Phoenix was...wow. I don't know where to begin, so I will probably punk out and not say much of anything except for this: It was absolutely wonderful, and I was tickled to see so many friends. Big ups to Kevin Hearne in particular, for organizing a couple of great events (one at the Poison Pen, and one at the Taco Guild), and hearty digital hugs to everyone else. If I tried to link/recap, I would only end up leaving people out and feeling like a jerk. So instead....well...you know who you are, and thank you for being there, and for being fantastic.

For pictures [including MANY GROUP SELFIES] of the past week, click here, scroll down, and be amused .

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Thanks also to all the great folks who came out to my signings; I burned through many copies of Maplecroft and plenty of I Am Princess X - and I am terribly grateful for those of you who helped make that book's debut in Arizona such a smash.

My apologies for running out of the kicky I Am Princess X stickers. We burned through my whole roll at the Poison Pen event.

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SPEAKING OF PRINCESS X. Since it only just came out, less than a week ago - and it was front-and-center while I was out of town - I have a handful of cool links to share. Just a handful! And they're great! I promise!
The LA Times summer books list - IAPX is named one of 30 summer books that kids will gobble up!

Amazon.com chimes in - IAPX is one of their Best Books of the Month for teens and young adults!

Shelf Awareness agrees - IAPX gets a starred review! "In a clever innovation, Priest seamlessly integrates Kali Ciesemier's comics within the prose narrative. Each new episode of Princess X reveals further clues and a terrifying reality for their creator. Ciesemier's portrait of Princess X achieves a sense of both anxiety and bravery."

Thank you to all the fine reviewers out there, fighting the good fight. I am so, so thankful for the kind reception.

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Today is dedicated to unpacking, filing receipts, doing laundry, emptying the inbox, etc. etc. etc. - all the stuff that backs up when you're out of town for the better part of a week. You'd think that with BEA and several conventions going on, my inbox would be a wasteland, but nooooooo. I'm eyeballs deep.

Therefore, I'm wrapping this up quickly - mostly posting it to say, "I'm back! And it was grand! And all is well!" for those who might be wondering. I'll close it out with a critter pic, for Greyson's big, goofy smile was waiting for me last night, when I finally arrived home. Everyone loves a smiling dog, right?