So, I bought this button making machine a while back so that I could make buttons for my books to give out as promotional materials at the various cons and faires I was going to this summer and fall. Question: How many authors does it take to work a button press? Well, apparently the answer is "more than two". That's right. An and I could not figure the darn thing out! Looks like there will be no buttons for our zombies to give out this weekend. Boo. But they will still have bookmarks! So there's at least that I suppose.

That's right everyone. This weekend when An and I are at Indigo at Bay and Bloor, we will have actual zombies walking around. I will definitely have pictures of all of this awesomeness to show you. We will be there on Saturday from 12-4.

In other news, I spent a bit of this evening going through all my old blog entries. My goodness how things have changed! I had to laugh when I said in an older entry that The Dybbuk's Mirror would be coming out in early 2013. Then I had absolutely no idea that I would be picked up by Prizm for my Hadariah books, or that I would have Bath Salts out and Sitnalta on the way. With the new year coming up next month, I have to take a moment and be so thankful for all that I have accomplished here. It really is astonishing, and I am amazed at how far everything has come. For that I have everyone who has read my books, helped me with them and has just been there for me. So thank you.

Next month also has Angelwalk's next show opening. If you haven't seen or heard of Tick...Tick... Boom! I encourage you to please check it out. It is written by Jonathon Larson who wrote Rent and is a great little show. Check out more details here. I am once again doing props, and am so excited to be working with Tim French as director once more. I last worked with him on Altar Boyz and I had a small little contribution on [title of show] ( I think I loaned a purse). So it's great to be back with him. Check out the whole season. It's sure to be great! 

My crazy busy summer is definitely full to overflowing with things I need to get done, and things I've committed to doing. And to top it all off, I've become an Arbonne consultant. First of all I love the products, second of all, some people I respect very much have taken me under their wing and I have met so many amazing people and heard so many fascinating stories, which, money aside, as a writer is just incredible. I have never seen such a close-knit group who support each other's endeavours so whole-heartedly.

Back to writing! My chair that I had in my office was an old chair I got from my Bubbie Minnie. She was my dad's mom and I took her chair. It looks like an old wooden dining room chair with mustard yellow corduroy on the seat cushion. Not great for sitting for long periods of time at a desk in front of a computer. So today, while my husband and I were at Staples, I found a new chair and just bit the bullet and bought it. So far, my back thanks me.

More exciting news! An and I are having our official book launch this Saturday at Milestones at Empress Walk (5095 Yonge Street) between 2-4 pm. If you're in the GTA, stop on by! I'd also like to give a giant "thank you" to Milestones for sponsoring our launch. Guys! We have a sponsor! This is too awesome!

I am still making progress on the third Hadariah book and the sequel for Sitnalta. Slow and steady everyone. Maybe now that I can sit for longer at my desk, I'll stop it with the lame excuses. Okay, my chair and Candy Crush. That game is pure evil.

Well summer is gearing up to be a busy busy time! An and I will have a very exciting announcement coming up about a Bath Salts launch party this month. Stay tuned for that! You will not want to miss it if you're in the Toronto Area. It's sure to be a wild time. No one throws a party like An Tran, and with the two of us colluding on it, well... hilarity should ensue! Preliminary plans involve food, drinks, and zombies walking around. Now we just need to find zombies...

Speaking of zombies, we have officially signed up for Toronto's Zombie Walk as vendors for this October! I know it seems like a long time away, but you have to plan ahead. I am excited about this one! Me, An, and thousands o zombies set loose on the streets of Toronto. I have been practising my makeup application to look sufficiently zombie-like. I think I may have to go with the stage makeup look I did on myself when I played Beth in Little Women as she was dying horribly. It looked sickly from the audience point of view with the stage lights, but up close, everyone said I looked like a member of the undead.

Also coming up this summer, An and I will be returning to The Pirate Festival! Yaar! We will be selling both Bath Salts and the new Prizm Books version of The Strings of the Violin. Come on down and see us in full pirate wench garb in our awesome tent! Later that month we will be official guests at the Toronto FanExpo along with Max Brooks (so excited about that!), Lena Heady, and George Takei! Norman Reedus will be back, as well as his Walking Dead brother Michael Rooker.

As for my other books, Book Three of the Hadariah chronicles is underway, I have started a sequel to Sitnalta, and I have a new novel idea that will be set in Sitnalta's universe tentatively title The City of Arches. Also, Sitnalta is scheduled for release this August as well. I have been having weekly phone meetings with my Pandamoon editor, and everything is right on track. I am so excited!

This month is also the Toronto Fringe Festival, and like every year I have a whole list of shows I'd love to see there, and hopefully I will get to at least most of them, if not all. There seems to be quite a few Shakespearean spoofs going on this year, one of which has puppets. I have to say that this intrigues me...

I know that this blog is a bit disjointed today, but I am feeling a bit disjointed. Apparently I somehow managed to perforate my eardrum. How did I do this? When did it happen? The weird thing is that I have no clue! I think I'll blame the triplets. It seems like the simplest answer. It's just one of those things.

In the land of disjointed entries, this is where I will put my estimate for a release date for The Dybbuk's Mirror I'm going to say that I hope to have it out by early 2014. Should all go well with The Strings of the Violin (Out now! Get your copy!) this seems reasonable to me.

Oh! Also August, The Canadian Jewish News will resume printing! I don't know how many of you know what was going on, but The CJN had to stop printing due to budget issues. There was a public outcry, and lots of public support rallied, and now our paper is back! Coming up in the August edition, I was interviewed by one of their reporters, and this interview will be printed there. It's amazing what we can accomplish if we band together. Eh?

Tomorrow is the big day! Bath Salts is being released by Severed Press for purchase as an ebook. A hardcopy will be available as well, but we are a tad unsure of the date that's happening. Yay! Come tomorrow I can officially call myself a commercially published author! An can as well, and we are both over the moon!

We are celebrating our success tonight by going to see Night of the Living Dead Live at Theatre Passe Muraille. It's fitting, non? We thought so.

In other news, I have a legitimate work space at home again. My office had become the "let's store stuff in here so it's out of the way room. With all the projects I'm working on, that became a tad impractical. The family room couch is not conducive to writing. I have a desk again! And bookshelves! And a futon! Now all I need is a proper desk chair. The one I have is literally fifty years old and made of wood. It's not working for me.

I had my first phone meeting with Pandamoon Publishing about Sitnalta and there is a lot of exciting things in the pipeline for that book. The Strings of the Violin is almost done it's next to last round of edits, and I am almost at 15,000 words with the third Hadariah book's first draft. Yay for productivity!

In non-book related news, I am loving the props work on I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. (How much do you love the title of this show?) We open next week, and it is going to be awesome! Seriously, check it out if you're in Toronto. Go here. Also there you will see what's up for next season, and can I say "WOW!" tick... tick... BOOM!, Stars of David, The Life is Sweet Project, and Liza and Babs! So much excitement!

But really, tomorrow, BATH SALTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basically, this small announcement is one I am very excited about! I have all three of my upcoming release dates! Bath Salts is coming up fast with the ebook ready to drop on May 10, 2013. The paperback edition will follow shortly after that. One week to go! Yikes! There is much to do to get ready for this.

The Strings of the Violin will follow shortly after that with a release date of June 26, 2013. I will be having an online launch party with contests and games. 

After that comes Sitnalta which is being released on August 27, 2013. This is definitely shaping up to be a very busy summer. Lots to do, things to plan, and celebrating to be done! 

As if I don't have enough on my plate, I am props manager for Angelwalk Theatre and KooGle's coproduction of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. This loads in to the theatre tomorrow, and show week continues from then. Oy. It looks to be an amazing show. If you're in the Toronto area between May 14- June 2 you should definitely check it out. (An says she's probably going four times!) Tickets are available here.