have a couple of other great aprons that are shortish and the proportions look goofy on me. And this is just right.


I bought it. I bought two, actually. Because I believe in great causes and good deals. See, Sarah's little boy was recently diagnosed with Type I diabetes. And their family is in the incredibly tough position of not making enough money to be able to pay for his insulin but making just a little too much to qualify for any of the programs that would help subsidize it. The shortfall is $500. A MONTH. So instead of despairing, Sarah got right to work sewing and selling aprons. She just barely opened an Etsy shop that you can check out here or here. And since I've spent time pricing aprons on Etsy in the past, I can tell you that the $30 she charges is a great price. Plus, you can tell her what you want and she'll make it for you.


So go. You know you have an in-law or girlfriend, or co-worker who would love one of these for Christmas!


Here's a couple of more things that are making me happy. I bet you didn't know that I've been on the hunt for the perfect nude lipstick and gloss. I FOUND THEM!


Loreal Color Riche in Fairest Nude (I know, it's getting all PG-13 up in here)

(Not my lips)

And then the gloss. Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Wallflower. So basically I can stand around totally naked and no one will notice me? I don't know. But this stuff is extra awesome because it has spearmint in it and it feels like your lips are getting a massage for an hour after you put it on.

Which looks like this:

(Still not mine)

Also, buying this gloss proved once again that I can't say no to cosmetics when they're peddled by gay boys. Even when they're wearing more make up than I am.

Other stuff making me happy . . . good books I've read. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (PG-13), In the Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, Variant by Robison Wells. Yay!

Still paddling

So I inadvertently stumbled on a brilliant marketing plan to get people to book signings. It's pretty simple if you don't mind the total loss of your dignity: have a very public breakdown immediately before a big signing. Then everyone you know will come, just to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't lose your . . . ahem, JUNK.


I won't be repeating this particular feat in the future, but as it turns out, the signing I did this past Thursday in Utah was superfantastic. There just isn't a less cheesy word for it. My camera died after the second picture I took and my sister is holding the ones in her camera hostage, but let me sum up:


SUPERFANTASTIC.


It was busy the whole night. I saw writer friends, and childhood friends, and long ago job friends, and blogger friends, and college friends, and friends of my parents, and IT WAS AWESOME.

This is me with Sarah. We've been best friends since we were nineteen and bonded over our mutual love of Audrey Hepburn.

Sarah Eden and Josi Kilpack are really fun to sign with, in case you were wondering. And DeNae came early, brought bottled water, monitored the refreshment table, left late and I didn't even ask her to. She's just made of glitter and fabulousness and it was all knit together with the sure knowledge that she had to keep an eye on me in case I fell apart.


But I didn't! Because DeNae was there. As were SO many of you: Wonder Woman and Vivian (delightful to meet you in real life finally!), Stephanie from Diapers and Divinity, my former editor, my blog friends Kazzy, Becca, and Crash who have become the dearest of friends well outside of blogging. Writer friends I won't claim because they could have just as easily been coming to see Sarah or Josi, but it was really fun to see Julie and Heather and Annette there.

Then the next day I had a lunch with some truly spectacular women:

And I found a lot of peace in this less-than-two-day trip.


There are times I've wondered if writing makes sense for me to do. It's that pragmatic part of me that worries about stuff like whether writing time would be better spent doing other things. But I've come to the very distinct conclusion this past week that writing is what I should most definitely be doing. I'll tell you a couple of stories about why soon, but in the mean time, if you want to hear what a couple of more people thought about my book, you can check out Kazzy's review here and Chantele's review here.


And I'm still trying to figure out how I want to do the next giveaway of my book, so once I've figured it out, I'll let you know. I know I should be a little more on top of my game with that, but to be honest, I kind of cut back on worrying about stuff like that this week in the interest of enjoying my life.


Guess what? It worked.

Super fun party people

Reminder: You have until Saturday night to enter and win a copy of NOT MY TYPE. It's super easy: either scroll down or click here and comment. Yay!

I love parties. And this month is full of them. Two book parties and a super cute son turning twelve.

Tonight was a book party and it was a smashing success. Extra smashing because it wasn't literally smashing: nothing broke, all was well, people fed on sugar and conversed and won things and it was lovely to be surrounded by friends.

Here's peeeeeeeeeekcherrrrrrrrrrrs.

I signed with my friend Kristine at this cute cake shop called Nothing Bundt Cakes. Do we look bored? Worried that no one is coming. HA.

THEY TOTALLY CAME!

It was so cute. We set up a little cafe environment outside with thank you cards for people to fill out for someone in their life, truffles, recipe cards, and door prizes. 

 And so then I was happy!

And busy signing books! Lots and lots of books!

 And hoping no one gets mad if their name doesn't get pulled in a raffle. Eep!

Life is good! YAY!

Throwing the Book at You

It's my Book Birthday!

I did it! I did it! I made a book! I wrote words and then put them together and named some of them and they turned into people who did stuff and then I had a story! And today is the official release day! WHOOHOO!

This is my favorite of the four I've written and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do. This month is going to be about a lot of chances to win stuff. And a lot of talk about gratitude. And a few tales of crazy people from book signings, their identities changed to protect the guilty. And lots of other stuff.

BUT I AM SO STOKED! Whoohoo!!! Did I mention that part yet?

All right, surely you've seen my cute cover over in the sidebar, yes? 

I love it.

Covenant, my publisher, does so right by me.

If you haven't yet, you can read the first chapter here. And if you want to read more, today is your first opportunity to win it over at one of my favoritest blogs, iCandy Handmade, run by my friends Jen and Autie. It's an easy contest: you just comment and name your favorite fashion indulgence and that's it. Hurry on over and then explore the site, because they do some amazing stuff.

And here's the back cover copy for my cute book:

Twenty-three-year-old Pepper Spicer is not living the dream. She ended her engagement at the last minute because fiance—a musician an soon-to-be reality TV star—wanted her to sacrifice her own career ambitions for his. Now she's stuck at home sharing a room with her little sister, trying to pay off massive debt for a wedding that didn't happen, and spending Friday nights Facebook-stalking everyone who has a better life. Her therapist father urges her to choose her career dreams and count her blessings by writing weekly thank-you notes, but gratitude is a tall order when she botches an important job interview and has to settle for writing an undercover dating web-zine column—the last thing in the world she wants to do. Still, as Pepper (byline:Indie Girl) chronicles her bizarre and hilarious blind dates, she gives her father's challenge a try and slowly finds herself leaving self-pity behind. Life takes a major upswing as Pepper's column hits the big time and she tastes the exhilarating thrill of success. But there's one tiny problem: the intensely hot man she's falling for is having issues with her job (again). Will Pepper trade her personal ambition for another chance at love?

WHOOOOHOOOOOO!

At last, it's here, it's finally (almost) here! My book comes out in a month and it's available for preorder NOW. To celebrate, I'm doing some super fun stuff today. Check out the cover (feel free to tell me you love it because I do, so much!) and then read the backliner (and the first chapter if you want to), and THEN find out how you can win the very first copy of my book I give away or an Amazon gift certificate. Here we go:

Twenty-three-year-old Pepper Spicer is not living the dream. She ended her engagement at the last minute because her fiancé — a musician and soon-to-be reality TV star — wanted her to sacrifice her own career ambitions for his. 

Now she's stuck at home sharing a room with her little sister, trying to pay off massive debt for a wedding that didn't happen, and spending Friday nights Facebook-stalking everyone who has a better life. Her therapist father urges her to choose her career dreams and count her blessings by writing weekly thank you notes, but gratitude is a tall order when she botches an important job interview and has to settle for writing an undercover dating web-zine column — the last thing in the world she wants to do. Still, as Pepper (byline: Indie Girl) chronicles her bizarre and hilarious blind dates, she gives her father's challenge a try and slowly finds herself leaving self-pity behind. Life takes a major upswing as Pepper's column hits the big time and she tastes the exhilarating thrill of success. But there's one tiny problem: the intensely hot man she's falling for is having issues with her job (again). Will Pepper trade her personal ambition for another chance at love?

Sounds so fun, right? If you want to read the first chapter, you can check it out HERE on my website.

So how do you win it? Easy! There are two ways.

1. If you're on Goodreads, add it to your "To Read" shelf. This link will take you right to the book.

2. You can go to my writing blog and become a follower. It doesn't matter if you follow me here or not.  This is kind of more where my friends find me so I'm not really into adding people who don't want to come back on their own.  My writing blog is a different story. Go follow me there. Go! (Please?)

So if you add it on Goodreads, or follow my writing blog and want to win, leave a comment and let me know.

How do you win a $25 Amazon gift card? Preorder it, let me know you did, and you're entered! Deseret Books has it available for preorder here (even though they don't quite have the cover yet) and and AND . . . You can get it for 30% off today and tomorrow only. Just enter JULY30 for the discount code.

Hooray! Hip hip hooray!

(Tweets are not mandatory but appreciated, btw!)

Firing up the Alice Cooper

Today my oldest "graduates" from 6th grade. You know what that means, right? 


I DID IT! Whoohoo! I survived another year! I will proceed to Zappos.com immediately following this post and reward my awesomeness with hot shoes for making it through elementary school and more impressively, pre-algebra. Also: fractions.


Today is a potpourri of things that smell nice on the Internet. First, if you want to read The List or give it as a gift to someone, or just hold it and stroke the cover because you wore out the copy you own doing that already, you can win a copy of it here, plus a bunch of other books, and it's EASY. Like, leave a comment easy, even.


Second, a little while ago, I posted the first page of my new manuscript for an anonymous editor to critique. I was all freaked out about it and stuff because I'm working on something different this time around, but it went well. If you want to do know what I'm doing, or offer your feedback, you can check it out here on Julie Bellon's blog.


I feel like I should write more, but really, I've got nothing to say. I guess this is a great opportunity for me to practice the principle of NOT TALKING JUST BECAUSE. Besides, a picture is worth a thousand words so here's one of the shoes I think my husband is about to buy me (thanks, honey!):


(Oh, and a quick side note. If you sort ballet flats on Zappos by popularity, the first twenty that come up are Crocs. To the guilty party buying these: STOP IT.)

Bowling you over

Do you want one of Kenny's awesome wooden bowls? Like maybe this one:

Or this one:

Or how about this one:

How do you get a chance to win? Well, I saved my very most special giveaway for last, so this one requires a little bit of work. I need to scrounge up HONEST reviews for my book, especially on Amazon and Deseret Book's website. If you've read it (that's part of the work you had to do) and you're inclined to rate it (that's the next part) and give it a sentence or two in a review (that's the last part), then you are entered to win your choice of one of these three bowls. Just come back and let me know which ones you did, and you get a point for each entry. You can totally copy and paste your entries. (Also, while you're there, if you've read Josi Kilpack's Blackberry Crumble, you can do the same for her and be entered to win some different prizes via her blog. I had already planned this before she started hers, but some of you might benefit from the work of one stone here, know what I'm saying?)


Anyway, this has been a pretty fantastic month as far as book-related things go. You may want to look away for a moment because I'm going to shout all the things that are making me happy from the rooftops right now:


1. My local bookstore ordered 50 copies of The List. They sold out.
2. A month ago, 19 people had requested it through the Salt Lake County library. As of last week, that number was up to 184. Yes!
3. It's in this quarter's Deseret Book catalog, p. 28. THAT was fun to get in the mailbox.
4. The LDS fiction buyer for the Salt Lake library gave my book a shout out on Goodreads. She liked it! She said YOU will like it!
5. One of my writing mentors Facebooked me to say she read it and it was fabulous.
6. The List is now #3 on the Deseret Book romance bestseller list!
7. I've gotten messages from strangers almost every day telling me they loved it and begging for more.


And there's more. But that's enough Braggedy-Ann. I'm just happy.


Anyway, there are actually a bunch of ratings on Goodreads, none of which I solicited and (almost) all that I appreciate, but I've got nothing on Deseret Book and only 2 on Amazon.


If you have already reviewed it in one of these places (or any other review sites I didn't mention), and you want to win a bowl, leave a comment.


If you go leave a review at any of these sites, an HONEST review (I'm tough, I can take it), then come back and let me know which sites, you'll get an entry for each one. And then, next week, I'll let Random.org decide which of you awesome peeps gets a bowl.


Chop, chop, people! This is the best prize I've given away all month!


You don't have to read this part, but I want to emphasize, I mean it about the honest thing. I can always tell when someone's mother, sister, and aunt all put up a review of the writer's work. I like a spectrum when I'm reading reviews. I don't mind if you think it's a five star book. But don't say that unless you mean it, okay?

Four? I'll take it!

(Comment on THIS post for a chance to win a copy of The List and directions to win other awesome prizes.)


It has been another stellar week as far as loving my life and my husband my children and my book go. So much enthusiasm and outpourings of support and great anecdotes about kind things total strangers are saying about my book. And kind things friends are saying too, of course. I've tried to solicit a variety of viewpoints, so each review brings something a little different to the table. Here's a review from Jenny at Mommy Snark (a/k/a Mommy J) who is about to enter the ranks of published author herself! Whoohoo! So, so happy for her!


I'm still holding steady on the Deseret Book list and I'm gearing up for my first official book signing. It's pretty nerve-wracking because it's in the LDS  bookstore in my old stake boundaries and I should have a good turnout, but it's going to be totally embarrassing if I don't. Good turnout for me = 10 book sold. I'd be really happy with that. Especially since I'll spend more in the store than they'll make off of me. Have I mentioned I like to shop?


Oh, and as far as reviews go: almost without exception, people on Goodreads and Amazon who know me give the book five stars. People who don't, give four. And you know what? I am THRILLED with that. Delighted beyond words that people who have no reason to say otherwise think it's a four star book. That makes me very, very happy inside.


Tomorrow I want to tell you about another completely ridiculous online dating experience, (one of mine), the outcome of which is linked directly to me being crazy like a fox. But for today, I want to point you toward a blog post from author Eileen Flanagan (via Finslippy) who gives a simple list of what to do "If You Love a Writer." She says, among other things (and it's worth your time to click through and see those other things):

1. Buy your friend’s book. If you can afford it, buy it for everyone in your extended family. If you can’t afford it, ask your local librarian to order a copy. In fact, you can suggest it to your librarian whether you buy a copy yourself or not.

2.   Don’t wait until Christmas or Hanukkah to pick up a copy. How it does in its first weeks determines whether a book will stay on the bookstore shelves or be sent back to the warehouse to be shredded (along with your friend’s ego). Try to buy it as soon as it’s published, or better yet pre-order a copy, which makes your friend look good and gets your friend’s publisher excited about the book’s prospects. An excited publisher will invest more in publicity, while a bookstore that is getting advanced orders is more likely to stock the book on its shelves.

3.   Friends often ask where they should get the book, which is a tricky question. In the long-term, it is in every writer’s best interest to support independent booksellers (reader’s too, actually). If you don’t have a favorite one yourself, you can go to IndieBound to find one near you. When a book is newly released, however, it may help your writer friend more to buy it through a big chain, so they keep it stocked where the most people can find it. Likewise, a high sales rate on Amazon can get people’s attention, and if your friend’s website links directly to Amazon, she may be part of a program where she makes extra money when someone enters Amazon through the link on her website and then makes a purchase. I personally have links to several booksellers,  on the theory that it’s good to spread the love around.

4.   If you genuinely like your friend’s book, write a review on Amazon orGoodreads, mention it on Facebook and Twitter, and recommend it to your book group.

5.   If you’re friend’s book is sci fi, and you’re more of a Jhumpa Lahiri fan, say something like, “I’m so proud of you for following your passion,” and skip writing the review.

6.   If your friend is a good public speaker, recommend her to your church, synagogue, mosque, ashram, kid’s school, Rotary club, etc. If you live far away, your friend might get to come visit you and write it off her taxes.

7.   If you have a website or blog, link to your friend’s website. The more people who link to her, the better she looks to the search engines, which may help people who don’t already love her to find her book. To be really helpful, don’t link on the words “my friend,” but on whatever keywords your friend might be using to find her target audience. (For example, I would especially appreciate people using the phrase “Serenity Prayer” to link to my page About the Serenity Prayer.)

Party Hearty

(Comment here to win a copy of The List and some other cool prizes.)


Check out Lara from Overstuffed today to see her take on my book. It's really interesting to see so many people connecting to it differently depending on the life experiences they bring into reading it. 


On to the book launch party.


One word: Fantastic.


In many other words: I loved it, it was everything I hoped it would be, I had so much fun, and I think everyone else did, too.


I went with a beach theme to fit my book. I rented out the Fiesta Room at the Lago Santa Margarita Beach Club. I know, it sounds so fancy, right?


The beach club is the pool in the center of town that is perfect for kids. It's surrounded by green grassy banks and then the pool itself has a large sandy beach for the kids to play on. And it's right next to the lake. So it fit my book perfectly. I spent months planning this thing and then I called in the troops. My husband's band played, my brother and his girlfriend manned the drinks, and my Aunt Linda flew in from Illinois to chop and skewer for ten hours a day and then help me throw the whole party together.


My aunt and mother-in-law spent two days helping prep and decorate, and then pulled off a really cute cake. And now, for the pictures. These are in no particular order because hello? Have you tried to work with pictures in Blogger?:

 My aunt Linda and my brother's girlfriend, Nadine

 Centerpieces of orchid and plumeria done by a friend of a friend

 Pineapple/fruit centerpieces, planned by me, executed entirely by Aunt Linda. GORGEOUS.

 Chocolate-dipped strawberries, a la Aunt Linda

 CUTE cake from my mother-in-law and Aunt Beth

 Karen and Carrie from The Bookport, selling my books. (31 sold. Yay!)

 I wanted a "mocktail" bar (although we didn't call it that) with signatures drinks for some of the book characters. Nadine and Jamie reported that the two most popular drinks were the Sassy Ashley (ginger ale, orange juice, and grenadine) and the Shaka Derek (pina colada and pineapple juice.) There was also the Mellow Matt (cranberry juice and 7-Up) and the Tart Megan (margarita mix and Squirt). The drinks were free and just for fun.

 Me, signing! It's really unnerving. For a while I was writing "Dear So and So" instead of "To So-and-So". Duh! And I would suddenly get anxious that I would forget someone's name. And it's really hard to think of 31 different things to say!

 The food table" Hawaiian sweet rolls, pineapple/mango salsa, guacamole, Aunt Beth's Fantastic Macaroni Salad, a mixed green salad with feta and vinaigrette, and grilled marinated chicken from the local carniceria. My visiting teachers came over and helped cut up veggies and meat for the skewers, along with my mother-in-law. Who helped. They didn't cut her up. And then when there was no room in my fridge for all that meat, another friend, Brittany, not only volunteered to refrigerate it for me, she also volunteered to grill all the chicken. Or course, that was before she understood what 35 pounds of chicken shish kebabs looked like, but she STILL did it and even called in reinforcements from other friends in the ward to get it all grilled in time. And it was DELICIOUS.

 A view of the room. 

 A view of the band, my husband on lead.

 The party people throng the food, outside view.

Kenny makes me do a reading. It was actually pretty fun.

 My friend Colleen, who drove two hours to come and help.

My blog friend and road trip buddy, Karen from A Peek at Karen's World.

Miss DeNae from My Real Life Was Backordered. She learned, to her detriment, that I am really, really bad at geography and spatial relationships, but still did not kill me when she showed up after an hour and a half in her car. I even met her husband! My husband was really sad he didn't get to talk to him because he loves to talking to guys in her husband's line of work.

Another look at the cool centerpieces. And some wooden bowls MADE BY MY HUSBAND and full of dried tropical fruit.  And also, some cool friends we like hanging out with.

A gift from my friend Heather, and inside:

A survival kit for when I become to good for the little people.

Did you know that when you have a book launch, people bring YOU gifts? I had NO idea. I got a gorgeous succulent, a dozen red roses, an orchid, and gift certificates to the new cupcake store in town. Dangerous. 

Anyway, it was a wonderful night and I floated for two days after. I think I'm still floating. I have such great friends and family and we live in such an awesome place.

Wish you all were here!