ARTIFACT Goes on Sale Today! Join Me Online or In Person

I can't believe today is actually here! Artifact: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery, is officially on sale today. 

I'm kicking off a blog tour today. Please stop by if you get a chance! Links are below.

Online Events
(Check my website for additional listings to come)

August 28: “A Day in the Life of Jaya Jones,” at Dru’s Book Musing

August 28: The story of how Artifact came to be, at Lesa’s Book Critiques

August 28: Discussing book covers, at The LadyKillers

September 5: My “Made It Moment,” at Jenny Milchman’s “Made It Moments” blog

September 6: Interviewed by the Mysteristas

September 14: Treasure Hunting in Scotland, at Novel Adventurers

September 16: Discussing the family history that inspired Artifact, at Buried Under Books



Join me in person at the book launch party for Artifact. Saturday, September 8, 2012, 7 p.m. at A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland, CA.

Additional events can be found on my website.


This is going to be a short blog post, because there's so much to do today! More soon...

Goodreads and Good Hair (post-chemo hair: weeks 5, 6, and 7)

I know, I know. I slacked off posting weekly photos of my hair. It's not that I didn't remember to take photos each week. It's because it turns out there's so much work to do with a book release that I didn't think about downloading and posting the photos! I also didn't remember to publicize a last chance for members of Goodreads to win an Advance Reader Copy of Artifact.

So below, good hair and a Goodreads giveaway:

I got a new haircut! Yes, I'm growing out my hair, but it was getting so scraggly and unruly that it needed a clean-up. I still don't think I quite look like myself, but I think it's kind of cute. I suspect it's going to be one of the great ironies of life that as soon as my hair has grown back out to how long it was before cancer, I'll finally have stopped thinking of myself as a long-haired person. 

Post-chemo hair, week 7.

Post-chemo hair, weeks 5 and 6.

Are you on Goodreads? Through Monday, August 27 (the day before Artifact is officially on sale), you can enter to win one of five signed ARCs:

—Gigi

Post-Cancer Celebratory Trip Planning: Prague and Paris, Here We Come!

My last cancer treatment took place at the end of July, so last week I was able to get my port out. I'm a little sore from the stitches, but I don't seem to mind, because it means I'm officially DONE with invasive cancer treatments!

What's a girl to do to celebrate?

1. Throw a killer book launch party.

2. Go on vacation to Prague and Paris.

I visited Prague briefly when I was 22 years old, while backpacking after college. It was such a mysterious, romantic city (two of my favorite things) that I always wanted to go back. Life got away from me, though, so I never did. And somehow it's already 15 years later!

But you know what? Even if cancer changes my plans along the way in the future, I'm not going to let it stop me from having the experiences I want to in life. I'm going to turn cancer on its head and use it as a reminder to focus on the important things in life, like seeing the world with my loved ones.

So we booked ourselves tickets flying into Prague and out of Paris for later in the fall, after Artifact comes out. I've already got an idea for a Paris mystery novel in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series, but now I need to think of some good ideas for a Prague mystery....

—Gigi

Book Launch Party for Artifact

I'd love for you to join me at the book launch party for Artifact!

The event is being held at the wonderful independent bookstore A Great Good Place for Books, located in the Montclair neighborhood of Oakland.

Saturday, September 8, 2012
7 p.m.
A Great Good Place for Books 
Oakland, CA

What can you expect? The party takes place the week after Artifact hits the shelves, so you'll be able to buy a copy of the book, and I'll be signing copies. I'll also read a little bit from the novel and share some fun facts about how the book came to be—but mostly it'll be a fun party at a fabulous bookstore. In keeping with the spirit of Artifact, there will be Scotch whisky from the region of the highlands of Scotland where the book takes place, and other treats.

This book launch party is a joint celebration, celebrating not only the release of my debut mystery, but also the successful completion of a year of cancer treatments! So yes, there's a lot to celebrate.


—Gigi

The Haircut, Week 4

Too long to spike but not quite long enough for bangs. Depending on whether or not my curls turn out to be as strong as they were before chemo, it might soon be time to pull out my stash of cute hats....

—Gigi