Now I can say I read at a Barnes & Noble in my home of the Hudson Valley the weekend of a snowstorm! And what a snowstorm. Seriously, if I could have picked a worse weekend to do it this winter, I’m not sure if I would have found one. Most of the snow had let up in the Hudson Valley by Friday, and my reading was Saturday in Kingston, which somehow barely got any snow (as you can see by the picture below), so it was still on. But that meant that many of my friends and family were still snowed in and couldn’t make it…
Some schools up there had been closed for four days—in one week! No one remembered that ever happening before. Many towns were still without power… and still are right now. My own mom still has no power. I hope it gets restored soon.
And here I come up on the Amtrak, set to read from my little book. I was shocked not only that the store was still holding the event, but that people actually showed up. I’m so grateful to everyone who braved the weather and the roads to come out and hear me read and say hi. A writer friend and her little boy even brought me a belated cupcake for my birthday! I’d show you a picture, but I’ve devoured it. 
You can tell I’m nervous from my expression in some of the photos, but I think I did all right! The whole afternoon went by in a whirlwind.
I still can’t believe I read something I wrote for the first time in a Barnes & Noble. What a rite of passage. The Kingston B&N was so great to host me, and I hope there will be an opportunity to go back, when my debut YA novel, Imaginary Girls, comes out in Summer 2011. (That book, too, is set in the Hudson Valley.) Thank you to Carol Scalzo for all the work setting up the reading, and to Ann Hutton for suggesting an event in the first place.
I loved meeting future readers of the book. I hope they enjoy it!
A fun moment of the event was getting to meet and talk with Kingston High School students who were on the staff of the school newspaper, Highlights. I talked with a few students who want to be writers—which is always so exciting. Best of luck to them (and fingers crossed especially for one student hoping on good news from Boston soon)!
And a very exciting surprise for me was when a woman stepped up to have her book signed and I looked up and said innocently, “Who should I make this out to?” She said, “Scarlett.” I started to write it and then looked up into her face and FLIPPED OUT. She was my ballet teacher when I studied dance all throughout high school! I was so excited to see Scarlett—and Sonny!—after all these years. I loved my years at the Saugerties Ballet Center!
After the signing, I even continued signing—here I am signing one last book even after the event was over.
Then I spent time with my beloved mom—who has made so much of this possible—and took the train back down to the city… exhausted.
My husband was at my side the whole time, helping me with nerves and getting set up for the reading. He wouldn’t want me to post a photograph, but let me just say that when I am reading it’s always calming for me to look out at the audience and find his *adorable* face. Thank you, Erik, for being there for me, always.
I’m so grateful to have had this experience. Thank you to everyone for all the support of Dani Noir. Thank you to WKNY in Kingston and Warren Lawrence for having me on the air! Thank you, Simon & Schuster and Barnes & Noble for making this possible. And a very special thanks to my local Hudson Valley publicist, Marc Breslav of Breslav Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising. Hudson Valley authors, if you’re looking for placement in local papers, on radio, and in bookstores, you may want to contact Marc! You’re welcome to e-mail me at nova [at] novaren.com for his contact info. His help has been invaluable.
Next up for me? My YA, Imaginary Girls, was turned in to the publisher earlier this month and I’m excited to dive into revisions when the time comes. You can keep up on news about this novel, and other future novels, on my main website NovaRen.com.
This spring I’ll be spending a month at the artists colony Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, working on a brand-new novel… keeping it hush-hush for now, but I’ll tell you one thing: I’m crazy excited.
Happy writing, and thank you for supporting Dani Noir! The Barnes & Noble in Kingston has signed copies if you want one, so if you’re in the area, go pick one up.
I’m glad your reading went well and that you got a chance to connect with readers and some old friends! Love the tights.
Sounds like you had a great time, even with the storm. How very cool that your dance teacher showed up.
Love, love the bright tights! So glad you had a great turnout. How sweet of your dance teacher to come!
I’m so glad it all worked out despite the crazy weather. Sounds like it was a wonderful time. Congrats!
Wow! What a fun event. It’s amazing to see how life takes us full circle sometimes. Congratulations. I’m glad your event went well.
[...] and signing—and throw a blizzard in there to keep it real. If you’re curious, here’s an update (with photos!) on how the reading [...]