Greetings LIVE from the Seattle Public Library! Here's me and Bartlett hanging out RIGHT NOW AS I BLOG THIS on the 3rd floor of this architectural wonder! (Live blogging from the library, taking silly photos with my iPhotoBooth!):

I was up at 6 a.m. to get ready for my drive to EINSTEIN MIDDLE SCHOOL in Shoreline, WA.

I spoke to several classes about how I became a writer, how GOOD ENOUGH got published, and well, I can't remember what else. I just babbled away, showed them how to make Spam sushi rolls, and played my violin. They laughed at my jokes, so I think that qualifies as a successful visit! Seriously, the students were totally awesome. They were well-behaved considering they had to sit on the floor for TWO HOURS. No pillows! I was very impressed! Anyway, it was awesome to meet more cool students. I've been really blown away by how all the students at all the schools I've visited have been - everyone is so polite, sweet, and good natured, AND they all have been asking very good questions!

The librarians and teachers at Einstein Middle School were also really wonderful, and the librarians even made me coffee because I woke up so early! (They make EXCELLENT coffee at the Einstein Middle School library!) Here's a photo of the librarians, Cheryl from Third Place Books, Einstein, and I below...

Third Place Books was the bookstore sponsoring this visit, and if you're interested in supporting another great local independent bookseller, visit their link here:

http://www.thirdplacebooks.com

Afterwards, I had the best. Chinese. Szechuan. Beef. Noodle. Soup. Ever. Along with the GREATEST pork dumplings and scallion pancakes at this little hole-in-the-wall-hidden-treasure restaurant called Szechuan Noodle Bowl in Seattle's Chinatown.

This noodle shop was recommended by an old friend of mine (we sat next to each other once in the Yale Symphony Orchestra!). His name is ERIC LIU, and you might recognize him below as a former Clinton speechwriter and "Generation X" spokesperson over the years... he was on the cover of NEWSWEEK Magazine back in 1994. The article was entitled, "The Myth of Generation X: Seven Great Lies about 20somethings." He's the author of several books, including "The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker," and his latest books, "The True Patriot" (with Nick Hanauer) and "Guiding Lights: How to Mentor and Find Life's Purpose." He currently writes (he's working on a new book) and heads the Guiding Lights Network. For more info, go to the website at: http://www.guidinglightsnetwork.com/ Eric will be a guest blogger soon, so stay tuned!

Here's a picture of me and Eric - we haven't seen each other in YEARS, so it was a nice reunion!

After lunch, Eric suggested I hang out at the SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. He is on their board, and is very proud of how the Seattle Central Library branch was turned into this gorgeous architectural wonder by renowned designer/architect Rern Koolhaas. It's this 11-story glass and steel beauty and it opened in 2004. Here's Bartlett gawking at this architectural miracle:

I have been spending the past few hours inside this beautiful library because I LOVE LIBRARIES!!!! I could live here, this is how much I love this building! My heart belongs to my other favorite local libraries - the Los Angeles Central Library and the Beverly Hills library branch, but this Seattle Central Library is pretty awesome!

I stopped by the children's section and a very nice librarian named Betsy found my first book, SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low Books, 2005). So I autographed it and dedicated it to the children of Seattle Public Library!

Then I stopped by the teen section and a cool librarian named Beth found GOOD ENOUGH and let me autograph it!

Here I am with my autographed book at the teen section of the library!

Before I went to sit down and blog all this, guess what I found? MY BROTHER'S BOOK! (His debut YA novel from Delacorte, 2005's "GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST" by David Yoo. A huge guest blog from my brother later when his next novel from Hyperion hits stores later this year. Stay tuned for that!)

Finally, I wanted to add that I gave a book signing at ALL FOR KIDS BOOKS & MORE in the University Village area of the University of Washington neighborhood. I had a lot of fun and I'll post more on that soon - Chauni Haslet, the owner of this beautiful store, has had hundreds of children's and middle grade and YA book authors and illustators sign the walls of her store. I get to sign the wall later this week - and what an honor! I'll post more pictures and details on this in a future blog and picture gallery, but for now here's a glimpse of the famous WALLS of this bookstore:

Now it's time to finish my iced mocha (there's a cafe right next to the study carrels and you are allowed to drink in the library as long as your cup is covered!). Then I'm off to visit my old boss, an editor from THE SEATTLE TIMES, where I worked as an intern way back in 1992-93.

I'll post more live blogs later this weekend and I'll be in OHIO next week. I'll also post some official picture galleries, probably when I return to LA on May 14th, so you can see a lot more cool photos of my tour (and really really cool photos of this library!).

FINALLY... before I go, I wanted to alert everyone to something very cool... my good friends David and Greg own a beautiful restaurant called CAFE MUSE in Royal Oak, Michigan. I knew them when I used to live in Detroit and write for The Detroit News back in 1993-95. I'm so proud of their success with this restaurant. Greg is an amazing gourmet chef. Anyway, Greg's gourmet grilled cheese sandwich was voted one of the "Best Sandwiches in America" by Esquire Magazine. OPRAH herself is a huge fan of their food, so David, Greg, and the Cafe Muse Grilled Cheese Sandwich are going to be featured on OPRAH's show this Friday May 9th so WATCH IT!!!!

Here's the link: OPRAH'S SANDWICH SHOWDOWN airs Friday May 9th. Check your local listings. 

And if you are from Michigan, definitely visit CAFE MUSE! I'll also have David and Greg be guest bloggers soon, too!

Hmmm, okay now I'm really hungry... more blogging soon, but now I'm going to daydream about this Cafe Muse Grilled Cheese Sandwich...