I'm still here, and the house is almost back to normal! All I need now is to fix some damage to the patio, and then get the concrete landing regraded - but these things are relatively simple, and they can wait. Everything inside has been returned to its proper place. And that's the important bit for now.

Anyway, order restoration aside - it's been a busy week...but most of the stuff that's occupying my time is stuff I can't talk about. To be nice and vague about it: 'Tis the pitch and proposal season. Likewise, I'm still working on publicity/marketing stuff for I Am Princess X - which debuts at the end of this month. [:: waves pompoms ::] [:: fires tee-shirt cannon ::]

Word on this one is really getting around - and in addition to the three starred reviews it earned from the trades (PW, Booklist, and School Library Review) ... real-life reader reviews are filtering out onto the net. At first I was worried about the early reader reviews, because the ARC of this book was missing about 90% of the artwork for the webcomic that threads through it; and I'd been a little concerned that the pacing felt weird without the illustrations.

But lucky for me, the early chatter is actually pretty great :)
[:: throws confetti ::]

Shelf Awareness - "In a clever innovation, Priest effortlessly integrates the comics within the prose narrative. Each new episode of Princess X reveals further clues and a terrifying reality for whomever is behind them."

Booklist Reader - "Looking for a smart, hip mystery to hand to teens who want something a little different? Cherie Priest’s I Am Princess X (May 2015) is just what the librarian ordered!...Part prose, part comic, this will lure in readers and trust me, once started, this a book that can’t be put down."

Bustle.com - (Named it one of May's best YA books.) "I Am Princess X makes full use of the hybrid novel-comic form, which is just amazing, and its meditations of Internet culture push it even further over the edge of coolness."

PopCrush.com - (Also named it one of May's best YAs.) "Speaking of nerdy YA, this one's getting down with its dorky side too, as well as feeding into the Missing BFF mystery theme that's been cropping up in YA lit lately...This YA debut from a seasoned science-fiction author is definitely going to be a home run for the genre this month."



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Don't forget, pre-orders are important for authors! We appreciate them tremendously! Please consider pre-ordering!

I Am Princess X at Amazon.com - and for Kindle
I Am Princess X at Barnes & Noble - and for Nook at
I Am Princess X at an independent bookseller near you

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Right! So. Enough shilling from me, for now. I always feel weird doing it - which doesn't stop me, no, because it's part of my job - but I also figure that this blog is about me and my life and what's going on. Well ... this is what's going on: drainage problems and book promotion.

So for the sake of symmetry, here's a picture of the formerly soaked/ruined den, returned to its former glory. During the freak flash flood, we had water all the way up to those windows behind the couch. It was awful. Half the floor had to come out.



(Note: Our home backs up to a mountain; the front of the house is probably 15-20 feet above street level, but the back is set into the slope. Usually, water just runs off the hill and parts around the house...but we got a deluge, and combined with some bad DIY gutters from ages past, we got soaked.)

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Hmm...what else? The pets are just fine. The pooch is coming up due for his annual summer haircut, which reminds me, when I'm finished here I'm going to call the groomer. The days are heating up, and so is he. My poor fluffy black snow-dog, bless his heart. He's so much happier this time of year when he's virtually naked.

As for the little old cat, she's also doing well. The anti-anxiety meds, the pheromone collar, and the change of kibble have really worked wonders - much to everyone's relief. She's back to her queenly old self. Did I say "queenly"? I might've also used the words "adorably obnoxious."



So that's all for now. I'm not sure when I'll get back to the daily wordcount grind, as this week has me running around doing other writer-business-errands; but I'll do my best to get back to The Toll sooner, rather than later.

Have a good one, folks - and thanks for reading!