Newsy Sammy Bits

I've really enjoyed the reaction to last week's Epic Road Trip idea. Thanks to everyone who's sent in e-mails and/or comments. I've got a file going now and the idea's moved from Wouldn't-That-Be-Cool to Okay-Let's-Really-Do-This! We won't be highway bound for over a year (which seems like forever, I know), but it'll take that long to piece it all together and do it right. And it'll be fun to share the prep news with you as things shape up.

Meanwhile, in only two days Elvis is rolling out on the paperback of Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City. So if you've been waiting for the paperback to release, the time is now! (I just love this cover, done by illustrator Karl Edwards. It's pink, but somehow that's okay for this book!)

And Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise will be out on September 10, which is right around the ol' calendarical corner. (Sorry.) It's my homage to the mystery genre and contains nods to classic mystery writers (and their characters), and it's my take on a locked-room mystery, with coded clues (a first for Sammy), disguises (definitely not a first!), and (of course) red herrings!

And there's also Sammy & her dad stuck together on a "boat."

Finally (not to mention finally), I've turned in Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye--revised and ready to read by someone besides me (and Mark, of course). I'm sure when Nancy's done with it there'll be stuff to add (and probably subtract), but it's feeling pretty good. Like I wrapped up things y'all asked me to wrap up. Well, mostly. I found I also opened some new cans, but you didn't want it too tidy, right?

Right?

Anyway, thanks for checking in. If you haven't already weighed in on the Epic Road Trip, don't be shy. Suggest away via e-mail or in the comments.

See you next week!

The Very Strange Thing

Last week I promised to explain the Very Strange Thing that happened as I began writing the final (sob) book in the Sammy Keyes series.

Book #18.

Eighteen!

Are you aware of what a wonderful number eighteen is?

It's two nines.

And, as you regulars may recall from a previous post, nines are amazing!

And eighteen is two  of them.

Sorry. I know. The Very Strange Thing, right?

But first, I couldn't have imagined a better reception for Showdown in Sin City. I loved all the jumping up and down and the sincere compliments about the plotting threads and the character development and people saying that it was the best book yet. The best book yet! People just don't say that about the 16th book in a series...but they did! It was wonderful and amazing and so...satisfying. It was a long, winding, skid-filled road to get to Sin City, but we arrived to a hero's welcome and it was awesome!

Speaking of winding and long roads, I know, I know. the Very Strange Thing.

Sorry!

Maybe I'm just trying to avoid talking about the Very Strange Thing because it's about the Very Last Sammy which is (sob!) the very last Sammy!

But, see, that's the Very Strange Thing--I was expecting to be a blubbering idiot. From the first sentence I just knew I was going to be all weepy faced and runny nosed and very, very hard to be around.

And then I got to page three, and that's where the Very Strange Thing happened:

I started laughing.

At first it was just a snicker. I was kinda...well...maybe afraid to laugh. I mean, how could I be laughing?

This was the very last (sob!) Sammy!

And the story was so serious.

But the more I wrote the funnier things seemed to get until...well, I got kinda hysterical.

Maybe it's just hysteria from not dealing with the Very Last Sammy (sob!) in the proper manner. Maybe I'll end up chucking it all and starting over.

Or maybe the entire series has been funny, and just because this last book is serious and designed to be different, well that doesn't mean humor isn't the proper vehicle to take us to The End.

Or maybe I'd just rather laugh my way to The End, than sob my way there!

And now you know--the Very Strange Thing that happened.

Laughter!

See you next week!

Unexpected & Awesome!

I want to thank everybody who read Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City this week. This book is a huge deal for me--the culmination of years and years of writing and plotting and planning and anticipating.

The thing about spending years and years writing and plotting and planning and anticipating is that the big deal you've blown a particular thing into may not be a big deal to anyone but you. I've learned that when the big day or event finally arrives, it's almost impossible for it to live up to the expectations you've put on it.

Critics can deflate you pretty quickly. "Really?" you think as you read. "You have a quibble over that?" As an author (or any creative person putting their work out there for the public to scrutinize) you have to develop a deflecting armor. You can't fire back--critics can say what they want and there's really nothing you can do about it--and you can't let those poisoned arrows pierce your heart. So if you're going to continue to be a creative person who puts their work out for the public to scrutinize, you have to tough it out through the jaded criticisms and believe that the people you work (or write) for (that's you), will collectively have a voice louder and with more sustain than paid-to-review critics.

Example: Someone sent me a post that a teacher had put on her blog about The Running Dream. She had quibbles. Whatever. But her students loved it--something she had trouble coming to grips with. Counter to where she chose to place the book, students kept shelving it back in her classroom's special MUST BE READ section--books students recommend to other students. With each new student who read the book, the enthusiasm for The Running Dream grew among the students until the teacher finally conceded that maybe they saw something she didn't.

Another example: There were critics who were lukewarm about Flipped.

Which sums up my point quit succinctly.

Anyway, I've developed armor and (especially necessary with a series, since, regardless of how substantive the books within it are, the titles get very limited literary respect) I've come to expect quibbles, or critics (professional or self-appointed) who just don't share the same sense of life I do and consequently don't "get" what I do.

So what was unexpected and awesome this week was the across-the-board positive reaction I received about Sin City. Obviously I loved the story and the plotting and the threads that have been weaving in my head for years, but  there was NO guarantee that other people would. So it made me so incredibly happy this week to read all the comments that came in (especially here, where it matters to me most). This was a "life's work" undertaking and to have it resonate with people who also feel very invested in Sammy Keyes...I can't even explain how wonderful it feels. So thank you for all your wonderful reactions--it really made my week!

Next week we move on to the VST (Very Strange Thing) that happened when I started writing the final Sammy. See you then!

Happy B-Day to Me 'n' E

It's silly, but I must say...

Happy Birthday to Me!

Actually, I'm not a fan of my birthday. Well, I'm glad I was born and all of that, but the actual day comes at a bad time of year. Everyone's broke and burned out from the holidays and trying to get back into the routine of their lives, but then there's this other obligation cropping up that needs to be attended to. Really, do we have to? It's hard to get in the celebratory spirit after all that spirited celebrating in December!

But I must say, the celebratory spirit was sparked when a package arrived from Nancy. This was a total rogue-gift surprise as we're not in the habit of sending each other birthday presents. 

When I first unpacked it, I wasn't sure what it was...or, more specifically, said. And then, poof! There is was, popping out at me.

SAMMY KEYES.

I actually squealed.

I love how the "K" is a fire escape. 

I love that there are scrolls at the beginning and end--like bookmark "S"s.

I love how the angle of the streetlight is one you would see if you were jaywalking.

I love that the "Y" is a fork in the pathway...something Sammy faces in every adventure.

And I love that the whole thing is a little mystery, not obvious at first (especially in person vs the photo for some reason) and then you piece it together and go Ah-ha!

So mine turned out to be a fine (and fun) birthday, full of kind words and nice phone calls and surprises, but I know what you're more interested in is Elvis's birthday because that's when Showdown in Sin City comes out. So let's fast-forward to that!

Two days to go!

There's a plan in place at Random House for the release and wrap up of the Sammy Keyes series (which I'll tell you more about in a future post). First up, on Jan 8th, Random House is tweeting about the release of Sin City. To you tweeters, this is, I'm sure, not a big deal. But I'm not a tweeter. I don't twitter or Twitter. (And I'm never aflutter, and definitely don't flitter,okay?) And neither does Nancy. But she and I have to come up with this tweet so the RH's New Media Marketing people can send it out there to all the people following RH on Twitter (and there are a lot of them).

So here's what I've submitted to Nancy as a possibility: 

It’s Elvis’s b-day & the release of SAMMY KEYES & THE SHOWDOWN IN SIN CITY, where Sammy stows away, storms Vegas, and finally meets her dad.

140 characters exactly (which for you other non-tweeters is the max characters for a tweet).

I'd ask for suggestions, but you haven't read the book, so it would be kinda hard for you to give input. (But if you're the Twittering type and have input, let's hear it!)

That's it for tonight. After all, it is my birthday! Thank you for checking in and for being a part of my life. See you next Sunday!

Elvis Is In The Building!

It's a book!

I can't believe it's 9 days away from being in your hands, too. The big reveal. The big showdown. The big holy smokes of all Sammy's holy smokes!

And here's what I've got to say about this book:

NO SPOILERS!

I remember when my kids were younger and they were reading Harry Potter and my older son said to my younger son, "Have you gotten to the part where X dies?" My younger son gaped at him and said, "X DIES?" All my older son could say was, "Oops." My younger son threw the book down and never finished it.

So yeah,

NO SPOILERS.

The reviews so far have been very good (and have contained NO SPOILERS).

Which is nice. (Sometimes reviewers should be jailed, but so far, so good.)

I really, really hope you guys like the story, like the Heather subplot, like the Cammy stuff, and wish, like me, that you could be a stowaway in Sammy's suitcase.

Well, her backpack because, Sammy is, you know, impulsive and doesn't really take time to pack.

And who can blame her? She has no time to pack. She's in too big a hurry to stow away.

But, like I said, NO SPOILERS.

Anyway, thanks for riding along through 2012 with me. It's been wonderful to know you're out there, supporting me and loving Sammy. Happy 2013 to all of you, and I'll see you next year! On my birthday! (Really.) Which is two days before Elvis's birthday. Which is the day Sin City is released.

And on all these accounts, remember, NO SPOILERS!

An Apology to GWAATP

There was a point in the series where I made Nancy promise me there'd be no more pink Sammy Keyes books. I think it was after Hollywood Mummy came out. (An early version was pink.)

The poor boys who read the series complained. Pink! No! You're killin' me! they said, and I agreed and discussed the gravity of the situation with Nancy and we agreed--no more pink books! Sammy and pink belong in opposite universes.

Like Sammy and that pink angora sweater!

And yet, 10 books later, here we are, looking at the very pink artwork for the paperback version of Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City. 

I might have protested more than I did (it was really just the raising of a little white flag) if I didn't like the cover so much. And pink seems so appropriately Vegas. Plus, all the menfolk in my family seem to think the artwork is awesome .

So, sorry Guys Who Are Allergic To Pink--I guess you'll have to read the hardcover.

The paperback artist is Karl Edwards, in case you've forgotten / didn't know, and I like the way he works. He's very generous with preliminary sketches, giving the art team at Random House lots of options, and he seems to have a lot of patience with all of us. I like him. Here's an example of some of the Elvi he submitted in the early stages. Varied, and very funny!

And now, switching from art to text, I'm so happy to report that I've reached the "payoff" phase of Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise. Yippiddiy-dappidy-dooo-ooo-oooh! It's all coming to a head, and watch out, world, here she blows!

I was hoping to keep it to 250 or 275 pages, but no, we'll be at 300 before we're back in port. I should be able to tell you next week if I keep up this full speed ahead.

Meanwhile, I'll see you in the comments. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek at the art--thanks for checking in!

Sneak Peek At Sin City Art

Just a picture this week.

There may be some minor tweaks, but this is pretty close to final and you're the first to get a sneak peek.

There's a mini-Elvis in the story, so the Elvi in the art make me laugh (since the bottom one looks mini to me...even though I don't think that was intended).

Like the one-armed bandit? Cha-ching!

Enjoy your holiday tomorrow!