after my meeting at harpercollins on friday,
i definitely had post publisher moments of
amazement. i am still taken by surprise at
odd moments that i’m a published author.
on the one hand, it’s the everyday mundane
business of writing and revising, usually in
my pajamas at a messy dining table, loopy
writer inside her own loopy head. then you’re
in nyc meeting the great people who have helped
put your debut on the shelves and it’s really
very WHOA and inspiring and humbling all
at once.
as i said, my publicist wasn’t able to secure
a venue to sign in nyc during the rosh hashana
weekend. i told myself to let it go and leave it
at that. and usually, i’m pretty zen about letting
things be, but this time–i kept hearing from
online friends in nyc asking when my signing would
be. so i decided to ask one of them, wendy,
where there might be a good pastry type of cafe
to converge casually. for at least a group of ten.
wendy zapped me an email with suggestions,
and then offered to host the party in her home
if i’d like. i couldn’t believe it! wendy is a great
online friend but still, i was floored that she would
open her home to me like that. and it couldn’t
have been a better gathering. THANK YOU WENDY!
and all those who came to spend a saturday
afternoon together. i hope you all had as much
fun as i did–i only wish i had more time to talk
to each of you.
wendy had suggested crumbs as i said,
and i got yummy mini cupcakes, cookies and
brownie bites catered from there. highly
recommended. their cupcakes really are so good!
chris borgman came! he’s the talented photographer
and artist who designed my silver phoenix cover!
david has been an online friend for nearly a decade.
and lara is another writing friend from online. met so
many people i “chat to” every day or read in person finally.
so fun!
larry is another friend i’ve known online
for ages. he is also the photographer
(clear aperture photgraphy) that took
the majority of our group fotos! website
is currently under construction.
jody and fellow deb, neesha meminger, author
of shine, coconut moon.
my writing friends from purgatory!
wendy (hostess), jen, me, steve and shveta.
juliette is a novelist as well as an amazing journalist.
i know her from many different places, but we chat
most via the enchanted inkpot.
tisha had a flat tire and some trouble
getting to the gathering. i was so glad she
did come near the end so we could meet!
sunil, tisha and me.
a partial group foto!
after the gathering, i went with my old
nyu friends arshi and jen to have dinner!
we didn’t know where, and wound up in the
west village, walking about. it was great, as i
hardly got a chance to really have a good wander,
i was pretty busy with meeting people during the
entire four days there.
we stumbled on the end of some
street fair.
loved this storefront window. the
shop itself was tiny.
there was a long line for magnolia cupcakes
when we got there and it was longer when we
were leaving, after dinner.
a puglet in a store window!
we had dinner at the paris commune
and it was a really lovely restaurant with
yummy food. i DID take food fotos but
they turned out too dark, alas. so i shan’t
torture you in this entry. i know you’re disappointed.
me too!
currently reading :
theodosia and the serpents of chaos
by RL Lafevers
13 Comments
Aw, so much fun! I’m glad you could get together with friends even without a signing.
That is so exciting :D! I can’t imagine how cool it would be to finally meet my online writer friends.
Congrats on your party–it looked like so much fun!
It was a great afternoon! I’m glad so many people came out for you, Cindy.
It’s surreal for me whenever I meet people I’ve known for a long time but only online.
But you were so funny and personable in person, Cindy, that I barely skipped a beat switching from online mode to RL in-person chatting. :)
I really wanted to pick your brain some more about the novel, but then I would’ve been hogging up all your time and that wouldn’t have been fair.
Hmm, maybe I’ll put together a little set of interview questions for you soon. Beware, beware . . .
Oh, and great pics!
natalie, it was perfect!
rebecca, i had so much fun!
wendy, couldn’t have happened without you. and i loved that your hub was so open to it. =D
david, loved chatting w you! feel free to send questions if you’d like for your blog! and it was like i’d known you forever anyway. ha! =)
That looks like so much fun! *Secretly jealous*
BTW, I love your dress–it’s so cute!
Oh, I love the Paris Commune. So, so jealous of your meal, and of everyone who got to play with you.
Awesome! Great pics and what a nice way to do the signing. So cool of her to open her place up for you.
Wonderful.
dara, it was so much fun! and that’s an anthro dress i got on sale. i think it’s cute too. thank you!
jacqui–you’ve been all over! i’ve never eaten at the paris commune. they had a $30 three course prie fixe meal that was such a bargain!
ron, thank you!
What a fun gathering!! I wish I could have been there! (even though I live the farthest state away). How fun!!
Love the pictures, Cindy . . . and the dress! What a delightful signing you had . . . that was so thoughtful of Wendy. Glad it was a success! :)
thank you crystal! i love your alien! hee!
What a delightful trip! Obviously the bad mojo had dissipated like a bad dream and you had a great time! So sorry about the signing — but at least you got good time w/ good friends. that’s precious, you know. :)