Muffins--Better Than Reviews?

Yesterday I had a lovely, lovely meeting with the sales and marketing team at Harper. I brought yummy Morning Glory Muffins and people ate them and we drank coffee and spoke about Before I Fall. It was all very exciting and (because of the muffins and bagels) delicious.

I received some other good news, which is that my first review in an "official" review publication will be appearing in next week's issue of Booklist. I am posting it below for your reading pleasure:

Before I Fall.

Oliver, Lauren (Author)

Mar 2010. 480 p. HarperTeen, hardcover, $17.99. (9780061726804). If you could relive your last day, what would you do differently? This is what Samantha asks herself when, after a fatal accident driving from a party on Friday, she wakes in her bed to find she must repeat the entire day again. And again. As Samantha lives through multiple Fridays, desperate to prevent her death, she is struck by how even the most insignificant acts, like running late for school instead of being on time, can change everything. Suddenly she is noticing uncomfortable things—about her friends, about herself—she has never noticed before. It’s the ultimate learning experience, and it takes Samantha seven times—not to save her own life but to leave with one she can be proud of. Oliver, in a pitch-perfect teen voice, explores the power we have to affect the people around us in this intensely believable first novel. Samantha grows from an entitled, popular, yet insecure girl to one with the compassion and guts to make the right decisions. This is a compelling book with a powerful message and should not be missed.

I liked the review, though probably not as much as I liked eating piping hot muffins straight from the oven. Just sayin'. Simple pleasures, folks, simple pleasures.