Saturday, November 17, 2012

Saturday Smiles

This has been a strange, full, lovely week for me.  I have a ton to blog about, and it doesn't necessarily fit into the NaNo updates I've been using or my normal Sunday Sunshine posts.  So:  Saturday Smiles!

Smile #1: On Thursday, I went down to New York City to see some of my former students in their school play.  I got to spend time with many of my students and colleagues, catching up and talking books.  I also bit the bullet and talked about my WiP to anyone who would listen--practice saying the words, "I'm writing a book."  It felt a little less silly every time I said it, and for once my students actually listened to me talk about the writing process!


 Smile #2: While I was in New York, I also got a chance to stop at a few shops in my old neighborhood: David's Tea and Books of Wonder.

Remember how Books of Wonder is trying to raise money to stay in business and thriving?

Well, what else could I do but this:

Unsigned books: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, Feedback by Robison Wells, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, Devilish by Maureen Johnson

I mean, really:

Signed books: The Diviners and Going Bovine signed by Libba Bray, Adaptation by Malinda Lo, Breathe signed by Sarah Crossan, and OMG OMG OMG, The Scorpio Races signed by Maggie Stiefvater.  


Smile #3: Yesterday, Erin Schneider posted her stop on the Dear Teen Me blog tour.  I was so excited to be asked to participate!  She asked a bunch of us to send her pictures of us with six words of advice to our teenage selves, as well as a picture from high school.  Mine:


 The bottom picture is me just after senior year of high school.  I was starting to learn to chill out by then--but it took me a bit longer.  Y'all, I was a mess in high school--anything and everything (academics, friends, college apps) could send me into a total tailspin.  Luckily, by college, I was starting to figure out that I needed to chill, and that's when everything started to fall into balance for me. 

Smile #4: Last night, Mr. S and I got to get dressed up and go out to a benefit for the Buffalo public library system.  It was a fancy party in a beautiful old hotel downtown.  Here's my outfit:

  

And here's a close-up to show off my literary accessories:

Mockingjay pin, necklace with excerpt from Shatter Me that I got from Tahereh Mafi at a signing, and Shatter nail polish (black and white, which was the party's theme, as in "black and white and read all over")
 A ton of people commented on my Mockingjay at the party.  I don't normally consider myself a super-cool party person but man, I know how to dress to celebrate the library!

Smile #5:  I participated in Jessica Love and Kelsey Macke's Sip Swap!

Sip Swap
I bought a mug for my assigned blogger (can't say who it is yet, but she has a really cool NaNo project going and I had fun shopping for her!) while I was in New York, and sent it off today--and lo and behold, my mug arrived today!

The sassafras tea is delicious (after a lifetime of hating on tea, I started drinking it about a year ago and now I have a whole tea counter in my breakfast nook--I'm obsessed), and filled my front hall with its amazing fragrance (kind of like root beer) so I actually smelled my package before I saw it!  The mug is so nerdy and goofy--here's the back:






All of that came my way from the completely delightful Katy Upperman!  So thanks, Katy, and thanks to Jessica and Kelsey for organizing such a fun event!

I'll be back with book reviews and NaNo updates as usual, but I wanted to share all this great reading/writing/blogging cheer with you today!  I hope you're all finding things to make you smile as well!


26 comments:

  1. Looks like you had an amazing week! I'm drooling over that stack of books you bought. I watched the Dear Teen Me video and thought it was incredible. So inspirational! Your outfit for the fundraiser is awesome. Love the Shatter Me necklace! I just finished reading it, but haven't finished swooning over it yet. I could probably babble more about all the cool things in your post, but I'll stop now. :)

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    1. If you ever get a chance to meet Tahereh Mafi--do it! She is so, so delightful. I went to a couple of amazing author events when I lived in NY but she was my favorite person to actually meet and talk to. AND of course her book is so so so good.

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  2. Yay! I'm so glad you got your Sip Swap gift! I have a grammar mug too, and I find it just the right size, the a good handle for sipping. :-)

    I'm super jealous of all your new books! I ordered BLOOD AND STARLIGHT the other day but it hasn't come yet... I can't wait to read it, though, because SMOKE AND BONE was one of my favorites of last year. You'll have to let me know what you think.

    Finally, I love all of the pictures today! Teen Jess was adorable, and you look lovely all dressed. Love the Mockingjay pin!

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    1. The mug is totally perfect! I love the feel and size of it.

      I thought of you while I was posting all the pictures :) Without a smart phone of my own I don't take pics that often but this week I used my iPad and made Mr. S take some on his iPhone. I definitely want to get in that habit more, since it makes blog posts so much more fun!

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  3. So much awesome in this post! That book haul is seriously enviable. I've been wanting to pick up THE DIVINERS, but keep forgetting. And a signed copy? Awesome! Your outfit for the benefit is perfect, especially the literary accessories. :)

    What a great Sip Swap mug/tea combo too. The mug is delightfully nerdy. :)I would have loved to take part, but sadly, I live north of the border and it was open to U.S. only. Understandable, but sometimes living in Canada has its downsides.

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    1. I know, I was sad it was US-only! Maybe next year we can do an international gift exchange :)

      I'm so excited to read THE DIVINERS...and all of the rest of those books. This week, though, I'll be lucky if I can finish my second book in time for my post this evening!

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  4. Aww, so glad you had lots of reasons to smile this week! I love the advice to your teen self and the pictures :D

    That book shopping spree you went on looks awesome! And wow wow wow, a signed copy of The Scorpio Races? Amazing!

    That Mockingjay pin is just perfect for that kind of event, glad you had fun! :D

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    1. Yeah, I saved up for this spree. There were so many times I almost bought one of these books and then thought, oh wait, Books of Wonder! So it's been a long time coming--and it was a blast! :)

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  5. LOVE your outfit! That is a lovely dress and your accessories are the best.
    Next time you come back for a BoW spree, we should meet up for some tea!

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    1. Thanks! I definitely want to plan a slightly longer trip (I was in NY for a total of 12 hours this time) and then I'd love to meet up! At the very least, I'm really hoping to be able to come down the weekend of SCBWI, so maybe I'll see you then!

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  6. I'm so happy you had fun with sipswap! I'm so glad you're participating and I have a pretty awesome new blog to follow! :D

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    1. Welcome :) It's a really fun idea and I'm so glad you guys made it happen!

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  7. You had an awesome week, Jess! I mean that book haul alone, is drool-worthy - but then add everything else in? Yeah, you can sit back and put your feet up for the rest of the year. :)

    Signed SCORPIO RACES. Done and done.

    Thanks so much for being a part of my DEAR TEEN ME project - I'm so glad you allowed me to subject your pictures to the world! But it was so worth it though, because I think the end result turned out pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself! We all have something we can definitely be proud of.

    I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Jess - and thanks again!

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    1. That video was awesomesauce. I really enjoyed participating!


      And yeah, last week was pretty fantastic. Now I just have to pick up the slack (can I write 4000 words today? We'll find out!) that comes from a week of fun stuff. But it was totally worth it!

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  8. Omg ALL THE BOOKS! Awesome! Love the mug, Katy's a gem! ;)

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    1. I agree :) And that book haul is proving to be awesome.

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  9. Love the mug! Katy's a doll. How cool that you received a necklace at a signing - is that regular swag for her?

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    1. Yes she is :) I think Tahereh said she had different kinds of swag for different signings? Not sure. But mine is totally a prized possesion!

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  10. talk about having the perfect mug. I need one of those!

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  11. LOVE that mug!!! Katy picked a winner! Thank you for participating in the swap! I'm so happy it was such a fun thing for everyone!! :D

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    1. It's such a perfect pick for me :) I had so much fun shopping and getting such a fun mug!

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    1. I was so thrilled to get it! The whole thing was so much fun!

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