Hey, I haven’t posted on this blog for awhile because I’ve been consumed with writing my new book, (a full time job in itself, in addition to my full time job!) but I just had to share some information about a fun event tonight (March 18) in downtown Minneapolis. Finalists for the Minnesota Book Award, me among them, will each give a short talk about their books — wine, hors d’oeuvres, desserts. Sounds like a lot of fun! I’m looking forward to it, and will post photos after the event. It’s 7 pm at Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue, downtown.

Check out these fun photos from the Living With Amy bookclub event held at the beautiful Reader’s Loft bookstore in Green Bay. Thanks to Amy Hanten and everyone who made this evening so special!

Talking with the crowd.

Everyone asked great questions and had great observations!

People lining up for me to sign their books.

And the line went on and on!

I just got the news that HALCYON is on the NW Michigan Bestseller List!

I just returned from a great event at Redbery Books in Cable, WI. It’s a fabulous bookstore in a cool, old building that’s attached to a wonderful restaurant featuring wood-fired pizzas, fine wines and local art on the walls. What could be better than buying a bagful of books and then leafing through them over a glass of wine and a gourmet pizza? Well, one thing could be better — talking to the local book clubs about my own book! The club members asked great questions that really got me thinking about my own characters, settings and motivations. I had a fabulous time and I think everyone else did, too. I can’t wait for my other events around the Great Lakes this summer!

I recently wrote this post for author J.A. Konrath’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing. He’s got a lot of great information for writers about navigating the sometimes confusing world of publishing. He asked me to write about everything I’m doing to promote my book. Here’s what I said:

My first novel, THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE, hit the shelves on March 30, and I’ve been swept along in a rush of promotion ever since. Two words: Whirl. Wind. I’ve had book signings and readings, and interviews for radio, TV, newspapers and blogs. I’ve guest hosted a literary chat group on Twitter. Reviews have popped up in magazines, on many blogs, on Amazon, Library Thing, Goodreads and Redroom, in addition to great features about me in my local Twin Cities’ newspapers. In the months ahead, more is to come. I’ll have more readings and signings and I’m participating on panels at book fairs and festivals, culminating with a reading on Mackinac Island, where my novel is set, later this summer.

But really, the book promotion started long before the first copy found its way onto a new release table, shortly after I got the deal that set all of this into motion.

As a first-time author, I know I’ve got my work cut out for me in terms of building an audience. It’s not like I’m a Joe Konrath or any other writer with a sizeable fan base. But I’m lucky enough to have my pubisher’s fantastic marketing team behind me.  I’ve heard from other authors that their publishers don’t do a whole lot to help them in terms of marketing and promotion— not so in my case. I have two publicists who are working very hard to get the word out about my book online, over the airwaves, and in print. I haven’t had to set up any of my own interviews, appearances or reviews — they’re doing it all for me and doing a spectacular job.

But even with all of the help that a marketing and promotions team can provide, authors still must do their part to promote their own books. I’ve found that, during the months leading up to publication and especially now that the book is on the shelves, I’m busier than I’ve ever been — and it’s all been marketing and promotion.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way:

• Build an online presence long before your book is published.

Before your book hits the shelves, before you get the deal, before you get the agent, start building an online presence. Done right, it will help with all of those things. Hop onto Twitter and start following literary types. Start here http://tinyurl.com/7swo3a

or follow me (@wendykwebb) and then follow who I follow. But remember, think of this as your professional communication. It’s not a place to dump negative thoughts. Write on Twitter ONLY the things you’d like a prospective agent or editor to read.

• Support other people on Twitter, don’t just write about yourself.

Once you start gaining followers (it doesn’t take long) support them in their endeavors. One of the best things about Twitter is the supportive, caring community of book people. Be one of them. Bloggers, authors, aspiring authors, agents and editors have supported me, and I’ve supported them.

• Participate in @Litchat on Twitter.

It’s a live chat about books on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 4 pm EST. Authors, editors, agents and aspiring authors tend to participate. It’s a great way to be a part of that community. To find out how to participate, just follow @lithchat.

• Start posting on book blogs.

Get your name out there as a reader, even if you’re not yet published as a writer. Start commenting on book blogs — nothing negative, please — and you’ll increase your visability. It also supports the bloggers, who perform a fabulous service for authors.

• Investigate AuthorBuzz.

This is a business run by bestselling author M. J. Rose with the goal of helping authors get exposure. Her team gets the word out about your book to thousands of online sites and is well worth the expense. If your publisher doesn’t provide this type of marketing service to you, plan on saving part of your advance for Authorbuzz. http://www.authorbuzz.com

• Get over your fear of public speaking.

This was tough for me. But once your book gets published, you will be expected to do readings, be on panels, do radio interviews, and even TV interviews. The better you come across, the more books you’ll sell.

• Go into your local bookstores and chat with booksellers. Let them know you have a book coming out.

This I learned from Joe Konrath, and it was invaluable advice. My local booksellers know me by name, and they’ve been incredibly supportive of me.

• A few months before your book is released, create a page for yourself on Library Thing, Red Room and Goodreads.

These are online sites with huge numbers of regular visitors, all of whom are looking for the next great book. Join the forums and participate in the discussions.

• Once you get the book deal, invest in the creation of a good web site.

This is going to cost money, so plan on saving some of your advance for it. You can link your site with other online forums like Twitter, Facebook, Library Thing, Goodreads and Red Room.

• Plan on spending 2-plus hours each day on promotion.

Blogging, Twittering, attending live chats, tending to your own website — it all takes time. Make the time.

Today, THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE hits the shelves! Wow, this has been a long time coming. I’ve dreamed of this day since I was 13 years old, when I first read A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L’Engle. After I had finished that book, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. The path I took to get here was long, with several twists and turns and even roadblocks along the way, but I made it! It feels unbearably good.

I awoke this morning at 4 a.m., and couldn’t get back to sleep. Laying in the dark, anxious for the day to begin, it felt a bit like the Christmas mornings of my childhood. I knew the day ahead would hold surprises and wonder and happiness but it was much too early to start any of it, and time seemed to slow to a crawl as I waited for the sun to come up. I thought about my agent and my editor and everyone who helped make this book a reality — I’m so grateful for their belief in me, their hard work and their support. And I thought about the people who will be wandering through bookstores today, taking a look at a new book with the gorgeous and eerie cover, and perhaps buying a copy to take home and read.

Today, I’m planning to take a long walk with the dog, and then Steve and I will hit the local bookstores to see my book, finally, on the shelves! I’ve got a radio interview this afternoon, and then it’s off to celebrate with family and friends.

Walk through my neighborhood  when the streets are empty— midday when children are in school and their parents are at work or late on a starry night — and you can feel the ghosts of the past, wispy remnants of another time, swirling in the air.  You can almost see a shadowy horse and carriage, hooves echoing on the cobblestone, pulling into the driveway of a century-old mansion, its occupants returning home from a night on the town that has long since faded into history. The lumber, steel and rail barons who built these magnificent houses seem to remain here, watching how we’re tending to the monuments of their success and achievement. And sometimes they show themselves to people who are looking closely enough to see through the veil that separates their world from ours.

I never thought I was one of those people. I had never seen a ghost…until last winter, when I think I encountered something otherworldly on an empty Duluth street. I’m still not sure about what I saw. I’ll tell you what happened and you can draw your own conclusions.

It was a cold, grey midwinter’s afternoon, just after a foot of snow blanketed the city. The temperature was barely grazing the zero mark and I would have been content to curl up in front of the fire, but my dog Tundra, a 130-pound Alaskan Malamute like the ones in my novel, THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE, needed a walk so I pulled on my mukluks and jacket and we headed outside for a jaunt in the new snow. I found I was utterly alone on the streets. Kids were in school, parents had dug out their driveways and soldiered on to work, and as I walked past the magnificent homes in my neighborhood, I was enjoying the solitude of being the only person as far as I could see.

I heard a noise, soft at first. Then it grew louder. It was a slow creaking, as though something was rocking back and forth. A screen door opening and closing? A porch swing? I kept walking down the street toward the sound, and I came upon a sight I still can’t quite explain.

A rusty swingset sat in the middle of the backyard of one of the oldest homes on the block. Nothing so odd there. Except that a young girl with long dark braids was swinging on one of the swings. She was dressed in an old-fashioned Brownie uniform — a little brown dress with a sash, a pair of black shoes with white anklets, a brown beret on her head. This was a below-zero day, yet she had no parka, no mittens, no hat, no boots. Who would let their child outside on such a day with bare legs, arms and ears? But she didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold at all as she swung slowly back and forth.

I stood there for a moment, confused by the sight of her, and then Tundra started barking. Believe me, a dog that large can emit quite a sound. She’s quite a “talker” under normal situations — a howling, yowling vocabulary I call “roodling,” but she saves her deep, loud bark for what she views as the most dangerous of situations. She has never barked that way at a person, but there was something about this little girl that made Tundra’s protective instinct burst out in full force. And it was loud.

But the little girl didn’t even look at us. She just kept on swinging slowly back and forth as though she didn’t hear anything at all. I felt a chill, deep inside, and suddenly I needed to be as far away from that back yard as I could get. I hurried down the block toward home — but then something crept into my mind, and I just had to go back to that house to get a second look at what I thought I had seen.

I snuck up to the yard and found the girl was gone. But it was as I had suspected — no footprints marred the newfallen snow.

Was it a ghost? I’m not sure. It’s conceivable a little girl might run out of the house in her Brownie uniform on a below-zero day — stranger things have happened, after all. But why didn’t she make any footprints in the snow?