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<\/a> The company he works for does a lot of driving for Scholastic, and he actually once drove J. K Rowling. (I wondered if she had by chance had an owl with her, and if her presence in the back seat had bestowed on his car the ability to fly.)<\/p>\nWe’d just barely left the airport when I received a call from Lauren.\u00a0 There had been a problem with my hotel reservation, but she’d sorted it out and booked me into a different, nicer place.\u00a0 Now, this is what’s amazing about my publicist.\u00a0 She was up at midnight, double and triple-checking my hotel reservation, fixing my reservation, making sure I was okay and generally taking care of anything that needed taking care of.\u00a0 I’ve enjoyed working with her and getting to know her better, and she’s great at what she does.\u00a0 So thanks, Lauren.<\/p>\n
I pretty much crashed right away that night, and Wednesday morning my editor, Lisa Sandell, took me out for breakfast.\u00a0 It was really nice to see her again, and afterward we went to the Javits Center and did some walking around the BEA floor.\u00a0 Many publishers were handing out tote bags emblazoned with the covers of their forthcoming titles.\u00a0 In an act of sheer optimism, I took each and every bag that was offered with the expectation that I would fill them up with buzzed and coveted ARCs.\u00a0 But for most of the time, there weren’t any ARCs to be had.\u00a0 And I was just a dude walking around with a bunch of empty bags.\u00a0 People actually commented (“So, you like bags?”) and I just had to say, “Um.\u00a0 Yeah.”<\/p>\n But I did pick up quite a few ARCs from the Scholastic booth, most of them both coveted and buzzed.\u00a0 And I got to meet several fabulous and enthusiastic Scholastic sales reps, including Roz (who I’d met in California last year<\/span><\/a>), Nikki and her husband, Bryan (who I believe are currently experiencing the joys and little messes of a new puppy), and Sue.<\/p>\n That afternoon, Lisa took the stage for the Middle Grade Editor’s Buzz Forum (Publishers Weekly<\/em> did a write-up on the event here<\/span><\/a>, and despite what it says, from where I was sitting, and judging by all the people who didn’t have chairs, it was<\/em> standing-room-only.)<\/p>\n Lisa did a wonderful job, if I might brag about her for a moment.\u00a0 She was articulate, and eloquent, and funny, and putting aside the fact that she was talking about my book, I was proud to say, “She’s my editor.”\u00a0 (Thanks to my friend, Joanna Volpe<\/span><\/a>, for the photo.)<\/p>\n Then I had a signing, and the turn-out was great.\u00a0 We actually went over-time, and they had to close the line and turn people away, which I felt a little bad about.\u00a0 But it was exciting to meet so many book-lovers and fans.<\/p>\n After the signing I went for an early dinner with Lisa and David Levithan.\u00a0 Over the course of our conversation, I was able to determine that David does, in fact, sleep.\u00a0 Given his astounding productivity, it was an open question prior to meeting him. Though, I still don’t know how much<\/em> he sleeps.\u00a0 But we had a really nice time, and I only put my foot in my mouth once during the meal.\u00a0 Figuratively, not literally.<\/p>\n Following dinner, I went back to my hotel room and crashed pretty early.\u00a0 BEA is draining.<\/p>\n The next morning, Thursday, I returned to the Javits Center for my author panel with Lisa McMann<\/span><\/a> (The Unwanteds<\/em>) and N.D. Wilson<\/span><\/a> (The Dragon’s Tooth<\/em>).\u00a0 Ron Hogan<\/span><\/a>, SF reviewer for Shelf Awareness<\/span><\/a>, did a really great job moderating.\u00a0 He asked some good questions, and my fellow panelists had interesting and thought-provoking answers.\u00a0 The experience was a lot of fun.<\/p>\n \n That same day I had a one of those crazy, out-of-the-blue moments that you never see coming.\u00a0 I was at the Scholastic booth talking with Lauren about a bunch of cool books coming out, when I looked up and saw Kevin Sorbo walking by.\u00a0 Yes, Hercules, himself.<\/p>\n Mr. Sorbo was at BEA promoting a new inspirational memoir he’s written about his life and his experience with a severe illness.<\/p>\n So when I saw Kevin Sorbo, I took the opportunity to talk with him.\u00a0 When he asked what I’d written, I pointed at Icefall<\/em> and said, “It’s a Viking novel.”<\/p>\n He looked at me and said, “I’m 100% Norwegian.”<\/p>\n “My book takes place in ancient Norway,” I said.<\/p>\n “What age is it written for?” he asked.<\/p>\n “Ages 8 to 12,” I said.<\/p>\n “My 9-year-old is an avid reader,” he said.<\/p>\n At which point, Lauren came over with a book and asked if Mr. Sorbo would like me to sign it for his son.\u00a0 Which he did.\u00a0 So I did.<\/p>\n Another surreal publishing moment, that was.\u00a0 Back when I was watching Hercules on TV, I never would have imagined that one day I’d be signing a book for Kevin Sorbo’s son.\u00a0 I have to say, these surreal moments are sure a lot of fun.<\/p>\n Later that afternoon, I got to have lunch with Lisa and my agent, Stephen Fraser.\u00a0 Steve is always such a gentleman – he brought a flower for Lisa –\u00a0 and we had a very nice time.\u00a0 We talked about some future projects, some challenges I’d like to take on next, book-wise.\u00a0 I feel so supported and encouraged with these two in my corner.<\/p>\n \n Following the recording, I went for one last delicious dinner with Lisa.\u00a0 We went to Ed’s Chowder House, and part-way through the meal Lisa’s husband, Liel, was able to join us.\u00a0 Good company and good food, and it was sad to say goodbye at the end.\u00a0 They’ve both become great friends.<\/p>\n I got into a cab.\u00a0 It was late, and I was tired, and I had planned on calling it a night, but during the cab ride I realized that the Kidlit Drink Night<\/span><\/a> was at a place just a few blocks from my hotel.\u00a0 So I decided to stop in, and I’m glad I did because it gave me the chance to catch up with my friend, Kate Milford<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Now, I was a fan of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 It was something of a guilty pleasure, and considering that it was one of the most popular shows in the world at the time, I think it was a lot of people’s guilty pleasure.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>After lunch, Lisa and I went to the recording studio to meet with Paul Gagne and Cheryl Smith, who are working on the audiobook for Icefall<\/em>.\u00a0 I’d hoped to also get a chance to meet the actress reading the book, but she’d had a schedule change and had already finished and gone back home.\u00a0 But I was able to sit down and record some bonus material for the audiobook that included a reading from the Poetic Edda<\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The funny thing is, even though I’d used all kinds of Nordic names and words while writing Icefall<\/em>, I had no idea how to actually pronounce any of them.\u00a0 But thanks to help from Professor Sandra Straubhaar, and a last minute phone call with Jessica Day George<\/span><\/a>, I was able to muddle through.<\/p>\n