I could write you pages and pages about the time I spent at the Montreuil Children’s book festival, but since I’m on KILLER DEADLINE I will just pop photos in with a few captions. Montreuil is on the eastern edge of Paris, and this book fair was THE HUGEST THING I’VE EVER BEEN TO. As in, massive. Here we go…

Here I am at the opening night cocktail party. Note...coat is off because it is BOILING in the convention center. My date was a very cute politics professor from Canada who I met at PAF.

A view of a tiny itsy bitsy corner of one floor of the book fair.

Opening night cocktail party madness. Again...just one tiny corner. Best part of the party was when some random woman came up and gave my date enthusiastic cheek-kisses and then realized she didn't know him from Adam.

Dinner with my editors Chloe Moncomble and Anne Blanchard, my translator Marie Cambolieu, and writers Malorie Blackman and Amelie Sarn. Did I remember to take a photo of them? No. I took a photo of my eggplant-cardamom crepe instead.

Here is the VIP room on Saturday. This is a stealth photo (that's why it's blurry) because you're usually not supposed to take pics in VIP rooms. Something about respecting people's privacy, blah blah. 🙂 This is the room where I ran into Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs, as well as CJ Daugherty. VIP rooms are the best for running into people (and for free coffee and snacks).

Did I mention how excruciatingly hot it was? I was in a sleeveless dress and I was sweating. The poor guy who had to sign books wearing the mouse suit should have been given an award or something. Like a knighthood.

Amelie Sarn, my editor Chloe Moncomble, and Malorie Blackman before our signing.

Amelie, me and Malorie before our signing.

Me signing books. I brought UNTIL I DIE and IF I SHOULD DIE to show the French readers what was coming next. (UNTIL I DIE will be in French Jan 2013 and IF I SHOULD DIE June 2013.)

Amelie hanging with Anne Blanchard (DIE FOR ME's editor) and Chloe (the Big Boss)

Two of my French readers, Morgane and Blandine at the signing. Morgane is the one who did the awesome fingernail art in my ARC contest.

Me with French fan Laetitia who I already loved for coming to all my signings, but love even more now because she brought me chocolate!

I heart my readers and my French publishing team at Milan Jeunesse/Macadam!

This is totally cracking me up. I was doing research on dangerous currents in the Seine, and found this in a BBC article about the Seine’s river police:

The Brigade Fluviale know the Seine better than anybody else, particularly its dangerous currents which can suddenly pin a diver to the bottom or sweep them far downstream.

Pascal Jacquin Police diver

For Mr Jacquin, his morning swim is a way of understanding the river and renewing his relationship with it.

“[It’s] like communion with the river, she lets me be with her,” he says.

“You have to keep up with the river because it’s what we work with and we need to know what she feels today.

“She’s like a woman, you have to care about her, you have to feed her, you have to touch her – we need to know her mood today.”

That might just be the best thing I’ve read so far this year. And mainly because it reminds me of about 10 French guys off the top of my head. (Including Pepé Le Pew.)

CHEESE-TASTIC!!!

The story is addictive, you feel the need to read more. Even after you finish the book your left thinking what’s going to happen now? It’s your own way to get out of reality, even for just a moment. It’s like heart is hanging by a thread. When your in the process of reading the story you just want to scream. You have mixed emotions you want your life to be just like Kate’s but then you don’t, and you wonder if the amount of love in this book really exists. People say no but then you finally realize the love you feel for the characters, for the story line, for the whole book. Is that kind, it is as strong, it’s addictive.

I love this by Stephanie Ehmann from Canada!

I followed him for what felt like forever, every turn, and every circle. You would have thought being a Revenant he would be more careful about being followed. He kept stopping at this one Cafe and staring. About the third time we passed the Cafe he turned and spotted me. Our eyes met, then he turned and just went back to walking. So I went on to following him again. We continued down the block until he turned down an ally way. It was then I knew he was on to me. The urge kicked in after that. Oh why did it have to kick in now? I looked around, no sight of him. The urge was getting stronger.

Next thing I knew, I was on the floor moaning. He had hit me on the head, hard.

“Who are you, and why are you following me?” he asked. Before I could answer he picked me up of the floor and threw me to the wall. I prepared for impact, but landed on my feet instead.

“A Numa, here to kill me then Mon Cherie?” Hate filled his eyes.

“My name is Arianna. Yes I am Numa. But I’m not here to kill you, I’m here to ask for help,” she answered.

“Numa asking for help? Unlikely.” He once again reached for my caller to throw me again. But this time I beat him to it and ducked, pulling out my mothers’ old knife. I pleaded once again.

“Please! Kill me if you want, I just can’t stand it anymore!” She cried.
“That’s what you wanted, to be killed?” He seemed kinda concerned.

“So very much. The urge is too much for me, I don’t want to kill innocent people my whole life!” Tears ran down her cheeks. After a few seconds she threw her knife to the ground.

He considered this for a little while, thinking about the situation.

“How long have you lived, since you first died?” he stood up straight.

“One year and I know what you’re going to ask next. I’ve killed 6 people.” Arianna looked to the floor, ashamed for the damage she’d done.

“Why did you have to come to a Revenant then if your wish is to die?” he asked.

“None of the others would help me, they said the killing would grow on me.” She replied.

He threw his head back and laughed, then he was quiet. What were his thoughts she wondered. Would he decide to kill me?

“I should just leave you to live a miserable life.”

“Would you be so cruel to leave me this way? Do you want me to kill more people?” she replied back.

He just stood there quiet, once again saying nothing. So she continued.

“What if I tell you where they are hiding that special Revenant?”

That sparked his interest. His head went up almost instantly. Then he went to grab her and push her against the wall again.

“You’re going to tell me anyway!” he almost screamed it at her. Well she could do some screaming of her own.

“Or else what?! You going to kill me?!” she shrieked.

She had him now. He let her go then, and he collapsed to the floor in what Arianna thought was shame. She left him just lay there for a moment. Then she walked to his side and crouched down to his level.

“I make you a deal. I’ll tell you everything I know, if when I’m done you’ll put me to rest. That sound alright to you?” she said.

She knew he would take the deal. The others told her they had no leads, to him this was a deal of a lifetime. He nodded then and stood up.

“Seems fair.” He said. Then they started toward Jean-Bapitistes’ house, or so he called it, when a thought occurred to her.

“I never did catch your name.”

He smiled. “The name’s Jules.”