Hello! I’m back! Last week I was in New York City and Rochester; here’s what went on.
First, NYC. I love, love, LOVE, love, LOVE that place. After not having visited for at least six years, I was very happy to be back. And the weather was gorgeous the whole time, perfect for strolling the streets and people watching. But I did some work, too.
To start, I met Agent Dan and Editor Elizabeth for the VERY FIRST TIME! It’s strange being an author based outside of New York, because even though I’ve been working with them for years now, we’d never seen each other in the flesh until my visit. We went to lunch and I visited their offices. While at Writers House and Little, Brown, I met a whole host of people who’ve helped make my books come to life. It was so great to put faces to names.
Next, I did a signing with four other LBYR writers at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side. I got to hang with one of my besties, Alecia Whitaker (and apparently we even coordinated our outfits), and meet amazing writers Jennifer E. Smith, Jen Calonita and Kody Keplinger. They are all so lovely and I can’t wait to do a panel rematch with them in the near future.
Last but most definitely not least, I flew up to Rochester for the Seventh Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival. All I have to say is that if you’re an author, you should DEMAND to go to this next year; and if you’re a reader/blogger/person who likes books, you should add it to your to do list. This festival ROCKS.
We were shuttled from the airport to a nice hotel, then fed a lovely meal in the old Rochester library where we were showered with praise and gifts. (They gave me an Arcade Fire CD! How well do they know me??) The next morning, we were driven in fancy, classic cars to Nazareth College where hundreds of screaming fans were waiting to high five us as we walked the red carpet. There were stars with our names on them on the floor, and we had teams of handlers ready to help with anything we needed. The day started with a fun game show where contestants had to try to guess authors’ answers to silly questions; two highlights were when James Kennedy jumped off the stage and broke into song—Oklahoma!—and when a teen contestant proposed to Brent Crawford. Aww…
I co-presented with the amazingly smart and funny Gabrielle Zevin. We did three sessions throughout the day where we interviewed each other, Inside the Actor’s Studio style. I hope attendees had as much fun as she and I did! After our presentations, we signed everything from books to autograph pads to bookmarks to T-shirts, then celebrated with a private dinner back at the hotel. I think mine was the first flight to leave Rochester the next morning, but only because I was excited to see my two little adoring fans back home. It was truly an amazing event.
All in all, I loved every minute of my two weeks away. I met so many wonderful readers, authors, booksellers and librarians that even though it’s Monday and my inbox is overflowing and I have an edit deadline looming, I’m still smiling my face off. Thanks to everyone who came out to support me and my fellow authors and READING in general. And finally, a huge thank you to the organizers of the Rochester Teen Book Festival. I could not do what you do.
And now…back to work!
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sounds amazing – the whole things seems like such a great experience!!
If we lived next door to each other, life would be one whole gold star better. Miss you already!
Glad you had a great trip. That is so interesting to learn you have never met your agent or editor. The world of technology. So excited for you and your success.
This was definitely an awesome event! My Mom was the one who got my books signed for me (I definitely know how awesome she is) and told you we came down from Canada. I wish I could have seen your session, but it was hard with all those fabulous authors. =)