Authors are Really Just Fangirls

So, last week I posted a sort of rundown of things I'd been doing since WHAT'S LEFT OF ME released. What have I been doing in the week since then?

Well, mostly this:

And a bit of this:

Sprinkled with this:

In other words, working to meet my Book 2 deadline while working on projects for finals. But wait, Kat, you say! Weren't you just talking about midterms last week? Yeah. The unfortunate effect of most of your finals and midterms being projects is that just as you're turning in your last midterm project, you've pretty much got to start working madly to finish your first final project :P

But I'm happy to say Book 2 revisions are going well!

But wait, Kat, you say! Why were you fangirling? Shrilly? 

(my computer's autocorrect keeps wanting to change "fangirling" to "fingerling." lol no, computer)

Well, first off, I re-read HOMECOMING recently. It's a book I used to read over and over when I was in elementary school, but hadn't read in many years. After finishing it at 3am one morning, I decided to email the author, Cynthia Voigt, telling her how much I enjoyed her novel both at age 9 and at age 21...

...And she emailed me back!! The next day!!

:D :D It was so unexpected to get a response that quickly (to be honest, I hadn't expected one at all, since I imagine she's quite busy). It's really quite magical to "talk" with someone whose stories I first loved so long ago, before I even started trying to write books of my own.

So that's Part 1 of my fangirling (nope, still not "fingerling," computer). Part 2 was today, when I dragged myself from my Revision Cave (TM) to go to Parnassus, an indie bookstore here in Nashville, to see these lovely ladies:

Yeah, sorry the picture sucks, but I only had my iPhone camera! From furthest to closest, that's Tessa Gratton, Beth Revis, Stephanie Perkins, Myra McEntire, Victoria Schwab, and Sonia Gensler :D How cool, right?

They came to talk about their books, each sharing either a spooky/scary story event they'd witnessed, or the scariest thing they'd ever done in the name of book research. Then they did a Q&A and a signing.

Tessa talks about the time she accidentally cut herself, and instead of bandaging it up, preceded to do experiments with her blood and take pictures of her bloodied hand for book research :P I understand, I do.

I hadn't had the chance to read THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria yet, but I got a copy today, and I'm really looking forward to it, along with THE ARCHIVED.

When the ladies were asked about the sources of inspiration for their books, Stephanie got her husband, who was sitting in the back, to do his impression of her telling her inspiration story instead ;) (hint: she had a dream about a hot boy in Paris). He was hilarious and very enthusiastic :P

I got to take a picture with them in the end, along with Ruta Sepetys (BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY). Hooray!

So yup, that's been my week. Writing, homework, and fingerling. Fangirling. (#$@#$ you autocorrect).

How about you? :)