Proclamation

I have so much to do tonight. My editor is coming in tomorrow from NYC to stay with us for a few days, and I'm woefully behind on everything. (The unexpected guest this weekend definitely had something to do with that!) But I promised I'd update every Sunday, so here I am with a few random thoughts and bits of info. First off -- geez, before I even have the chance to get permission to post the new Sammy Keyes cover here so you could be the first ones to see it, you discover it on Amazon. I didn't even know it was the final version, but I guess it is. So sorry! But for those of you who haven't seen it, now you have. And YES that's Billy Pratt with the chicken hat. (Isn't that so Billy?) Good call. The rest is all very significant.... For those of you following along with the back-and-forth process of getting a book ready, the manuscript has been through copy-editing and is now back on my desk for a final go-through. And I've remembered something I should really put in, so I have to add a little segment. About Sammy's dad. Only you don't know what or where or how it's related to her dad. (Is that torturous of me, or what? Sorry!) And now, a proclamation story. I didn't know anything about how proclamations get issued, but after doing some research last week and sending around some e-mails, I got a call from the Oklahoma governor's office last week and the governor will be issuing a proclamation for the Exercise the Right to Read winner, stating that April 21st, 2010 will be Central Middle School Day. Some Important Person will read it in front of the school while I'm doing a school visit there. I wonder if it will be scrolled. It should be scrolled, don't you think? It's a proclamation, not a certificate, after all. Maybe I'll bring some gold ribbon and if the Important Person produces a certificate, I'll run over and scroll it up and say, Honestly--it's a proclamation. Get with the program! Anyway. I'm excited about my editor showing up tomorrow. The first time I met her in person was at a conference. We'd "known" each other via phone and mail for at least a couple of years. Maybe even three. Anyway, she took one look at me and thought, Hm. Eating disorder? (because I'm almost 5'11" and was run ragged from being the mom of two young boys and having a full-time job teaching). And I took one look at her and wondered, Hm. Midget? (because she's barely 5 feet tall and I was wearing heels and she was in flats.) Well, I eat like a horse, and she's definitely not a midget (just petite), and once we had that cleared up, we sat cross-legged facing each other on twin beds of her hotel room and in less than five minutes were were somehow discussing death. So yeah. We have meaty conversations, which I like. And I'm sure one of the many things we'll discuss while she's here is Sammy Keyes and what's going on at Random House with things we've brainstormed here at the blog. So I hope to have some inside info for you next week. Hope so! Meanwhile, whereas you're a faithful follower of this blog, and whereas I appreciate the enthusiasm with which you embrace news about my books, therefore I, Wendelin Van Draanen, proclaim the week beginning Sunday, February 21st, 2010 to be Spunky Reader Week. Consider that scrolled and wrapped in gold ribbon.