Christi's Adventures: The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee Launch Party!

A while back I discovered that the amazing Tom Angleberger would be having a launch party for The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, the third book in the Origami Yoda series, on it's release day, right at my favorite (although too-far-away) Barnes & Noble in Princeton, NJ. Yay! It was scheduled for 2pm, so I had to take the day off of work (double yay!), AND I kept Best Girl home from camp (triple yay!), and Laura, the children's librarian at my branch was able to take the day off and come with us (quadruple yay!).

We left my house about 10:30am and stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch--yum! There's just something about that place, and it's a little more than halfway from home to Princeton so it's a logical place to stop for a bite. We arrived at the B&N about 1pm and there were only a few people seated already, so we purchased our books and got second row seats. I let Best Girl get all three Origami Yoda books and Fake Mustache, which she read earlier this summer and absolutely loved. And I was so excited to see that Tom dedicated Fortune Wookiee to Jay Asher--Jay mentioned at his book signing that he had inadvertantly given Tom the idea for this book, and Tom told us about it at BEA. It was just a really cool author-full-circle kind of thing.

Most awesome book display ever.

Tom came out right on time and got right into it. He was so energetic and engaged the audience right from the start. He had one of those giant pads of paper on an easel and started a game--he would start drawing a character from one of his books and the first person to guess it correctly would get to win the drawing. He also said that not to yell out Origami Yoda right away, because that wouldn't be the first character. So, natural wiseass that I am, as soon as he put marker to paper I yelled out "Origami Yoda!" LOL

He started drawing and people started guessing characters from the Origami Yoda books, but it was Best Girl who realized it was Casper from Fake Mustache--before Tom even drew the fake mustache! He was pretty impressed. He talked about the book a little, and then asked for suggestions on what the kids would do if everyone thought they were adults. Most of the answers were pretty reasonable, coming from children ("I'd drink coffee and watch TV all day!", "I'd drive a Lamborghini!") but one was...not ("I'd get drunk!"). That response was met with gasps from the moms, but Tom simply laughed it off and moved on. AND Best Girl got the drawing!

The drawing of Casper that Best Girl got to take home. Tom is displaying a fake mustache, similar to (although not nearly as awesome) as the one Casper wears in Fake Mustache.

He played this game for a character from each of his books and kept the audience engaged and laughing for a full half hour.

Drawing Dwight from Origami Yoda.

He gave out green paper and showed us how to make Emergency Yodas, then handed out paper to make our own Fortune Wookiees (which, if I'd ever posted a BEA recap, you would realize that I already had, because I'd seen Tom there).

Fortune Wookiee!

He gave out green paper and showed us how to make Emergency Yodas, then handed out paper to make our own Fortune Wookiees (which, if I'd ever posted a BEA recap, you would realize that I already had, because I'd seen Tom there). Then we lined up for pictures and signatures. Tom connected with every single kid there, asking about their favorite Star Wars character, or what they were into if they didn't really like Star Wars. Best Girl made sure to tell him that Fake Mustache was her favorite book. :)

So awesome, right???

After we got our books signed, Laura and I decided to grab copies of Horton Halfpott, the one Tom Angleberger book that Best Girl didn't like. She was so impressed with Tom talking about it that she decided to give it another shot. So we purchased them (unfortunately, only paperback copies were available) and got back in line. Tom was only too happy to sign more books!

We made a connection with the interim person-who-does-author-bookings, and we're super excited because she's really interested in getting more kids and teen authors to come to Princeton, so I will hopefully be making even more trips to Princeton! Their website says there will be an author panel on September 14 featuring DAVID. LEVITHAN. So you know I'll be there!!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

It's my birthday, and I'm headed to BEA!

Happy birthday to me! I'm headed to BEA for two days of fun times, books, and authors! I have some accomplices coworkers heading into NYC with me--and one is celebrating her birthday on Wednesday, so I'm hoping to get some celebrating in with all the book awesomeness.

If you see me, say hi!!

That's me in the middle, from last year's BEA. Slightly starstruck after being recognized (SHE recognized ME!) by Bettina Restrepo (on the left), who then introduced me (SHE introduced ME!) to Christina Mandelski (on the right).

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Christi's Adventures: SE Hinton Author Event

Last week I made the trek out to Princeton, NJ, once again--this time to meet SE Hinton, author of many novels, including The Outsiders! And, here's the absolute best part about the whole night: I. Did. Not. Get. Lost. I can't tell you how embarrassing it is that I can't get from my job to Princeton without getting lost! But! I did it this time!

So thankfully I rolled into the Princeton Barnes & Noble at around 6:30pm (the event was scheduled to start at 7pm). I got in line and purchased my 3 copies of The Outsiders, and was handed a signing ticket. This was my first indication that this event was going to be way different from any others I'd attended here.

I was told to head out into the mall to get in line, and wait for the "B" tickets to be called. I waited about 20 minutes with tons of other people, and then we were led into the author area. It was already standing room only by the time I got there, but my standing room was  dead center. At about 7:10 SE Hinton came out:

Here's my awesome SRO view. Except for that annoying woman in the gray sweatshirt who was constantly moving around taking pictures like she was a professional and was totally getting in everyone's way.

She spent the next hour walking around the area, taking questions from students and teachers. Some of the teachers got really emotional talking about the reactions their kids had from reading The Outsiders, and some of the kids weren't paying attention because they asked the same questions that had already been asked, but SE was always gracious with her responses. She wrote The Outsiders for 3 reasons: 1. she loved to read, 2. she couldn't find books that she wanted to read, and decided to write her own, and 3. the social tensions going on in her life were not being addressed in fiction at the time. She said if she had to pick just one character that she related with, it would be Ponyboy, but she couldn't pick a favorite character. And she shared that not only was she still close with the actors from the film adaptation, she'd just had dinner with Matt Dillon just a few nights earlier! *swoons*

At one point she was standing directly in front of me answering a question. I thought it would have been weird to hold my iPhone up literally in her face, so I didn't take a picture of her then. I did, however, snap one of the back of her head as she was walking away, a la David Levithan:

She would have answered every single question, but at about 8pm the woman in charge of the program started frantically signaling that it was time to start the signing. There were at least 200 people there, and I was pretty much right smack dab in the middle, so I parked myself on the floor and started to re-read The Outsiders. It took almost an hour for me to get to SE, and by that point the program lady decided that SE wouldn't be taking the time to pose with people anymore, so this is what I get after 4 hours of waiting (including my drive out there and wait time):

You should see the other picture: I'm blinking and SE Hinton is looking off to her right. It's awful, really.

Not the greatest shot, but I can't really fault SE Hinton for that. I've been to a lot of events at this bookstore--and will continue to attend them--but it seems that the store was ill-equipped for an event of this magnitude. This B&N was hosting Martha Stewart the following afternoon--I can only imagine what a circus that must have been! All in all it was nice to have the opportunity to meet SE Hinton--something I'm sure not that many people can claim!

And I will have a giveaway coming up soon, I promise!!
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Christi's Adventures: The No-Foolin' Mega Signing at Books of Wonder!

Apologies in advance: this is a very lengthy post. I don't feel too bad about that because 1. it was a very long and busy day, and 2. I'm posting! 

This past week was the NYC Teen Author Carnival in, duh, NYC. I was unable to get up there for any of the panels or events during the week, but I was definitely in for the mega signing at Books of Wonder on April Fools' Day! My friend and colleague Courtney was in for a day of fun, so we took the bus into the city nice and early. First we stopped at Schnipper's for a quick bite to eat--I've walked past here a million times but never stopped. I thought it was a decent meal for a quick, reasonable inexpensive price (I had a grilled cheese and Courtney had a burger). Then we hopped in a cab (we were too dumb chicken to figure out the subway) and headed over to Books of Wonder.

As I'm walking towards the door, who do I see? David Levithan, of course. You might recall that our paths have crossed more than once before. And of course I knew he was going to be at the signing (he's pretty instrumental in the whole week), and of course I was planning on getting books signed by him. But I wasn't expecting his face to be the first one I saw at BoW, so I immediately veered away from the door to get my bearings. And run into another librarian from NJ! I only know Carolyn from association meetings, but we have talked a few times, and we've unknowingly been at several of the same author events. Introductions were made, my resolve was set, and we entered the store.

It was crowded already, but not overly so (I'm always amazed at how well Books of Wonder manages to contain such large groups of people). Of course I had the entire schedule printed out, with books I needed to buy highlighted, so I was literally on a shopping spree. No joke, I bought NINE books--and brought five from home! Courtney was so much better about staying on her budget, and only bought 3. Carolyn bought a bunch for the summer reading program at her library. Um, I spent enough money that I qualified for a free coffee mug. :)

Once we were all purchased, we joined the line to get into the gallery section of the store, where all the signings would take place. I really appreciate how well Books of Wonder organized this humongous event. There were 15 or so authors for each 45 minute time frame, with five or so authors at one of three tables. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to see all the authors I wanted to (the 1:45 slot had me visiting six authors), but I shouldn't have. 45 minutes was plenty of time to have seen every author, had I been able to afford that many books. 

For the first section I headed right over to Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds and The Rivals. She's been really sweet about sending swag and books to share with my teens, and she's always so pleasant to talk to on Facebook, so it was really nice to introduce myself in person. Then I met Gayle Forman (Where She Went). OMG. She's amazing, and I was so happy to tell her how much my teens enjoyed reading If I Stay for book club last year.

I thought I was done for that time frame, but they had changed things slightly, and Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door) was signing now, instead of later, so I got on that line. And waited. And waited. It was worth it, though, because Stephanie was so sweet to talk to and made everyone feel comfortable. Apparently she doesn't do a lot of signings, and that's why the crowd was so eager to see her. The staff actually had to move her to her own table to wrap up her signing, in order to get the next group of authors ready! 

I actually had enough time to say hello to Susane Colasanti (who also happens to be at a lot of the same events as I am) and congratulate her on her new apartment. She was really touched that I said something to her, and she was so very excited about it. She said the online community has been instrumental in keeping her spirits up during the whole stress of home buying. I wish her all the best with her new place, and hope that it's everything she dreamed it would be!

Did I mention that David Levithan was talking to someone in front of me while I was waiting for Stephanie Perkins, and that he actually bumped into me once or twice? I'm such a fangirl.

David Levithan. He may be smiling, but inside he's making a note to get a restraining order against me. LOL

The second group was the one I was worried about, wanting to see so many authors, but it really wasn't bad at all. I got in line for David Levithan right away, and after just a couple of people, was finally able to meet the Prince of YA (as dubbed by me). I stammered just a little, but told him I was a huge fan, and gave him my copies of Every You, Every Me and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He opened WG up and was going to sign on the page prior to the title page, but then turn the page. I said something stupid like, "Yeah, could you sign on that page, please?" He commented on John Green's signature, because they didn't tour for the paperback, so having a copy signed by both authors is really rare! Woot!

Don't be jealous. Well, be jealous a little.

At the same table was Margie Gelbwasser, who is a favorite on this blog. I'm so excited to have a signed copy of Pieces of Us to go with my signed copy of her debut, Inconvenient. We chatted for a little bit about our kids (she mentioned an upcoming Disney trip and I was totally able to prevent my Disney geek from showing), and then I moved on to the second table, where I chatted with Kody Keplinger. She was promoting Shut Out but I had a copy of The DUFF for her to sign. I explained that I loved both but was partial to this one, and she talked a little about her newest novel and her fans (I said that she had a huge fan base, she argued that it wasn't huge, but they were very loyal). 

Kody Keplinger

Stewart Lewis (You Have Seven Messages, on the summer reading list this year at the high school in the town I work in!) and Sarah Darer Littman (Want To Go Private?) were also at this table. Sarah and I talked for quite a while about WTGP?--I'd said that her book made me terrified to let my 9-year-old have any Internet access at all. She also talked a little about her newest book, which she'd just sent to her agent. She didn't give too many details, but did say it was about parents and moral obligations--like, what does a teen do when they're told to obey their parents, but their parents don't have the best morals? She said the idea came from carpooling her teens. She also offered to Skype with my teens at the library! (I expressed nervousness at that, because my teens are not always...predictable...in their behavior. This is how we got on the whole carpooling-teens thing.)

Stewart Lewis, Sarah Darer Littman

Finally, at Table 3 I had Jeff Hirsch sign my copy of The Eleventh Plague. Here is the ONE book I got for my end-of-summer-giveaway at the library!

As worried as I was about getting everything done in this time frame, I was able to get everything done! And for the third session, I was only getting Trapped signed by Michael Northrop. He was promoting his new middle grade novel Plunked, but I really, really liked Trapped and was so happy Books of Wonder had a copy in stock! I think Michael appreciated that I loved this book so much, and that I was still book talking it at the library. Yay! I also took a minute to say hello to Kieran Scott, who's been so good to me and my teens at the library. And I didn't even realize this until Carolyn pointed it out today, but I'm mentioned in He's So Not Worth It! Check out the acknowledgements--I'm in the same sentence as David Levithan! Swoon! And This is So Not Happening is coming out in ONE MONTH!

Courtney, Carolyn and I headed outside for a few minutes to get some air and chat. As much as I love doing stuff with Best Girl, I know she would not have been happy had I'd come with her today. Sometimes it's just so nice to do book things with other book nerds!

So, the last session. I was ready fort, let me tell you. I met Arlaina Tibensky (And Then Things Fall Apart), Siobhan Vivian (The List), and K.M. Walton (Cracked), and was ready to go. Courtney and I walked with Carolyn a bit, then parted ways and caught a cab back to Port Authority. We had some time before the bus, so headed to the Shake Shack for some yummy Concretes (blended custard and toppings) before getting on the bus back to NJ. I started And Then Things Fall Apart on the way home.

So, that was our day. If you're keeping track, I trucked a total of fourteen books through Manhattan and home. Courtney was laughing at my ginormous backpack (actually, it's my husband's), but it really saved my back.

The five books I brought from home.

The nine books I bought at Books of Wonder.

It wasn't until we got home that I realized I didn't even see Micol Ostow (and she even had her adorable baby with her!), and although Courtney met Sarah Mlynowski, I didn't get a chance to say hi. I also wanted to say hi to Jess Rothenberg and Carolyn Macker, but didn't get the chance. Oh, well, there's always next year!!

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Christi's Adventures: The Future of Us Book Tour!

Don't forget to enter my Goody Bag Giveaway!

On Tuesday, January 17, I made the trek out to the Princeton Barnes & Noble once again, this time to see the fantastic Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler discuss their first collaboration, The Future of Us.

Of course I got lost, again--I can't get out there from my job without getting hopelessly lost. And it doesn't help that my GPS was laughing at me. Ugh. But I made it just in time to buy 2 copies of the Future of Us (I already have 2 copies of 13 Reasons Why and a copy of Tangled to be signed) and settle in at what is quickly becoming "my" seat at author events at this store. Third row, seat on the inner aisle. :)

Jay and Carolyn actually came in to the store while I was sitting there, but were quickly whisked away until the official start time. I also spotted Megan McCafferty come in and take a seat in the audience. I had seen her here for her Bumped launch party, of course, and then I said hello to her at Ellen Hopkins' event at the Princeton Public Library, but I didn't get a chance to say hello to her tonight. As soon as the discussion ended, she disappeared.

Just before the event started, my cosmic twin Kristie showed up with a friend. It's always nice to see her, and we talked about making plans to hang out at a non-author-event, so perhaps we could actually sit and chat LOL

The event itself was awesome. It was the first official stop on the book tour, so I think Jay was a little nervous (Carolyn, not so much). BUT, the two of them together are just an incredible team! They spoke at length about how TFOU came about, reading snippets of the emails that brought it about, and how the writing process went. I had thought that Jay wrote Josh's chapters and Carolyn wrote Emma's. This is true, for the most part, but Jay and Carolyn were actually so invested in each other's work that they had no problem editing and rewriting their chapters. They spent some time discussing their editing process--how it went from Jay to Carolyn, back to Jay, back to Carolyn, etc.--and the lengthy discussions before they settled on the title. It was really fun, and I could just tell that they really get along well and enjoy each other's company. (How they're faring now, or at the end of the tour, I can't say LOL)

Oh! And Jay finally talked about his doughnut obsession, super fun. Best Girl got a silicone baking set for Christmas that can make a doughnut-shaped cake...I was considering making one for him but figured that would have crossed the line into stalkerdom. Unfortunately, there aren't any awesome doughnut shops around me, or I would have brought him some of those--that would have been OK, I suspect.

Anyway, after the talk, both authors signed for those in attendance. I had a huge stack of books and they graciously signed every one.

See that stack of books on the table? Those are the ones I had signed.

It was a great evening. Thank you to the woman who organizes the events at B&N--her name escapes me right now, unfortunately--she always does such a fantastic job and her efforts are appreciated by this book geek!

And don't worry, I'll be having a giveaway for one of the copies of The Future of Us later this week!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Christi's Adventures: Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants Party!

I can't believe I never posted about this! I know that I meant to, but I got swamped with high school and middle school visits, and Christmas, and then the problem that's led to my current slump...Anyway.

So, on December 3, Best Girl and I headed into NYC to attend the Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants Party being held at Books of Wonder. We made a whole day of it, of course. 1st lesson: December 3 is still too close to Christmas to get anything accomplished on a Saturday, anyway), especially if you're not a NY native. Which I am not. The bus was standing room only. I am not joking. Now, I did not give up my seat (while should I stand, when I made it a point to get to the bus station an hour early?), but I did make Best Girl sit on my lap so a woman could sit down next to us. But there were about 15 people, I'd say, standing for the entire ride (1 hour +) into the city.

I won't bore you will all of the details of our (mostly unproductive) day--we did get to Macy's, we didn't get to the tree, we stumbled upon the pop-up Dylan's Candy Bar somehow:

                              

And I had an "Oh my God, this kid is really mine" moment, when walking past this building:

I pointed it out to Best Girl and her response was, "Well, we're going in, right?" :) We didn't spend too much time there, but definitely decided we need to make a return visit.

Super impressed with the lion Lego display!

We did NOT get to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and we did NOT wait in the wrapped-around-the-block line to get in to the M&M store (were they giving something away?). We DID wait about a half hour to get in to eat at Bubba Gump's (Best Girl is obsessed. And doesn't even eat shrimp!), and we DID snag a cab fairly quickly to whisk us to Books of Wonder.

Which was already totes crowded for the event. I didn't do a head count, but I'd say there were about a gazillion people there. Of course I recognized lots of faces right away, but my shy side took over. Best Girl and I found a patch of floor and waited for the festivities to begin. Lauren Myracle started things off with her version of how the Twitterhood began--note that I said HER version, and not how it actually started; several authors had different memories of the beginning! In short, it was funny, and chaotic, and I loved it.

Lauren Myracle giving her version of the Twitterhood

Julia DeVillers with her version of events.

E. Lockhart created an incredible slideshow that she shared with us (it's on YouTube now, check it out here!), and the authors took some questions. 

E. Lockhart and her fab slideshow.

In addition to the NINETEEN authors listed, there were several in the audience, many of whom had also worn the pajants. And one who, although in several of the slideshow pictures, refused to wear them. And who I also happen to accidentally stalk now and then. That's right, David Levithan was in attendance! Can you spot him in this picture? I was pretending to get a shot of Maureen Johnson.

David Levithan in deep listening mode.

I now have a picture of the FRONT of David Levithan's head AND a picture of the BACK of David Levithan's head. All I need is a 3D printer and I can have a replica of David Levithan's head! Muwahaahaa! 

The Pajants and all of their butt-lifting awesomeness!

So, even though there were NINETEEN authors signing, I was very, very good and only purchased three books to be signed. (to be fair, I've already met several of the authors & had books signed by them: Susane Colasanti, Sarah Mylnowoski, E. Lockhart, Adele Griffin. And while I would LOVE to buy more, I realistically realized I'd have to trek them back to Port Authority. Which is important later on. Anyway.) So, first we met with Maureen Johnson, who was very nice, and asked Best Girl her opinion on an American Girl purchase.

Maureen Johnson. And Maureen Johnson's Pajants doll!

Melissa Walker was next. She was very pleasant and I was so excited to meet her--I really enjoyed Small Town Sinners and I think she was glad to hear that. Then I met Lauren Myracle, and had Shine signed. I told her how sorry I was about the whole National Book Award debacle, and how professional I thought she remained about the whole thing. Lauren was very, very appreciative of that. I also said hello to Susane Colasanti and Sarah Mylnowski, who spoke a bit with my daughter about her upcoming Whatever After series, coming this spring.

Melissa Walker

While waiting to meet Lauren Myracle, I literally bumped into Jess Rothenberg, a 2012 debut author. She was talking about her book with another reader, and so of course I butted in and mentioned that she was on my to-read list for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge. She just happened to have an extra ARC of her book, the Catastrophic History of You and Me, in her bag, and did I want it? Yes, please! (Aside: Jess' book is the reason this post is getting written at all. I just finished CHofY&M and went looking for the Twitterhood post, then realized that I never wrote one. Anyway.)

Ann Brashares, author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was the inspiration behind the Twitterhood, was also in attendance and proudly donned the pajants. She was a little too quick for me, but here's a nice picture of the butt-lifting power in action!

Ann Brashares rocking the Pajants.

If you want more information about the event (that is, information that was published within just a few days of the event, as opposed to a month and a half later), it was covered in Publishers Weekly. And here's an article (with videos!) from Hypable.

After getting my three books signed (The Name of the Star, Small Town Sinners, and Shine, for those of you keeping track at home), Best Girl and I decided to call it a day. We left Books of Wonder and headed out to try and grab a cab. And failed. Miserably. Seriously, it was 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon in December, and all of the cabs were even in use (natch) or, what we saw more frequently, off-duty. WTF? We ended up walking. All the way back to Port Authority. Which might not be a lot for more seasoned New Yorkers, but Best Girl and I are not seasoned New Yorkers. It was a really long walk. And my backpack was HEAVY. At least I only bought the three books, and not 19, like I'd wanted!

So we finally made it back to Port Authority (no, I do not know how to navigate city busses or the subway. Don't judge.) and actually only waited a few minutes for a bus--just long enough to grab some water (we were seriously overheated by this point lol). An uneventful ride home (the bus was full, if I recall, but no one was standing), and that's the end of our adventure!

Again, I apologize for the delay in getting this post up (and honestly, it's taken me five days to get it all set to go), but I hope you enjoyed it!

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Christi's Adventures: Ellen Hopkins' Triangles Reading and Signing (and Megan McCafferty, too!)

When I found out (at her signing at the Princeton Barnes & Noble) that Ellen Hopkins would be returning to the area to promote her debut adult verse novel, Triangles, I knew I had to be there. And so I was.

While I was waiting for my cosmic twin, Kristie, to show up (unfortunately she got incredibly lost and was way late), I spied a semi-familiar face among the crowd--Megan McCafferty! That's right, the author of the Jessica Darling series and Bumped came out to meet Ellen! I was a little fan girly but kept it together.

After the librarian introduced her, Ellen read a little from Triangles. There were some...younger fans...in the audience, so Ellen did a little self-censoring while she was reading. I completely understand why she edited herself--Triangles is a spicy, steamy novel! This made her reading a little choppier than it was when she read from Perfect, and unfortunately she didn't come across as lyrical as she had in the past. Still, I love hearing Ellen read, because she reads her words the exact way I hear them in my head while I'm reading. It's incredible.

After her reading she answered a few questions (several from Megan McCafferty!) and talking a little about her upcoming projects, and then we lined up for the signing. Guess who I was directly behind?

I found this picture on Twitter and it originally came from http://lockerz.com/s/148599080 ;
I believe this is the librarian who hosted the event.

If you look at the line, Megan is wearing a striped shirt and is clutching her copy of Triangles. I am lurking standing right behind her. Kristie showed up during this time, and was towards the back of the line texting me to see if I'd spoken to Megan yet. I hadn't--I'm a pretty shy person. After a couple minutes, though, I just excused myself and asked if she was Megan. Of course she said yes, and then...she said she was remembered me from somewhere and was going to say hello, but it wasn't "her" event. Squee! I still get giddy when I'm recognized LOL So I explained that I met her at the Bumped launch party. We talked for quite a while, actually--I remembered that she lived in Princeton and she explained that the library opened up right after she moved here, so it felt like her library. We also talked about Thumped, the sequel to Bumped. And this is where I felt like a total idiot, but I really, really thought the sequel was going to be titled something else, but she said no, it was always going to be Bumped. Not like I argued with her or anything, but for some reason I have some other title in my head. Anyway, it made me look like a tool because a real fan should have known that Thumped was in production and scheduled for a spring 2012 release. I asked about a possible tour, and she said there wasn't as much drive for sequel tours, which I think just stinks. Attention publicity-type peoples: I'd love to see Megan tour for Thumped! Thank you.

After we chatted and she met Ellen and then ran screaming away from the stalker fan girl monopolizing her time left, it was my turn to meet Ellen again. And, my camera battery was dead. Again. What the hell--I had this same problem when I met E. Lockhart! Fortunately, cosmic twin Kristie came to my rescue, so I would have this to show for my efforts:

Thanks for coming to my rescue, Kristie!

After I was done, I hung out to wait for Kristie, and we explored the Princeton Public Library some. It's a gorgeous place and I was very envious of everything--it's really quite beautiful.

We didn't hang out too long, as we both had long drives home. Still, another fun night out and I feel very, very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet Ellen Hopkins not once, but twice over the past month!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Christi's Adventures: Disney!

Disney 2010

So, Daughter & I are headed to Disney World for a week of fun times! I'm super excited to be there for the end of the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. I cannot wait to drink eat all the yummy beverages foods that will be available! Plus, I just love Disney World in general, the happy atmosphere, the fun rides and attractions, getting to spend some quality time with my best girl--and did I mention my parents and my brother & his family are coming with? We're traveled with the 'rents before, but this is my brother's fam's first real vacation in, well, ever. His kids are 2 (almost 3) and 4, and I am uber-excited to experience Disney through their little eyes!

But I digress! While I have a boatload of library books waiting to be read, I don't want to pack any more than I have to, so I'm only taking my nook. I have several books on there to read--not sure which one I want to tackle first!

• Prized (eGalley) by Carach O'Brien 
• Tighter by Adele Griffin
• Ashes by Ilsa Black
• How to Be Bad by Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart, & Sarah Mlynowski
• Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

So please forgive the lack of posts this coming week, but rest assured that posts will return as soon as we do!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Christi's Adventures: Meeting Chef Anne Burrell!

Last Tuesday I took my daughter to the Freehold Barnes & Noble to meet chef and food network star Anne Burrell, who's promoting her new cookbook, Cook Like a Rock Star.

I have to say that I was so disappointed with the setup at this B&N. I guess Debbie at the Princeton store has spoiled me! There were only about 20 chairs set up, which were all, obviously, taken by the time we got there at about 6:40pm. So, standing room only shouldn't be too bad, right? Right, except that SRO consisted of standing in a single file line next to the periodicals. My poor kid couldn't see anything.

But Anne was a delightful speaker. She talked about the cookbook for just a few minutes, and then spent the rest of the time answering questions from the audience, particularly from the kids in attendance. She even acknowledged the woman behind me who had a question.

There were a lot of questions on how Anne got into the business, what filming a show is like. What I loved is that at one point Anne said, "If you're in culinary school because you want a food show, you need to drop out right now." She said she didn't want to be discouraging, but take a look at all of the chefs in the world, and look at how many chefs are on TV--it's awesome if it happens, but you shouldn't expect it to!

Ugh, they HAD to have Tyra Banks' book on display right there, right?

Much better, see ASHES right there.

I did like that people with children were allowed to get in line first, so we only had to wait about five minutes for the actual signing. My daughter got all starstruck, though, and we were kind of rushed, so I don't even think I said much more than hi. And this is the first book event I've attended with actual bodyguards--see the gentleman in the snazzy suit in the background? There were 3 or 4 similarly dressed gentleman surrounding the area. OK, she's a TV star, but she's not, like, Emeril. Strange. But fun!

Daughter has decided that we're going to try the macaroni & cheese recipe first. I'll let you know how it comes out!

Enjoy your reading--and your eating!

Christi

Christi's Adventures: Collingswood Book Festival!

http://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com

Yay for the Collingswood Book Festival! I tell you, this is one of the nicest festivals I've ever been to, and it's a book festival, to boot! Daughter & I attended last year after kind of stumbling upon it somewhere. We had an awesome time and I've been eagerly awaiting the 2011 festival ever since!

This year I had a game plan in place. I'd pre-purchased a lot of the books I wanted to get signed from B&N online. I had a list of which authors we wanted to see, and when. I took one of Daughter's backpacks, instead of killing my shoulder with a tote bag. I made sure we were on the road by 8:30am, to be there by 10am. And my cosmic twin, Kristie, made breakfast reservations at the Pop Shop, an awesome eatery in its own right but made even more famous for being on Bobby Flay's Throwdown!

Daughter, Cosmic Twin Kristie and her girls at the Pop Shop

Kristie rocks, because she booked us in for breakfast instead of lunch. Now, I think I could've ordered a grilled cheese at 10am, but I opted for the Bananas Foster Waffle instead. One of Kristie's girls got chocolate chip pancakes that were, no joke, bigger than her head:

After rolling ourselves out the door, it was time to buy the books I hadn't gotten, and to meet authors! I actually didn't take any pictures of the authors I wanted to meet, but I got a few of my daughter:

Dan Gutman (author of the Weird School books, the Homework Machine, and oodles more), me, and daughter

Daughter & Nancy Viau, author of Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head

(every book purchase came with a DIY rock collection--a cute touch!)

But never fear! I did meet tons of authors and got books signed! Here's the rundown:

• Where I Want to Be and Tighter by Adele Griffin (2 copies of Tighter--a giveaway coming soon!)
• The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder--guys, Amy totally recognized me! Like, my face. From Facebook. She was so excited to meet me! *fangirl swoon*
• Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
• Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser (so excited for finally meet her in person!)
• Popular by Alissa Grosso
• Starstruck by Cyn Balog
• The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
• The Butt Book by Artie Bennett (OK, this is a picture book, but it's hilarious and I can't wait to read it with my teens!)

Daughter and I each also got a Charming Book Clip, which has a clip to clip onto your book, a ribbon to mark your place, and a charm to keep it all pretty. This company is relatively new and they're from my area (I missed them at the local book festival last week), and the concept is just really cool!

We also stumbled upon Gourmet Popcorn Creations, a nifty little shop that has, well, gourmet popcorn. But it's like nothing you've ever tasted before. Sure, they have "regular," kettle corn, and caramel, but they also have lime, mint chocolate chip, raspberry, bubble gum...wow. We got some regular, salt & vinegar, and caramel apple to take home. Yum!

The weather wasn't especially gorgeous, but at least the rain held off enough so the event could be held outside as planned. And it was nice enough, not too hot, not too cold--as long as you weren't sitting! 

What could be better than spending a beautiful day with my daughter, my cosmic twin and her girls, and a slew of fantastic authors? Well, as we were heading into town this morning, we saw this sign:

which caused daughter and I to start screaming with delight. There used to be a KK not that far from us at home, but they closed down several years ago and we have yet to find another store during any of our many travels. So of course we arranged to meet Kristie and her girls before we headed home!

So that was our fantastic day at the Collingswood Book Festival! I'm already excited for next year's--the 10th! I think it's generally held on the 1st Saturday of October if you'd like to plan to join us next year!

Enjoy your reading!

Christi