Finally!!

I've been waiting for this day allllll year.

June 23rd.

For it would be the day that Carleen Brice's new book, Children of the Waters, would hit the bookstores.

Finally!!!!

Yes... yes... a glorious day indeed.

For I loved her first book Orange Mint and Honey. Even tacked a review up on the walls of the House of LadyLee. I am a fan for life after reading THAT book.

It was one of our book club books. (I missed that meeting. I am STILL hot behind that!)

It is being made into a Lifetime movie. GLORY! I'll be looking out for that!

She even sent me a personally autographed copy of Orange Mint and Honey. (I know she was like, "Would this chick PLEASE stop hassling me about when I'm coming to Georgia." LOL) It said "LadyLee I love your blog and hope you would autograph a book for me someday."

I had the HARD lip quiver and the fat tear drops behind that one. Showed that book to people, but they were NOT allowed to touch it, lol

Yes, yes. I've been excited all month.

I FINALLY get to read some NEW Carleen Brice!

Yes indeed!!

Now my plan was simple: go get the book this morning. Get up EARLY and get to the big bookstore I frequent in Midtown when it opens (9:00 a.m), and get the book. I could stick it in the pocket of my labcoat and read it alllll day!

So as not to waste my time, I called the bookstore yesterday.

"Hello, may I help you?"
"I have a question," I said.
"Yes?"
"There's a book coming out tomorrow, and I want to know if you put it on the shelves immediately, or does it take you a couple of days to get it on the shelf?"
"What's the name of the book?"
"Children of the Waters by Carleeen Brice," I said. I spelled her last name.

He took a LONG time to look it up. I tapped my fingers on my desk.

"Uh... no," he muttered. "We don't have copies available."
"WHAT?"
"No copies available."
"WHY?"
"Some copies will probably come in on the next shipment. But they have copies up at the Buckhead store".
"I am NOT driving up to Buckhead."
"Well that's where they are."
"How do you NOT have copies of this book? I don't believe this!!!"
"Well..."

A slight argument erupted. I ended up hanging up on him. Started calling around. Looked like I would have to drive to the closest place, Buckhead, and get the book. But driving to Buckhead in morning traffic is a beast, and they didn't open until ten o'clock. Too late. I decided to leave work in the middle of the afternoon and go get the book.

But I called another bookstore over by the White people's Kroger. They open early, but I don't like the book store.

"Hello?"
"I'm looking for a book." I gave her the information.
"Yeah, we have it," she said immediately. "I just put it on the shelf."
"REALLY?"
"Yes."
"And I can buy it tonight. Before the book comes out."
"Yes."
"And it counts on the book scan?"
"Sure does."
I looked at the clock. It was five after seven. "What time do you close?"
"Ten."
"Alright. Thank you. BYE."

I hung up the phone. Got REAL excited. Started gathering all my stuff..

Another chemist was rumbling around, trying to finish up some work. She had come back to her cubicle, and was now heading back to the lab.

I yelled out to her, "S, what time you leaving?"
"Oh, in ten more minutes, got some cleaning up to do, and trying to finish this stuff."
"Well, I'm leaving. You work that out. I'll holla! BYE!"

The rule is, if you're working late, you can't work late alone. You have to have someone else there, just in case you tare up stuff or blow something up.

That chick was on her own. I was OUTTA there.

I bought my book. I was real happy!!!

Now, on Saturday night, I believe, Carleen Brice was on a national blog talk radio show. I like listening to these, whether over the computer or on my cell phone. I was listening on my cell phone, and there's an option to speak. But I am too chicken to be "Caller #1", so I just listened.

But I decided to say something that night.

So, they put me on. And I basically said how I told her that I was LadyLee and was excited that the new book was coming out.

She actually remembered who I was. (I read her blog).

Well, she said something that shocked me. "There's a surprise for you in the book."

I don't remember what my response was. I was shocked that, not only had she said that, but she even remembered who I was.

Now, after I hung up, I thought, well, I know there's a chick in the book who has my chronic illness. I was happy for that, because it would be nice to read some fiction where that may be a factor.

I thought, well, that's what she's talking about. That ain't no surprise. They're talking about that on the show.

Cowgirl Cre and I had this brief discussion about it all yesterday.

"Carleen Brice's new book is coming out tommorow!"
"It is?"
"Yes, and she said that there's a suprise for me in the book."
"Really?"
"I think I'm going to be in it. I'm going to be the chick at the cash register. You know , when the main characters go in the store, to buy something, I take there money and-"

Interesting. We laughed hard about this. If there was some random chick named Shaquita in the book, and she was standing at the cash register... well, that was me!

LOL

So now, I have my own copy of the book in my hands. OH JOY!!

Now before I read the book, I like to look at dedications, acknowledgments, interviews, sometimes even the book club questions. Didn't want to look at the book club questions for this book because I wanted to read it without clues as to what will be going down. I wanted a surprise factor.

I turned on the television, sat down on the sofa.

Yelled at Oscar-Tyrone to get away from me. (He was rubbing up against my leg, wanting to be rubbed I suppose).

I look at the acknowledgments, which were in the back, and see this:



Shocked the HELL out of me.

I blinked hard. Oscar got the STEW kicked out of him with my left foot. I banged my big toe of my right foot on the coffee table. Yelled and screamed out of pure happiness AND pain. LOL

I called my sister, who was upstairs in her room.

"Kentucky! Kentucky! Get down here right now!"

She came out of her room, looking totally confused. "What's wrong, Lisa?"

Before I knew it, I was halfway up the stairs. "Look at this!" I punched the book page hard with my hand. "LOOK!!!!"

She saw my name. "That's real nice, Lisa."

*LadyLee cheesing hard like Buckwheat*

Oh goodness. Carleen put me in the acknowledgments. Not only that, but I am holding up the comma that comes behind the great Tayari Jones. (And you all know how I worship the ground that Tayari spits on.)

OH. JOY.

So I have my book. I've started reading it. It is very good! Carleen, you're ROCKING the descriptions and visuals. I pulled out my highlighter on some of that! GO GIRL...

And thanks for the acknowledgment.

I'd been having a bad day... feeling like Lurch.



But now I feel Smurfy again.

You made this Oldgirls day:)

Congrats on the new book. I know it's going to be just as good as the last one!!!