North of Beautiful: It's Out?!

The Headley's are here! My in-laws came to town for the long weekend. I don't think they were fully expecting a weekend of photo shoots (I hired Jennifer Winter to take pictures of my kids with both sets of grandparents), geocaching, and loooong, cold walks through the Arboretum and around Green Lake. And what did they give me in return? An overnight at my sister's house and empty laundry baskets. My mother-in-law was the laundry fairy. I teared up! How lucky am I?!
I was kicking myself for not timing their visit better to coincide with my book party for North of Beautiful on February 1.

But then...

After claiming a cache in Seattle, we swung into a Barnes & Noble to warm up. I was so busy devouring my friend Nikki Grimes' lyrical new book, BARACK OBAMA: SON OF PROMISE, CHILD OF HOPE, I didn't look what was next to me until my daughter said, "MOM! They have your book!"

Can you spot it on the bookshelf?

And then! What do I find at Mitali Perkins' booksigning but an entire table of my books. May I just say that the jacket designer at Little, Brown--Miss Saho--absolutely rocks? I have been so lucky with my book covers, thanks to Gail Doobinin and her team of geniuses. Thank you!!!

And looky here! My first book sale to a teen reader--none other than Sarah, a devoted readergirlz member who spoke so eloquently about the power of books while she recovered from all her surgeries on KING 5 when we celebrated Operation Teen Book Drop back in April '08. I couldn't think of a more beautiful girl to hold my first book sale.

Today I am grateful for teens who thrill in the power of story. And booksellers who work so hard to get books into the right hands.