Courtney

And here is the complete WBBT 2009 schedule:

Monday
Jim Ottaviani at Chasing Ray
Courtney Sheinmel at Bildungsroman
Derek Landy at Finding Wonderland
Mary E. Pearson at Miss Erin
Megan Whalen Turner at HipWriterMama
Frances Hardinge at Fuse#8

Tuesday
Ann Marie Fleming at Chasing Ray
Laurie Faria Stolarz at Bildungsroman
Patrick Carman at Miss Erin
Jacqueline Kelly at HipWriterMama
Dan Santat at Fuse #8
Nova Ren Suma at Shelf Elf

Wednesday
Sy Montgomery Part 1 at Chasing Ray
Jacqui Robbins at Bildungsroman
Sarwat Chadda at Finding Wonderland
Cynthia Leitich Smith at HipWriterMama
Beth Kephart at Shelf Elf

Thursday
Sy Montgomery Part 2 at Chasing Ray
Laini Taylor at Shelf Elf
Jim DiBartolo at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Amanda Marrone at Writing & Ruminating
Thomas Randall at Bildungsroman
Michael Hague at Fuse #8

Friday
Lisa Schroeder at Writing & Ruminating
Alan DeNiro at Shaken & Stirred
Joan Holub at Bildungsroman
Pam Bachorz at MotherReader
Sheba Karim at Finding Wonderland
Robin LaFevers at HipWriterMama

I went to Chicago last week -- I had a school visit and then a book signing at Anderson's Bookshop with the lovely and amazing Wendy Mass.  On the plane from Laguardia to O'Hare, I sat next to a woman who sneezed for basically two hours straight.  I've always been impressed with my best friend's tendency to sneeze in threes, but this woman's sneezing was epic.  She blew her nose and still kept sneezing.  So then all I was thinking about was swine flu, and the regular flu, and all the other airborne diseases out there, as I was trapped on the plane with the sneezed-in air circulating around me.  I turned my face toward the window.  Oh, how I wished I could open it.  I wished for some sort of bubble around me to keep out the germs.  I wanted to slather myself in Purell, but I didn't want to offend the sneezer.  What's the etiquette for situations like that? 

When we landed, I practically burst out of the plane and went to visit my friend Melissa and her one-year-old daughter.  Later that night, I met up with Wendy and we had dinner – we ordered about six different meals between us, just so we could taste everything (reminiscent of trips to Kate Mantilini in LA with Arielle).  The next morning I headed to Jefferson Junior High in Naperville.  The first thing I saw when I arrived was a sparkly sign hanging on the front door that said WELCOME COURTNEY SHEINMEL.  I pulled out my camera to take a picture.  The librarian was waiting for me in the lobby.  She said she knew I must be Courtney Sheinmel; after all, who else would be standing there taking pictures?  There was another sign in the parking lot that said RESERVED PARKING FOR COURTNEY SHEINMEL, which really made me feel like a rock star.

I met with a few different eighth grade classes.  The kids really blew me away with their questions.  One class made bookmarks inspired by the book, with words like “hope,” “friendship,” and “family” on them. I wanted to take the bookmarks home with me, and a couple of the kids did give me theirs, but most of them wanted to keep them – which is more meaningful, because I felt like the book meant something to them.  A few of the teachers asked me about Elizabeth Glaser, and I love when she is remembered.  The whole day was incredibly rewarding.  That night, Wendy and I had a book reading/signing at Anderson’s Bookshop.  I read the passage from Chapter 5 that I always read – I think I’m getting better at reading without rushing through.  A bunch of people came out to see us (well, to see Wendy), and everyone at the bookstore was so lovely and welcoming.  They let us each pick out a book to take home, and I took a copy of JELLICOE ROAD, which a number of people have said I will love, so I’m excited to read it.  It was one of those perfect, exciting, exhausting days.    

We flew home on Friday – the flight was packed but uneventful, and no one sneezed on me.  I’ve been proactively loading up on Airborne, and so far I still feel healthy (hope I’m not jinxing myself!) – I leave for California on Wednesday.

How can it be the 11^th month of 2009 when sometimes I still mistakenly write 2008???

I have a bunch of upcoming events that I’m really excited about.  If you’re in the neighborhood, please join me!  I’m terrified no one will show up:

Nov 3, 2009 (that’s TOMORROW!!!) – Panel reading/signing @ Barnes & Noble, 3535 US Route 1, Princeton, NJ, 7 p.m.

Nov 5, 2009 – Book reading/signing @ Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson, Naperville, IL, 7 p.m. (with Wendy Mass)

Nov 12, 2009 – Book reading/signing @ Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA, 6:30 p.m. (special performance by Jessarae)

Nov 18, 2009 – Book reading/signing @ RJ Julia Booksellers, 768 Post Road, Madison, CT, 4:30 p.m.

Dec 3, 2009 – book reading/signing @ Barnes & Noble, 3rd St. Promenade, 1201 3rd St., Santa Monica, CA, 7:00 p.m. (special performance by Jessarae)

My sister and I had one of the best nights of our lives last night – we were in the FRONT ROW at the Carly Simon concert!!!

Now aside from this being just a generally cool and amazing thing, you have to understand our history with Carly:  her music was the soundtrack of our childhoods.  We know the words to every song, and sometimes we quote them to each other in conversation.  I can track personal milestones by Carly Simon albums.  I love my sister very much, and somehow that love is amplified when we’re listening to Carly Simon.

It was a very small venue – only about 200 seats.  Carly’s music was playing in the background as people walked into the auditorium.  When we sat down Alyssa said, “I could extend my leg and rest my feet on the stage, if I wanted.”  We were THAT CLOSE!  (But she didn’t do it.)  We were giddy and shaking.  Then the music faded and the lights dimmed.  Carly Simon came onto the stage, in a long blue dress and black boots.  She began to sing “Let the River Run.”  And then “It Happens Everyday,” and then “The Right Thing to Do,” and then “You Belong to Me” – John Forte came out on stage and sang that one with her.  Three years ago, the last time Alyssa and I went to a Carly Simon concert, John Forte was in prison.  Carly and her son, Ben, spoke about missing him.  And last night he was on stage and free, and there was an incredible feeling of celebration.  I mouthed the words to every song, but I didn’t sing out loud because Carly was RIGHT THERE and I worried she would hear me.

After the first set of songs, there was a question-and-answer period.  Carly’s dog Molly came out on stage, and Carly pulled her onto her lap.  Alyssa and I took notes on things Carly said.  (Alyssa was particularly interested in the things she had to say about her dog.)  Here is what Carly Simon said about listening to her own music:  “I wouldn’t have become a singer if I didn’t like the sound of my own voice – there’s just something about it.”  Oh, Carly, I so agree!

My sister had a question that she was afraid to ask.  She wanted to know Carly’s favorite song lyric (not song:  lyric).  I told I would ask for her.  I raised my hand, but by then the question-and-answer period was pretty much over, so I didn’t get a chance to ask.  I did start thinking about my own favorite Carly lyrics.  There are so many I just can’t pick a single favorite.  But in my 2011 book YOU CAN’T EVEN MEASURE IT (in which the main character is named Carly, after Carly Simon) I have a whole discussion about a line from “You’re So Vain,” the one that goes, “I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee.”

I took a picture of Carly as she sang it last night.



We wept as she sang the last song of the night, “Coming Around Again.”  It is the song I sing to myself whenever I’m feeling any kind of loss.  I think Carly may have noticed us crying.  She held the mike out to us and we sang along, out loud.  We stood and clapped, and cried.  The dog came out and ran around Carly in circles.  I told Alyssa the only thing that would make the night more perfect would be if we could go backstage.  She said I was being greedy.  “These are the good old days,” she advised, of course quoting Carly.  And of course she was right.

I made two new writer friends last Thursday – in the flesh friends, not just on Facebook and Twitter. 

My first new friend is named Gitty Daneshvari.  I’ve written about her here before.  She was part of the panel at Books of Wonder a couple weekends ago, when I went to see Lauren Myracle.  Gitty was so funny as she described her new book, SCHOOL OF FEAR – the story of four extremely phobic “tweens” who are sent to a secret boarding school to face their fears.  I was a phobic kid – in fact, I’m a phobic adult.  I got a copy of her book and I wanted to be her friend so much!  We emailed each other and planned to meet for lunch.  My sister, Alyssa (author of the magnificent YA novel THE BEAUTIFUL BETWEEN – coming to a bookstore near you in 2010 and now available for pre-order on Amazon) joined us for sushi on Thursday.  We shared claustrophobia and insectophobia stories.  Basically, the three of us laughed for the entire time and promised to get together again.  Gitty signed a copy of SCHOOL OF FEAR for my nephews, who at twelve and eight years old are braver than I will ever be.

I got home from lunch with Gitty, did a little work, and then headed out to meet my friend Jake at a screening of the documentary GENERATION FREE (you can watch it here), made by photographer Nigel Barker for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation – the organization Jake’s mom co-founded.  Jake had invited another friend of his, a woman named Regan Hofmann.  She is also involved with the Foundation, having traveled to Africa with the CEO, but she and I had never met.  I had heard – and read – a lot about her:  Regan is the author of the memoir I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, about her life with HIV – she kept her status secret from even her closest friends for a decade, and went public when she became the editor-in-chief of POZ Magazine.  I read it last month, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it.  It’s an extraordinarily brave and honest book, and I highly recommend that everyone pick up a copy.  After the movie, Jake, Regan and I ended up hanging out at a wine bar and talking for a couple of hours (incidentally, the bar is one of my favorite places in NYC – it’s called Sofia, on 50^th between 2^nd and 3^rd and they serve the best appetizers in the whole world).

(That is actually Regan on the horse on the cover.)

When I worked as a lawyer, it was easy to make lawyer friends:  I spent all day, every day, in an office building.  I would wander over to the vending machines and strike up a conversation with someone, and just like that, I’d make a friend.  But writer friends are harder to make because the work is so solitary.  I’m absolutely thrilled to have two new ones.

This past Sunday was about as close to perfection as a day can get.  I slept until 9:00 a.m. and then met my friend Amy and her two boys – the famed Madden and Brody – at my mom and faux pa’s apartment.  IanMichael, now fourteen years old, had decided the time had come to give away some of his old toys.  The boys flipped out when they saw three boxes full of cars and trucks and things that go.  First they dumped everything out onto the floor, and then they ran in circles around us.  At one point Brody, who is two, held a helicopter out to my mom.  “Wow,” she told him.  Afterwards, every time he picked up a new toy, he would intone “wo-ow,” drawing the word out so that it had two syllables.  He cracks me up.  I’d brought over Crumbs cupcakes (I believe in bribes) and a good time was had by all.

Amy left the apartment with a box full of way more toys than she’d intended to bring home with her.  (“One more,” she’d told Madden as they packed up; “how about three more?” he’d replied – he won that particular exchange.)  I headed downtown to Books of Wonder, where Lauren Myracle had told me she would be appearing on a panel.  Lauren and I have been email pals for a couple of years, she blurbed my first book, MY SO-CALLED FAMILY, but we’d never met in person.  I was so excited to meet her, I brought my camera along for the occasion, as well as a couple of cupcakes for her – I knew she was flying home later that afternoon, and I figured cupcakes would be a good airplane meal.  When I got there, I saw Lauren right away.  We took pictures with the cupcakes. 

It turned out there were eight other authors on the panel with Lauren – including Ann M. Martin, one of my favorite childhood authors and my hero for writing THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB series.  She also blurbed POSITIVELY, a fact which I still find hard to believe – I mean, really, the woman behind Stacey McGill and Claudia Kishi read something I wrote?!!  There was also an author named Gitty Daneshvari on the panel, author of the new book SCHOOL OF FEAR, which I had at home on my to-be-read pile.  Gitty was so funny and engaging when she talked about why she wrote the book – because she was such a phobic child.  She told this story about being afraid of elevators when she was a kid and throwing herself on the ground in a wild temper tantrum if anyone tried to make her ride in one.  I felt an immediate kinship:  When I was little, and we moved from California to New York, I was terrified of elevators.  What if it got stuck and the oxygen ran out?  What if there was an earthquake while I was in it, and it plummeted to the bottom?  I quit a dog walking job because I couldn’t handle riding the elevator five floors, and later the dog’s owner made fun of me about it in front of a large group of people.  (I was twelve at the time.  I still remember her name and her face.  Sometimes I think about making her a villain in a book.)

Anyway, after the reading ended, I went up to Gitty and told her I wanted to be her friend.  I listed some of my fears, as if I were applying for a job.  And she accepted!  We’re having lunch next week, along with my sister, who is also a writer and also neurotic.

I left Books of Wonder and went around the corner to visit my friend Katie, my closest friend from high school, who now has a five-month-old baby girl.  The baby is so cute, and she totally knows it.  In fact, she doesn’t really respond when you call her name, but she will turn her head if you say “pretty.”

I had just made it back home when the phone rang – my friend Jennie was nearby and wanted to know if I could join her for dinner.  “Where do you want to go?” I asked.  “How about California Pizza Kitchen,” she said.  It was the best suggestion I had ever heard.  I love how sweet-tasting the pizza bread is there.  I ate my pizza and relished the sweetness of life.

Last night was Teen Author Reading Night at the Jefferson Branch of the New York Public Library, organized by the wonderful, tireless David Levithan.  I shared the stage with six AMAZING writers:  Libba Bray, Sarah Beth Durst, Melissa Kantor, Shani Petroff, Jeff Rivera, and Natalie Standiford.  Truly, I can’t believe this is my life, and I was really annoyed with myself for forgetting to bring my camera.  I wanted proof that it had actually happened, that I spent a couple hours sitting on stage next to Libba Bray!  Then, thankfully, I spotted Melissa Walker in the front row with her camera.  She promised to send me copies of the pictures she took. 

I read the same passage from POSITIVELY that I did at my book party, which (according to my stepfather) I raced through the last time.  In my defense, it never sounds so fast in my head.  But I practiced reading it slower in anticipation of last night’s reading, and I think my reading went all right.  People laughed at the funny lines, and that seemed like a good sign.

I have a couple events coming up out of town: 

Nov 3, 2009 – Panel, Book reading/signing @ Barnes & Noble, Princeton, NJ, 7 p.m.

Nov 5, 2009 – Book reading/signing @ Andersons, Naperville, IL (with Wendy Mass)

Nov 12, 2009 – Book reading/signing @ Kepler’s Books, Menlo Park, CA, 6:30 p.m. (with special performance by Jessarae)

Nov 18, 2009 – Book reading/signing @ RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT, 4:30 p.m.

In the meantime, I’m trying to focus and write.  There was a question from someone in the audience last night, about how we work our way through Writer’s Block.  I was not sure how to answer – on the one hand, I don’t really believe in Writer’s Block:  I always have something to say, even if I think it is something terribly written.  On the other hand, I spend HOURS each day not writing, when I know I’m supposed to be writing.  I’m easily distracted, and frustrated, and lazy. 

Right now I have a new book idea that I’m in love with – completely, madly in love with.  And my big problem is that I don’t think it will ever sound as good on paper (or on the screen) as it sounds in my head.  I know it’s not going to write itself, and I don’t exactly feel blocked.  But I feel . . . I don’t know . . . scared, maybe.  I wonder what Libba Bray would do.  I have a feeling I know the answer, and I have to open the document back up on my screen.

I’ve decided writing is like fish.  You know, those fish that grow to the size of the environment in which they live – like if you have them in a little bowl, they stay little; and if you have them in a big tank, they expand to fit the tank?  Well that is how I feel about writing:  It takes up however much time I have for it.  When I worked in a law firm and only had a day each weekend to write, I was able to write a chapter in that day.  Now that I write full-time, and I have whole weeks to work on my chapters, it takes about a week for me to complete each one . . . and sometimes, even longer.

This is not how I expected it to be when I left corporate life.  I imagined I’d be so prolific!  The fish are killing me. 

I will be at the 7^th Annual Collingswood Book Festival this Saturday, October 3^rd.  If you are in the area, come to the outdoor festival along Haddon Avenue, Downtown Collingswood, NJ.  I will be in Tent 4 at noon, signing copies of MY SO-CALLED FAMILY and POSITIVELY.  (In case of rain, the festival will be held at Collingswood High School on Collings Ave.)

Then, next Wednesday, October 7^th, I will be reading from POSITIVELY at David Levithan’s famed Teen Author Reading Night.  Please join us at the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library, 425 6th Ave (10th St), from 6-7:30 p.m.  Other authors reading that night include Libba Bray, Sarah Beth Durst, Melissa Kantor, Shani Petroff, Jeff Rivera, and Natalie Standiford. 

Dates in Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles to be announced soon!

1. Last night there was a party in New York City celebrating the 70^th Anniversary of the release of the Wizard of Oz, and showcasing the “Ruby Slipper Collection" -- different designers’ versions of the ruby slippers, which are being auctioned off to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. 
2. A few of the actual actors who had played the munchkins were there.  I watched them walk up the yellow brick road (in lieu of a red carpet).
3. Arielle came with me, and the one thing we decided we really needed to do was get our picture taken in the commemorative hot air balloon – you know, like the one the Wizard himself goes in at the end of the movie.  We waited on line for our turn.  There was a strange man behind us who was standing a little too close, and finally he asked us if he could come in the balloon with us and be in our picture.  Arielle is nicer than I am, so she started to say yes, but I interrupted her and said we were hoping to have a picture on our own.  As a consolation, Arielle told him we’d be happy to take a picture of him during his turn and email it to him.  Instead, he asked Arielle for her name and email address.  It turned out that the strange man wasn’t even supposed to be at the event – he had noticed the hot air balloon from the street (it was kind of hard to miss), and was trying to get someone – anyone – to give him a name to use at the door, so he could go inside.  We saw him approach another group of women after he gave up on us.  He also said something about trying to get hit by a car because it would be a good lawsuit. 

1. I wore a wool sweater yesterday.  At one point, I had two sweaters on – I was at a friend’s house, we were leaving for dinner, and I was cold, so she gave me another sweater (like a sweater coat) to wear to the restaurant.  Summer will be officially over in 3 days. 
2. Speaking of the end of summer, the fall TV season is underway!  Last night I watched the second episode of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, which I loved (especially Jeremy).  I’m also very excited about THE GOOD WIFE, because it stars Julianna Margulies from ER, which is my favorite show of all time.
3. It doesn’t make much sense that ER is my very favorite show:  In real life, I’m scared of anything medical and I especially hate looking at blood.  Once, in college, I was slicing a bagel and cut my finger.  I started screaming and crying.  My best friend Arielle was there, and I told her I needed to go to the hospital for stitches.  I was clutching a paper towel to my finger so I wouldn’t have to see the blood, but finally she talked me into letting her look at my cut (she is a doctor’s daughter and not squeamish).  Then she started laughing.  It turned out that I barely even needed a band-aid, but she gave me one anyway.
4. I’m working on the edits of my 2011 book YOU CAN’T EVEN MEASURE IT, or at least that’s what I should be working on.  Right now I’m updating LiveJournal and thinking about Twitter.
5. Tonight is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.  Happy New Year to all those celebrating -- wishing you much health and happiness.

Then on Tuesday, the next day, the official on sale date, Jessarae and I decided to go to Houston's for dinner.  Houston's just happens to be located in the same exact building as a Barnes & Noble.  We went upstairs and I asked about POSITIVELY.  There it was, on the shelf, face out.  I told the clerk I was the author, and she got out the "Autographed Copy" stickers.  I love those stickers.  I can't believe that they apply to me.  Jessarae took pictures as I signed. 

I can’t believe the POSITIVELY party has come and gone!  It was such an amazing blur of a day.  Books of Wonder is the absolute greatest setting for a book party.  I used to fantasize about being a writer and getting to have a party at the store – and yesterday it actually happened, and it was beyond my wildest dreams. 

I haven’t slept much in the last few days, so I’m not even sure if I can type coherently.  But here are some things I remember:

1. There was a display of literature from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in the front of the room.  It was the first thing I saw when I walked in.  There were copies of the People Magazine article about Elizabeth, which I read back in 1991.  Seeing her face right there, at my book party, was an incredible moment for me.
2. Arielle ordered the most spectacular cake from the Food Emporium, which featured the cover of POSITIVELY (and tasted delicious, because supermarket cakes are the best cakes).
3. People crossed state lines to come to the party – some crossed several state lines!  I had friends and family from New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and California at the party.  I still can’t believe that people traveled so far for me, and I am eternally grateful. 
4. I gave my friend Denise my camera, and she did a fantastic job documenting the day.
5. My mom had warned me about shortening my dress too much.  It was a T-shirt dress that was meant for a much taller person, so it needed to be shortened.  But the fabric was so thin, it was hard to pin it up and tell for sure how short it would be.  Now when I look at the pictures, I know it should’ve been a couple inches longer.  I hate when she’s right and I’m wrong.
6. Jessarae performed three songs – two originals (“One” and “Uh-oh”) and a cover (“Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman).  Everyone was riveted as he sang.  Seriously:  There were toddlers in the audience who couldn’t take their eyes off him.  My friend Wendy told me her three year old daughter didn’t want to let go of Jessarae’s autographed picture that night when it was time for her bath.
7. I got up and thanked people, and forgot a bunch of things I wanted to say, including mentioning some people in my family – so IanMichael, Dad and Grandma, sorry about that!  I missed you guys a lot and hope you can make the next book event!
8. I read a passage from POSITIVELY and didn’t mess up too much, though I know I messed up a little bit.  I was very nervous, because a number of friends who happen to be among my favorite writers were there, including N.A. Nelson, Daphne Grab, Taylor Morris, Wendy Mass, Michael Northrop, my sister Alyssa, and my college advisor Mary Gordon.
9. My handwriting is not as good as it used to be, which makes me very sad.  I wonder if it’s because I type so much now.  When I was younger and I wanted to be a writer, I used to practice my signature; but clearly, I didn’t practice enough. 
10. I know there’s more.  I’m trying to remember it all.  I keep looking at the pictures.

This was taped a couple months ago – just a little segment on the Simon & Schuster website about movies I like, and mottos, and such things.  I don’t love the way my hair looks, but I’m happy to have not made a total fool of myself.  My godson Brody, who is two years old, watched it with his mom the other day, and he seemed to really enjoy seeing me on the computer screen.  (He pointed and said, "Yutney!  Yutney!")  Also, the first two chapters of POSITIVELY are now up on the Simon & Schuster site, so if you want a preview of the book, click here. 

Just 16 days left until the official publication day, and I've been having anxiety dreams about it.   The other night, I dreamed I was at my book party at Books of Wonder (though it didn't look like Books of Wonder:  it was just a large, dark room, without any books in it).  I was sitting on a couch in the center of the room.  My mom was there, tending to me, bringing me water and trying to cheer me up, since NO ONE else had showed up.  After a while, Glenn Close wandered in.  She wasn't there for POSITIVELY; she just happened to be in the store.   I thought about telling her that I'm a fan of the show "Damages," but I was too distraught about the failure of my party to be kind to anyone else.  Then I woke up.

As I've recounted the dream in the last couple of days, my friends have assured me that they will be at the party.  Also, I know Jessarae will be there, because he's singing.  No offense to Glenn Close, but I'm relieved to be expecting a bigger crowd.

It’s official:  Jessarae (Jez-a-rae) will be performing at my book party.  One of music's hottest emerging talents, Jessarae is a 14 year old singer/songwriter with a full length debut CD in the works, to be released Winter 2010.  For a preview of Jessarae, you can visit iTunes, check him out on youtube or his website . . . or, you can come to Books of Wonder in New York City on September 13^th!

POSITIVELY received a lovely review this morning, from teen blogger Kelsey.  What a way to start the day!

I’ve been feeling a little bad for my book, because it has Second Child Syndrome.  I love it, truly, but I’m not counting down the days as obsessively as I did the first time around.  This morning, both my friend Amy and my niece Nicki reminded me:  Three weeks to go to the publication date!  19 days until my book party!  With MY SO-CALLED FAMILY, I was the one driving everyone crazy with the countdown.

But I have been taking a lot of pictures.  Here’s one of my godson Brody and his big brother Madden (Amy’s kids), holding the brand new final copies of the POSITIVELY hardcover and MY SO-CALLED FAMILY paperback.

On Thursday, I was at lunch with my friend Stacia and her son Jessarae when I saw the email from my editor, David (thank goodness for my BlackBerry):  “The bound books of POSITIVELY and MY SO-CALLED FAMILY pb came in.”  He went on to say that my author copies had been ordered and would be sent out to me . . . which meant that I probably wouldn’t see them until after the weekend.  I am so not good at waiting.  Knowing the books were at Simon & Schuster, just blocks from where we were eating, was driving me crazy.  I decided to use Stacia and Jessarae as my excuse.  I wrote back that I had friends in town from Los Angeles who really wanted to see the books, but they were leaving the next morning (true story), so could we please stop by the office to pick up a couple copies later that afternoon.  David said yes.  We ate quickly and headed over.

I handed my license to the security guard at the Simon & Schuster building.  Stacia had her wallet in her hand, but the guard said he didn’t need to see my friends’ IDs since I was already in the system.  It’s little things like that that really get to me:  My name is in the system at Simon & Schuster.  I really am an author.

David met us upstairs and led us down the hall.  He was chatting with Jess about music, but I just wanted to see my books.  We turned the corner and headed into David’s office. 

There they were, on the round table.  They were just so REAL.  I don’t think that feeling of seeing my book for the first time will ever get old.  I picked up the copy of POSITIVELY in my hands.  I brushed my thumb over the cover and then I unwrapped the jacket to see the color of the binding (white).  I paged through it, terrified I’d find a typo or a missing page.  But it looked perfect.  I put the jacket back on and let Stacia and Jessarae hold the book.  The MY SO-CALLED FAMILY paperback was beautiful and vibrant, too.  I can’t believe my first book is now in paperback!  It’s like my baby is growing up!

Later on, we headed out to dinner.  Stacia had to drop some packages off at the hotel, but I wanted to keep my books with me.  I propped them up on the table in the restaurant, careful that they didn’t get too close to the food or water.  We brought them to Crumbs for cookie dough cupcakes and took them on a carriage ride in Central Park.  What a night!  Back at the hotel, Jess started playing his guitar.  I put the copy of POSITIVELY next to him and pulled out my camera.  I think it’s a really great picture.