Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit!

So, I've been invited to be a part of the Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit (or GCC) and it's a huge honor and I'm super-thrilled to be included with these talented ladies. But it also means that I need to start blogging more. A lot more. The pressure is definitely on lately, since my first book comes out in about a month and I have my second book due to my publisher in October. (If my editor, Danielle, is reading this--I'm totally on top of things. Yup. Definitely under control). Ummm, yeah, sure....anyway....

Since I never got the chance to share my experience at BEA in Los Angeles on this blog, I'm going to tell you all about the glitz and glamour of being a debut author signing at the Los Angeles Convention Center at Book Expo America. My experience was surreal. Got off to a rocky start, though. The day of my signing I scalded my hand on two large cups of BURNING Starbucks coffee when my cardboard tray folded in on itself. For those of you who were at the show and saw the paramedics coming into the cafeteria and wrapping the hand of a crying girl, that was me!! Way to make an impression on booksellers! I spent the rest of the day with my scalded hand wrapped (luckily it wasn't my signing hand), taking breaks every now and then to head down to First Aid to get my hand re-bandaged. There were definitely celebrities galore. If anyone had told me years ago that I would be signing books directly across from Barbara Walters, I would have had them committed. But, that's what happened. Lucky for me, I got all of Barbara's cast-offs. Alec Baldwin was there signing his book on parenting (irony anyone?). My sister (another member of my publicity company) had her pic taken with James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, Lisa Jackson, Jackie Collins and Alec. Other celebs in attendance were Marilu Henner (tiny and adorable), Jules Asner, Stephen Baldwin, Dionne Warwick, Captain Kirk, Brooke Shields (flawless) and Omarosa (if she's considered a celebrity).

I was totally surprised by the weather. Is it usually that cold in Los Angeles in early June? I could have stayed in Boston for those cold temps!! We stayed in Hollywood and the only celebrities (besides the ones book show) that we saw were a few at the Don't Mess with the Zohan premiere, which took place right outside my hotel, so it was pretty cool to stargaze without feeling like a stalker. We saw David Hasselhoff, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman and I'm pretty sure I saw Jonathyn Rhys Myers (of the Tudors fame) getting into a huge stretch limo. We didn't see Adam Sandler, but to go all the way to Los Angeles just to wait around and see a New Hampshire boy seemed a little silly. We were such the tourists. Walked in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. Took pics of the hand/foot prints and stars on the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood sign. Went to Mel's Diner for breakfast. And took a quick trip to Disneyland for my little girl, Piper. She got to see lots of her own celebrities-- Minnie Mouse, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto. She was psyched!!

I've got to start setting up signings this summer. I have one scheduled in Salem at Cornerstone Books on September 6th. If you're in the neighborhood, come on in for a chat! Anyway, I want to thank the ladies of the Girl's Cyber Circuit for including me. Here's a shout out to my new "girlfriends!" Yay! First I'd like to thank Jennifer O'Connell and Karin Gillespie for inviting me! And now I'd like to officially say hi to all the girls in the group:

Jennifer Barnes, Amanda Ashby, April Henry, Carrie Jones, Eileen Cook, Elizabeth Lenhard, E. Lockhart, Jennifer Echols, Kelly Parra, Lauren Barnholdt, Megan Crane, Melanie Hauser, Melissa Walker, Paula Hyman, Sara Hantz, Shanna Swendson, Stephanie Kuehnert, Tanya Stone, Lara Zeises, and (my neighbor) Laurie Stolarz.

Let the fun begin...