I’m back!

(In an ephemeral and transitory sense of the word.)

(As in, I’m back until I leave again on Sunday.)

BUT, I’m happy to report that this last month has been really excellent and full of All Good Things.

Paper Valentine has been out for two months. Seriously you guys, I can’t even explain how grateful I am for all the reader-love it’s been getting, and how fantastic it was to talk to so many of you during the Breathless Reads tour.

(Just so you know, I love touring a LOT. I love meeting you guys, and I think it’s awesome that Penguin sends me out with other authors, because it’s basically like a weeklong book club/sleepover/dance-party with friends, only every day we get to meet a whole bunch of new people who love reading as much as we do!)

Also, pretty much as soon as I came home, I got to go to Norway with D. Which is, no joke, literally the first time I’ve ever left the country. We were in Oslo, a place that is breathtakingly beautiful and full of museums and art. Even their graffiti was fantastic. (Subtext: if you ever get a chance to visit, DO IT.)

Other things of note:

1. Paper Valentine is an official Junior Library Guild selection, which means that Paper Valentine will be even more widely available in schools and libraries, and that means widely available to you!
2. I started a Tumblr, so feel free to add me, and do ask questions—lots and lots of questions.
3. I bought my first-ever pair of skinny jeans.

Now, I’m fully aware that people do not really come to this blog intent on discussing fashion, but I’d like to take a minute to talk about skinny jeans. I am not one of those people who undertakes shopping lightly. I don’t like feeling confused and uniformed—about anything, really—and so I tend to research things extensively before I buy them.

Now, if you venture onto the internet, you will find a seething mass of anxiety and confusion when it comes to these jeans. You’ll find people asking if they can wear skinny jeans if they are skinny, if they aren’t skinny, if they’re short, tall, all hips, NO hips, big thighs, short waist, long waist, blue eyes, shallow nail beds, green hair. Basically any permutation of the human form you can think of.

And the answer to all these questions is yes. Yes, no matter what your body type, you can, in fact, look totally kickass in skinny jeans, but they have to fit right and different cuts will look good on different people and your choice of shoes, tops, jackets and accessories are important, The End.

However. (And I know you knew this was coming.) There’s one thing that was never really covered. Something that, I’ll admit it, I didn’t even think of.

The one crucial question I never saw asked:

Can I wear skinny jeans if I have really, really ginormous feet, but essentially no calves?

The answer, internet, is Yes, But.

Yes, but just be aware that to take them off, you’re going to have to sit down on the floor.

Yes, but you’re probably going to have to turn them inside out, hook the legs over the top of the bedpost and pull.

Yes, but if at all possible … look for the ones with the little zippers at the bottoms. Because otherwise you’re just going to find yourself tangled in your own pants, debating whether or not the situation would be remotely improved by texting someone to come and help pry them off your really ginormous feet.

There. See? I’m looking out for you.