Well, the book is out. I can't believe it. The release of The Book of Dead Birds feels very different from the release of Fruitflesh, somehow. With Fruitflesh, I felt like I was naked to the world. With the novel, I feel like my characters are naked to the world. I almost feel more protective of them than I do of myself. It's like sending the kids to school for the first time, hoping they'll make friends, hoping they won't get teased (or beat up!) on the playground. I know the book is out of my hands at this point, but I want to hug it to my chest and keep it safe. Writing is so much a process of letting go.

It's been so lovely to meet people at my readings over the last few days. I am so grateful for the warm response I've received. My daughter threw me for a bit of a loop at my reading on Saturday, when she asked me to dance (after I had finished answering a question about my dance background). I wasn't prepared for that. I did some sort of twirly thing and tried not to get too dizzy. I never know what to expect from that girl! She and my son are both a constant source of amazement.

Here is a nice review of the novel on BookPage.

And here is an excerpt from an article in Pages Magazine that lists me as a "promising debut".


Read the book and let me know what you think!