DEAD SILENCE Cover Reveal. (Or Why I Love My Cover Designer!!!!)

Remember when I mentioned how much I love the cover for DEAD SILENCE? I believe I said something about it being my favorite one, or maybe that I wanted to make a dress out of it and wear it around town, or possibly that I was considering running away with my crazy-talented cover designer.

Well, after teasing you with that little tidbit, I’m finally able to share this amazing cover with all of you...

Soooo...what do you think?  Isn’t it to-die-for (lame pun totally intended...)???

The Thing About ARCs...

So, I got this...

And trust me when I say it’s even more gorgeous in person than it is in the picture!!!

But here’s the deal with ARCs (or Advance Reader Copies)...I sorta have mixed feelings about them.

On the one hand, I love them. I mean, when I open the box and see my manuscript all dressed up in gorgeous book form for the first time, I can hardly contain myself! I want to jump up and down, and weep tears of joy, and celebrate by throwing glitter in the streets--all at the same time! Seriously, getting ARCs is one of those moments in the publishing process that is almost surreal!     

Yet on the other hand, there’s another part of me that sort of hates them. You see, ARCs are unfinished versions of a book. Unfinished, meaning it’s been copyedited, but I still haven’t made that final, absolute, very last sweep through it to make all the changes I want to make.  For some writers, that pass may mean only 10 or 20 (or even 50) changes before they feel it’s really, really done. 

For me, it’s usually more. A lot, LOT more... 

Like up to 250 more wording tweaks, sentence changes, and even some flat out scene rewriting. This pass is almost an obsession for me, in which I become preoccupied over every single word choice, every comma, every transition from one scene to the next...I mean, this is my last chance to make any possible changes before it goes to press, after all!  And knowing that this advance version (as pretty as it may seem) actually goes out to early readers and reviewers as-is...well, it makes me just a tad twitchy.  Okay, more than just a tad.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m SUPER EXCITED for this book (this very real and beautiful book!) to start making its way out there!  And yes, I realize that reviewers know that these ARCs are not the final versions...but is it so crazy to want EVERYONE to read the best possible version??? Okay, yes, it probably is. 

Is it even more crazy that I might actually sleep with this ARC tucked under my pillow tonight??? You betcha! 

THE LAST ECHO…or was it???

By now you’ve probably realized that The Last Echo wasn’t REALLY the last book in the Body Finder series. (I know, I know, how could anyone have possibly gotten that idea???)  Well, even if the title tricked you into believing that it was the last book, I promise that there is another…and it’s due to hit stores on April 16th, 2013!

And not only do we have a release date, but we also have a title. 

A really, really cool one...

That I can share with you...

Any second now…

Ready?

Here we go...

DEAD SILENCE

I’m just gonna let that sink in for a minute. 

Okay, so don’t you just love it?  I was going to go with the "The Last, Last Echo" but HarperCollins shot me down.  :)  Actually, the title DEAD SILENCE fits this book extremely well and I’m super excited for next year’s release date! 

You know what else? I’ve seen the cover too, and have I have to tell you...it’s my favorite of the series. By far!  So fitting for this book—I can’t wait to share it with all of you!!!!

So now it’s your turn. DEAD SILENCE, what do you think???

Hanging with the Queen and Other Such Antics...

So it's a little overdue, but I thought I'd share some of our overseas adventures.

In England, I learned I loved pub food (maybe a little too much), while in France I discovered that one could practically live off of street vendor crepes...even better if they're stuffed with Nutella and whipped cream.

Even the Harrod's escalator became a photo opp!

And look! Harrod's had Desires of the dead. (I felt very fancy!!!)

Told you we'd meet the queen. She was a tad stiff ;)

I wonder how much they hate people doing this???

Yes, we were THOSE tourists...

Best. Gelato. Ever.

While I didn't come back with a British accent, I definitely came back happy and exhausted...and ready to do it all again!

If you want to see more, I'll post more pics on my Facebook page!  And to all of you who came out to the awesome London signing at Foyles, thank you so much--it was great meeting you!!!!!