Life Among the Literati

Today, I woke up and feel happy to know that my second book is entering the world. I've been thinking over this week how I want to spend today. You feel the need to mark it in some way that makes the day feel different than other days. And here is what I came up with: Today, May 15, is my father's birthday. I like knowing that the book is coming out on the day he was born. I woke up and saw the sun was out, which means a walk through Central Park may be in order. I am also going to head uptown to the Natural History Museum and see the Tropical Butterfly Exhibit - http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/butterflies/?src=h_h. Last night, I had many apocalyptic nightmares, but I just remembered during the one in which the world was flooding and I was trapped at sea, I saw two exotic bright yellow and black butterflies that I immediately wanted to classify with one of my butterfly books. While writing this book, I certainly did a bunch of research on butterflies since they are used as a metaphor throughout the pages, and they are truly magnificent creatures -- from what they do to survive, perpetuate the species, and what they have come to symbolize for our culture and ancient cultures like the Egyptians. Wait. Hold on. The buzzer is ringing and the man on the intercom said, "Flower delivery." I just opened the door and the man handed me a bouquet with beautiful blue and purple flowers that match the cover of the book. The card was so nice it made me get teary-eyed. Don't tell...They'll banish us you know. How dreary to be someone. How public like a frog. To tell your name the livelong day to an admiring bog.
xo

Do you ever realize that the dreams you have in the night affect your mood in the morning? Even when you can't remember one image from them, you wake up somehow feeling peaceful, or else, on more unlucky mornings, feeling strangely haunted by a memory you just can't quite grasp. Last night, I must've had wonderful dreams because I woke up today feeling extra glowing for no explainable reason. I'm just gonna let this one go and happily accept the ride from my unconscious. On another note, I bought a wonderful pen yesterday at the toy store/paper supply store in my neighborhood where I get all my computer printing paper. It's a paint pen and I can't wait to write with it.

There are so many pens in this world
but when you find the right one
you can feel that space between you and the paper suddenly become much closer.

Here is one woman who seemed to take quite a fancy for the ball point type.

World's Largest Ball-Point Pen Collection
Angelika Unverhau from Dinslaken (Germany) has collected more than 220,000 ball-point pens (excluding duplicates) from 146 countries. She has been collecting unusual pens since childhood, but decided to take her hobby more seriously in 1990. She founded a club for ball-point pen collectors who meet twice a year to trade pens. (www.recordholders.org)

I will be appearing at the Jefferson Market Branch of NYPL to do a reading of my new book, The Secret Rites of Social Butterflies, which comes out officially on May 15th by Viking. Here are the details:
Date: May 7 -- Teen Author Reading Night
Time: 6-7:30
Location: Jefferson Market Branch of NYPL, 425 6th Ave, at 10th St.
There are a bunch of other exciting authors who write for teens on the line-up. We all have books being released in May. Here's the list:

Lizabeth Zindel, The Secret Rites of Social Butterflies
Tara Altebrando, What Happens Here
Libba Bray, Up All Night
Erin Haft, Meet Me at the Boardwalk
Cheryl Klam, The Pretty One
Nico Medina, Fat Hoochie Prom Queen
Rachel Vail, Lucky

Hope to see you there!

Last night was the launch party for E. Skinner's non-fiction book, A Crime So Monstrous: Face-To-Face With Modern-Day Slavery. The party was held at the National Arts Club inside the historic Tilden Mansion. The space is a hidden gem overlooking Gramercy Park filled with stained glass ceilings, grand staircases, Italian wood fireplaces and equisite artwork. (www.nationalartsclub.org). The club was founded in 1898 by Charles De Kay, a literary and art critic for the New York Times, and intended as a place for artists and patrons of the arts to gather together in its many salons and parlors. The building hosts events including film screenings and concerts. In fact, as the launch party ended, we were asked to speak in whispers because a violin concerto was now performing in the next room. Skinner spoke about his book to a crowd of over two hundred guests, and since it was Passover, he asked the holiday's traditional question -- Why is tonight different than all other nights? He said that it was because we are now creating awareness about modern slavery and that many people are joining the movement of The New Abolitionists. I certainly had my eyes opened last night, and as I spoke with Kevin Bales, the author of Disposable People, he described to me the first time he learned about modern slavery by reading a pamphlet many years ago. He was shocked when he suddenly realized that slavery still exists today in big numbers, and that it happens even in the Unites States. Now, Bales is known as the world's top expert on modern slavery and the organization he works for, Free the Slaves, helps devise effective and targeted strategies to end slavery around the world. For more information on how you can help, please visit www.freetheslaves.net.



(From left to right: Architect, Sabrina Lupero, Ben Skinner (A Crime So Monstrous), Lizabeth Zindel (Girl of the Moment)




Kevin Bales with his latest novel Ending Slavery

Last night, I attended the 75th Anniversary Party of Vikings Children's Books where I had the golden opp to meet some wonderful YA authors.
Members of the Literati from left to right (Lizabeth Zindel (Girl of the Moment), Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak), Doug Whiteman (President, Penguin Group Books for Young Readers), Sarah Dessen (The Truth About Forever), Susane Colasanti (Take Me There)


From left to right: Lizabeth Zindel, Joy Peskin (Editor, Viking)


From left to right: Jack Martin (NYPL's assistant coordinator for young adult services and the mastermind of the “Game On” project), Susane Colasanti (Take Me There). Nico Medina (Fat Hoochie Prom Queen), Lizabeth Zindel (Girl of the Moment)

The party was held at the chic Soho restaurant/bar Centovini (www.centovininyc.com) that showcased artwork by the designer Luciano Marcato, who I adore (see images below). In my second book, The Secret Rites of Social Butterflies (Viking, May 2008), I imagined the girls sitting around on Luciano Marcato pillows while holding meetings for their secret society. I love how the big-eyed girls in Marcato's illustrations capture both classic innocence and modern mischief. The pillow with the girl looking through the key hole makes me think of the main character in my book, Social Butterflies, looking into the hidden room that holds the Wall. What is the Wall you ask? You must find the Social Butterflies to find out.