My Town Monday: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

And here we are again--another My Town Monday post!

We're back in Hollywood. Fair warning--I crammed so much into my recent weekend away in LA/Hollywood/Beverly Hills that I could write SEVERAL My Town Monday posts on this area!

Today, we're at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (circa 1927) where I dragged Famous Author and Newbery Winner Susan Patron and Mary Hayward, Employee Extraordinaire of the Yellow Book Road (the children's indie bookstore near me in San Diego).

Susan and Mary were uber helpful and patient as we poked around the hotel, doing research for Sherry's fourth adventure, I So Don't Do Famous. I can be quite embarrassing and relentless with my camera (after all, I'll need all sorts of details for the book and have a memory like a sieve), but they were good-natured and helpful about it. We had A LOT of fun.

me, Mary Hayward, Susan Patron (The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky Breaks and other wonderful books)

In this photo, we're lunching at 25 Degrees (a 24/7 restaurant at the Roosevelt). Here's the description from the hotel website: "....whose name refers to the temperature difference between a medium rare and well-done burger, has a playful 'Bordello meets Burger Bar attitude..."

Is the Roosevelt haunted?

Apparently so. Marilyn Monroe's spirit lives in a mirror there, and she occasionally dances in the ballroom. Montgomery Clift plays his bugle on the 8th floor. Also, there are a couple of room with ghosts.

Guess what the staff at the front desk did?

THEY DIMMED THE LOBBY LIGHTS AND TOLD US HOTEL GHOST STORIES! It was wild!

Will the Hollywood Roosevelt be featured in I So Don't Do Famous?

Oh, I think so.

Click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. (Thanks Clair for hosting) Also, if you're even mariginally thinking about writing a My-Town-Monday post, please do! Fair warning, though, it's addictive! Write your post, then leave a comment here and we'll link to you.

Please check back Wednesday when I'll be hosting The Book Review Club. We have some great reads lined up!

Sources:
http://www.hollywoodroosevelt.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Hotel_(Hollywood)

SUSAN PATRON NEWS!

SUSAN PATRON

YELLOW BOOK ROAD BOOKSTORE

(7200 Parkway Drive, La Mesa CA) 

SATURDAY MARCH 28 @ 11:00 - 12:30

MEET AND GREET THE AUTHOR

AND POWER POINT PRESENTATION

                                   Author Susan Patron, winner of the John Newbery Medal 

                                   (She is not blurry in person!)

 Come and meet my new BFF, Susan Patron. I'll be there too. Seriously, if you're going, email me or phone me or something, so we can meet up. It'll be fun! You can find out the connection between Susan Patron and a pink dog, sea urchins and Charlotte's Web.

I know it's last minute, but how often do you (and your kids) get the chance to rub shoulders with a Newbery winner? And because I actually did rub shoulders with her yesterday, tomorrow I'm rubbing her head. She's very nice; I don't think she'll mind.

                                             Ooooh. We can meet by this very wall!

Susan Patron

Susan Patron, Author Extraordinaire and Winner of the Newbery Medal!

Yesterday I made a new BFF.

She may not have realized it, but I emailed her the url for this post, so she'll know soon enough.

My new BFF is SUSAN PATRON. She is the author of The Higher Power of Lucky which won the John Newbery Medal in 2007. The sequel, Lucky Breaks, was released recently. Susan is writing the third book in this middle-grade trilogy. If you haven't yet read The Higher Power of Lucky, you truly should; it'll be one of your best reads this year.

I went to the Yellow Book Road (San Diego's indie children's book store) to loan Susan my projector for her powerpoint. Really I went to hang out with her and chat and fawn and follow her around and listen to her presentation. The projector was a great excuse.

Here are some reasons why you, too, would like to have Susan Patron as your new BFF:
-She is a very interesting speaker. I learned enough about her to want to learn more.
-She is gracious and thoughtful and respectful.
-Children love her.
-She is incredibly creative.
-She has an excellent sense of humor. Excellent.
-She has a dog that turns pink. She does not eat sea urchins. Charlotte's Web convinced her to become a writer. I'd like to say this is insider BFF info, but actually you could learn all about these details if you get a chance to hear her speak.

So, Susan Patron, I absolutely loved meeting you. I think we should plan a slumber party soon. We'll stay up all night eating junk food, doing each other's makeup and watching DVDs.

Me and Susan Patron. I do not know why I forget to push up my glasses. Bottom line is I need new frames. Cuter frames. With staying power.


Mary Hayward, co-owner of the Yellow Book Road bookstore and Susan Patron, Wonderful Author and Newbery Winner

Mary is also my BFF. Right, Mary?!

The following is fairly off topic, BUT I keep forgetting to take care of it. So.... a huge thank-you to Mary Hayward and Kristin Baranski (co-owners of the Yellow Book Road) who have highlighted I So Don't Do Mysteries on their store's website. Right here.

SCIBA Dinner or FUN IN PASADENA!

Guess who this is? My FAVORITE picture book author, EVE BUNTING. Oh, yes, and me with a dorky smile. This picture has convinced me that it's time to get new glasses!

Random House sent me to the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association's Children's Book & Literacy Dinner. Wow, that is a mouthful. The dinner (delish, especially the tiramisu) was last Saturday evening and in Pasadena. Miracle #1: I actually found Pasadena! Despite my scary and dangerous lack of sense of direction, I bravely hopped behind the wheel with my nav, a google map and a AAA map and set off all by myself to find Pasadena and, even trickier still, the Westin Hotel's underground parking. I will not tell you how many concerned calls I got on my cell, while I motored up the highway in the rain. Obviously, people do not have much faith! HOWEVER, I made it in plenty of time and even managed to stop in Chino (the city that smells like manure) at the hugest WalMart for a licorice treat.


This is just a general shot of the reception before the dinner. There was a tall yummy MOUNTAIN of cheese. I met some very cool authors including fellow Delacorte Press Author Naomi Hirahara. Naomi didn't realize that I'd been somewhat stalking her for a while via Mystery Writers of America. We'll just keep it a secret on this blog. Anyway, besides her adult mysteries plus other stuff, she's written a terrific middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes.

Other authors I met and chatted with: the hilarious and insightful Lisa Yee (this is a link to her blog), the incredibly energetic Michael Reisman, Newbery winner Susan Patron (altho I didn't realize who I was talking to at the time! Yikes!) and the calming, Zen-like Hope April Smith (sorry, I couldn't find a link) and the best emcee in the world Pam Munoz Ryan. She also has great hair.

There were lots of other authors (one per dinner table, miracle #2: I did not spill anything), but those were the ones I managed to talk with. I can say that I was definitely the giddy, wide-eyed new kid on block. I had a A LOT of fun chatting with booksellers, librarians, and teachers. I hope they had fun too.

Thank you Random House for this great opportunity. Thank you Mary from The Yellow Book Road who helped set this up and who brought me a brand-new hardback copy of The Wednesday Surprise. Thank you Jennifer Bigelow, SCIBA organizer who made me feel so welcome and told me how much she liked me. Thank you to all the super friendly booksellers, librarians and teachers. Somehow, I don't think this post has managed to capture the fun and excitement of the evening. But, truly, I would participate again in a heartbeat. And I might try the vegetarian meal next time.

Miracle #3: On Sunday, I made it all the way to Irvine for water polo (Child #2 and Child #3).



The Wednesday Surprise is my favorite picture book and my favorite Eve Bunting picture book in the entire world. I cannot read it without tearing up. It is that good. You will love it. If you don't already.



Last, but certainly not least, here's a super delightful book review of I So Don't Do Mysteries on A Maze and a Maraca BY NINE YEAR OLD WINNIE! She must be a child genius!