the one about the dream come true.

“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy-tales again.” 
– CS Lewis

Today’s the day I finally get to share some exciting news with you. 

For me, this news is approximately the size of a wishing star. (So, my apologies in advance for the absurd amount of !!!!’s.) 

Here’s the announcement from Publishers Weekly (!!!!!). And here's a wee-little screenshot: 

Here's the summary: I wrote a novel. And it will be published by Scholastic in 2014!!!! 

I’ve known about this for several months now, which officially makes this one of the longest and most FUN secrets I’ve ever kept. 

I couldn’t wait to tell you. 

Just typing it all up like this ... is about to kickstart the waterworks all over again. In the words of my beloved Avett Brothers, “My hands they shake ... my head it spins.” 

I’m over the moon about working with Scholastic. Scholastic (!!!!) is the happy home of some of my favorite heroes in all of Lit World. One of my earliest book memories is going to B.Dalton in the Knoxville mall with my parents, and zooming toward the candy-colored aisle of Babysitters Club books. Scholastic Book Fairs were the highlight of my school year (bake sales were a close second ...) Those books made me a reader for life. I can't believe my story will have a Scholastic tattoo on its spine. 

I can't wait to tell you more about the book in the coming months, but here are the essentials I want to tell you first, bullet-point style:

- This wouldn’t have happened without my agent, Suzie Townsend. The hype over Suzie is legit; she’s the best. She’s smart and encouraging so fun to work with. Almost exactly one year ago today (April 13th!), I got an email from Suzie containing these words: “I absolutely love this...” ... And I nearly hyperventilated. Seriously though, I’m so grateful she believed in my story, and in me. All the people at New Leaf are fantastic. 

- This wouldn't have happened without the sweetest bunch of friends ever. My writer-peeps, Sarah Wylie and Jenny B. Jones, read this story in its early stages and encouraged me to query that beast.* (*Not their exact words) My non-writer friends, bless them, frequently drag me out of The Cave of Solitude for concerts, fresh air, and cupcakes. I love them dearly. 

-This wouldn’t have happened without my family. My brother and sister give my heart a safe place to crash, whenever I'm feeling discouraged. My niece and nephew remind me the world is full of magic, even when I can’t see it. My dad is my biggest cheerleader. And my amazing, long-suffering mom has read every single revision of this novel. And she still cracks up at the funny parts. (When I got the news, I was on a roadtrip with mom. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day.) 

I’m grateful for them, and I’m grateful for you. This book will be totally different from anything I’ve done before, and I can’t wait to share it with you. 

A Snicker of Magic started, really started, when I left an Avett Brothers concert and said, “That felt more like a magic show than a concert.” From then, until now, this story has turned me inside out. It surprised me and challenged me. It helped me find my way back. Felicity Juniper Pickle, my plucky little hero, is the sort of girl who believes magic always hides in unlikely places. Somewhere along the way, I think I started believing it again, too. I'm so grateful for all of this. 

One more thing, and then I promise I’ll hush. 

Since I’ve been able to daydream, I’ve wanted to be a writer. In particular, I wanted to be a novelist. I kept hoping, and dreaming, and writing. But sometimes when you dream about something for so long ... it’s almost like it starts to feel less real. Does that make sense? It starts to take up space on a dusty shelf alongside all your other quirky hopes and dreams. Paper crowns and cardboard castles and a bunch of burned out wishing stars. And you want to write a novel?? Who do you think you are?! People will flat-out tell you that it's a dumb dream. And here's the thing: whatever your Big Dream is, I hope someone tells you how ridiculous you are for chasing after it. I hope they tell you that, so you get to feel what it's like to prove them wrong. Keep hoping. Keep dreaming. Above all, keep writing. Even if the story you write isn't the one that finds you an agent, or an editor, it's still a story that can help you find your way. Write the next story. Hold on tight to the tail of that wishing star. You never know where it will carry you. 

*deep breath*

*dances a jig*

2014 ... Here we come! : )