It's true. I officially finished Mockingjay, the third and final installment in Suzanne Collins' trilogy The Hunger Games, at 4:56 am. I will give absolutely nothing away. I will just say that there are moments in a person's life when they are confronted with something more important than sleep. This is one of them.
But more important is how this day began...
Armed with a folding chair, an umbrella, my ARC of Catching Fire, and her droid, we sent Mer Bear to Books of Wonder at 3 pm.
She was first in line.
Meanwhile, after finishing up as much work as possible, Juju met me at FinePrint, and I left the office earlier than I have since...ever?
We ventured outside and took to the streets of Manhattan. Everyone new it was #Mockingjay Day. Streets were barricaded. Even the cops were out.
We stopped for sushi and brought some to the Mer Bear so she didn't starve.
And then we chatted it up with people in line.
We tried to keep dry when it rained.
And the whole time, Mer Bear kept reading Catching Fire...
Except for that one time...
When she tried to sneak into Books of Wonder.
Well, and that other time too.
And the whole time, the line kept growing. More people kept coming...
Even that crazy Joanna girl.
And Kody Keplinger was there...
Well, okay, not really. But she was there in spirit.
Even The Janet Reid showed up...
But she didn't let me take her picture.
Even The Janet Reid showed up...
But she didn't let me take her picture.
And then after all the waiting in the bitter cold, sleet, and snow (read: drizzle),
they let us inside.
Mer Bear was first in the I am new this phenomenon that is The Hunger Games and I did not pre-order my book line.
I did pre-order my book. Which mean, I was
Juju and Mer Bear were right behind me.
During the party, we ran into people in costume.
Best was the girl who dressed as Katniss Everdeen IN THE DRESS!
Yes.
The Wedding Dress.
We got our faces painted.
We had our tarot cards read.
We watched magic tricks and jugglers.
And we ran into that Joanna girl again.
We tried to win prizes.
Hunger Games keychains and mugs.
And SIGNED FIRST EDITION COPIES OF CATCHING FIRE.
My roommate won a keychain, the rest of us...
Did not.
While we waited, Mer Bear finished Catching Fire.
(And yes, she started it that day).
And then it was time for the main event.
We heard from THE EDITOR (also a fabulous author himself)
We heard from SUZANNE COLLINS!
And then, we got our books.
And got them stamped by Suzanne Collins.
(And yes, I reveled in the fact I was first...it was hard not to. Even though the position should have belonged to Mer Bear.)
This concludes my photo essay.
Now, I must sleep.