Why I Haven't Been Posting & The Best BEA/NYC Post You Are Going To Get Out Of Me

Hi everyone,

As you all know I have been busy. With my trip to NYC for BookExpo America and starting summer school I have had little time to blog/vlog. I was able to sneak in a 23 minute vlog of all 70 of my books. While 23 minutes was a really long time to be blabbering, it still took me less time than a standard post. It took me around 40 minutes to record, edit & upload. I wish I could say that my posts go that quickly but they just don't.

Writing a post is a long process for me. I write for about 40 minutes while doing something simultaneously. Go do something else. Come back to my writing and find it's all gibberish. Decide it needs pictures. Add about 4 paragraphs of uselessness, and then delete it entirely. Start over. Then I usually get what you see here after I am to the point where my head has threatened to crash through Cecilia's screen about 5 times. Sometimes from exhaustion, others from frustration.

I have tried to write the BEA post a total of 4 times now. I write a few paragraphs about how amazing it was to meet, talk to, and even touch some of the most amazing minds I will ever know. Yes, I am talking about authors. But my paragraphs do them no justice. The paragraphs usually look something like this:

I ATE LUNCH WITH A.S. KING. SHE LET US CALL HER AMY. WE TALKED ABOUT DINOSAURS AND FIRE. SHE IS SO COOL. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SHE COMES TO ST. LOUIS. I HAVEN'T EVEN READ DUST OF 100 DOGS YET, BUT I FEEL SO HONORED TO HAVE MET AND "HUNG OUT" WITH HER.

ROBYN SCHNEIDER IS A CRAZY WOMAN AND I WOULDN'T CHANGE A SINGLE THING ABOUT HER. SHE IS MORE AWESOME THAN I WILL EVER BE. I ENVY HER LIFE AND HER SHOES. I ALSO ENVY HER ABILITY TO RUN IN SAID SHOES (4 INCH HEELS) ALL AROUND BEA AS SHE USES HER "AUTHOR POWER" TO GET BOOKS FOR HERSELF AND HER MINIONS (US). ALSO, SHE GIVES COOKIES.

MAUREEN JOHNSON IS A GOD. SHE WAS SICKER THAN A DOG AND STILL MANAGED TO SLAVE HER WAY THROUGH BEA & TEEN AUTHOR CARNIVAL. NOT TO MENTION THAT SHE INTERRUPTS HER PANEL ABOUT "WEB MARKETING" TO SHARE THAT HER "FAN CLUB" IS SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW. HER FAN CLUB BEING US, AND SHE THEN MANAGES TO WORK THAT INTO HER PANEL QUESTIONS. SHE QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST CLEVER PERSON I HAVE EVER MET. SHE LIVES IN ANOTHER WORLD AND I WANT TO INHABIT IT.

ELIZABETH SCOTT GIVES THE BEST ADVICE EVER. SHE WAS EVEN RECOMMENDING I DO INTERNSHIPS AT PUBLISHING HOUSES. SHE MAKES ME WANT TO DREAM BIGGER.

DAVID LEVITHAN CRACKS MY SHIT UP. "OH LIBBA BRAY" WILL BE FOREVER THE MOST HILARIOUS SONG I HAVE EVER HEARD. ALSO, AFTER RACHEL COHN AND DAVID RECITED THE LYRICS OF SPICE GIRLS SONGS I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO "IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER" THE SAME WAY AGAIN.

MICHAEL NORTHROP = BEST CORNY JOKER EVER. I WISH I HAD A FRIEND LIKE HIM IN COLLEGE.

MICHELLE ZINK & FAMILY. I AM OFFICIALLY JOINING YOUR FAMILY. YOU ARE THE MOST ADORABLE FAMILY I HAVE EVER MET.

LIBBA BRAY & TIGER BEAT ARE THE BEST ROCKERS EVER. I HAVEN'T BEEN TO MANY CONCERTS BUT I CAN HONESTLY SAY I HAVE NEVER HAD MORE FUN AT A CONCERT. FOR SOMEONE WHO WRITES HISTORICAL FICTION WITH A TOUCH OF FANTASY, YOU WOULDN'T THINK THIS GIRL COULD ROCK BUT THERE ISN'T MUCH LIBBA BRAY CAN'T DO.NOT TO MENTION HER BAND WAS BAD ASS. CREDIT GOES OUT TO BARNABY MILLER, DAN EHRENHAFT & NATALIE STANDIFORD.

SARA ZARR KNOWS WHO I AM. SHE ALSO THINKS I AM THE MASTER OF THE TWEET. THESE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN HER EXACT WORDS BUT SHE IMPLIED THAT I TWEET TOO MUCH.

JENNY HAN IS TOO SWEET. I DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE TO SAY THAN THAT. SHE GETS THE CUPCAKE OF THE DAY AWARD IN MY BOOK. PRETTY HIGH HONORS.

MELISSA WALKER REALLY IS THAT STYLISH IN PERSON. SHE HAD THE MOST KICK ASS RAIN BOOTS I HAVE EVER SEEN ON AT TEEN AUTHOR CARNIVAL. NOT TO MENTION AN ADORABLE DRESS AT THE TIGER BEAT CONCERT. SHE DESERVES THAT PRINCESS CROWN IN HER TWITTER ICON PICTURE.

HOLLY BLACK IS SO MUCH WISER THAN I. IT'S LIKE WISDOM JUST BEEMS FROM HER. IT'S PRETTY HARD TO EXPLAIN UNLESS YOU SEE HER IN PERSON.

I could go on about authors forever, but think that my explanations only make since to myself. They look like my tweets, and yes they require all caps. If they were in vlog form I would totally talk in all caps. Plus I always seem to leave someone out and I come back and feel terrible. Then I think, "Hey lets write about my time with my friends, that will be easy!" And it comes out sort of like this:

Genevieve, do you hear chimes?

Rebecca, I WANT PIZZA! I WANT PIZZA! I WANT PIZZA!

Adam, could you pick up my pillow while you are down there? Oh, and I know you are asleep so I am totally changing. If you look over I will kill you. I am on the phone with Chelsea and she will kill you too.

Mitali, yes I did just say Thank You and Sorry in the same sentence. Deal with it. I love you!

Devyn, is it time for the rave yet? Break out the cell phones and lazer mouse.

Marie, all I have to say is I better have a job next year. Frank? Help me out here!

Alea, I will go to a concert with you anytime babe! Hopefully they play the Beracuda song.

Sharon, I give you cookies and look at pictures of the evil Cookie. Fun!

Steph, I will learn to be a bitchy blogger soon. I promise. I need your training please. {Note: Steph actually said, and I quote: "Girl, we need to turn you into a bitch! Don't be afraid to ask for books."}

Which makes me laugh, but then I realize no one understands my inside jokes. As you can tell I am struggling with this post. So I think, "Oh let's move on to the city of NYC. That should be easy to convey. I mean everyone understands that NYC is just magical!" So I type this:

NYC, I can't explain it. I want to move there in a year and I have no clue why. I just felt like I finally belonged some place for once. How do you find magic in a subway car, a hostel bunk bed, or loosing circulation in your hand that travels all the way up to your wrist and past you elbow? (That was for you Devyn Burton) I don't know, but I did. And I feel like so trapped right now in St. Louis. I have never wanted anything more than to be back in NYC. Many a tear has been shed people. If I don't make it there in a year I think I will drop dead.

So then I think ok this post is sucking, perhaps I shall add some pictures and here's what I find on my computer:

Genevieve pretending to be the girl from the Devilish cover.

Libba Bray rocking out as usual.


Me with realizing my childhood dream with Clifford the Big Red Dog. Adam and I also discussed how it would be fun to ride around BEA on him hanging from his collar. Clifford did not indulge our fantasies.


Amy King and I! Yes, I did just call A.S. King, Amy. We are tight like that.

Kristen Stewart how in the hell did you get in here? You were not at BEA. I promise. Oh, well, Kristen is a blog whore, what can I say.

Rebecca giving me the raised eyebrow. Probably wondering why I suck so bad a posting.


Rebecca fell asleep and let her $5 mashed potatoes get cold. Poor baby didn't feel good.

Rebecca drinking milk that was probably sour, because that's the way she likes it.

Rebecca insures us it's good. But who can believe her anyway?!

My waffles with lots of chocolate ganache.

Rebecca eating my chocolate ganache.

And while all those pictures are quite lovely I can't believe this is all I have to show from BEA. I mean did I honestly forget I had a camera except at random times when I was hyper? Probably, it was pretty easy to forget things while I was there enjoying the heck out of NYC.

So as you can see, I think this is the best you are going to get out of me in regards to BEA. It's just to hard to put down in words how amazing this trip was. I will definitely be back next year and hopefully I will be looking for an apartment! I am serious, this is no joke at all. My associates will be finished and I will need to move on to a 4 year school anyway. Who want's to be my roomie?

I am going to post about my distractions soon and then I promise posting schedule will be back to normal. I hope you guys didn't miss me too much.

Oh, and by the way. Do you guys really like the Korianne Fun Facts and Korianne's Listening to bits at the end? I am getting a little bored with them, but if you love them I will trudge on.