Launch Party Mayhem! With Pics.

So I've learned two things: 

1. Having a launch party is one of the funnest things to do, EVER.
2. People are awesome.

Guys, I can't even. The amount of support that came from so many different directions is mind boggling. Looking at all the pictures from the launch party brings back the overwhelming gratitude I felt standing in front of everyone, touched at all the people who came. :'o)

We started out the night with me talking about some insider secrets with the book. And then I got emotional thanking my husband and kids, my parents, and my writing group. (There was a photographer from a newspaper there to catch it all. The part where I turned to look back at my husband, all emotional and teary-eyed, is the photo they decided to use in their newspaper article. Now I know what I look like when I'm about to cry. When I saw the picture, I laughed and laughed and laughed for like half an hour! It's seriously the funniest picture ever. How do people not generally burst out laughing every time they see me about to cry?)

Here's a pic from the side you couldn't really see in the first pic.

And here's a pic of people filing in from the back, where you can kind of see the screen at the front where I did my presentation. When I was done speaking, we partied. :) For the kids, we had three stations set up-- one where they could make a necklace / key chain out of Shrinky Dinks, one where they could invent a creation out of toothpicks and mini marshmallows, and one where they could slingshot foam apples at bad guys (based off a scene in the book, and arguably the activity the kids had the most fun at). While the kids were going wild, the parents got in line, and I signed books like crazy. For over two hours. It was an incredible feeling.

About an hour and a half into the signing, the crowd cleared and I could see my line for the first time! Up until that point, my "line" mostly consisted of the wall of people in front of me.

At best count, about 500 people came. Once the room was filled, people watched from outside, just crowding around the open doors. I am so so so sorry to those of you who couldn't make it to the doors, and just had to leave. I wish I could've seen you! I really wish I could've seen everyone who came. But I'm not a big fan of standing in long lines, either. Also, I'm sorry we didn't bring several hundred more cookies. It's so hard to guess how many people will come. Or how skilled kids can be at making 500 cookies disappear in less than 10 minutes' time.

Oh! And I gave out raffle prizes! My five favorite chocolate bars for the adults, and five prize bags for the kidlets. I kind of love how they turned out. Here's the finished product:

Inside each one was a Sky Jumpers t-shirt...

A Sky Jumpers button....

Instead of a Dove bar, a Cliff Dive bar.... :)

Air Heads Xtremes, since Sky Jumping is pretty much an xtreme sport....

And my favorite: Bomb's Breath Mints. Get it? Hahaha! These crack me up every single time.

All in all? A pretty dang awesome night. Huge thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who helped!

NYC Trip!

I am in love with New York City. I miss it like crazy. If you've never been and you ever get the chance to go, take it!

My hubby and I started out with a trip to the Natural History Museum. Or, as my kids like to call it, "The Night at the Museum" Museum.

Where we got to see things like the most adorable little skellies imaginable.

Okay, I may be just a *little* scared of spiders. They don't even have to be real. Give me any six-legged creature and I'm fine. Give me something with eight legs, and eeuurrrrghh. So, I'm standing there, staring at this wall, trying very hard not to be freaked out that there's some crab-like creature that looks very spider-like and as big as me....

...when my hubby looks up and says, "Uh...." In an "Oh, no-- this is going to freak her out" sort of way. Which immediately makes me crouch, cover my head with my arms and look up. Gosh. This picture so doesn't do this giant squid justice! This baby is like 40 feet long. Big enough that when I looked up, I didn't see the squid body--- all I saw were legs bigger around than my arm, and I screamed. An Imminent-Death-By-Gigantic-Spider-Consumption scream that drew everyone's attention and freaked out every kid (and possibly every adult) around.

Then I realized it was a squid and not a spider (and clearly has ten legs instead of eight), and everything was okay. (At least for me. Some of the kids were still a little rattled.)

We took tons of pictures for our kids, including this of an ancient wall phone that my kids didn't believe actually still existed anywhere in the world. They were awed by the photographic evidence that they aren't extinct.

I loved the Subway. A LOT. Even though there was a disappointing lack of crazy people on it. Seriously? Why so many normal people? I was dying for at least one crazy!

We took it everywhere, even though we were both Subway Newbs. I thought we were getting the hang of it after the first day, until we woke up the second day and headed off toward Random House. Apparently I led us to the wrong Subway entrance on 34th Street, so when we couldn't find the train we needed, we walked in the labyrinth underground for what felt like forever. Eventually, we found what was the right place, but then we thought that Random House was now halfway between where we were and the next subway stop. So we went above ground and started walking.....

And walking faster. And faster. And then hurrying as fast as we could because ohmygosh we were so very wrong and so very far away and even though we left very early, we were going to be very late. (Why it didn't occur to us to hail a cab, I'll never know.)

Oh, and it was the hottest day New York had seen since last fall.

We finally arrived at our destination (late, but excited, smelling like the street, with sweat on my back) and stared up at the beautiful building. (Seriously-- is this not so very pretty?)

Yes, I stood in front of the building and took a picture, while I'm sure the guy inside grinned and thought, "Another Newbie Author's first time here." I didn't even care. IT'S MY FIRST TIME AT RANDOM HOUSE!!

I walked into the lobby in reverenced awe. The lobby is lined with their books. In 5 months or so, mine will be there amongst them. Surreal? You betcha.

The guy behind this desk led us up to the 8th floor to meet my editor, Shana, who is just as beautiful and amazing and kind in person. She hugged me, and all I could think was I SMELL LIKE THE STREET! AND MY BACK IS STILL SWEATY! She probably thinks I'm not okay with hugs by how quickly I pulled away.

But then she gave me two ARCs (and I almost started crying, right there in her office, at seeing my book in book form for the first time), and took me around to meet people. First was my publicist Paul. He is incredible. And I found out that my teacher from a few years ago, Brandon Sanderson, and I share the same publicist! James Dashner, too! Then I met the school and library marketing people, the copy chief, the President of RHCB, the art director, and the marketing folks. I was blown away by how kind and enthusiastic everyone was. I love them all to pieces.

Then I my hubby and I went out to lunch with my editor and the art director, where she told me all about the awesome treatments they're doing on my cover. It was so much fun, I totally forgot to take pictures!

That just means I get to go back again soon, right? ;)

Now let's look at the pretty building again, shall we?

This is me, in the subway, still giddy at holding my ARC.

Then we went on the Staten Island Ferry.

And to the memorial at Ground Zero.

And the next day, to Bobby Flay's restuarant, Bar Americain, with my lovely agent Sara where we got to hear some of the funniest query stories ever. I think this was possibly the thing my kids were most excited about us getting to see. My daughter was dreaming about me running into Bobby and getting his autograph for her for DAYS.

I didn't run into Bobby, but I did get a picture of my dessert! And yes, it was every bit as tasty as it looks.

Then we took a Pedi-Cab on a tour through Central Park where we got to see a wedding under the bridge....

And this fountain. And the homeless man bathing in it.

And as we walked the streets of NY for hours, we saw things like F.A.O. Schwartz....

... where they have Hot Tamales bigger than my laptop!

Then we went here...

....and got to see this. :) :) :) :) :)

And decided that 5 days (two of them travel days) wasn't nearly enough time to spend in a place with so much to see.

Then we took one last ride on the subway-- to the airport. About halfway there, a man entered our car, and started chanting sermon-like. Between his strong accent and the subway noises, I couldn't understand what he was saying at all. Either he was selling drugs that would make you "sleep forever," or saying that homeless people shouldn't be hungry. It was unclear. Another man in the car didn't like the man's loud chanting, so to counter it, he started singing at the top of his lungs "DOE, A DEER, A FEMALE DEER..." The man was unfazed by the competition, so the other man kept getting louder and louder until the song was over and he was just yelling, "LALALALALALALALALALA!"

Crazy subway riders at last. I could've died of happiness.

NYC, here I come!

Ohmygosh, you guys. In just a few days time, I'm going to be here:

photo credit: EJP Photo via photopin cc

My hubby and I decided that for our anniversary, we're going to go to New York. Times Square, specifically. It's been forever since we've gone on a vacation sans kids! They are old enough that they are easy to take, and I hate going places and just wishing they were there to see everything too, you know? Plus, they're awesome, and I'd miss them. BUT, I am very excited to go on this trip just with my husband! I'm excited for him to meet my agent, and I'm excited for us to both meet my editor and her assistant, my publicist (holy frijoles! by this time next week, I'll have a publicist!), my marketing team, the art director, and possibly even the publisher. Plus, I'll get to tour the Random House building. And we're going to see as many of the sites as two people can possibly see in 5 days' time. I'm so happy/anxious/thrilled/nervous/ecstatic I can't stand it!

Have you ever been to NYC? Are you dying to go there as much as I am? If you've been before, what should I make sure that I don't miss?

Cover reveal for SKY JUMPERS!!!

Ohmygosh, guys. A big part of my sub-conscious never thought this day would come, and that my book would always be a name without a face. My conscious brain knew that my cover team was working on it tirelessly, and not willing to stop until everything came out perfect. Both are happy dancing right now.

Because the day has come. The day where my book gets a face.

And gosh it's a beautiful face.

Are you ready for it?

Here it is!!!

Isn't it amazing?! I love it to pieces! I love the creative direction they took it in, the scenery, and ohmygosh-- the way the light shines on everything! It shows the action, the adventure, the danger, the excitement, and that Hope (the main character) has a daredevil gene set to extra high, all in one image! It was the green bombs that made this story post-apocalyptic; I'm thrilled that the cover pays homage to that with its color. And the fact that they're going through the Bomb's Breath on the cover... :'o)

Want to know more about SKY JUMPERS? Here's what my incredible editor (seriously, guys-- she's so very incredible) has to say about it:

As soon as I read the opening paragraphs to Sky Jumpers, I was hooked! What would it be like to jump into the sky . . . and not fall? I couldn’t get the image out of my head. Sky Jumpers is the story of 12-year-old Hope. Hope lives in a town of inventors struggling to recover from World War III. But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to dive into the Bomb’s Breath—the deadly band of compressed air left by the bombs—than fail at another invention. When bandits invade, the only way to get help is to go through the Bomb’s Breath, and Hope and her friends may be the only ones who can do it.

Sky Jumpers has everything--action, adventure, bad guys, really cool inventions, family and friendships worth risking everything for, death defying cliff dives, relatable characters, and an unlikely hero named Hope. It also has great themes for discussion-- working with our strengths, the difference individuals can make, whether our history determines our future or if we can change it. And it asks the question what happens when you can't do (or feel like you can’t do) the one thing that matters most?

Shana Corey
Executive Editor
Random House Children's Books

Want to enter a giveaway to possibly win a hardcover of SKY JUMPERS? Here's your chance! There are even extra options to get you extra entries.

(This one is for the US only. I will do an international swag giveaway soon, though!)
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

But this is not the only chance you have to win a copy-- my blog is one part of a three-blog reveal, and you can enter to win A HARDBACK OF SKY JUMPERS AT EACH OF THE OTHER BLOGS. That's right! And not only is there a second and a third giveaway, but there is exclusive content at each. Check them out!

On Literary Rambles, my agent, Sara Crowe, talks about why she fell for SKY JUMPERS, with another giveaway. Click here!

And on Icey Books, my cover artist, Owen Richardson, talks about what it was like to illustrate the cover, with another giveaway. Click here!

Thanks for coming to share the excitement with me today!

The Obligatory Pic

First off, crazy thanks to the lovely Paige Kellerman from There's More Where That Came From for the Kreative Blogger award!

And second.... I got my contract! It's kind of a thick stack of papers filled with legalese, but I'm pretty sure it says somewhere in there that if I blog, I'm somewhat obligated to post a picture of me signing it. (It's hard to say, exactly. I was too distracted by the fact that something written by lawyers had both my name and my book's name on it.) Surreal? You betcha. Made me do an embarrassingly giddy dance? Um... yeah. Does it feel like it's not really me and I'm just writing a book about someone who wrote and wrote and then one day got a contract? You could say that.

To everyone who is an aspiring author seeking traditional publication, I want to pass along a couple of things I've learned recently.

• As far as normal goes with this kind of thing: there is no normal. Of course, there's a normal range. Two months is at the Lightning-Fast end; Six months is at the I-Might-Die-Soon end, but both are entirely normal. I have a friend who got a book deal with a publisher who wanted to open a new line and lead with her book. Speed for her book was really important to them. Her MS was already in great shape, so it went through edits, went to copy editing, and she got her book cover, all before she got her contract. Incredible, right? Yet at the same time, still within normal. The point? Expect the unexpected, because it's probably "normal."
• There are very few agent / publisher combinations that allow for announcing the book deal before the contract is received, signed, and returned. I just happened to luck out. To everyone who has / will have to wait six months for a contract and somehow manage to keep quiet about the book deal the whole time, I bow down to you. (I'm talking one like in the olden days where they almost laid on the ground.) You will never cease to impress and amaze me.

I hope you all are loving writing you own author story! I especially hope the really frustrating parts that get you down feel like they're just happening to a character you're writing. And I hope the incredible parts bring you bucket loads of bliss. Even if they also feel like they're happening to a character you're writing. :o)

Q&A: Publication Questions

Thanks to everyone who emailed me questions! You saved me from sitting here, staring at a blank screen, wondering what I should share. (Although I STILL wondered that.) I know y'all don't love really long posts, so I kept this one to mostly publication stuff. Tomorrow I'll talk a little about the agent questions I got (because I had never really figured out what to share about that before, either). I got some query-related questions, too, but we're going to have a query writing extravaganza next week! Okay, maybe not an extravaganza, but we'll talk, okay?

When will Through the Bomb's Breath be on shelves? / Is there a launch date?
2013, more than likely fall.

How many words is your MS?
60,000. -ish.

Have you been sent more revisions from Random House?
Nope. Nothing will happen until January. Then I’ll get my editorial letter, and jump right into revision mode. (And have I mentioned how much I love revisions? (You read that without any sarcasm, right? I really do love revisions.))

What does pre-empt mean? / Did it go to auction? / Didn’t that happen fast?
I’d actually love to answer this one, because before I went through this, I'd THOUGHT I'd understood what a pre-empt was. It turns out I really didn’t.

Yes, it did go quickly. I had originally guessed that we wouldn't even go on submission with TTBB until January, but Sara felt that right now was the right time for it. Still, though, I hunkered down for the long haul, because these things take forever, right? I was taken completely by surprise at their speed. Sara told me on a Monday that Random House was interested, after being on submission less than a week. By Tuesday morning, Sara called me at work and told me that the editor, Shana, wanted my query and synopsis of book two that day if possible. I got off work at lunchtime and went home and worked like crazy, every muscle in my body tensed. (Apparently when I need to focus tons and work fast, I tense EVERYWHERE. Seriously. When I finished, I was exhausted in every muscle from the top of my head to the ends of my toes.) I got the synopsis to her that night, but the query wasn’t in a good enough state yet, and my exhausted brain couldn’t see a way to fix it. Sara told me that the three page one was good for that night, and the query could wait until morning. I emailed her the query at 7:03 Wednesday morning. At 7:20 am, she emailed to say that both were in the hands of Random House. At 9:00 am, she called me with their offer. By 9:09, I had nearly passed out from shock and excitement.

So why the speed? Random House’s offer was a pre-empt, which took it off the table for everyone else. They offered the pre-empt so quickly to prevent it from going to auction. (I had thought  pre-empts only happened when an auction was scheduled.) Would an auction have been fun? Of course. I mean who wouldn’t love an auction? When Sara told me about the offer, she said that we could turn down Random House’s offer and push it to auction if I wanted to, but that I should talk to Shana before deciding. She was convinced that my mind would be made up if I did. But really, it was already made up. I could tell by the way Sara talked about Shana that she thought it was an amazing match up, and every single part of me felt that turning them down was the exact wrong thing to do.

So when I got off work at noon, Shana called. Sara was so right! I was pretty much convinced at “Hello.” Shana had so much excitement for TTBB, wanted to push it great directions, and was someone I could talk to like I talk to you guys. She’s unstressful, amazing, positive, helpful, and I knew instantly that I would love every minute of working with her. Was it hard to turn down an auction? Not one tiny little bit. It was the easiest decision in the world to make. I mean I had already struck gold with RH! Plus, I couldn’t imagine another editor ANYWHERE who would be as perfect of a fit as Shana is. I love her. I love Random House. And to have a publishing house love my book enough to push it with that kind of speed? Yeah. There was no way I was going to turn that down.

The announcement said it was a two-book deal. Will the second book be the M.I.S. HAVEN you've been so cryptic about in your "What I'm Working On" page, or will it be TTBB 2?
Hahaha! Cryptic. I actually didn't mean to be cryptic. Writing the summary for that page is a lot like writing a query. It's just a little bit possible I may have been procrastinating... But to answer your question, it is THROUGH THE BOMB’S BREATH number 2. It’s a trilogy. Although I love M.I.S. Haven, it will have to go on hold for a little while. Instead, I'm going to go have a blast writing a book I have been dying to write.

Any questions I missed? Just ask me in the comments.

Yes. This is *THAT* Announcement.

 From Publisher's Marketplace:

Children's/ Middle Grade: Peggy Eddleman's debut THROUGH THE BOMB'S BREATH, about twelve-year-old Hope, the worst inventor in a town of great inventors struggling to recover from the green bombs of WWIII that wiped out nearly all the earth’s population; but when the town is invaded by bandits, they find that inventing won't save them, but Hope's daring and recklessness that usually gets her into trouble just might, to Shana Corey at Random House Children's, in a pre-empt, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger, Inc (World English).

Oh my gosh, you guys. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. RANDOM HOUSE! (Did I die of happiness when I heard who offered? Why yes, actually, I did. Am I still? Um, yeah. Little bit.) And I'm not kidding when I say that Sara found the one editor in all the world who was most perfectly matched to ME and most perfectly matched to THROUGH THE BOMB'S BREATH. I couldn't be more thrilled. I am so incredibly grateful to Sara, and to Shana, and to Random House-- so full of gratitude, I'm ready to burst! (And seriously-- could this huge amount of gratitude come at a more appropriate week? I think not.)

Thanks for hanging out with me on this journey, guys. And thanks for being here with me to celebrate! You all rock my world.



P.S. I'm going to do a question and answer day after Thanksgiving. Like next Monday. So if you have any questions you'd like me to answer-- about the book deal, or meerkats, or querying, or why having every light on in the house is a good thing-- just email me at peggyeddleman [at] gmail [dot] com.