While You Were Writing

While I was busy tumbling to deadline, a wonderful thing happened that I want to celebrate.

THE AURORA COUNTY ALL-STARS, published in hardcover in August 2007, is now available in paperback.

It's finally here! And you know what that means. It means that the entire Aurora County trilogy:

LOVE, RUBY LAVENDER
EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS
THE AURORA COUNTY ALL-STARS

is in paperback.

I haven't signed my first paperback ALL-STARS yet, but I'll bet when I'm next in schools, I will. It's going to be great to be able to offer all three books in paperback at conferences and school visits and in bookstores.

One thing I've loved about paperbacks is how beloved they become. Many times, when I'm visiting schools, I've had kids come to me after an assembly program and shyly offer their dog-eared copies of RUBY or LITTLE BIRD, and ask if I'll sign them. I can see, they've been read, cover to cover, over and over again. These beloved books are always my favorite to sign.

And now, ALL-STARS joins them. We're going to celebrate in style, too. Next week, I'll announce The Tour -- it's a very special, very creative, very specialized tour... we're going to do something different.

A few months ago, I was thinking... how can I celebrate ALL-STARS, the entire Aurora County trilogy, and those I love at the same time? Are there sensible, practical, joyful ways to bring together readers, writers, booksellers, publishers, and stories in these oh-so-precarious economic times? Yes, there are. If you live in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Washington D.C., Maryland or northen Virginia... if you live anywhere!... I'm coming your way. And you'll be surprised at how I'm coming: on a shoestring.

So. Until next week. Have a great weekend. I've restocked my pantry and refrigerator, so I'm going to cook! It's been so long! (Overheard last night at the refrigerator door: Wow, that's a lot of green stuff... Yep.) I'm going to keep my fire going, too -- it's 20 degrees in Hotlanta this morning. I'm so glad for that two cords of wood I bought in October.

Keep each other warm, y'all.