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The blog is back on susanjuby.com! We've moved to local hosting again, so please update your links to susanjuby.com/blog/.

The blog here will not be updated again.

Much to Report...

No time to report it in!

I seem to be incapable of traveling and blogging. Don't ask why. I'm normally a committed multi-tasker. That's why I have a headset on our cordless phone. It makes me look like Gordon Gekko's very unsuccessful younger sister.

Soon I will update about the Ottawa Writer's Festival, my visits to two beautiful schools in the Ottawa area (Mother Teresa High School and AY Kennedy.) I even have a video/book trailer for Getting the Girl that the incredible White Pine team at M.T. High put together. It's so great.

I also have photos of the event at the Gladstone Hotel and links to various new articles about Nice Recovery.

Most heart-stopping (if you have a very compromised heart, that is), we have a bunch of excellent questions for the L.B.s and even some answers. I knew there was a reason I hang around with those women. Smart and funny is a deadly combo.

Finally, I am racing around getting ready for the dance launch tomorrow night. Think pants. Think dance. It's going to be good. There will be documentation of this as well. Until then...

xox

P.S. Blogger is doing some new weirdo publishing thing that I don't understand, so if I never write on this blog again, you'll know that I'm unable to cope and will be sending updates via loudspeaker while standing on our deck.

Keeping it Real

with the Lucky Bitches

Big news here on Rare Birds!

We will be running an advice column for those who are new/lost/bored in recovery or clean-and-sober-curious. Those who write in with questions will get answers from me and a few of my friends, a collective known in certain circles as the Lucky Bitches. You will know us from our hats.



We range in age from early twenties to early forties and we have all been clean and sober for a few years. We'll do our best for you, but keep in mind that we got our counseling educations at the school of hard knocks (read: campsites around B.C. where we give each other advice quite freely when we are not snacking and napping and trying to wrestle huge mattresses into small tents) rather than any accredited educational institution for advice-givers.

Send your questions along to andfurthermore@shaw.ca.

I would introduce the Bitches, but they are busy making up new names for themselves. Everyone was disappointed to learn that Ann Landers and Dr. Phil were taken.

I hope to see some of you from Ottawa this weekend or those from Toronto at the Gladstone Hotel (April 28, 7:30, 1214 Queen St. West) next week. And for those on Vancouver Island, don't forget the dynamite dance-launch heading your way May 1.

xoxo

Why did Sherm Win: The Post Party Analysis

Sherm won because some people are very cool and supportive and got their friends and family to vote for him and wrote good "why to vote for Sherm" messages:




He also won because some people are really smart and went past grade eight in math (ahem) and know how to calculate odds and make charts and analyze winnitude:



You, my friends, are the reason Sherm won.

And for those of you who got Tshirts and are now being confronted with the question: Who the Hell is Sherm? please know that I'm having little cards made up.

xo

Events Ahoy!

Here's a list of events coming up in the next few weeks:

Ottawa International Writers Festival Sunday, April 25, 10:00 a.m., Books and Brunch with Paula Butturini, Tom Jokinen, Amir Gutfreund and moi. Hosted by David Dollin at the Lord Elgin Hotel.

On Wednesday, April 28th, I'll be at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom at 1214 Queen St. West in Toronto, from 7:30 - 10:00. Ibi Kaslik and I will be talking about Nice Recovery. Ibi is a novelist, freelance writer and teacher. Her most recent novel, The Angel Riots, is a rock n’ roll comic-tragedy that was nominated for Ontario’s Trillium award in 2009. Her first novel, Skinny, was a New York Times Bestseller and has been published in numerous countries. She teaches creative writing at The University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.

I will be back in Toronto in early May to give a series of talks at schools around Toronto and to celebrate at the White Pine Awards for which Getting the Girl is a contender. I'll say one thing about Sherm: he's no quitter.

You Are Invited

to the dance-launch for Nice Recovery. If dancing is not your thing, there will be plenty of room to stand around looking cool.



Just in case you don't have the eyes of a bionic fighter pilot: May 1, reading and launch from 7:00 - 8:00 (No dancing required!), dance from 8:00 - 12:00. Venue: Wellington School, 3135 Mexicana Rd., Nanaimo, off Departure Bay Rd., park in back lot.


We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

The Nice Recovery Dance-Launch Junior Executive Team and Organizing Committee

We Are the Champions

I dedicate this video to everyone who voted for Sherm. (His mom is sewing him the black and white leotard as we speak.)The training montage (all of you booting up your computers, stretching your fingers before voting, cursing out opponents like Lord of the Rings and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) is in post-production. (If you're looking at this on facebook the video won't show. You'll have to go to my website susanjuby.com to really rock out.)

Relentless self-promotion, Pt. XXXIIV

Here is a podcast of my conversation with Shelagh Rogers, wonderful host of The Next Chapter. The podcast also features Rukhsana Khan, Eric Walters, Jill Murray, a panel of YA readers and Joan Clark. Also, I love that Ken Setterington weighs in Canadian YA.


Here is a podcast I taped with Lee Fodi and James McCann of Authors Like Us. I want to join their gang when I... move near them. Check out the archives as well to hear their interviews with Meg Tilly, Don Calame, Art Slade, CC Humphreys and other excellent writers.

Nice Recovery was also part of a round-up of new books in the Georgia Straight. (You may be asking yourself after viewing my picture, jeez, how did her hair get so big? The answer is I discovered how to work a round brush.)

A couple of weeks ago there was a lovely review in The Globe and Mail.

Thanks also to Meaghan at The Argosy for reviewing the book and the always awesome OR Melling for the nice shoutout.

Most recently, I was on The Debutante Ball. The site is fabulous and an incredible resource for readers and writers. Thanks for inviting me, Joelle! (Joelle has a new book out this month: I'm looking forward to it!)

In fact, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to write about the book or talk to me about it.

On the Sherman Mack front, I would like to thank Liberty County High in Georgia, for picking Getting the Girl as their favorite book in the Georgia Peach competition. The Hunger Games was the overall winner. I'm going to take that compliment as an invitation to visit Georgia, like I've always meant to do.

On a personal note, I thought I should work out today to recover from my birthday treats, but it's insanely stormy outside. So instead of working out, I bought myself a new tracksuit. Next best thing, right?

That is all.

Happy Easter.

Mailing List

I am finally developing a mailing list for people who might be interested in news about my books and upcoming appearances. Not "I finally finished page 57 and it was a tough one"-type news, but rather "I have a new book. Feel free to buy it!"-ish news. I'll also send out tour information and the like.

You have my word that if you join the mailing list you will not be bombarded with emails. I will only send updates when it's extremely relevant and interesting to you: "Susan has just won a prize worth three hundred thousand and would like to share it with her beloved readers." Like that.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list, please send your email address to andfurthermore@shaw.ca. I promise I won't sell it to anyone, even if I get really broke.

Finally, thank you to Sh. who sent me a list of songs she listened to as a sort of theme music for Nice Recovery: Make Yourself by Incubus and Satellite by P.O.D. Love it!

xox

A Note from the Voters

"Dearest Harper Collins: Declare Sherm the winner already, it's no longer March and he killed that tree in Brooklyn. Sincerely, April and her army of librarians."

Personally, I make it a policy NEVER to mess with an army of any kind, especially not librarians. Also, my mom's tired of voting. Let's call this thing over. We don't want a repeat of what happened in Florida in 2000. The librarian army isn't as easily pushed around as the Gore team.



Sherm's face here!

Thank you everyone who voted! Sorry, Tree, that Sherm turned you into kindling.