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.

A Happy Interlude

In between almost dying (after the car accident and before I was almost run down by a speeding white pickup truck outside the library this morning), Rachael and I went on an excursion to Indianapolis to meet up with our friend Maureen and my coworker Juliann AND go to a book signing. We got to go meet YA author C.J. Redwine AND we got to see Rae Carson again and pick up their new books. New SIGNED books.

Because we are Knitters, this trip also involved two yarn store visits. Knit Spot in Indianapolis was our favorite. And yes, that is Habu.



And because we love food, our trip also involved a trip to a yummy sushi place in Kokomo. This is my bento box. I ate ONE PIECE of the sushi. I am proud of myself, because usually when I try to eat sushi, regardless of what it contains, I try to throw up the sticky rice the second it touches my tongue. I need rice to be drenched in sauce if I'm going to eat it, apparently.

AND a cheese shop. And a cupcake shop. We HAD to bring the authors cupcakes. It's what we DO.



And a pizza place.

And the Barnes and Noble Cafe.

Don't you judge us.

It was Juliann's FIRST book signing, and I am proud of insisting she leave college the second her last class of the week ended so she could come. I mean, why stay on campus when you can go to a book signing? That's ridiculous.

  



We had a blast, and my head didn't fall off, even with my car-accident neck issues, which are obvious if you look at the weird way I am holding my self. What is up with that hunched neck look? Not attractive, Laura.

While I was at the bookstore, I snatched up Rae Carson's The Bitter Kingdom, which I couldn't wait to get my hands on, and Defiance, which is the first in C.J. Redwine's trilogy. I also discovered that Jasper Fforde's Song of the Quarkbeast had finally been released in the states, so I fangirled a little bit, then bought it, too.

It's a really good thing I just went through my bookcase, because if I hadn't, I would have nowhere to put all the new books coming out this fall.

Christine Johnson stopped by, too (she took the group picture) and so did Mike Mullin. It was a YA Lit party. Basically, the most fun ever.