Geek Girl’s Guide – Page 5

Not exactly live blogging

I really wanted to live blog the book signing, but couldn’t get a signal on my laptop. So … I decided to “live blog” anyway, only put it on time delay.

No pictures yet, since my camera has decided not to talk to my laptop, but Andrew played roving photographer and got some nice photos.

I’m glad I did take this little notes, because I’m not sure I’d remember anything, or at least coherently. We sold all the books on hand, and with the extra orders, ended up selling 54 books! Amazing!

Everyone was so nice and it was a really great experience.

So, here you go, live blogging:

1:48:cannot get wireless connection. Decide to put live blogging on time delay.

1:49: My daughter is skipping around the room like a maniac.

1:57: just signed a book. It’s almost time and I’m freaking nervous.

2:00: Okay, it is two o’clock and we haven’t officially started. I may have a heart attack.

2:06: Clearly I’m behind the power curve. We’re signing first.

2:07: Just met Jen from TRT! So. Cool.

2:15: Our books are all gone. We sold them all. Dude!

2:19: We are now signing bookplates

2:23: My kids, running amok.

2:26:Darcy’s giving her cheerleading/expectations talk.

2:27: Did you know Steve Martin was a cheerleader?

2:28: So was Kirk Douglas

2:30: So was Ronald Reagan.

2:33: And Ruth Bader Ginsberg (Dude!)

2:34: Local historical cheerleaders now! So cool. We’re making them stand up (but not cheer).

2:36: Darcy’s mom!

2:48: We’re done!

2:49: Snacks!

3:00: Wait! Q&A, then the snacks.

3:18: Bathroom break for my daughter.

3:21: Off to see Lincoln without a beard (this is my son)

3:27: Signing more bookplates for book orders.

3:30: My kids have vanished. Am hoping they are with Lincoln.

3:50: My kids return and it’s time to leave. I eat one cookie.

The Geek Girl’s guide to … disaster

So, the trip started out pretty good. No traffic on the way to the airport. Easy check in. Plus, when we reached baggage claim, our one piece of luggage was already on the conveyor belt.

I think we used up our good trip karma for a while.

First, finding the rental car shuttle took a while. You’d think it would be obvious. Eh, not so much. Then, oh, the traffic getting out of Chicago. You’d think everyone was leaving for a long holiday or something.

When we cleared Chicago, naturally we hit some construction. The drive took much longer than expected, but at last we made it. I was checking in at the hotel desk when I asked Andrew to get our luggage.

He returned a moment later with the news:

It wasn’t in the car.

Minus the items in our carry-on bags, that one piece of luggage had everything: swimsuits, clothes for the book signing, underwear.

I’d been so busy getting Kyra’s booster seat situated and checking out the car, that I assumed Andrew (who’d been lugging the suitcase all along) had put it in the back. He thought I had.

So, we drove away without it.

The good news is it’s still at the rental car place. Bad news? We have to go get it if we want it before Monday.

Fortunately, Danville has a Wal-Mart. While I prefer Target, I’m not sure I would’ve ended up with my new wowza six dollar book signing “ensemble” from them. Yes, I picked something that was on the rack outside the store.

Because I’m crazy that way.

Darcy met us at Wal-Mart. She and Kyra bonded while selecting fashions in the girls’ section. Andrew found some nice cargo shorts and shirt to wear. Plus, we got some essentials: toothpaste and underwear, swimsuits and sandals.

So, all in all, it could be worse. Miss B is swimming in her new Sponge Bob swimsuit. Despite the fact I made a special shopping trip to the mall, armed with gift cards, I’m highly amused I’ll be wearing a six dollar Wal-Mart clearance rack special to my book launch signing.

Plus, I got to see Darcy last night, who showered my kids with gifts and attention.

Plus, the kids were pretty good through the whole thing (and Andrew felt so awful about not loading the bag).

And … on the really cool Geek Girl news front, we got an awesome quote from Elizabeth Scott.

She read Geek Girl’s Guide and saw in the acknowledgements that we share an editor. So the other day, she sent our editor this quote:

“Sweet, funny, and heart-warming, The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading truly makes you want to cheer!”

Both Darcy and I were beyond stunned. Every time I think about it, I get a big grin–even with the missing luggage.

What a day!

Yesterday was crazy good. One of my favorite YA authors, Maureen Johnson, stopped by to offer congratulations. I was all: No! Way!

In case you missed my interview with Darcy over at The Long and the Short of It, you can read it here. I get Darcy to dish about the tattoo.

Today, Darcy has an essay up on collaborative writing and some background on our journey from critique partners to friends to writing partners.

Also, the lovely Em has our interview up at Em’s Bookshelf.

Big awwww

Look what I found on my computer desk this morning:

bookflowers

And stop over at The Geek Girl’s Guide to see what I found there. Warning: there’s 80s hair involved.

I couldn’t ask for a better launch day or better family and friends. I was totally surprised.

Face. Out.

So, last night after dance class, Miss B and I went on safari to see if we could catch Geek Girl in the wild. According to Barnes and Noble online, Geek Girl was stocked at my local B&N. I didn’t know if that meant, why yes, we have it in the back, or if it meant, it’s on the shelf.

Actually, what it meant was: we have it on the shelf. Face. Out.

shelf

Yes, there we were, face out, on the New for Teens shelf. (Other writers know how important the face out placement is–let me tell you, we’re just a little over the top about it, too.) But not only that, you could also find Geek Girl alphabetically:

shelf2

This is a close up, but the T’s (what we’re filed under) are at just below eye level, so that’s nice. Plus, I think our spine is pretty spiffy and eye-catching.

kyra1

One of the sales clerks was restocking Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in the teen section (no, really, she was), so I asked if they had a policy about signing stock, because my book just came out, there it was, and I was kind of excited. She said that she’d go ask the manager.

The manager came out and was so nice. She said, sure, sign our stock. She grabbed all the face out books and we went up to the information counter. She scanned the book to make sure we had all the copies, but then we remembered the one on the other shelf.

“I’ll get it!” Kyra cried out and she flew through the store to get the book and came rushing back. This, by the way, endeared her to the B&N staff. I signed the stock with my special purple pen while Kyra proudly pointed out her name in the dedication.

The manager pulled out the Autographed Copy stickers, which she let Kyra stick on the books:

stickers1

stickers3

stickers2

She even let Kyra keep one of the stickers for herself, which she wore out of the store. The manager said that they’d place the book on a display up front for the weekend, too.

But I’ve pretty much decided I need to take Miss B with me everywhere book related. Guess who was complimented on her lovely hair and big brown eyes? It certainly wasn’t me. Miss B = my secret weapon.

If you want to hear how Darcy’s first sighting went, head on over to the Geek Girl site. (I’ll be recapping this post over there tomorrow.)

A funny thing happened on the way to the post office

Well, actually it happened at the post office. I had a big stack of books I was sending out (eleven to be precise). The guy working the counter asked me about them, thinking I was an eBay bookseller or something.

I, seizing upon opportunity (somewhat uncharacteristically), said, why, no, this is a book I wrote.

Post office guy? He. Was. Astounded. I had to tell him all about it. His wife had to know because she loves to read.

It’s at this point I think to myself: wow, I should really have some book business cards made up.

Then, the woman next in line piped that she has teen daughters who love to read.

Insert an image here of me kicking myself.

I was reduced to writing down titles on scrap paper.

So, I need some cards, ASAP. I tried some of those online design-your-own type places, but the results looked like someone with no graphics arts ability using one of those online design-your-own type places. But something is better than nothing, so I’m pushing this task up on my to-do list.

I also need a better answer to the question: “How long does it take to write a book?”

“It depends.” did not go over too well. The guy working the counter looked at me like: What? Is she crazy? She doesn’t know how long it takes to write a book? Isn’t that what she does?

I guess I could’ve told him four years. I got the initial idea for Geek Girl’s Guide in February of 2004. It sold in March, 2008 (and we still had another revision to go through).

Of course, I wrote other things during that time. Shelved it, took it out again, shelved it, started working with Darcy … hm, I had a moral in mind, I’m sure, beyond persistence and being in it for the long haul.

But all I really can think of is: book business card.

Must. Have.