Skeptically

Daniel Handler is my new literary boyfriend. It came as a surprise to me too. I will not deny, he is not my usual literary lover of the now: too dark, too foreboding, too not the garden party and floral dresses that is my literary life. Plus, I was never a fan of Lemony Snicket.

Then, with one night, one wheel, and one chapter, I was a changed girl.

It began, as all great romances do, at a book store. My defenses slowly crumbled when he skimmed over his crowded surroundings. His fingers danced between clenching and fiddling as he seemed to build an exit strategy. I love a nervous author as much as I love a good exit strategy. An author who truly wants others to enjoy his words. He just wants to share! Give him a chance! My inner nice self whined. My inner mean self decided that I would wait 10 minutes before embarking on my own exit strategy - the children's books display.

I never checked my watch. So nice! So personable! So witty! He was the poster child of all that I want from my authors. So down to earth! So just one of the gang! I was in the middle of my love affair before I knew that it had begun. Maybe it was the wheel of choice that bewitched me? Maybe it was his clever use of repetition that hypnotized me? Maybe it was my need for a new good book that got me. I was in love. I was in love with a man and his book.