Wonder Light Releases Today!
It’s the official release day for my hardcover debut, Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist!
I had my launch party last week at the Garfield Book Company at PLU, and I felt so loved by friends and family. We packed the house and sold lots of books. My judo teammates brought friends and neighbors. So did friends from church.
My brother, Steven and my sister-in-law, Jen flew up from California just for the event. They brought me a fluffy unicorn because, “After everyone reads Wonder Light, there won’t be any more fluffy unicorns.”
My friend Karyn baked 75 gourmet cupcakes, 50 cookies, and a beautiful cake topped with a white chocolate unicorn. They were all promptly devoured! Late-comers got a few bits of garnish and a handful of chocolate rocks!
Kyla Paterno and her staff at the bookstore did a fabulous job helping the event run smoothly. My husband worked through the night before the party so he could be there to help. My parents and friends helped me get everything ready, and acted as bouncers at the cupcake table. (Those cupcakes were seriously delicious!)
I got to stand up in front of all those people and share my story and tell them how much they mean to me.
Then I got to meet some young readers and see them smile when I handed their signed copies of Wonder Light back to them, and that ranked right up there next to Karyn’s coconut cupcakes!
If you missed the party, you can still order a personalized, signed copy from the Garfield Book Company. I’ll sign it, and they’ll ship it to you if you don’t live in the area. Or, if you’re in the Seattle area, I’m doing a reading and signing at the Northgate Barnes and Noble on May 16.
More info about Wonder Light and where you can buy it is here.
Wonder Light Hardcovers Are Here!
Woohoo! My author copies of Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist are here!
I kept checking and checking the front porch, and then, after a long evening of running around and going to judo practice, I pulled into my driveway and there was a BOX! I stopped the car right there and ran out to discover . . . it was just a box of judo gis. But behind that box was another one with Sourcebooks in the return address and Wonder Light on the label! I was so happily surprised I forgot my husband was on his way home with Wendy’s to console me for my continued state of booklessness. By the time I was done marveling over these babies, I had to zap my cold fries in the microwave. But I have to say holding my first hardcover book in my hands was worth more than hot Wendy’s fries!
Wonder Light Hardcover Giveaway!
There’s a new giveaway going on for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist. This time 5 hardcovers are up for grabs at Goodreads!
The Unicorns of the Mist series by R.R. Russell
Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist (Sourcebooks, May 7, 2013)
Deep in the heart of a mist-shrouded island, an impossible secret is about to be discovered.
Twig is used to feeling unwanted. Sent to live on a pony ranch for troubled girls on a misty, haunted island, Twig is about to discover the impossible—someone who needs her.
Jolted awake from a bad dream, Twig follows the desperate whinny of a terrified horse out to the stables. There in the straw is a bleating little scrap of moonbeam. A silver-white filly with cloven hooves and a tiny, spiraling horn.
A baby unicorn.
Now Twig knows what secret is hiding in the island’s mist: the last free unicorn herd. And a mysterious boy named Ben who insists that this impossible creature is now Twig’s to care for. That she needs Twig’s love and protection. Because there’s something out there in the deep, dense shadows that’s hunting for them…
Pre-order your personalized, signed copy of Wonder Light from the Garfield Book Company at PLU! Click here.
Or purchase a copy from your favorite retailer:
My Book Deal with Sourcebooks!
So . . . on Monday I was at judo practice supposedly practicing a new turn-over with my friend Jenna, but really joking about husbands and their crazy ideas. I noted that my husband has a way of following through with his crazy ideas—like starting our judo club, for example.
"Just think," Jenna said, "If he'd never done that, you'd probably be writing about unicorns or something!"
Wonder Light Book Release Party!
I’m having a book release party for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist! I’ll be signing books, munching on unicorn-themed treats, and doing a short talk and reading. Join me at the Garfield Book Company at PLU on May 2, at 7 PM.
Join the event on Facebook. You can pre-order your personalized, signed copy before the event. Just visit this page on the Garfield Book Company’s site.
Updated Cover for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist
The cover for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist has been updated, with a blurb from the amazing and generous Robin Hobb! I’m so thrilled and grateful!
“Dares to explore a world where unicorns are creatures of wonder and power, and girls can find both strength and courage to be themselves.” -Robin Hobb
My Sculpture of Twig and Wonder—Finished!
“They glided through the mist, leaving Twig’s troubles on the ground. Wonder was a streak of white, Twig’s jacket no longer a shell, but a wave of bright red, her hair flowing like Wonder’s mane and tail.”
- It started out as a horse-like blob . . .
- and turned into a unicorn . . .
- who needed some ground to stand on.
- First I baked the unicorn, then I baked the ground. I used Sculpey’s Bake and Bond to glue them together, then baked some more.
- But what’s a unicorn without a rider? I sculpted Twig, then used Bake and Bond to bake her onto her unicorn, propping the whole thing with cotton balls during baking.
- I painted the sculpture with watered-down acrylic craft paint.
- I added some dark, super fine glitter to give Wonder the “quicksilver eyes” I describe in the book.
The Inspiration for Mountain Center, and an Excerpt from Venture Unleashed
Today I posted on my Venture Books blog about my upcoming trip to Idaho and how the judo club there inspired part of my book, Venture Unleashed. Check it out and read the chunk of Venture Unleashed that was inspired by the judo club in McCall, Idaho!
Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist Goodreads Giveaway
I’m giving away a signed ARC of Wonder Light on Goodreads!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
My First Signing at ALA
I had my first signing at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference in Seattle on Saturday! The Sourcebooks crew did such a great job talking up Wonder Light to everyone who passed by our booth that we quickly ran out of ARCs. It was a thrill to sign books to the students of various elementary and middle schools. What fortunate kids, to have enthusiastic librarians trekking to ALA and going on the look-out for new books for them! But I enjoyed signing for the handful of kids that showed up the most. So much fun to put my book directly into the hands of a child!
My editor, Aubrey Poole was there, so I got to meet her in person for the first time. What a treat to spend the day with the lady who did so much to help my story become a book!
I met Sourcebooks authors Janet Gurtler (How I Lost You), Jennifer Fosberry (Isabella: Star of the Story), and C.C. Humphreys (Jack Absolute), who were all so gracious and kind. Janet didn’t mind at all as I watched her expertly sign her books—without even looking at the page! Jennifer took me to have a look around, and talked up her favorite books everywhere we went. C.C. Humphreys gasped in delight when he learned my book was about unicorns. He showed me his ring, engraved with his family crest—a unicorn! And I showed him my necklace, made by my talented niece, Jessica, who recently started her own jewelry business.
I got a lot of compliments on my necklace. Thanks, Jessica! And a big thanks to Sourcebooks for inviting me to sign at ALA!
