Here's rosemary, for remembrance...: seanan

Here's rosemary, for remembrance...

A year ago, I was in a state of low-grade panic because of the upcoming release of my first novel, Rosemary and Rue. Was it really going to happen? Would anybody buy my book? Was my book even worth reading? What if this was some sort of elaborate practical joke (admittedly, one pulled by someone who could afford wasting a book advance on fucking with my head)? What if DAW hated me? What if, what if, what if?

Six months ago, I was in a state of low-grade panic because of the upcoming release of my second novel, A Local Habitation. What if the first book was just a fluke? What if nobody liked Toby when she was less broken? What if everyone lost interest and went off to read something else, and my publisher dropped me, and my numbers were terrible, and my agent told me I should be a dishwasher or something? What if, dammit?!

Right now, I would be in a state of low-grade panic, but I'm honestly too tired to work up the flailing. An Artificial Night, the third Toby Daye book, is out now, and I would really appreciate it if you'd go out and buy a copy, assuming you haven't already. My reasons are legion: I really think it's the best book of the series so far, I really love it as a piece of work, and it's the last book on my original contract with DAW, so it would be nice if it went out with a bang. Like all authors, I worry vaguely about an unknown god known only as "the numbers," and I'm sure I want the numbers to look on me with grace. So that means book sales, and maybe, I don't know, sacrificing a pizza. I'll get on that.

I really love this book. I love the way it looks, I love the way it feels, I love the fact that it exists. It makes me feel like a real girl, because now I can look at my brag shelf and see three Toby books in finished form, all of them there, waiting to be opened. It's amazing. And still a little terrifying.

Release parties start next weekend. Fun for the whole family!

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seanan_mcguire

September 11 2010, 18:27:50 UTC 6 years ago

New comment

Hooray!

I can't wait to see your shelf. :)

September 11 2010, 18:28:00 UTC 6 years ago

Yay!

September 11 2010, 21:42:10 UTC 6 years ago

Feel free!

September 13 2010, 14:53:54 UTC 6 years ago

This is true.

biguglymandoll

September 12 2010, 02:30:23 UTC 6 years ago

I bought mine today, at my local Borders, and I gushed to the nice lady who helped me find it that "and my friend Seanan won the freakin' Campbell last week!" Whereupon the nice lady who helped me find it stopped dead in her tracks and said, "No way! I'm going to have to start reading these! What was the first one called again?" And I mentioned that she'd have to order more, and she mentioned that that really wouldn't be a problem...

Yay Toby! Yay Seanan! ;-)

(Sits down with new Toby book to devour it all night now.)

September 13 2010, 14:54:08 UTC 6 years ago

Awesome!

Thank you!

Got mine, finally.

sasquatch1313

September 12 2010, 04:06:37 UTC 6 years ago

It was the last copy on the shelf at the local B&N. Don't know if that's good or bad under the circumstances. Looking forward to an awesome read.

Re: Got mine, finally.

September 13 2010, 14:54:59 UTC 6 years ago

Woo!

It's good, because it means the store will re-stock. It's bad in the sense that it prevents anyone else from buying it there, but they're usually pretty good about getting more books in when they're selling.

ohari

September 12 2010, 16:41:47 UTC 6 years ago

Because I am a dork, I preordered it from Amazon three times, forgetting that I already had. Not a bad thing, there's no fighting over who gets to read it first, and when we're done there will be two to give away!

:)

September 13 2010, 14:55:10 UTC 6 years ago

See, this works for me... ;)

6 years ago

maryrobinette

September 12 2010, 16:56:34 UTC 6 years ago

I'm just going to say that An Artificial Night is the strongest of the Toby books so far. One of the benefits of narrating for you is that I get to read them MONTHS before everyone else does.

September 13 2010, 14:55:25 UTC 6 years ago

I love it so. It's my favorite of the first three.

Doing Our Bit for Sales Figures

darcy807

September 13 2010, 01:16:40 UTC 6 years ago

We're in West Virginia (medical emergency with Melissa's mom, fortunately not as serious as feared), so we hit the nearest B&N to buy another set of Toby books for her mother and niece. Oddly, they didn't have ALH on hand, so we only bought R&R and AAN. Fortunately, we had brought ALH with us, so we'll leave that here and replace it when we get home (even though we have it on the nook).

Re: Doing Our Bit for Sales Figures

September 13 2010, 14:55:43 UTC 6 years ago

I'm glad Melissa's mom is okay!

Thank you for assisting my sales. :)

enchantedskies

September 13 2010, 04:35:45 UTC 6 years ago

bought it, read it, loved it. ^_^ Now to wait for the next one. By the by, I do love your covers with the dark pictures and the vibrant text. The hot pink on this one was amazing.

September 13 2010, 14:55:58 UTC 6 years ago

Late Eclipses has a lovely shade of purple.

jacylrin

September 13 2010, 16:01:57 UTC 6 years ago

Didn't manage to make it to a bookstore over the weekend to get my own copy of AAN (my 11 year old having absconded with the copy we bought on release day).

I found a friend at work who didn't know of you yet, and will be giving her one of my extra copies of R&R tomorrow since she will VERY much like you, I know :-)

September 14 2010, 15:30:35 UTC 6 years ago

Win and pie!

kay_gmd

September 13 2010, 19:37:46 UTC 6 years ago

High on the list of reasons I know my husband loves me is that he picked up An Artificial Night and handed it to me to read first!!!

So far I'm loving it.

Absolutely no need to panic.

September 14 2010, 15:30:44 UTC 6 years ago

Awesome. :)

textileowl

September 14 2010, 02:46:26 UTC 6 years ago

I had to wait until Amazon dropped off my copy at work, which they did on Saturday!

Beautiful, loved it, will have to read again to fully appreciate it.

I am very interested in the next book. Amandine and the dropped hints in AAN have my gears turning for what's happened in the past and how the future will turn for Toby.