Author visit at my library

Hi everyone! For those of you who have read Cal Armistead's debut novel, Being Henry David, and if you live in the Boston area, you might be interested to know she will be visiting my library this coming Tuesday. I'd love for you to join us for her presentation and Q&A. Here are the details:

Gleason Public Library, Carlisle, MA
Tuesday, April 30, 7 p.m.

Come meet local author and former Carlisle resident Cal Armistead, whose first novel, Being Henry David, was just published in March. She'll talk about her background and how she came to get her work published, her writing process, and her inspiration for writing Being Henry David. Then there will be a Q&A session, followed by a signing. Copies of Being Henry David will be available for purchase.

Set mostly in Concord, Massachusetts, Being Henry David follows a 17-year-old boy who can’t remember who he is, why he’s waking up alone at Penn Station in NYC, or why his only possession is a beat-up paperback copy of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Taking the author’s name as his own and shortening it to Hank, he sets off to find his identity and starts the best place he can think of: Walden Pond. This is Cal Armistead’s first novel.

 
If anyone is interested in reading a short review I wrote, you can see it here. Otherwise, feel free to ask me any questions!

John Green came to Boston!

Last night I had the good fortune to attend the John Green event in Wellesley, Massachusetts (okay, so not quite Boston but close enough). I'm so happy I was able to make it, and that there was enough parking, and that we all had a place to sit down and enjoy the Nerfighteria in the auditorium.

When I got there at 5:30, about an hour and a half before the event was supposed to start, the line was already reaching waaayyyy far back. I tried to get a picture but cell phone cameras are not the greatest. Anyway, it was really long. We stood around for about half an hour before the doors opened and they started letting people in. By the way, kudos and thank you to Wellesley Booksmith for organizing this event, and for keeping it so under control. Everything went so smoothly, especially considering the 700 people or so that attended. But then again, those who attended are all Nerdfighters, so I wouldn't have expected a riot or anything. :)

When we finally got in, got our books and wristbands, and found seats, we did some more waiting. But it's okay because we each had at least one book to occupy our time, not to mention the program that was written especially for Boston. (Thanks, John and Hank, for doing that.) Also, there was a crossword puzzle in it! Unfortunately I didn't have a pen or pencil, but that's okay.

And finally, Hanksock the puppet introduced John who took the stage, looking dapper in a suit and reading from his new book, The Fault in Our Stars, for which, of course, he is currently on tour. Hank came out after and played a few songs, and then John came back out, this time in T-shirt and jeans, to answer questions for exactly 7 minutes. He timed it. And told us if he was still answering a question when the buzzer rang he'd get a mild shock, which he wasn't kidding about. Luckily we didn't have to see it!

John Green answering questions and trying not to get shocked. Also, note the puppet stage for Hanksock.

Hank came back out to play some more, and then the two brothers answered questions for exactly 10 minutes. This time someone would have to get electrocuted a bit, because they decided whoever was answering a question when the buzzer rang would be punished. It was Hank (who was answering a question for John, but still).

Also, we got Rickrolled. Not joking.

We were told we'd meet John's wife, but we got Hank dressed like Malibu Barbie singing Rick Astley.

Anyway, there was dancing, singing, excitement and just an all-around sense of belonging and community last night. Then it came time for the signing. Wellesley Booksmith had the brilliant plan of numbering the wristbands we were issued at the beginning and called up people in groups of 25, starting at 34501. I was super lucky and got 34570, so I only had to hang around for an extra half hour, which was just brilliant. :) And I got my books signed! Well, I got Paper Towns and my nook cover signed, and TFiOS personalized. And John Green liked my name! And kept the sticky that had it written on it! Hooray!

Thank you John and Hank for coming to Boston, thank you Wellesley Booksmith for making sure everything went without a hitch and for keeping the signing line organized and manageable, and thank you Nerdfighters everywhere!

I will post later on the awesomeness that was The Body Electric

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be an attendee of the annual Simmons College Children's Literature Institute, this year the theme being The Body Electric. The weekend was chock-full of author goodness, with names including Jacqueline Woodson, Jack Gantos, Sharon Draper, Sara Pennypacker and M.T. Anderson.

It is late now, however, and I would like to curl up in bed with a book. I will do my best to put up a more full post later, but I might need some prodding on this. Don't let me slack now! I can't miss telling you about Jack Gantos's idea for the children's lit graveyard, now, can I?

Hooray for Laurie Halse Anderson!

I had the great pleasure of meeting the fantastic Laurie Halse Anderson on Thursday night in Brookline! She gave a fantastic talk to a pretty crowded room (though it was kind of small, to be honest)—she is such a lively and animated speaker. At one point, when she was talking about how much she loves writing the Vet Volunteers series, she really got into reenacting what the little puppies on the ER table looked like while being hit with the defibrillator. Awesome.

She also gave a very illuminating description on how she researched and wrote Forge, the book she is now promoting. She did the traditional research of looking up primary resources and things like that, but she also did the hands-on stuff too, like walking in the snow like the soldiers did, without boots or a jacket—ouch. Plus, she shared about her early life, including her not-so-perfect home life and hating school until she went to a community college outside of Syracuse, where she grew up.

It was great to listen to her and to actually meet her at the end. She took the time to talk to everyone and didn't rush us out of there (though the librarians looked like they wanted her to a little bit). It might have taken a long time, but I was in line with some very nice, friendly people, including Nikki from Wicked Awesome Books. Finally, just before 9, I got to the front of the line. And she remembered me from my blog post about Speak! It was pretty exciting, I have to tell you. Unfortunately I was dumb and forgot my camera, so I have no awesome pictures of the actual event to show you. Next time I will not fail you all.

Anyway, I got three books signed for me (hooray!): nice hardcover copies of Chains and Forge, plus my copy of Speak.

AND, see those two other books at the bottom there? I ALSO got a couple of books for you all to take a stab at winning! I have a signed edition of Wintergirls and Chains, waiting to be claimed. However, I think I am going to wait until I reach 100 followers to do a giveaway like that. I might add a few more along the way, but let's see how long it takes me to get to that goal. Feel free to help me along the way. :)