Top 5 Cool Things That Have Been Goin' Down Here Lately (Oh, and You Know, Book 2's Title!)

Helllllooooo, Blogger Friends! So I realize I've been gone awhile. If you're a regular around this blog, you know that's the way it goes sometimes. So I thought I'd make a handy-dandy Top 5 List of Things That Have Been Goin' Down Here Lately!

1) I got to do a joint signing with Lindsey Leavitt a few weeks ago. It was MAGICAL. We had a great turn out, the amazing Crystal and Leah brought us cupcakes, AND we scored posters with our faces on them. NICE. And to top it all off, LL and I were just wandering around Barnes and Noble later when we spotted A GIRL PICKING UP LINDSEY'S BOOK AND GOING TO THE REGISTER WITH IT. Yes! An actual "in the wild" book-buying! We may have clutched each other and squealed. It was amazing.

2) I went to the Alabama Book Festival. Gorgeous spring day+old, Southern buildings+azaleas and magnolias everywhere+heart swelling with pride to be part of Alabama's literary heritage= Ecstatic Rachel.

3) My Beloved Editor Jen left Disney-Hyperion for a Sweet Sweetness Job at Putnam. This was actually NOT a cool thing, and something that made me rend garments, and sob, and leave Jen long voicemails begging her not to leave me (okay, so that last bit I only did in my head.) As y'all know, I Pink Puffy Heart Love Editor Jen. She's the one who gave HEX HALL a home, and she's been an absolute dream to work with. So of course, I was equal parts devastated to see her go, and thrilled for her AMAZING new opportunity! THEN the cool thing happened, which is that my new editor turned out to be the awesome Ari Lewin! I knew I loved Ari when one of her joke title suggestions for HEX HALL 2 was ABRACADABRA, complete with the tagline, "It will reach out... AND GRAB YA!" And so Team Hex continues to fill me with joy at its sheer amazingness!


4)I broke into my own house today. The Husband had locked the bottom lock on the front door, and I don't have a key for that one, so it went something like this:

ME: *mutters expletives*

DOOR: *is implacable*

ME: *remembers bedroom windows are open*

BEDROOM WINDOWS: *are high off the ground, covered by screens, and right above nasty thorn bushes*

ME: Eff you, window screen!

WINDOW SCREEN: *dies*

BEDROOM WINDOWS: *remain high off ground*

ME: *stealth*

THORN BUSHES UNDER WINDOWS: STABBOES!

ME: CURSES!

MY RIGHT FOOT: *gets in window*

REST OF MY BODY: *follows as slowly and awkwardly as possible*

BEDROOM WINDOWS: *violated*

ME: *triumphant*

NEIGHBORS: WTF??

ME: *texts story to The Husband complete with much implied side-eye at his locking of door*

THE HUSBAND: I put the key under a flower pot. You are a moron.

ME: *finds said key. Shakes fist at sky*

WINDOW SCREEN: *softly* Aveeeenge meeeee.....

5) And of course, the coolest thing (and the thing you probably all scrolled down to read, meaning you missed out on some MAGIC-SAUCE) is that HEX HALL 2 OFFICIALLY has a title! No, it's not I WANNA HEX YOU UP. Nor is it LET'S TALK ABOUT HEX. Or HEXUAL HEALING. Or HEX AND THE CITY....

I am pleased to announce that Book 2 of the HEX HALL series will be called...


DEMONGLASS

Now you're probably saying, "Um...Rachel, wasn't that HEX HALL's original title?" And yes! YES IT WAS! We jettisoned it back then because it was too dark to launch the series, and we wanted something that let readers know that there were laughs and good times amidst all the death and bloodletting. But we felt like we could get a little dark with Book 2's title because...well, if you've read HEX HALL, you know what you're getting into now! Laughs! Death! Puns! Angst! Snark! Forbidden Love! etc. I hope y'all are just as thrilled with this title as I am! :)