I got word from my editor the other day that Cracked Up to Be is on YALSA’s 2010 list of nominees for Best Books for Young Adults! I’m chuffed, guys. CHUFFED!

So now that Cracked Up to Be is out there and people are reading it, I’ve been hearing from readers, which is awesome. One question has popped up in my inbox a surprising number of times (to me, at least), so I thought I’d take the opportunity to address it here just because, you know. I’m trying to get back into this blogging thing when I don’t actually have a whole lot to say (tricky).

Areyouready.

Will there be a sequel to Cracked Up to Be?

I have no immediate plans to write a sequel to Cracked Up to Be, but I’ll never say never. I can tell you one thing that’s holding me back is the fact that all novels generally require a conflict and I kinda feel like I’ve put poor Parker through enough. I can also tell you Chris and Becky totally got married. Maybe. Either way, it’s a very cool feeling to know that people still want to hear from Parker. And I’d be lying if I said the very question didn’t set me off wondering what tormented hi-jinx she could get into Post-Cracked Up to Be. Plenty, probably. With or without me to write them!

Speaking of questions, why am I such a slow reader? Does anyone know? I’m reading a bunch of books right now and they’re good and they hold my interest but I cannot read them in a timely fashion and this is bumming me out. I envisioned myself at the end of this week having read the five books I’m… reading. Also, I’m twitter-pals with a bunch of book bloggers and I swear they read a book a meal (Sarah, I’m looking at you!) and it makes me jealous. Literally AN ENTIRE BOOK. A MEAL! So that’s three books a day! I want to be able to do this! I don’t think it is possible without performance enhancing reading drugs, though. I guess you just have to be born a fast reader. Or take a speed reading course.

Nobody offer me solutions or answers to this flaw in my genetic makeup, just pity me, okay.

The loverly Adele posted an interview with me over at Persnickety Snark. It was much fun and I think I said more about Some Girls Are there than I have said anywhere while still being a tease. Thank you, Adele! Everyone make sure to check out Persnickety Snark and bookmark it up. It’s a fabulawesome book blog.

And I’m very honoured to have been invited to participate in Reader Rabbit’s Canadian Month, alongside many other amazing authors that I greatly respect (cough, cough, C.K. Kelly Martin anyone?). There is an interview with me here, where I discussed what it means to be Canadian and talk about some things that didn’t make the final version of Cracked Up to Be (guess what Parker originally did to Chris!). Thank you, Reader Rabbit! It was a pleasure! Yay Canada!

AND on the off chance I decided to visit AOL today (it was strange–I never do), they had an article about volcanoes! I think this is a good omen. Check it out: Volcano’s Lightning Captured in Photo. For the first time! It’s really incredible. If you go through the slideshow you can see an underwater volcano erupting off the Tonga Coast which is just jaw-droppingly stunning. Volcanoes! Underwater volcanoes! Isn’t that incredible? Volcanoes make me as happy as the weather changing and sleeping with the window open and being able to hear all the birds singing really early in the morning (like right now)…

And Toto’s Africa.

Have a good weekend, y’all.