• Mood: accomplished
• Music: vera lynn: some sunny day

surround yourself with creative people and you will be surrounded by creative people

When Yags asked if he could have a party at Casa Del Milla, I said "sure," figuring it would just be a bunch of LARPers tearing the place apart and arguing about Star Trek. I had planned to hide in my room and watch Hill Street Blues all night. But it wasn't a party -- it was a serious reading and book signing.

Catherynne M. Valente came to host a reading from her new novel In The Cities of Coin and Spice published by Bantam Books. (Bantam Books people -- Dean Koontz, Danielle Steele, Sinclaire Lewis, Tom Robbins, Louis L'amour, that Bantam books.) She's written a whole boat load of things including the introduction to the new edition of Jane Eyre.



One other nifty thing, was that her previous book In the Night Gardenhad won the Tiptree award which, rather than being a medallion, or a certificate or even a trophy is a freaking crown -- which she was wearing. How stupifyingly cool is that? If I won an award that was a crown, I'd wear it to the freaking mall.

So moved by her books, Singer Songwriter S. J. Tucker wrote two albums inspired by two of her novels. S. J. was along for the reading, performing songs in between the readings.

And sometime during the course of the evening, Catherynne came up to me and said "Hi, I'm Catherynne and I read your blog, and I'd love to meet Roswell tonight."

Now how cool is THAT?

There was much joy and book signing. I was happy to have the crew crash at Casa Del Milla before they were off to New York to do it all over again.