I spent Thursday, May 28, in my hometown of Litchfield, Minnesota. For those of you who’ve never heard of it, Litchfield is a town of 6,000 located 70 miles west of the Twin Cities. It boasts a beautiful lake, tall grain elevator, and friendly people. Five miles down the road in Darwin, you can find the largest ball of twine made by one man.

I began my day at the local radio station, KLFD, where Tim Bergstrom interviewed me about TMI and my life in San Francisco. Tim was so sweet and immediately put me at ease as I talked on the air. Before I left the station, he gave me a copy of the latest edition of stories by the Litchfield Writers’ Group.

After that, I headed over to school with my sister to see my seventh grade English teacher, Mr. Bruce Thomes. I spoke to his AP seniors as well as two classes of eighth graders. I will be the first to admit that I was terrified of standing in front of the eighth graders, as I have horrendous memories of that time in my life. They actually turned out to be quite charming and inquisitive, and they begged me to read them a passage from TMI. Of course, I obliged.

In the evening, I had a reading and signing at Cricket Meadow Tea. The turnout was fantastic; about fifty people, most of whom I knew, showed up. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support I received. It was truly one of the best moments of my life to stand in front of such a warm, enthusiastic group and know that everyone was genuinely excited for me.

The crowd gathered. Thanks for coming, everyone!

I gave everyone a taste of TMI.

I ran out of books!

If I Stay is phenomenal. Gayle Forman accomplishes so much in 200 pages, and I learned a tremendous amount about the kind of writer I want to be by reading this book. Part of what made me buy this book was that it was edited by Julie Strauss-Gabel at Dutton. I have yet to read a book edited by Strauss-Gabel that isn’t beautiful and brilliant (see my reviews of Paper Towns and Artichoke’s Heart for more details).

The premise is as eerie as it is original. Seventeen-year-old Mia is in a car accident with her parents and younger brother. The crash instantly kills her parents and puts Mia into a coma (her brother’s condition is revealed later in story). Mia steps outside of her ravaged body and watches the next 24 hours unfold as her loved ones rally around her at the hospital. Forman alternates the hospital scenes with snapshots from Mia’s life with her family. As Mia vacillates between the past and the present, she must decide if she wants to stay alive.

As I cracked the spine on this book, I braced myself for a difficult read. Not that I have a problem with dark subject matter; I was a Russian literature major in college. If I Stay surprised me, though. It was deep and haunting but never heavy-handed.

Forman paints a portrait of a charming, quirky family who not only love and tolerate each other but genuinely enjoy hanging out together. Which isn’t to say that the family is disgustingly perfect (although Mia’s dad does wear bow ties and smoke a pipe in a half-joking, Father Knows Best way). They’re all multi-dimensional, with real flaws. Mia considers herself something of a black sheep as a dedicated cellist in a punk-rock family (I loved all the musical references). The cast of characters is rounded out by a rocker boyfriend, artsy best friend, and loving grandparents.

I may have to give this book another read just so I can take more notes on how gracefully Forman balanced so many complicated dichotomies: tragedy vs. hope, togetherness vs. separation, rock and roll vs. classical music, past vs. present, and death vs. life.

If I Stay is a shining example of the very best of young adult literature. This is how it’s done.

I just got back from my second book signing ever. It was at the Barnes and Noble out in Colma, California. This was a straight-up signing with no reading, so I sat at the front of the store behind a table full of copies of TMI.

I’ve had very positive interactions with Barnes and Noble. All of the employees have been friendly and professional toward me, and the events managers have worked well with my people over at Penguin. I am all for supporting locally owned, independent bookstores, but when dealing with national chains, my first choice is Barnes and Noble.

And no, B&N did not pay me to write that. It does sort of read like a celebrity endorsement, though, doesn’t it?

Look at what a celebrity I am.

Overall, the signing was a success. I talked to a lot of nice people, and several of them bought the book. A couple of them were quite sheepish about asking me to sign their copies, as if they didn’t want to trouble a big, fancy author like me.

I’m pretty fancy. It’s true.

Sitting at the front of a store for two hours made for interesting people watching. A lot of customers pretended they didn’t see me. I didn’t mind so much when dads walked by with their eight-year-old sons, but being disregarded by teenage girls was tough. The most heartbreaking moment of the signing was when as adorable girl who looked about fourteen walked up to me, smiled, said hi, and then asked where the bathrooms were.

Other happenings of note:

1. A number of people thought I was a bookstore employee and asked me where they could find the dictionaries or the newspapers.
2. I got several double takes followed by, “Hey wait, did you write that book? Like, for real?”
3. When people said, “So you’re Sarah Quigley?” I replied, “You mean you didn’t recognize me?”
4. “What does TMI stand for?” This was the number-one question from the 50 and older set.
5. One guy who was clearly stoned picked up my book, squinted at the cover, and said, “Timmy?”
6. Another guy asked if he could “chat [me] up.” He showed me a love poem that he was working on for a very special lady, and it was actually quite good. I told him so, but I don’t think he believed me.
7. A nine-year-old boy said that he was reading my book at school. I had a hard time believing this and asked, “So what’s the main character’s name?” The boy walked away without answering. Uh-huh.
8. I talked quite a bit to the security guard, who stood near me during most of the signing. Someone asked if he was my bodyguard. I replied that he was my food taster and was filling in for my bodyguard, who had bronchitis.
9. I noticed that once I got up and left, my table of books was suddenly swarmed in a way it never was when I was sitting there, and at least one person walked away to the register with a copy.
10. I’m now wondering if people thought that if they talked to me, they were obligated to buy a book. They weren’t. I’m not a fan of the hard sell.

Last night was magical. I had my first signing, and it was extra special because I shared it with two other debut authors of young adult novels, Cheryl Renee Herbsman (Breathing) and C. Lee McKenzie (Sliding on the Edge). We teamed up for the first annual Debutante Ball at Not Your Mother’s Book Club in San Francisco. We dressed up. There were cupcakes. And punch. And tiaras.

And people! We actually ran out of chairs. I was especially excited about that because on the ride over to the signing, I told my husband that I’d be happy if a dozen people came and three of them bought my book. I think about fifty people actually attended, and I signed at least a dozen copies of TMI. I was over the moon.

I owe a huge thank you to Jennifer Laughran for organizing the event, Books Inc. for hosting, and my wonderful friends for coming. The evening was truly a dream come true!

Here I am, with Cheryl on the left and Lee on the right. I was super excited to dust off my tiara. I used to wear it when I went polka dancing in Minneapolis.

I’m such a ham.

Flanked by three really cute fans

I first heard of Cheryl Herbsman through the 2009 Debutantes. We live near each other and met for lunch a few months ago. I attended a fantastic launch party for Breathing last night. The event had a great turnout, and Cheryl was heartfelt and poised as she talked about what a dream come true it is to be a published author.

Dreams are an important element of Breathing, a charming novel set in a small on the North Carolina coast. Savannah Brown, the heroine, drew me in from the very beginning with her romantic hopes and Southern twang. She falls for Jackson Channing, an older boy who lives in another town. He stays by her side when she is hospitalized after a severe asthma attack. With Jackson, Savannah feels like she can breathe freely for the first time in her life.

I’m a pure T sucker, as Savannah would say, for a good love story, and the romance and tenderness between Savannah and Jackson felt real and true. Cheryl’s descriptions of the beach were so vivid that I could practically smell the salt water and hear the seagulls.

Breathing sets itself apart from other young adult romances with Savannah’s unique voice. Cheryl said that heard Savannah’s voice, with all of its Southernisms, very clearly in her head. Cheryl herself doesn’t talk like this although she’s from North Carolina (her parents are originally from New York, so she grew up speaking more like them). It takes talent to capture dialect the way that Cheryl did; it was consistent, and at least one Southern reviewer said the language was authentic.

Hats off to Cheryl for writing such a stunning first novel. I’m looking forward to her next novel, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

I have struck up a friendship with my college classmate and fellow Penguin author, Lara Zielin. We never met in college (or in Minneapolis, where we both lived for several years after graduation), but when I spoke with her on the phone for the first time, it felt like I was talking to an old friend. Lara’s debut YA novel, Donut Days, will be out exactly three months from today. I’ve already ordered my copy. Have you?

After you order Donut Days, you MUST check out the hilarious music video that Lara and her husband made. It’s called “Editing Letter,” and Lara sings it to the tune of Corey Hart’s “Never Surrender” (who could resist that?). Writers of all persuasians will find it especially amusing.

***

It was only a matter of time. The Sarah Quigley author mix-up. I share my name with many women, including one who writes books and lives in New Zealand.

Like me, she has also published books with Penguin, and I was concerned that there might be room for only one Sarah Quigley in the Penguin catalog. I offered up my many spare names (my full name is Sarah Mae Elizabeth Wesley Bruesewitz Quigley), but my editor assured me that it wouldn’t be necessary.

This morning I received an email from a journalist at a New Zealand newspaper. He was passing on a scathing letter to the editor condemning Sarah Quigley for writing a damaging and spurious critique of a cafe. I have not been able to find this critique online, but it sounds like it was pretty harsh. The journalist seemed amused and thought I would be, too. I wrote back to the journalist that he had me mistake for the other Sarah Quigley, as I have never been to New Zealand, let alone the cafe in question. He responded by apologizing and urging me to stop by the cafe if I ever make it to the southern hemisphere.

Maybe Wearing A Fake Mustache Would Help

My friends don’t know this, but I actually watched Twilight in cinemas ten times, nine times out of which I was ALONE! I know that I probably looked like a loser sitting there watching the movie, so that’s why I tell my friends I only watched it twice. I get super freaked out when I go to the movies alone and see someone from my school there even though they are not in my class. I’m totally paranoid. I tend to go to the cinemas far away from my school so that there’ll be a high chance of me not running into anyone I know. I wait at the ticketing stand for like thirty minutes before buying a ticket to see if anyone I know is going to the same cinema.

Clean Inside and Out

When I took baths as a small child, I sometimes tried to stick the bar of soap up my butt.

1. You’re intimidated. And rightly so. I’m actually not a real human being but a fembot sent from a neighboring galaxy to stun you with my Twin Tasers of Love. You’re probably curled up next to your laptop right now, paralyzed with fear.

2. You’re extremely busy and important, and you don’t have even thirty spare seconds to compose a one-sentence email. Kinda makes me wonder how you keep up with the basics, like oral hygiene and sleep and stuff. Must be incredibly stressful.

3. You’re out back grilling the ribs, and Donna Sue is fixin’ to kill you if you burn them.

4. You were abducted. Your captors have been surprisingly kind and accommodating, asking for your input on the grocery list and letting you watch your favorite shows. But no matter how hard you beg, those asshats continue to deny you Internet access.

5. Can’t. Move. Head. Up. Ass.

6. You’re a big ol’ jerk.

7. You’re afraid I’ll correct your grammar. And of course I will. But only in my head.

8. Drugs

9. You’re still recovering from your last drunken midnight Taco Bell run. Three Cheesy Double Beef Burritos. You’ll never make that mistake again.

10. You bought my book and now you’re reading it. That’s fine then.

1. You’re intimidated. And rightly so. I’m actually not a real human being but a fembot sent from a neighboring galaxy to stun you with my Twin Tasers of Love. You’re probably curled up next to your laptop right now, paralyzed with fear.

2. You’re extremely busy and important, and you don’t have even thirty spare seconds to compose a one-sentence email. Kinda makes me wonder how you keep up with the basics, like oral hygiene and sleep and stuff. Must be incredibly stressful.

3. You’re out back grilling the ribs, and Donna Sue is fixin’ to kill you if you burn them.

4. You were abducted. Your captors have been surprisingly kind and accommodating, asking for your input on the grocery list and letting you watch your favorite shows. But no matter how hard you beg, those asshats continue to deny you Internet access.

5. Can’t. Move. Head. Up. Ass.

6. You’re a big ol’ jerk.

7. You’re afraid I’ll correct your grammar. And of course I will. But only in my head.

8. Drugs

9. You’re still recovering from your last drunken midnight Taco Bell run. Three Cheesy Double Beef Burritos. You’ll never make that mistake again.

10. You bought my book and now you’re reading it. That’s fine then.