Road Trip! Rainbow Rowell Book Signing Edition

Rachael and I set off for Indianapolis on Tuesday to go to Rainbow Rowell's book signing at the Indianapolis Public Library--both of us managed to get out of work a bit early to make this happen. Rachael and I try to see authors we like whenever they come near. I love our mini-road trips.

There was a one-stop shop for boots and ammunition, because Indiana.

And Rachael, who tried to ignore me when I did weird things like photograph her from inches away inside a moving car.

And a giant library.

And lots of people.

And Rainbow.

Not Pictured: Rainbow amazing shoes. I think they were Fluevogs.

And we had a blast.

Rainbow talked about her experience when Eleanor and Park was challenged and how it effected her as a writer (and a person). Then she answered reader questions, which led to much talk about blowing kisses, her writing process, self-censorship, twins, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eleanor's weight (here's a great post from Rainbow on this topic), and screenplay writing. At that point, a woman in the crowd tried to tell Rainbow how to negotiate a contract with a movie studio, and it made me think, "Yes, she should take your advice, because clearly you have negotiated so many more sales of film rights than Rainbow has...? Please tell us all your industry secrets." (I always think I am nicer and more understanding of people than I am. Really I have no patience.)

We got our books signed, pictures taken, and decided we needed food. All the Thai places were closed (tragedy!), so Steak and Shake became the place to go, because cheese fries. We drug our friend Maureen along. There is no escape.

While Maureen moved her car, a man came up to Rachael's car and randomly demanded $0.35. He said something like, "I don't want to scare you, but I need thirty-five cents to catch this bus." And he pointed off toward where a bus once was or would someday be again.

All I could think was, "Dude. You so wanted to scare us. You don't come up to a car with all its windows rolled up and with two young women inside to talk through the window if you don't want to make them uncomfortable enough that they pay you $0.35 to go away. You do that to be creepy."

At Steak and Shake, there were windows facing the street. Through the windows, random shoppers and business people stared in at us while we ate. One old man looked right at me and wiggled his eyebrows. And I thought, "The library must have closed."

(It had.)

If you haven't read any of Rainbow Rowell's books, I highly recommend them. She writes for both teens and adults. I finished Attachments a few weeks ago, and I ADORED it. And I can't get into how much I love Eleanor and Park, because it randomly makes me cry because its written so beautifully. Fangirl's Kat could easily have been based on me in college (or me now, to be honest), which makes me love it as if it were a part of me. Seriously, read Rainbow's books. DO IT NOW.