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It had to do with this boy she was dating. One day he was out in the sunlight and members of her church noticed he was sparkling.

Let’s just say, vegan vampire boyfriends are not so popular in Baptist churches.

(Okay, sad coincidence, or is your website tracking my shopping habits!? My Anti-spam word is IKEA.)

Yay! WordGirl Guy! Allegedly he writes for YA, but… I’m still hung up on the WordGirl thing…

Sounds like this was really fun, Robin!

(And thank you for that explanation, Patrick. I feel like we’ve ALL learned something. No, I don’t know what — but something.)

Oh, great, Patrick. Now you’ve ruined the story for everyone. As usual, you are completely right.

Jules, when will anyone invite me to Tennessee? (Besides you, I mean.) I’ve never been there and know I should go!

Tanita, read Jack’s book. As much as you love WordGirl, you’re also going to love The Big Splash. It’s a middle grade novel written in the style of a 1940s noir detective story, and it is HILARIOUS.

It was Thursday. Robin waited patiently for the bus after school, not a single cloud in the sky.

“Hey, Robin,” said the tall slender boy.

“OMG! You startled me, Tom.” His name wasn’t Tom, but he was too polite to tell her.

“I just had to see you, Robin.” Tom leaned in close to Robin. His breath brushing softly against her cheek.

“But Tom, you shouldn’t be here.” Robin pulled her books to her chest.

“I just had to show you something,” said Tom. “I couldn’t wait. I. Couln’t. Wait.”

“Whoa, keep your pants on sailor!”

“Sorry,” said the sailor walking by. “Belt broke!” holding up the broken pieces of his belt buckle.

“Robin,” whispered Tom.

“Tom, aren’t you–”

“What, Robin?”

“Aren’t you–” Robin hesitated, her voice caught in her chest. She knew in her heart, but didn’t think she could speak.

“Say it, Robin!” His lips were almost touching her neck.

“A SENIOR?!?!” Robin thought her heart would explode when she said it.

“Oh, yeah,” said Tom. “My sister took my car and threw her bottle of glitter in my face. Look at me.”

Robin had just noticed his face. It sparkled in the afternoon sun. All this time she had been staring at his really white Nike sneakers wondering if they were new.

“Aaaiiieeeeee!” shreiked Tina, pointing at Tom. “He’s sparkling!!!! Robin’s dating a VAMPIRE!!!!!”

Robin, furious, spun around to face Tina. “Oh, yeah? Watch this! I’m dancing, too.”

Robin raised her arms, planted her right foot a little forward and gave a little booty shake, with a double fist pump.

Tina ran off to tell Pastor Bill…

*snerk* Patrick, you’re ghost writing my next novel, dude.

No prob, I’ll get right on that as soon as I sell my book.

Well, I’ll try to convince every librarian I meet to get you here. No kidding. I’ll be at the Tennessee Library Association conference this Friday, too. I’ll even be co-presenting about blawgs. I’ll evangelize the wonderfulness here, and maybe some librarian will bite.

Mwahahahahaha.

I love Patrick’s bizarro story.

Aw shucks…I’m getting all blushy, here…But Robin is being somewhat modest, as her passages were hilarious, and her church story stole the show (not by a small margin, either). I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but go see Robin read as soon as humanly possible…

P, I’ll check with you again. What do you think–next week?

Jules, yes! Do it! I’ll come!

Jack, thanks, but I heard me and I heard you, and I would rather hear you. Any day. So it’s lucky for me we were on the same panel, otherwise I would have had to leave my room to go hear you. Now stop arguing.

I think you should try to tackle Tim Green. Seriously! That would be a lot of fun for everyone to watch.

I just talked to someone yesterday who’s superpsyched that Tim Green will be there. I’m going to try a kibbying move on him–hoping you’ll tell me what to do, P.

Can’t make it to either, alas, but you’re speaking in Michigan at some point between April 15 and April 17, yes??? I will lure you there with vegan chocolate zucchini bread if I must!

And, as a Michigan girl born, bred, tried to get out, failed, and expecting the next job to be with the Greater Antarctica Public Library, I can give you lessons in how to live with 50 degrees and rain.

Elizabeth, I will happily take you up on both offers: Yes to the vegan chocolate zucchini bread (I hope you’re serious!) and yes to hints about how to dress, which means really how to pack. I want to do this whole thing in a carryon bag, and it’s sounding more and more like I need bulky winter clothes! Will plastic bags do instead?

Robin, the one thing I haven’t solved in making the chocolate zucchini bread entirely vegan is the eggs. I just haven’t found an egg substitute for baking that doesn’t give me mad texture issues. Do you have a preferred brand?

The good thing about MLA-Spring Insitite is that it’s all youth services librarians, who tend to be (in my experience) more casual than your typical librarians. No shushing here, in fact, first night of SI is always a mad karaoke party (for me, strictly a spectator sport). My favorite conference gear tends to be nice khakis with button-down shirts and my tennis shoes and cute socks if I have to be dressy, but at SI, jeans with library t-shirts and hoodies would probably go unnoticed. Except maybe that bit where they’ll make you eat up on a platform in front of people since you won an award.

The best egg substitute for regular baking is Ener-G. You can get it at places like Whole Foods. It’s a potato starch, of all things, and you add an appropriate amount of water (like 3 T for one “egg”) and no one will every know the difference. I make cookies with that all the time–see earlier posts re too many cookies–and no one ever knows they’re eggless.

Thanks for the clothing tip. I’ll work it out!

I know. The Cookie Gods know.

AS long as you can live with that karma.