The other me is geeking out

Go ahead and laugh, but it's true.

I am not my level-headed self these days.

I've always taken the ups and downs of this unpredictable publishing industry with stride. My mentors have schooled me to be patient, and I'm careful about not announcing any of the irons in my proverbial fire until they're so hot, they're imprinted in my hand. Irrefutable evidence the project exists, I suppose.

I'm good at keeping secrets and selective about who receives the news when I'm ready to share it.

Which is why I thought I'd be less affected by the launch of the Spirited anthology.

Instead, I am totally geeking out.

It started about two weeks ago when I saw my "other" name on the cover of the book, along with 12 other paranormal YA authors I admire and respect. I even managed to wipe up my drool before it hit the floor... I sent the photo to my family, my friends, and even whipped out my iPhone to show it off to strangers. Well, just once...

But then the actual e-book popped up on Amazon.com - almost a week before the official October 31 launch.

And something very strange happened to me.

I created an Amazon.com profile page. And Tweeted/Facebooked about it as though it was a masterpiece fit for the Louvre.

I applied for a Goodreads author profile - and anxiously watched my inbox until confirmation arrived. More tweeting. Another Facebook update. That feat even warranted a call to my Dad...who sadly has no idea what Goodreads is, or why the hell he should turn on his dinosaur of a computer and enter my name - my married name - into a computer to find out. (Sidenote: When I forwarded the cover image to my Dad, he scanned the cover four times, grunting into the phone, "What am I looking for here?" He didn't clue in that Dawn DALTON is me. The other me.)

But I'm pretty sure my behaviour last night just about sent my husband over the edge.

Spirited, for at least an hour, was listed at #16 on Amazon Best Sellers in Children's Short Fiction top 100. You'd almost think I'd won the lottery. I "whooted." I tweeted. I Facebooked. I texted my sister. And I called my mother-in-law and my father. Thank goodness for mother-in-laws because my Dad's first question was, "So when are you going to be number one?" Sigh.

Irrational behaviour for sure, but even worse when I became obsessed with refreshing the page, holding my breath as the list emerged onto my iPhone screen.

Which is when I realized how quickly the list shuffles.

By the time I'd gone to sleep (which took considerable effort and a Tylenol Cold and Flu), Spirited had slid down to #23.

Honestly, though? I'm still geeking out.

- Dawn

The Book In My Bag Today: The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern