Category: LHA

Well, that was fun!

Tuesday was Brooklyn Day. The plan was for me to be picked up at the hotel and driven to the library. It was a great plan. The one part that didn’t quite work out the way we planned was that several of the roads and exits we were supposed to take were closed due to construction. My driver, Donna (who is the sexual assault awareness expert writing the SPEAK/sexual assault curriculum for New York City schools) is from Jersey. I am from Philly. We had no freaking idea where we were in Brooklyn. We needed a hero.

And we got one – Rickie, the janitor at the King’ Bay library. Thank you, Rickie. Thank you, thank you, thank you. He talked us through the confusing streets and parkways and avenues. We got to the library late, but everyone was really kind about it.

And then I got to talk with the students from Sheepshead Bay High School (Home of the Sharks). Wow – they were fantastic. I had so much fun hanging out with them. Brooklyn is definitely my new favorite place. Let me pour a few more gallons of gratitude: thank you very much to all the students for their respect, smiles, and great questions. Thanks also to the teachers (who were much nicer than I remember any of my teachers being!) and Alan, the school administrator whose title I forgot (sorry) for making the experience rock.

The only thing was they weren’t exactly thrilled that I took their picture. They were much happier looking in person that they appear to be here.

We did not get lost heading back to Manhattan, thanks to Rickie again. However…

A Note To Amtrak
Yo. I like trains. I think public transportation is fantastic. And I’m cheap. Normally I take NJ Transit to get from Trenton to New York. It costs $14 one way. But I was given Amtrak tickets for this trip, and I wasn’t going to turn them down. Amtrak trains are much more comfortable than NJT trains, and are not as crowded. They are also outrageously expensive: $41. So imagine my surprise when I got to Penn Station to find out that I had to stand in line for an hour because Amtrak has no signs explaining the whole reserved/unreserved ticket thing, because they didn’t have enough staff working, and because the staff that was working was ill-informed. Next time, I’ll go NJT.

Thank you for indulging that rant.

For those of you who had money riding on this, my cup of tea at the hotel only cost $1.48. The banana, however, cost $1.50. It’s hard growing banana trees in the city, I guess.

The good news was I got home in time to watch the final Parent Performance of Mer’s drum line team. They spent all last night on a bus to Ohio. Their preliminary round is at 8:30 tonight.

I have a day of laundry and packing. I’m going to escape up North to spend a couple days with Beloved Husband, Number One Son, and the Creature With Fangs.

Finally back from speaking… if you’re near Brooklyn, here is where you can find me between 10 am and noon tomorrow:

Kings Bay Library
3650 Nostrand Ave. (near Ave. W),
Brooklyn, NY 11229
t. 718-368-1709

The crowd should be small and nice.

So I wound up bringing my computer to New York after all. I answered a ton of email on the train. Of course, my computer is having a hissy fit about the Internet server here at the hotel and I can’t mail out anything, but at least it’s written.

I spent the morning at Teen Central, an amazing part of the Donnell Library on 53rd Street in New York. Are you are teenager (in spirit or in body) in this Big City? Then you should go here. It is filled with books and music and computers and is staffed by terrific librarians.

The YA library staff has one bathroom. By moving the beads to either Neo or Wonder Woman, they turn it into a men’s or women’s bathroom.

We had teens from six different schools, I think. Thanks to the administrators who let the students come, the teachers who accompanied them, the New York Women’s Agenda for making the whole thing happen, and especially the teens. You guys were a great audience. Thanks also to my buddy Cara and her group for the amazing goodies!!

This is Roz Abrams, who is smart and powerful and sweet all at the same time. She is the co-chair of the New York Reads Together program (along with doing fifty million other things). In a couple hours I’m giving another presentation. I think this one is for adults, and I’m told Roz will be asking me questions. This is going to be fun.

I’m speaking some place in Brooklyn tomorrow afternoon, then I race home for the Parent Preview performance of Mer’s drum line. They leave for the World Championships Wednesday night. Go Hatters!

Right now I’m going in search of a very large cup of tea to drink while I sit and read. I’m taking bets on how much the tea will cost.

OMG!!!

PROM has debuted at #8 on the New York Times Bestseller List (Children’s Chapter Books).
(I’m not sure if the link will work if you’re not subscribed. But trust me, it’s there. I’m staring at it.)

I’m speechless.

Thank you, thank you to all the booksellers and readers who made this happen.

(Back to being speechless again.)

(Really.)

Friday morning was a whirlwind school visit in Austin to Clint Small Middle School where we ate great pastry and talked about FEVER 1793. Many thanks to Elizabeth the Librarian and the rest of the staff and especially all the students for making the morning fly. Speaking of flying, it took 8 hours, but I finally made it back to Philly. Got home at 9:30pm. My Beloved Husband drove down from NY to make sure I got a hot dinner.

Saturday, I slept. To be honest, that is all I remember. No wait, I looked at my mail. Mer had a friend over for dinner. My sister called too early. My parents did, too, but you can’t say to your elderly mom, “Call back in ten hours when I’m awake.” So I talked to her, and thought I did a good impression of a sane, healthy, rested person. Dumb, dumb, dumb. She called back yesterday to tell me she hadn’t slept Saturday night because she was so worried about me. Sigh

Yesterday was more sleeping. We finished off the taxes and did laundry. Best thing was that we had the windows open all day long and I didn’t turn the heat on last night. I love having the windows open.

I have to get my butt in gear now. Lots more to catch up on today. Tonight I am driving out to Lancaster County. You can find me from 6:30-8pm at Buckhill Book Shop, 1040 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA, 717-627-2665.

Tomorrow I head to New York City for a couple of kick-off events for the New York Reads Together Program, sponsored by the New York Women’s Agenda. I don’t have all the details yet, but I know I’ll be speaking at the Donnelly Library, 20 West 53rd St, at 10am on Tuesday. I’ll be in Brooklyn on Wednesday. Not sure if I’m bringing the computer or not, so it might be a few days before I post again.

All of this traveling has been fun, but I have to admit, I’m ready to start writing again.

Oh, PS to Andrew – thanks for the advice about Dream Theater. You were right.