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To be honest, I had low expectations for GG. I'd heard mixed things before I turned on my DVR this morning, but an hour later I am hooked! Characters are well established; Manhattan locations are on-point (Serena and Nate hooking up at the Campbell Apartment--classic!); drama is firmly in place. I cannot wait for the second episode. The clincher was that I got a little nostalgic when I met Chuck. Anyone else agree with me that the new Steff is in town?

James Spader as "Steff" in Pretty in Pink, 1986:

Ed Westwick as "Chuck" in Gossip Girl, 2007:

PS-Check out my interview about Violet on the Runway with The Urban Muse, and leave a comment if you like it!

So I'm back in my hometown for a few book events, and I'm feeling totally nostalgic. Hanging out with my mom, driving down Franklin Street, listening to G105 (which, I swear, still has some of my 90s high school music in rotation)... sigh. Anyway, I spoke to members of the Carolina Association of Future Magazine Editors tonight (thanks, LaToya and Cassandra!), and it was great to hear their questions--they were awesome. So many people discourage college students who want to become writers, which is silly. You can totally make a career of it. I swear.

Thanks, Daily Tarheel, for publicizing the event... (but Violet is actually from North Carolina--don't worry, the NY Post made the same mistake!).

Events this week:
September 20, 2007 4:00 PM-I'm reading and signing books at the East Regional Library in Knightdale! My college roommate and good friend Kathleen is a super librarian there!

Friday, September 21, 2007 7:00 PM-I'm reading at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham with Elizabeth Scott, author of the fantastic novel Bloom.

And I'm also totally stopping by my senior year English teacher's class at CHHS. Ms. Oliver, get ready!

Okay, so not only is she Mrs. Christopher Knight, but she's also the winner of season one of America's Next Top Model. So I feel like she has a kinship to Violet on the Runway, right? I'm stretching, but bear with me. I look so short in this photo, but I'm 5'8". AC is TALL and TAN. And I'm tweaking my head in a super-geeky way. We met at a Tourneau party. You know the watch company? I don't own a watch, but I do have one of the Marc Jacobs bauble-on-a-chain clocks, which counts, right?

Life imitates art as Violet on the Runway gets a Page Six mention today--under the headline "Beauties, Beware" no less!

Is it dorky to be excited that my name is bolded? I know it is, but indulge me.

GHQ is a pretty cool project. What they're saying: "We all know that being a girl is great. But there is a ton of pressure for young women in Generation Y to be perfect: we are supposed to be star scholars, the best athletes, amazing girlfriends, pretty, witty, and just plain flawless. Yet, at the same time, young women are stereotyped as being dumb, narcissistic, and apolitical. So what's going on?"

Indeed! Check out the smart blogging that's going on over there.

(And they wrote nice things about Violet on the Runway, too.)

And no, not just because they say Violet on the Runway is hot. (I mean, that's cool and all but ym and I have been down for years.)

Still, check it out: ym.com knows what's up.

It's out now! I even saw it at a Barnes and Noble in Poughkeepsie this weekend (and I signed those babies!). See the photo on the left; Violet's the tall one, natch.

You are still my friend if you don't buy it, but I'm not gonna lie: I'd really love for you (and everyone you know--even remotely) to buy it.

To find it in a local bookstore near you, visit booksense.com. And if you're not really a bookstore visitor, just go to melissacwalker.com and click on the amazon link. Thank you!!

Yay! What is arguably the coolest magazine on the newsstand has reviewed VIOLET (and they liked it, too).

Here it is. I'm psyched. Key quote: "Violet on the Runway is a must read for any preteen or teenage girl who has ever considered a modeling career."

Thanks, Amber!

I'm reading this book by Elizabeth Scott, and I absolutely adore it. You know how sometimes you read something and it just flows so naturally and feels so real that it's like your best friend is telling you her life story? That's what this book is like. Seriously great.

Bloom.

This week I had the chance to have lunch with Marianne Mancusi, whose prolific works are completely intimidating!

Luckily, she herself is not--she's awesome. We share a publishing house and an editor, and she gave me great insight and advice. Yay for friendly writers!

PS-Her latest book, Moongazer, is out in like 3 days. SF Scope called it "The Matrix and Snow Crash with a bit of Blade Runner thrown into the mix." So hello--go get it!

It's here--the August issue! There's an excerpt of Violet on the Runway on page 172. I am beyond excited. Two other fun books, Breakfast at Bloomingdale's, by Kristen Kemp, and Girl of the Moment, by Lizabeth Zindel, are excerpted also.

You can even enter to win a free copy of the book here. Yay! Happy Fourth of July!

PS-If you're a local bookstore fan, find these books at an independent store near you at booksense.com.