ARCs for The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden!

The ARCs for The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden go out this week!

Coming January 2014

It's pretty exciting to see your book take shape. For the longest time its an idea, then an outline, then a string of chapters, then a manuscript, then a manuscript with a contract. Then a proof. Then another proof. And another proof. Then ... another proof. Then an e-ARC. Then a paper ARC. Eventually (although we're not quite there yet), it's a book. It's a fascinating process, one which is becoming more familiar and more transparent as I go through it a few times.
This time around, my publisher also asked me to provide a note to accompany the ARCs, to discuss my thoughts about the book. How it sprang to life, major themes, what I want people to know. It was an interesting exercise, which really made me express exactly how I feel about the book and the writing process. All good!
Here's a short excerpt from that letter:

When I was young, I used to have vivid dreams of flying. My favourite character in Greek mythology was always Icarus, I understood his yearning to soar, despite the dangers. When I started jotting down ideas for a new book a few years ago, I kept coming back to the idea of a flying girl. I wondered: If you woke up one day with the ability to fly, how would that change you?

Given all the other changes that teenagers face, it didn’t seem a huge leap to add the gift of flight to my main character. It would be just one more change in a huge jumble of hormones and change. And Gwen’s gift DOES change her, although she doesn’t grow wings or anything so obvious. Instead, her gift of flight is a metaphor for all those teenage changes we can’t see...

If you have requested an ARC, I hope you enjoy it. If you'd like one, please contact my publisher, Dundurn Press. There may be a few left! Here's their ARC announcement: http://ow.ly/i/2Apim