this past week has been slightly surreal. not only because i’m lucky enough to be in new york city for spring break (where the weather has been unseasonably and wonderfully warm), but because i was able to spend a whole morning and afternoon visiting my editor, my agent, and the random house publishing offices.

(did i mention that it’s not even called an office building, but a tower? it’s officially called the random house tower on broadway. yep.)

first off, i was absolutely right. my editor and agent were nothing but awesome, and amazingly easy to talk to irl. i’m so glad i finally got a chance to meet them in person! here’s a pic of me with chelsea, my editor, and steven, my agent! (steven, why so serious?)

i also got to meet so many people who are involved with DUALED in some form or another. from the art department to sales and marketing, they were all fantastic and incredibly enthusiastic about my book. i knew i was in good hands before, but being able to personally witness the amount of in-house support was truly overwhelming. it really hit home for me just how much work goes into publishing a book. each step is made up of many smaller steps. no one person works alone. it’s insane–and wholly intimidating to know that your little book has actually kicked this huge machine into gear.

a group of high school students were also at random that morning to learn a bit about how the publishing process works, so we got to talk to them about DUALED. so unreal to hear their positive response and feedback regarding many aspects of the book! i’m sure i grinned like a maniac during the entire session.

then it was time for a photo shoot for an author pic. i’m not the biggest fan of getting my photo taken, but as we walked around mid-town manhattan in hopes of finding that one perfect shot in that one perfect locale, it turned out to actually be fun. i think a curious construction worker or two knows about DUALED now, thanks to my editor explaining what was going on! lots and lots of cover talk, and then lunch–which turned out to be way more relaxing than i could have ever imagined.

my hugest thanks to everyone at random house for such a memorable day! aaaaaand not only that, i saved the best news for last, because, yes, there’s going to be a sequel to DUALED! details still to come, but SO very, very, grateful, excited, thrilled–the works!