Spain!!!

A Taste For Red will be published in Spanish and Catalan by Macmillan Spain! Fantastico!
And a big shout out to all of the terrific students and faculty at Desoto Trail Elementary School. I had a great time. I loved seeing so many students dressed up as their favorite book characters; it was like Halloween all over again--which is a good thing.

Tallahassee Democrat

This week the Tallahassee Democrat printed a very nice article featuring myself and A Taste For Red. The reporter, Kathleen Laufenberg, drove out to the house and delved deep into the shallows of my writerly process. She managed to make me look and sound way cooler than I actually am, but I do deserve some credit since I constantly mentioned the heights of my coolness during the interview. You can check out the piece online at this little link here as well as a short video where I'm sounding a wee bit authorly and sporting an overly round head.

Making Svetlana Grimm

This is not a brand-spanking new video, but I wanted to see how Vimeo loaded on the blog.

Making Svetlana Grimm from lewis harris on Vimeo.

School Library Journal and Booklist Reviews

A Taste For Red scored two very nice reviews this week.

Booklist declared "In the glut of novels about vampires and other supernatural beings, it's refreshing to find such a slim, sharp tale....A tasty read indeed" while School Library Journal predicted that the book is "Sure to be a crowd-pleaser..."

I certainly hope so.

I'm receiving terrific feedback from readers at my website. I love to see the nice reviews in the press, but a note from a happy reader is the absolute best. I certainly appreciate hearing from all the students who have written to say how much they have enjoyed Svetlana's adventure.

Thanks!

A Taste For Red Down Under

Here are some things (off the top of my head) that I like about Australia: Baz Luhrmann, Mel Gibson, George Miller, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, David Gulpilil---and I could go on, but you get the idea: most of what I know about Australia can be rented at Blockbuster. Is this my fault? Probably. But if I try...I think I can name all the territories: Queensland, New South Wales, (um........) Victoria, (um.......) Northwest Territory, Southern Territory, (um.........) Tazmania, (um.......)(um.......)(um.......)
Okay--I can't think of anymore. So now it's time to Google and see where I went wrong!
(minutes later)
Hey--not too bad. I forgot Australian Capital Territory (it only looks as big as my little toenail), and I falsely merged Northern Territory and Western Australia into one. And misspelled Tasmania. And I called South Australia 'Southern Territory'--is that bad? So maybe I didn't do so well, either.
But I've recently discovered another nice thing about Australia: Tania McCartney. She's given my book a terrific write up on Australian Women Online. So check it out .

Back From....?

Vacation? Yep...I'll definitely have to call it that (South Beach and Key West--beautiful!). And what did I do on vacation? Almost nothing...so nice. Good books, great food, palm trees, bicycles, swimming pools, big hats, SPF 50 sun protection...ahhh.

But now it's time to get back to work. Only I'm not sure what that means, or even where to start.

Maybe I should write something.

New Writers Event in Orlando 7/11/09

I'll be in Orlando, Florida on June 11 at the Barnes and Noble Colonial for a New Writers Event featuring Florida authors Judy Lindquist, Lola Wert, Melinda Driscoll, Ginger Bryant, Doris Bloodsworth, Antone Christopher, Reg Ivory, and myself. The event is Saturday afternoon between 1-3pm, so if you're in the Orlando area please stop by and say hi. I'll be signing copies of A Taste For Red and wearing my good shoes and a brand new shirt. Maybe new pants, too. My partner and I are still arguing about the pants.

Book Advances

I was happy with my book advance, and would have been happy with less. Or more. The great thing about selling a first book is that IT SOLD. Everything that comes after is cream, although that's sometimes easy to forget. But cream will turn if not properly stored. And it turns anyway, eventually. It has a shelf life, after all.
For insight into advances and other less romantic features of the writing life, here are two thoughtful posts from writers John Green and Jessica Burkhart. The comments under the Green post are lengthy and worth a peek.
My own opinions about book advances, book promotion, and the book business in general are hazy at best--and may remain so. Serious consideration of all things practical eludes me; it's one of my gifts. But, if you're dabbling in writing and hoping for publication, the business end of the stick can't be avoided.
Whack.

Publishers Weekly Likes A Taste For Red

My editor emailed me a nice review for A Taste For Red from Publishers Weekly.
Of course, I like this part:

"Harris sets up deliciously sinister scenes between Svetlana and her teacher, whom Svetlana suspects is involved in the disappearance of three classmates. Reluctant heroine Svetlana has plenty of personality and wit...and although Harris leaves the door open for sequels, his fast-paced debut stands on its own."

I need to be mindful, however, not to let the opinions of others get too great a grip on my emotional steerage. That's a slippery slope, inevitably leading to back waxing and overpriced slacks.

Still, I deserve a cupcake or slice of pie or something in celebration. Maybe a cannoli.

THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books likes A TASTE FOR RED. In fact, they think "The snarky, clever mix of mystery, horror, and goth-girl humor results in a novel that will easily cross genre lines to reach a wide variety of readers."

I certainly hope so!
And another nice review is offered at MISS PRINT.

"A Taste for Red is a humorous, sometimes suspenseful, always fun book that takes the conventions of vampire stories and throws them out the window."

If you read the book, you'll find that's not the only thing that goes out the window. The reviewer even compares Svetlana to Stewie from FAMILY GUY, which probably makes me happier than it should.
But I can't help it.
Stewie's one of my favorites.