You know that feeling you start getting when you are little and you’ve just finished off the last of the Thanksgiving turkey? The knowledge that in just a month, you are going to be running downstairs and seeing a pile of presents under the tree with your name on them?

That’s what this feels like. Giddiness, impatience, and the wish that you could just skip the next month.

You know that feeling you started getting when you were a senior in college, and the order form arrived for your graduation gown? That knowledge that in just a month, you were going to march in a line, wave to your family, and then be expected to find a job in order to start paying off those massive student loans?

That’s also what this feels like. Anticipation mixed with fluttery gut-deep nervousness, and a vague apprehension of what’s about to happen.

I’m simultaneously in two very different emotional landscapes. It took a lot of years and hard work to get to this moment, so I’m very intensely desperate to see the fulfillment of Generation V sitting on a bookstore shelf. On the other hand, I have that nervous worry – what if no one really likes my book? But then I remind myself that if the book truly sucked, then my editor wouldn’t have bought it in the first place. Plus, Devon Monk and Karen Chance both said very nice things about the book, and I never even met them! Which helps for five minutes until I start thinking about the possibility of seeing one-star ratings on Amazon.com. But then I think about how nice it would be to see five-star ratings.

It’s awesome and complicated at the same time.

Some good things:

The Goodreads giveaway of Generation V closes in two days! 25 copies of the book will be given away, and right now there are 627 people requesting – so that’s pretty cool.

Generation V got its first review! You can go over to RT Book Reviews to check it out – heads up, though – you can only see the review if you are a subscriber to the magazine. Two months after the print magazine hits the stands, everyone will be able to read the review, but for now you need to be able to log in. But I got a peek, and the reviewer, Bridget Keown, gave it four and a half stars out of five, which I am assured is a big deal for a debut! (and Keown used the word “sensational” to describe Generation V!)

I’ll be guest blogging at The Qwillery next week as part of their 2013 Debut Author Challenge, and there will also be an interview posted the day after Generation V hits the stands (May 7th!)

Finally, my author copies arrived – the book looks AMAZING! I’ve included pictures below! (oh, if you run a blog or a website and would like to review Generation V, please email me and I’ll send you a copy!)

It looks good coming…

… and it looks good going!