That One Time I High Fived Melina Marchetta

Books of Wonder event with Melina Marchetta, Kristin Cashore, and Gayle Forman (and an overzealous host).

GUYS.  Last week I was on vacation.  It was lovely, la la la, and more on that at the bottom, but I took a vacation from my vacation to go and high five Melina Marchetta, noted long-time authorcrush, in New York.  You know, as you do.  Luckily, I did not find myself suddenly struck mute, as happened when I met Anne M. Martin in approximately 1992, though I'm pretty sure I narrowly avoided blacking out, because I can remember telling myself not to quiver with excitement, and discussing bridesmaid dresses and the importance of occasionally Googling oneself (that never sounds right).  She was as gracious and lovely as I'd hoped (they all were), and I was so thrilled to meet her.

Author crush Melina Marchetta
in front of framed cover of
childhood favorite King Bidgood?
You done blown my mind.

I attended the book signing and conversation between Gayle Forman, Kristin Cashore, and Melina Marchetta at Books of Wonder.  It was pretty great, other than there being six chairs for fifty people.  I've seen a lot of author talks and the like, and this was definitely one of the best, probably because they were all so at ease with each other that conversation endearingly flowed.  It was a really lovely event, and the ladies all graciously signed things and were generally charming!  This is what I learned:

• Kristin has lots of pictures of babies on her phone that she can show you.
• Melina's idea for Froi came to her on a New York subway car. 
• Gayle reads her sexual tension scenes so well she made Ms. XB, who took a course on romance novels in college, make this "I feel like I just walked in on something private" face: 
  

1001% certain I was rocking this face at this juncture too.

In other vacation news, serendipitously, the Lics (formerly the Old Lyme Ice Cream Shoppe), the ice cream store in the town I was visiting, had a special issue ice cream flavor in honor of their neighbors: THE LIBRARY.  YES.  YES.  I was beyond excited to try Gooey Dewey, a chocolate ice cream with giant chunks of brownie and marshmallow swirls.  It did not taste like old books, or slightly misogynistic old men who nonetheless revolutionized the library world; instead it tasted delicious.  As all libraries do.  OBVI. 

A librarian, eating library themed ice cream,
outside a library, on Library Lane.
That's how it's done, son.

Gooey Dewey at Lics in Old Lyme, CT.
(With Toasted Coconut as a hat.)

To make you thoroughly jealous, I will end with this picture of a sunset:

#mylifeissohard