On Thursday, it was snowing and cold in Michigan, and I did a library event in this GRAND old-school library. It was the perfect thing for a snowy day. There were a few scowling grown-ups who didn't seem to like that I mentioned Amanda drinking a wine cooler, but many more happy reader girls who didn't give a flip. AND I met this amazingly studly girl named Gabby who will one day rule the world, because that's how smart and capable she is. She was interviewing me for a newspaper, and she was so on the ball. Here she is, below:
(Oh, and she put the pic in a frame, isn't that so cute? Not for me, but for her. But she sent me a picture of it...in the frame...)
There were mucho other cool girls, too, including one special girl named Katie who just smiled and smiled and made my heart grow to three times its normal size. Oh, and there was this guy named Gavin who wasn't there to hear me talk, but to research England, and he had the incredible ability of being able to tell everyone what day of the week they were born on. Like, I said, "I was born on May, 15, 1969," and he said, "You were born on a Thursday." Which I was! He's just got that special kind of brain. He never got it wrong, not once. At the end of the reading, he asked who I was, who Gabby was, and who this one other woman was, and then he said to me, "Will you take my picture with them?" And I said, "With who?" And he said, "Gabby and Jodi." "Sure," I said, wondering if maybe he was confused and didn't realize that I was the author or something. I wasn't being big-headed (at least not on purpose), but lots of times people want their picture taken with me after a reading, and I'm always happy to oblige. Gabby must have wondered why Gavin wanted a picture of her and that other woman, too, so she asked, and he said to all of us, "Because Gabby and Jody are so pretty." Which they were indeed! But which cracked me up, as it was one of those lovely (and often needed, especially on tour) ego-deflating moments of, "You're an author? Yeah, so what. I want a picture of the pretty people!"
After leaving the library, I went to a coolio B&N in Ohio and met two incredible booksellers: Jennifer and Beth. They took me over to this cute little nook, and I talked to a small gathering of girls, while outside snow fluttered down. One of the girls wore lots of eyeliner and was a poet. She reminded me of Amanda, kinda.
Then, drove snowy snowy snowy slowly slowly slowy to Marion, Ohio--and crawled right into bed and went to sleep. ZZZZZZ. The next morning, I went to New Albany Middle School and talked to kids who were about to go on spring break. They all wore Hawaiian shirts and leis! And flip-flops, even though it was snowy there, too. Again, super cool librarian and bookseller (both named Karen!), but the highlight for me was meeting JULIA DEVILLERS! She wrote How My Personal, Private Journal Became a Best Seller, among other things, and she was sooooooooo sweet! (If you haven't read her books, get to it! They're fab.) She and her daughter Quinn came to see me, and then they took be out afterward and we had eggs and bacon and went shopping. Quinn and I bought matching PJs from Anthropologie. They are super soft. Me love.
And then--pant pant--did a signing at Books & Co, which was kinda funny because it was in a very public part of the store and there were people talking about all sorts of stuff all around. The bookseller told me that she's always having to kick teenagers out of the store. She was quite proud of herself--and rightly so. The teenagers were being jerks, going to the "sexuality" section of the store and making all sorts of stupid remarks. So this teeny, young, adorable bookseller would march over and say "It's time for you to leave. NOW." I was like, "Don't you get scared? Don't you get intimidated?" And she said, "No way. They're not here because it's a bookstore; they're here because their parents dumped them at the mall and they have nowhere to go." Which was kind of sad, but I sure liked her ballsiness. I *still* get intimidated of gangs of teenagers. Isn't that silly? Or maybe I don't. I don't know. I used to...
Then, this morning, I went to the coolest bookstore EVER. It's called Blue Marble, and I swear, it's like stepping into an actual children's book. It's full of nooks and crannies, and the owners are like little book gnomes, shushing around and loving books. And loving each other, too. They're both, I don't know, in their sixties or so? And so in love. Everyone at the store was warm and sweet and knowledgeable--and they fed me! And gave me cake! And it was awesome. Here's a pic of me sharing the bunny's bed from Good Night, Moon. Sigh. Happy memories...
After that, it was off to Joseph-Beth bookstore, and here's a word of warning: don't marry someone and then name a bookstore after both of your married selves unless you're like the owners of Blue Marble and plan to be together forever. I asked about why Joseph-Beth is called that, and I was told that those are the middle names of the married couple who founded the store...and who are now divorced. Ouch! But, hey, things happen--and I guess it's to their credit that they didn't change the name to Joseph-That-B**** or That-Bastard-Beth. Though that would have been kind of funny...
But forgive me for digressing, because once again, I met AWESOME book people--Barb and Stephanie--and awesome book lovers, who started off shy and then grew less so. And they were there on the last day (almost) of their spring break! Now that's living, I tell ya. Or dedication. Or book-loving-ness--yeah!
Now I'm back at my hotel, and tomorrow I'll fly to St. Louis. But tonight...ahhhh! Room service and a hot soak in the tub, with a good book. Speaking of...
--one girl told me yesterday that her cat peed on her copy of ttyl and it swelled up to three times its size, just like when you drop a book in the tub
--AND my dear friend E. Lockhart just had a FABULOUS book come out called THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS! And y'all should all go read it, because it is witty and clever and so so so so so SO girl-power. And don't drop it in the tub!!!!!
xoxo,
me
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