Starred Review from Booklist!

I've known about this for awhile, but today it went public so I can share this great news with you.  Crossing received a Starred Review from Booklist!  As I've been telling some people, before I felt lucky to get published, but now I feel legit.  Surprisingly, Booklist put it under the Adult category as opposed to the Young Adult category.  Anyway, here's the review:

It’s freshman year for Kris Xu. But those annual fantasies of remaking himself from the quiet Chinese kid with the voice that is “Jackie Chan cumbersome” are dashed when the usual indignities resume: bullying, racism, and underestimation. Even his best friend and secret crush, Naomi—the only other Chinese student—seems to be pulling away. Then two things happen: he stumbles into an audition for the school musical and finds the glorious voice he thought he left in China, and other students start showing up dead. Although it has the plot outline of a thriller, this semifinalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest has the careful language and fine observations of a book with much more on its mind. Wrapped up ever more tightly in the plot is Kris’ sense of racial and emotional identity, and his battle with self-loathing begins to test his reliability as a narrator. Even his name is a feint; those who know him call him Xing—but who really knows him? There are a handful of suspects to the increasingly grisly crimes, and though the ultimate revelations are a tad rushed, they contain enough heartbreaking truths to deliver a significant punch. Sad, elegant, and creepy, this is a deft debut.

book launch

I recently attended my first-ever book-signing.  It also happened to be for Crossing, my debut novel!  Being the first book signing I'd ever been to, I went in a little blind, not sure what to say or do.  My plan was to keep it casual and as engaging as possible.  The audience - made up of friends from every arena of my life - was very supportive and encouraging.  The book store, Book Revue, were amazing and gracious hosts - they usually host celebrities, so I really appreciate their helping out the little guy in my case.  Here are some photos, taken by photographer extraordinaire Justin Ong (www.jongphoto.com) who took all the author shots on this website (he also does weddings, portraits, etc.):