You know, I was having a perfectly fine weekend until a bee came along and stung my ear. Seriously painful. But at least that bee is dead now.

Last night, I participated in an awesome panel with four other first-time authors of young adult novels: C. Lee McKenzie, Cheryl Renee Herbsman, Malinda Lo, and J.A. Yang. It was held at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA, which is a wonderful store that holds all kinds of cool classes and workshops for writers. We had a nice audience of writers and illustrators who asked us a bunch of great questions, and we also talked about favorite characters and read short bits from books we loved (I chose Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry).

The moderator of the event remarked that turnout wasn’t as high as she expected, and she blamed George McGovern, who was speaking and signing books in another part of the store. Okay, shameful confession time: I didn’t know who the guy was. Everyone around me was gushing about how cool it was that he was there and wondering if we’d get to meet him, and I was thinking, “I must be the biggest ditz on the planet for not knowing who George McGovern is.”

When I got home, I read this. Now I know.

Mr. McGovern did stop by to say hi and do a photo op with us before our events. I didn’t say anything to him, but he put his arm around me.

George and me? We’re like this.

Left to right: Elaine Petrocelli (Book Passage owner), C. Lee McKenzie, Lissa Rovetch (Kidlit Salon moderator), George McGovern, Sarah Quigley, Malinda Lo, Cheryl Renee Herbsman, J.A. Yang

This was my third event with Cheryl Renee Herbsman and C. Lee McKenzie, and it was great to see them again. I bummed a ride to and from the event with J.A. Yang, better known as Jon and the author of Exclusively Chloe. We had fun chatting about books and celebrity gossip and agreed that we must hang out again in the near future. Seriously cool guy, that Jon. I’m so excited to read his book.

I’d met Malinda Lo briefly at the Debutante Ball in May, and it was nice to talk to her more last night. I’m also looking forward to digging into her brand-new novel, Ash. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of it even though the official release date is September 1.

So now I’m going to stop blogging and go read some good books. See yas!

Tonight was extraordinary: I went out.

“So what’s the big deal?” you say. Well, it may be hard to believe but this is the first night since my daughter was born eighteen months ago that I left the house for a bit of actual night life. I’ve gone on a couple of dates with my husband, but we were home before dark both times. Sure, the dates definitely counted for something, but tonight reminded me of the kind of going out I used to do all the time, pre-baby. I went to the Make-Out Room (great name, no?) in the Mission District of San Francisco to hear my friend Essence perform.

I really, really love Essence’s CD, Feels Like the Future, and I urge you all to buy it here or on iTunes. It’s tres excellent.

I knew that it would be easiest to leave for my adventure after my daughter was asleep, and she dozed off at 8:30.

“So what’s the big deal?” you say again. Um, my daughter can be incredibly difficult to put to bed, and lately, she is usually still in “let’s party” mode at 8:30. It’s like she knew Mommy needed her to drop off early tonight.

So that was good.

I hopped in the car and drove across town to the Make-Out Room. I parked a block away.

“So what’s the big deal?” you say. Well, if you live in San Francisco, then you didn’t say that because you know parking in this town is insane. Like seriously, I have lain awake at night worrying about somewhere I have to go the next day and how I’m going to find a parking spot when I get there. The fact that a space was just waiting for me in one of the busiest neighborhoods in town on a Saturday night was incredible. The Parking Gods were watching over me.

Forget drugs. I get high off good parking karma. I’ll be buzzing for days from this, I swear.

Anyway, once I was at the Make-Out Room, I had fun watching Essence perform. Her voice is so gorgeous, and she looked gorgeous, too, rockin’ her sequined mini skirt and platform heels. It was so cool to see her to do her thang after talking to her about her music and how hard she’s worked for so many years. The crowd was definitely into her, dancing and taking pictures and wooting loudly.

I was wishing my husband was at my side, but it was still cool to be there. Mommy’s Big Night Out. After the show was over, I drove home to find my husband hanging out in the living room. My daughter had been asleep the whole time I was out.

“So what’s the big deal?” you say, yet again. Like I mentioned, my girl can be hard to put to bed, and once she’s asleep, she doesn’t always stay that way for long. And a lot of the time, the only person she wants when she wakes up is–you guessed it–me.

Maybe now you’re getting a better understanding of why tonight was such a big deal. I feel like a sixteen-year-old who sneaked out and didn’t get caught. And since I never actually sneaked out when I was a teenager (not once), I’m feeling pretty bad-ass right about now.

Okay, not that bad-ass. I’m going to bed now, and it’s not even 11:00.

I’ve mentioned my college classmate, Lara Zielin, a number of times (check out my recent review of her fab book, Donut Days). The Minneapolis Star Tribune did a little feature on us today, highlighting all the things we have in common. Check it out!

P.S. Yes, that last sentence of the article is true. I officially haz representation. I’m so excited to work with you, Susanna!

P.P.S. Did I put enough links in this post?

I just woke up from a dream in which I confronted someone I knew in high school who rejected my Facebook friend request twice (after the first reject, I thought maybe there had been a mistake, so I sent another request). This guy was an acquaintance at most, and I have my suspicions for why he might not want to be my friend (he was tight with a few people who didn’t like me very much). I was a little bummed about him not friending me, but now my subconscious is making a big deal out of it.

I mean, really. A DREAM? About this guy? It’s too eighth grade and dorky and embarrassing for words.

Whatever. I’m going to make pancakes now.

Your assignment is to go out and purchase this book (or order it if your local bookstore doesn’t have it yet–it’s brand spankin’ new) and pick up a few of your favorite donuts. That way, when your craving for little round pastries hits, you’ll be prepared.

So is this book mainly about donuts? Mais non! Donut Days is the story of Emma Goiner, the daughter of two evangelical pastors in a small Minnesota town. Growing up as a PK ( preacher’s kid) is challenging enough, but Emma is also fighting with her best friend, dealing with church scandals, and trying to earn a scholarship so she can go to a non-Christian college. Oh, and just to make matters more complicated, Jake, the boy who freaked out Emma by professing his love, suddenly got hot over the summer.

Lara Zielin’s talent and wit shine through in this awesome debut. I admire her bravery for tackling so many important issues: faith, Biblical interpretation, women’s rights, to name a few. Emma is a smart, likeable heroine who strives to seek the truth in everything she does. She is strong enough to admit her weaknesses, and she also learns to be more accepting of differing points of view. Zielin does an especially impressive job of showing Emma’s growth without becoming preachy.

Those of you from the Midwest will enjoy Zielin’s many Minnesota references. She gives a nice shout-out to Carleton, our shared alma mater. I’m so darn proud to call Zielin my classmate, and I can’t wait for her next book. Well done, girl!

So I was at the library today checking out a mountain of books for my daughter, and I noticed the DVD of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist behind the desk. I asked the librarian if she’d seen it or read the book (yes to both), and we talked about it a little bit.

“Do you read much YA?” I asked.

“A little,” replied the librarian, glancing around. “You know, when I’m in the mood for something fluffy that doesn’t make me think too hard.”

I gritted my teeth and smiled as the librarian listed a few of her favorite titles, most of which I’d also read and none of which I’d call fluffy (King Dork and The Perks of Being a Wallflower were two of them). I debated whether or not I should tell her I was a YA author and then decided it would be interesting to see if she tried to take back her fluffy comment.

She didn’t. Instead, after offering me congratulations, she said, “Oh, well now I don’t have to be embarrassed that I admitted to reading YA.”

“Why would you ever need to be embarrassed about that?” I asked. “There are so many amazing YA books.” Without a trace of fluff in them.

“I guess a few do transcend…”

I wanted to finish her sentence with, “Transcend what? Fluffy territory?” Instead, I said I was happy that the San Francisco Public Library finally had a few copies of TMI on order and left.

I could launch into one of my famous rants right about now, but all I really wanted to do after talking to that librarian was direct her to Jackson Pearce’s thoughts on the matter.

P.S. I am quite excited to read Jackson’s first novel, As You Wish, which comes out later this month. I have a feeling she’s going to be one of YA’s next big stars.

1. Bake things from scratch

I’ve never understood why, but a lot of folks see baking as some mysterious superpower. It really isn’t. I can’t count the number of times I’ve showed up at a party or potluck with a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies* and been swarmed like a Jonas brother visiting an all-girls middle school. I think most people are so used to eating crappy, processed baked goods that the real deal is like water in the desert.

2. Write thank-you notes

Sadly, this is a dying art. It takes only a few minutes to dash off a simple, five-sentence note expressing a bit of gratitude. You don’t have to use flowery language or be clever. In fact, it’s much better to keep it straightforward and write from the heart. In this age of emails, text messages, and tweets, handwritten communication makes a real impact. Some might consider me excessive, but I write notes for all gifts I receive. I also usually remember to send a thank you when friends have me over for dinner or let me crash on their couch. A few friends and relatives were so blown away by my notes that they wrote to thank me for my thank-you note.

3. Be reliable

Arrive on time. Write people back. Follow through on your promises. Reliability is the mark of maturity and integrity. I didn’t think it was particularly important when I was younger, but I now know that it is. I want to be someone that people can count on, and I try to surround myself with like-minded souls.

*Okay, my cookies are really good. I follow the recipe on the bag of Nestle chocolate chips (although I don’t buy that brand anymore; Guittard and Ghirardelli are much better), but I double the vanilla to two teaspoons. I used a heavy sheet pan covered with parchment paper. I also underbake them slightly–10 minutes at 375.