Rebecca Herman of Rebecca’s Book Blog was one of the first book bloggers to notice Spy when the British edition was first published in 2009. You can check out our interview here – a first for both of us, I think! Today, I’m delighted to be Rebecca’s guest once again and I’m talking about the Victorian uber-drug, opium. It wasn’t just for the hookah-smoking avant-garde…

Today, the T2T blog tour takes me to the Story Siren, where Kristi found Spy “enthralling” and “a great start to a series”. Hurray! You can read the rest of her review here.

Also at the Story Siren, I’ve written a guest post about the Great Stink of 1858, which is the setting for Spy. Yes, “the Great Stink” was its real name. See you there!

The crowd thins out towards the end, when we finally remember the camera

The space was the beautifully restored Victorian building that now houses the Body Now 4 Mums studio. Oscar sold the books, Joanna provided wonderful nibbles (garlicky spanakopita! rhubarb compote! pita with za’atar, sumac and fab vegan toppings! chocolate-covered marmalade! carrot cake! homemade limeade for the kids, in tiny green bottles with straws! and many things I didn’t even get a look at because I was in my corner, signing). The Catastrophizer was in charge of music, but no one heard the CD end because it was so raucous.

I learned a few things about launch parties that I feel compelled to share:

1. Arrive much earlier than you think is necessary. People started trickling in at 7pm for a 7.30 start!

2. Don’t lose the camera in the diaper bag.

3. Invite kids. They made it so delightful.

cutest. rugrats. evah.

4. Enlist someone to bring you food & drink at the midway point.

5. Don’t expect to have meaningful conversations with your lovely friends. Just sign!

6. Bring more pens than you think you’ll need.

me in my corner

7. Breathe. It’s really happening.

8. Smile so hard your face hurts.

The day has come – the North American publication date for The Agency: A Spy in the House! As a result, I am all over the intertubes:

The T2T blog tour takes me to Chick Lit Teens where Jessica reviews Spy, calling it a “true gem”. I’m also a guest-poster here, and my subject today is Victorian Hygiene. Warning: this one’s not for the queasy.

I’m also at Book Chick City, explaining why – despite my love of things Victorian – I’m glad I live in the present day. This one’s also a bit grimy.

Paul Grimsley interviews me at In To Views (the Arty interview)

The Catastrophizer forces me to ponder failure and death (the Angsty interview).

And tonight, we’ll be celebrating with a party. Novel Idea Books will be there, selling copies for those who wish to purchase. Body Now 4 Mums and Kids is hosting us in their lovely harbourfront studio. And Candlewick Press is the hero of the day because without them, none of this would be happening. Please join us if you can!

Tuesday, March 9

7.30 to 10pm

61 Yonge St., Portsmouth Village, Kingston

To recap: today will be a True Gem of Queasy, Grimy, Arty Angst. Party to follow.

Perfect.

My book launch party is tomorrow night! Will you be there?

Welcome to the second week of my blog tour. Today, I’m Cecilia’s guest at the Epic Rat, where I talk about about Victorian Poverty. Cecilia reviews Spy, too, calling it “stunning” and “vivid”. Thanks for having me, Cecilia, and happy Monday, everyone!

My book launch party is only 3 days away! Are you coming?

Today, the T2T blog tour takes us to Reading in Color, where Ari reviews Spy and reckons that Mary “is better than Sherlock Holmes because she does all that he does but in a skirt”! I’ve also written a guest post about Lascars – Asian sailors – in Victorian London. Yes, it’s true: Victorian London was NOT lily-white – but people often forget that.

My book launch party is on Tuesday, and you are invited.

I wrote a quiz for writers that Stephanie Burgis calls “freakily accurate”. Eating and writing – they are connected! The quiz is up at Teenreads.com So… do you eat dessert first?

And on the 6th day of my blog tour, I’m Leslie’s guest at That Chick that Reads. She interviews me here, and reviews Spy here. Thank you for having me to visit, Leslie, and for encouraging me to talk about my freaky elbows (among other things). And thanks for the 5-paw rating!

My book launch party is on Tuesday. Care to attend?

Quick question: 6-year-olds make great babysitters – true or false? Today’s blog post is happening right here:

Extreme Child Labour, Victorian-style

How old were you when you got your first job, and what was it? Babysitting at the age of 12? Weeding your grandmother’s flowerbeds at age 10? Mine was cleaning my parents’ bathroom when I was 11. I hated it. Hated it. Hated it. Every Saturday morning. Not optional. But at least they paid me ($5) – and at least I wasn’t a poor child in Victorian England.

Child labour was routine for the Victorian poor. A six-year-old might be responsible for looking after other, younger children, then graduate to minding a neighbour’s flock of sheep at the age of 8. Notice the hierarchy, here: you had to be older and more responsible to look after livestock, because they were more valuable than kids! In a different district, work might involve crawling through a coal mine, because skinny bodies and tiny fingers were good at collecting little bits of coal. Urban children went to work in factories, where their small fingers were useful once again – until they lost them in industrial accidents, and were thus unemployable.

It wasn’t that children’s labour was particularly valuable – they earned much lower wages than women, who in turn earned less than men (for the same work). And it wasn’t that parents thought their kids might as well be useful. But going to school cost money, and most poor families simply couldn’t afford it. Even the pennies earned by their children were essential to paying for basics, like rent and food. Alfred Quigley, a minor character in my novel, A Spy in the House, earns a bit more running errands and delivering messages, but his incentive is the same: to help his widowed mother pay the bills.

Child labour was a frequent subject of concern for Victorian social reformers. In 1847, a new law limited the working day to 10 hours for children and adults! And despite its end in affluent countries like Britain and the States, it continues today in poor countries. I, for one, should still be grateful that I’m not a poor child in China.

Today’s blog tour takes us to Books by their Covers, where Yan finds Spy too slow. Oh, well. Lukewarm and negative reviews are often interesting for what one learns – if not about the novel, then about the reviewer.

And my book launch party is on Tuesday. Click here for details.

Welcome to the fourth day of my blog tour! Today, Christina of Books are Life interviews me and I rant a bit about why Jane Eyre shouldn’t have married Rochester.

*ducks to avoid wrath of Janeites*

Also, new reviews!

We Be Reading commends Spy’s “surprising depth and heart”.

Back to Books thinks it’s “a thrilling read, great mystery, wonderful characters, authentic historical setting with plenty of humour and a tad of love. Y.S. Lee’s first novel, and first in this trilogy, is a big winner and I can’t wait to see where Mary’s next case will take her.”

Misfit Salon wants “to find out what was in the cigar box – ahhhhh – I must find out! As you can tell, I cannot wait for the next installment of this exciting new young adult series.”

Book launch party, March 9. You’re coming, right?

Good day! Welcome to the third stop on my Traveling to Teens blog tour. Today, I’m interviewed by the fabulous Steph Su of Steph Su Reads. She asks good questions!

Steph also reviews Spy: “Look out, Sherlock Holmes—yes, you, the one played by Robert Downey, Jr. in the 2009 film. Smart, dark, and flavorfully kickass has a new name, and that name is Mary Quinn.” The full review is here.

*author’s head explodes*