Book Tour!!!!

Well, STAY will be on the shelves ONE WEEK FROM THIS THURSDAY!!! And I plan to go to visit my bookseller buddies on June 10th to buy a copy of STAY, even though I have a copy (because how could I not?). And yes, I will probably cry and embarrass myself when I see my book on the shelf (because how could I not?).

One week from Friday (June 11th) is the kick off of my book tour! I'll be doing events in:

• Rochester, NY
• Seattle, WA
• Holland, MI
• Denver, CO
• Hamilton, NY
• Syracuse, NY
• Poughkeepsie, NY

Check out the events page on the website for full event details! I'm so excited, and I hope I'll get to see you while I'm traveling around this summer! What is a book tour if not a wonderful way to finally meet blog friends in person!

Friday was a truly incredible day. I got an e-mail with the subject line "ALLIE -- BUY A COPY OF PEOPLE MAG!!!!!"

STAY made the book section of People Magazine!!!

So, of course, I ran out to Wegmans and bought a handful of copies. And I then sat in my car and e-mailed pictures of it to J.

Then I remembered that we were out of milk and had nothing for lunch, so I had to go back in. But I have to say, running back in for milk didn't dampen the excitement of seeing Argo & the STAY cover in People Magazine or reading that People called STAY a feel-good debut! Not even a little bit.

Ahoy!

I'm over at The Divining Wand today, talking about my favorite songs, burp-talking, and Jello-phobia. Check it out!

Argo has been chewing at a spot on his leg where he had a cyst. The cyst is totally benign, and it was getting better, but he will not leave it alone (which is not uncommon behavior for German Shepherds - they're a little obsessive sometimes). And since "It won't get better if you keep picking at it," makes little sense to a dog we resorted to putting the e-collar on him.

Unfortunately, Argo in an e-collar strikes fear in the heart of Stella even more than cardboard boxes do, so our household has been a little off-kilter lately. Argo in an e-collar also strikes weird little bruises into the backs of my legs and makes a tremendous amount of noise when he runs around the house banging it into walls (I swear he likes the sound).

So, I discovered this odd inner-tube like contraption at the pet store. It was fantastic. Stella wasn't afraid of it. Argo didn't mind wearing it, he actually seemed to enjoy the benefits of wearing a travel pillow everywhere he went.

It didn't make noise, and it didn't hurt when he rammed it into the backs of my legs. Plus, it was just plain funny. He looked like he was about to go on a sailing excursion.

But, being the brilliant dog he is, Argo figured out that if he scratched at his inner tube until the seam was below his neck, he could pry it apart a bit and manage to lick the spot on his leg. So, we're back to the e-collar. . . I hear weird leg bruises are totally in style this summer. :)

Excerpts, Audio Clips, and iBooks! Oh, my!

Oh my goodness, it's getting close to the pub date! Every time I look at the calendar I get the same kind of fluttery feeling in my stomach I get when J and I approach the top of one of the High Peaks (except Whiteface). We are almost there!!!!

And things are happening. Like this:

• Allison Winn Scotch included STAY in her list of debut summer reads last week!!! Few things in life feel as amazing as being mentioned by an author you completely and totally admire (or being mentioned in such amazing company)! I've been on cloud nine since I saw her post!
• There's new stuff up on the website! If you visit the Book page, there are links to the audio book clip of the prologue for STAY, the first chapter, and a reading group guide (which you probably shouldn't read until you've read the book). And, if your book club reads STAY and would like me to call in, Skype, chat online, or answer group questions by e-mail, there's more information on the Contact page.
• If you read the first chapter and are dying for just a little bit more, check out STAY at iBooks, where there's a longer excerpt available for iPad users.

Oh, and I went to B&N this weekend to buy a copy of Diamond Ruby by @Joe_Wallace. I was practically skipping in the store, because going to the bookstore to buy a book by one of your Twitter friends is such a cool feeling. I've been following Joe's book journey for a long time now, and it was amazing to actually pull his book off the shelf (I'm not just a writer, I am a complete book nerd!). While I was there, trying my hardest not to skip in public, I stopped in the cafe to grab a lemonade and came face to face with . . . my face!

I don't think my brain was even completely able to make sense of it. I've thought about how it will feel to walk into the bookstore and see my book on the shelves, but I still have a few weeks, and it simply hadn't occurred to me that there would be signs!

The man in line in front of me kept looking at the sign. I stood there, trying hard not to watch him. It's a little odd to catch someone staring at a sign with your face on it, but I think it might be even more odd to catch someone staring at you while you're staring at a poster with their face on it. So, I looked at the scuff marks on my shoes, studied a hangnail, and read the back cover of Joe's book again. I tried really hard to think of something to say when the man eventually turned around realized that the picture he'd been looking at was the person standing behind him. I drew a complete blank, which turned out to be just fine. He finished checking out and looked directly at me as he walked past, but there wasn't the slightest hint of recognition on his face. I think there's a lot to be said for context, and not seeing what isn't expected. Or maybe he was just zoning out in the general direction of the event poster. Either way, it made for one of the most surreal moments of my life thus far.

We are almost there!!!

The contents of my purse

Vera over at Lady and the Blog showed everyone the contents of her purse. I thought I'd join in the fun, even though my purse fillings are far less elegant. Please excuse the flash flare, it was REALLY cloudy here today.

I read a book about organization for people with ADD a few months ago. The book suggested keeping purse items grouped in brightly colored pouches, so they're easy to find. Nothing in my purse is coordinated, but that's on purpose.

This system has worked like a charm for me. Prior to that, my purse contents would have been a big mountain of old receipts, crumpled bills, loose change, lip gloss that had lost its cap, and probably a few linty cough drops. But this way, if something is not in its place, it's obvious, and it's really easy to clean out what doesn't belong.

So here's the list of what I carry around with me.

• Dog Treats
• Phone
• Pill Box (Excedrin Migraine)
• Moleskine book for story ideas
• Strawberry Shortcake Pencil case that I've had since second grade and still use for pens and pencils
• My tricked out Japanese Pilot pen with multi-colored Sliccies Gel inserts. I use a fountain pen at home, but this is my purse pen, since I'm fairly sure it won't leak. (J and I are total pen nerds)
• Pouch for bandaids and hand sanitizer
• Latest book club book (The Believers by Zoe Heller)
• Dog poop bags
• Teeny tiny umbrella
• Think Thin bar (because I am a very crabby person when I'm hungry, and since I can't eat wheat, it's best to travel prepared)
• Extra pouch incase I need a pouch for something (yeah, I know)
• Pad of paper that I can tear sheets out of (because I will not tear pages out of my notebook)
• Stay postcards with information about my first book signing
• Pouch for hair clips, lip balm & nail file
• Wallet
• Sunglasses (I wear sunglasses even on cloudy days. I'm not trying to look cool, my eyes are super sensitive to light)
• Receipt from the UPS Store (I spend an inordinate amount of time there)
• Handkerchief (I've had this one since our chamber choir trip to England my freshman year of high school).
• Felt heart with a section stitched by each of my ladies. I've carried it around since The Other 1/4 had us make them in 1997.

What's in your purse? If you post your list, make sure you add your link to Vera's post!

It's a book trailer!

My friend, Chris Reeg, from Form Collective, created the concept from a just a few little lines of text, and then made it all happen. And the lovely Dresden Engle did the voice acting (and was so much fun to work with). And I can't thank them enough!

The countdown begins . . .

Today is exactly one month until STAY hits the shelves! If you haven't checked out the book website, you should! And please keep checking, because there will be more to see over the next month.

I have to admit that there's still a teeny tiny little part of me that's waiting for someone to jump out from behind a tree and yell "Psych!" But the sensible part of me knows no one actually has enough time on their hands to pull off a prank of that magnitude. (Right?) And people don't really say "Psych" anymore anyway. (Right?)

And then there's the whole HOLDING THE ACTUAL BOOK IN MY HANDS thing.

So, at this point, I think it's reasonable for me to believe that I really do have a book coming out a month from today. And, I have to tell you, I don't think anything in the world smells quite so amazing as my very own book, fresh from the printer. Taking that book out of its envelope was such a strange, wonderful, overwhelming, incredible feeling.

My name is on the cover. My dog is on the cover. And the pages inside represent so much time at my desk with my dogs snoring at my feet, so many dreams, and so much love and support from so many people.

A month from now, if you're so inclined, you'll be able to pick up a copy of STAY and read about Van, Peter, Janie, Louis, Agnes, Diane, and a big, sweet, sloppy German Shepherd named Joe. I am so excited for you to meet them. Spending the past few years writing these characters has been a joy. I love them dearly, and if you spend a rainy afternoon, or a series of evenings, or some commute time on the train with them, I hope you'll love them too.