Revenge of the Star Survivors was then just an unsold manuscript. But when it finally became a book, one of the nicest endorsements it received was from ... the New York Public Library, which put it on their list of recommended middle-grade fiction. "Character-driven, Fast-paced, Realistic fiction, Witty," they said.
Which meant a whole lot to me, and to the book. As I told the VideoFest crowd: It's one thing to get a nice review. But when the librarians at one of the greatest libraries in the world give you a shout-out -- people pay attention. I also thought that Clark and his friends, who spend a lot of time in their library, would think it was totally awesome.
So when I was back in New York this spring, a couple of months after the book was published, I made it a point to stop by and see whether I could find the book on the shelf. It turns out, I was able to make the trip with my editor, Kelly Loughman of Holiday House, whose kindness and wisdom shaped the book into something much better than I could have accomplished on my own.
When we arrived, I had a double surprise.
First, the book was right there, on the shelf, almost as soon as we walked in. So that was exciting.
Second, the librarian at the desk -- and I am pretty certain I caught a glimpse of her in Ex Libris, singing "Old MacDonald" to toddlers -- enthusiastically greeted us and pulled out this beautiful ledger filled with signatures of all the authors who have appeared at the NYPL. She let me be one of them.
She also encouraged me to sign the library's copy of the book.
And that's what's happening in the photo. I don't know if you can really tell, but I have a funny look on my face -- in that photo, and the one below. Why?
Well, that's the look of an author who is fighting back tears. Because I spent a lot of years assuming that Clark, Ricki, Les and the rest of the Star Survivors crew were going to live only in my head. When I saw them in the New York Public Library, I realized -- they belong to the world now. To you, if you're reading this.
It was a happy feeling.
And that's the story of the photo.
Thanks, NYPL.