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First the proof copy turned up. And I fell in love. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and that's all thanks to bookcovercafe.com - fantastic team there. Even the spine has special details...
And now I have boxes and boxes of books, all ready to distribute!
The paperback is not yet available online, but it will be very very soon.
In the meantime, here's a sneak extract...
‘Hey, Kitty-Cat.’
Jessica Jones. We shared a maths and science class, but that’s all we had in common. Jessica always had swarms of friends around her, and her happy voice twittered along the school halls.
Yass was a close-knit country town and I was still an outsider. I felt stumpy and plain next to the tall blond girl.
‘Oh, uh, hi,’ I mumbled. Why are you here?
I kicked at the ground with my shiny black patent shoe. My toes hurt and I wished I could go barefoot.
‘Are you a junior handler too?’ Jessica furrowed her brow as if the idea was puzzling.
My stomach sank. Jessica would be competing against me. I would be pathetic, and everyone at school would hear how hopeless I was.
‘Uh-huh,’ I said.
‘I haven’t seen you here before. I guess you’re new at showing. I’ve been handling dogs since I was seven.’ She grinned.
‘This is my first.’
Spade pulled. Tug-tug. He wanted out of there too.
‘Last year I was regional junior handler,’ Jessica flicked back her curls and smoothed her hot-pink blazer. ‘This time I’m aiming for junior handler of the year, and I’ve got a good start already.’
She checked out my outfit, cringed and slowly shook her head.
‘You’ve already missed the first three shows of the season. That’s going to put you behind.’
‘Your dog is pretty,’ I said. And she was. The Afghan hound’s golden fur shone almost as much as Jessica’s own perfectly formed curls.
I reached up and shoved my stubborn, loose string of mousy brown hair behind my ear.
‘Oh, Sheeba’s not mine,’ said Jessica. ‘I just borrow her for the show. The owners trust me because I’m an experienced handler.’
Sheeba gave me an aloof stare.
My cheeks burned. ‘I have to walk Spade now.’
Jessica furrowed her brow, this time at my dog.
‘You’re going to handle him? Oh well, never mind, the judges will be looking at you mostly, not the dog.’
‘Yeah, thanks.’ I strode away, Spade in tow.
...
Imagination Sparks Blogfest has begun!
I've popped my post up here, and am now visiting other sites, join in!
That's a gorgeous cover! Can't wait for the book to come out on Kindle.
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous all right, Charmaine. My recent post on e-books turned up interesting comments. Only one person actually said she preferred ebooks to print, so it's important to get the print out there. Glad you can easily distribute overseas too. I love this book, and Swati, it has been out on kindle for awhile.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know, Denise. :) I've been moving quite a bit during past several years, so I tend to go for ebooks whenever possible. I must visit your blog and check out the said post.
DeleteCongratulations! There's nothing like holding your own real book in your hands!
ReplyDeleteOh it must be so satisfying and rewarding to feel and hold your very own book! Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a fun and cute cover. It looks great!
ReplyDeleteYay you! Must be so awesome to get to hold your own book in your hands. That cover looks so cute!
ReplyDeleteLooks great!
ReplyDeleteWow! That looks fantastic -- as you said, just like a real book! (Which it is!) And I loved the excerpt, too. Good luck with your release!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, especially the picture of the little dog on the spine; that's cute. And I like the passage from the book too; it really gave me a good sense of what Jessica's personality was like in particular (she reminded me of more than one person I used to know).
ReplyDeleteCongrats Charmaine you must be dog-gone happy to have that little book in your hands. Enjoy!! .. Karen :)
ReplyDeleteOh Charmaine,
ReplyDeleteThe excitement builds. What a great excerpt. Told me the attitude of each girl, her stature in school, her stature in life. The afghan was a perfect choice for Jessica's dog, even if it IS just for handling.
I'm looking forward to hearing how well this will do.
M.L. Swift, Writer
I agree, ebooks are fun, but nothing compares to actually holding the real thing in your hand - especially if you're the author! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOh and I've added you to the list of blogs full of Sunshine!
DeleteOMG, actually seeing that cover, holding the book in your hands is an unbelievable feeling! Yay for you!
ReplyDelete