7 Days of DISTANCE Wrap-Up!

I did it! I made it through book release week in one piece. And frankly, aside from the probably-to-be-expected amounts of stress, it was SO MUCH FUN. 

It was fun to spend so much time on social media chatting about my book, both with people who were excited to read it and those who actually were reading it. It was fun to go to my local Barnes & Noble and find my book on the shelf. It was fun to have so many different blog posts (and a podcast!) go live in one week—the culmination of a lot of prep work. And of course, my book launch at Books of Wonder in Manhattan on Tuesday night was SUPER FUN. 

Aside from the party itself—having so many friends and family members in one place, signing all those books, enjoying the delicious snacks—one of the coolest things about my debut week has been hearing from readers. Former coworkers, high school and college friends, distant relatives, and more have come out of the woodwork to tell me they have already finished my book, or that they've bought it and can't wait to start reading, or that they're buying it for a friend or a teen in their life. One person even said she's never read YA before, but wanted to support my writing career! Each and every message has meant so much to me. I will probably be riding this high for a good while. :D

But I promised you launch party photos! Here's a slideshow: 

Aside from a bout of nerves that hit *just* as I was supposed to start reading from my book, everything went smoothly. The audience seemed engaged during my reading and people asked excellent questions during the Q&A portion of the event. The signing was a blur—I wanted to spend so much more time chatting with everyone who walked past! When I got home and collapsed onto the couch, I was still smiling. And then my husband, sister, and I ordered pizza and got into our comfy pants—the perfect end to a pretty much perfect day. 

Thanks to ALL of you who helped make my book release week so special! This has truly been an experience I will cherish forever. :) 

~Kathryn 

7 Days of THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND!

I never get tired of seeing this cover...

To celebrate my book, which comes out *ahem* two days from now, I thought I'd organize a mini blog tour. And since THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND takes place over seven days, it seems only fitting to have a seven-day blog-fest, as well. Thus, "7 Days of DISTANCE" was born. Today, The First Day, is all about looking back. 

I've been doing a lot of interviews and guest blog posts lately (some of which you'll get to read later this week!), and I was thinking about what I could share today that I *haven't* talked about in any of those posts. I've also been doing a lot of reflecting on my writing journey thus far—only natural on the eve of my first book being released, right? So, as a look back before I start looking forward, I thought I'd answer one of the most frequently asked questions I get about THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND: 

"How long did it take you to write your book?"

All of the writers reading this know how much of a loaded question that is. Do you mean how long between the initial idea and now? Or how long it took me to complete a draft? Or how many rounds of revision I did? What about all of those months the publisher had the book between when I finished it and its official release? So, here are a few dates: 

• Late 2011/early 2012: I have the initial germ of the idea that will become THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND—the main character's name. 
• May 2012: I start writing the first draft. 
• July 2012: I finish the first draft, take a few weeks off, and then start revising. 
• August 2012 - March 2013: I do three complete revisions, sharing the manuscript with beta readers for feedback each time. 
• March 2013: I enter a pitch contest online and connect with my literary agent. 
• March - April 2013: I do a quick revision with my agent. 
• May 2013: The book goes on submission to editors and is acquired by HarperCollins. (Woohoo!) 
• August - December 2013: I go through three rounds of revision with my editor. 
• 2014 - Now: Copyedits, cover reveal, ARC distribution, marketing plans, and more. There is SO MUCH that goes into creating a finished book! I wrote a whole post about this busy time where it seems like I, the author, am doing practically nothing, back in fall of 2013. Read it HERE. 
• February 17, 2015: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND is on shelves! 

So here we are, only two days away from that finish line. I am exhilarated and anxious—though probably more exhilarated—and overjoyed to share THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND with the world. 

And luckily, several blogs and friends have agreed to help me spread the word during this crucial first week! Here's where you'll be able to find me online during the 7 Days of DISTANCE blog tour: 

The First Day/Sunday, February 15: …it's today. You're reading it. Welcome! Enjoy! 

The Second Day/Monday, February 16: I'm joining the YA Buccaneers' blog hop to celebrate THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND! The crew is writing Love Letters to people who are important to our writing lives, and I know you want to know the recipient of my day-before-pub-date letter… (Plus, there are opportunities to win a finished hardcopy and swag!) UPDATE: The post is live HERE! 

The Third Day/Tuesday, February 17: Each of the Fearless Fifteeners is celebrating our book launch dates with a post describing our book in three gifs. Head over to see what three images I picked for THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND! UPDATE: The post is live HERE! 

The Fourth Day/Wednesday, February 18: I'm doing a podcast about THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND and the craft of writing setting over at DIY MFA. Founder Gabriela Pereira and I had a great conversation, and I hope you'll enjoy listening to it! UPDATE: The podcast is live HERE! 

The Fifth Day/Thursday, February 19: Lovely blogger Dana at Danasquare is hosting an excerpt from THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND, as well as a book giveaway! UPDATE: The post is live HERE! 

The Sixth Day/Friday, February 20: Equally lovely blogger Jen at Pop! Goes the Reader is hosting my guest post reflecting on the journey to publication. There's a giveaway here, too! UPDATE: The post is live HERE! 

The Seventh Day/Saturday, February 21: I'll be back here at KathrynHolmes.com, recapping debut week. Expect book launch party photos and more. UPDATE: The post is live HERE! 

Still with me? Want to keep up with all of these posts without having to check back here each day? I'll be using #7DaysofDISTANCE on social media, so you can follow along. 

Thank you in advance for reading, and for your support and encouragement. I feel like I'm about to jump off the cliff into the sparkling blue ocean—and I can't wait! 

~Kathryn 

My Word for 2015 Is...

Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it's 2015?! How crazy is that? I feel like I've been waiting for it to be 2015 for so long, and now… well, my book comes out in six weeks. So if I seem overwhelmed and flustered and exhilarated and stressed all at once in the next couple months, you know the reason why. 

My fellow YA Buccaneer Bridgid Gallagher painted me this watercolor postcard, and it's been hanging above my desk for a year!

For the past two years, instead of making a list of resolutions, I've chosen a single word to represent my goals for the year. In 2013, I selected PATIENCE. My aim was to help myself be okay with my publishing path taking longer than I'd wanted and to remind myself that what mattered was writing the best possible book I could write, the book only I could write. In 2014, I chose MOMENTUM. With my debut novel on its way to publication, I wanted to keep working hard and pushing forward, not resting on my laurels or taking a second book deal for granted.

In both cases, having a single word to focus on helped keep me grounded and on track throughout the year. So obviously, I was going to try for a third successful Word of the Year in 2015. After much deliberation, I've picked...

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. Frankly, I have so much to be grateful for at this point in my life. 

I'm grateful that my debut novel is releasing in February. I'm grateful to be surrounded by friends and family who are almost as excited about my book coming out as I am. I'm grateful for my talented, supportive editor, who pushes me to be better, and for my enthusiastic agent, who helps me dream big. I'm grateful for the rest of the folks at HarperTeen, who have turned my Microsoft Word document into a real, live book that I will get to hold in just a few weeks. I'm grateful for the people who taught me to write, who fostered my passion for reading and writing, who critique and comment on my works-in-progress, who bounce ideas back and forth with me endlessly. To all of you who've helped me get to the here and now, I'm so, so grateful. 

I'll stop there, because as you can probably tell, I could go on and on. And the paragraph above is just the book stuff! (Did I mention my husband specifically? Justin, I am beyond grateful for you. Every single day.) So why did I pick this as my word for the entire year? In short, because no matter how grateful I feel as I'm writing this, I know I will still constantly need the reminder. 

When I'm freaking out about my revisions for my next book, I want to remember to be grateful that I get to write another book for publication. I'm lucky to be doing a job I love. I'm lucky that people seem to want to read the stories I create. When I'm fretting about less-than-stellar reviews or lists that my book isn't on, I want to take a step back and think about the people who have told me my book touched them. When I'm getting too caught up in the big scary craziness of What Happens Next—Will people actually buy this thing I wrote? Will I sell another book? Am I running out of ideas? Do I actually have what it takes to be an author?—I want to try to think about the things that make me happy and hopeful and grateful. As cheesy as it sounds, in 2015 I want to live in the moment and enjoy every bit of what I've accomplished.

(And yes, I'm still trying to be patient with myself and my work and to keep up my momentum moving forward…) 

Did you choose a word for 2015? Share it in the comments! 

And once more, happiest of new years to you all! 

~Kathryn