How could it have been a year already? The Best Place on Earth is one year old today! I remember that this day last year was just as gloomy and miserable as today is. I remember feeling anxious and a little bit crazy and not as joyous as I had wanted to feel (that elated feeling came the following day, at my launch, which was hands down the best party I ever had) I remember that that morning I struggled to zip up my parka, which was starting to feel pretty tight on my hugely pregnant belly. I also remember…
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Photos from the Book Launch
Yes, I know it’s been two months, but better late than never, right? I had two wonderful photographers documenting the launch. My friend, Danielle Nakouz, who is a budding photographer (and who was unnecessarily nervous about the gig, as you can see below!)and Nikki Mills, who’s a beautiful professional photographer based in Toronto. Both did an amazing job. I couldn’t be more pleased. I already posted some of Danielle’s photos here. I finally had time to sort through the rest and here are some of their best shots. …
Book Birthday Week
My book and I had quite a week last week. Last Tuesday, March 19th, was my book birthday, the official publishing date I’ve been waiting over a year for. I went swimming that morning, a form of meditation, a way to calm down the swimming in my head. It helped. Then Sean and I visited two Book City stores and checked out my books on the display table, got to sign them and pose with them and smell them (I keep sniffing them; it’s becoming a problem). Then we went to Chapters, where Sean rearranged a table to give my…
The Book Lover’s Ball
I suck. I went to the Book Lover’s Ball and took no photos. I was so dazzled by the glamorous ball gowns, the snazzy VIP lounge (which Tanis Rideout and I snuck into), the dancers on stage in their flimsy outfits, and my awesome table of Toronto Public Library’s employees, that I forgot to take photos. To remedy my mistake, here’s a link to a blog post by Not My Typewriter (who is clearly a better blogger than I am) with some photos, and another link to Open Book Toronto, with some red carpet photos. What else can I tell…
On Book Trailers, Tel Aviv, and My Friend Elsin
While I was in Israel this fall, my friend Elsin Davidi and I started working on a book trailer for The Best Place on Earth. Book trailers have become more popular in recent years, probably due to our obsession with visual stimulation and our love of sharing kitten videos on social networks. Elsin and I watched many book trailers in preparation: they varied in style, tone, length and quality. Some commercial works of fiction have book trailers that resemble Hollywood movie previews: short and sleek, always with a man’s voice ominously reading abstract phrases and words like REVENGE, LOVE and…
Advance Reading Copy
I came home from the AGO and there it was, in my mailbox, looking innocent, like a regular piece of mail. My advance reading copy!!! It hasn’t left my side since. I know it’s “just” an advance reading copy, and it still has some errors in it, and the pages are thin and the cover is soft, but it looks like the real thing and I am in love. That’s all.
The Next Big Thing
I’ve been tagged by the illustrious Terri Favro, author of the recently released The Proxy Bride, in The Next Big Thing, a virtual game of literary blog tag. In The Next Big Thing writers answer ten questions about their work-in-progress, and then link their post to five other writers who then tag five more writers (each!) This never-ending chain of literary awesomeness gives writers an opportunity to discuss their upcoming projects and be exposed to new readers. It also gives readers a glimpse into writers’ process while introducing them to new writers. In other words: everyone wins! Thank you, Terri,…
All about the Food (Oh, and the Cover!)
I know, I know. I’m a bad, rotten blogger. Of course, I have plenty of excuses. I’ve been in Israel since September, researching, travelling, swimming, enjoying family and friends and the ridiculously long holiday season that seems to never end. I’ve also been planning my book trailer with my good friend and videographer extraordinaire Elsin Davidi, working on my copyedits (!) and taking photos like crazy. Oh, and eating. Did I mention eating? Okay, maybe I’ve been mostly eating (it’s a good thing it’s still hot here so I can wear summer dresses all day long and not worry about…
I Got Myself a Book Deal!
Holy shit! I got myself a book deal! My book of short stories, The Best Place on Earth, will be coming out with HarperCollins in 2013. I have a contract signed, an editor assigned, and a cheque with my name on it. It’s for real. People ask me how it felt, getting that email inviting me to the HarperCollins offices for a ‘chat.’ Did I scream? they ask. I totally screamed. I also cried a little bit. I played Matisyahu in my office really loudly and did a silly dance. I called my mom, my mentor in Toronto (Camilla Gibb), my mentor…