I Saw John Lithgow! And a few others…

John Lithgow was actually yesterday. He presented his latest book on the Uptown Stage, which is right next to our booth. He gave a great talk, delivered in his most engaging manner, and he was mobbed afterward. Matt Kimple, a fellow VerveStar author manning the booth with me, leaped up and joined the fray. The kid’s a real freak for 3rd Rock from the Sun. Flushed with triumph, he returned with a phone full of bad pictures and an autographed book.

Now it’s Day Two at the BEA at the Javits Center in NYC. Celebrity authors are everywhere. This morning I unexpectedly found myself face-to-face with Dee Wallace. For a moment I just sort of froze, then fumbled for my phone. “Excuse me,” I stammered as I clicked away, “I’m a fan.” She was very warm and willing to talk to me. Even asked my name.

Michael Moore had the stage today. Of all his projects, the thing I remember most is a segment he did on his TV show called “Johns for Justice.” In fact, I think of it every time I’m in a public place like the Javits Center where long lines are persistently queued up at women’s restrooms. After a spot-on commentary about this chronic situation, he went around the country with a long, flatbed truck outfitted with a double row of port-a-potties so women wouldn’t have to wait. I wish he had that thing parked here now!

Matt spotted Florence Henderson earlier. Took a pic with her and sent it to his mom. Apparently she was a big fan of The Brady Bunch.

Then there’s this character in a gold lamé suit, a tall crown on his head, and a huge clock hanging around his neck. He’s walked past several times now with an entourage. I didn't take a picture because, after all, lots of folks do weird things to promote their books at the BEA. I'm using a photo found online. But the last time he walked by, Matt was here. “Do you know who that is?” he breathed in awe. I didn’t. “It’s FlavaFlav!”

“Oh, my goodness!” I suitably acknowledged, then quickly texted my son-in-law who runs The Guitar Center in Montgomery. So far he hasn’t responded, so if you don’t know who FlavaFlav is, there’s nothing more I can tell you.

Stay tuned to see who I see tomorrow…

Will I see you at the BEA?

Only a few more days now! The VerveStar folks, Nick Delarosa and Miranda Spigener, are leaving Friday to set up Booth # 4885. As I run through the ranks of literary blogs, I find quite a few of you gathering your stuff to go.

There will be five of us debuting at the VerveStar booth this year: Mary Odle Fagan (that’s me!), Coco Mayor, Matthew Scott Kimple, Franklin Murdock, and Jahnavi Foster. My big media day will be Wednesday, but I’ll be cruising the Javits Center the rest of the time seeing how many of you I can find.

Tending to all the details just for my part makes me wonder how on earth Nick and Miranda are getting it together for all five of us. Sometimes I find emails that were sent at 4 AM! Sure hope they at least get some sleep on the plane. Can’t thank them enough for their Herculean efforts.

See you in NYC!

I might actually see JANE LYNCH at the BEA!

When publicist Miranda Spigener texted me that Jane Lynch would be at the Book Expo America in NYC I got very excited. She’ll be appearing on the Uptown Stage at the Javits, right across from the VerveStar booth! How perfect is that?

No, I haven’t been following Jane on Glee. I liked her best when she was typecast all over TV Land as a psychologist. She was so perfect in that role: always unflappable no matter how outrageous the confessions of her patients, and always ready with an acerbic one-liner.

Her credits are way more varied than that, of course. In one show I found her singing with a country music group. Only now have I learned she’s a regular voice on Phineas and Ferb, of all things, and even did a gig on Shrek. And I LOVE her commercials. A limo cat? Seriously.

No doubt she’s enjoying Glee much more than shrinking for the stars, most notably Two and a Half Men. For one thing, it’s catapulted her into well-deserved celebrity. For another, well…why keep trying to analyze Charlie Sheen?

You rock, Jane!