There should be a bouquet of balloons, ribboned tails flying. There should be wild horses and twirling dancers and firecrackers and someone who can hold a tune singing songs. A blue blimp soaring through the clouds with the name of the book and June 14 stamped on its sides. Water rides. Chalk murals filling the sidewalks. Enough strawberry-banana pancakes to feed the world.

There should at least be something exciting I can do here, because we are now ONE WEEK AWAY from Imaginary Girls.

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(note to self: say something witty, or wise, or so cryptic it sounds philosophical here)

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(at least give away free stuff!)

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I’m afraid I’m too tired / busy / scattered / distracted / crazed with this book deadline I need to finish writing my book / nervous / anxious / shy / loopy / outrageously and deliriously excited to the point that I cannot function (circle one) to organize anything special for this one-week-to-pub-day moment.The best I can do is write this blog post. But you can pretend if you want to. Here…

WATCH the book trailer: It has hypnotic music.

READ the first four chapters online: They are free.

VISIT the book’s official website: It is gorgeous.

And think of me fondly as I survive the next week of anticipation, including being patient with me for posting all these links and talking about my book so much, and I hope you’ll consider going out and buying Imaginary Girls on Tuesday, June 14.

Thank you for reading this post even though I don’t have a picture of balloons in it.

I might do a giveaway of some signed books next week. Here on this blog. Or on my Facebook page. Or on Twitter. Or entirely confined inside my own imagination, in which case I guess I’d win. We shall see.