Big news and to-do's

Hi everyone,

I tried to post all day yesterday and stupid blogger wouldn't let me. Here's hoping I have better luck today.

So...which do you want first, the news or the to-do?

Okay, news it is!

You know how I was saying a few weeks ago that I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU wasn't technically a "best seller"? Well that no longer applies if you live in Austin, Texas!

That's right! The Austin American Statesman (my new favorite news source) begs to disagree. See!


CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
1. 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' J.K. Rowling
2. 'Sealed With a Diss,' Lisi Harrison
3. 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,' J.K. Rowling
4. 'House of the Scorpion,' Nancy Farmer
5. 'The Titan's Curse,' Rick Riordan
6. 'A Wrinkle in Time,' Madeleine L'Engle
7. 'I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You,' Ally Carter
8. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' J.K. Rowling
9. 'Touching Spirit Bear,' Ben Mikaelsen
10. 'The Lightning Thief,' Rick Riordan

Rankings for the week ending July 14

Yep. There I am, hanging out with my friends J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan.

We're on the list together...

I'm one of them...

Those are my people...

My peers...

My co-bestsellers.

So thank you, Austin! And by all means, stay weird!

But does the big news end there? Oh no. Publisher's Weekly has named their Big Kids Books for Fall and guess what's on it? Okay. I'll give you a hint.

| October 2 |

Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer (Atheneum, $18.99). 500,000 copies.

Gossip Girl: It Had to Be You by Cecily von Ziegesar (Little, Brown, $16.99). 300,000 copies.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld (SimonPulse, $16.99). 200,000 copies.

Santa's Reindeer by Rod Green (Atheneum, $16.99). 200,000 copies.

The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov (Hyperion, $16.99). 125,000 copies.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (Hyperion, $16.99). 125,000 copies.

Counting Christmas by Karen Katz (Little Simon, $7.99). 100,000 copies.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter (Hyperion, $16.99). 100,000 copies.

Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Hyperion, $16.99). 100,000 copies.

See! There I am am again, hanging out with the cool kids!

When are these people going to realize I don't belong there? Seriously. I almost always have Diet Coke stains on my shirts, and my fingernail cuticles are disgusting, and...

I mean seriously--a Kennedy? No way do I belong on a list with a Kennedy, people.

And holy cow! 100,000 copies?!?!?! Let's just say that you guys had seriously mean it when you say that you're going to buy Cross My Heart. And your friends had better buy it too. Or else Scott Westerfeld, Bobby Kennedy, and Cecily von Ziegesar are totally going to kick me out of their club.

Now on to the to-dos!

I'm proud to officially announce that there's going to be a CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY launch party on October 2nd at 7:00 at the Barnes and Noble at 5231 East 41st Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma!!!

That's right. This isn't an ordinary signing. Oh no. It's a party. Which probably means cake. (oh, heck, there's no probably about it--I'm totally bringing cake!) And laughing. And maybe even a helium filled balloon or two.

Party, people! Party.

So please mark your calendars and if you live in the NE Oklahoma area, please plan to come and hang out and get your very own copy of the book.

And hey, there are only going to be 100,000 copies to start, so you may want to get there early just to make sure they don't run out...

Oh, but on a serious note, having everyone buy at the SAME TIME (meaning the same week) is the best possible way to get on other bestseller lists... Just in case you were wondering (hint hint).

Have a great day! I know I am.


Ally