Got back from BEA (Book Expo America) last night so tired I could barely see.
(Warning, serious YA-lit name-dropping ahead. Please forgive or enjoy, whatever.)

First, the books. My most excellent scores were new books by John Green, Jordan Sonnenblick, Gail Carson Levine, and M.T. Anderson. I was sad I didn't get David Levithan's new one, or Meg Cabot's, or K.L. Going's -- but they are all coming out, people. Get ready!

On Friday when I arrived, I scoped the convention floor for a couple hours (and visited with Sarah Mlynowski, who was signing her new book on how to write chick lit, See Jane Date) -- then Literaticat took me (it was totally like a blind date!) to a party for Cecil Castelluci, M.T. Anderson and other Candlewick writers. (Ms. Cat, by the way, has posted a great BEA report on Not Your Mother's Bookclub). I got to meet Mr. Anderson (author of Feed, Thirsty, etc. etc. and the upcoming Octavian Nothing) though not without first mistaking someone else for him and having to scuttle off with my tail between my legs and a blush on my face. (This would never have happened if I had stuck near Literaticat, but I had finally ventured out from under her protective wing).

We got to meet Celia Rees, whose new book The Wish House sounds fantastic (and who tells a really good story!), and lots of booksellers as well. Kate DiCamillo was there! I rode up in the elevator with her and was all gaga. Miss Cecil looked amazingly foxy and seemed happy I was wearing my Queen of Cool nail decals.

Then I had dinner with Holly Black and her lovely husband and webmeister Theo. We ate fancy cheese! It was a swank tasting menu and they poured our soup into our bowls at the table.

Then (and by now it was way past my bedtime) we went to YA author drinks night (the DC mix). Several of the above people were there, plus I got to meet Sarah Dessen and Andrew Auseon, both of whom I had long wanted to meet.

I had to go home in order to function the next day, but the teen authors were going strong as I left, Holly bedecked with beautiful yellow flowers that I don't know where they came from.

Next morning, I was wandering the convention center trying to find coffee that wouldn't be a 30 minute wait, when I zoomed past novelist Lara Zeises, whom I was supposed to meet later anyway. Yippee! We ran around the floor with Laura Bowers, who has a YA novel coming out next year called Beauty Shop for Rent. We got galleys, so many galleys. It was a little bonkers, really. The new Gail Carson Levine (Fairest -- a follow-up to Ella Enchanted, set in the same world but reinventing Snow White) was packaged in a special glitzy box with a giveaway mirror. Ooooh!

We went to see Elise Broach sign her new book Desert Crossing, and got to meet Douglas Rees!

Then I had a signing for The Boy Book, which was very fun, and not only did Lara and Laura come, but also YA novelists Erin Downing (whom I had never met before) and Jen Bryant (with whom I toured last month)!

I had amazing tapas with my editor, ran around like a maniac, and then went to a big Random House party at the Library of Congress where I met so many booksellers my head was spinning. I wore zebra striped high heels and a glittery brown dress. I met Tamora Pierce! I met Patricia McKissack! David Levithan was there and we sent messages to each other across the room because we were somehow never talking to one another!
And best of all, there were COOKIES with our book jackets on them. Which was seriously extremely exciting.

More rich food, a night spent regretting the excesses I had consumed, a morning doing business and finally, back to New York in a semi-coherent state.

My digital camera. Is. Broken. So I have no pictures to share.