A New Book on the Shelves

Pardon my excitement. It's been a few years since I've had a novel on the shelves.

The Betrayal came out last week from Del Rey. Sample chapters are online on the website and at Book View Cafe. I'm delighted, and also a bit frazzled, what with appearances, guest blogging, etc. It's all beginning to blur together, but here are some highlights of First Week Frenzy:

- Friends from around the country reporting they've seen the book on "New Fiction" displays in bookstores

- Meeting a reader at a library talk and discovering I was her "first author" (she'd never met one before)

- Getting asked a lot of interesting questions about my fantasy world-building

- Hearing that a reader stayed up late to finish the novel

- Noticing my husband's computer displaying the map I put up on the novel's website (it didn't get into the book)

- Hearing about readers' favorite characters

- Learning what people like about elves

Probably the funniest thing that happened was that I showed up for a reading at a local library with a scene about vampires hunting, not realizing I'd be reading in the children's section. (My audience was half-and-half humans and teddy bears.)

Next week I have a signing at a local bookstore, and I'm inviting folks to come dressed in ælven attire, with a prize to the best outfit. What other fun things have folks seen/done in conjunction with signings?