The Year of Prime and Colombia From the Hip ...

Unprecedented!
Historical!
THE Guiness Record.
Yep. I went to see a really really long chorizo on Saturday. A 1,917 meter long chorizo.

Think of it this way. It's like going up the Burj Dubai (including its spire) and down and back up a third of the way with one LONG chorizo ... Yes, making Oscar Meyer seem quite flaccid in comparison.
(I WILL refrain from any other inappropriate chorizo references because it's way too easy, expected and inappropriate, right?)
Anyway, here's the dish (literally): 900 kilos of meat, 500 kilos of fat, 50 kilos of condiments, and two-thousand meters of intestinal stuff to stuff it. 
Holy heart burn, Bat Man!.
So where did this cholesterol bomb get made? Santa Rosa, Risaralda -- a small town about twenty minutes from where we live in Pereira. When Cesar told me that we'd have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the longest chorizo in the world, I didn't hesitate quite simply because I doubt most people will be able to say they've seen such a thing. I mean, it is kind of cool.
So we drove up to the Santa Rosa and wandered through the crowds that packed like sausages (ha!) around the haz-mat-like looking tent with the workers intently stuffing the pig intestines.

... music blared over the speakers, people cheered, signs were posted everywhere celebrating the goal of 1400 (though it ended up being 1917 meters long!) and the Santarrosano pride.

And our daughter got her first traffic ticket. Apparently, you're NOT allowed to ride livestock in a public park. Go figure. (The cow's name is Chiquitolin. Her owner battled the authorities for the right to ride. Personally, I don't think it's such a bad idea to NOT have livestock in a plaza. But, well, Pamplona and other cities don't necessarily set the best examples, letting bulls trample all over the town.) This does not bode well for our daughter's future transit future. Her first "transportation" and she's ticketed.

And after almost getting Chiquitolin, um, towed, the police let us off with a stern warning, and the owner led the cow to ... well, I don't really know where. We wandered around, checking out the chorizo progress, finding a beautiful cafe where we drank hot chocolate and decided it was time to end our adventure. The weather determined this since it started pissing rain.
Not to fear. The chorizo-lovers weren't deterred so easily. I guess we're a bit wimpy.
There's something magical about a city in celebration. I LOVE this about Colombia -- their celebrations.  Colombians can find a reason to celebrate every day: music festivals, food, history ... anything worth a *cheers* gets one. And most everything is worth celebration. There's a general happiness here that I haven't encountered elsewhere. They're less broody, less gloomy, less existential angst-like. Colombians are quick to smile, quick to laugh, hot-headed but also quick to forgive. They talk loud, sing louder, interrupt each other constantly and ALWAYS are ready to tell you what they think. But there's something about this openness and sincerity that's endearing and, sure, infuriating. But Colombia wouldn't be Colombia without it.
Today in Santa Rosa, they're DEFINITELY not worried about counting calories, triglycerides and cholesterol. They're not worried about heartburn and ulcers. Hell. They have a near two-kilometer sized chorizo to eat.
And we got a chance to see it. 

The Year of Prime, SIGNED ARC OF COMPULSION GIVEAWAY BEGINS TODAY ...

Yep, starting today you can win A SIGNED ARC OF COMPULSION!

So .... What are you waiting for?? Click on the cool widget on the right, compliments of GOODREADS and win! Be one of the first to read COMPULSION

The Year of Prime, SIGNED ARC OF COMPULSION GIVEAWAY, book cover madness and COMPULSION cover reveal!

If I had a smidgen of will power, I'd do some crazy cover reveal buildup and contest, but waiting to share this would be like waiting to open the dark chocolate bar with sea salt I have waiting for me in the drawer -- just not gonna happen!
So ... TA-DA!!! Here she is, Miss ...
Wait. Wrong song.
Ta-da!!! I have no song ... so ...
COMPULSION'S OFFICIAL COVER!

Today, I'm tipping my hat to Jenny Rozbruch and the design team at HARPER COLLINS for creating what I think is an exquisite visual representation of my words. I mean, how cool is that? Somebody takes the time to not only read my work but then put together what they feel is an image to represent what that work means. There's a lot of responsibility involved, many people come together to discuss, argue, put forth ideas, and then TA-DA!! We get a gorgeous book cover. Book jackets and covers are, and I'm stealing this phrase, Art For the Written Word (A great book about twenty-five years of Wendell Minor's jacket art that adorned some of the best contemporary authors from Ray Bradbury to David McCullough to Toni Morrison).

Here are some FAQ about book covers that I often get about my books and their covers that might help everybody understand, just a touch more, the business.

Do you get a say in your book covers?
Nope. (Technically). I have seen, though, all prelim book covers and been asked my opinion.  I've loved them all and have trusted, too, my editor, publishers, and the design team 100%. Had I NOT liked a cover, I can't really say what would happen. To be honest, probably not a whole lot because SO MUCH GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES that deals with marketing, target markets, what's working, what attracts buyers etc. that an author (well, me) can't even begin to fathom.

Does that bother you that you have no say in your book covers?
Nope. I'm not an artist (though I wish I were). I'm not a graphic designer. And I certainly have NO idea what is attractive for the market. I leave that to the experts! My job is to write the best novel I possibly can then let go. Obviously, if there's some kind of insane cover that doesn't make sense, my agent and I would make noise. It happens. We've heard the stories. 99% of the time, though, houses make smart art decisions.

Does a good book cover matter?
Absolutely. Sure, you can't read a book by its cover, but you certainly can BUY a book by its cover. Think of the books that catch your eye in the store. It's like buying art. (Hence, Art for The Written Word)

How do you get someone as awesome as Francisco X Stork, Jennifer Brown or Ellen Hopkins to blurb your books?
You ask. Well, your editor usually asks, which is way better than approaching an author unless you're very close to that author. Ellen Hopkins had offered to blurb FREEZE FRAME. We've known each other for a long time. And my editor, Ruta, asked Both Francisco X Stork and Jennifer Brown to blurb COMPULSION. I am grateful for their time and generosity. Like groveling grateful. And stunned. And just ... grateful.

Have you ever been disappointed by a cover?
Nope. Never. I love ALL my covers.

What is the process?
This is kind of a fill-in-the-blank answer because, to be honest, I'm not exactly sure how it works. I can tell you what I do know. My imprint, Balzer and Bray, works with designers at HarperCollins. My editor sends my manuscript to the designer with some prelim ideas about what she thinks the cover could have -- how she and the publishers imagine the cover to be. The designers read the novel then come up with a rough draft, I guess, of what they think would best represent the book according to the editors comments, ideas, and what they've read. This is sent to marketing and publicity and the publishers and the editor where they all discuss and tweak and talk and drink coffee and yell and wish they didn't have such a long commute on the train in the morning and remember they forgot their dental appointment and then come together for a finalized idea. This rough design with the finalized idea is sent to me and my agent and we "oooh" and "ahhh" and feel all giddy about it. (I do, anyway). And then it goes back to design for final tweaking until ... TA-DA!!

Do you always say ta-da?
Only when absolutely necessary or appropriate. I'm not a TA-DA abuser. Whatsoever.

So, all this hullabaloo and no cool contest about your book cover reveal?
I didn't technically say there wouldn't be a contest. I just said there wouldn't be a build up to a cover reveal contest.

So, since it's out, officially, I'm going to RAFFLE OFF A SIGNED ARC OF COMPULSION!! What's the catch?  It's painfully easy! See that cool widget on the side of my blog with COMPULSION ... Well, starting March 5, you can enter to win. You can enter from March 5 - 13 ... nine days to enter and win.

That's all. And then, with Goodreads magic wand, they'll pick a winner and TA-DA! (Couldn't resist) ... Yep. Someone will get a signed ARC (advanced reader's copy) of COMPULSION.
Yay!

I love giving things away.
So ... click.
And win!