What a crazy wonderful week it has been! I’ve bought some new books I’m chomping at the bit to read, and finally got a chance to go out and celebrate my book deal with my boyfriend. He took me out to a Brazilian steak house in San Jose. I’d never been to anything like it, and it was a very unique dining experience. It’s all you can eat, and they have cold cuts (everything from mozzarella to palm hearts) and salad laid out on a buffet table, but then the meats are carried around by waiters on large skewers. Any restaurant that does all-you-can-eat steak-on-a-stick is good in my book. I’m such a carnivore, I had about five different small steaks sliced off of their giant fire-roasted skewers and sausage to boot. Zaq pretty much sat there with his salad and a bit of chicken. He loves me, and humors me so wonderfully…

We’d also gone thrift shopping earlier in the day, which was great fun. I got a knitted hat from Italy for a few bucks, and this crazy-colorful dress that looks at least Indian-inspired.

Zaq also took me out to Inside Out, because I have lots of feelings and he knew I’d absolutely love that movie. Which I did. He’d already seen it, but he sat through it and got all emotional with me even on the second time through. If you haven’t seen it yet, go. I defy you to show me another children’s movie that so adeptly explains the idea of catharsis and illustrates so clearly what developmental psychologists think happen in that big mush of pink we have in our heads.

Cheesecake. There was also cheesecake involved. I went out for cheesecake the first time I ever wrote a novel, so I thought it would be poetic (and delicious) to go out for cheesecake to celebrate the first time I ever sold a novel. Zaq and I held hands over the table the whole time we waited for dessert. We must have looked disgustingly sweet, and I would like to publicly apologize for being that adorable in public.

The best part of the day though was when we got off our feet and flopped onto the bed to talk about the book deal. I read through the Author Document my publisher had sent me, full of information about what was going to happen as we go through the process of publishing my first book. I talked to Zaq all about my marketing ideas and strategies for how to augment my publisher’s marketing campaign for The Neverland Wars. I talked to him about my sequel, and how I was going to progress it into a trilogy. He listened with wide eyes and a big smile. We took turns making squees! of excitement, and we nestled down knowing that we are now in for a very big, very exciting ride.

Best day ever? Eh, maybe for now 🙂