Meg's Diary

Secret Heart’s Desire

What’s your secret heart’s desire? I know you have one. We all do (beyond our basic human need for food, shelter, and companionship).

Mine’s to find a dead body (NOT someone I know).

I know that’s totally gross. But I love the show Law and Order, and I’ve lived in New York City for years and years, and I’ve never turned a corner and found a body like all those people do at the beginning of every Law and Order episode.

(Okay, maybe I just want to go back through time and play one of those people on TV so I get to meet Detective Mike Logan, aka Chris Noth.)

Anyway, once when I confessed this embarrassing secret to a friend of mine, she said she understood: Her secret heart’s desire was to find a big bag of money.

So you can bet that when I saw this through the window of a plane I just boarded the other day, I took a picture. These are the bags that were being unloaded from the passengers who’d just gotten off the previous flight:

No, your eyes do not deceive you! Those are bags of money. Each bag contained $250,000, according to the very excited flight attendant (of course I asked).

Yeah. That’s a lot of money!

The plane had just flown in, I was told, from the Cayman Islands. That’s the fifth largest banking center in the world! It’s where a lot of people—and corporations—keep offshore accounts.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how they were going to fit all those bags all onto that truck. I even started getting nervous that Hans Gruber might have survived his plunge from Nakatomi Plaza, and was going to show up and start shooting.

But eventually, they got all money on there (proof that if you’re determined enough, you can do anything, even in 100 degree heat, with a sidearm), and the guards closed the doors and drove away.

So. Was that the $20 billion from BP? You be the judge!

Anyway, finding a dead body isn’t my ONLY secret heart’s desire. The other thing I’ve always wanted, my whole entire life (well, okay, actually only since I was sixteen and my then boyfriend’s mom—hi, Shehira!—took me to her best friend’s house and said, “Go on, get in” because I’d never seen one before and didn’t know what it was) is a hot tub.

The minute I got in, I was like:

“As God is my witness, I’m going to get myself one of these. And every day, when I’m done earning the money to pay for it, I’m going to sit in it. And when it’s all over, I’ll never be stressed again. No, nor any of my folk! As God is my witness, I will work my fingers to the bone until I have a hot tub of my own!”

(Only in my head, of course, and not directly misquoting Scarlett O’Hara’s starvation speech from Gone With The Wind.)

27 years later, my dream has finally come true! How did I do it? One book at a time. I know I probably could have afforded a hot tub sooner. But honestly, I didn’t feel up to dealing with this:


Before

The cement mixer was so loud!

But it was worth it. Because in the end, I got this:


After

I honestly didn’t think it could get any better than this. I mean, except maybe for finding a dead body.

But apparently it can! Because last night I got the call: Insatiable made the New York Times adult hardcover bestseller list.

Honestly, I can’t thank you guys enough. All of my books mean a lot to me, of course, but this one is really something special. So you all helping to get it onto the NY Times list means an EXTRA lot! I wish I could give each and every one of you your secret heart’s desire, whatever it is.

But since I can’t, I’m going to give each and every one of you the gold seal carried only by officers of the Palatine Guard:

Unless of course you’d rather be members of the Dracul! In which case, for you:

I actually really can give you this! I have cool temporary tattoos of the dragon image above. So if anyone wants these (or Insatiable postcards or bookmarks or all three), just send a self-addressed stamped envelope to me at Meg Cabot, P.O. Box 4904, Key West, FL 33041-4904. I can send you autographed bookplates, as well!

Another thing I can give you is . . . the Insatiable sequel! You know I can’t tell you anything about it yet (except that the story begins a few months after the end of the first book).

But it’s coming soon. If you liked Insatiable, you’re going to love it. All your other questions should be answered here (deleted scenes to be added soon)!

One question people always ask me that ISN’T on my FAQs (and isn’t about my heart’s desire) is:

How do you write so many books?

The answer is: The same way those guards got all that money onto that truck . . . one bag at a time! (And of course the same way Detective Mike Logan on Law and Order solves crimes . . . one body at a time.)

Being able to write full time was always another one of my secret heart’s desires. So it’s a joy to do (even if, just like Mike Logan, sometimes I do get frustrated and want to punch someone in the head. Usually myself). I just try to take it a book (or even just a chapter, or some days, just a word) at a time.

But I couldn’t do it without you . . . and also what I consider “brain food” (since when you’re working hard, you crave carbs. It’s a proven fact, even if Jillian of Losing It With Jillian may not agree)!

And the best way to help your brain recharge is to feed it tons of new, exciting stimulus. Such as books and music and movies and TV shows. Like Friday Night Lights (more fulfillment of my secret heart’s desire: It’s been renewed for another season! And Tim Riggins will be back)! And of course Law and Order re-runs. And Glee!

I was really looking forward to seeing Regionals on the season finale of Glee. Another secret desire for me was that Showchoir Regionals would look the way Cheerleading Regionals did in the movie Bring It On, only with showchoir product placement everywhere, such as Showchoir Summer Camp (don’t pretend like you don’t know someone who would LOVE this), Capezio Student Footlights, and of course, custom designed costumes:


Pictured, the Bubble Nimbus Dress, in Lime, available here.

But no! I got none of that (although we did get a spectacular teen childbirth scene, perhaps the first ever set to Queen, which I’m sure was someone’s secret heart’s desire).

Oh, well. This just gives me something to look forward to for next season! Which is great. Because now more than ever, we need things to look forward to.

Have a great weekend, everybody. I hope whatever your secret heart’s desire is—Finding a dead body. Or a bag of money. Solving a murder. Getting a hot tub. Snagging the perfect pair of Capezio Footlights. Getting the lead in Showchoir Summer Camp. Whatever—it comes true soon. It can, you know, if you take it one body—even one word—at a time.

More later.

Much love,

Meg

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