Some people dream of meeting their favorite actor, musician, or athlete.
Bookworms? Their rock stars are authors.
I first met Mary Kay Andrews (FYI, that’s a pen name…her real name is Kathy) back in the Savannah days. You can read my blog post about it HERE. All you really need to know is that I’ve read every single one of her books and she literally makes me laugh out loud.
If you haven’t read MKA and want to, start with Hissy Fit. It was my very first MKA book and remains my favorite.
We’ve stayed in touch on Facebook over the years so when I heard she was going on a book tour to celebrate the release of her new book, I knew I had to find a way to see her.
A few weekends ago I threw the Howell crew in the swagger wagon and we headed to Gaithersburg, MD for the Gaithersburg Book Festival.
Spoiler Alert: It was rainy and nasty and cold. And my hair rebelled like nobody’s business. BUT it was totally worth it because I got to hear my favorite rock star speak.
In her books she portrays her heroines as spunky and funny as hell. And in person? Yeah, she’s the exact same person. Funny, sassy, slightly inappropriate, and kind. My spirit animal.
She invited us back to her hotel to catch up and we ended up going to dinner. Conversation touched on subjects such as Donald Trump, Savannah, the military, fathers, and wine. The usual. 🙂 She could handle all five of my maniacs and that’s a BIG plus in my book. See what I did there? Hahaha!
My favorite part of the whole experience was watching her invite the girls to take off their shoes and jump on her hotel bed. And then she joined in.
What an incredible human being.
Thanks for being you, Kathy. Thank you for rescuing me from scary days when I just needed an escape from reality and your characters were just the thing to help me white knuckle it through a deployment or a not so great day.
Thank you for making me laugh and giving me the gift of your books. And your company. The Howells love you!!!
xoxo
S
Best.Story.Ever!
Sounds like a ton of fun…..oh, that baby…she is adorable as are all the girls!
Wonderful story and beautiful memories!! I love her books as well and am anxiously awaiting her newest to arrive – I think I will have it tomorrow. Love hearing stories like this! Thank you for sharing!!
What a joy! I saw the video on Instagram and loved it. My favorite author is Madeleine L’Engle and I got a chance to meet her at a retreat almost twenty years ago now — a life highlight, for sure. {{{hugs}}}
What a neat experience for y’all. I love her books and I too like Hissy Fit best so far. I need to get the newest book now and settle down for a good day of reading an entertaining book!!
That’s incredible! What an awesome day! She sounds wonderful! The girls are getting SO BIG!!
What a joy! There are many children’s book authors that are my rockstars! I am so happy that you have gotten to build a relationship with one of yours!
This makes me love her even more!!
jumping on the bed with the kids is the best thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s just about the best thing ever! And such a unique experience to get to hang out with your mom’s favorite author. Your girls will always remember that.
So seriously cool – I can’t imagine. I haven’t read Hissy Fit but now,I’ll have to. Summer Rental – really liked that best so far. Yay! I’m so happy for you!
She sounds like good people. I’ll have to check out some of her books, they sound right up my alley.
What?? Ummm, she sounds like my kind of lady, too!! I’m off to start binge-reading her books! So fun that you got to meet AND hang out with her!!
Best ever. I LOVE MKA. What a brilliant experience for your girls.
O….M….G!!! That is so amazing and I am so jealous!! I love her books!! Just finished The Weekenders!
Sounds like such a cool experience!
Stephanie, I have been reading your blog for years. Every time you share a book list or recommend an author, I take your advice. Yesterday I picked up Hissy Fit at the bookstore. I have to say, I cannot put it down. Thank you..
I am also reading A Paris Apartment, but that is taking me forever to read.
xo Missy
Wow? That is a story and a half. So cool! I really like her books too, and now I think she is a very cool lady!
What a great story! So awesome to hear how you all have connected. I had to come back to this post and report that I read Hissy Fit and LoVeD it. I’m pretty sure this is going to result in me falling down a fun MKA reading binge for a bit. Perfect summer reads!