It's official, another book is on the way!

I really can't believe I missed this! It's WiDo's wonderful announcement that I am officially under contract for The Love Seekers. My only explanation is I became so caught of with the start of school that I lost track of most everything. Better late than never, as they say . . .

http://widopublishing.com/amy-saias-third-seeker-novel-under-contract/

Also, I just saw this. The Time Seekers is now available for pre-order. Things are happening so fast! http://widopublishing.com/the-time-seekers-by-amy-saia/

It really was a fun book to write. Do you remember back in the spring when I posted those pictures of the kids sunbathing during Spring Break? I'll remember it as one of the first warm set of days we'd had in the year, and also, that I was furiously writing The Love Seekers any spare second I got. What a beautiful time. Writing, for me, is happiness.

How are things going on your Saturday? Big plans for the evening?

Proofing

These are so pretty! But so much work. If that title page looks a bit 'crinkly,' just imagine me fighting a printer that's spewing pages all over the floor and then my cat jumping on top of them. Yep. And then me organizing the entire thing, again with a cat on top. That would describe my day yesterday to a T. Today I started the reading. Darn, I have read this sucker so many times! Things are jumping out at me that I didn't even notice. It's so strange. And slow going.

But, I can do this. I can do this . . .

Endings and Such

I think my next adventure will be in the form of galleys to proof for The Time Seekers. That's always a bit nerve-wracking, especially for someone like me who freaks out and loses all ability to discern good writing from bad writing the second she sees her own work. Basically I'll be looking for missing commas and continuity problems, like, Character A walks into a backyard holding her daughter's birthday cake, only to catch a Frisbee later on in the same exact scene. Believe me, this does happen, despite a thorough combing through by author, editor and copy editor. Galleys require you to print out the entire manuscript, which is even more freaky, because you have visions of yourself knocking coffee across the stack, or your child opening a window on a blustery day. And then there are cats. The whole thing is frightening, but it must be done.

I realized the other day how difficult it's been for me to talk about The Time Seekers because in doing so I might reveal plot secrets. I suppose that is a common problem for anyone who's written a sequel. Mentioning the plot by any degree is a betrayal to the first novel, and no way in heck can I discuss any part of the plot mid-to ending because it'll not only ruin the first book, but the third as well. It's kind of unfair. I'd love to gush about the book the same way I did with The Soul Seekers, but, can't. What I can say is that Emma starts off working in a university library married to some *dude.* Then some *stuff* happens. Then there's a time *mishap* and Emma runs all over the place and has to make some *decisions.* Then the whole thing builds toward a *shocking* ending. But that's all I can say.

Next time, I'll tell you about The Love Seekers.

Up, up and away

Took the kids to the fair last week, one of our last summer happenings before school starts again. I always love going to the fair because you never know what you're going to see. It's the only place you can watch someone chow down on a huge pile of chili fries like it's the most natural thing in the world, followed by a monster soda and then fried cheesecake on a stick. I'm fascinated by it. Of course, there's art and animals and all sorts of other awesome stuff—but isn't it really about the people? Or is that just me . . .

So after the fair I took the kids to the library, because it had air conditioning (and no manure). Well, Liam was holding a balloon when we walked in, which seemed a bad idea, but whatever, air conditioning. I momentarily leave the kids in the back section so I can use the bathroom, and upon my return I find that Liam's balloon has disappeared. I ask him, "Hey, kid, what happened to your balloon?" He won't say, and his face turns scarlet. "Did another kid take it?" He shakes his head. "Did it pop?" He nods, and carefully looks around. No one's talking. The balloon incident has come and gone and they're all pretending it didn't happen. Liam shows me the dead, limp latex that he hastily stuffed into his back pocket. "Oh, okay. Well, let's get out of here."

In some ways I'm sorry I missed the balloon incident. I live for stupid things like that. The loud BOOM in a perfectly serene library at eleven in the morning followed by someone's quick intake of breath. The whole room going quiet afterwards. Damn.

It did happen, right? A tree falls in a forest and all that.

Well, anyway, have a great weekend.

The Balloon Bandit

Your typical Midwestern fair. This picture was taken from a porta potty.

More pictures here.

Cover reveal for The Time Seekers!

WiDo has outdone themselves. You always hope for a great cover, and now I have two. What I love about this one—beyond it being absolutely beautiful—is that it has a mystery to it with Emma looking on, and the male figure standing with his back facing and hands in pockets. I love the whole tone and the story it tells. So, major kudos to the art team at WiDo for a job well done, twice! I keep pinching myself to see if this is real, and yep, I'm awake and it's really happening. Thank you, WiDo, for these beautiful book covers and for being such a wonderful publisher. Now, it's time to go through these copy edits . . . ouch.

 
Thank you for all the overwhelmingly awesome comments on my last post. It means a lot to me. I don't have a ton of regular followers, but the ones I have are kick ass! And that's the truth. Until later, peace.