The Day I Met J.K. Rowling

I try to limit my Harry Potter posts here to once a week (that's hard, believe me) so as not to completely terrify you. If you couldn't guess from the title, this post is extra-special.

It was 2007. In July of that year, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released (more about my adventures with that another time). In August of that year, I quit my day job at the time to try and get back to writing, something I'd stopped doing for about a year and a half. I took a children's book writing class and I started writing what would eventually (far, far in the distant future) become my debut book.

Sometime that summer, Scholastic announced that they were running a special 4-part event with J.K. Rowling. Three of those events would be for kids from randomly selected NYC public elementary schools. One event would be for everyone, but winners would also be randomly selected from a lottery. I applied, of course, and got a bunch of my friends to apply as well.

And then I forgot about it. Because, after all, I imagine Scholastic must have gotten tens of thousands of applications (if not more) and the chances of any name being drawn were, let's just say, completely slim.

Sometime in September, my boyfriend, Graig called me. "What are you doing October 19th?" he asked. What a weird question, I thought. But then again, that date sounded awfully familiar to me. October 19th...October 19th.

"Never mind!" he blurted out. "I know what you're doing! You're going to go see J.K. Rowling with me!"

I think I screamed. I might have blacked out. Anyway, let's just say I was excited. Mildly.

The event was wonderful. Jo read a chapter and then answered some terrific fan questions (it was at this event that she outed Dumbledore--AND I WAS THERE! The audience reaction and applause was an extraordinary thing to be a part of; it made me feel lighter than air).

And then, after an all-too-short hour and a half, J.K. was going to sign each and every one of our 2,000 books. They lined us up pretty efficiently and we all waited patiently to reach her table.

Graig asked me if I was going to say anything to her. Once you got up there, you had about 20 seconds before she moved on to the next person. As nervous and terrified as I was (my heart was definitely somewhere in my throat), I knew that I had to.

So when my turn came, I said in a horribly shaky voice, "I just wanted to tell you how inspiring you've been to me as a writer." She looked me in the eye, smiled, and said, "Thank you." Actually, she looked every single person in the eye as they came up to her. All 2,000 of them. And if I felt light and airy before, it was nothing compared to how I felt then. I was practically up and away on a Firebolt.

Here it is. One of my most prized possessions:

If I ever have a horcrux, this will be it.

 And, yup, that is Mary Grandpre's signature on it as well. But that is a post for another week!

Covers I Love: May B.

My fellow debut 2012 author, Caroline Starr Rose, revealed her cover last week and I'm not kidding when I say I've been staring at it all weekend. I asked her if I could post it here since--if you haven't seen it already--I think you should stare at it too.

I would pick that book up in a heartbeat. The illustration (done by C.S. Neal) is gorgeous, but so is the title font. (Click on the cover to make it bigger). I love that white, striped drop shadow on the title. And the way Caroline's name is a little bit faded to look vintage (it doesn't hurt that her name is probably the most perfect author name ever, too). Big kudos to the art director who put this together.

And now that I've gotten your attention, here's a little synopsis of May B.

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. as she is known, is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead, “Just until Christmas,” says her Pa. Twelve-year-old May wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by fifteen long, unfamiliar miles.

Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned to the oncoming winter, trapped all alone in a tiny snow-covered sod house without any way to let her family know and no neighbors to turn to. In her solitude, she wavers between relishing her freedom and succumbing to utter despair, while trying to survive in the harshest conditions. Her physical struggle to first withstand and then to escape her prison is matched by tormenting memories of her failures at school. Only a very strong girl will be able to stand up to both and emerge alive and well.

So, right, can't wait to read this.

AND here's the back cover too:

My Title Page!!

This just might be my favorite blog day EVER!

Not only did I announce the amazing and oh-so-worthy winners of my Geek-Off BUT my editor just told me that I can share my title page.

So, are you ready?

ZOMG! I don't know about you, but I LOVE IT. That font makes me teary, it's so lovely. And then there's my name. And the compass rose.

I haven't met the art director who's responsible for this yet but, when I do, I hope she's prepared for hugs.

Geek = WINNER!

The poll is closed and the winner of the first-ever Geek-Off is @nicholasdoyle. Nick's wedding ring has the bat symbol engraved inside of it. Like so:

Nick's story gets even better. Wait for it...his father-in-law made the ring. And his sister-in-law (his wife's sister) did the engraving. And Nick didn't even know about it. Clearly, Nick, you win at life (and at in-laws) and don't need my official Geek-Off crown. However, you won it fair and square (and what are we geeks if not fair and square), so here is your prize, which you will be getting in the mail shortly:


Runner-up was the valiant @debbbers. Debby is a head biologist. She is very, very smart and does very, very smart thing with viruses all day. One day, Debby made up this song:

Whatugonnado with all that virus? All the virus inside your iris? Imma gonna get conjunctivitis!

If I'm not mistaken, I believe said song is set to the tune of the seminal Black Eyed Peas classic, 'My Humps.'

Debby, you deserve something for your unabashed geekiness (and your vast lyrical improvements) so you shall be getting this:

As for me and my Gryffindor crest, I am humbled and delighted to be in third place and in the midst of such fine, fine geekery. Dolls, thrones, office supplies, Kenneth Branagh...I truly feel as if I am amongst my people! Keep up the good work, my fellow geeks. Who knows? There may be another Geek-Off just around the corner!

And for the record--because this story is too good not to share--last night I went to use my boyfriend's computer to Photoshop the proprietary 'Geek' logo you see above. He wasn't home and the monitor was asleep. When I awoke said monitor, I saw that it was on YouTube...on this video to be exact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlE_bLZj9T0

Yes, that is a narrated video of someone playing an 80s text-based adventure computer game called Conquests of Camelot. I almost gave him the crown right on the spot.

Vote for the Geekiest Geek of Them All!

I asked for your geekiest stories and, boy, did you deliver.

So what geekier way to declare the winner of the first-ever Geek-Off than by voting for it in a poll. Because, let's face it, you probably like voting. And pressing buttons.

So here they are, ladies and gentlemen, the Geek-Off candidates:

Who wins the Geek-Off?

Let's Have a Geek-Off!

Friends, the time has come for me to confess...that I am a geek. A nerd. A person who gets embarrassingly excited about odd things.

I know, this is probably shocking. Have a seat. Make yourself a cup of tea. I'll wait.

...

Okay? All settled?

That's good because I have some more disturbing claims to make. The thing is, I've long had a suspicion that if you read this blog, you just might be a geek too.

Now, now. Don't get all up in arms. I'm not saying you definitely are. I'm just saying there's a good chance you might be.

And if you're still reading, and have accepted yourself as such, how about a little friendly competition, eh? No, not the kind that requires things like running or hand-eye coordination (puh-leeze). The kind that involves showing off our most prized possessions and having a...GEEK-OFF.

I'll begin and, I admit, I'm starting off strong.

There's a (non-working) fireplace in my apartment that came with a pretty little embellished design. Like so:

As we were painting it, my friend Bryan had an idea. Which my boyfriend, Graig, then executed.

Friends, I present to you...the crest of GRYFFINDOR!

Yeah. Uh-huh. That's right.

So...got something geeky to show me? Link to it in the comments below. Bring it...[pausing to use my inhaler]...on!

Movies I Love: Pillow Talk

My dad is somewhat of a classic film buff and I grew up watching a lot of old movies (and an inordinate amount of musicals). There are some truly delightful films out there that I think are a bit under the radar for people of my generation. Sure, most everyone has seen or at least knows of The Wizard of Oz, or Gone With the Wind, or Citizen Kane. But have you seen...Pillow Talk?

This 1959 comedy centers on two people who share a party line. What the heck is a party line, you might ask. Apparently, there was a time when there weren't enough telephone numbers to go around and people were forced to share them. In this day and age of multiple personal communication devices, this concept appears horrifying, I know. Surprisingly, Pillow Talk is not a horror movie.

Ghostface is not on the other line.

Here's what happens. You have Jan, an uptight interior designer, sharing a party line with Brad, the consummate ladies man. They've never physically met but they basically want to strangle each other. That is until one day when Brad catches sight of the lovely Jan and disguises himself (and his voice) as gentlemanly Texan, Rex, in order to seduce her. Yes, Rex is the name he actually chooses.

Here are three vital reasons to see this movie (if you haven't already):

3) Brad and Jan? They're played by Rock Hudson and Doris Day. I dare you to find two more attractive people than 1959-era Rock Hudson and Doris Day.

2) The WARDROBE. Anyone who's ever drooled over an outfit in Mad Men has got to see Jan Morrow's closet.

1) The Big Reason: this film's got some of the funniest, wittiest, most layered dialogue I've ever heard. I still find new nuances every time I watch it (and I'm a repeated viewer, believe me). Plus the cheeky sight gags are grade-A fun.

Have you seen this gem? If not, would you consider giving it a go?