Meg Cabot and me!! (Well, not exactly)

Recently I attended Book Expo America in New York City. This is the fifth year that I've gone (third time in NYC). As always, it was lots of fun. Got to meet up with friends, editors, agents, publishers that I hadn't seen in awhile. And I also got to meet up with writers that I've corresponded with online for awhile, but never met in person (Hi Maureen Johnson! It was great to finally meet you!) Ran into some writer friends from home that I don't get to see while I'm in Boston (Hank Phillipi Ryan and Laurie Stolarz), which is kind of funny to go all the way to New York to meet up with people who live right around the corner from you at home.

Anyway, I brought my daughter, Piper (as I always do) and this year she was excited to see Olivia the pig, Clifford the dog and check out all the new kids books. Chester by Melanie Watts is her new favorite. (Melanie is also the author of Piper's favorite series, Scaredy Squirrel. Definitely check them out!)

Okay, so some of you may or may not know this about Piper, but she has a *collection* of tiaras that she absolutely must, must, must (I'm channeling Eloise here) wear when she's on vacation. We usually bring about two or three, depending on her mood. Now these aren't like hundred dollar, kid pageant tiaras here. They are typically plastic, some have sparkles on them, some have feathers, some have ruffles. It really just depends on her mood.






















So, of course, when we heard that Meg Cabot-- the author of The Princess Diaries -- the woman who brought tiaras back into style -- was signing her new series Allie Finkles Rules for Girls, we knew we had to meet her. My sister, Jocelyn, who is a HUGE Meg Cabot fan waited in line with Piper, while I got to carry all of Piper's loot that she'd acquired throughout the day: a gigantic balloon dog courtesy of the Guinness Book of World Records balloon guy, lots of books, stuffed animals, bags, snacks, you name it. Meg's assistant told me that I looked like Piper's sherpa, which I basically was.

Anyway, Piper got to meet Meg and it was worth the wait! Meg was so sweet and wonderful with Piper and they took this picture together, which ended up on Meg's Website! So, in all the years that I've been going to BEA, I've never gotten as much publicity or notice as my six-year-old daughter, who got to meet "the most famous writer in the world" (that's what she told her fellow kindergartners when we got back from NYC).




Maybe I should start wearing a tiara.



In any case Piper is smitten and she now wants to be a famous illustrator when she grows up (not a writer, because that's what her mommy does and it's boring, according to her). Perhaps she'll illustrate a series about a little girl who always wears tiaras and goes to New York to meet a famous writer...and a slightly more famous (at least in Piper's eyes) pig named Olivia.