Booked in New York

     “The fire started in Greece.  Then, as you well know... the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods.  Oh, different names, perhaps- Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on- but the same forces, the same gods.”

     “And they died.”

     “Died?  No. Did the West die?  The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while.  Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there.  They spent several centuries in England.  All you need to do is look at the architecture.  People do not forget the gods.  Every place they’ve ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statures, on the most important buildings.  And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States.  Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus.  Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington.  I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places.  Like it or not- and believe me, plenty of people weren’t very fond of Rome, either- America is now the heart of the flame.  It is the great power of the West.  And so Olympus is here.  And we are here.”

-Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Ah New York City.  My computer bag was already looped over my shoulder as we crept along Central Park.  Staring out of the bus window, my legs twitched.  Any minute now that will be me.

Getting some work done on the trip down

Some facts you should know about this trip:

1. My entire vacation revolved around the  Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes book Release Party
2. I have never been to a book release party
3. I bought a 1-way ticket to New York City
4. The party starts at 5pm Thursday evening
5. A friend of mine offered to show me around after the party
6. I might be coming home on Friday
7. Or Saturday
8. Or Sunday
9. Seriously, I had no idea 
10. Did I mention that somebody actually invited me to book release party!?

I was open to all possibilities.  And, If there’s one thing I know, in a city with over 8 million people, 28 thousand restaurants, 3 thousand clothing stores, and 80 museums- possibilities are not hard to come by.  

Peter Nimble hit bookstores earlier this month but our story begins in January.  Now, I know some of you may think this next part is a little weird.  Okay, probably most of you.  Fine, you’ll all think it’s weird.  

So, not only do I read a lot of children’s books but I kinda also read blogs about children’s books.  A little weird, right?  

It gets weirder.  

I read the blogs of authors, a lot of authors- over 100. A while you might be thinking, “Okay, what ever floats your boat, dude. I guess for you it’s book authors. I’m going outside to play now.”  You should probably know that I also like to read the blogs of children’s book illustrators.  And I also like to read the blogs of the people who design the covers of books.  And the blogs of publishers.  And book editors.  And book stores.  And librarians from around the country (yes, both school librarians and public librarians).  Okay fine, and sometimes I read Tales From the Slush Pile, the blog of a literary agent.  I know, I didn’t know what a literary agent did, either.  So, see what I mean, weird right?  Hey, I warned you.  

And you might be thinking, where on earth does one find the time to read the blog of a literary agent?  Well, I have a system for that, too.  (Come on, are you really that surprised?)

It’s called Pulse reader.  It’s a nifty app I have on my phone.  Instead of visiting each author or illustrator or publisher or literary agent’s blog, their websites come to me.  When ever I’m waiting in line in a store or while I’m eating lunch, I just find an article to read.  

Each thumbnail is an article

Hang on, it gets weirder.

I also read the comments on the blogs.  If it’s a really interesting article, I’ll sign up to be emailed the follow-up comments.  

Told you.

One day, I’m reading a comment from a blog post and I don’t exactly remember what the conversation was about or which blog it was, or where I was, but I came across a comment that made me laugh.  So I clicked on the guy’s name and was magically redirected (through the wonders of hyperlink) to TheScop.com, blog of soon to be middle-grade author, Jonathan Auxier. 

Click this picture and see some of Jonathan's awesomeness.

Doesn’t it look cool?  Upon further investigation I found out a bit about his upcoming book. Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes.  The story of the greatest thief of all time.  A blind, orphan thief who is transported to a vanished kingdom in hopes of saving the day.  

Click here to find out more on the cover.

Wow, this guy sounds almost as nutty as I am, right?  Then, I saw his “about me” section and I was sold.  This guy is as nutty as I am.  I must read this book, I thought.   

(go ahead, click on the picture and play around with the “about me” section.  But don’t forget to come back here!  We haven’t even gotten to how I ended up at Jonathan’s first event as an author in New York City.)  

Jonathan and I communicated back and forth through Twitter and he ended up donating some time to our Read Your Heart Out Day video.  He even sent along a sketch of Peter.  

Awesome, right?

When I got my copy of Peter Nimble this spring, I tore through it.  Just like I expected, it had everything I needed.  There’s action and adventure and crazy chapter titles and magic and derring-do.  But most of all, it is totally funny and fun.  Jonathan narrates Peter’s story, showing you what Peter can’t see and pausing here and there to make you laugh.  

When I fall in love with a book I develop a bond with it, like the author wrote it just for me.   You want to go out and find everything you can about how it came to be. You want everybody to discover that same enjoyment. If you’re me, you especially want to tell the guys, “Hey, trust me, I know it’s a book buy you’re going to have a blast with this one.”  

And, if there’s a party for it in New York City, you’ll hop the first bus down without another care in the world.  (Let me just pause here to make something clear.  DO NOT hop a bus down to New York City, no matter how much you love a book.  I was going for effect).  

I’m walking behind two guys dressed in sharp suits, coffee in one hand, phone in the other.  They’re talking to each other but both were having separate conversations on their phones, at the same time, while talking to each other.  I chuckled to myself as my attention turned toward the enormity of the buildings that surrounded me.  It wasn’t at all like I remembered it from when I was a kid. I used to feel trapped by it.  Today it felt more like a playpen.  My eyes bounced from the people to the traffic back to the people to the buildings in an endless stream of activity.   I picked up my pace.  I felt like I fit in.  Like I was a tiny cog in it.  

Without warning, I felt a sharp tug on my backpack.  A yellow cab appeared out of thin air. I threw on the breaks and swung my momentum backwards just before my foot hit the crosswalk.  I took a deep breath and sheepishly turned around.  She just shook her head at me. “I’m not from around here.” I said. 

“I see that.” She said.  “Be careful.”

I glanced down at my watch, 1pm.  I had the whole afternoon to wander down to the bookstore.  

Books of Wonder looked just as I imagined it.  I was greeted by warm, friendly faces wearing think-framed glasses, tattoos flowing out of black sleeves.  The walls from floor to ceiling were lined with every children’s book imaginable.  Front and center on a wooden table, Peter Nimble stood in stacks, the bright orange and gold letters beckoning.  

You know the excitement you feel when you walk into Fenway Park or the Boston Garden, or when you see a play or concert?  That feeling of seeing something created live and in front of you?  That’s the feeling while Jonathan read.  It was a true, from the heart performance.  And a good performance has the power to transport you.  

 

He carefully removed the dusk jacket and launched the room into one of his favorite passages.  I was immediately taken away.  From my little comfort zone in Boston, I was transported into a cozy little Manhattan bookshop and then far, far beyond- to the bustle of a little port town where a crowd has gathered as they listened to their own fantastic presentation given by a mysterious haberdasher.  

When Jonathan finished the passage and closed the book, Peter held in his hands a mysterious object. In a short while he'll discover just how special the contents of that box in his hands truly are. 

There’s something magical about hearing an author read their work.  There’s something even more magical about hearing an author read their work in quaint little bookshop in downtown Manhattan.  But, there is something- and I still can’t place what that something is- about hearing an author read his own work to a gathering of his friends and family- for the very first time. 

And, I'm proud to make that reading available to the you.  Click on the picture below.

Part Two to Follow