The Miami Book Fair is coming up and I was just asked to introduce two great authors Joan Biscupic (Biography of Justice Scalia) and Barry Friedman (The Will of the People) who will be doing a panel talk on Satuday afternoon.  Seems that I was chosen since I am both a lawyer and author, so I guess the law degree comes in handy even for promoting my new writing career. 

Anyway, now the important decision will be...what to wear?  The event is being taped by C-SPAN Book TV and so the question becomes even more critical (although I will probably be edited out of the taping).  My wonderful Tenner cohorts have suggested I do the following:  wear a tweed sportsjacket with elbow patches and a monocle, carry a pipe, sit by a fireplace and play some background mood music. 

Hmm, methinks I will definitely stand out... but not in a good way!  A thorough scan of my closet (and that of my sister's) may be in order.  Perhaps even a bit of retail therapy will be necessary.

Regardless, I hope everyone in the Miami area comes out for this wonderful event.  There's something for everyone (from kids to monocled, tweed-sportsjacketed, pipe-smoking book lovers).  Here are some pictures from past years (from the fair's website).

Here are ten things I've learned in the past few days...

1)  A Blackberry is not waterproof (yes... you know this is going to be bad when I start with that).

2) Pushing someone in the pool on a hot Florida day is funny.

3) Pushing your husband into the pool is even funnier.

4) Pushing your husband into the pool while he's holding his Blackberry is NOT funny.

5) Finding out that all the information on said Blackberry has not been backed-up is even less funny.

6) Having no insurance on the phone means forking out lots of moolah for a brand new Blackberry (needless to say, NOT FUNNY)

7) Having the guy at phone center tell you that all the info stored on the phone (90% of everything) is lost and only the few numbers on the SIM card can be retrieved is...well, it's depressing.

8) Being told to stick the phone in a bag of rice for a few days in the hopes that it will somehow work is hilarious (also sounds like a bit of voodoo magic).

9) Going home immediately and putting the phone in rice anyway...funny.

10) Two days later, taking the phone out,shaking out the grains of rice, pressing the on button and seeing the darn thing come to life again...FREAKIN' CRAZY!

So the lesson learned is... always check before pushing someone in the pool and have a bag of rice close by if you forget.

Over at Chick Lit Teens www.chicklitteens.com/2009/10/birthday-extravaganza-christina-diaz.html there's an interview with yours truly.  Check it out and find out things like why I wrote The Red Umbrella and what's my favorite adjective.

For all my non-writer friends, ARCs are Advance Reader's Copy and they are sent out to reviewers before the book is actually available for sale.  This is actually the very first time I see my book as a...well, you know...book! I am so excited! Thrilled! Over the moon! Ecstatic! I've even been acting a little like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings (yes, caressing the ARC and calling it "precious").  Random House and my fabulous editor also sent me my jacket flap which is glossy and pretty and beautiful...I could go on and on.  Oh yeah, it's "pre-e-e-ecious".

Today I'm posting Danielle Joesph's blog on my site.  Seems her book is about to go on backorder (sold out her print run in only a few months) and the publisher isn't sure if they should print more.  I say...OF COURSE MORE COPIES SHOULD BE PRINTED!  Danielle is just getting started and will be doing school visits, book fairs, and conferences.  Her book will sell out a second printing and then some.  SO, what can you do about this?  Read her post below and help generate some buzz!

                                                                                              *********************


SAVE SHRINKING VIOLET!
Help Tere keep her voice!

What is Shrinking Violet? It's a young adult novel about an extremely shy high school senior trying to find her voice and reach her dream of becoming a DJ, despite the obstacles that stand in her way.

The book is about to go on back order and in order for more copies to be printed, more people have to place orders for the book.

So here's how you can help:
Please tell anyone that you think might be interested to place an order now before it's too late. Guys, girls, grandmas. grandpas, you're never too old to read humorous teen fiction!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416596968

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416596967

I'm also running a contest for those that want to have some fun! There will be four winners, each receiving a $25 gift certificate to iTunes or the bookstore of their choice.

So how can you win?
1. Post a review of Shrinking Violet on Amazon.com or B & N.com 2 points
2 Blog, Tweet or Facebook about the Save Shrinking Violet Campaign 1 point for each mention
3. Take a picture of yourself wearing a sweater and mimicking the book's cover (you must have the book in the photo too). 2 points

Contest begins at 11pm on Thursday, September 24, 2009 and ends at 11pm on Thurday, October 15, 2009.
After you enter, you can either email me at danielle@daniellejoseph.com or leave me a comment here.

Much love,
Danielle

Admit it...we've all done it ...we've googled our names to see what comes up.  I registered my name and book title with Google Alert (it does the googling for me) and look what popped up. 

I'm on the Random House website!  I know, I know, this shouldn't be surprise.  After all, they are publishing my book and everything...but still!  Random House has me on their website with an awesome book summary and author info!  Breathe, okay, feeling better.  Nope, I'm giddy all over again.  Great way to start a Monday!

Today I had an incredible breakfast with about 60 Pedro Pan "kids" (most are about 60 years old now).  For those of you who don't know, Operation Pedro Pan was a secret plan where, in the span of two years (1960-1962), the parents of over 14,000 Cuban children made the heart-breaking decision to send their kids to the US, alone, in order to escape Castro's communist revolution.  This is what my book, THE RED UMBRELLA, is based upon.

Anyway, I was invited to the group's monthly breakfast meeting  (www.pedropan.org ) because a few members wanted to talk to me about my upcoming book and the November release of my book trailer.  I didn't expect to address the whole group and I certainly didn't expect the incredible reception everyone gave me.  People were congratulating me on finally having told their story in a format where young readers will learn what happened to so many.  There were people wanting to pre-order the book now (even though the release is eight months away) and others saying how they will be buying several copies to give to all their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.  WOW!  I was inundated with love and they haven't even read the book yet (hope I live up to their expectations).

I definitely want to do more things like this.  Even though my book is geared toward the 12+ age group and I will be doing school visits and talking to teens/pre-teens in different forums, I hope adults also enjoy reading it.  Especially those adults that, for a variety of reasons, have been separated from their family at a young age.

This was a very inspiring day!  YAY!

  

Here it is folks!   The book cover for The Red Umbrella.  My editor told me I could go ahead and share it because it has been getting a great response from the the powers-that-be over at Random House and Knopf.  So, of course, I'm sharing it with just a few people.   :-)

Personally, I love it!  Let me know what you think.

After a few days of recovering from my American Southwest Adventure (aka this year's summer vacation) I am ready to get back to ordinary life...NOT!  The past week was incredibly fun and exciting for me...it was a week of firsts. 

It was the first time I went white water rafting (that's me in the middle on the right side - in front of the lady trying to stand up -- silly lady).



It was the first time I saw the Grand Canyon (amazingly beautiful even if it was a bit frightening for people like moi who get nervous-- alright downright petrified-- of standing on the edge of anything remotely high),



it was the first time I rode a horse as an adult (last time I did this I was a teen),


the first time I helped prop up a boulder (okay there may be a little photo magic here),



and it was the first (possibly the last) time I jumped off the edge of a 25 foot cliff into a swimming hole (remember, I'm the one who is afraid of heights!) --  and no this is not the actual picture because I'm not crazy enough (or brave enough) to put a picture of myself in a swimsuit on the internet!
   

Then I did something really nerve-racking... I visited independent bookstores and talked to the owners about my book which comes out next May.  Here I am at Arches Book Company and the Well Red Coyote.  Later in the year, I 'll be featuring the different bookstores I visit and their owners/booksellers as part of my blog/website.

                  

So now I'm ready to start a new adventure... except this time my characters will be doing all the fun stuff (I just get to write about it)!


 

In the last couple of days I've read some great books from fellow Knopf authors.  First I went to my local bookstore and bought Kurtis Scaletta's Mudville (it was the last copy they had --- I told them they needed to order more) and I got the ARC of Three Rivers Rising from fellow debut author Jame RIchards.  All I can say is that I am so happy to be with a house that produces such great books!  Here I am holding these two awesome books.

Today I sent the master pages back to my publisher and I'm having a little withdrawal.   Is this what it will feel like when the kids grow-up and leave for college?  I'm very proud of those 200+ pages (my how they've grown and matured over the last year), but now they are beyond my influence and control...*sniff* they are so grown-up!  The next time I see them they will be a real book. 

Don't get me wrong, I've been waiting for this time for a while.  I'm very excited and can't wait to see my ARC (advance reader's copy---- I know how much my non-writing friends love it when I explain these terms).  Yet, the moment is a touch bittersweet.  Hmm, bittersweet... I bet chocolate can make me feel better.  I can use chocolate for celebration or as a comfort food.  Sorry...I got side-tracked there. 

So, today I'm going to think of those early days when The Red Umbrella was only an idea bouncing around in my head.  Tomorrow I'll start on my work-in-progress again, but for now... just pass me some Oreos.

Well, I'm almost done with my copyedits (or is that copy edits... see I need a copyeditor for just that word!) and it isn't too bad of a process.  Yes, I feel like an idiot for my total lack of knowledge when it comes to the proper use of commas, but then again, I'm not a copyeditor.  (Did that sentence require an additional comma after "but"?)  The bright side is that there was one page (yes, only one out of 200+pages .... don't laugh) that did not have a single red mark on it.  Here's the page...

Wait for it...



Ta-da!!!!!!






Yes, there are only two lines on that page, but that's two good lines and I'm proud of them!



Ahhh, the truth about writing!

The nice UPS guy just dropped off a package from Random House (I really should learn his name and not call him the nice UPS guy) and inside werer my copyedits!  For those of my friends not involved in the writing community, copyedits are the corrections/suggestions made by the copyeditor (duh!) about grammar and inconsistencies in the book etc.  I now take a look and see if I agree or disagree with their comments.  All I can say is that I must have failed the test on commas in middle-school because, oh my, a ton of them were missing!
So far I've agreed with almost every little red mark/comment made (but I'm only up to page 15), but I really need to read carefully as this book will now be in its almost final stage.  As my fantastic editor puts it... "it's not your absolute last time with [the book], just your last time before lots and lots of people will read it!" And by that she is referring to all the reviewers. 

Eeek... this is really happening people! 

So, I'm thinking of going to the areas of the  Grand Canyon/ Moab / Sedona with the family this summer.  Any suggestions on things I MUST do or places I should visit.  I'd like to go horseback riding, river rafting (a very tame part of the river - please) and obviously see the beautiful scenery.  I've heard of the Pink Jeep tours in Sedona, but I'm looking for more advice. 

Want to share your knowledge of the area?

Is it fair that the Hershey Miniature packs now come in Dark Chocolate?  I mean there were always a few special dark chocolates mixed in with the milk chocolate, the krackel and the Mr. Goodbar minis


... but not a pack exclusively with dark chocolate.  This is going to be my saving grace or my downfall!  I am rewarding myself for every 30 minutes of writing by going to the refrigerator and grabbing a dark chocolate miniature (they come in special dark, dark with krispies and dark with peanuts). 

Just this afternoon I've had about six... okay, maybe like eight.... fine there are twelve empty wrappers, but I have no idea how they all got there!  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) 

In about eleven months (11 months, 7 days to be exact) The Red Umbrella will be officially released.  Yep, May 12, 2010 is THE day, but already the book is starting to take shape.  Several things have happened in the last few days...

1) My author picture for the book jacket has been chosen (it's the one I'm now using as my blog profile picture)
 
2) Copy edits have been sent for my review (although I haven't received them yet)

3) My amazing and fabulous editor (I don't say that because she might one day read this... I really do think she is fantastic) had her launch meeting with the sales and marketing team at Random House and things seem  to have gone well (not sure what that means exactly... but we'll find out in a few weeks)

and

4) I got a peak at how my book jacket will be written up and I love it!  It is finally sinking in... I'm going to be published!

There are still a few big items pending... namely my cover art,  but I'm sure that will be done relatively soon. 

So, now I'm going into the summer (kids got out of school today) all jazzed up about writing.  I hope this translates into my finishing my second novel in the next couple of months.  We'll see.

Hope your summer is starting on good note too!

Last week it was time for me to "smile and say cheese".  Yes, it was time to take the dreaded author pictures.  The time I spent thinking about what to wear, how much make-up I should wear (should a professional do it), how I should pose, where I should take the pictures... well it was all for nothing. 

I found the most amazing photographer (dare I say magician) - Shanna Nye- who told me just to relax.  She suggested I wear something I feel comfortable wearing (my answer --tank top and white pants), do my make-up like if I were going out to a nice dinner (easy enough to do), that she'd take the pictures at my house (we did them outside on my porch) and for me to relax and not pose (what?  not pose?  no tilt your head, sit up straight, say cheese?).  She also said that she'd be over in a few hours which meant I needed to hurry up and wash/blow dry my hair (no time for a hairdresser).

Well, the results were amazing!  I have never, ever, in all my days photographed so well.  I think Shanna Nye worked some magic spell with her camera... seriously. I could not have asked for a better experience and the pictures are great.  If anyone out there is thinking of having pictures taken (she does some amazing work with babies and kids) you need to contact Shanna.  Her website is www.shannanyephoto.com .  Well, without further delay these are the pics I chose (one for my book, the others are for publicity).


   

   

  

Go check it out at www.christinagonzalez.com. Seriously, drag the mouse over the link and check it out. Then tell me what you think (good, bad or just a shout out to say you visited).

I will be updating the site with my author pictures (once I take them) and some slightly embarrasing pictures of me growing up (once I dig through some photo albums--- old high school friends beware - you may pop up in these photos, too). I will also post an excerpt from my book once I get the green light from Random House, but until then check out the playlist I made for The Red Umbrella (it's under the Books category). It's got some great Cuban music and some oldies from the early '60's. A great way to start the weekend!


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That was at the heart of a two day "think tank" I was involved with last week (it was sponsored by NBC Universal and Telemundo).  I was flown up to New York City because of my unique perspective (daughter of Cuban parents writing for today's teens about their grandparent's generation, specifically my book The Red Umbrella) and I met with a wonderful group of Hispanic leaders (from the entertainment industry, business, religion, political life).  All total there were about twenty of us and we had to envision the future and then "see" the different subgroups that would emerge within the Latino community.  Wow, was I impressed with what I heard.  There were funny anecdotes about the ever increasing population of non-cooking Latina women (a more Americanized version of the traditional Latin female who would prepare a three course meal every evening --- I personally think take-out is a wonderful thing) and the emergence of third/fourth generation Latins wanting to rediscover their heritage since they would now be in the majority. All said, there were over fifteen sub-categories that we visualized. 

This all gives me a much greater understanding about what Hispanic kids born today might be encountering in the future.  What we might all be facing fifteen years from now.  I feel so fortunate to have been asked to be a member of this "Latino Leadership Consortium" and can't wait to see where it goes from here. 

Plus, visiting NYC and meeting so many exceptional people is one of the best perks of my writing career thus far.  AND, as the song says, the best is yet to come!