It's beautiful here, but there's no place like home. Back tonight.

I'm headed out tomorrow to join my friend Erica at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. Through a series of fortunate events, it's going to be an extremely inexpensive trip for me, so I figured why not? I really have no business being there, as I'm not a librarian, but it seemed like a good way to meet librarians. Librarians and book bloggers are about the best word-of-mouth referrers an author could ask for, and librarians often double as book bloggers, so, there you go.

Except I'm feeling shy.

I've been going to blogging conferences for seven years, and I haven't felt shy at them in six. I thought I was past shy.

This whole book thing has been such a roller coaster. I go from being excited it's finally coming out to worried nobody will read it to freaked they will read it and they'll hate it. I worry it won't sell and then nobody will buy my second book. Then I think publishing will probably change so much by the time that book is ready that the rules will all be different, anyway. It feels like the rules of publishing in some ways are changing on a daily basis and in other ways 50 Shades is still on the bestseller list, inexplicably to me, and nothing will ever change at all for the little guys.

This particular adventure is so personal to me -- it doesn't really matter to anyone else. I mean, it's nice and all, but my personal and professional lives have not changed just because my novel got published. That's what's so weird about the whole experience -- the anxiety I feel is mine and mine alone.

I remember walking around BEA last year when I was asked to speak at the BEA Bloggers Conference about book marketing because of my role in the BlogHer Book Club. There were hardbacks just stacked in the booths, free for the taking, and eventually I stopped taking them because they were so heavy to lug around and get home on the plane. I left someone's blood, sweat and tears in a stack on the floor because it was heavy, or because I didn't like the cover, or because I just wasn't in the mood.

When I go to the library now, I don't see shelves of books, I see shelves of dreams.

So I'm worried about tomorrow and this weekend, although I can't figure out why. I guess I have a few days to figure it out. I've been moving so fast for so long, maybe I'm just afraid of having time to think about what to do next.

Today I wrote about the national face of Ann Imig's amazing live performance series, Listen to Your Mother, on BlogHer. Here I thought I'd share details about the Kansas City show, which is directed by my friends Erin Margolin and Laura Seymour. Here are the details:

Be part of this national event that will be in Kansas City for the first time on May 11, 2013. We want you to join us in giving Mother’s Day a microphone!

You’re invited to join other Kansas Citians in a national series of live readings celebrated locally and shared globally via social media, blogging, and the small world of the internet. Listen To Your Mother-Kansas City is directed, produced, and performed by our local community, for our local community.

We are officially accepting submissions! Please email yours to us, ErinMargolin@gmail.com and Laura.Seymour@gmail.com. These will be accepted from now through February 15, 2013.

Commitment for cast members includes two group read-throughs in April, a pre-performance run-through at Unity Temple on the Plaza, and one 7:00 p.m. performance on May 11, 2013.

Ticket sales for this event will begin March 1, 2013. If you are interested in sponsoring or coming to our event, learn more at our website: listentoyourmothershow.com/kansascity, and please don’t hesitate to email us with any and all questions!

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Rose Brooks Center. Rose Brooks Center provides emergency shelter to women and children escaping life-threatening abuse. Once they are safe, these families receive the tools and resources they need to begin rebuilding their life – a life built on respect, love and compassion. -Rose Brooks

PS: In other news, if you've ever wanted to speak at BlogHer's annual conference, you should submit a Room of Your Own idea.

Viva la voices!

Last night I watched a few episodes of Shark Tank with the little angel and the neighbor girl. These two are infamous for starting and rapidly abandoning businesses. The little angel is building up a good inventory at Hoggin Crafts, so I thought we were through with the insane business ideas.

This afternoon they came back from the neighbor's house with a full-on PowerPoint presentation about a pet sitting business they were going to start. Included on the "what we sit" page were: monkeys, horses, turtles and rabbits, in addition to pets they might actually find in our tri-state area.

"You're going to pet sit monkeys?"

"Sure."

"And horses? You know how to take care of horses?"

"Yes! I saw a horse once!"

*headdesk*

I think I created some monsters.

Well, virtually anyway. 

Here's a cat video. Kizzy never gives up. Feel free to write your own dialogue.

I met Steph in preschool when we were three. That's 36 years of friendship, for those who are counting.

Now our daughters are friends. The little one is the same age almost as Steph and I were when we met.

Happy birthday, Steph! I love you.

So I just ordered a book campaign from Goodreads' self-serve beta program. I decided to tell you about this because I'll let you know how well it works. I've heard great things about Goodreads' ads. It's going to run from whenever it gets approved until thirty days later. We shall see!

I also ordered some bookplates. This is a way to get a book signed when you're not in physical proximity to the author. Since I am going nowhere on my book tour that doesn't exist outside of Kansas City, Missouri (I'll be at The Writers Place on April 5, please come!) So if you buy my book and you want a signed bookplate, please drop me an email at ritajarens@gmail.com. I have no expectations for volume so this is either a brilliant or stupid thing to say. We shall see!

And next week I am going to the ALA Midwinter Meeting to meet LIBRARIANS. I love librarians! I can't believe that is next week, actually. I should really get my act together.

So ... that's what I've done so far other than social media. My publisher has arranged a lovely cover reveal tour and some festivities for the release day, which is February 7. I arranged one event locally and bought bookplates, author business cards and a small online advertising campaign. I've written a ton of guests posts and done a bunch of interviews and spent $200 of my own money to buy physical copies for book bloggers who agreed to review it. Oh, and I've committed to buying books to give away on Goodreads and a few other places that haven't launched yet. All in all, this is not a lot of money and is mostly sweat equity.

I write this out because I know there are going to be a lot of authors now and in the future who are either self-publishing or publishing with small presses or are with Big Six presses but don't have a very big marketing budget. I want to figure out what works in book marketing -- besides, you know, writing a book people want to read.

What do you want to know? I'll do my best to be transparent in this process. I so appreciate all the support I've received here and elsewhere on the Internets. Word of mouth, baby -- I really, really appreciate it.

Recently I heard from Pauline Campos at Girl Body Pride. Pauline's been doing amazing things out on the Interwebs for years now, and I was delighted to hear she put together an anthology that is now available at Smashwords called Strong Like Butterfly: An Anthology.

Enter coupon code CW24A on Smashwords for 25% off the cover price through Feb. 13.

I'm always interested in helping out a fellow anthologist. However, I'm even MORE excited about this anthology (for which I was not paid to promote) because it's filled with beautiful essays (some of which are written by my friends) and because it's all about learning to love the way you look, a concept quite close to my own heart. Here is Pauline's post about the book.

My favorite line from the anthology is by H.C. Palmquist: "For, in the words of one of my dear friends, yesterday's scars are today's armor."

Editor: Pauline Campos

Contributors: Lissa Rankin, Therese Walsh, Mercedes Yardley, Leslie Marinelli, JessiSanfillippo, Carol Cain, Jeanne V. Bowerman, Abigail Green, LeslieMarinelli, Sue O'Lear, Elan "Schmutzie" Morgan, Kim Tracy Prince,Heather Palmquist, Shoshana Rachel, and Alexandra Rosas.

And Pauline is doing fun stuff in conjunction with her book's launch. Here are her notes:

Follow along for updates on the Facebook Fan page, Twitter, Google +,and Pinterest for surprise contests and giveaways, including afree Strong Like Butterfly exclusive cuff braceletdesigned by Berkey Designs, similar to the Girl Body Pride bracelet, which benefits theNational Eating Disorder Association with each sale.
 
Buy the ebookand contact me via email at girlbodypride@gmail.comwith your name and site URL. As a thank you for supporting the site's goal helpwomen learn to see themselves as beautiful in their own right, and mostimportantly, love themselves as they are, your name and URL will be posted onthe Supporters of GBP tab on www.girlbodypride.com!

I am giving away a copy of Strong Like Butterfly and as well as a signed copy of contributor Mercedes Yardley's BeautifulSorrows or WinterWonders (your choice)! To register, just leave a comment. You may enter as many times as you want. I'll close the comments and select a winner at 5 pm on Friday, February 1.

But this is how Kizzy gets punched in the face.