So last week, Monday, I went a lovely lunch hosted by HarperCollins. It was an opportunity to meet Melissa Marr, author of the young adult novel Wicked Lovely. I was eager to go because I had heard that Melissa was super nice and I also wanted to hang out with the HarperCollins folks, who I previously have not had a chance to get to know.
It was a very small group – Melissa, Dina Sherman (HC publicity), Melissa’s editor (whose name, unfortunately, has escaped me), LuAnn Toth (of School Library Journal), and me. So five of us. I was initially intimidated – small groups means that I have to keep up my end of the conversation a little better – but I had no need to worry.
We talked about Wicked Lovely and Melissa’s next book in the series, Ink Exchange. The good news is that Ink Exchange is not really a sequel but, rather, it’s a companion novel about two of the less major characters in WL. She's also working on a manga book as well. We also talked about Melissa’s kids and the types of books they’re reading. And we talked a lot about MySpace and the up-and-coming generations that would rather chat with friends over the computer…and will not have the ability to hold a conversation with an actual person. Oh, and of course, we talked about tattoos. Melissa is fond of piercings and tattoos – I think she has an ink guy in every major U.S. city and maybe even some in Europe – so it was fun to talk about those. Often publishers will have these lunches because they know their author represents themselves so well and makes a wonderful impression. That was the case with Melissa. She's wicked smart - pardon the play on "wicked" - and really fascinating to talk to.
The food was very good, of course. LuAnn somehow scored a different menu than the rest of us and was able to order a gnocchi that really wasn’t supposed to be served. Lucky gal!
Overall, it was a wonderful jaunt into the city, and I enjoyed the conversation. I can recommend Wicked Lovely, particularly to all you Stephenie Meyer fans. WL is like Twilight, but with really evil fairies instead of vampires. Enjoy!
It was a very small group – Melissa, Dina Sherman (HC publicity), Melissa’s editor (whose name, unfortunately, has escaped me), LuAnn Toth (of School Library Journal), and me. So five of us. I was initially intimidated – small groups means that I have to keep up my end of the conversation a little better – but I had no need to worry.
We talked about Wicked Lovely and Melissa’s next book in the series, Ink Exchange. The good news is that Ink Exchange is not really a sequel but, rather, it’s a companion novel about two of the less major characters in WL. She's also working on a manga book as well. We also talked about Melissa’s kids and the types of books they’re reading. And we talked a lot about MySpace and the up-and-coming generations that would rather chat with friends over the computer…and will not have the ability to hold a conversation with an actual person. Oh, and of course, we talked about tattoos. Melissa is fond of piercings and tattoos – I think she has an ink guy in every major U.S. city and maybe even some in Europe – so it was fun to talk about those. Often publishers will have these lunches because they know their author represents themselves so well and makes a wonderful impression. That was the case with Melissa. She's wicked smart - pardon the play on "wicked" - and really fascinating to talk to.
The food was very good, of course. LuAnn somehow scored a different menu than the rest of us and was able to order a gnocchi that really wasn’t supposed to be served. Lucky gal!
Overall, it was a wonderful jaunt into the city, and I enjoyed the conversation. I can recommend Wicked Lovely, particularly to all you Stephenie Meyer fans. WL is like Twilight, but with really evil fairies instead of vampires. Enjoy!
1 comment:
It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope our paths cross again in the future.
FWIW, I feel a similar intimidation over finding a good topic for conversation. This is why I dislike cocktail parties. There, every time the conversation hits a nice roll you know it can't last. It ends, & the awkwardness of finding a common thread is repeated with new people. Mingling is dreadful. At meals, though, we're seated & have time to find the threads. This time, you & LuAnn made that part easy. Thank you.
M.
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