Remember when I said you might have to wait for a while to hear my big announcement? Well, a while turned out to be less than 24 hours.

Are you ready?

I mean, are you really ready?

Are you absolutely sure you’re ready?

Because this is big.

Really big.

Gigantic even.

Ok. Fine. Here it is… (even though I don’t think you’ve really prepared yourself for this.)

(takes a breath)

HarperCollins Canada has set the Canadian release date for my debut novel, Nowhere Wild, to August 25th, 2015!

Yes, that’s right. On August 25th, 2015, (just in time for the last big weekend of the summer) you will be able to pick up your very own copy of Nowhere Wild in hardcover or on the e-reader of your choice, on-line, or wherever fine books are sold (in Canada)!

Want proof?

You can actually pre-order the book from a couple of places today, including (but not limited to) Amazon.ca and Indigo Books.

I have to say, seeing the actual publication date on a retail website made this feel so much more real than all the emails I’ve exchanged with my editor and my agent over the past two years. It got a little hard to breathe for a moment.

And then I remembered that this means I have a ton of work to do this year. And I almost passed out. No, not really. But I was pretty giddy the rest of the day.

Now, I will attempt to answer a few questions, before anyone asks:

1. When will the book be available in the United States or Europe or anywhere besides Canada?

Those dates have not yet been set, but we are working on it. As soon as I can say, you can bet I’ll have another big announcement.

2. Does this mean the book is done?

Nope… it means we’re into the home stretch on the plot edits, and now starting the line edits, the copy edits, and the proofs. I’ll be editing my fingers off through the spring, meeting deadlines and trying not to panic. And oh yeah, working on my next book.

3. Your bio on the Amazon page looks wrong.

I noticed that too. We’re getting it corrected. Don’t let my son know it says I have twin daughters.

4. What is the cover going to look like?

HarperCollins will take care of that, and I haven’t seen it yet. Hopefully something with aliens and unicorns. Wait… that’s a different book. Never mind.

5. Are you doing a book tour?

We haven’t discussed this yet, but at the very least, I will be doing local signings whenever I can. I anticipate making some trips up to BC in August or September, and hopefully a trip to Ontario as well. We’ll see what else I can fit into this crazy life.

6. Can I get an advanced copy?

Since the book isn’t finished yet, I don’t have any to give away. I will likely have some give-away books and prizes as we get ready for the launch, so stay tuned!

7. Is it better to pre-order now, or should everyone wait until closer to the launch date to order to help boost the ranking on the sites?

My understanding is that pre-orders are grouped together and the credit to the author’s rank hits the day the book is released. So a thousand books sold 6 months out weights the same as 1000 the day before launch. So by all means, pre-order as soon as you’d like. And have your friends pre-order… and their friends pre-order…

8. Is August 25, 2015 the absolute final date? Or will it move, again?

August 25th is the official target publication date. Once that date is announced, wheels start turning faster and faster, and deadlines get tougher and tougher. Sure the date could move, but we’ll all be doing everything we can to hit that date.

That’s all I’ve got for now. There will be updates galore as we march through 2015. If you have any questions though, let me know, and I’ll try to get them answered as best I can.

Now, back to writing. I’ve got a lot to get done!