Is it Spring yet?

Technically, no.

But in my mind, totally yes!!

The signs are everywhere:

- My daffodils are poking up, which is surprising because I forgot to plant them until mid-December and I figured they'd all died when it snowed the next week.
- The days are SO MUCH LONGER. It's awesome.
- And best of all, Stephen's hot chocolate was on sale at the grocery store because winter is almost over.

Spring is always exciting, but this particular year it's quite possibly the most exciting ever.

Because this year, so many good things are going to happen in the Spring.

1. My BOOK is coming out!!!!

I'm sure I've already told you this a million and five times, but just in case you missed it, May 12th is the day. The day to end all days. The day my life will forever change. The day . . . okay, it's just a Tuesday. But it's the Tuesday my book will officially go on sale! So cool.

And only 59 days away!

2. I'm going home. Finally! It's been FOREVER. I. can't. wait.

And assuming I can get my flight switched and everything works out with my family, I think I'm going backpacking at Point Reyes, which is going to be so cool. But even if I don't get to do that, I'm still going to have a whole week to go to the beach and San Francisco and soak up the sunshine and see all my friends. So stoked. Seriously.

3. I'm going to run a 5K. I'm nearly there.

Well, and when I say "nearly" what I mean is, like, "halfway." But I'm making progress, people. And that's what matters.

4. I might move back into my bedroom instead of sleeping in the living room like I've been doing all winter. I haven't quite made up my mind about this one yet.

5. I'm going to LDStorymakers. If you're an author-y type person and want to meet up there, just look for a girl holding a copy of her book the whole time and sporting a goofy grin on her face like she can't believe this is really real.

6. And, wait for it, drumroll please..... the next weekend I'm going to have a real, live book launch!!!

I know! It's almost like I'm famous or something.

Here are all the details I know so far:

May 23rd
3:00-5:00 pm
at The King's English in Salt Lake City
Probably out on their back patio (pending weather conditions)
Likelihood of treats = yes

So please oh pretty please mark your calendars now because I might never get married so this might be my only chance to throw a reception/party for myself. And the good thing is, you don't even have to bring me a present. You can just buy my book there and we'll call it good. Or come and don't buy a book. I totally won't be offended. I just need friends!!! Please, by my friends! For one afternoon! That's all I'm asking!!!

Ahem. Enough desperation for a Friday night? Probably, yes.

But anyway, speaking of me being famous, I have some cool news to report.

This week Publisher's Weekly did an article on the fastest-growing publishers in the country (plus one from Canada), and Cedar Fort made the list! Not only that, I got quoted! In a real magazine!

See?

Utah-based publisher Cedar Fort Inc., founded in 1986 by Lyle Mortimer and Lee Nelson, specializes in LDS fiction and nonfiction, as well as general trade titles in the cookbook, clean romance, and YA categories. The publisher attributes its 41% growth to a “total restructuring” of its in-house production teams, according to production manager Heidi Doxey. Rather than dividing itself into traditional departments such as editorial and design, Cedar Fort has genre teams that work together, each focusing on its own titles. “[The restructuring] allows us to respond quickly to trends in the marketplace, both in acquiring new titles and packaging our books to help them stand out from everything else on the shelf in that genre,” says Doxey. The publisher reports it has also increased its sales by “branching out into new areas, such as film distribution, e-books, and audiobooks.” Diana Keuilian’s The Recipe Hacker, a cookbook that offers healthy versions of classic comfort foods, was one of the publisher’s top-selling titles in 2014. Released in 2012,Visions of Glory, by John Pontius, remains one of Cedar Fort’s bestselling titles.

How legit is that? (I added the bolding myself.) You can read the whole article here, if you're interested.

And in more news, early feedback about The Jane Journals from book buyers has been super positive. It's weird, actually, to have people respond so well to some random idea you came up with a long time ago.

Actually, they're mostly responding to the cover, I think. But hopefully the book will live up to its cover.

I read this article today (also in Publisher's Weekly, incidentally) about how after a book is published it doesn't belong to the author anymore. But the truth is, I haven't felt like this was my book for awhile now. I mean, yeah, I wrote it and my name is on the cover, which is cool. But it's already taking on a life of its own somehow.

So when I saw the proofs today from the printer, I had this surreal feeling of non-possession. I'm currently in the process of giving the world my book. And I'm really hoping that at least a few people out there in the world actually enjoy it. That's really all any author can ask for.

Well, that and weekends. Enjoy yours, folks.

I love this song. (Although I'm sorry about some of the language.) But mostly I love the fact that it's the weekend. It's the weekend. :)

And don't forget to celebrate Pi Day tomorrow! I started early with some apple pie this afternoon. Yum.