The Way Your Words Find Each Other
With Joetta and Amy Lou.
Looking up cannibal jokes in preparation for @cometparty's launch tonight. They're pretty killer.— Porter Square Books (@PorterSqBooks) March 14, 2015
“Happy Book Day!” (dinner at Veggie Galaxy, my mom’s treat)
On Saturday night people gave me cake and flowers and chocolate and Vermont maple syrup and hugs and some of the sweetest compliments I have ever heard. It was a beautiful night and I'm so grateful to Mackenzi, Porter Square Books, my awesome family who traveled for hours to be with me, and all the rest of you lovely souls who came out to celebrate the new novel!
Everything went smoothly—the only thing I forgot was the cupcake menu, so I just clarified which ones were gluten free and told everyone that if they didn't finish every single morsel on the table (cupcakes and lollipops) I would be extremely disappointed in them.
They did not disappoint.
Photo by Aram Comjean.
The raffle was really fun too. There were three themed tote bags with Taza chocolate and Porter Square Books gift cards: Frankenstein, Jim Henson, and veganism. (I'll tell you more about the tote bags in my cupcake post.) In a supreme stroke of irony, the girl who won the vegan tote bag is named Maren, and she is already a vegetarian. Sometimes life is just too hilarious for words.
A friend of a friend came to the event, and at the afters at Five Horses we got to chat a little. He said something to the effect of "I know I don't know you, but hearing you speak about yourself and your work, I felt like I did. I really appreciated the way your words find each other." That was a powerful moment of self actualization for me—having someone I don't really know yet tell me that they see me exactly the way I want to be seen, as someone kind and approachable and enthusiastic about life.
(Of course, having the launch dress and sweater come out TOTALLY AWESOME helped my confidence quite a bit too, haha.)
The other thing I should note: this launch event transpired nine years to the day my lovely agent called me long distance to tell me the good news about Mary Modern. March 14, 2006! I feel so good about what I've written, what I'm writing and all that I have yet to write.
@PorterSqBooks@writersofboston@debkacolson@cometparty book launch Bones and All http://t.co/60iQoMye8Hpic.twitter.com/X9HkXRym8i— Mary Bonina (@reebonina) March 15, 2015
@cometparty holding court. Looking forward to reading "Bones & All" #bookspic.twitter.com/ERxIRyM10q — SpatialH (@SpatialH) March 14, 2015
TONIGHT the incomparable @cometparty is launching her exquisite book BONES & ALL at @PorterSqBooks & if you aren't there we can't be friends — Mackenzi Lee (@themackenzilee) March 14, 2015
After Five Horses we all walked back to the apartment my family had rented and I, too happily exhausted to walk home again in the cold, laid down a bunch of sofa cushions and fell into a blissful sleep under the dining room table. (We did talk about my being quirky during the Q&A. I don't have to try, I just do things and only notice afterward how weird they are.)
More photos coming soon in cupcake, launch dress, and cute lacy cardigan posts!