Oh, my little blog, I’ve missed you. Do you feel neglected? While I sleep, are you secretly scratching at furniture and gnawing up plastic bags, leaving detritus all over the house to show your displeasure at my having ignored you? I am sorry, blog. I promise, I’m going to make it up to you. I don’t want you to come up with your own version of Harry Chapin’s "Cat’s in the Cradle" to punish me someday. www.youtube.com/watch That song makes me weepy, blog. Please don’t sing it to me.
Oh, blog, blog, blog, there’s so much to talk about! I went on the This Is Teen tour with the lovely & talented Maggie Stiefvater and Meg Cabot. Both hysterical ladies, they are. My stomach muscles hurt from laughing, blog. Actually, I didn’t know I had stomach muscles anymore, so the pain came as a surprise. We had amazing events at Books, Inc. in San Francisco, CA; Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL, and at Wellesley Books in Wellesley, MA. The booksellers were so wonderful, and they put on great events. We got to hang with some cool peeps: booksellers, librarians, teachers, bloggers, readers. People came out! They bought books! They gave me Swedish Fish and regaled me with delightful stories! It was terrific, blog. Really, I would have taken you with me if I could have. I did get you a Dr. Who Ood decal from etsy, though. So there’s that.
In the meantime, blog, I am sort of supposed to be writing Book #1 in THE DIVINERS, my new four-book series set in 1920’s New York City. See, here’s the thing: On account of breaking both elbows in a fall back in March, I got behind on everything. I was supposed to turn in Book #1 on July 1st, which would be…oh, my goodness…today! Isn’t that funny, blog? So, so, SO funny? Do you see me laughing? No, I am TOO laughing. No, it’s not crying. Or rocking. Or petting the walls. Huh-uh. Not at all. And anyway, those things are all a prelude to laughter! To the joy I feel at knowing just how behind I am! Wheeee! Who likes a sense of danger, huh? Do you, blog? Do you like that feel of falling rapidly through the air wondering which little pulley is the ripcord for your parachute? Isn’t it FUN, blog? I know–I think so, too. Oh, hold on, I need to breathe into this paper bag. It’ll only take a second. There. Calm now. And dizzy. Which is like calm but wobblier. With the hope of passing out.
So now this book is due September 1st, which is like July 1st if you squint and have no sense of the Gregorian calendar. I’ll be traveling a lot of that time, and making sure my son remembers that I am not always Scary Mom wandering through the house muttering to herself and laughing. But I’m sure it’ll all be FINE, blog. Just. Fine. I’m just going to pet my My Little Pony keychain…it holds my spirit on this plane, blog. I’m sure you understand.
Anyway, blog, I’ll be giving you lots of love as soon this book is turned in. In the meantime, can you do me a solid? Can you let peeps know that I will be making the following appearances:
FRIDAY, JULY 8TH
OBLONG BOOKS, Rhinebeck, NY
With the awesome David Levithan, Michael Northrup & E. Archer
www.oblongbooks.com/event/hudson-valley-ya-society-survivor-edition
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13TH
LEAKY CON, Orlando, FL
www.leakycon.com/
SATURDAY, JULY 23RD
BOOKS & BOOKS, Miami, FL
"This Is Teen" with the delightful Maggie Stiefvater & Meg Cabot
www.booksandbooks.com/event/teen-live-ya-author-tour-gables
SEPTEMBER 2ND-4TH
DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL
Decatur, GA
www.decaturbookfestival.com/2011/index.php
Oh, blog. *sniff, sniff* You’re so good to me. I promise to be better to you. Really. Look, here’s some peanut-butter cookies. It’s like love mixed with sugar, butter, eggs, and an "I’m sorry I don’t pay more attention to you." Forgive me?
More to come soon. Hope peeps can make it to one of these events. It would be great to see you. Blog thinks so, too.
*goes back to Hobbit Hole to write*