MEG Cabot might be jet-lagged and exhausted, but the American author is the image of chic when you meet her in her suite at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

The 41-year-old, who easily looks 10 years younger than her age, was in town earlier this week as part of a month-long publicity tour that includes Britain, Sweden, South Africa, Hong Kong and Thailand.

She had just spent the morning at Singapore Chinese Girls' School, where she took questions and signed books.

'Every single kid there had a mobile phone and wanted to take a picture, and like five pictures, and pictures with their friends, and they all had, like, every book I ever wrote. It was fun but very exhausting,' she says with a laugh.

The slim, pixieish writer talks exactly like her teenage characters, peppering her speech with a lot of 'like's', dramatic whispers and even squeals.

For example, when you ask her about the fact that her hit series The Princess Diaries was inspired by her widowed mother dating her former high school teacher (as the title character Mia's mother does), her eyes widen and she leans forward confidingly: 'They were set up on a blind date, and this is what's really sick - are you ready?'

A theatrical pause, and then, in a stage whisper: 'He's my ex-boyfriend's godfather.' Smiling at your suitably shocked expression, she exclaims delightedly: 'I know, you almost threw up there, didn't you? You almost threw up a little bit in your mouth.'

Then, somewhat more maturely, she adds: 'But whatever, he's so nice and he's a really great guy, so it's really good for her. I'm totally happy for them.'

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!