starstruck

in june of 2008, my sister and i took a week-long trip to paris, just the 2 of us.  she lugged 3 books across the atlantic in her carry-on, none of which i'd heard before and all by emily giffin: something borrowed, something blue, and love the one you're with.  she told me i HAD to start reading the pink book (something borrowed), but i was in the middle of something else, so said i would start it as soon as i was done.

i don't think i started sobo until one of our first nights in paris after a long day of sight-seeing, and by the end of the first chapter, i was hooked.  i would read once we were back at the hotel each night on vacation (alongside my sister who was equally addicted, reading soblue and then moving on to love the one you're with).  one night i actually stayed up until dawn to finish while she had fallen asleep with the green book at her side.  yes, it was that hard to put down.  and the second i finished sobo, i jumped into soblue.  i devoured it on our plane ride home.

right after our trip, i read love the one you're with, and have picked up all of giffin's novels to date, with baby proof as my favorite.  i think what i like about her books is that they are relationship-driven, which is my writing style, and she creates characters that are relatable and believable.  you could picture them walking down the street.  you could picture yourself being friends with them.  and the premise and themes of her books ask universal questions: is there a dealbreaker when it comes to love?  what happens when the one who got away comes back into your life?

fast forward to last week.  during my commute home, i noticed one of the digital billboards bearing emily giffin's name.  she's going to be here on november 3rd?  in my town?!  since i follow her on facebook, i knew she was currently in poland, so i googled it that night just to be sure.  apparently she would be the keynote speaker at a women's event in my area, talking about how she had made her writing dreams into reality.  i decided that i had to go and meet her and especially because i needed to hear what she had to say.

i was ridiculously excited all day, knowing i'd have the chance to meet emily tonight.  her speech was incredibly inspiring, and despite the hundreds of women there, it felt like an intimate conversation with a close girlfriend, the way she joked around and diverted to little stories from her personal life.  like the time her best friend, who was married with 3 kids, was in some kind of a funk, she wondered outloud what would have happened if she'd married her ex and moved to france to be with him.  later, when emily and her husband were in france, she convinced him to drive 2.5 hours west of paris to a tiny town with a "population of 42," finally confessing to him once they were there that she wanted to track down her best friend's "one who got away."  after emily's expert stalking (according to her, which even involved microfiche), they were able to find the ex's house.  she directed her husband to "point and shoot!" when she planned to knock on the door and ask for directions, feigning that they were lost.  both her bff's ex and his wife/lover had come to the door looking disheveled and emily's husband had done his job capturing it.  she called her best friend as soon as she was within cell phone range to tell her what she'd done, and had the pictures to prove it.  her best friend had started crying then, saying no one had ever done anything that nice for her before.

(it reminded me of my bff and the stories we tell each other, our musings, our discussions.  and i thought, i'd totally do something like that for her if i had the chance).

after her presentation, i went to the bathroom where emily happened to be, getting ready to go talk to the media.  i was so starstruck that it took me a few seconds to realize it was really her standing right next to me.  i didn't know what to say.  before i could decide what to do, she said hello and at least i had the good sense to manage a reply.

as we approached the book signing table, i became more and more nervous.  what the heck do i say to her?  would she take a picture with me?  i have never met an author before, especially one of my favorites.  my thoughts were racing and thankfully i had a friend there to calm me down.  for a writer (emily's definition of a 'writer' is anyone who writes or enjoys writing), meeting an author is equivalent to meeting your favorite actor/actress.  or your favorite musician.  or as my husband says, a favorite athlete or sports hero.

and then it was my turn and i was standing right in front of her.  i told her i loved all her books, baby proof being my favorite.  then i asked if something borrowed would be made into a movie, which she then asked if i meant something blue.  oops, of course that's what i meant!  i was just too excited, literally shaking, completely gushing.  and in the few minutes i had with her she seemed so... humble, and now i love her even more.  she even posed for a picture with me!

i was so elated afterwards that i hardly remembered the drive home, and once i was in the house i couldn't stop smiling, feeling charged.

so thanks emily, for sharing your stories with us and being a true inspiration.  and special thanks to my sister who introduced me to her writing in the first place!