Mel's Shopping Diary
ALA On Saturday!
June 25, 2008Hey kids,
Those of you fabulous librarians attending the annual ALA conference in Anaheim this weekend, come over and say hello!
I’ll be signing at several booths on Saturday, June 28th:
11am - 12 noon Simon & Schuster Autographing Booth #2449
1-2pm, Hyperion Autographing Booth #2555 (Giving away Masquerade AND the Revelations chapter samplers!)
2-3pm BWI/Follett Autographing Booth #2234
Then I’m waltzing off to check into the Grand Californian hotel right smack in the middle of California Adventure, and then later that evening hob-nobbing with the other fabulous Disney authors at the swanky cocktail reception and then going off to the “Family” dinner, which is for staff and authors only. Dontcha love it? I love Momma Disney. We even got one-day park hoppers to go to the Disneyland parks! Yeahhh boyyy.
So when am I going to email the chapter sneak peeks? I don’t know yet. Hyperion has not given me the go-ahead yet. But I promise to send them as soon as I get the green-light.
I’m so excited for ALA, I’ve never been, and life has been really fabulous lately. And it’s awful because I can’t blog about it because I have such a big mouth. All I’ll say is the other day I had a super-awesome lunch with a beyond fawsome celebrity, who was just as gorgeous, NICE and funny as she is on television, and it was like girls just hanging out...and then last weekend we were invited over to stay at one of my husband’s client’s vacation homes, which was like staying at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water (you know the most famous house in America. Well this is the second most famous and historical house in the country--architectural buffs can probably guess where we were). The whole thing was kind of like a dream. Everything was so perfect and beautiful, and if you had told Mike and I that our lives would be THIS fun and fabulous when we were striving over-achievers in New York twelve years ago, we would have said…
You bet your ass!
I remember when I was twenty-two and my friend Morgan and I were invited to a party thrown by his neighbors next door, and Morgan lived in an East Village tenement, and it was so funny because the people next door were in their 30s and their party was lame and lights were on, and everyone kind of had that starting-to-be-fat look. And Morgan and I were only there for the FREE DRINKS. Back then we would travel ANYWHERE for a free cocktail. I still have this mentality. I’ll look at an invite and go, “Hmm, there’s a party for some lame boutique an hour away. But I kind of want to go, for FREE COCKTAILS.” I mean, c’mon.
Anyway, Morgan and I were surreptitiously drinking all their alcohol, and we were talking about what a lovely apartment it was compared to Morgan’s light-less hovel. (I don’t even remember if his place had any windows!) And this place was triple the size of his, which made it easily one of the larger apartments we had seen in New York at that time. And Morgan said he would KILL for a place like this and would be happy if in ten years he had one of these apartments.
And I looked at him, and said ARE YOU KIDDING? IF I’M LIVING IN A NON-ELEVATOR NO-DOORMAN BUILDING IN TEN YEARS ON THE FIRST FLOOR IN THE EAST VILLAGE YOU MIGHT AS WELL SHOOT ME!
I mean...REALLY.
What is the point of having no life in high school so one can go to a fancy Ivy League college and then graduate so you can sweat it out at some bank while working feverishly on your novels and working all the time...just to end up THERE?
No friggin’ way.
Which doesn’t take anything away from all the fun things that are happening now, believe me I don’t take anything for granted.
So work hard, dream big, and don’t ever think that you’re not worthy of a full-service pre-war building in Manhattan. You might not end up there, but you’ll end up somewhere close.
In other starfracker news, a Beastie Boy just moved in across the street. (Mike said hi to him yesterday when they were both taking out the trash for garbage day.) And you know Captain Kirk lives up the hill yes? It’s nice here in LA-LA-LAND.
xoxo
Mel
On June 25, 2008 at 9:27 am, tiffany had this to say:
Woah u live near a beastie boy… pretty fawsome!=P Did I use it right… oh well anyways I will take that advice..to work hard and dream big.
On June 25, 2008 at 10:40 am, Sandra had this to say:
WOW! you know, i love your blogs. They r always full of fun stuff n we get the chance to know you better. It doesn’t sound as if we r reading a letter from a superstar but a nice, friendly woman. I totally love the Blue Bloods books, that’s how i knew aboutr\ you. Thanks to my friends from introducing me to them.
Hope you have a great day
N free-drinks!!!
On June 25, 2008 at 11:40 am, lana had this to say:
wats a beastie boy? cant wait for the books love ur writing!
On June 26, 2008 at 1:32 pm, blue bloods luvr had this to say:
omg i LUV the blue bloods series i read the series 4 times in a wk!!!! i cant wait for revelations!!!! u r a awesome person and there shud b more ppl like u in the world(ppl that r nice and write rrly rlly good books! lol) 
On June 26, 2008 at 4:14 pm, deltay had this to say:
Oh, wow ALA! Sounds like a blast.
Very inspiring post; definitely going to try harder and work at school b/c by the sounds of it, having a social life after grad sounds a lot better than having a social life now but not as much of one later.
On June 26, 2008 at 10:28 pm, tiffany had this to say:
hahaha thats pretty funny! aw, i wish i could go on saturday, but i have my last dance recital, blah! =(. aw well, there will be a day when i will be able to go, though, haha.
On June 26, 2008 at 11:49 pm, Natalie had this to say:
lana had this to say:
wats a beastie boy? cant wait for the books love ur writing!
^^^the beastie boys are a band of 3 guys (white rapping guys, i might add). they were really popular in 99-00’ and have made several CDs. i bet youve heard a song of theirs and dont even know it.
On June 27, 2008 at 6:32 am, Ashleigh had this to say:
I SO wish I could go to ALA!! Oh well. I’ll try and survive the let down *sniffles*. Yeah, I agree with deltay - I’m going to work harder now, let it pay off later; seems like a good idea to me .
Can’t wait for Revelations!!! I bought Blue Bloods, read it in about three hours, said “Duuuuude, this is flipping AMAZING!” Waited and waited for Masquerade, got it, read it in 2 1/2 hours, and now I’m back to the waiting-and-waiting phase. The one thing I can’t stand about the Blue Bloods books - they have to end! :( But they’re well worth the wait.
On June 27, 2008 at 12:49 pm, lauren had this to say:
o my god i love your books i mean blue bloods was so good can’t wait until oct. when revelations comes out it will be a totaly scream fest day for me.Keep writeing love your books! your #1 fan:)
On June 27, 2008 at 3:29 pm, lily had this to say:
I really want to meet you!!! It stinks that I am always too far away from your signings and appearances. T.T I hope the results for the poems come out soon too, even though I probably didn’t win. It would be nice to see the winners.^.^
On June 27, 2008 at 5:49 pm, jasmin had this to say:
I love your website and the blogs r the BOMB!!!! I can’t wait 4 revolutions(i think i’m kinda addited 2 the blue blood books,hehe)!!!!
On June 27, 2008 at 6:42 pm, Catie had this to say:
Wooo Disneyland, Wooo FREE cocktails and finally Woooo to Beastie Boys for neighbors! What sucks is I just realized that I don’t have your novels(I borrowed them from the library) so therefore I have nothing for you to sign...other than my forehead! ;] And in 15-20 years I plan to be livin it big babY(not other exact plans than that)!
On June 27, 2008 at 10:32 pm, Emma had this to say:
These questions have been on my mind since I finished Blue Bloods and Masquerade last year.
Question #1: In Blue Bloods, it says the angels are the vampires. In every cycle, the Blue Bloods are born with the same soul and identity. Why are the Blue Bloods born with genders? According to the Christian faith, angels don’t have genders. In heaven, there is no falling in love with one another, but falling in love with God himself (Don’t believe me? Go study Christian doctrine).
Question #2: What’s Schuyler’s religion? St. Bartholomew’s Church is Episcopalian. In Aggie’s death, the headmistress read passages from the Koran, which is like the “Bible” of Islam. I’ve always thought the religion with the best-looking believers is Catholicism (but this is just MY opinion).
Question #3: It first mentioned that Allegra’s in a coma because she refuses to take another human familiar. Then, it says she’s in a coma because she chooses not to wake up. Then, it says it’s because she’s trying to help Schuyler or something like that. I’m confused. What is the true reason why Allegra is in a coma?
Question #4: Jack and Mimi are the exact same height, right? I’ve noticed Mimi’s fond of heels and everything ultra-sexy. So meaning she’s taller than Jack when she wears them?
Question #4: Mimi and Bliss are really tall girls. It said Bliss is 5’10 (easily 6’0 with her hair). As for Mimi, I assume she’s tall because she’s Jack’s height. If Schuyler’s petite but tall enough to reach Mimi’s neck when she tiptoes in Masquerade, she must be like 5’0 to 5’4. How tall is she, exactly?
Question #5: I thought the immigrants in the New World were the English (and in this case, they were also early Blue Bloods)...why are there Chinese twins in Masquerade who are also Blue Bloods?
Anyone here kind enough to clear up my thoughts and answer my questions, please?
On June 28, 2008 at 12:29 am, Natalie had this to say:
It first mentioned that Allegra’s in a coma because she refuses to take another human familiar. Then, it says she’s in a coma because she chooses not to wake up. Then, it says it’s because she’s trying to help Schuyler or something like that. I’m confused. What is the true reason why Allegra is in a coma?
^^^allegra is in a coma by choice because she chooses not to take another human familiar (which all blood bloods would have this affect if they did not feed on human blood). as far as helping schuyler is concerned, i dont remember anything about that.
Question #2: What’s Schuyler’s religion? St. Bartholomew’s Church is Episcopalian. In Aggie’s death, the headmistress read passages from the Koran, which is like the “Bible” of Islam. I’ve always thought the religion with the best-looking believers is Catholicism (but this is just MY opinion).
^^^i think the teacher was attempting to be considerate of all religions being that their school is not religiously based.
Question #1: In Blue Bloods, it says the angels are the vampires. In every cycle, the Blue Bloods are born with the same soul and identity. Why are the Blue Bloods born with genders? According to the Christian faith, angels don’t have genders. In heaven, there is no falling in love with one another, but falling in love with God himself (Don’t believe me? Go study Christian doctrine).
^^^ i dont think that the vampires are necessarily born with the same sex everytime but they do have genders in a gerneral sense (like masuline and feminine) but not in a traditional sense.
Question #4: Jack and Mimi are the exact same height, right? I’ve noticed Mimi’s fond of heels and everything ultra-sexy. So meaning she’s taller than Jack when she wears them?
^^they are twins so one can assume that both are generally the same height (except for when she is in heels, of course)
I thought the immigrants in the New World were the English (and in this case, they were also early Blue Bloods)...why are there Chinese twins in Masquerade who are also Blue Bloods?
^^^only the first immigrants were english. there is no reason why other nationalities could not come here (it just would have been in small numbers).
Question #4: Mimi and Bliss are really tall girls. It said Bliss is 5’10 (easily 6’0 with her hair). As for Mimi, I assume she’s tall because she’s Jack’s height. If Schuyler’s petite but tall enough to reach Mimi’s neck when she tiptoes in Masquerade, she must be like 5’0 to 5’4. How tall is she, exactly?
^^^i dont think she ever gave a specific height. but i think we can safely assume she is not much taller than a five foot person.
anyways, you have two question fours.
On June 28, 2008 at 6:04 am, Emma had this to say:
Hey, NATALIE
THAAANKSSS a million for the reply! I would’ve thought everyone who’d comment here would be snobs. But hey, who am I to judge, right?
Anyways, thanks for answering my most of questions and pointing out my typo errors. Again, thank you!
On June 28, 2008 at 11:17 am, Beaver had this to say:
Hey I’m so siked for BB3!
ok so I remember reading something about a masquerade ball...yeah...I really really LOVE that idea. would it happen any where in particular or would be thrown in numerous places?
On June 29, 2008 at 2:05 pm, Betsy had this to say:
Why do my favorite authors never come to South Carolina! Really is it too much to ask!?!
On June 29, 2008 at 8:09 pm, amandaj had this to say:
You are my hero! From vampires to fabulous babysitters--i just LOVE.
when i become famous--hopefully, needfully--i just need to have a shopping diary. in fact i should start one now and compare it to ten years from now. That’s comedy. I’d call it: Memoirs of a Shopaholic with a Budget That Does Not Fit Her Lifestyle.
i cannot wait until the poetry contest winners are announced
On June 29, 2008 at 9:51 pm, Natalie had this to say:
Emma had this to say:
Hey, NATALIE
THAAANKSSS a million for the reply! I would’ve thought everyone who’d comment here would be snobs. But hey, who am I to judge, right?
Anyways, thanks for answering my most of questions and pointing out my typo errors. Again, thank you!
of course. i totally understand what you mean. its hard for melanie to write back to everyone with questions, but im always glad to give my opinion lol. fyi, not all the people who come to this site actually are here often, so they arent always as up to date, either. i think that sometimes comes off snobby even if they dont mean it to be that way. hope i helped.
On June 30, 2008 at 12:58 pm, lauren i had this to say:
i love how you write you write like we are the main charter telling people our story as each second goes by it sounds so real love your books keep writeing.can’t wait until revelactions comes out! your #1 fan.you rock
On July 1, 2008 at 7:52 am, Meghan had this to say:
Hey, you should totally visit Indiana. No one ever does and you are definately one of my favorite authors!!! And i would LOVE the chance to meet you!!!
On June 25, 2008 at 8:04 am, Breana Trejo had this to say:
Hey!I just wanted to say you’re like my most favorite author ever.... What I mean to say is that you are the Bomb! By the way, when you get a chance please come to the san jose,Cali area. I would love for you to sign one of my books.(Heck Yeah, Im the first to comment!!)