Hellooooo fellow readers!

Many thanks to those of you who have already added my debut novel, NOT IN THE SCRIPT, to your To-Read lists a full year before it’s launched in fall 2014, courtesy of Bloomsbury.

I'm grinning ear to ear and am rather stunned that most of you are strangers. I worried that my mother would be the only one to add this to her shelf, and she hasn't even shown up yet.

While this next year progresses, I figure it might be fun (at least for me) to keep track of the novel's big milestones on Goodreads. So every so often, I'll be adding a few details about important events. Here goes:

April 18, 2013 — The manuscript is sent to Bloomsbury with a good luck kiss thrown from both hands. I then start holding my breath. Sometimes literally.

May 28, 2013 — I am alone at Costco, with a cart full of so much food I can’t remember what’s at the bottom of it, when my phone rings and the caller has a 212 area code. My . . . heart . . . stops. And then it starts racing like a leopard with its tail on fire. I then have—I’m not exaggerating—at least twenty micro thoughts fly through my mind before the first round of my ringtone could even finish: “It could be Bloomsbury! It’s probably a telemarketer. But it could be Bloomsbury! They’re just calling to say I didn’t include a SASE with my manuscript. But, wait, I sent it by email. Maybe they’re calling the wrong author. Maybe, just maybe . . . they actually want to talk to ME.” So I pick up, and it really is Bloomsbury. And the editor really does ask for me. And she really does want to publish NOT IN THE SCRIPT. And I find myself looking around the aisle I’m standing in—surrounded by cases of Muscle Milk and Zip Fizz—and thinking, “I can’t believe this is happening HERE, of all places.” And during all these crazy/stupid thoughts, I’m also wiping away happy/disbelieving tears and talking incoherent nonsense about stuff I hope my editor doesn’t remember . . . and searching desperately for a friend who might walk by because I want someone to share this long-awaited moment with me. But once the phone call was over, I walked as calmly as possible to a check-out lane—doing my best not to hug strangers—where I was asked if I found everything I needed. “That, and a whole lot more,” I replied with so much enthusiasm I probably frightened the cashier. Thank you, Costco! (And Bloomsbury!!)

Summer 2013 — Emails here and there fly back and forth between my agent, my editor, and me about this and that. Not much happening yet, manuscript wise. I spend the summer revising a picture book and another novel—the first in what I hope will be a three book series—and trying to figure out how to tell people about NOT IN THE SCRIPT, which won’t come out for another year, without being obnoxious.

September 18, 2013 — I received my editorial notes today, which are revision suggestions from my editor and an additional editor who has also read NOT IN THE SCRIPT. I am thrilled because their suggestions are fantastic, and not a single thing makes me want to cry. In fact, I get to add more material that I’ve wanted in the book all along but was afraid to add due to word count. Fun, fun, fun stuff! I have four weeks to finish the edits.

Oct 11, 2013 — Today was honestly one of the best days of my life—literally a dream come true. I met my editor, Caroline Abbey, and couldn't have been happier with every little detail about her! She is even more wonderful than any ideal editor I've imagined. And I also met with the fabulous Bloomsbury marketing and publicity team. I felt like Charlie going to Willy Wonka's factory! I was all amazement! It was entirely surreal to think that they were all there to discuss a book *I* wrote. Still pinching myself. And feeling SO lucky and grateful! (And let it be known that Bloomsbury associate editor, Laura Whitaker, is the first person ever to say she had a fangirl moment meeting me! LOL. Totally made my life.)

Oct 21, 2013 — I send my revision off to my editor at 2 AM so it's in her inbox when she arrives at work Monday morning. I couldn't be happier with it. I'm sure it will get even better after line edits, but friends, let me tell you: Every book needs a good editor. We can hold and hug our story and think it's as precious and perfect as our newborns—and send it out into the world that way—or we can allow a skilled editor to dig in and offer suggestions that will make the book more amazing than we'd dared to dream. That's how I feel right now, and I'm incredibly grateful to my awesomely-talented editor, Caroline Abbey, and associate editor Laura Whitaker, for bringing out the best in me, and in my novel. I'm a very lucky girl!

Nov 15, 2013 — I get my line edits from my editor, and have them finished just a few days later. Not a lot to mess with, which is awesome! Can't believe the manuscript is going out for blurbs now. Important people are about to read my book! (Oh, crap! Important people are about to read my book!) Both excited and a little bit terrified.