An L.A. Interlude

Audrey Hepburn on Sunset Boulevard

When the L.A. Teen Writer Series invited me to appear on a panel with some very fabulous writers--Susan Adrian, Jennifer Niven, Amy Talkington, Sandra Waugh, and moderator Mary McCoy--I wasn't about to let a whole continent stand in my way.  

I've never been to Los Angeles before, so of course I had to squeeze in a little sightseeing.  First stop: TCL (formerly known as Grauman's) Chinese Theater!

After that, I set off for a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard.  In New York City you can tell the tourists because they're looking up.  But on Hollywood Boulevard, the tourists are bumping into each other because they're all looking down--at the Walk of Fame.

Here's what I noticed about L.A.  They do things with a special flair.  Take, for instance, the lowly shopping mall...

Hollywood and Highland Shopping Center

...where a person might buy herself a plain old-fashioned smoothie.

D'Lush

Even the local high school is pretty darn flashy.

Hollywood High

Record stores hardly even exist anymore, but Hollywood's Amoeba Music is a super-funky work of art.

And the Central Public Library's not too shabby either.

By the way, our panel was loads of fun.  Here's photographic evidence--a collage by author Jennifer Niven:

And a post-panel get together proved that L.A. has a lively, vibrant community of Young Adult authors to match everything else that's stellar about the place.

Oh, and here's a link to a little interview I did with the LAPL Central Library Blog.

Hollywood Still Life: A Star, Crushed Roses, and a Weave