A LETTER TO MY BOOK ON ITS U.S. BIRTHDAY

Whooooo! *Throws confetti* *Blows party trumpet* *Lights candles*

Happy Birthday!

Welcome to the world, Shadows on the Moon (U.S. edition). Today is your release date, four years to the month since I began work on you back in 2008. It's been a very long wait, but you are worth it. You have a beautifully subtle, understated cover which does not conform to any of those #Racefail or Dead Girl Cover trends, and which hints wonderfully at the story within. You have dove-grey boards and shining red foiling and end papers. You have an audiobook version which I simply cannot wait to listen to. You have re-vamped haiku, a stunning internal design, and you already have some lovely blog reviews, a thumbs up from Kirkus (which neither of your older sisters managed, look you) and a Junior Library Guild Selection.

I've also just found out - with wonderment and delight - that you are to be included on the Summer 2012 Kids' Indie Next List as an "Inspired Recommendation for Kids from Indie Booksellers". I have often watched wistfully as other authors celebrated inclusion on this list in their Twitter feed. My congratulations and happiness for them were genuine, but I did wish that one day a book of mine might join them.

You have made that dream a reality, Shadows on the Moon (U.S. edition) and I will always be so grateful to you for that.

By lucky coincidence, it's Fairytale Fortnight again, and the lovely Misty has posted an interview in which she asks very interesting questions, and I talk about you Shadows on the Moon! And also fairytales in general, and my next project set in The Moonlit Lands/Tsuki no Hikari no Kuni (yes, there is one! You'll have a little sister one day). There's also a giveaway of a copy of you on her blog here.

Oh, and she reviewed you, as well, and said such lovely things. Are you blushing, Shadows on the Moon (U.S. edition)? You should be.

Listen, Shadows on the Moon (U.S edition). I'm your author, and like all authors I have many hopes for you as you venture out into the world on your own. I hope that you will do wonderful things, win prizes, make lots and lots (and lots!) of friends who will take you home from the bookshop or order you online. But my greatest hope for you - and for all my books, both the ones already written and the ones yet to come - is that people will see you. That they will percieve the beautiful, sincere heart beating away within you, and forgive your inevitable flaws. I want you to be seen and remembered. And if you achieve that, I will be content.

*   *   *

*Wipes away tear*

Ahem. Oh, good morning/afternoon/evening/night Dear Readers! Has everyone entered the Just Because April Giveaway? It's only open until midnight tomorrow, so if you want those fabulous prizes you'd better get a wriggle on! I'll be announcing the winners on Thursday.

Next week I've got an exciting new scheme that I want to talk about and get as many of you involved in as possible. I'll tell you that I'm calling it InCreWriMa (and if you can work out what that stands for you get a gold star) but all the rest will have to wait! It's a surprise!

In the meantime, let's have some music from The Legend of Korra, the new animated series which is a companion to Avatar: The Last Airbender (I wish I could link you to the official site, but the Nick website won't allow it - thanks a bunch Nickelodean) and which is currently BLOWING MY MIND BAYBEE.

This got me through writing a really spooky scene in Katana Book #2 over the weekend :) See you on Thursday, honey-buns.