It took me three days to write about ALA because the experience has left me uncharacteristically speechless.  I've mentioned before that the publication process has been surreal for me from the auction of Split through the copyedits through holding the ARCs in my hands.  And, so I expected the same kind of thing with ALA.  After all, things that don't happen in real life were happening:  Knopf flew me out to ALA to go to a party where they were featuring four of their debut novelists...