Sara, Meira, and Happy Dances All Around

Back in August, a blogger I followed wrote some entertaining posts asking for reading recommendations for herself and book donations for her cousin’s classroom library. Since I read and own way too many books (Ha! Like that’s actually a thing, too many books…) I helped out with both and we started exchanging epically long emails. And lo, the book karma gods gifted me with not only this charming thank you gift…

Neat bookish accessory, yeah? She got it from the Dainty Hippo here

 … but an absolutely amazing writer friend, Sara Raasch. Here she is looking all cute and appropriately Winter-themed:

Photo stolen from her hilarious blog that I'm going to direct you towards way more than once.

I already had a handful of people in my life to support and critique my writing, but no one who did both of those things AND helped brilliantly with brainstorming... and quoted even more Eddie Izzard lines than I could and sent me a fantasy ms to critique that was HOLY GOODNESS EPIC AMAZEBALLS. 

And the best news is, publishers agree with that last part and want everyone to read it AND the rest of the trilogy – three-book deal for the win!

" Sara Raasch’s debut SNOW LIKE ASHES trilogy about Meira, a fierce chakram-wielding warrior from the Kingdom of Winter, who must struggle to free her people from the tyranny of an opposing kingdom while also protecting her own destiny, to Kristin Daly Rens at Balzer and Bray in a preempt, for publication in Fall 2014, by Mackenzie Brady at Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. "

I don’t think I can put into words how excited I am for Sara or how much I lovelovelove Snow Like Ashes. Sara does a much better job 0f putting into words what this deal and this book mean to her, so you should go read about that amazing journey and the meaning of the Words in the Dark quote here.

Congratulations, Sara and Meira. You’re amazing and I can't wait for your words in the dark to become official words on the page.