Phoenix Rocks

Another on hour or less post from me this week. Lots of pictures. It's 8:49. Aaaand go.

Legos, man. Legos.

I went to Phoenix last weekend for an awesome library event, but I forgot to mention that Phoenix ComiCon was on the same weekend, and I just happened to book a hotel downtown...mere blocks from the convention center. And did I mention I know the rocking people who run this conference? Yeah. This was a recipe for a completely awesome weekend.

First, Faith (aka the book babe) whisked me away to the VIP suite where I saw Brandy (who is a rainbow of pure awesome) and was invited to breakfast the next day. And so. Friday night, we celebrated our friend Shannon's last day of work at her old job by having a few drinks at a nice Irish pub. I may or may not have introduced her to my favorite cocktail. Then we partied like a Timelord and did other ComiCon type things.

Happy day of freedom for Shannon! Woot! (w/ the awesome Rebecca.)

Always assume that I woke up early and swam laps, posse. Because I did some glorious laps on Saturday morning before I headed over to the VIP lounge for a scrumptious omelet. And when I mentioned my laps at breakfast, Gil Gerard told me he used to swim two miles a day. (You are to assume from that last sentence that I ate breakfast with Buck Rogers. And he's still totally cute.) I also got to meet and eat with Jeremy Bulloch and his lovely wife, and as a Star Wars geek from way way back, I have to say he was really sweet for a bounty hunter.

Boba Fett and me. Geeked.

I met gobs of cool people that morning including the amazing Artist Tony Roberts who drew one of my favorite novels ever (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) as a graphic novel. He was so so so awesome. I got to see the sweet Tom Leveen and Jon Lewis again too, which was an added bonus.

Tony Parker ROCKS.

I also got to see real light sabers. True story.
And for the record, my hair always looks better in Arizona.

Saturday's [Un]book Fest was a great event. I was so stoked to hang out with Lisa McMann and Ellen Hopkins and Matt de la Peña again as well as Barry Lyga and Stephanie Perkins. (Stephanie, I totally didn't get a picture with you. Sad, I am.) To the great librarians who organized it, thank you, and to the awesome attendees, thank you for coming! It was great to see you and do origami with you. 

Here's Lisa being silly. 

I love when Lisa is silly.

That night, it was back to ComiCon after a lovely dinner with the author crew, and then early to bed so I could breakfast with Buck Rogers again. You'll have to take my word for it. I didn't dare ask him for a picture because he was in his PJs and it didn't seem right. But can I say: what a nice and smart guy? What a nice and smart guy. 

So then I wrote like 3000 words on the plane home. And when I got to Philly, I pulled up my usual parking pictures on my phone and I STILL got lost in the $#^%&@^ garage and it took me like 15 ^&%%$ minutes to find my car. Fifteen minutes is a long time in a dark parking garage in humid Philly air after a 5 hour flight. Fun times. My hair was like four times as big by the time I found the damn car.

Next time I will take video.

I arrived home to big hugs and not a huge amount of rain for a change. (Last few trips I had to drive home in a downpour.) It's been a 11k word week, which isn't bad at all for what I had to do at the same time. Hoping to make next week a 15k week before my next trip out of town...which is a top secret trip.

Top secret trips are the best kind of trips.

Watch this space for a "Letters from readers" post and stay tuned for a secret hideout contest where you could win a foreign edition of VERA DIETZ or a genuine ANTS first pass manuscript.

Live long and prosper.