25 May 2012: I will be meeting up with some other authors to sign books at the Virgin Grands Boulevards bookstore [...]]]> Bonjour à mes lecteurs français! Here is some more information about my upcoming visit to France to celebrate the Livre du Poche edition of Le Livre perdu des sortilèges at the end of May.

25 May 2012: I will be meeting up with some other authors to sign books at the Virgin Grands Boulevards bookstore  in the evening. For the precise time of the event, check the Livre de Poche website, closer to the event. [We just learned that unfortunately, this event has been canceled].

26-28 May 2012: I will be attending the literary festival Etonnants-Voyageurs in St-Malo. At this time, we anticipate there will be a signing and panel each day (Saturday, Sunday and Monday). The schedule of the Festival will be online soon at http://www.etonnants-voyageurs.com/

If I’m not swinging by your home town on this jaunt, remember that we have [...]]]> OK, everybody. Deep breaths. Here is the United States SHADOW OF NIGHT tour schedule for this summer. So far, they have me scheduled to make 19 appearances in 16 US cities in 1 month. Mathematically speaking, that’s a full schedule!

If I’m not swinging by your home town on this jaunt, remember that we have three more of these tours before the end of the trilogy, so don’t despair! PLEASE NOTE: this does not include any foreign tour information (and that includes Canada), because there is no information at this time. When foreign trips are added, I will let you know in an announcement and add them to the EVENTS tab on Facebook. As soon as possible, we will post all tour details here on the webpage, too.

If you are planning to attend an event, I would recommend you check with the bookstores about their signing policies. Understandably, book store owners may not want you to buy my book online and then bring it to their store to be signed. They might require you purchase a book in order to get in the signing line. Personally, I have no problems with signing multiple books or your beloved copies of ADOW—but do check with the stores. I don’t tell them how to run their business!

Finally, if you cannot make it to one of these events but still want a signed copy of SHADOW or ADOW, you can always pre-order and pay for the shipping on a book from one of these stores. Most will take down details for personalization (like “happy birthday Mom!”) if you want the book made out to yourself or someone special, and when I arrive I sign all the pre-orders and they go out in the mail next day. It’s a great way to support bookstores and keep them in our communities. Obviously they cannot send you a signed book before I’ve been there, so keep the timing in mind.

SHADOW OF NIGHT U.S. SUMMER TOUR

23 June 2012, Anaheim, CA (American Library Association Conference), Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA.  2:30 pm [Please note that this is not a public event.  It is open to conference attendees only].

10 July 2012, Petaluma CA (Copperfield’s Books & Music), 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma, CA, 7:00 pm

11 July 2012, Danville, CA (Rakestraw Books) 522 Hartz Ave., Danville, CA, 12:00 noon.  [This is a ticketed event which will cost around $5 to attend, and lunch will be served.  Contact Rakestraw Books for details].

11 July 2012, Palo Alto CA (Books, Inc.), 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA, 7:00 pm

12 July 2012, Los Angeles CA (Barnes &Noble, The Grove), 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 7:00 pm

14 July 2012, San Diego CA (Comic Con), San Diego Convention Center, 11 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA, details to come.

14 July 2012, San Diego CA area (Warwick’s), 7812 Girard Ave.,  La Jolla, CA, 7:30 pm

16 July 2012, Philadelphia PA (Barnes & Noble, Walnut Street), 1805 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 7:00 pm

17 July 2012, West Chester PA (Chester County Books & Music Company), 975 Paoli Pike, West Chester, PA, 7:00 pm

18 July 2012, New York NY (Barnes & Noble, East 86th Street), 150 East 86^th Street, New York, NY, 7:00 pm

19 July 2012, Portsmouth NH (Writers in the Loft), 131 Congress Street, Portsmouth,  NH,  7:00 pm.  [This is a ticketed event.  Click here or contact  the box office of The Music Loft at (603) 436-2400 for more details].

20 July 2012, South Hadley MA (Odyssey Bookshop), , 9 College Street, South Hadley, MA, 7:00 pm

22 July 2012, Cleveland OH area (Cuyahoga County Public Library), 7 Berea Commons, Berea, OH, 2:00 pm

23 July 2012, Nashville, TN (Parnassus), 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville TN, 6:30 pm

24 July 2012, Milwaukee, WI area, (Barnes & Noble Wauwatosa), 2500 N. Mayfair Rd., Wauwatosa, WI, 7:00 pm

25 July 2012, St. Louis MO (St. Louis Public Library, Schlafly Branch), 225 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 7:00 pm

26 July 2012, Pasadena CA (Vroman’s Pasadena), 695 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 7:00 pm

31 July 2012, Houston TX (Murder by the Book), 2342 Bissonett Street, Houston, TX, 6:30 pm

1 August 2012, Albuquerque NM (Bookworks), , 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM, 7:00 pm

2 August 2012, Phoenix AZ area (Poisoned Pen), 4014 N. Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ, 7:00 pm

9 August 2012, Manhattan Beach CA (Pages Bookstore) , 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA, 7:00 pm

I’ve [...]]]> This January, my publisher is sending me to the midwest and south to celebrate the December release of the US paperback A Discovery of Witches. I’ll be visiting four cities: Chicago, Wichita, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Atlanta. Later in the month, I will also be stopping by one of my local independent bookstores in Manhattan Beach.

I’ve added links to the list of bookstores below. Just click on the highlighted portion of each event for more detailed information about times and places.

Many, many of you have been kind enough to express an interest in me coming to your hometown. I am listening, I promise, and so are the people at Viking, Headline, Orbit, and all the other foreign presses. This paperback tour is VERY brief, because I need to be working on SHADOW OF NIGHT for you. A longer tour is planned for the summer. When I have details about the summer tour, I will let you know. Meanwhile, I appreciate your understanding while I perfect my spell for being in two places at the same time!

Chicago Area: Thursday, January 5, 2012, Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson Avenue, Naperville, Illinois 60540, 7:00 pm

Wichita, Kansas: Tuesday, January 17, 2012, Watermark Books & Cafe, 4701 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67218, 7:00 pm

Minneapolis/St. Paul: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, “Club Book”, Washington County Library at Central Park Amphitheater, 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury, MN 55125, 7:00 pm

Atlanta Area: Thursday, January 19, 2012, Barnes & Noble, 2900 Peachtree Road NE Suite 310, Atlanta, GA 30305, 7:00 pm

Southern California: Tuesday, January 24, 2012, Pages Bookstore, 904 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 7:00 pm

(portrait of Margaret Laton, c. 1610, and her jacket from the Victoria & Albert Museum, London)

SHADOW OF NIGHT news: It’s official, the title of the [...]]]> Hello all! This week’s Friday treat is a news roundup. I’m in back-to-school mode, so I’m clearing the decks, dotting my “i”s, and crossing my “t”s.

(portrait of Margaret Laton, c. 1610, and her jacket from the Victoria & Albert Museum, London)

SHADOW OF NIGHT news: It’s official, the title of the book formerly known as book #2 is SHADOW OF NIGHT. According to many web sites and press statements, the release date has been set for Summer 2012. I don’t know anything more than what you’ve read–not the month or the day. But I will of course keep you posted here. I imagine the exact date will get set sometime this autumn. Meanwhile, you can start looking for a tote bag large enough to hold next summer’s big, fat beach read (with vampires…) When the book is available in stores, Viking plans on sending me out to meet readers. It’s way too early to know where I’ll be going, but I’ll keep you posted on that, as well.

THE (POSSIBLE) MOVIE: Yes, it’s also official that Warner Brothers optioned A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and its sequels in July. This means that the movie is now in the early stages of development, which translates into the producers and studio executives being attached to the project. The producers, Denise DiNovi and Alison Greenspan, are now working to secure a director and screenwriter. I have no control over casting, nor do I have veto power over the script. But I trust WB, Denise, and Alison with Diana and Matthew, so you have to try to do so as well! If/when there is news on this front, trust me I will tell you. In related news, today’s Wall Street Journal includes ADOW and SON in their list of contenders to court the Harry Potter crowd.

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: the ride is not yet over, and all around the world readers are getting their first chance to meet Diana and Matthew. I will be attending the Bienal do Livro in Rio de Janeiro in a few days (http://www.bienaldolivro.com.br/). This is a large, biannual literary festival which will give me a chance to meet South American readers. A paperback edition of the book will release in the UK on 29 September (the final video from their series will go up on Tuesday–and it’s WONDERFUL). German and Italian editions are published in October. And the US paperback is scheduled to release on 27 December. I will be going out for a short time to visit a handful of US cities in mid-January. No places/dates are set yet, but the full schedule will appear here and in the EVENTS links (under the picture in the left sidebar). More wonderful news: the book is a finalist for a SCIBA award in the fiction category, and was named to Amazon’s “Best Books of 2011 (so far)” list.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: You may be wondering “What is she DOING all day and why can’t she write faster?” It took me 9 months to write ADOW and Viking Press and me 18 months after that to produce the finished book. Since I’m still working on SHADOW, you can thank the good people at Viking for their willingness to pull out all the stops and try to get it to you so quickly.

Meanwhile, my days are very full–which is just the way I like it. I’m going back into the classroom after a semester of leave, so Monday brings with it the challenges and anticipation of new classes and students. I spend days when I’m not teaching in two ways. In the mornings I do the business of being an author (answering your emails and notes here on facebook and twitter, handling queries and press, working with my ace assistant Jill on schedules and appearances, etc.) and run errands (even authors need milk!). From about 1:00 to the witching hour of midnight I am at my computer writing, revising, and thinking about SHADOW usually with a break for dinner and a glass of wine. Writers can’t write for 18 hours (at least I can’t), and these breaks are crucial to keeping the story fresh and lively. So if you see me on facebook and twitter and wonder “why isn’t she writing?? I want SHADOW YESTERDAY!” remember that letting my brain rest for a bit makes it possible to dream up new adventures and conversations for the characters you love. Because there are only so many hours, you may see longer than usual lag times before I comment on your post or answer your email, however. Thanks for your patience!

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to everybody on facebook, and to those who follow me on twitter, and to readers here on the website, for your support and enthusiasm for Diana, Matthew, and their world. That the story and characters move you and bring happiness to YOUR busy day is truly the reason this writer gets up and goes to the keyboard.