Hi! I am stuck in the Atlanta Airport (Gate E10, to be exact) after being stuck at the Key West airport for approximately four hours earlier today with an entire Cub Scout Troop.
(I felt so sorry for the troop leader, I wanted to offer him a Vicodin. But then I was like, “Oh, no, if he’s out of it, then who will protect the rest of us from them?”)
And now my bag is lost. And I am losing battery power on my laptop as I write this. And there are no more plugs. And I have a bunch of stuff due, like, now. And there are five small (seeming unrelated to one another) children screaming next to me.
Where I’m trying to get is Minneapolis in time for my signings there tomorrow and Monday.
Tomorrow (Sunday) I’ll be speaking and signing books from 2PM-4PM at
Red Balloon Children’s Bookstore
891 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
Tel: 651-224-8320
I know it’s a children’s bookstore, but don’t worry if you’re not a kid…we’re all kids at heart! Don’t lie and pretend you didn’t go to Harry Potter this weekend (and loved every minute of it, especially all the snogging.)
(I promise the children at Red Balloon are better behaved than the ones around me right now.)
And yes, bringing books from home for me to sign is fine.
But it’s always polite to buy a book from the store while you’re there so the bookseller hosting the signing makes a little $ in these hard times. Surely you know someone having a birthday or have a little early Christmas shopping to do.
And on Monday I’ll be speaking and signing from 11AM-Noon at
Alltel Convention Center
1 Civic Center Plaza
Mankato, MN 56001
The focus of my speech on Monday will be writing, myself (of course), the Princess Diaries books, and the Betsy-Tacy books (I’ve written the foreword to the new HarperCollins edition to Betsy Was a Junior and Betsy and Joe, my favorite books in the series).
I’m excited to be involved in the reissues of these classics, along with two of my favorite writers, Anna Quindlen and Laura Lippman (sadly, these reissues won’t be out until the Fall, though, so you won’t be able to buy the reissue with my forward there).
This is all dependent on if I GET to Minnesota. In the meantime, I’m being thwarted by Delta Airlines. Yes! I’m talking to YOU, Delta Airlines!
(Also, no, kid, you CANNOT have some of my almonds that I bought with my $7 meal voucher. Get away from me.)
Apparently, Delta schedules their flights, and accepts payment for them.
But they don’t actually SEND THE JETS TO PICK PEOPLE UP until they feel like it.
Never mind that because of this I completely missed my connecting flight (and was told my bag is going to arrive in Minnesota at one time and I am going to arrive in Minnesota at another time, but these will not be the same time.)
(Now the kids are fighting over their Gameboys and pulling each other’s hair. Keeping it classy here at Gate E10 at the Atlanta Airport.)
Oh, and that Delta’s sending that original plane so late was an “act of God” so not to expect a reimbursement on the difference in the cost of the seats since I paid for first class (because I’m fancy), but my seat on the new flight is coach.
(Now one of the kids is smearing pizza on the wall. I am not even kidding.)
You know what an “act of God” is? Daniel Craig.
Sending the plane you bought a ticket for three hours late is not an act of of God (especially when other planes for your destination were leaving during that time but no one would let you get on one).
(The woman sitting next to me just said, “If those kids don’t quit their fussin’, I’m gonna smack’em myself. Like we don’t have enough problems with our plane being late and our bags lost and these here seven dollar vouchers. Like you can buy a meal for seven dollars!”)
Amen, sister.
On the plus side, I’ll soon be fitting into those skinny jeans I bought last summer, but which have been giving me a little muffin top lately.
I suggest Ruby from the Style Network try flying Delta Airlines for the next stage of her diet plan.
See you tomorrow, Minnesota (hopefully)!
More later.
Much love,
Meg
