Lunar Chronicles Book Signing (Ft. Crochet Scarlet Cape)

Hello hello! Today I’m writing about an event that happened back in December (a fact I was shocked to discover). I have a huge backlog of posts I want to write, and this was top on the list, because I got to attend Marissa Meyer’s book signing for Heartless! I was positive I had written about this, because how could I not? But I can’t find the post anywhere. So maybe I’m just losing my marbles. Unless one of you can point me to the post, haha, I figured I would just write it up now!

I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to get to write about my THIRD Marissa Meyer launch party! I went to the Winter ball last November, and the Stars Above launch in February. Marissa Meyer was in my city for the Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book launch, I think because the illustrator, Kathryn Adara, lives around here. So I was fortunate enough to be able to meet my favorite author again! Lucky lucky fangirl! 😀

The launch party was on Tuesday the week before finals, otherwise known as “dead week,” where students stumble around like zombies frantically cramming for exams. On Monday, I realized I had no idea what to wear to the event. I dug through my closet and found the beginnings of a red shawl – I started crocheting a Scarlet shawl for the Stars Above launch, but didn’t finish it in time. It wasn’t even halfway done. But I threw all reason to the winds and decided I was going to finish it, and it was going to be a full-length hooded cape. I would meet Marissa Meyer in style!

So I crocheted for three hours that night, and after classes the next day I came right home and continued working on it. I’m a fast crocheter (after four years of practice), and I was working faster than I ever had before. I was finishing fifteen minutes before I headed out the door – I didn’t even have time to weave in all the ends. It was an adventure!

My long-suffering, very supportive mom and sister came along with me. My sister has not read the series, so she was immune to the fangirling and acted as a calming presence. We walked into Powell’s Books and a few people turned to look at us, possibly because of the bright red cape I was wearing. Then I did a double take and nearly tripped over my own feet when I recognized one of the people as Marissa Meyer. I kept walking, trying not to make a fool out of myself. According to my mom, she was smiling at my cape.

Marissa Meyer and Kathryn Adara interviewed each other and talked about Heartless and the Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book. Kathryn Adara is actually a college student, how cool is that? And she’s a published illustrator now! The story behind the coloring book is that at the Stars Above launch party, at each tour stop, a reader brought a piece of a puzzle for Marissa, and at the end she assembled them to make an amazing picture of the Lunar Chronicles characters. Kathryn Adara organized all this. Later when the idea came up to make a Lunar Chronicles coloring book, Marissa said she had just the artist in mind…and her publishers were supportive of it being a fan artist, so they contacted Kathryn and I guess it went from there. I thought that was such a cool story, and very inspirational!

It’s such a pretty book, and very fun to flip through, although I’m too scared to actually color any of it. Marissa Meyer said her favorite illustration was the one of the menagerie; mine is the one of Cress! 😀 It’s such a beautiful book, Kathryn Adara did an amazing job. I can’t think of anyone else who could do the series credit.

When it came time for the actual book signing, I thought I was going to pass out. I felt like I made a pretty big fool out of myself, because I got flustered, but my mom and sister assured me it wasn’t as bad as I thought. 😛 Marissa Meyer was so sweet, as she always is to her readers, and asked me if I made my cape. To which I replied something eloquent like “yeah.” She asked if I was going to make a whole Scarlet costume to go along with it. I couldn’t make sense of this question, because it was not among the replies I had mentally practiced, so I mumbled out something like “maybe…haha…IjustwantedtodresslikeScarletcausefangirl” and scuttled away with my signed book.

Here it is! She personalized it!

The writing says “We’re all mad here,” which is of course a Lewis Carroll quote from the original Alice in Wonderland, and which appears in Heartless. 😀 It was an AWESOME book, although the ending made me cry, and I will totally be re-reading it sometime. There are so many awesome dresses and pastries described in it. Her writing is just so gorgeous!

It was so much fun, and I remain a huge fan of Marissa Meyer’s writing. I will read anything she writes. 😛 For any followers out there looking for book recommendations, I can’t recommend The Lunar Chronicles highly enough!

-deep breath from fangirling-

Hope you all had a good start to the week, and I’ll see you soon for more fangirling! 🙂