And Now We Party...

Saturday was a whirlwind day for me. I'd had my big launch party planned for a while, but just two weeks ago, I also got invited to be on a middle grade panel at Books of Wonder.

What do you do when one of your favorite bookstores asks you to sit behind a table with Benedict Carey, Michael Northrop, R.J. Palacio, Marie Rutkoski and Maryrose Wood? You say YES, of course!

So, at noon, I inconceivably found myself in the middle of this amazing line-up. My main goal? To absorb everything these seasoned authors said and did like a sponge. My secondary goal: not to make a complete fool of myself as the noob who had been a published author all of 4 days!

There are many reasons I love being a children's book author, but somewhere very near the top is the amazing, supportive community that it affords. Maryrose, R.J., Benedict, Marie and Michael went out of their way to give me advice and make me feel like I really belonged there. And it was amazing. I really want to thank them all and Books of Wonder owner/children's books advocate extraordinaire Peter Glassman who emceed the whole thing with unbelievable panache (and a seriously impressive knowledge of all of our books -- including The Mapmaker and the Ghost!).

Panache personified.

And, guess what? I signed a good amount of stock too. So if you want a signed copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost, you can order it directly from Books of Wonder here and they will ship it to you!

All signed!

The panel was over at 2 so there was just enough time for a quick bite to eat, an outfit change, and a date with my local bakery who had made custom The Mapmaker and the Ghost cupcakes. Oh, yes.

And finally over to Brooklyn's BookCourt where I was greeted with this adorable sign.

And, eventually, over 50 of my friends, family members and publishing peeps. I wish I had taken a photo from the podium because it was rather extraordinary to look out and see people from almost every aspect of my life (including high school friends I hadn't seen in years, co-workers from my very first mall job, new writer friends and so many more!). I may have gotten a little teary-eyed.

I also talk with my hands.

When else in life does one get to make one's sister (and cousin) wait in line to get something signed by her?

With my parents. They were very smiley. It was pretty adorable.

With Stacy Cantor Abrams -- editor extraordinaire who made MAPMAKER and this whole night possible.

It was an amazing day and one I don't think I will ever forget. I felt very humbled and grateful for the whole experience.

But I gotta tell you...I slept pretty soundly that night!