Yes, you read the title of this post correctly. I ate my book cover...and it was delicious.

Okay, I'll explain...

On October 20, 2007, I was at the 2nd Annual Local Authors Extravaganza in the West Side Chapters in Edmonton, Alberta. There were about 16 authors, including myself, at this event, and it was filled with energy and excitement. I sat at a table next to Drew Karpyshyn, bestselling author of the latest Star Wars novel. Further down the aisle was YA author Marty Chan, and up by the doors was the lovely Lynda Steele, a TV news personality from Global TV, where I've been interviewed a few times.

Having so many authors in one place created a lot of buzz. Some of the customers came down just to see us; others were surprised to see our tables and wanted to know what was happening.

Right around lunch time, I was getting hungry. So I ate my book cover. It was, as I mentioned before, very delicious. I was a bit worried about the blue dye. I thought it might stain my tongue...or my lips. Now, wouldn't that look funny? Imagine talking to an author with blue lips and a blue tongue.

With the first bite of my cover, I thought about poor Sarah Richardson, the tormented young woman in my novel, and how her life was turned upside down by a single tragic event. I thought of her mother, wanting so desperately to end her own pain and suffering, and Sarah's father who was put in the position of having to make a life-changing decision. I took another bite of my book cover and thought of Annie, Sarah's childhood bully--the bully that most kids have at least once in their life...and I thought of the killer whales that Sarah saw in her dreams, the ones that called to her at night.

My book cover tasted very sweet. Almost heavenly.

Well, if you haven't guessed it by now, it was a piece of cake. Chocolate and vanilla layers, with a tart strawberry filling and vanilla icing. The bookstore had ordered it for the event, with our book covers in gel icing on the top. When I saw the cover of Whale Song, I just had to ask for that very piece. It's not every day that an author gets to eat her book cover. :)

To order Whale Song (the book and not a cake), please visit your favorite bookstore. If they don't have a copy on the shelves, just ask if they can order you one. Or, you can order online at Chapters.ca (Canadian customers) or Amazon.com (US customers)