I had to run to the bookstore tonight to drop off the invitations to next Sunday’s reading / signing at Barnes & Noble (on Citiplace, at 3:00)… and my book was in the window! With a poster telling about the reading.
And then it was on the New Paperback display table.
And then it was on another table with a big sign over it.
Of course, I took photos.
There may have been squeeing.
There was even, possibly, a little dancing in the store. (okay, a lot of dancing) In front of people. Who thought I was crazy. But you know what?
My book is in the stores.
My friends high-fived me, other friends have emailed me that they’ve either bought it or it’s being shipped to them (they got the notices) and you know what?
It’s just flat out amazing.
My book is in the stores now.
It’s real.
Dreams really do come true.
Max gave me this:
for this entry.
Max is uber cool. You should be reading Max regularly. I am trying to get her to convert one of her scripts to a novel because it is freaking brilliant and funny (it is the kind of brilliant and funny that makes me wish I had written it, it is that good). Y’all go tell her to snap to it. (I am evil, yes.)
On Friday, I got to hold the first copy of my book. The color is a lot greener in real life than the jpeg that the publisher had sent to me, and it’s really gorgeous. Seriously, I love it. I scanned it in, but it still doesn’t do it justice. They did a double pass on the red, which means it’s really rich, and I didn’t have a clue how that would make a difference until I saw it, but it does. And they’ve embossed everything on the front — even the danger sign and Harley’s quote inside that sign. It feels really nice. Tactile, and inviting. I have to say, I am really incredibly happy with it. I think it’ll pop out at people when they pass by. Here’s a scan of just the front page:
And here’s the whole cover (front/back) — this is a “flat” that they sent me. (Why yes, I am going to frame it. I barely refrained from tattooing it on my forehead.)
Then today, I found out that I had a starred review in Library Journal, which is just extremely cool. I’m really stunned at this, to be honest. Here’s the review, if you’re interested:
Causey, Toni McGee. Bobbie Faye’s Very (very, very, very) Bad Day. Griffin: St. Martin’s. May 2007. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-312-35448-0. pap. $12.95. F
Cajun beauty queen Bobbie Faye Sumrall is having a bad day: after a burst water pipe breaks her sorry-excuse-for-a-trailer in half, she accidentally robs a bank, tries to free her good-for-nothing brother from kidnappers, takes a hostage (also accidentally), flees with him through the treacherous swamps of Louisiana, eludes an angry bear as well as her disgruntled cop ex-boyfriend, hotwires a speedboat, and kills a dangerous snake with her knife. And the day isn’t even over. This hyperpaced, screwball action/adventure with one unforgettable heroine and two sexy heroes is side-splittingly hilarious. Causey, a Cajun and a Louisiana native, reveals a flair for comedy in this uproarious debut novel, the first in a three-book series. Readers who like the humor of Harley Jane Kozak’s Dating Dead Men, Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files, and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series will be thrilled to meet Bobbie Faye. A most entertaining addition to any fiction collection. [Two trailers for the book are available at www.tonimcgeecausey.com.—Ed.]—Shelley Mosley, Glendale Community Coll. Lib. Media Ctr., AZ
Then I got to have a long late lunch / early dinner with my friend Emile Staat, whom I never get to see enough, and it was just a perfect day. I want to seal it and frame it and keep it, ya know? I hope you all are having wonderfully perfect days, too.
toni mcgee causey 