The Unofficially Official Release Day Party for JCL

Come one come all to the unofficially official release party for fellow Green Dragoner James Dashner whose book - Journal of the Curious Letters is officially on sale today.



The members of the officially unofficial fan club would like to invite everyone to the party drink some wine



(or beer or whatever strikes your fancy)....eat some cheese



enjoy the music



and oh yeah....run out to your local bookstore and snap up a copy of the book...because JD has promised to donate his royalties from all books sold between now and the 09 March to The One Campaign. Go here for details

Oh! Perfect! I'm making a B&N run on Saturday!

*steals large amounts of cheese while no one is looking*

(frowns accusingly at clam, but doesn't say anything because he wasn't looking)

And congrats, James!

Yay James!!!

Nice cheese spread, btw. *drool*

mmmm - cheese-y goodness!!

Great start to the party Irish :D

Hope JD has fun today on his journeys promoting his book. I'm heading off to my B&N tonight to pick it up on my way home from work.

*snags a glass of wine, grabs some cheese and throws confetti around the room**

IF the electrician ever comes then I plan on goingt to the Borders down the road from me to pic up a copy as well. But until then I am trapped. *sighs*

Thanks for kicking off the party Irish!
Congratulations, JD! Hope the book is doing great and raising lots of money for you charity!!


(I figured we should invite Tick to the party!)

And if anyone doesn't have a bookstore trip planned I noticed Amazon has a really good price on the book too!

Did clam get *all* the grapes as well as the cheese? I mean grapes and and a handful of good crackers will get me through the afternoon.

Congrats, James!

Don't worry Jillmwo....there is plenty of cheese to go around. =)

I'm bringing champagne, and sparkling pear cider (my current favorite.) Anyone want a glass? My son is going to a 10 YO birthday party on Sunday, and now I know what gift to get!

Congratulations, James!

*orders from amazon*

Congratulations James! I hope it sells really well. =)

Time to bring out the cake



And best of all this cake is healthy for ya....just look at those grapes and strawberries.




(side note: who on earth puts grapes on cake?!?!?)

Marzipan ones could be good.

I'll keep an eye out for the book, but release dates of everything here are 6 months to a year behind the real world.

Hopefully the book will come out where you are soon hfglen.

Also, here's a new cake...one that is more appropriate for a book release party

And for those who don't care about being healthy I give you, The Cookie Cake!

I mean, really, what's better than a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie? How about a freshly baked giant sized chocolate chip cookie with icing all over it???

edited to add: Cute Book cake, Irish!
*sugar rush!!!!!*

ooohhh...good thinking elbakerone. =)

With all this cake and cookie we'll definately need some milk

Par-TAY! Congrats, JD, and when are you going to show up for your own party? I'll bring the strawberries and melted chocolate.

JD is on tour and he warned us that it might be hard for him to stop by, but I'm sure he appreciates all our well wishes and happy thoughts (and our promotion of his awesome new book!).

If anyone is lucky enough to live in Virginia, Georgia, Arizona or Utah - check out the "Tour" link on the book's website for more information - you can go to one of the signings and meet The Dashner Dude in person! I guess the rest of us will just have to settle for talking to his picture:

Hey guys!

I'm James' little sister Sarah. I uh, took the above picture. :)

Needless to say, we all are extremely excited for James and I can't wait for him to fly into town tomorrow!

Just a note, I don't know if this will be the case at all Barnes & Nobles, but the one closest to me only carried THREE books..which I obviously bought. One for me, one for our mom and one for a friend who wants it autographed at the book signing Friday night.

So! Call ahead! Call lots of times and make lots of requests!!!

YAY JAMES!!!!!!!!!!

Nice photo taking there Sarah.....I've seen your flickr sight as well. Very impressive stuff. =)

What's even worse than the B&N only carrying a few copies my local Borders didn't have any! When I asked at the info desk all they could tell me was that it was "in transit" and they had no idea when it might arrive. =(

I put it on order but I think I might just order it from Amazon. I have 2 boys who recently had birthdays....and who call me Titi (which is a shocker since I am not related to them at all, but their niece calls me Titi - since I'm her honorary auntie 'cuz i'm known her mum for 21 yes)...so I want to get them something. Because that's what auntie's do...they buy cool gifts.

Scandalous!!! My B&N didn't have it either! I told them they needed to get some into the store, so they shortlisted 5 on order, and I put in an order for one too. I may go get one from Amazon as well.

And what great gifts for the boys, Irish. :D

Hey all,

There is now a 13th Reality themed group on flicker (founded by faerie79)....so for those of you on flickr, get your cameras out and snap a photo (or two or three) of you (or someone you know) reading the book....or perhaps of that clever display that some stores are bound to have. (not counting the state of Massachussets though...because apparently the stores her suck *lol*).

Here's the link for those interested

http://www.flickr.com/groups/712451@N22/

It is scandalous tapestry!

I'm excited to buy the book for these boys because I was talking to them about it not too long ago and they each said it sounded cool. So I know that they are interested....and an interest in reading must always be sparked! =)

Congrats James!!

The reviews look great so far. I'll order my copy from amazon tomorrow.

What B&N has dropped the ball?! Say it isn't so. I was planning to swing by at the end of the week. Must make some calls. Yeah, James. WOO-HOO

Woohoo, party time! Holy camoli I'm so mentally exhausted I'm about to collapse. Glad to see you guys have been chillin' with some wine and cheese and cake. I was lucky enough to find some scraps that fell on the floor and they were dee-lish.

I woke up at the crack of dawn and 4 schools, lots of driving, a wonderful meal at The Cheesecake Factory, and an awesome book signing later, I needed a good party break.

I wanted to stop in and say howdy real quick before I go blog about the day. Sorry that some of you didn't have them in your bookstores. I think it's all just a timing issue. I mean, I know for a fact that Borders ordered a ton, as well as Barnes and Noble. I don't know how it all works, but it should show up soon. In some stores it was early, so I don't get it.

Thanks for the awesome party, and I'll stop in again soon.

James

P.S. Welcome sis!

P.S.S. Maybe we should make this a week long party.

P.S.S.S. Oh yeah - the Amazon sales definitely count for the charity drive.

Hey JD - glad that your first day of the tour went well....its also your party so it can last as long as you would like it too. ;-)

Hi JD! Sounds like you had a rewarding (if not tiring) day! Glad to know everything went well.

Advice on how to last out a book tour, JD?

I'm a young novice compared to what you're doing with your career, but for me I don't think following my dreams is out of the question.

I would also like to know if you would ever come to Australia for a book talk/signing. Terry Pratchett came here and I went to see him, people over here definitely line up to see their favorite authors. We also like to read Fantasy fiction in the Merry Old Land of Oz, because of our imaginative nature. Some of the imagination we got from British convicts bringing their Fairy Tales with them along with the Irish convicts, but our native Aborigines have plenty of great mythological tales of their own!

So how about it?

Hi JD!!! So glad you could stop by!!! And hi Sarah too! Welcome to Library Thing and to The Green Dragon! Have a pint with us....or maybe a soda depending on your definition of "little sister". (Random story: I have two older sisters and the oldest refers to me as her "baby sister" - since I'm the younger of two younger sisters - and I've often got strange looks from her friends when they find out that I'm the "baby sister" but am almost 30.)

Anyhoo, take your pick and thanks for stopping in to say hi!


And here's a little something to help JD through his tour....

#28 - Hey, you're the bigshot around here, no floor scraps for you. We call those Roomba food. Besides, we saved you some pepper jack:

I even managed to save ya a piece of cake JD



although I think that elba had a tougher time of it than I did. People in the GD just go crazy over their cheese! lol

Also, since it might be a little early for the Jolt here's some espresso for you and Angie to kick start your day

#32 -- My younger brother is almost a foot taller than me, so I get strange looks when I tell people he's my "little" brother!"

Um, back on topic . . .

Yay, James Dashner! Congratulations on your book release, and enjoy the craziness of the tour! (Not to mention the food here in the GD.)

I'm looking forward to reading the book, but I'm not allowing myself to buy any more books until I get a full-time job (since I do have to do stuff like eat, and pay the rent). But soon, soon!

@ 35 - my older sister is several inches shorter than me.....I get odd looks when I introduce her as my older sister. Funny how people associate age with height.

Also, I think that you should buy the book now. For when you buy a book and let JD know then he'll make a donation to the One Campaign. You get a book and children in impoverished areas get food and supplies...its a win-win situation. =)

Plus as Desiderius Erasmus said in "When I get a little money I buy books and if there is any left I buy food and books." Now there is a motto to live by. ;-)

Jolt Cola? That can't be good...

So, I guess I am just not destined to get my book this week! I just got an email from Amazon saying they shipped me entire order today with the exception of JCL! grrrr

Its a conspiracy!

#38 - Well, if you at least purchased it, I'm sure JD will count it toward the charity drive. Although I'm sure the wait will be agonizing. I'm a compulsive mailbox checker whenever I order things (books especially) online! Sorry tapestry, hope it comes soon!

I ordered two copies on Amazon yesterday...since I qualified for the super savor shipping (because I really have no self control when it comes to buying books) they won't ship until the 10th. *sighs*

I hate waiting. Stupid Borders for not having the book just yet...I could have saved myself money if they had. (or at least I tell myself that I wouldn't have bought anything else)

Hey guys. Man, I really appreciate all the support from you. Thanks a ton for buying (or trying to buy) my book. It means a lot. I'm sure it'll end up on the shelves of every book store soon enough. But that is a sweet deal on Amazon, almost 6 bucks off. Wow.

Seems like most of you are reading my blog reports, so I won't bore you with any more details. But today was nice and relaxing, and so will tomorrow. Then it gets crazy.

That pepper jack was some kinda good. Sorry I didn't leave any for the rest of you.

Teenauthor, let me think about your question for a sec. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd love to come to Australia. Not sure about the logisitics on that, though. I can't imagine my publisher sending me there. Maybe when the foreign rights sell there. And I'm glad to hear about your author aspirations. Keep us informed.

Tapestry, dude, sorry it's been such a chore for you to find the book. You too, Irish. One day when I'm rich and famous we'll all look back on this and laugh. But I can't tell you how much it means that you're trying so hard. That's awesome.

I walked right into Barnes and Noble today to buy one for a birthday gift, and there it was. Didn't get the sweet internet deal on it though!

No need to be sorry for taking all the pepper jack JD.....this is the GD, there is ALWAYS plenty of cheese to go round. ;-)

Also, it hasn't been that much trouble in getting the book (all hail the great and powerful interwebs!) Besides I rather have issues trying to get a book than some of the real life problems I've had recently.....though if you still feel bad then you can always say some kind words about all of us here in the GD in your next book acknowledgments. ;-)

Randomly, not 2 hours after I got the previous email saying JCL wouldn't be shipped, I got a second email saying that it had been shipped... So, within the course of 2 hours, the 2 books I had ordered together got shipped separately. Bizarre. But, at least now I know it's on it's way! Yay!

Amazon is an odd beast.

Well, I went to Border's to pick up JCL last night and they were SOLD OUT! I even asked a clerk since I thought maybe they just didn't get any in yet but he looked it up and said they sold out and would be getting more in soon. Great news, right?? Well maybe not great for me who had to leave the store without it, but pretty spiffy, nevertheless! I should have asked how many copies were in their first shipment but I forgot to... Granted I did read the ARC last month but I really wanted to read the REAL THING to compare what was different and also to see the illustrations.

So I joined the ranks of those who ordered it off of Amazon. :) What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good deal and my Border's gift card was itching to be spent. And then I splurged and ordered A Door in the Woods as well. My email said est. shipping Mar 17-20 so we'll see if I get lucky and have that moved up at all.

Of course then I went to the Barnes & Noble near my work on my lunch break and they had one copy of it left. Part of me wanted to buy that one and give it out as a gift, but I decided I'd try to keep my book buying in budget this month. However, I did rearrange the shelf it was on so that the cover was facing forward - is that weird? It's just got a cool cover and I figured people walking by would be more drawn to the cover rather than just seeing the spine. There was plenty of shelf room too so it really looked better the way I left it but I guess there's something a little strange about rearranging bookstore shelves. (I've also been known to correct misfilings of books at the library...I can't explain why but books out of order drive me nuts!!)

So yeah....Any word on the official sales figures, JD? Good enough to earn you a hard street date for Book 2? Good enough to add some extra signing stops?? ChicagoChicagoChicago.... ;)

Glad the tour's going well!

It isn't weird at all about rearranging the books. I live across the street from a B&N, so I'm there all the time and I'm constantly cleaning up their stacks and organizing their tables when I'm wandering around. And I have faced out books before that I liked so that maybe it would catch other people's eyes as well.

I don't think its weird either. I've rearranged a few shelves myself in various bookstores. I used to also fix clothes in stores too - but I blame that from my years of working retail (and the fact that I'm a tad be ODD (self diagnosed) lol). My friends all think I'm a freak when I do things like that....but ah well, what can you do, right?

Ahhhh - One more thing I love about LT! No one here thinks my literary-related quirks are as strange as my real life friends and family seem to find them!!!

Sure enough on another thread I confessed to memorizing my library card number - a trait that had me marked for extreme nerdiness by my spouse - yet a handful of Lter's convinced me that not only was it a good idea and not to be mocked, but it was something they had all done too!

*Raises a glass to the fine company!* Salud!

#50 - memorizing my library card number

I did that because the card number was your login to the library catalog, back before we got this cool web-based system with so many extra features. So I suspect that's a quirk may of us share!

I've memorized the numbers of my various library cards as well. Comes from the repeated typing in when I log on the web catalog to request more books. =)

What's strange about memorising your library card number? (btw, Unshelved recently had a series about that...)

I still shelf read the library shelves while I'm browsing. I'm completely disorganised in most parts of my life, but seeing books out of order in the library makes me shudder.

Funny, I'm one of the people who keep things shown by their spines so people in bookshops don't spot and buy the books I want to purchase.

In libraries it's different though. There I put books back in their EXACT shelving after being done with them, and not just guessing where it originally got put either.

Ok....so when I made my order from Amazon the other day I ended up putting 4 books in my cart. I just had a notice that those 4 books will be sent in 3 different shipments. Amazon is so efficient. *rolls eyes*

I buy books in meat-world space. There's a discomfort for me in waiting ages for a book I could easily order from a real bookstore instead of feeding Amazon.com more dollars that could be going to my local shops.

Needless to say Kinokuniya and Gleebooks now see me as a valuable customer. I don't have to pay shipping on stuff I find in a shop and I can grab it instantly instead of waiting for it to come in the post.

But somehow I know I'd feel different about it if Australia had its own Amazon, then I would be able to order books my locals don't get in.

My local bookstores are all chains....as is Amazon. I normally go to them mostly because I like instant gratifician. Plus it is often faster to order from Amazon when my local bookstore doesn't have the book. When I have to order from the bookstore it can take 1 to 2 weeks to come in. I also rarely have to pay for shipping of books because I usualy have enough books in my basket to qualify for free shipping. So add free shipping and lower priced books and I come out ahead in the long run....and that leaves more money for more books.

That's all well and good if you live in America, but over here they charge like a wounded bull for shipping anything from Amazon. Even the $1.00 books you can order end up as $30 orders if you aren't careful about what shipping policy is.

The solution is simple....leave Oz and move to America. ;-)

Cultural Imperialism I say!

Of course! I'm American...can you expect nothing less?? *lol*

So am I the only one who saw "JCL" and thought "Job Control Language"? Man I love that stuff but haven't had the opportunity to work with it since 1999 (damn you y2k). Oh and I'll keep an eye out for your books James. Congrats!

Decides it's time to wander through and clean up the confetti, pint glasses, Jolt cans, and sweep the cheese and cake crumbs under the rug.

That's what the Roombas are for. ;)

That's what I figured, but they always seemed so busy over in the Topic thread, what with chasing the Smurfs, puffins and terns. I thought I'd give them the day off over here.

That was some bash. *passing out again*