Well, I'm not gonna lie. It's been a rough month indeed as Eytan and I sit daily at the foot of my mom's bed and try to bang out pages (from our third book) as fast as she can read 'em. When the smoke clears I'll be writing about some the more interesting aspects of this oddly perfect storm of dying, deliverables, and bucket lists versus f@#! it lists. In the meantime I've managed to corral a few authors to drop in and leave some of their insights and experiences about finally getting published. This week it's a dear friend of mine from Northern California, named Gail Carriger who recently had her first book, Soulless, published. I'm also proud to report that less than one month out it's already on its second reprint! Go Gail. And lastly, I'd just like to say that I'm finding the book an absolute joy to read. Paranormal romantic steampunk novels are not my cup of tea (case in point: this would be my first) but such is the way of things in new authordom (as in any industry) - you link me, I link you. The danger of course, is what happens if you hate theirs? Fortunately, in this case, that wasn't the case. 

So without further ado, welcome to Gail's fantastic voyage.

And as usual thanks for listening,

Dani


First Shelf Sighting ~ Gail Carriger
 
The first time I saw my book on a shelf in a bookstore it wasn't in person. Instead, there it was, blurred by cell phone camera inefficiency, taken by one of my twitter followers in Minnesota. It was a week before Soulless was supposed to be released, so both she and I were taken entirely unawares and understandably confused.
 
Well, it turns out, bookstores can do that with certain books: shelve 'em when they get 'em. No gag order. Mine was one of those books.
 
A small but enthusiastic following had been anticipating Soulless, and they we quite a buzz to find it arriving early. Suddenly, the spies-I-didn't-know-I-had went to work and began reporting in from around the country. Soulless spotted in Indiana! In Texas! In New York! Thousands panic! (Oh, wait, different headline.) And then, finally, a dear friend snapped a shot if it in my home state of California.
 
A day or so later I was out shopping with a couple of girlfriends, as you do. We were consuming those Vietnamese beverages with the black tapioca in them, affectionately referred to by me as "Drinks with Stuff!" This process, three shopping females plus drinkies, involves much chittering and slurping and sideways perambulations. And thus engaged, we wandered by a Borders.
 
"Ooo," says I, "can we go in and see if they have my book?"
 
And so we do. And there it was! The chittering and the slurping became more enthusiastic as a result, which attracted the attention of one of the green t-shirted staff.
 
"Can I help you?" says she.
 
"That's my book!" I crow.
 
"Would you like to sign it?" says she. Crazy authors, she's thinking.
 
"Really? Of course! I'd love to."
 
And so she disappears and returns with a whole stack for me to sign, right there: Drink with Stuff! in one hand, cheap pen in the other.
 
As we leave the store one of my friends keeps saying. "I can't believe they didn't' ask you for ID or anything."
 
"Oh, of course," says I, "because there's a mad plague of crooks masquerading as small time authors dashing into unsuspecting stores and demanding to sign books they haven't written."
 
"Well, fine. But it'd be pretty funny if there were."
 
And with that I leave you to ponder what is obviously an untapped criminal market.
 
~ GC