Yearly Archives: 2010

I am here in Orlando for the NCTE/ALAN conference. (National Council of Teachers of English and Assembly on Literature for Adolescents). It’s fun hanging out with the teachers, librarians, students and fellow authors!

My awesome publisher put all their authors at the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge, so here is the view out of my window.

Pretty cool right? That’s a giraffe!

I wore my “Tom Wolfe” white suit to the ALAN reception and hung out with old friends. So good to see everyone!!! Authors looking swanky is always good!

With ever-cool Emily Lockhart! Fabulous author of “Frankie” and “Ruby” books (Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau Banks and the Ruby Oliver “Boy” books!)

With cuties David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, the smart and sassy authors of Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist and their latest, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares!

With always lovely Alyson Noel (Immortals series!) and her publisher, Jean Feiwel of Feiwel and Friends.

The Disney group had a “family” dinner and I caught up with Ned Vizzini, who wrote “A Kind of a Funny Story” which was made into a hot Hollywood movie. Ned and I go waaaay back to the days of New York Press infamy. (A very controversial newspaper that we both wrote for.)  The last time I saw Ned he was 15 (he was our boy-genius writer) and wearing a plaid shirt and carrying a backpack. Now he’s all grown up and I feel like a proud mama! Yay, Ned!

With adorable Ned Vizzini, it’s a NYP reunion! Someone call Mugger and Strasbaugh! (Inside joke. Forgive me I’m excitable around old pals.)

Then it was off to HARRY. POTTER. WIZARDING. WORLD. AAAAH!!!!
Now you all know I am a huge HP fan. In fact, when we got to the park I almost cried. I felt like I was 13 again and seeing Duran Duran in concert. Thank you to my wonderful publisher, Disney-Hyperion, who took their authors Miss Ally Carter, Mr. Sarwat Chadda and me to the park for a field trip!

My handsome editor Christian Trimmer on the way to Wizarding World!! (Or as we called it the whole time Harry Potter Land.)

The Hogwarts Express!! Can you DIE!!!

Hogsmeade!! Words fail me!!!

The newest student at Hogwarts!!! Oh yeah!

Can you tell Ally Carter and I are so FREAKING psyched??? We’re wearing our red Gryffindor scarves! Yeah! So much fun doing the world with a dear friend! Ally jumped up and down in the lobby, in the parking lot, in the park… yeah!!!!

Honeydukes!! I bought Chocolate Frogs and Ton-Tongue Toffee!!!

The gang at the Three Broomsticks! That’s charming Sarwat Chadda in the front, L-R Christian,  the gorgeous girls from Hyperion: MollyAnne Thomas, Dina Sherman and Cat Onder (and me and Ally in the middle)  toasting to an excellent, magical day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I am thankful for the opportunity to meet such wonderful people who love YA books and hang out with those who publish and write them, and for Harry Potter, without whom, Blue Bloods would not exist.

xoxo
Mel

Popping the (virtual) champagne!!

Just got word that Misguided Angel debuted at #4 on the New York Times Bestseller List (Children’s Series) and #19 on USA Today Bestseller List – which is a list of ALL bestselling books nationwide, regardless of genre and type, which means it’s the 19th bestselling-est book in the country. So cool!!! ***And just found out it hit #9 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Fiction List, which is based on Bookscan, so it also means it is the 9th bestselling NOVEL of the week. **Epic!!**

I have all of you guys to thank for this – it’s absolutely wonderful and gratifying to know so many people are following the Blue Bloods’ journey. YAY! I actually got up at 5AM not because I have a flight (I’m still on book tour) but because I couldn’t sleep my mind was buzzing so hard with ideas for the SIXTH book in the series, LOST IN TIME, which comes out next year. Oh yeah. I’m working on my outline. Figured if I can’t sleep I might as well work!

Thanks to all who have come out to see me on tour, it’s so nice to see you with your stacks of books! Old fans, new fans, it’s so nice to walk into a bookstore and see all your pretty faces! You guys rock!

xoxo
Mel

First off, see what my husband saw at B&N this morning!

So great right?? Another milestone achieved! *check* I’ve always stared longingly at the books that get out front in the ladder. Yeah! It’s been a wonderful several weeks, a little hard with missing my family, but so nice to meet my reader-family, and bookseller-family. Everyone has been so nice! And if we are friends on Twitter please do say hi! I love meeting my Twitter friends!

Anyway, I’m furiously working on the final draft of Witches right now, but I wanted to share my experience this morning since it was so memorable.

The nice thing about going on tour is that they send a car and driver for you, nothing is as great as the fancy car and chauffeur. It really makes you feel awesome, as Joan Rivers says, “I always thank god for the cars and drivers they send.” It means something. And it’s a wonderful thing to get to go to the airport in luxury. Anyway, this morning, I had a very nice Ukrainian man I’ll call Lenny (not his real name.) We got to talking, since I’m pretty friendly and I used to be a reporter, so when I find chatty people, I like to ask them about themselves. So much more interesting talking to people than listening to the radio or sitting in silence. You learn so much about the world talking to cab drivers, drivers, bartenders, people you encounter. And I love collecting stories. Lenny had a FANTASTIC story I want to share with you.

He started off telling me about the crazy things that have happened in his job, how he had a pickup at 4AM and when he got to the house, it was totally dark and no one came out. He rang the telephone, no answer, then finally at 4:30 AM he finally knocked very quietly on the door. A guy answered it in his pajamas, and said “WHAT THE FRACK ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU RINGING MY BELL AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING?” Lenny said, “Sir, you called for a car service to the airport. The guy SLAMMED the door in his face and said “NO SUCH THING! GO AWAY!” Anyway, just as Lenny was leaving the guardhouse at the gated community where the dude lived, the guard told him, “You gotta go back, he made a mistake.”

So apparently the guy FORGOT that he had called a car and had a 6:30 flight. Lenny said he was totally silent the entire time, until they got about ten minutes away from the airport, and he said to Lenny, “You must hate me.” Lenny said, “No sir. It happens.” So the guy apologizes and he explains that he had a rough night, fighting with his wife, went to sleep late, completely forgot he had a flight. (When Lenny got back to the house, the guy had 2 suitcases packed – so obviously he had packed the night before.)

Chuckles. The things people do! Then Lenny told me about his most memorable client, way before 9/11 when it was much easier to waltz into an airport late and still make your flight. Some guy had a 1:45 AM flight from LAX to Tokyo. He was in San Diego. He asked for the car at 11, and he didn’t get out of his house and into the car until midnight. He told Lenny, “I need to make this flight or a year’s worth of work is shot, please, do what you can for me.” So Lenny told him to BUCKLE UP! And he got the guy from San Diego to LAX in an hour and twenty minutes, Lenny said, “I went 120 miles per hour the entire way. The guy passed out in the back, he was so scared from the way I was driving. But I got him there, and my company was able to get his boarding pass. When we get there, he can’t get out of the car, his legs were shaking too hard, so I grabbed him, grabbed his two bags, left the car and brought him right to the gate, carrying them all!” As thanks, the guy gave him two thousand dollars cash in an envelope.

Lenny and I agreed that it was crazy that anyone would wait that long and for such an important flight, but you never know with people. Then we got to talking a little more and Lenny told me about his father, who was a famous heart surgeon during the Soviet Union, who’d performed the first open-heart surgery in the country. He was very very famous and he consulted on Nixon’s operation, he was best friends with Dr. Michael DeBackey, and operated on many world leaders among other famous and important people. “What did my father get when he retired? Enough money for six pounds of meat ration!” That was Communists for you. Apparently to reward him for his efforts, the government gave his dad a 2-bedroom apartment, later, upgraded him to a 3-bedroom apartment.

But the most fantastic story was Lenny’s himself. I asked him why he moved to the United States. I’ll let him tell the story in his own voice.

“I was thirty-four years old. I was very very wealthy. What I paid my chauffeur back then, was more than I make now. I started the first private (some kind of company that I won’t name because I want to keep Lenny’s privacy private) and it boomed and I was a multi-millionaire. One day the government came and said they wanted to talk to me. They offered me visas to any country I wanted to relocate to, I could take my family, but I had to leave. The other option was for them to take me away. I asked, Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything, I didn’t take any money from the government, all the money that went into the business was from my family, my friends, me. I don’t trade arms. I am clean, completely clean. I support the government. I didn’t do anything. Why? Why? Why me? I told them I had to think about it, and I went home. I did not really believe what was happening. I just went back to my office.

The next day, I get a call, and it’s my wife, she is screaming and crying and yelling – I have never heard anyone have so much fear—she said “THE BABY IS NOT HERE! SHE’S NOT HERE LENNY!” I say, What, What, What, I asked to speak to her driver. They were picking up Tatiana (also not her real name) from school, she was nine years old, and she was not there. I told our driver, Ivan, he was not just a driver, also bodyguard, and I said, do what you have to do, get her in the car, take her HOME. She had made a scene and embarrassed us, take her home, let’s not make a scene, let’s not let anyone know. I had to think. I knew from the moment my wife called what had happened and who had taken her. But I could not do anything. I had to wait.

For three days there was nothing. I could not accuse anyone of taking our daughter. I knew how it went. It was better to wait. But we had no idea where our girl was, my wife was crying, my entire head of hair went gray. It was the worst moment of our lives. Then one day, a kid on a bike dropped off a note under our gates. I was shaking so hard I could not even open it, I had our butler open it. Inside was four words. CAN WE TALK NOW.

The offices of the government open at nine, I was there at eight. I spoke to them for about forty minutes and during that time I smoked three packs of cigarettes. I did not say anything. I did not ask them where is my daughter. When I saw them, I only said, “Papers? Where are the papers?” Because I knew what they wanted. They wanted everything. And it was all ready. I signed, signed, signed. They did not even let me keep anything. Not even able to sell ONE car so that we would have money after. When it was all done, I asked, “Why? Why did you do this to me?” They told me that I was too young, too rich, and too Jewish. (Lenny shakes his head, but does not seem at all bitter. Throughout telling his story, it seems like he just likes to tell it, to remember who he was and what happened to them.)

So that was that. Finally I asked, “Where is the baby?” And they pointed to a door next to the room we were in, and I saw Tatiana and she was sitting in a bed, and there was a nice lady reading to her. I had so many tears in my eyes and I just hugged her so tight. And she had no idea what had happened, she said “Daddy! I missed you! I was waiting for you!” They treated her like princess, pampered, did not touch one hair on her head. They just knew what they need to do to get to me.

When I was rich I gave many money to charity, and a Jewish organization helped get us out, since I knew we could not stay anymore. We had to leave Ukraine, and first we went to Moscow. We went to Moscow to the US Embassy and they told us that for the kind of visa we wanted, it would take two years. The Jewish organization that I helped told me they would take care of it. They offered to resettle us in Israel, but I was scared. I wanted to go somewhere no one can touch us. I wanted to go to America. The same guy who told us it would take two years, the next day, we saw him, his eyes were so wide. He said he’d never seen it in 28 years of working at the Embassy, we should really be somebody, since not only was our visas approved in a day, but he had to buy us tickets and personally escort us to the airport. So I sent my daughter and wife and my parents-in-law to America. I had to stay in Moscow, I had some things to take care of.

My wife said when they arrived in Los Angeles, the organization had rented them a house, pre-paid for two years, in Sherman Oaks, in the South side of Ventura! (Lenny is a true Angeleno. South side of Ventura is the nicer side. I love this detail!) They paid private school for my daughter for two years, pre-paid. They gave her five thousand dollars to start her new life. They really took care of them. When I heard that, I promised I would help organization as much as I can, and from then until now, 10 percent of my income, including tips, go to the organization. I will never forget their kindness to us.

I joined my family fourteen months later, and I was able to bring some family over, my mom come, my sisters, but my dad no. He was too old-fashioned. He could not leave. He said he could not learn to live new life in new country. My mom, my wife, all of us, though, have no regrets. Not one of leaving.

(I told him it was a fantastic story and since he worked in LA, he should sell his story to the movies.)

Yeah, one day, when we first moved, the organization called and said, someone would like to meet with you. And I go to the meeting, and it is Stephen Spielberg! He said he wanted to tell my story,
the organization had told him about me, what happened. I said, That is very nice, yes, but I still have family back in Ukraine, and is not safe, my father, my brother, my uncles and aunts. Is not good. Stephen Spielberg gave me big hug and said “Now I respect you even more.”

Lenny was able to bring over his whole family, his brother and sister are doctors in LA. He and his wife just celebrated their 29th anniversary, their daughter is happily married and he has “grandchild four years old, beautiful.” So I told him, “So it’s a happy ending, you have what really matters.”

Yes, yes, it’s happy ending. He sighed. I don’t know why they took my business, a few years later, a friend that I helped start a business, she came to see us and she asked me if I wanted to know what happened to our business and she told me they ran it to the ground, it went kaput under them. So why even take it then? Just take it away? But you know once you are so high and so low, you know what matters in life. My brother and sister, they say, why don’t he take our money, we can help, they are doctors, they make so much, they say, why Lenny still has to drive? My mom told them, just let him be, you know he is proud, and he will never take your money. I am oldest. And what will I do anyway? I like to work. And I know, no matter what happens, if anything happens to me and my family, my brother and sister are there for us, they will sell every last dime to help us like I helped them. And that is what is important.

Isn’t that a FANTASTIC story and a great one to hear on the way to the airport? Lenny and I wished each other well and went on with our days. As an immigrant, I am familiar with this kind of story, how one never recovers what they had back home in the new country. (My dad was an investment banker and while nothing that dramatic happened to us, I totally know how it is to have had one kind of life and then another, in reduced circumstances.) But you know, this is why we’re in America, right. Where, as the song goes, at least I know I’m free.

I was glad to be a good listener, so I ask you guys, listen to people. Everyone has fabulous stories in them! Ask! You might be rewarded. I thought Lenny’s story was like a thriller, a suspense film, and a heart-warming family movie. No wonder Spielberg wanted to make it. Very, very cool.

xoxo
Mel

The Misguided Angel trailer will air in movie theaters from 10/22-12/2, and will be in over 300 screens nationwide! We’re showing in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Washington, Georgia, Columbus, in front of a variety of top PG-13/R title releases, including the new Harry Potter.

Movie_Theater_List.pdf

So those are the list of theaters, and here is the list of movies that are showing the trailer:

Hereafter—> I like Clint Eastwood movies, & my publisher said she saw the trailer at Hereafter, so this might be the one.
Paranormal Activity 2—> too scary for me.
Saw 3D—> ditto
My Soul to Take—> ditto
Due Date—> Robert Downey Jr! Nuff said!
Unstoppable—> Don’t know much about this movie but it looks good, some kind of action-y thing.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1—> YEAHH!!!
Burlesque—-> Cher and Xtina—> I know which movie *I’m* going to see!! LOL!
Red Dawn—> no idea what this movie is.
Love and Other Drugs—> Jack and Annie nekkid—again I know which movie *I’m* going to see. Hehe

I can’t wait to see it up in the big screen!! I will bring my flip camera and do my best “undercover taping” of the trailer! 🙂

xoxo
Mel

God, I know other people’s vacation photos are BO-RING. But I thought I’d share, hey, why not? It’s the Internet right?

The first time I went to Europe I was seven years old, it was amazing, I still remember so many things about that trip: how exciting it was to get a plate of spaghetti AND a huge steak for dinner every night in Rome, the cool huge taxicabs in London, the Korean food in Amsterdam (when my dad was a banker we would go on vacation for two months and by that time my family was DYING for Asian food of any kind. We ate at the Korean restaurant every night for a week in the Netherlands). My mom had custom-made trenchcoats made for me and my sister because we did not have anything remotely like cold weather in Manila, and I remember thinking they were so freaking cool. Trenchcoats! Anyway, in the past, Mike and I have done the cheapo Euro vacation in college and after with the cheap train tickets and the youth hostels, that was a lot of the inspiration for Masquerade (Venice) and Misguided Angel (Florence). But it was something else to go as a mom, older, and stay at hotels where the bathrooms were actually in the room and not down the hall. Europe is awesome on the cheap but boy is it even more amazing when it’s as my friend Karen says, when asked, in an interview for a styeTV show, if she was doing “the look for less?”, “No! This is the look for AS MUCH AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY SPEND!” So it was the Luxe for No Stress.

Also it was amazing how much nicer Europeans were to children, our kid was spoiled with gummy bears and treats and smiles from the flight attendants, the customs officials (we arrived in Frankfurt and in the “Passport Control” line, the grim-looking officer broke into a smile when he saw our 3-year-old and immediately offered a pack of gummy bears. We were floored. (Needless to say when we got back to the US side, Homeland Security does not proffer candy.) I don’t think anyone realizes until they have children how UN-child-friendly our country has become. Just ask anyone who travels, it’s a NIGHTMARE to fly with kids. I think Jen Weiner even had a contest for everyone’s worst travel story with child, because a lady on a flight actually reduced her to tears because her two year old was crying. Yep. Been there.

They don’t even let families board early anymore. Not so on the international airlines. Also, luggage carts are free everywhere else in the world but the US. And when you arrive in Venice, they actually have porters with carts who come up to you and ask if you need help FOR FREE. And the fact that they’re cute? Wearing cute uniforms? I mean. Where were we? Oh yeah. Europe. We started calling it Children of Men. They adore kids there! Maybe because we did not see very many, so they were so precious. It was a shock really how wonderful it was to travel with a kid. We would go to nice restaurants, at the earliest seating to not trouble other diners, holding our breath and getting ready for you know, the hate, because WHY didn’t we get a sitter, etc, but it is nice to eat as a family at least once in a while on vacation, and we would be so surprised as the waiters would entertain the kid, giving her pizza dough to play with, or whatever she wanted, they made her feel so special, and us so welcome. Again, I just can’t imagine it happening here, mostly because it never has. Either we eat at a “family-friendly” restaurant or we eat at home, or we get a sitter.

On to the photos! In Venice, every morning we would have breakfast on this terrace with this view.

I mean, crazy right? So gorgeous! And the breakfast food was even better. Charcuterie and cheese and cappuccinos. And because EVERYONE in Venice is an American tourist (which was also kind of fun, bonding with the Americans abroad, we were all getting lost all the time), they had baked beans and hash browns at the buffet. I have to say, I was a bit amused and skeptical, but they were the BEST hash browns I have ever had.

The kid loved seeing the laundry drying outside the window in the canals. We did too. Even laundry was charming!

Then it was on to Florence, where I almost fell off the Duomo. When you go on the tour to go up to the cupola (the dome) and the terraces, they make you walk out of this TINY walkway with this low railing, below your waist, and the tour guide tells you to “hold on to the wall” so you flatten yourself against the wall, pretending to be Angelina Jolie. If I had known, I don’t think I would have done the tour, they also take you to the terraces inside the church, where you’re just hanging on this tiny platform that’s only two feet wide, four or five stories hanging above the air, with just, again, this TINY plastic railing keeping you from falling. Yeah. Vertigo! But also kind of kick-ass since we um, survived it. Still, this tour made us realize we would SO LOSE on the Amazing Race if we were ever chosen to be on it. Not that we have ever applied (cough cough). But yeah, we couldn’t even find the taxi line in Florence, so I think we would totally be getting the “I’m sorry to inform you, you are the last team to arrive” from Phil.

Here is a photo of me safely on the ground, in front of the Cathedral, before the tour.

I kept chuckling to myself in Florence. Especially when we got to the Baptistery doors.

Because um, didn’t they KNOW Allegra helped to make these?? You’ll find out how in Misguided Angel. 🙂

No trip is complete without a visit to the Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella, where they made perfumes for Catherine de Medici.

My new Helmut Lang shearling. But I didn’t do too much shopping, it was just fun to soak up the atmosphere and eat! Who had time to shop?

More photos soon!

xoxo
Mel

Hey kids!

So we’re less than ten days away from Misguided Angel descending into stores on October 26th! So excited for you all to read it!

Has everyone seen the trailer on MTV’s Hollywood Crush??? So great right??

You can also see the trailer on the BIG SCREEN, ie, the MOVIE SCREEN at select theaters, it will run with the Harry Potter trailer. So cool!! Will post list of theaters and times soon!

Now go and VAMP YOURSELF on our hot new Facebook site!

Are you a Blue Blood, a Silver Blood or a Red Blood? Bite your friends! Bite yourselves! Bite me! (Oh wait, that came out wrong.)

(Oooh I just tried it and I’m a Silver Blood! LOL! Bwahahaha!)

MISGUIDED TOUR:

I am going on tour! Come see me at the cities below! I will have HOT Blue Bloods make-up bags to give away!! They are SO CUTE and you know you WANT ONE!!

Monday, October 25: Clinton, New Jersey
7:00pm Reading & book signing at Clinton Bookshop
12 E. Main Street, Clinton, NJ 08809

Tuesday, October 26: New York, New York
6:00pm Reading & book signing at Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street, New York, NY

*with Anna Godbersen!

Thursday, October 28 and Friday, October 29: Columbus, Ohio
WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION, COLUMBUS, OH
Panel and Signing Information coming soon! Also, this is a convention, so there will be admittance fees.

Saturday, October 30: Memphis, Tennessee
1:00pm Reading & book signing at Davis Kidd Booksellers
387 Perkins Road Ext., Memphis, TN

Monday, November 1: Atlanta, Georgia
7:00pm Reading & book signing at Books a Million
Discover Mills, 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Tuesday, November 2: Chicago, Illinois
7:00pm Reading & book signing at Anderson’s Bookshop
5112 Main St., Downers Grove, IL

Wednesday, November 3: Lansing, Michigan
6:00pm Reading & book signing at Schuler Books & Music
2820 Towne Center Blvd., Lansing, MI 48912

Thursday, November 4: Houston, Texas
7:00pm Reading & book signing at Blue Willow
14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX

Friday, November 5: Pasadena, California
6:00pm Meet with Young Adult Book Club
Vroman’s Hastings Ranch, 3729 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena

That’s all the news I have right now. More soon!

xoxo
Mel

MISGUIDED TOUR:

I am going on tour! Come see me at the cities below!

Monday, October 25: Clinton, New Jersey

7:00pm Reading & book signing at Clinton Bookshop
12 E. Main Street, Clinton, NJ 08809

Tuesday, October 26: New York, New York

6:00pm Reading & book signing at Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street, New York, NY              

Authors: Melissa de la Cruz, Anna Godbersen

Thursday, October 28 and Friday, October 29: Columbus, Ohio

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION, COLUMBUS, OH

Panel and Signing Information to come. Also, this is a convention, so there will be admittance fees.

Saturday, October 30: Memphis, Tennessee

1:00pm Reading & book signing at Davis Kidd Booksellers
387 Perkins Road Ext., Memphis, TN

Monday, November 1: Atlanta, Georgia

7:00pm Reading & book signing at Books a Million
Discover Mills, 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, GA 30043
(678) 847-5115

Tuesday, November 2: Chicago, Illinois

7:00pm Reading & book signing at Anderson’s Bookshop
5112 Main St., Downers Grove, IL

Wednesday, November 3: Lansing, Michigan

6:00pm Reading & book signing at Schuler Books & Music
2820 Towne Center Blvd., Lansing, MI 48912

Thursday, November 4: Houston, Texas

7:00pm Reading & book signing at Blue Willow
14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX

Friday, November 5: Pasadena, California

6:00pm Meet with Young Adult Book Club
Vroman’s Hastings Ranch, 3729 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena

Hope to see you there!
xoxo
Mel

Some fun photos from Austin! I had a great time meeting you all, and also hanging out with the absolutely fabulous YA writer crowd.

Highlights from our panel:

QUESTION: So why do vampires sparkle?

US: Um, Stephanie isn’t here…so I don’t know if we should answer that.

Kiersten White and I had a fun time fighting over whether vampires should be ugly (she also likes hags) or pretty (as in pretty sexy! Hello!). Sophie Jordan told us how people ask if she’s on the cover of her book Firelight, Kiersten told us she wished she looked like the girl on the cover of her book Paranormalcy, and I said I *am* the girl on the cover of Misguided Angel. (NOT!) Nancy Werlin, who wrote Extraordinary, wisely told everyone that book covers were advertisements for the book and nothing more. We also talked about Gandhi and Mother Theresa for some reason.

The effervescent Ally Carter, Me, The Fabulous Ellen Hopkins and the Awesome Susane Colasanti.

YA writers’ futures are so bright, we gotta wear shades. L-R Back row: Me, Ally Carter, Susane Colasanti, James Dashner giving a thumbs-up, Front row: Jonny Skovron, Kiersten White, Charles Benoit and Kenneth Oppel.

Fun was had by all! I think we did our part to keep Austin weird!

xoxo
Mel

For the release of Misguided Angel, I will be signing copies of the book at VROMAN’S bookstore in Pasadena. If you would like to buy a SIGNED COPY, call the Vroman’s Will Call Department and they will reserve a book for you and mail it to you in time for Oct 26th.

Here is the info:

Vroman’s Will Call Department
Vroman’s Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 449-5320
http://www.vromansbookstore.com

The signed copies will also be available for sale on the Vroman’s website.

xoxo
Mel

I’m re-posting some of my Tweet-Sneaks of Misguided Angel. For those not following me on Twitter because not everyone is on social media. Although I think with the new Facebook App my publisher has built for Blue Bloods I might have to cave and join Facebook finally!

***

She got right to the point. “You know where they are.”

***

“We should get back,” Schuyler whispered. They didn’t have time for this. No time for love; for each other.

***

Tomasia kept her position, waiting for the creature to come to her, to walk into the trap they had laid.

***

xoxo
Mel