Monday 20 June 2011

MONDAY UPDATES

Hi everyone - Happy Monday. I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was a mixture of ups and downs. I had to do my tax return, and despite having undergone this process once a year since 2005, I still don't really understand it. Self Assessment feels like a fiendishly difficult exam, and every year they wrong-foot you by changing the questions and layout. You always finish with a strong feeling that you've messed up. This is an element of the glamorous writer's life that no one ever warns you about. It's my heartfelt ambition to be able to afford an accountant one day.

However, this weekend also brought me this:



With thanks to the lovely Emma of Book Angel's Booktopia for risking people thinking she was mad by frantically shooing them out of the way to take a picture in her local WHS.

I've never seen a book of mine that close to the word 'Bestselling' before, or put on a display with Big Books like Twilight and Starcrossed. To clarify, just out of shot on the left is the word NEW - which is what Shadows on the Moon is - and that's why it's on the shelf, not (unfortunately) because it's bestselling, as far as I'm aware. But it's still thrilling.

Which leads me onto telling you that my publisher is planning all kinds of interesting things for the week of Shadows on the Moon's official release, including guest posts on their Undercover Blog, a blog tour and the release of a book trailer. I am so excited about all of this, especially the book trailer. Last week they sent me headshots of the actors who've been cast as the main characters and...well, let's just say I nearly passed out.

What all this means (apart from the fact that I should probably practise taking deep, slow breaths, or maybe buy some paper bags) is that for a week or maybe a little more around the book's publication date, you'll be getting a lot more posts from me than normal - but I'll be re-directing you to other blogs to read them. I hope that's going to be OK with you guys?

In tangenitally related news, the response to the One Year Blogiversary Extravangaza so far has been wonderful, both in the number of entries and the number of new followers. If it keeps on this way I may be dying pink streaks in my hair before the end of summer. Have you entered yet? What are you waitiing for? Get to it! You've only got until the 3rd of July to enter - but remember, the giveaway is open internationally.

Finally, I'm planning a Reader Questions post on Wednesday, so if anyone would like to ask a question about writing or publishing and get a reply this week, send me an email through my website or drop me a line in the comments.

And now - back to work on FrostFire edits! Hurrah!

26 comments:

Ynysawdre Elderly Residents Association said...

You deserve to be with the best-selling books.
I hate tax returns hopefully this is the last year I will have to do self_assesment.
Have a great week *hugs*

Zoë Marriott said...

Heee! Thanks, Emma. If I ever did become a bestseller I think not having to worry about doing my own taxes anymore would be the BEST part, sad as that sounds!

borko said...

Congratulations! I can't imagine how proud and happy you are. You deserve this. And again, congratulations! :)

serendipity_viv said...

I wouldn't put the book anywhere else. Emma is right. You deserve to be up there with Josie and the others too. I am so excited for you this week and I can't wait for the tour to kick off.

Zoë Marriott said...

I'm almost trying not to think about it - I get too excited/anxious/hopeful/stressed. It's been three years since my last book came out, and everyone at Walker Books believes in this one so much. I've worked so hard, they've worked so hard. I'm just wishing on every star there is that it's the success we've been hoping for.

Rebecca said...

You really deserve your book to be a bestseller. Was Daughter of the Flames a bestseller? It must be an amazing feeling, looking at your books on shop shelves :)
Possible questions for the next blog-Do you have to get an agent before you get published or can you go straight to the publisher with your book if it is a trusted and well-known publisher? And if you do need an agent how do you know which ones are trustworthy, because generally I don't know the agents of authors I like?

Zoë Marriott said...

Rebecca: Nope, unfortunately Daughter of the Flames was not a bestseller. I've never had a bestseller. But it's going to be reissued in the UK with a new cover next year, so maybe it will get another chance!

That's a great question, and I'll make sure to add it to Wednesday's post. Thanks.

I'mDifferentButMe said...

You're amazing and deserve that place in the bestseller shelf.
I've a question: if I got my school librarian to try and arrange it, would you be able to come into my school and talk to us? It'd be amazing if you could.

Zoë Marriott said...

I'mDifferent: Thank you! Let's hope it manages to hang onto a place even once it's stopped being NEW.

With regard to school visits, first of all you would need to get the school to contact me to arrange it, since I can't go anywhere without permission. After that it would depend where in the country you are and if the school has a budget for visits so that they can reimburse travel costs. I'd love to visit all the schools that ask me, but sometimes it just isn't practical, so I can't promise anything - but it's worth talking to the teacher about.

I'mDifferentButMe said...

Ok thanks, I'll speak to my school librarian, she's really nice and arranges for different authors (we met Sarah Rees Brennan once), to come in and we're gonna meet someone on Wednesday (I can't remember their name). But I definately will talk to her.
Thanks a lot :)

Zoë Marriott said...

You're very welcome I'mDifferent! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I love love love the cover for Shadows on the Moon. I still remember the day I picked up the Swan Kingdom because I was bored and fell in love... I was fourteen! Then I bought Daughter of the Flames and loved it (though a little less than The Swan Kingdom) its my favourite and you totally deserve to be with the bestsellers. Can't wait to get myself a copy of it! :D

Zoë Marriott said...

Thanks, Jadey. I hope you enjoy Shadows too, if you get the chance to read it.

Shannon The Bookstalker said...

Oh Zoe, how exciting! There it is out in the world. Now I just need to read it ASAP because apparently I flunked on paying attention to the release date, LOL. But I promise to read it and have the review up sometime in July. Congrats Zoe, I wish you all the best!

Michelle Fluttering Butterflies said...

How very exciting! I can't wait to see it with the pretty red letters..

Zoë Marriott said...

Shannon: Don't beat yourself up too much - it's actually not officially out until the 4th of July, but some bookshops are jumping the gun and putting it out early. Thanks!

Clover: Me neither!

Isabel said...

I can't wait till your book becomes a best-seller. ;) I'm drooling over that picture of Shadows on the Moon in an actual STORE where I could BUY IT. Unfortunately I'm all the way over in the U.S. :( So excited about the giveaway!!! When I get back from SA I am going to order SOTM first thing. :D

I'm so excited for Wednesday's post!! (Leaving on Thursday, BTW.) I might be emailing you a question, or possibly dropping it in the comments, because I have a bunch of writing thoughts on my mind right now and I need advice! I hear Alex has a very interesting question too and I am intrigued to see what you might think... :)

Isabel said...

Oh yes -- I forgot to say: OH MY GOSH 253 FOLLOWERS!!!

Is it just me or are there more than there were half an hour ago? ;)

(I emailed you some writing questions and I am excited for Wednesday's post. Thanks! :D)

Zoë Marriott said...

I'm a bit stunned by all these new followers myself, Isabel! Let's hope that some of them stay and become friends even once the giveaway is over.

Isabel said...

Haha, hopefully! Your blog is lovely, and you're going to get a lot of new readers once Shadows on the Moon comes out officially. :)

Anonymous said...

A query: For those writers wishing to break into any certain genre, do you suggest "practice writing" using certain publisher's standards?

Such as, you want to break into Romance, so you write in the style of Harlequin's "writing guidelines," such as those found here: http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=538&chapter=0

Or would you suggest a more, "shoot from the hip" style? And does it always come down to planners versus pantsers?

(Also: Congratulations on having a book on the shelf! I admit, I'm envious, but that's because it's awesome!)

Zoë Marriott said...

Thanks for your question, Baz! I'll do my best to answer this for you, but I've got so many questions now that I might have to break the post up unto two parts and reply to this next week.

I'mDifferentButMe said...

I talked to my school librarian and she said that she'll send an email later on in the day :) Thanks again =)

I'mDifferentButMe said...

Hey Zoe, my librarian showed me your email and I'm sorry that you couldn't make it :( But, thanks for it all, my librarian mentioned how surprised she was that you replied so quickly. Thanks a lot =)

Zoë Marriott said...

I didn't want to keep you in suspense, I'mDifferent - I only wish we lived a bit closer together! But if my publisher ever puts me on tour I'll definitely mention your school to them, and in the meantime your library will get a copy of Shadows for everyone to enjoy!

I'mDifferentButMe said...

Thanks a lot :) Like I said it's appreciated, our school's got Daughter of the Flames, and I'm gonna try and get my friends to read it.

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