Launch day for The Vanishing!

It's finally here! It's launch day for The Vanishing! The weeks leading up to a book release are so nerve-wracking for authors. Will people like it? Will my loyal readers enjoy this new book as much as my previous books? Will it sell? (Gulp!)

But today, I'm putting all of those worries aside and celebrating. The book I worked so hard on — plotting and crafting and writing and re-writing — has finally hit the shelves!

It has been an exciting few days for me. Lots going on. There was a great review of The Vanishing in my home-town newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, on Sunday, and across the river, the St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a feature article on yours truly in today's paper. It makes me so proud to be featured in the two newspapers I grew up reading. I'm truly grateful for their support.

Also, I've got an essay in today's online USA Today! It's a fun piece about an encounter I had with a grumpy palm reader, and its amazing aftermath.

Tonight, I've got my Minneapolis launch party at my neighborhood bookstore, Magers & Quinn at 7 pm. We'll have wine, local microbrews and chocolate — what could be better? I'm also excited to bring my Malamute, Molly, to the party. She's featured in The Vanishing, so I thought it would be fun to bring her along. She's getting a pretty new harness for the occasion.

Tomorrow, I've got my St. Paul launch at Common Good bookstore at 7 pm. This is a joint event with my pal, Ellen Hart, whose new book is out now, too. We're calling it a Night of Minnesota Mystery and it should be a great time. It's always fun to do events with other authors. There's a certain dynamic that isn't there when you're in front of the podium alone.

After all of this, I'm headed up to Duluth for a private party for friends and family at Glensheen to celebrate the book's release, and then Steve and I pack up and head south for my book tour. I'm so excited for that, too! I'll be blogging while I'm away, posting photos and other fun things. So please come back for updates!