"Send Susanna Kearsley to My Hometown" Finalists!

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Publishers don't often send authors on tour anymore. In this electronic age, it's not the most efficient way to do publicity, and it can get expensive.

But for authors, it's a lovely way to get to meet our readers, and to thank them, face-to-face, for the support and joy they give us.

So when Sourcebooks told me they were sending me on tour this June, to celebrate The Firebird's publication in the U.S.A., I was thrilled. And when they told me they were going to let my readers choose which three towns I'd be going to, that made me even happier.

The contest's fairly simple: First, the call went out last month for nominations—any reader in the States could nominate their local library or bookshop as a stop on my June tour. A lot of you responded, and the ten hometowns that had the most votes have now been revealed. They are, in random order: 

Bookworks – Albuquerque, New Mexico 

Murder by the Book – Houston, Texas 

The Vero Beach Book Center – Vero Beach, Florida 

The King’s English Bookshop  – Salt Lake City, Utah 

The Poisoned Pen – Scottsdale, Arizona 

The Henry Waldinger Memorial Library – Valley Stream, Long Island, New York 

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library – Fredericksburg, Virginia 

Wichita Falls Public Library – Wichita Falls, Texas 

Quail Ridge Books & Music – Raleigh, North Carolina 

Book Passage – San Francisco, California

These ten finalists now get to square off against one another in the final stage of Sourcebooks' competition, by rallying locals and patrons and people who live within visiting distance to vote for them, so if any of these are your own hometown, or in your area, do them a favour and vote for them here: http://books.sourcebooks.com/firebird/

Then spread the word! On March 18th, the three winners will be chosen. I can't wait to see where I'll end up!