Michigan is Nice Nice, Baby

This past weekend, I spoke at the SCBWI conference in Lansing, Michigan. I sat down with eleven writers to discuss their manuscripts, gave two writing workshops, and delivered one keynote speech. If my high school self knew I'd be doing this for a living, I probably would've spontaneously combusted (at the very least, spontaneously sweated).

For the final event, the faculty sat onstage and took questions from the attendees. Here I am with author Donna Gephart, illustrator/cartoonist Dave Coverly, author Jim Tobin, agent Beth Fleisher, editor Lisa Yoskowitz, and editor Ruta Rimas.


Ms. Gephart had her face turned in the group photo, so here we are as we get ready to sign books.


Some of you know that one of my childhood dreams was to be a cartoonist. For some odd and embarrassing reason, the comic Speed Bump never made it onto my radar (mostly, I suppose, because it doesn't appear in my local paper). Why is it so embarrassing to not know this one particular comic? Because last year, its creator won the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year! That's huge!!! That's equivalent to winning the Newbery Award if you write children's books. Thankfully, this weekend allowed me to meet Mr. Coverly. I bought one of his books so I could get his autograph...


...and read it on the flight home. It's frickin' hilarious! Consider me a humongous fan. Go check out Speed Bump right now!

What else did I bring home from the conference? Some anonymous and awesome (anonymawesomous?) person bought me a t-shirt from Michigan's very own Rosie's Diner and had Ryan Hipp, the person who introduced me, present it as a gift. If you've read Thirteen Reasons Why, you'll know how cool this gift is. It made me feel so cool wearing, I felt like I'd suddenly sprouted a mane of gorgeous hair which required a quick blow dry.


If you've ever seen me speak, you probably heard the story about the positive review I gave Vanilla Ice's To the Extreme while on my high school newspaper staff. In fact, whenever I give someone my camera to take a photo of me speaking, that's the story I'm most often telling when they take my picture. For example...


...and...


...and...


...and...


During the final panel at the Michigan conference, one attendee let me know that Vanilla Ice was performing that night, about an hour away. Although several of us considered going (it would've been so much fun!), I couldn't make it.

But the next day at the airport, who did I see?

Mr. Vanilla I-C-E.


Word to your mother.


BTW, Mr. Ice was extremely nice and accommodating to everyone who came up to him in the airport, which was very cool to see.