Natural/Artifical — Stephanie Perkins

Picture Book Heroes

2012-01-27T00:28:00.002-05:00

MAN ALIVE, I love children's publishing.

Maurice Sendak — Maurice! Sendak! — had a two-part interview with Stephen Colbert this week. If you missed it, well . . . I don't want to spoil the funny, so you'll just have to watch it. The only thing I will say is that it's the best Colbert interview in the history of Colbert interviews.

Here's part one:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

And here's part two:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! I wish I could hang out with him. He would be such an awesome dinner guest.

And to prove the new generation is equally hilarious and clever and wonderful — despite what Mr. Sendak may say, ha! — here's the trailer for Mac Barnett and Adam Rex's upcoming meta-picture book Chloe and the Lion:

(Thanks for sending that to me, Kiersten!)

Potpourri, as in the Jeopardy! definition

2012-01-06T17:26:00.002-05:00

Today in Rutherford County's Daily Courier — Shout-out to book bloggers!

I recently updated my website with new events in 2012, but I'd especially like to draw your attention to the event this Tuesday, January 10th with NYT bestsellers Beth Revis and Carrie Ryan. We'll be at Fireside Books & Gifts in Forest City, NC at 7 p.m. for the launch of Beth's new book A Million Suns — the second book in her fantastic Across the Universe trilogy — and we'll be chatting, answering questions, and signing.

For those of you who CANNOT make it, we'll also be answering questions live via Twitter. I'm still not quite sure how it's going to work. I'll let you know as soon as I have more details.

In other news . . .

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Anna and the French Kiss is a Cybils award finalist for Young Adult Fiction! Oh, man! This is the biggest honor that Anna has received, and I couldn't be more over-the-moon.

The picks are incredible. The other finalists are: Marianna Baer's Frost, Joshua C. Cohen's Leverage (also edited by my fabulous editor Julie Strauss-Gabel!), Sophie Flack's Bunheads, Geoff Herbach's Stupid Fast, A.S. King's Everybody Sees the Ants, and Ruta Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray.

I'm THRILLED for Anna to be in the company of so many wonderful novels. Thank you to Melissa Fox for nominating me, and thank you to all of the hardworking judges!

And, finally, here's something cool for anyone interested:

These beeaaauuutiful Anna and Lola icons were designed by aimmyarrowshigh for toreadabook (I *think* I have that right), and there are SO MANY MORE. Check them out here! And make sure to click on through to the individual blog posts if you want to see them all.

Of course . . . my favorite icons are the dirtier ones, especially this one from p. 212 of Lola:

HA HA HA!!!

And this one was surprising to discover since it is, um, *ME*:

The original photo, which is from this old blog post:

Happy weekend, everyone! Hope you have a great one. :-)

Resolutions + ISLA News

2012-01-03T16:59:00.004-05:00

Hello, friends!

Ahhhhhhhhhh.

I love a new year. The first of January is the ultimate fresh start, yes? I love the resolutions, the empty calendars, the feeling that this year — this year — will be a great one.

The key to resolution-making is, of course, modesty. In high school, my lists were lengthy and zealous and could basically be summarized as "become perfect." (Exercise every day. Eat healthy. Sit up straight. Read Sartre. Become fluent in Tibetan. Stop farting. Etc.) Now I aim for achievable.

I don't normally share my resolutions, because the process feels somewhat like wish-making on a birthday candle, and everyone knows that birthday wishes must be kept private in order to come true.

But . . . it's not my birthday. And this does feel like a different sort of year.

So here they are:

HOME RESOLUTION: Beautify one room in my house per month. I've already started, and my January room is the guest bedroom. I'll show you the before-and-afters in a few weeks. (I love before-and-afters, don't you?!?) I want to fill my everyday life with more beauty.

WORK RESOLUTION: Tap into a second market. I'm extraordinarily grateful to have such TREMENDOUS support in the online YA communities (thank you, thank you, thank you!), and I'd like to broaden Anna and Lola's audience into the adult romance market. I'm currently scheming.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION: I was inspired by this TED video (which was inspired by the work of Morgan Spurlock) to try something new for thirty days. I'm starting with a resolution regarding my work habits, but I love the flexibility and freedom of this plan. I also hope to spend one month drawing every day, another taking a daily walk.

Now . . . I realize that many of you have already skipped ahead and are searching for the news about Isla and the Happily Ever After. I wanted to start with the resolutions, because the news I have somewhat ties in.

Bear with me for another moment.

Last year was hard for me. Very hard. So hard that I don't talk about it publicly — and what I have shared with you (mainly here on my blog) is only the tippy-top of the dangerous iceberg. I will try to say the following in the most simple manner possible.

Finishing Lola was the hardest thing that I have ever done. It left me mentally, physically, and spiritually barren. I was close to quitting . . . everything. It's taken me a long time to recover, and I'm only feeling like myself again now, about six months later. As I've learned with many hard situations in life, the only thing that can really heal a person is time.

What I'm saying is this: I need more time.

And my publisher has been kind enough to grant it to me.

Isla and the Happily Ever After is officially a 2013 release. Much of the novel is written, the cover has been shot, people are excited, but . . . it is not yet ready for the world. I could give you the book this fall, and it would be a good book, but I do not believe that it would be a great one.

It's still missing the heart, the love, the passion. I haven't had the opportunity to do the research that I enjoy. To do the multiple drafts and critiques and daydreaming and brainstorming. Those things that make good books great, those things that require time.

I spent much of last year feeling pained and disappointed in myself that I am not a fast writer. My original career goal was to release one book a year for my first five years, and after that I would become an every-other-year author.

But my brain doesn't work like that.

I am not happy when pushed to such extremes. My rigorous schedule turned something I love into something that made me miserable. I remember telling my editor last spring that if the process of writing Isla was anything like the process of writing Lola, then Isla would be my last book. I couldn't and wouldn't go on like that.

The good news is that this sort of over-dramatic sentiment, while true, is the sort that escapes one's lips when one is simply tired. When one needs time to heal.

I made a promise to myself, a resolution, to NEVER work to that extreme again. And, because of it, I have been healing. And I'm falling back in love with my craft.

I'm not sure what month in 2013 that Isla will be published. Again, time will tell. But I am so grateful for my husband, my agent Kate, my editor Julie, my friends, family, and everyone at Dutton and Penguin for being so supportive of this decision. It was not an easy one to make. I absolutely feel as if I am disappointing you, my readers.

So I want to take this opportunity to state very, very clearly: I was the one who pushed back my release date. Not my publisher. They have only been kind and understanding. I made the decision.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I hope — in time — you'll understand.

Happy New Year. I hope 2012 brings you happiness and good books.

xoxo,

Steph

EDITED TO ADD, AFTER READING YOUR COMMENTS: I should have stated my work resolution more clearly! While I have tentative, way-in-the-future plans to write in the adult market, I was actually referring to getting my young adult novels in the hands of more adult readers.

Cricket! My Sweet Cricket!

2011-12-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

♥ ♥ ♥

Holy #$^%, you guys. THIS ILLUSTRATION of Cricket Bell by Simini Blocker.

I never, ever, ever show pictures of what my characters look like, because I don't want to spoil what's in *your* head, but . . . I had to break the rule for this one.

Because this is *my* Cricket.

Ohmystars, Simini. You have made me a deliriously happy author!

(I am dying. DYING.)

National Gingerbread House Competition

2011-12-15T15:50:00.007-05:00

♥ My new holiday computer wallpaper ♥

My town (Asheville, NC) is lucky enough to host the National Gingerbread House Competition, and last night, Jarrod and I checked out this year's entrants. I won't bore you with the winners, but here are my favorites:

Adult category: Très Parisian! Très jolie!

Teen category: Rainbow food truck! Figgy Puddin!

Youth category . . .

WAL-MART! SECURITY CAMERA! HA HA HA!!!

That One Time Mayim Bialik Held My Book

2011-12-13T18:55:00.001-05:00

If you want to know what it's like to win at life, it's when your friend Sasha emails you a picture she took of Mayim Bialik holding your book, and you're like "HOLY CRAP, MAYIM BIALIK IS HOLDING MY BOOK."

Not only is Mayim on two of the greatest pop-culture shows of all time — The Big Bang Theory and, of course, Blossom (which I watched religiously as a preteen) — but she has a freaking PhD in neuroscience! Also, she's classy. And adorable as proved by the above picture.

The picture in which she is holding my book.

Thank you, Sasha (and Mayim!), for making my heart feel as if it were made of sunshine and kittens and ice cream sandwiches. :-)

NOVEMBER: In Pictures

2011-12-12T22:58:00.002-05:00

Before

After

John Hodgman and Lookalike Husband

Chicago, The Bean

Chicago, graffiti

Chicago, window display

Thanksgiving (the first of three!)

Special thanks to this post from Laini, which taught me how to make my pictures bigger on Blogger. I can't believe this upgrade has been available for ages!

Local Event + Linkages

2011-11-01T15:10:00.021-05:00

First, the local event:

I've been asked by a few Ash-villains if I'm having any events soon. You're in luck! There's one this Thursday, November 3rd at the East Asheville library at 6:30 p.m. I'll be reading and answering questions, and I think prizes will be given away. I won't be selling my books, but if you bring your own copies, I'll be happy to sign them. The event is free, and it's for teens and adults.

Linkages, before I skedaddle off to work:

(1) I like this new two-page comic by Lucy Knisley, "Scaredcited," which explores paranormal creatures and the fears they represent. The subject fascinates me, too.

Lucy is the author of a great autobiographical comic about Paris called French Milk. I highly recommend it! And she did these awesome Harry Potter posters. And I own this tiny, random watercolor she made of Zach Galifianakis holding a cat:

(2) I'm excited to be seeing humorist/television personality/former literary agent John Hodgman later this month. I'm not generally interested in book trailers, but this one for his latest, That Is All, is tops. I also enjoyed yesterday's NPR interview.

If you aren't already familiar with his work, may I suggest browsing through his Daily Show clips? Like this one about Borders closing? ("It's been a tough couple of years for condescending nerds.") Or this one with book promotion tips? ("Writing a book is the most important thing a human being can do. Not only do books pass knowledge on to future generations, but they're also a check on the rampant growth of trees.")

He also has a hilarious podcast. And, of course, there was THIS.

I wish I could steal his funny.

(3) Finally . . . happy National Novel Writing Month! Anna, Lola, and Isla all have humble NaNoWriMo drafts, so I'm a huge advocate for the event. Read some of my tips here and here.

I'm not participating this year, because I'm working on draft eleventy-billion of Isla, but best wishes to all of you!

Live Blog: Monday

2011-10-24T08:13:00.067-05:00

(Nataliedee)

Beth Revis and I are still working together, we still have a mutual goal, and it's still due this Thursday. But this week? I only waited four days to begin instead of six.

That's called PROGRESS, my friends.

This will be a mini-version of what I did last Wednesday. It's really just for my own benefit, so there's a place where I can be publicly held accountable for reaching my goal. (Er, some of us need more motivation than others.)

Instead of sharing our actual word count with you, this time we're working with percentages-of-goal-reached. According to her last blog, Beth is currently at 24% of her goal. Me?

9:30 a.m.

We all have to start somewhere.

The Thursday goal is 100%, and today's goal will be to hit 42%. Because I like the number 42.

By the way, if you're wondering why Night Owl Me is awake at such an UNGODLY HOUR as NINE-THIRTY in the MORNING, the landscapers are here again, plus now there's someone else installing a new bathtub/shower.

(This was not planned. OF COURSE the best time to install the new tub was this week.)

Ah, well. I'm just glad it's happening!

Updates to come throughout the day . . .

* * *

10:18: Oh, man. Starting is the WORST. I've already had breakfast, but I think I'll go get a snack.

10:25: The landscapers are covering my lawn with cardboard so it can be mulched. The tub installer is drilling and banging away at my old shower. I am eating potato chips.

10:30: Send Maureen Johnson various pictures via Twitter. Think about snail sex scene in Microcosmos, thanks to this tweet.

10:35: Need to use the bathroom, but water has been turned off! Visit next-door neighbor. Beg for toilet.

10:45: Turn on Freedom for Macs, because otherwise NO WORK will happen before noon.

12:00 p.m.: Frick. I lost two hundred words. Today's goal? Currently in the negative. Also, I'm tired. I SHOULD STILL BE ASLEEP.

12:10: Realize I've spent the last ten minutes thinking about sleep.

12:19: OHMYGOD, THIS BOOK IS SO BORING I AM GOING TO DIE.

12:22: Realize Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto is being released in America today. Hurrah! Download it. Perhaps I won't die today, after all.

I love you, Chris, but we're gonna have to talk about those new earrings.

12:35: Lunch time! Look out kitchen window and discover tractor in backyard.

12:43: Wait for cheap Alfredo noodle mix to cook. Accidentally turn on faucet for third time since the water has been shut off. Obviously, it's still not working.

12:47: Two more people arrive! Plumbers! I had no idea plumbers were coming. This brings the total number of workers around my house to nine.

1:00: To combat fatigue, drink protein shake. Tastes like chalky mango.

1:05: Stare at novel. Want to delete whole stupid thing. Eat fruit snacks.

1:10: Tractor-thing shovels gravel in my driveway. Mulch truck arrives. Tractor forced to move. Beep! Beep! Beep! The plumbers laugh about something in my bathroom. More drilling. Perhaps this is not an ideal writing environment.

1:25: Pop over to neighbor's house for the bathroom again. Sit with her on her porch and study my yard. Discover a tenth worker. Amazing.

1:50: Water! The water is back on!

1:55: Email Kiersten White about the usual: how tired I am, how much I don't want to write today, etc.

2:03: ESPRESSO. I will never get into the positive percentage range without ESPRESSO. I love you, Nespresso Pixie! SAVE ME.

2:15: Bathtub installer and plumbers leave for the day. They'll be back early tomorrow, emphasis on the early.

Well. At least my toilet works again.

2:30: Landscapers sing "Blue Moon" to each other outside my window.

2:42: Cat sneaks outside of hiding place in bedroom. Sneak sneak sneaks around. (It's okay, Mr. Tumnus! No one is inside our house anymore.)

3:45: A few hundred words gained, a few hundred words lost. Still not in the territory to use the percentage meter. Arrrrghhhhhh.

4:10: More chalky mango protein drink. More wanting to die.

4:15: Phone-talk with editor Julie. Work! This is legitimately work-related!

4:40: Reopen manuscript document. Deep sigh.

5:20: BOOK SO HARD. WHY YOU SO HARD, BOOK?!? STOP LOSING WORDS, BOOK!!! Five hundred more words bite the dust. Word count reaches new daily low. Time to stretch my legs and feed my dogs.

5:30: Jarrod comes home. We stare at our beautiful, beautiful yard for nearly an hour. We break out the champagne and walk around it for another hour. OUR YARD IS SO PRETTY. And it's not even done yet! Happy, happy. (But now it's too dark to take a picture. Sorry.)

7:30: Call Dad. Tell him about awesome new yard.

8:00: Delete five hundred more words. Rewrite five hundred more words.

8:30: Pizza and an episode of Party Down.

"Are we having fun yet?"

9:00: Back to work. Whee. Feel my excitement.

9:25: Espresso. We meet again, friend.

10:15: Cut, cut, cut. I'm currently -1,100 words from where I started. I SWEAR, I AM WRITING. There's just an unusually high percentage of muck to wade through today. Trying not to get frustrated. Pushing forward . . .

10:20: Okay, obviously I'm not going to hit 42% today. I wasn't prepared for this type of work. New goal = get something on that percentage graph. Anything on that percentage graph.

10:30: Succumb to nap.

12:05 a.m.: OH, LOOK. I'm working again.

12:55: Snack time! Wasabi peas.

1:09: Rewriting continues. Words deleted, words rewritten. I'm actually making good progress, and it's frustrating that I don't have numbers to show for it.

2:00: Finish another big section. Now I'm only -800 from where I started today. (Woo!) I hate to throw in the towel without having reached any of my goals, but I have to get up early again tomorrow. Bummer.

Thanks for checking in with me today! No doubt I'll see you here again soon.

Fresh & Honest

2011-10-22T15:28:00.009-05:00

Backyard, this afternoon

It's a happy Saturday. My husband and I have been saving our pennies, and we've finally — finally — been able to hire landscapers to fix our yard.

A wonderful crew of four (plus an adorable eight-year old playing on a mound of flagstones) is removing the grass and debris and overgrown mess, and replacing it with evergreens, maples, fruit trees, berries, and flowering bushes. There will be mulch and boulders and curves instead of a square lawn, new privacy from our neighbors, and sitting areas to relax and take tea.

Yes. I am happy.

Years ago, when we moved into this house, I had fantasies of being a cottage gardener à la Tasha Tudor. (THIS BOOK, you guys. Heaven.) And we had a head start! Our home used to be on the local garden tour. So I figured we'd continue the tradition and have a beautiful yard filled with perennials and lawns and rambling roses and organic vegetable beds and everything lovely I'd ever seen in an English miniseries or classic children's novel.

And then a funny thing happened.

My husband and I discovered that we didn't enjoy yard work. (Not. Even. A little bit.) There are mosquitoes and humidity and weeds and pruning and sunburns and mowing.

Ohmygod, mowing.

So we let the garden go. First the perennial flowers disappeared, overtaken by the lawn. Then the older, stronger bushes grew up against the side of our house. New weeds arrived—tall, hardy weeds on weed-steroids. Several of our trees died. Our raised vegetable beds filled with wild grass, our planters filled with clover and moss, and our weeping cherry beat its arms against everyone who dared walk beside it.

But now. Now!

A fresh, honest start. When we spoke with our landscaper about ideas, we were honest about what would could and could not do, even when it was embarrassing: We didn't want to mow. We didn't want anything that required vigilant pruning. (But we didn't mind hiring someone once or twice a year to clean things up.) We wanted fewer people to be able to see into our backyard, so when it DID get out of control, we would have no witnesses.

But . . . we still wanted it to look pretty. Was this possible?

Yes, she assured us. It's possible.

I'm a huge believer in fresh starts and in being honest with yourself. For years, I was ashamed that I didn't have this magical gardening joy, that I hated something I thought I would enjoy. But I've grown content with this knowledge. That's how we learn, by trying new things. You discover what you can do yourself (I actually enjoy painting rooms!) and what you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help with (yard work, yard work, yard work).

There's a good metaphor in here for life and writing and such, but I think you already catch my drift.

Happy Saturday, my friends. I hope your gardens are growing strong.

Life Is Hard Before Noon

2011-10-21T10:19:00.009-05:00

(Nataliedee)

10:45 a.m. — Greenlife Grocery, Asheville

I hand FRIENDLY CASHIER a bottle of juice and a small brown bag.

FC: Good morning! What's in your bakery bag today?

ME: Ohmygod. What DID I put in the bag?

FC: *smiles*

ME: ?!?!?!?!?!

FC: *waits*

ME: *peeks inside bag* What's that called? What's that even called?!?

FC: *waits*

ME: ?!?!?!?!?!

FC: *smiles*

ME: BISCUIT! I HAVE A CHEESE BISCUIT!!!

Mornings are too hard, you guys. I'm going back to bed.

Live Blog! Today! Author vs. Author Edition!

2011-10-19T11:30:00.042-05:00

12:30: "OH, SNAP, REVIS. It's on!" — me, in a Twitter DM

Okay, so you have to read this post first for the following to make sense.

Yes. I'm the other half of Beth Revis's bet. I have 15,000 words due to her tomorrow. We've both been dragging our heels. She has 8,400 words left, and I have . . . wait for it . . .

15,000 words.

I AM THE WORST AUTHOR EVER.

Also, the worst bettor.

I'm reasonably confident that Beth has already won this match, and I'll be the one purchasing the coffee and treats at our get-together tomorrow. (And you'd better believe that authors can consume A LOT of coffee and treats.)

But.

That doesn't mean I'm happy to sit on my tush today and let her SHOW OFF how AMAZING and ON-TASK she is. I can be on-task, too! I swear I can!

TODAY SO FAR

9:09 a.m.: My alarm — set to give me a jump up on today's work — goes off. I snooze that bitch.

9:19: SNOOZE.

9:29: SNOOZE.

9:39: SNOOZE.

9:49: Screw you, alarm! I am turning you OFF.

11:04: Jarrod calls to see if I'm awake. I don't answer.

11:50: Jarrod calls again. I put the phone underneath my pillow.

12:11 p.m.: My phone bings. A text from Kiersten White. It makes me laugh, and I somewhat wake up.

12:12: Check Gmail and Google Reader on my phone, from bed.

12:15: Jarrod calls. I answer, but the call is short as my brain is fuzzy.

12:17: Back to Google Reader. Yay! A new comic from Kate Beaton!

12:25: Check Twitter and discover a direct message from Beth: "Be afraid. Be very afraid." + link to her live blog.

12:26: OH LOOK WHO IS OUT OF BED NOW.

12:27: Pace in manic circles around kitchen. Decide to skip breakfast. There's WORK to be done.

12:30: Blog.

1:10: OMG, I've spent too long blogging. Wake up, brain! Wake up!

I'll be updating this post all day. (And all night?) Back in a bit.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 0

1:20: Change my mind. BREAKFAST IS A MUST. Espresso (caffeine) + an English muffin covered in peanut butter (protein) ought to do the trick.

1:30: Return to the kitchen for bunny-shaped fruit snacks and cheddar-scallion sourdough twists. Why not?

1:35: Engage in a bit of friendly Twitter/blog trash talk with Beth. Eat pear-flavored Jelly Bellies.

1:45: OH. I should probably work, huh?

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 212/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 2801/8400

2:10: Music. I'm missing the music. Everything will be better if I have the right music. Turn on the Sunshine soundtrack, because it has the appropriate balance of drive and paranoia.

2:18: Phone-talk with my agent Kate about various stuffs. All is good.

2:30: Back to work.

2:31: Hungry.

2:32: Back to kitchen. Chicken salad on crackers, because: (A) more protein, (B) fast/easy.

2:40: Back to work.

2:41: Gum. I need gum. Dig out Trident Xtra Care Cool Mint, because: (A) need gum, (B) it has Recaldent, which helps strengthen teeth, which my dentist strongly recommends for me. Because I chew too much gum.

2:42: Back to work.

3:15: Change iTunes playlist to Girl Talk, a.k.a. musical crack.

4:10: SLEEPY. Nap time. But first, blog.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 632/15000 (HA HA HA! *sob*)
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 3626/8400

6:21: Sense a disturbance in the force and wake up from the pallet on my office floor. All of the animals in the house are moving. Ah-HA! Jarrod is home! YAAAAAY! Jarrod Jarrod Jarrod!!! I love him! He is so much fun!

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 632/15000 (Well. Just wait until my NEXT update.)
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 4475/8400 (11,175/15,000)

6:30: Way gross and stinky. My Secret Weapon (a.k.a. Jarrod) puts the kettle on while I shower.

6:45: Emerge from the shower like a new writer. Energetic! Clean! Inspired!

6:50: Don battle gear — fresh pajama bottoms and a NaNoWriMo shirt, for luck. Grab GIANT mug of tea and head back to work.

7:00: Check Beth's blog. She's been quiet for the last hour. Is she working or sleeping?!? Fingers crossed for sleeping, but all bets are on working.

7:02: Back to work.

7:40: Jarrod brings me First Dinner, which is more like Breakfast, Part Two. Scrambled eggs and another English muffin.

8:00: Blog. Maybe I'll try to do this every hour, on the hour from now on?

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 1035/15000 (Quadruple digits! Finally!)
BETH'S WORD COUNT: Still no update! What is this madness?!?

8:14: Realize I've spent too long updating/hunting for Beth online. WORK! Must get back to work!

8:35: Scene suddenly becomes sexy. Ooo! This bodes well . . .

9:00: Check Beth's blog for an update. Discover she's PLAYING DIRTY by calling on her readers to send me pictures of HOT BRITISH MEN via Twitter. Heh. A worthy effort, Revis, but perhaps you UNDERESTIMATE ME.

9:02: Discovers Twitter @replies filled with Wee James McAvoy. Eep! Gulp.

9:06: NO MORE! NO MORE!!!

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 2190/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: I think it's still the same??? Can this be TRUE?

9:07 - 10:00: Write the entire time. Do you believe?? Things are HEATING UP.

10:01: Discover Beth has resorted to killing off characters. Unsurprising, since I have resorted to make-out scenes.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 2562/15000 (Crap-it-all! I so thought I'd written more.)
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 5448/8400 (11872/15000)

10:05: Back to work.

10:50: Jarrod brings me an espresso and bowl of trail mix. OHMYGOD, MY TEETH. What the heck is wrong with my teeth? Eating suddenly hurts. SO UNCOOL. Beth, did YOU do this to me?

10:52: Teeth okay again. Phew.

11:00: Check Beth's blog. She's resorted to gifs to express her frustrations! Is this a sign of hope? Or will she come back from her break with a vengeance?

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 3585/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 5553/8400 (11997/15000)

11:10: Text from Kiersten. I MUST REPLY. Has Beth discovered my weakness?? Is she behind this?

11:13: Need to pee. NO! I NEED WORDS! I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE MY CHAIR! Whyyyyyyyyyyy??? I hate you, espresso!!! This is YOUR fault. And so are all of these exclamation points and ALL CAPS!!!!!

11:18: WHY DID I JUST CHECK MY EMAIL? WHO CARES ABOUT EMAIL?

12:00 a.m.: Check Beth's blog. "Did you know that this is the longest time I've ever continuously live-blogged in one day? And it's soon to be the next day..." Yikes. Me, too. Welcome to the new a.m.

12:07: Look at clock. Feel weary for the first time since nap.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 4010/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: No new update. Hopefully, no new word count?

12:25: Thanks to advice from Twitter, I chug all three half-drunk caffeinated beverages currently sitting on my desk. HOLY CRUD, THAT WAS DISGUSTING. Why did they ALL have to have cream in them?

12:27: Realize I've been goofing off on Twitter for last twenty minutes. #$%^.

1:00: Delete several hundred words. Arrrrghhhhhh.

1:28: Beth is going to bed! Beth is going to bed! HURRAH! She'll still win, but maybe I can at least beat today's seven thousand word count? Must. Push. On.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 4399/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 7174/8400 (13598/15000)

1:35: LEGS. KILLING ME. How did I not realize that I've been sitting in the same position for two hours? Decide to move around for a bit. Take near-empty mugs to kitchen, but accidentally spill dregs onto living room rug. Find myself humming, "I like the nightlife. I like to boo-gie," as I clean up the mess. Also, Jarrod is asleep. Sad.

1:50: Back to work.

1:52: Ooo! Text from Kiersten.

1:54: Back to work.

3:00: Bloggity blog blog.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 5493/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 7174/8400 (13598/15000)

3:50: Finish gut-wrenching scene. Sad and exhausted, like the characters. Better switch to something else, and quick, otherwise I'll never beat Beth's score today.

3:52: Find sexysexy scene to tinker with. Yes. MUCH better.

4:00: Internet sooooo quiet. Bloggity blog blog.

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 6316/15000 (less than 1k away from *new* goal)
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 7174/8400 (13598/15000)

4:10: Thoughts: Yes. I'm REALLY still doing this. And I feel like I'm talking to myself now. BUT I SHALL MARCH ON.

5:24: Getting. Sleepy. So sleepy. Met new goal. But also came up with EVEN NEWER and BETTER goal . . . 8,401!

CURRENT WORD COUNT: 7457/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 7174/8400 (13598/15000)

6:21: DONE. BOOM!

6:22: Aaaaand I'm off to bed. Because, er, I'm meeting Beth in less than six hours. And even though I've reached her daily goal, I still owe her those treats. ;-)

FINAL WORD COUNT: 8450/15000
BETH'S WORD COUNT: 7174/8400 (13598/15000)

Two Event Thingies + The Piemaker

2011-10-14T12:57:00.019-05:00

Join me here tomorrow?

Hi-ya! This is last minute, but if you're an SCBWI member within driving distance of Asheville, NC, there's a schmooze tomorrow in the loft of the Battery Park Book Exchange. I'm the special guest, and I'll be discussing writing and publishing in the children's/teen market. You don't have to be an SCBWI member to attend, but you do have to be serious (or curious) about publishing. It's from 2 - 4 p.m.

Also, the place serves champagne. Just throwing that out there.

Also also, Beth Revis will be in attendance!

In other event-related news, I am NO LONGER ATTENDING the Vegas Valley Book Festival this November. Something incredibly important in my personal life has come up over that weekend. I'm very, very sorry for anyone who had been planning to see me there. I will make an effort to visit Las Vegas in the future! Thank you for understanding.

And now . . . three gifs from Pushing Daisies, because, hello, it's my blog. And I can do that.

I love how many people have told me how excited they were to see the show mentioned in Lola and the Boy Next Door. If you haven't seen it and you like colorful, romantic silliness with a dash of amazing wardrobes and delicious pie — in other words, if you liked Lola — you MUST check it out. It's one of my all-time favorite television shows.

Also, I *may* have just purchased this Piemaker print by Nan Lawson:

The idea was submitted to her by my friend Connie. How could I resist?!?

Oh, Piemaker. I still miss you.

Link-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

2011-10-12T01:44:00.018-05:00

Maureen Johnson and I adjusting our pirate hats before an event in San Francisco. We take our jobs very seriously.

I find it odd that whenever I come back from a trip, and I have dozens of fun stories and photographs to share with you, I drag my feet and ache to talk about anything BUT the trip. I suppose it's similar to why I don't outline when I write; it's as if I've already told the story, and I'm a bit bored to tell it again.

Hats in action! (Photo: Alison Bogy)

Hat winners! (Photo: MJ)

So, today, I'm not going to talk about my first official tour (which was fantastic) or any of the related Lola stuff going on in my world right now (also fantastic).

I'm going to send you around the internet:

• I don't recall how I ran across MTV Iggy, but I'm so happy that I did. If you're like me — an American who sadlysadlysadly gets little exposure to world arts — check it out! (Why can't regular MTV be this music-based? I always sound like an old person when I yearn for ye olden days of MTV, but there it is. Sigh.) A nice place to start is this contest for the Best New Band in the World. Lots of interesting musicians in there!

• Rainy Mood. My new go-to website. All it does is make it sound like it's raining outside. Simple but perfect, no?

• "The Internet is not to blame for your unfinished novel: you are." I just rediscovered this great article about Twitter by Colson Whitehead, who is, perhaps, my favorite author to follow on what is, definitely, my favorite social media platform. (His hilarious Twitter feed can be found here.) (Okay, @horse_ebooks is amazing, too.)

• Kiersten White is on tour this week. If you live near Lynnwood, WA; Huntington Beach, CA; Highlands Ranch, CO; Boulder, CO; or Naperville, IL, you should go see her! She is sparkly and funny and wonderful. Tour details are here. Bring Anna and Lola, and she'll sign beside her name in the acknowledgments. She'll also sign, you know, her own books. So you should bring those, too. ;-)

• Finally, this is the best advice I've seen in ages.

Release Day, Release Day!

2011-09-29T01:23:00.016-05:00

Happy release day, Lola-darling!

In honor of this fabulous day, here are three inspirational Lolaesque ladies:

(1) Tavi Gevinson, whom I wish I'd been as a teenager. Creator of the most quirkyfun fashion blog and what looks to be an AMAZING new online magazine for teen girls, Rookie. I adored her recent interview with Aubrey Plaza!

(2) Doe Deere, whom I wish I were now. Creator of my favorite lipstick line (seriously, I have six of them, and I'm aching for more!) and owner of a positively epic wardrobe.

(3) Francesca Lia Block, whom I wish to be someday. Creator of Weetzie Bat and dozens of other books and characters that Lola Nolan would not exist without.

Weetzie Bat is my all-time favorite novel — Yes! Out of any book ever! — and I've read it yearly since I was a teenager. It's perhaps my greatest inspiration. It's difficult to describe Francesca's work to anyone who hasn't read it, but maybe this will help: magic realism, Los Angeles, gritty, beautiful, urban, rock-n-roll, sad, sexy, faeries, strange, and lyrical.

Francesca is a goddess. And very, very Lola.

* * *

Three MORE things:

(1) For my book-blogger friends: You are welcome to add this new, cute, official, vertical banner of Lola/Anna to your website! Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find it.

(2) Thank you. To all of you. Your encouraging comments got me through an extremely difficult time in my life, and I will never forget the support that you have given both me and this novel. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it.

(3) xoxo

This Week In Awesome Reads

2011-09-28T00:27:00.026-05:00

Many of the book-related blogs have been talking about the bounty of amazing YA reads coming out this week, and I can't help but chime in. Along with my own book-baby releasing this Thursday, there are three in particular that are close to my heart . . .

Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It's no secret that I'm incredibly happy and proud to be Laini's critique partner (and, more importantly, friend!). Simply put: This novel is a masterpiece. EVERYONE who loves fantasy should read it. It's gonna be huge.

Agency sisters Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star and Kiki Hamilton's The Faerie Ring, both set in London. (Go kt literary! It's a big week for us!)

The Name of the Star is a witty, modern, Jack the Ripper, supernatural-thriller-romance. AWESOME, right? And it is. It has the feeling and flavor of a kick-ass episode of Doctor Who. Needless to say—though I'll say it anyway!—I loved it.

I couldn't manage to snag an advanced copy of The Faerie Ring, so here's the description:

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

Doesn't that sound FAN-TAAASTIC? I can't wait to read it!

With soon-to-be NYT bestseller and worldwide phenom Laini

My most sincere congratulations to Laini, Maureen, and Kiki, and to everyone else who has a book being released this week. (And there are a LOT of us! Woo hoo!)

Please Read This Post

2011-09-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

"If you are a woman, if you love a woman, please read my PSA on ectopic pregnancy." — Kiersten White

Events + LeakyCon, Pt. 2

2011-09-23T01:54:00.024-05:00

Even kittens adore Lola. Thank you, Amber!

A few boring but necessary reminders to start off with . . .

(Sorry, sorry.)

The official release party for Lola is THIS SATURDAY. Malaprop's in Asheville! 7 p.m.! I'll be jabbering about the book, doing a reading, giving away prizes for knowing Anna and the French Kiss trivia, answering your questions, and signing ANYTHING you want me to sign . . .

. . . including Kiersten White's Paranormalcy and Supernaturally.

Seriously, bring them and I'll sign beside my name in the acknowledgments! You can also take my books to her events. We're doing that now.

And next week, I begin my mini-tour with . . .

WONDER WOMAN!

Maureen Johnson and I will be flying in her invisible plane to the Austin Teen Book Festival on October 1st followed by three stops in northern California: Petaluma, Oakland, and — my favorite of favorites, and Lola's hometown! — San Francisco. For dates/details, please visit my News page.

(Yes, you may also take Kiersten's books to those events. I mean, really, you should take them EVERYWHERE you go. Just in case.)

Soooooooo anyway . . .

I am really bummed that my release party falls on the same weekend as #weddingcon. (My Wizard Rock friends Matt and Lauren are getting married! And Jarrod and I can't go!) To help ease my sadness, I'll post the rest of my pictures from LeakyCon. (Part one is here, if you missed it.):

TEAM ANNA/LOLA/ISLA: My agent Kate, moi, and my editor Julie on a panel with the fabulous Rebecca Sherman. Yippee! Thanks for tracking down this photo, Molly!

I did my book signing with editor/author extraordinaire Cheryl Klein. Later, we danced together at the ball. SO much fun!

Now for a bunch of Wizard Rock photos stolen from Cheri Root (everything can be clicked on to make bigger/prettier):

YAAAAAY! Jarrod, performing as Gred & Forge.

More Gred & Forge. Check out Jarrod's red boots!

The Remus Lupins' last show. Sad/amazing. (And Jarrod again, this time on drums.)

Matt (The Whomping Willows) and Lauren Fairweather, a.k.a. our LeakyCon roommates AND the soon-to-be-newlyweds. I love you, guys! Congratulations!

Harry and the Potters. They DESTROYED it. Of course.

I love Wizard Rock.

And I'm sorry, but I'm not sure who took this next picture . . .

All of us collectively wet ourselves when Evanna Lynch (Luna! Lovegood!) took the stage to play with Harry and the Potters. She could really play, too.

Check out my Snape tattoo! The next day, several employees at the Harry Potter theme park thought it was real and let me skip to the front of the rides. Is it bad that I didn't correct them? HA.

With Jarrod. ♥ Thanks for taking these last two pictures, Renee! (R: How did we not get a picture together?!?)

And then the last day . . .

BEST THEME PARK EVRRR!!!

BEST RIDE EVRRR!!!

BEST CAT MADE OUT OF MEASURING TAPE EVRRR!!!

I can't believe those were the only pictures I took at the park, but I'm pretty sure you guys have seen the highlights elsewhere, right? Right. I'm also disappointed that I didn't get any pictures from the Esther Earl Rocking Charity Ball, but . . . it was one of those moments where you had to be there, anyway. ;-)

There's not much I can say about the Harry Potter community without getting mushy and sentimental. It's filled with so much love, kindness, acceptance, and generosity. To everyone who was there, and to everyone who wanted to be there but couldn't make it: I am proud to be your friend.

And, with that, I shall take my leave . . .

Answers to Questions

2011-09-20T03:22:00.009-05:00

From my blog comments . . .

Anonymous: I just re-read Anna (in preparation for Lola) and I was wondering, which Captain Jack is Captain Jack named after?

Thank you for the re-read! You must be a Doctor Who/Torchwood fan. The official answer is that, because I never specify, it can be either one. YAY!

The for-real answer is . . . Sparrow. I used to have a scene in which Captain Jack's guinea pig cage was described as being shaped like a pirate ship (Anna and Bridge built it together), but it was cut for pacing. I didn't think anything about it because, at the time, I'd never seen an episode of Doctor Who. But then this question starting arriving. And then I watched the (AWESOME) series.

Whoops.

But they are both The Sexy, non?

♥ ♥ ♥

Suze: Ohhh was Beth telling the truth? Can we pre-order signed books from Malaprops? Do tell :)

YES! Actually, I've never been to an event that didn't allow out-of-towners to call the store, purchase the book over the phone, have it signed, and have it shipped. I'm sure there are exceptions (like if I were Neil Gaiman or anyone else who draws insane crowds), but it's always worth calling a store to check!

Malaprop's has two phone numbers:

1-800-441-9829
828-254-6734

So if you can't make it to my event this Saturday, but you'd still like a signed copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door, give them a ring this week. I adore them, and I'd love for them to get the extra sales. Thanks for asking!

nevertakeusforgranted: I was wondering if you knew what the Australian release date for Lola was. (Because in the land down under, we tend to get books later than everywhere else—even if we did get Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 before the rest of the world.)

Re: Harry Potter. Lucky you!

Lola's Australian release is October 3rd. And — *psst* — my Australian publisher has the first chapter online. Read it here.

Different fonts. Copyrights, I assume?

I love you, Penguin BTL! My Australian publisher has been very, very kind to me. And thanks to all of you wonderful Aussie readers for the support! I REALLY hope to visit you someday. (Particularly in Melbourne, which my friend Jade assures me is My Kind of Place.)

That's it for now. Isla and the Happily Ever after calls . . .

Refilling Station

2011-09-19T00:00:00.005-05:00

"They never asked, 'Were you able to work today?' Maybe they had, twenty or thirty years earlier, but they'd gradually learned not to. There are empty spaces that must be respected—those often long periods when a person can't see the pictures or find the words and needs to be left alone."

—Fair Play by Tove Jansson

I read Fair Play on Saturday—a quiet novel about creativity and growth—and that passage reached out of its pages and shook me by the shoulders.

Empty spaces. Alone. Yes.

I spent the weekend away from work. I read a few novels, watched several episodes of Bones and Black Books, and strolled through my neighborhood.

I'm looking at this week's schedule, and every day is full. But I am full again, too.

Come To My Party! (PLEASE.)

2011-09-14T20:28:00.017-05:00

My official release party for Lola and the Boy Next Door is next week. NEXT WEEK. How did that happen?!?

To answer the inevitable questions: Yes, my release party is a week before the wide release. And, yes, there WILL be copies available to purchase!

I'll be reading, signing, and answering questions at my favorite bookstore Malaprop's, here in Asheville, NC, on Saturday the 24th at 7:00 p.m. I hope some of you can make it. A buuuuunch of people who came to my last one will be unavailable to come to this one, so I'm really nervous. It might just be me and my husband!

Please come. If you can. Keep us company?

I love Malaprop's. I've been to a ton of fantastic YA events there lately. Cellphone camera evidence:

With Caroline (SUPERBOOKSELLER!) and Sarah Dessen (SUPERNICE!)

With Melissa Marr (I love her lip ring. She rocks it.)

And a panel with . . .

Caroline, Myra McEntire, Victoria Schwab, Beth Revis, and moi!

That panel was SO much fun. I wish I could always do events with friends!

And speaking of friends . . . I assume you've all heard about Kiersten White's latest deal? HOLY MOLY! Four books!!! And I happen to be in the — *ah hem* — unique position to assure you that they're amazing. I am so proud and giddy and ecstatic for Kiersten.

One last thing, before I leave you. I have a Tumblr now. No biggie. I'm not using it for book-related things; it's personal. (Meaning: It'll probably have a lot of Hot British Men.) But if you're still interested, check it out and follow me!

EDITED TO ADD: Did someone start a Tumblr about me and Kiersten? Heck yeah, they did.

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: If you bring a copy of Paranormalcy or Supernaturally to my release party, I will sign them. Yes. We're doing that now.

Anna and the French Kiss: New Scene

2011-09-12T17:40:00.018-05:00

My German Cover*

Did I write a sexy new scene about Anna, Étienne, and Star Trek?

YOU BET I DID.

Thank you so, so much to Richard Grooms, winner of last May's HelpWriteNow auction. Richard asked for Vulcans, and Vulcans he received. Thanks for giving me such a fun/hilarious topic, Richard! I had a blast writing it.

If you'd like to read the new scene (OF COURSE YOU DO), you'll find it here. And there will be a second bonus scene next month. Yay!

*Gotta love the phallic croissants. Tee hee. Also, the text in the pink circle translates to something along the lines of: ~~"Finally, a love without vampires."~~ "It still exists, love without vampires." Can I please get that printed on ALL of my editions? Ha!

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: According to Anna (!) in my comments, the title itself translates to Heartbeating in French.

Tomorrow

2011-09-10T19:13:00.005-05:00

Every year on the anniversary of 9/11, I read Meg Cabot's post about that day. Please take the time to read it this weekend.

Thinking of my family, friends, and readers in New York City and D.C.

xoxo

P.S. I was in Atlanta, opening the B. Dalton bookstore that I managed, when a coworker arrived and told me to turn on the radio. Where were you?

EDITED TO ADD: Maureen Johnson just posted a good one, too.

Decatur Book Festival! This weekend!

2011-09-02T13:44:00.012-05:00

Hi, everyone!

A quick reminder that I'll be at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend. My Sunday panel is at 4:00, and it's called "A Real Girl Conversation About Writing Real Girl Books." (Does that make anyone else think about this movie? Ha!) I'm so excited to meet and talk with the other panelists: Elizabeth Eulberg, Jennifer Jabaley, and Terra McVoy. More information about the event can be found here.

I'm also excited because I lived in Decatur for three years, and it's always fun to revisit those places I've called home. I haven't been there in many years, so I'm happy that I'll get to spend some time with my FIRST critique partner, Amber. Yippee!

Related fun fact: I never outright say this in my novel, but Anna Oliphant is actually from Decatur. People from Atlanta tend to catch this, because of some of the street names and such that I mention. ;)

Anyway, I hope that some of you will be there. If you happen to see me walking around this weekend, please say hello! I promise I'm friendly.

And . . . for EVERYONE reading this . . . next week, I'm posting something special here on my website: a new scene featuring Anna and Étienne!* YAY!!!

*Apologizes to my Twitter followers, who were expecting this scene last week. It didn't happen because of Hurricane Irene. And then it didn't happen this week, because I was working on Isla. I'm sorry. It takes awhile for me to format website pages, and I just didn't have the time. Unfortunately, regular writing-work always has to come first!

My Ten Favorite Films

2011-08-30T11:57:00.029-05:00

(1) Trainspotting, 1996, Danny Boyle

(2) Amélie, 2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet

(3) Pride & Prejudice, 2005, Joe Wright

(4) Rushmore, 1998, Wes Anderson

(5) Moulin Rouge!, 2001, Baz Luhrmann

(6) Heima, 2007, Dean DeBlois

(7) The Big Lebowski, 1998, Joel and Ethan Coen

(8) Y Tu Mamá También, 2001, Alfonso Cuarón

(9) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004, Michel Gondry

(10) Stranger Than Fiction, 2006, Marc Forster

Trainspotting was my first. That is, it was the first film that opened my eyes to the idea of cinema as ART, so I doubt my number one will ever change. (I can't believe that was fifteen years ago!) Despite the grim grim grim subject matter, it's hilarious and beautiful and surreal. I still watch it several times a year.

My top five picks are stable, but the bottom five shift around depending on my mood.

What are your all-time favorites?

Real Men and the Boy Next Door

2011-08-24T13:06:00.008-05:00

My first hardcover copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door arrived last week. My hands shook as I removed it from its packaging. It took me a decade to finish writing it.

But . . . I did.

I'm giddy about the pretty pastels. They are very, very San Francisco. And I'm especially happy that these Victorian row houses made the spine. The novel would not exist without the city. Thank you to my publisher for recognizing the heart of my story.

And a different kind of thank you to Nathan, for my favorite Lola-related tweet:

HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! Awesome!

Lola has also received her first two professional reviews. They both contain spoilers, so here are the non-spoiler highlights:

"Perkins avoids the second-novel curse with a delectable companion to her debut hit . . . she embeds a tour of San Francisco culture throughout the snappy storyline. And steamy kisses and tingly touches? There are still plenty of those, too."

—KIRKUS REVIEWS

"snappy dialogue and sexy love interests . . . [Lola's] self-deprecating sense of humor and Perkins's skill at capturing Lola's seesawing emotions make for a lively romance . . ."

—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Snappy! They both called it "snappy"! I love that. Do you think I can bribe other reviewers to use that word, too? I'd for love this to be on my paperback:

Four out of five reviewers think this book is snappy!

Hee hee.

Today, pre-ordering Lola on Amazon is only $9.99. Just . . . throwing that out there. Thank you for your support and friendship.

Ma-ruuuuu

2011-08-22T14:47:00.004-05:00

Should I be embarrassed that I'm really looking forward to this book?

Nah. ;)

LINKAGE:

• Maru's blog and YouTube channel.
• My favorite cat book and its sequel.
• My favorite cat book for children.
• My own kitty, Mr. Tumnus.
• Mr. T's favorite scratching post.

The New Harry

2011-08-18T17:21:00.020-05:00

Isn't that the sweetest? I re-stumbled across this moment from Chamber of Secrets this morning while doing some research.

Oh, how I love it!

Speaking of Harry, have you seen the creepy-beautiful trailer for The Woman in Black yet?

HOLY SMOKES. Can I please watch that NOW?

Tomorrow — as long as it doesn't get overly terrible reviews — Jarrod and I are going to see the new Fright Night. I'm not generally a fan of remakes, buuuuuuut . . .

DAVID TENNANT!

It also stars ~~Andrew~~ Anton Yelchin (I swear I knew that), a seriously underrated actor. I thought he was fan-taaastic in Charlie Bartlett.

Plus, his hair can do this:

Love me some messy boy hair!

Any films you're looking forward to these days? And, to quote one of my favorites, do you like scary movies?*

*A few of those favorites: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Let the Right One In, 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, An American Werewolf in London, Session 9, The Silence of the Lambs, Halloween, The Thing, and, of course, Scream.

And My Heart Squeezes With Happiness!

2011-08-16T14:21:00.020-05:00

From my husband. Tee hee.

Connie and Mimi and the Panthéon

Drawn by Natalie Whipple

Marie and Elodie's Annas at Point Zéro

Elodie and Notre-Dame

Elodie and Marie and Shakespeare & Company

Marie inside Shakespeare & Company

Neruda and Anna inside Shakespeare & Company

Drawn by Liza Riitters

Alwyn Hamilton's Anna and la Tour Eiffel

And . . . one for Lola!

Lisa Aldin (and hubby?*) in San Francisco

Thank you, everyone. These are a dream come true.

xoxo,
your very humbled author

*confirmed! :)

Oceanside with Kiersten & Andrea

2011-08-04T11:16:00.019-05:00

I'd planned on returning to my LeakyCon adventures today, but yesterday I received some exciting news:

Kiersten White and Andrea Cremer hit the New York Times bestseller list! Again! Congratulations, ladies!!!

I was fortunate enough to join them both for a reading and signing last Tuesday in Oceanside, CA. They were each promoting their second books in trilogies, Supernaturally and Wolfsbane.

Like on all my July adventures, I only had my phone with me.

*head hits desk*

Here are my ONLY TWO pictures from the event:

Kiersten displaying a pink-wrapped Dr. Pepper gifted from one of her readers, Andrea displaying a STUNNING dress.

This is a HIGH QUALITY photograph.

That's me with Shelley the Storyqueen. Many of you know her from her wonderful easy-reader series Good Night, Good Knight, but I suspect several of you also know her from her hilarious and supportive blog comments. (Shelley recently joined Twitter, did you know? You can find her here.)

I was so, so happy she came to our signing! And I'm bummed that you can't see her necklace, because it was freaking gorgeous.

Here's a picture stolen from Kiersten's blog:

Blurry was the name of the game.

I love how Kiersten is standing on a chair so that the audience can see her. Hee hee! Andrea declined, because she was afraid of falling, and I declined because I was afraid of being TOO tall, and then everyone being able to see up my skirt.

Not that I speak from experience. No. Of course not.

Ahhh, but . . . WHAT IS THIS? A clear picture of us! Thank you, Shannon Messenger!

Our smiles were twitching by this point, but they're genuine.

By the way, if you'd like to win signed hardcovers of Supernaturally, Wolfsbane, AND Anna and the French Kiss (and you do, right?) visit Shannon's blog before this Saturday and enter to win her giveaway. Woo hoo!

Also, because I cannot resist, HOW CUTE WAS SHANNON AT COMIC-CON?

More about this in my future Comic-Con post. Obviously.

I'd like to give a huuuuuuuuge thank you to the Oceanside Barnes and Noble staff for being amazing. We had a blast, and the crowd they assembled was, um, LARGE. Large as in we signed for two-and-a-half hours large!

(We totally had to take a bathroom break.)

And I'd also like to give a humble and gracious and ohmygod thank you to Racquel, who won an oversize chocolate bar for reading Anna and the French Kiss ten times (TEN!!!), and Paranormalcy and Nightshade five or six times each. You wowed us, Racquel.

Finally, thanks to Kiersten and Andrea, two of the smartest and funniest women of my acquaintance. Thank you for inviting me to your double-release party. We mustmustmust do this again!

In other release-party news . . .

Today is the official release of the Anna and the French Kiss paperback. For the cherry-on-top, it contains the first chapter of Lola and the Boy Next Door. It's available at bookstores everywhere and . . . TARGET.

TARGET!!!!!!!!!

I am so serious when I say that this is one of the most exciting things that's happened to me all year. Being in Target is a BIG DEAL. It gives authors an incredible opportunity to reach readers that otherwise might not find them. Readers! I love readers!

Enormous bear hugs and thanks to Cristin and Julie for making this happen.

And merci to my paperback editor Ashley, who did a beaaaaauuutiful job adding fancy new blurbs and deckle-edge pages and French flaps with pretty scalloped edges. Seriously, my paperback is gorgeous. And I'm saying that as a former bookseller and librarian, not as the author. I am hyper-aware that it got the deluxe treatment. WOW. Thank you for putting such faith in my paperback, Penguin.

One last related note:

Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe (by kleindigital)

Tonight, I'm participating in the From Asheville to Nashville book tour. I'll be at Malaprop's here in Asheville at 7 p.m. doing a panel about YA literature/publishing followed by a signing with three lovely ladies: Myra McEntire (Hourglass), Beth Revis (Across the Universe), and Victoria Schwab (The Near Witch).

I hope some of you local blog readers can come see us!

Yes, I have seen this movie too many times.

2011-08-03T10:00:00.014-05:00

MY FIRST THOUGHTS UPON WAKING:

I wish I had a cool name, like Ransom Riggs or Kaleb Nation. Kaleb's name rocks, because it means his readers and YouTube fans can be called Nationeers.

Yeah. Nation is a cool last name.

Welcome to the Stephanie Nation!

Like Novalee Nation in Where the Heart Is. Except then she named her daughter Americus, which is the WORST name. Americus Nation. What the heck was she thinking? Just because her daughter was born inside of a Wal-Mart didn't mean she had to get all patriotic on us. Maybe if she had given birth at the Washington Monument that would be okay.

But she didn't.

That story had all kinds of weird names. Like Forney. I feel sorry for the actor. He's really talented, but because of that role, I can never remember his real name. I'm always like, "Hey, Forney is playing Cromwell in The Tudors! Hey, Forney is playing a vampire in True Blood!"

Poor Forney.

It sounds like a nickname, but the only possible thing it could stand for is "Fornication." Snort. He seems like the kinda guy who'd take Novalee's last name when they got married. So that would mean his name is now . . . FORNICATION NATION.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

FORNICATION NATION!

*rolls over*

*grins*

*falls back asleep*

August Break + LeakyCon, Pt. 1

2011-08-02T18:17:00.024-05:00

I learned from my friend Lilie (she of one very lovely blog) that it's August Break — an opportunity for bloggers to express themselves in photography for a month. It's ultra low pressure, and it produced a lot of wonderful images on Lilie's website last year. If you're interested, you should check it out!

I'm using it as inspiration to increase my blogging this month. I have so many things I want to share with you and . . . so little time. Isla and the Happily Ever After MUST be written, and APPARENTLY I signed some papers awhile back that said *I* am the one who is supposed to do it.

Who knew?

So here's my first batch . . . LeakyCon! I forgot to take my REAL camera (durr), so it's a mixture of grainy cell phone pictures and better pictures stolen from other people.

Somehow, all of this PLUS another suitcase PLUS more musical equipment had to fit in our car.

And, somehow, it did!

The conference was at the Royal Pacific Resort next to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.

Cars like this . . .

. . . and this, showed that we were among friends. Three thousand and four hundred of them, to be exact!

The first day was Lit Day. This picture from Bibliomantics proves that I actually sat on a panel with Scott Westerfeld, David Levithan, Robin Wasserman, John Green, and Libba Bray. I KNOW, RIGHT? It was called "I Was a Teenage Author," and it was the most fun I had all day. Tears of laughter streamed down my face! Here I am about to read from my senior-year journal, in which I meet my future husband (for real) and became mildly obsessed about him (understatement).

With Megan, who posted this picture on my Facebook page. Huzzah!

[THIS IS WHERE THE PICTURE OF ME WITH MY AGENT KATE AND MY EDITOR JULIE IS SUPPOSED TO GO. I DID NOT GET ONE. WE TOTALLY HAD A PANEL TOGETHER! I LOATHE MYSELF FOR NOT COMMEMORATING IT. IF YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION AND SEND IT TO ME, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER.]

The next day, Snape tried to avada kedavra me . . .

. . . but I escaped and made it to the IMAX premiere of the new film. (I'm not actually in this picture, which I stole from Oh My Rowling. I am to the left of this. You'll have to trust me.) I can't imagine a more incredible movie-going experience than seeing the last Harry Potter with the people who care about it the most. The theater sobbed and laughed and cheered as one.

At the theater, Jarrod and I sat beside my writer-friend Jade and her husband. They were visiting all the way from Australia! They'd stopped by our home in Asheville the week before, and I was puppy-dog happy to see them again. We walked around afterward and bought loads of disgusting candy and frozen yogurt. And then we couldn't bear to say goodbye, so we made breakfast plans for the next morning! PLEASE COME BACK JADE I MISS YOU COME BACK COME BACK COME BACK.

Next post = Wizard Rock + a trip to the most magical place on Earth. Which, despite popular belief, is not Disneyland.

UPDATE: Molly has sent me pictures of my panel with Agent Kate and Editor Julie! I'll post them next time. YIPPEE!!!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2011-07-28T13:07:00.005-05:00

♥ So much love for these people. ♥

Phew! These last two weeks . . . phew!

LeakyCon and Comic-Con. What a magical, unforgettable July you have given me! I have no words yet, and that's not just because I've lost my voice. I have seen so many friends, so many readers, so many talented creators that I've admired for years . . . yeah. Just . . . yeah.

I can't think of a more perfect way for Jarrod and I to have celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Further happiness and details when I have recovered.

EDITED TO ADD: Oh! But I have a guest post here about being a teenage outsider, if you're interested.

Another Rose

2011-07-26T13:35:00.010-05:00

To my friends and readers in Norway,

I am so sorry. My heart is with you.

xoxo

GAHHHHHHHHH!!!

2011-07-11T10:54:00.005-05:00

SO MUCH HAPPENING AT ONCE.

Jarrod and I have to take a sudden detour before driving to LeakyCon in Orlando, which requires us to leave a day early. This will be sloppy!

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING:

NATALIE WHIPPLE SOLD TWO YA BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!

Most of you already know this, because we share many of the same blog readers, but JUST IN CASE you missed it, please go congratulate her! Natalie is a dear friend, and this has been a long time coming. Her first novel is called Transparent, and I was lucky enough to be one of her critique partners, and it's completely and totally original. And fun! And funny!

I want to talk more about Natalie, because she's been instrumental to my health and sanity for the last few years, and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED about *her* book deal. But I really gotta pick up the pace. (I have to leave in three hours, and I haven't packed yet!) So I'll tell you more about how special she is soon.

But trust me. She is. I'm so happy for her!

THE AUCTION THING:

Carrie Harris, author of the releases-tomorrow zombie YA Bad Taste in Boys, is having an auction to raise money for the Mott Giving Library, which gives free books to hospitalized children. In Carrie's own words:

"The Giving Library is located at the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital. In a given year, Mott serves about 10,000 inpatients and 60,000 outpatients, from newborns to nineteen-year-olds. My husband was nineteen when he was admitted with an advanced case of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Thanks to Mott, he beat the odds. When we started dating, his hair was just starting to grow back.

Now he’s at the tail end of his training to become a pediatric oncologist. He’s working side-by-side with many of the doctors who saved his life all those years ago. Sometimes they forget he was once their patient. But my family? We’ll never forget.

I owe everything I’ve got to those doctors. Without them, I’d have no husband. I’d be without my son and the zombie plays he brings me home from first grade. I’d be without my twin daughters and the holes they put in my walls. (I might not miss the holes.) And I would have no book. Because my family’s what gave me the guts to send it out, even though I knew the odds were stacked against me. What can I say? I’m a statistician by trade. I think of these things.

Yes, I’m excited to celebrate the publication of my first book. But for me, this is bigger than a book. This is about paying some of that awesomeness forward. Or in this case, paying it back."

I have donated a first-edition hardcover of Anna and the French Kiss, signed and hand-annotated. You can bid on it here (instructions are at the bottom of the page, in the comments area). The auction ends July 25th at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Please allow me to stress that this is a one-of-a-kind item. If you win my auction, you'll learn secrets about Anna that NO ONE else knows! I hope you'll bid. It's such a great cause.

THE NEW CALIFORNIA EVENT THING:

I don't think I've announced this here yet, but I have a special signing with Kiersten White and Andrea Cremer on July 26, 2011 in Oceanside, CA at 6:00 p.m. This is for all of the people in the San Diego area (and beyond!) who can't make it into Comic-Con to see us. It's the release party for Kiersten's Supernaturally and Andrea's Wolfsbane, but I'll be there signing copies of Anna, too.

Numbered wristbands will be issued, and reservations start one week before the event. Call: 760-529-0106 for more information.

THE COMIC-CON THING:

My panel information has finally been announced:

Sunday, 10:00-11:00 "What's Hot in Young Adult Fiction: Sit Down with the Writers We Can't Stop Talking About"

Hosted by Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar Cosmic Space Kapow), and featuring panelists Andrea Cremer (Nightshade series), Amanda Hocking (Hollowland), Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me), Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss), Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone), and Kiersten White (Paranormalcy), who discuss the YA phenomenon and their books.

Room 23ABC

Afterward, our autograph session will be in room AA4, from 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

THE LEAKYCON THING:

I'm so excited to be seeing so many of you this week! I'll be at Wednesday's Lit Day festivities, and I'll be hanging around the hotel and theme park for the rest of the week.

Two announcements: Enter to win an advanced copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door at the nighttime wizard rock shows. Look for Jarrod's merch table — his band is Gred and Forge — to enter. It's free. Also, Jarrod and I will be signing GARBAGE PAIL KIDS cards all week. (Just because! Hee hee.) Approach either one of us at any time to ask for one. Also free, of course!

THE FINAL THING:

See you back here SOON. I hope! Hope you're all having a great July!

Two Linkssssss

2011-07-06T09:33:00.004-05:00

Hi-ya! I'll be back with a FOR REALS post tomorrow, but here are two quick links for today.

(1) Awesome People Hanging Out Together — My current favorite Tumblr. Thanks to Persnickety Snark for enlightening me!

Thom + David = (ALMOST) TOO MUCH FOR STEPH TO HANDLE

(2) YA Crush Tourney — Our own Étienne St. Clair is up for his first round! Won't you vote for him, s'il vous plaît?

Impromptu New York City

2011-06-17T21:05:00.020-05:00

I like to call this series of pictures taken by Mitali from Alley of Books as: That One Time Gayle Forman Grabbed My Butt!

Her devious expression . . .

. . . leads to this!

Don't worry. I returned the favor twenty minutes later . . . on the street! Hee hee.

Gayle and I were at a release party for Courtney Sheinmel's latest, All the Things You Are. (Can't wait to read!) It was a spur-of-the-moment thingie, since my trip to New York was spur-of-the-moment, and I'm grateful Courtney let me crash her party. We'd never met before, and she was such a sweetheart!

Sara (Super Librarian!), Moi, Courtney

Doesn't Courtney have the most beautiful smile? I was dazzled by it all evening.

The day before was my impromptu Bryant Park gathering, which Rachel at Bookshelf Lust wonderfully chronicled here. (I wish Rachel would photograph and write-up ALL of my events. Such talent!) I can't even begin to say how amazing it turned out to be. It was unquestionably the most fun event I've had this year, thanks to the intimate setting and delightful attendees. Thank you to everyone who came!

The rest of my quickie visit was spent arm-in-arm with Gayle (who graciously allowed me to stay with her, even though I only gave her sixteen hours notice), telling scary stories over a Japanese dinner with my friends Manning, Marjorie, and Marjorie's mother (who speaks little English, and I speak even less French, which did not impede our enjoyment one bit!), eating a yummy breakfast with my always-fabulous editor Julie, and . . . researching. (Ooo!)

I also bought a fox penis bone for my writing desk at Evolution, a marvelous store lovingly described by Laini Taylor in this post.

Why? Because I could!

Now I'm looking forward to this weekend.

Working on my novel? Maybe. Painting my bathroom? Maybe. Relaxing with a few good books? Definitely!

Speaking of, what are you reading these days? Anything I should know about? I have a ton of recommendations for YOU, I just need to get into gear and blog about them! (And blog about our Princess Army. And several events-of-past. And and and. Etc.)

Happy weekend!

Hang out with me tomorrow (Saturday) in NYC!

2011-06-10T15:11:00.007-05:00

Like this, but perhaps with rain.

This is a last-second announcement, because these are last-second plans. I just booked a flight to Manhattan for this weekend. A few people on Twitter asked if I'd be willing to do an impromptu signing, so . . . here we go!

Tomorrow (Saturday, June 11th) I will be hanging out in front of the Bryant Park Cafe in Bryant Park at 3:30 p.m.

As I will not recognize YOU, you will have to look for ME. Thanks to my hair, I'm pretty easy to spot! My stripes are currently pale turquoise.

Since it might rain, we might have to move locations. We'll figure it out when we get there! Check my Twitter account for updates. But, rain or shine, we'll at least meet in front of the Bryant Park Cafe at 3:30.

I'll be happy to sign my books if you bring them. And if you don't have a copy, that's okay, too. We can just hang! Pictures are cool, too. This will be a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY informal (and hopefully fun) gathering.

I'm not sure how many of us there will be; it might be just you and me! But I'll be hanging out until 5:00 p.m. Again, check my Twitter account, because if you're arriving late, we might switch locations.

Hope to see you New Yorkers there tomorrow! WOO HOO!

EEEEEEEEK! Comic-Con!!!

2011-06-08T14:39:00.007-05:00

I just got the okay to share some RIDONKULOUS news. I'm going to be on a YA panel at this year's Comic-Con International! The Comic-Con, held every summer in San Diego. As a maaaaaaajor hardcore nerd, I assure you this is far-and-away the most amazing invite I've yet received!

YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The panel date and time have not been set in stone, so for now all I can share with you is that the fantastic Nathan Bransford is moderating and that these are the panelists:

Andrea Cremer
Amanda Hocking
Tahereh Mafi
Laini Taylor
Kiersten White . . .
and moi!

OH, YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT.

The gods have put me on a panel with two of my bestest friends, Laini and Kiersten! Could I *BE* any more excited???

(Answer: No.)

And I'm thrilled to see super-sweetheart Andrea again (who I met way too briefly a few months ago in Houston) and to meet everyone else! Holy awesome weekend, Batman! I can't stop using exclamation points! July 21-24 are going to (NERD) ROCK!

Comic-Con will be immediately following my appearance at another fantastic con, LeakyCon (July 13-17 in Orlando, FL). I don't think I officially announced it here on my blog, but I'll be on the Wednesday Lit Day panels with all kinds of incredible award-winning people that I have no right to be on a panel with — Seriously. Look at the list. — not to mention, my agent and my editor. I can't wait to see them again!

And, of course, my husband and tons of our friends will be performing their Wizard Rock at night!

♥ The hubs ♥

July is going to rule, dude.

I love being a geek!

For more tour dates, please check out my News page. Especially notable is an appearance later this month at the Irving Public Library in Texas. If you live in the Dallas area, please come see me! And if you don't live anywhere near the places I'm traveling, no worries. There are quite a few more stops up my sleeves that I can't share yet.

HURRAH! I hope to see you soon!

Happy Half-Birthday, Anna!

2011-06-06T13:44:00.006-05:00

"Whoaaaa oh ohh! Sweet child o' mine . . ."

Anna and the French Kiss has been out for six months, so I thought now would be a great time to answer your most frequently asked questions. Thanks to Mindi Scott for the idea!

Exactly how tall IS Étienne?

My lips are sealed. But, yes, I assure you that he's shorter than Anna. I had a great joke that revealed his height in Lola and the Boy Next Door, but I cut it due to pacing issues. Maybe you'll see the joke in Isla and the Happily Ever After? Hmm . . .

Also, YES, that means what you think it means. If you're thinking it.

What actors do you picture as your characters?

I'm sorry, but I never publicly answer this question either. I don't want to interfere with who you, the reader, imagine! That's part of the magic of reading.

How do you pronounce Étienne St. Clair's name?

I actually reveal how to pronounce his first name in his first scene ("Eh-t-yen says my name like this: Ah-na"), but here's the full scoop:

Étienne is pronounced Eh-t-yen. Think of the upward sound the "é" makes in "café."

St. Clair can be pronounced several ways.

American: Saint Claire
French: Saun Clai (you can make a slight throaty French "r" sound or drop it completely)
English: I've heard it pronouced both ways PLUS "Sinclair" and "Sink-lur"

I pronounce it somewhere between the American way and the French way. The characters in the book most likely pronounce it the French way. But, really, any of these are okay.

Will Anna and the French Kiss be made into a movie?

Man, I hope so! But the film rights have not been sold. Yet. And then there are, like, eighty billion other hoops that have to be jumped through.

Will Anna and the French Kiss be released as an audio book?

YES! I sold the rights to Listening Library for Anna, Lola, and Isla just last week! I can't even begin to tell you how psyched I am about this. I *love* audio books. The current goal is to release Anna and Lola during Lola's hardcover release this September, and Isla's audio book, of course, with the release of her hardcover the following year.

And to answer the potential follow-up question:

No, I won't be reading it myself. I wish I could! But — like Anna — I cannot pronounce French words. And the idea of doing an English accent is similarly terrifying. So, no. I'm not going to audition to read it myself.

(And, yes, for an author to perform their own audio book, they generally have to audition.)

Will you please write a sequel? Or a book from Étienne's point of view?

I'm thrilled that you're interested, but I'm sorry. No. I'm very happy with how I left my characters. BUT . . . there is more of them to be had!

Ah hem, companion novels.

I found Isla! But where's Lola?

Lola is not in Anna and the French Kiss.

Will Anna ever be released in Spanish?

I hope so. I really, really do. But, as of now, I haven't sold to any Spanish-speaking countries.

(Nor to France! Hello, France? Please. I love you. Buy my book!)

When will Anna be released as a paperback?

August 4th of this year. My paperback editor has done a WONDERFUL job. I've seen the proofs, and it has these amazing French (!) flaps with scalloped edges and a lovely new blurb on the front:

"Magical. Anna and the French Kiss really captures the feeling of being in love.”
—Cassandra Clare, New York Times bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments series

I couldn't be more thrilled!

Oh. And it also contains the first chapter of Lola. ;)

When are you going to put those Anna extras on your website?

TODAY.

Ha!

Actually, this is only the first stage. You can find the official playlist here and listen to it here. Hurrah! I'll keep uploading more extras as I find the time. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to do this, but this sort of thing is incredibly time-consuming, and I am only one wee little author.

But I hope you enjoy the playlist! Listening to it again brings back such crazy, fantastic, heart-breaking, heart-warming memories . . .

Lola, Lola, and More Lola

2011-06-03T21:18:00.010-05:00

You asked for it, you got it! (And I reaaaaally appreciate you asking for it.)

Here's my official countdown widget for Lola and the Boy Next Door:

Countdown Creator Progreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

If you're viewing this post as an RSS feed, you'll probably have to click on over to my blog to see it. Please add it to your own blog or website, if you wish, and help me spread the word!

A handful of copies of Lola were handed out at Book Expo America last week, and I am enormously relieved (ENORMOUSLY, you guys know what a killer this novel was for me) that these earliest reviews have been positive.

Phew!!!!!!!!!!

Today I even learned that one of my favorite book bloggers, the always professional and charming Story Siren, named it as one of her five early buzz books:

"If you've read Anna and the French Kiss I'm sure you are dying for this novel. And it is that good. I think it's even better than Anna. Now I read this title in public, at the airport actually, so you could imagine my dismay when the book made me cry.... twice. And it wasn't so much that it was sad, but I made such a strong connection with these characters it was hard to not be emotionally involved. You are going to LOVE this one."

Thank you so much, Kristi. Your words mean more to me than you can imagine.

And then . . . I learned that it got blurbed by Sarah Mlynowski:

“You’re going to fall in love with Lola and the Boy Next Door. Madly in love! Every page sparkles.”

— Sarah Mlynowski, author of Bras & Brookmsticks and Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have)

Oh, heavens. I didn't even know my (fabulous fabulous fabulous) editor was going to try to get a blurb! It's particularly thrilling, because years ago I read Sarah's See Jane Write (co-written with editor Farrin Jacobs), a guide to writing chick-lit, and it was HUGELY helpful in getting me to figure out those things that my college creative writing classes should have taught me, but didn't. I referenced her book ALL THE TIME while writing my first novel!

So . . . it's surreal that now she likes *my* book.

Wow.

WOW.

Isn't life crazy? And amazing? I hope your Fridays were as happy-making as mine!

Where I Have Been . . .

2011-06-01T11:37:00.016-05:00

Hi, everyone!

Ahhh . . . it's nice to be back. It's funny how when one thing settles down (work), another thing inevitably acts up (family). The last several weeks have been filled with birth, death, illnesses, and emergency room accidents.

[Note to my family: Can we please just chill out for a while?]

But things are okay. And my new nephew, whom I visited last week in Minneapolis, is most certainly a happy and welcome sight! As were my friends Sara and Jeff, who moved from Asheville to Nashville last winter, but who returned for a visit over Memorial Day weekend.

Like us, they never did many of the touristy things while they lived here, so now that they're officially visitors again, they're making up for it. Jarrod and I were eager to tag along with them on Sunday to Grandfather Mountain, the tallest peak in the Blue Ridge mountains.

The following pictures are courtesy of Jeff Zentner, with the exception of the one he's in, which Jarrod took:

My husband is incapable of acting normal in a photograph. Also, this was the moment Sara almost loaded her son into the trunk. My kinda gal.

Jarrod and the French Kiss. With a bug.

I'm actually holding my "friends" hostage.

The Mile High Swinging Bridge, which is no longer wooden, and, therefore, no longer swinging.

My necklace is totally a panda bear, you guys.

Sara is so beautiful!

This is why I live in the mountains of North Carolina.

Fixing Jarrod's hat hair.

Happy June!

I'm off to return to work, which is, unsurprisingly, piling up again. But I still hope to see you all a lot more on my blog this month!

Never give up hope, right? ;)

Auctions Close Today — Please Bid!

2011-05-18T15:01:00.007-05:00

LAST DAY, LAST DAY, LAST DAY

Today is the LAST DAY to bid on a super-special custom scene featuring Anna and Étienne.

My All 4 Alabama auction ends FIRST, tonight at 8:00 p.m. CST.

My Help Write Now auction ends TWO HOURS LATER at 10:00 p.m. CST.

This is the only time I will ever offer a custom scene featuring Anna and Étienne. Please bid now, or forever hold your peace!

Blogger Problems/Auction Update

2011-05-13T16:41:00.010-05:00

Arrrrrrrgh!

As many of you are already aware, Blogger went down for a full day. All of the auction bids were lost.

(See yesterday's post about the awesome items that I'm donating to raise money for the tornado-damaged southern United States.)

Help Write Now is putting a hold on weekend bidding and starting again this Monday. Here is their full explanation.

Here is the situation with All 4 Alabama, ~~but the wording regarding my auction is a bit confusing. I'll let you know when I have an easier explanation.~~ Update: My auction is live again, and it will end at 8 p.m. CST on Wednesday, May 18th.

Thanks for your patience. I hope you'll still bid!

TWO AUCTIONS: Win Custom Scenes Featuring Anna & Étienne

2011-05-12T14:14:00.001-05:00

Tornado damage in northern Georgia, beside my husband's hometown.

The online lit community is at it again.

(Raising money for charity, of course!)

I've donated two items to help raise funds for the tornado-damaged southern United States. Help Write Now is raising money for the Red Cross's general disaster relief fund, and All 4 Alabama is raising money for a rural community in Alabama, because Alabama was hit the hardest by the storms.

I'm giving away the same item for both auctions. And it's a cool one! Here's the description:

This auction is for one written conversation of your choice between Anna Oliphant and Étienne St. Clair, the main characters of my novel ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS.

If you win, you’ll send me a topic, and I’ll write a short scene in which Anna and Étienne muse upon it.

The scene will be added as a permanent “Extras” feature on stephanieperkins.com, and I’ll list your name (and link to your website, if you have one) as the dedication. I will also print a copy, sign it, and mail it to you.

Your topic must be brief, like “kumquats” or “Dr. Who.” In other words, if you send this idea to me: “Étienne breaks up with Anna to date Michelle Huffernagle, aka me, the winner of this auction,” I will tell you to pick another topic.

I will also not write about anything that will spoil the companion novels to ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. Your topic idea cannot be “Lola,” “Cricket,” “Isla,” etc.

I will be open-minded, but I do reserve the right to refuse any idea that I deem inappropriate and to ask you to select another one.

The winner’s scene will be on my website (and the paper copy mailed) within sixty days of settling on the topic.

• The link for my Help Write Now auction is HERE. It was uploaded today (Thursday), and you'll have THREE days to bid. Bidding instructions are on this page.

• The link for my All 4 Alabama auction is HERE. It was uploaded today (Thursday), and you'll have FIVE days to bid. Bidding instructions are on this page.

In other words . . . if you bid on HWN's auction and don't win, you'll have a second chance with A4A.

I hope you'll bid. Thank you, and good luck!

NC Reading/Signing + Princesses + Freebies

2011-05-10T11:06:00.017-05:00

"This is my idea of happiness." — Jamie B. on Twitter

Few things make me feel as tingly and warm inside as seeing a picture of someone with my book. I've been fortunate to be sent a few of them, but this one . . . well, isn't it perfect? Isn't this how reading SHOULD feel?

Thank you, Jamie. I wish that I had a million dollars, so that I could buy this image from you and plaster it all over the world as my advertising campaign! Happy sigh.

And now for another scattered post.

First: If you live in the Western North Carolina region, I'm having a reading and signing this Saturday at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville at 3:00 p.m. I hope that you'll be able to come and hang out. I'd love to meet you!

Moving on: My last week-and-a-half were unexpectedly busy, so I'm sorry that I haven't posted our Princess Army yet. It's INCREDIBLE. I'll try to post it later this week, though, admittedly, it would've been perfect if I could have shared it on this day:

. . . but ah, well. Such is life.

[Yes, I know Kate isn't technically a princess yet. But we're all going to call her one, right?]

What I loved about the royal wedding was having the opportunity to watch something nice on television, for once. You know? Gorgeous cathedral, stunning dress, insane hats and fascinators. (MAN, do I want a crazy fascinator for promoting Lola!) It's rare to have the opportunity to watch a historical moment that's not about death or war or natural disasters. So thank you, William and Catherine. I hope that you have a beautiful life together.

Hmm, what else? What else?

How about some links?

• Kiersten White's short story "Tick, Tick, Boom" from the Corsets & Clockwork steampunk anthology is available FREE and ONLINE. Obviously, I am extreeeeemely biased when it comes to the work of my friends, but it's only because they're so talented! This story is fantastic, hilarious, and romantic. It knocked my socks off — so much accomplished in so few pages. I wish I had that particular talent.

• Last Friday, I was interviewed for the Waynesville paper about my upcoming signing. The interviewer, Stina, and I had SUCH a fun time talking over coffee, and I like how her article came out. You can read it here.

• I generally feel uncomfortable linking to interviews, but here's another one I did back in March. It's a different sort of article, because I'm talking about music. I like this one, too, although My Celebrity Boyfriend Thom Yorke would be horrified to discover the misquote about my favorite celebrity crush! Hee hee. (I do love Chris, but numero uno has been Thom for over a decade!)

• Finally, Rome, the new Danger Mouse/Jack White/Norah Jones/Daniele Luppi album is super-great and mellow. I've been streaming the entire thing all this morning here on NPR. Thanks to Jon Skovron for linking to it on Twitter yesterday.

And now I'm off to work. Talk again soon!

Playing Pretend, Method Writing, & Princess Stephanie

2011-04-25T12:41:00.019-05:00

In the window of the children's gift shop at the Louvre.
I wanted it in my size!

CONFESSION: I have never stopped playing pretend.

Sometimes, when life is a little too boring or a little too stressful, I will imagine that I am someone else. Somewhere else. It's a habit that children are supposed to grow out of, but one I find far too useful to give up.

If I'm in a doctor's office, alone and scared, I'll imagine someone holding my hand. If I'm feeling chained to my desk, I'll imagine a relaxing day in another country without nary a laptop in sight. If I'm bored and driving somewhere far away, I'll imagine an amusing companion in my passenger seat.

And, sometimes, I will imagine things just to imagine things. For instance, on a recent wintry afternoon, I imagined that I was a benevolent Snow Queen riding on the back of a triceratops and waving to my people. The Snow King rode beside me, and we were wrapped in thick furs and wearing spindly, crystal-and-silver crowns.

Because . . . why not?

So it's not surprising that I write this way, too. I call the process Method Writing, because it's similar to Method Acting. Basically, during the duration of creating a novel, I become my protagonist. I step in their shoes — sometimes literally, as I did with Lola, who loves costumes and unusual footwear! — and we talk the same, eat the same, share the same opinions, do the same activities, take the same emotional roller coaster, and . . . fall in love with the same boy.

It's often challenging to discern where I end and my characters begin. I only write about things that interest me (I cannot fathom writing something otherwise), and, therefore, a lot of me winds up in each character, and a lot of each character winds up in me. Even the not-so-nice ones. We take on each other's habits, for better and for worse. We learn from each other. And we solve our problems together.

It's a bit like therapy, honestly.

But that falling in love bit . . . because I write romance, and love is the arc . . . that falling in love is the trickiest bit of all.

Étienne St. Clair was easy to fall in love with. He was, in an odd way, my first. I fell for him deeply and immediately. Because of this, Cricket Bell — the boy in Lola's story — through no fault of his own, became a challenge. The overactive method side of me felt as if I were cheating on Étienne, and it took several months for me to mentally make that switch, for me to fall in love with Cricket as deeply as I had with Étienne.

Last week, I began having terrible struggle dreams. Each night, I was forced to leave my husband and fall in love with someone else. It was sad and painful. It was just plain wrong. And it took three nights of these dreams before I realized that my unconscious was telling me that it was time to let go of Cricket and fall in love with the new boy.

Isla's boy.

How heartbreaking.

It's also nerve-wracking, and . . . kind of exciting. The strangest thing of all was something I realized this morning, while emailing a friend: Isla has had a crush on This Boy for three years (plot-wise), and I have had a crush on This Boy for three years (when the idea for the novel first occurred to me), and now it's time for us both to actually get together and fall in love.

I love that whole idea of art imitating life vs. life imitating art. It's a fine line, isn't it?

Which makes me wonder further . . . how will Isla change me? What habits will I pick up from her? What habits of mine will I give her? And what will we teach each other about ourselves?

This are big, scary questions. No wonder I find beginnings so intimidating!

Whiiiiich is why I spent this morning procrastinating again, this time with the Princess Maker (linked on Twitter by Dawn Metcalf via @srolutola).

Guys, I'm not gonna lie to you. The Princess Maker is FREAKING AWESOME for people like me who have been in love with princess stories their whole life, and who, yes, occasionally still pretend they ARE one!

But . . . another funny thing happened.

I went there to design my perfect pretty princess, right? I wasn't sure who she would be, and, therefore, I was startled when I realized that my ideal for a princess has not changed since childhood. She was, essentially, an idealized version of me.

I'd like to introduce you to Princess Stephanie:

• Red Hair

As a red-haired child, it was frustrating for me to see so many blonde and brunette princesses. The only redhead that existed was Ariel from The Little Mermaid, who I was grateful for, but who never felt like a REAL PRINCESS because she had fins for half the movie. (Which is why I wish Enchanted had existed back then! I loooove Giselle and her floofy gowns.)

• Freckles and Ghost-Pale Skin

Like me, naturally.

• Green Clothing

Green has always been my favorite color, and I was obsessed with characters who wore green, most notably Robin Hood and Peter Pan. (That corset is a bit Robin Hood-esque somehow, no?) And I honestly could. not. help myself when I saw that forest green. It was as if there were no other color choices.

• Ballet-Style Dress and Shoes

My sister was a ballerina, and apparently that longing to be an older, more sophisticated sister runs deep. This also plays into my longing for grace and poise, because I am a wicked klutz.

• Jewelry

I chose not to give her any bracelets, because I can't wear bracelets. I have extremely active hands — a trait which, ha ha, I gave to a character in Lola's story — and I tend to play with bracelets and break them. Also, my wrists are approximately the size of a toddler's. Stupid wrists.

• Devious Expression

What can I say? I like mischief-makers! (Ah hem, Robin Hood and Peter Pan.)

• Bluebird

But I have always wished for that one-with-nature thing. Though I like to think of it more as a superhero power than a sweetie-pie characteristic!

Now I'm curious about those of you here who also still like princesses. If you're interested, please create one and email the image to me under the subject-heading PRINCESS (steph AT stephanieperkins.com).

There are tons of fabulous choices. The only sucky thing is the usual sucky thing, in that there's only one body shape. BOO TO ONE BODY SHAPE. But if you're still interested, the last step of the princess-making process includes choosing a background. Please pick the white background, so that I can see your princess clearly.

Give your princess a name (your own name is ideal, of course), and I'll post an army of your princesses later this week!

In the meantime . . . I must leave this blog to fall in love with a new prince.

EDITED TO ADD, FROM MY COMMENTS: "Actually, you can pick from 2 bodies - the buttons at the top of the page with eyes and lips." Cool! Thanks, Ruthie! I wish there were more than two, though.

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: I love the princesses that are coming in! WE SHOULD TOTALLY BE PROFESSIONAL PRINCESS DESIGNERS, YOU GUYS.

Steph & Isla, Week One

2011-04-22T12:07:00.025-05:00

Hoo boy. It's astonishing how quickly my mind can go from this:

Tra la la! Emperor of Mondays! Fresh start! New book! WheeeEeeEeeeEEEeee! DIS IS THMOST AWESOME WEEK EV-AR!!!

To this:

Wait. I actually have to write another book? Now? Like, right now?

Most writers can be divided into two camps: those who enjoy first drafts and those who enjoy revising. I am firmly on the revision side. For me, first drafts are sloppy and embarrassing and filled with holes and stupidity. And that's okay! They're supposed to be that way! But my perfectionist mind despises cutting a path through the muck. Everything is so messy and unclear. It's humiliating for me to know these early drafts even exist; it feels like I'm stumbling through a crowded public square in my underpants and one flip-flop.

But . . . it's not all bad. This week, I've taken great pleasure in organizing my notes. Removing Lola's inspiration pictures and hanging up Isla's. Reading research books. Brainstorming ideas with friends. Creating new goals and deadlines.

You'll notice that none of those activities actually involve writing.

I envy those authors who blast through first drafts — GOOD first drafts! — in a matter of weeks. Mine take months, by far the longest stage of my writing process. My most frequently used metaphor is that a first draft feels like having to yank out my own teeth. It is slow, and it is excruciating.

It is also filled with an excess in melodrama and procrastination.

Examples of early melodrama:

• Whiny emails to my critique partners
• Whiny texts to my critique partners
• Whiny phone calls to my critique partners

Examples of melodrama-to-come:

• Panicked emails to my critique partners
• Panicked texts to my critique partners
• Panicked phone calls to my critique partners

Examples of early procrastination:

• Ooo! Thom Yorke oil painting!

• Ooo! Thom Yorke paper doll!

• Ooo! Thom Yorke dancing with a bear!

NOTE: All three of these were sent via my friend Connie, who is my favorite source of procrastinatory goodness. You rock, Connie! Thank you! Also, you should check out this amazing present she made for another friend. Clearly, everyone should strive to be Connie's friend.

FOLLOW-UP NOTE: This picture makes me so happy. Two fabulous ladies in one!

Kiersten and Connie

(Moving back on topic . . .)

Examples of procrastination-to-come:

• Taking up a new hobby, such as turning Thom Yorke into art
• Staring at my office wall and pretending that my laptop does not exist
• Eating just one more snack and drinking just one more cup of coffee

And now I should end this post and tie it up in a bow, but all I can think about is that if I stop typing, I will have to Get To Work. And I'm not so fond of Getting To Work.

So I think I'll stay here a bit longer.

*whistles*

*twiddles thumbs*

*gazes out window*

*scratches side of nose*

*drums on desk*

*jiggles foot*

Okay, maybe I'll go for just one more snack, instead. Would you like to join me for coffee afterward? We can play with our paper dolls!

The Emperor of Mondays

2011-04-18T12:43:00.010-05:00

I'm borrowing this title from my friend Laini's January 1st post:

I like to think of New Year's as the "Emperor of Mondays." Mondays, I know, are not everyone's favorite day of the week, but I love Mondays. For some reason, Mondays have always felt like clean slates to me, like . . . new notebooks. You know? Like a fresh etch-n-sketch screen. The feeling is: begin now.

I love (and completely understand) this notion. Unfortunately, I was mud-trudging through Lola and the Boy Next Door revisions last January, and a clean slate felt like an impossibility. But today.

TODAY.

Today is my Emperor of Mondays.

Last Friday, I turned in the first copyedited version of Lola. She is finally—!!!—ready to become a real-live book. It is . . . difficult to believe. It is also awesome.

Really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really awesome.

So today, on my Emperor of Mondays, I'm gazing upon that clean slate: an empty work calendar and a new book. *happy sigh* Picture me rolling around in this moment like a puppy in the grass on a sunny day.

The Author, as interpreted by Frodo, which is, by the way, an excellent name for a dog.

I have many hopes, wishes, and goals for the next few months:

• An okay completed first draft of Isla and the Happily Ever After.

It doesn't have to be great, not yet. Just complete. And I do currently have a full draft, but it was my zero draft, aka my NaNoWriMo draft. Which is helpful! But NOT a first draft. I'll be fortunate if I save even 5k of the current 50k.

The related hope is to keep the work not-overwhelming and not-terrifying. I don't want to live through another Lola debacle. My new strategy is consists of three simple, non-negotiable parts: (1) work steady hours, (2) take scheduled time off, (3) remember that I write for myself first. It's okay to feel selfish, it's okay to shut out the other voices for a while.

I'm the one who has to live with the darn thing.

• A solidly brainstormed Fourth Novel.

Fourth Novel isn't related to Anna/Lola/Isla, and every time I tell someone about Fourth Novel, the idea changes. So . . . I've stopped telling people. But I'm sitting on something veeeeery intriguing. Now I have to figure out how to make it work! And I have to figure it out soon, because, you know, I need a paycheck next year. Groceries are good.

• A return to blogging.

I'm thankful that I've never disappeared for too long, but I do wish that I could return to two weekly posts. I miss this place! And I have so much to tell you about the fabulous books I'm reading! And the conference that I went to two weekends ago! And the extras casting call for the Hunger Games movie that I went to last weekend! And The Killing on AMC, which has excellent, realistic teen dialogue!

Anyone else watching? I heart smart storytelling.

So . . . that's it for now. Hopefully, I'll see you again later this week. Are any of you at a crossroads right now, too?

Best of luck to anyone who is!

Closer and closer, Lola . . .

2011-03-29T13:44:00.009-05:00

My parents are in town — for the first time in four years! — and I'm editing Lola and Cricket's story, so I won't be online much this week.

It's still thrilling to be able to publicly say Cricket's name now. Cricket! Cricket! Cricket! Oh, I hope you guys like him. He's kind of odd and very sweet, and I've spent a LOT of time with him in the last year.

I'm line editing, which means that (most of) the big stuff is taken care of, so I'm clarifying/prettifying. I love this kind of nitpicky work. And it's exciting, because this means that the novel is that much closer to becoming an advanced copy, which means that you guys are that much closer to reading it.

(Have I mentioned lately how much I hope you like this book? I've been working my butt off over here. If you hate it, please, for the love, lie to me.)

Three random things before I disappear again . . .

(1) Hey, did you hear about that one time a mutual fan gave Taylor Swift a copy of Anna and the French Kiss? Yeah. That was awesome!

(2) After years of dragging my heels and squirming every time my friend Natalie Whipple mentioned it on her blog, I have finally converted to a single space between sentences, thanks to this article on Slate.com: "Space Invaders: Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period."

Knowing the history of why two spaces existed in the first place was extremely helpful and persuasive for getting me to quit. I even emailed my editor — JUST IN CASE — and she confirmed that she single spaces everything she receives, because it looks weird to her to read sentences that are double spaced.

So. You win, single space fanatics.

YOU WIN.

And double space fanatics panicking about switching? It only took a day to reteach myself. Easy peasy! And if you use Microsoft Word's Find/Replace feature, you can quickly remove any preexisting double spaces.

(3) My friend Connie sent me Camera Obscura's "French Navy" video ages ago, and I've been meaning to share it. Catchy! Perfect for fellow Francophiles:

Have a good week, friends. Talk soon!

Accio Books!

2011-03-22T13:56:00.005-05:00

Hermione will keep looking at you like this until you donate.

The Harry Potter Alliance is up to their usual awesome. From now until the end of March, they're throwing their annual book drive, Accio Books!

If you have books in your home library that you aren't going to read again (AND I KNOW YOU DO), please consider donating them to your local public library or to this year's sponsored location, the Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School in Brooklyn, a school that opened in 2010 and — EEP! — doesn't have a library.

The school is looking for gently used books for ages preschool through young adult. I mailed them a big ol' box this afternoon, and I hope that some of you will, too. (Tip: Ask your U.S. post office to ship the box via media mail! It's cheaper.)

For further information, including the school's address, please visit this page.

And, for funsies, you can log in your donation to The House Cup page. I gave my points to Ravenclaw!

Preparing for Lá Fhéile Pádraig

2011-03-15T11:27:00.008-05:00

♥ ♥ ♥

I have plenty of Irish in me — note my ghostly pale skin and natural red hair — so I always look eagerly toward St. Patrick's Day. Not so much for the wear-green-or-you'll-get-pinched factor (ouch) or for the pints of colorful beer (yuck), but for a yearly excuse to watch my favorite Irish movie, Once.

Ha!

This year, I'm expanding my celebrations into the kitchen by preparing the Storyqueen's favorite corned beef recipe (which includes the intriguing ingredient of orange marmalade and a happy lack of cabbage) and this soda bread (substituting butter for margarine). And, of course, Irish Breakfast tea will be served all day! I like mine with a spoonful of cream.

I'll also spend it quoting Oscar Wilde ("I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.") and pretending that I live in a stone cottage by the sea, surrounded crashing gray waves and vibrant green hills. Cillian Murphy will be my neighbor. I will invite him over for tea.

My neighbor, pondering the hills

Will you be doing anything special this Thursday? Do you have any traditions?

The Cat's Out: Meet Lola and Cricket!

2011-03-11T08:29:00.010-05:00

It feels uncomfortable to post this today, because this morning's news is so sad. I hope all of my friends and readers in Japan are safe. And I hope the tsunami warnings for the west coast here in America come to nothing. Much love and hugs to you all.

So . . . a bit of good news . . .

Penguin's fall catalog has arrived! Which means that I'm proud and thrilled for you to meet two very, very special people:

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

* * *

Lola Nolan and Cricket Bell's story will be released from Dutton (Penguin) on September 29th, and it's available for pre-order here.

If you're curious about the connection to Anna, take a peek outside of Lola's window. A beautiful row of Victorian style *SAN FRANCISCO* houses! And you know who recently moved to the city . . .

Also! ALSO!

Anna and the French Kiss will be released as a paperback on August 4th, and it'll contain a teaser for Lola. Eep!!!

Are you excited? I'm excited!

EDITED TO ADD: A lot of people on Twitter are asking me about her purple hair. Nope! She just owns a looooooooot of wigs. ;)

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: And here's the related strange and funny story regarding Lola's male model on Kiersten White's blog.

KIERSTEN: I know that guy!
ME: Ha ha.
KIERSTEN: No. I know that guy.

Giveaway Winners + Colin Firth + Stuff Not as Important as Colin Firth

2011-03-01T16:33:00.013-05:00

Did you hear that Where She Went got a starred review from Publisher's Weekly? Hurrah! (And of course it did!) The randomly selected winners of the advanced copy giveaway are:

Mandi Barnett
Issabela
Ashelynn Sanford

Please send your mailing address to steph AT stephanieperkins.com. Thanks!

There's not a lot happening over here. I'm under the weather, so my last few days have consisted of:

(1) THE ACADEMY AWARDS

YAAAAAAAY! Mr. Darcy won an Oscar!

I was happy Colin Firth won, because: (A) he deserved it, (B) he always gives a great acceptance speech, and (C) I'm still bummed that he didn't get it last year for A Single Man. What a GORGEOUS film that was!

But I'm always a little surprised when people talk about the Oscars telecast being boring or horrible or cheesy, because, well, yeah. Isn't that the charm? I love it all: the beautiful dresses, the uncomfortable pairings of presenters, the rambling speeches, and especially those tiny surprises, like this year when Kirk Douglas appeared and out-sparkled all of the young whippersnappers.

Random factoid: My husband and I make a delicious cheese fondue once a year, every year, on Oscar night! It's pretty much our Super Bowl.

(2) STOLEN BY LUCY CHRISTOPHER

Scary and Beautiful

I gobbled this one up. I can't recommend it to everyone — the subject matter, kidnapping and Stockholm syndrome, is way too grim for some readers — but anyone who likes their reading on the dark side should try it.

The language and setting are fantastic. (It should come as no surprise to anyone who has read Anna, that I prefer my books with a strong setting!) The novel takes place in the sandy Australian desert, the harsh and terrifying and beautiful middle of nowhere, and the landscape, flora, and fauna play major roles in the unfolding of the plot.

Lucy has written another book Flyaway, and I'm eager to track it down. I love these Aussie imports. There are SO many brilliant writers living there: Margo Lanagan, Markus Zusak, Jaclyn Moriarty, Garth Nix, Juliet Marillier. It always makes me sad to think about the wonderful books from other countries that I'm missing out on, because they have to be translated first, and America isn't so interested in translating novels. Which is lame and embarrassing.

Oh! I should also mention that Stolen was a Printz honor this year. Awesome!

(3) 2005's BLEAK HOUSE

SO SO SO SO SO EXCELLENT

Oh, man. I liked Little Dorrit (2008), but I *loved* Bleak House.

Anna Maxwell Martin was superb as Esther, and it was great to see her in a starring role (she played Cassandra in Becoming Jane and Bessy in North and South). But I was especially entertained by Burn Gorman's Mr. Guppy, who stole the spotlight every time he walked on camera with his self-importance and stumbling awkwardness.

Mr. Dickens sure knew how to create a character, eh?

We should probably not discuss how I was strangely attracted to Mr. Guppy.

The miniseries is a whopping eight hours long, but I recommend it for any fellow worshiper of British period dramas. The acting, the sets, and the costumes are absolutely top-notch. Thank you, Andrew Davies, for writing the screenplay to, like, everything worth watching.

Have you read or seen anything good lately?

"That’s it for now, friends."

2011-02-24T14:42:00.005-05:00

Lisa (far left) with friends

It's a sad, empty time for everyone who knew L.K. Madigan. Last month, Lisa announced her pancreatic cancer and wrote her goodbye to the online world. Yesterday, she said goodbye.

So many wonderful blog posts and stories are popping up — from her agent Jennifer Laughran, Lisa Schroeder, Sara Zarr, Laini Taylor, Kristen Kittscher (to name but a few). I especially loved this one from Nina LaCour, who was a finalist for the William C. Morris award the year that Lisa won it for Flash Burnout. In it, Nina describes Lisa reaching out to her and the other nominees with a friendly, happy, astonished, congratulatory email.

Lisa reached out to a lot of people. Myself included.

I met Lisa as I met most of my early author friends, through Laini Taylor. Lisa and Laini are both a part of the wonderful community of kidlit writers in Portland. Laini had mentioned me on her blog, and Lisa had followed the link and posted a comment here. I visited her website, fell in love with her humor and grace, and we became online friends.

I loved her writing, and she loved mine. I celebrated her successes, and she celebrated mine.

It was easy to like Lisa Madigan.

But we didn't become close until things grew hard for me, which is, I think, the mark of a true friend. I don't like to talk about it in great detail, but last year was very difficult. I struggled on every level it was possible to struggle on. Lisa recognized what was happening and reached out to me through email. And she helped guide me through those new and scary times. She was the ear I needed, and she was listening.

We became regular correspondents, and I never received an email from her that did not make me laugh out loud.

One of my favorite stories about Lisa is when she sent me an advanced copy of her second book, The Mermaid's Mirror. We'd been bemoaning the agony of the world having access to our imperfect, unfinished work (minor copyedits still occur after an ARC), so I laughed when her copy arrived, and I discovered that she had actually hand-written in her new edits onto the book's pages.

I was laughing, of course, because that was EXACTLY what I would have done! Her attached note was hilarious, confirming that she felt comfortable sharing it with me because she knew I was a kindred perfectionist spirit.

One of her edits pointed out a verb which she was worried she'd overused. Two or three of this verb were cut from the final copy, and every time I've seen or written this word since, I have thought about her and smiled. Normally, this is the type of writer-ly secret that I would protect, but I can't help but feel that this word is very, very appropriate right now:

LINGER

Yes, these memories will linger. Selfishly, I cannot believe that I will never receive another email from her. That I will never meet her in person. But I cannot begin to fathom the loss felt by her real-life friends, her coworkers, and, especially, her family. If she could bring this much happiness to this many people online, I imagine her circle was ten times as wide in the real world.

There's really not much more to say.

Lisa's friend April Henry posted a way to help out her family here. And if you didn't know Lisa, I highly recommend meeting her through her words. Flash Burnout is a great pick for fans of gritty, funny contemporary, and The Mermaid's Mirror is perfect for anyone who likes beautiful, lyrical fantasy.

(For the first time, I'm closing the comments to this post. I'm not sure why. It just feels weird.)

GIVEAWAY: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

2011-02-22T13:48:00.014-05:00

This week, I'm giving away *THREE* advanced copies of Gayle Forman's latest novel, Where She Went, which won't be released until this April. It's the sequel to the massively successful and brilliant If I Stay, and it's already been picked for this spring's Indie Next list. Here's the description:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future—and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of hope, and the flame of rekindles romance.

I don't want to spoil it for you, so the only thing I'll say is that everything you loved about the first — the intensity, the romance, the surprise — is alive and thrashing. The sequel is just as good, if not better. Seriously.

Also? Adam is still super duper duper duper duper hot!

I want these advanced copies to go to Gayle's fans. To enter to win, please leave a comment here describing what you loved about If I Stay. Obviously, if you haven't read If I Stay, DON'T READ THE COMMENTS, because they'll be filled with spoilers. (And if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for??)

I'll randomly select three winners next Monday, February 28th. Good luck!

EDITED TO ADD: Yes, this giveaway is open internationally.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU!

Happy Happy Happy Friday

2011-02-18T12:20:00.015-05:00

Oh, MAN. What an awesome day, and it's only noon!

Remember that whole thing about me being excited that Radiohead has a new album coming out tomorrow? It was released a day EARLY. Which means I've been listening to it for the last FOUR HOURS, which means I am VERY HAPPY.

(Of course it's fantastic. It's Radiohead. For fans, that's guarantee enough. I never have any doubt.)

There's also a new video for "Lotus Flower," which features My Celebrity Boyfriend Thom Yorke doing his trademark peculiar dancing. In a cool hat. Did I mention that I'm happy?

Because I am.

VERY happy.

In fact, if I didn't have that library event thingy this afternoon, I'd take the entire day off as a holiday. I'd put The King of Limbs on my iPod, go to the park with a cozy blanket and a bottle of sparkling water and a box of chocolate truffles, and pretend that I'm a beautiful princess who has been given the scared gift of music.

Or something like that.

In other happy news — and this is what I alluded to at the end of my last post — Anna and the French Kiss won two Smoochies! The Smoochies are an online awards show in their second year, organized by authors Josh Berk and Heidi R. Kling. They honor the best kissing scenes in YA literature, and it's voted on by readers like yourself.

So . . . THANK YOU!!!

There are three categories, and Anna and Étienne snagged the two they were nominated for:

Best Otherwordly Kiss — Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Best Realistic Kiss — Anna
Best Overall Kiss – Anna

I loved Hush, Hush, and I'm excited to read Crescendo. I'm glad to hear that Patch and Nora's kissing scenes are still smokin' hot! Becca and I both filmed videos for the show, which you can see here:

It's a long video, so if you're short on time and want to hear what Real Me sounds like, I'm at 11:40.

And you aren't mistaken. That is, indeed, my internet video debut. I'm not not not a fan of video cameras (strong emphasis on the not not not), but I'm DEFINITELY a fan of kissing awards! So thank you again to everyone who voted for my novel. I'm sincere when I say that it's very, very gratifying to be recognized for the scenes that I work on the hardest.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. I'm off to ~~watch the Radiohead video~~ get ready for the library event!*

*Lie. I'm watching the video again.

Vague Title About Things and Stuff

2011-02-16T11:58:00.022-05:00

Rare Alphabet Butterfly by J. Towbin

First, a quick announcement for teens in the Asheville, NC region:

I'll be at the Weaverville Library (41 N. Main Street in Weaverville) this Friday, February 18th from 4:00 to 5:30 pm speaking with TAG, the Teen Awesome Group.

It'll be a super-relaxed event, and I'll be discussing: Anna and the French Kiss, writing, literature, publishing . . . basically, if you have a question about ANYTHING in the world of books, I'll answer it.

I have an incredibly special connection with this library — I was working there while I wrote Anna — and with TAG's organizer, who happens to be one of my dearest friends. So I know it'll be fantastic. If you're a teen living in Western North Carolina, I'd love to meet you and hang out!

In other cool news:

WOO HOO!!!

It's no secret that Kiersten White and I are, er, heavily invested in each other's careers (being someone's close friend/critique partner will do that to you), so nothing makes me happier than seeing that people are pre-ordering Supernaturally and Lola and the Boy Next Door together. And I know exactly who is doing it:

You! Our blog readers! Thank you!!!

This is an exciting week on her website, because there's a celebration of Supernaturally going on with a giveaway AND a special reveal this Friday. And I probably shouldn't say this, but whatever: YOU WILL LIKE THE REVEAL.

*rubs hands together and cackles with insider knowledge*

Even more importantly, you'll love Supernaturally. Here's another thing that I probably shouldn't say (because it doesn't come out until August): It contains one of my favorite characters that any author has created. Ever. The second this character appeared on the page, I died a little bit of jealousy that they weren't MINE. I want to steal this character from Kiersten's book and place them inside of my own personal character corral. Oh, it kills me.

Okay, okay. I will stop teasing you!

So . . . I turned in another draft of Lola this week. Closer, closer, closer. Each draft gets it closer. My feelings on this novel are still so muddled (and for so many reasons) that I'm realizing I probably won't be able to view it rationally for several more years. Which is why I'm grateful to have such a smart editor and smart friends — people who I trust COMPLETELY. If they say that this book is good, that it's ready for the rest of the world, I will believe them.

The only thing I know for sure is this: I love the characters.

THEY are the reason why I've never been able to let go of this story. [For those new here, it's a *decade* in the making.] THEY are the reason why I keep moving forward. Lola and her boy are more colorful, more bombastic than Anna and Étienne, but I think/hope they're still identifiable as characters that I would create. And I'm excited for you to meet them.

But . . . it's still so weird to know that it'll happen this year! How can that be?!

I wish I could tell you more, but, for now, I'll just share this (colorful, bombastic) song, which I've listened to hundreds of times in the last year. It's referred to in my house as "Lola's Theme," but it's actually "Animal Arithmetic" by Jónsi of Sigur Rós, one of my favorite musical obsessions. His entire Go album fueled much of the energy in Lola's story:

NOTE: There's also a real music video here, which is very pretty (footage taken from his film Go Quiet, which I also love), but it distracts a bit from the song itself.

As for Anna's playlist, I hope to share it with you soonsoonsoon. I realize that my website's "Extras" feature is still empty of Anna content, and I appreciate your patience. As she has been all winter, Lola is my first priority. Which stinks for those of you enjoying Anna and wanting more, but . . . I want you to like Lola, too! (Thus, the prioritizing.)

(I have a lot of parentheses in this post.)

(I feel like I'm talking in code.)

(I suppose I am.)

(How disconcerting.)

In final news, OHMYSTARS, RADIOHEAD ANNOUNCED A NEW ALBUM. And it comes out THIS SATURDAY!!! As obsessed as I am with Jónsi/Sigur Rós, nothing can compare to my musical obsession — nay, DEVOTION — to Thom Yorke/Radiohead. This news made my ENTIRE MONTH. I want to marry this news and have its beautiful, twisted little babies.

♥ ♥ ♥

Seriously, I'm panting in excitement. Saturday, whyyyyy are you so far away???

Ooo! I just received some more exciting news. I'll share it with you next time. Until then, my friends!

Morning Jaunt to Paris

2011-02-08T08:48:00.014-05:00

Busy, busy day—my house is about to be rocked by wizards, and there's still that whole editing thing going on—but I had to share this gift from my friend Connie.

If you enjoy Paris and cute boys, WHICH YOU ALL SHOULD, you will love this two-minute video:

SO CUTE, right? Are you dying? I'm dying.

Also, my friend Lilie recently returned from a spur-of-the-moment trip to Paris. Her blog is filling with beautiful pictures. So far, here is Day One and Day Two. And—my favorite!—she also created a gorgeous Anna-related post, which I've been meaning to link to forever, which you can find here.

If you're new to my blog, you'll find my own trip to Paris in the January 2010 archives. There aren't many Anna-related items in it (they were a secret at the time), but there's still some neat stuff in there. And I do have a ton of Anna pictures to share with you soon! Once, you know, Lola is done.

Off to work. A bientôt!

These days . . .

2011-02-04T18:08:00.030-05:00

I've been working a lot on that.

And I've been feeling a bit melancholy about this. While it's not surprising—and while it's nice to already know that Jack will keep making great music—they DID have a certain something together.

Not to mention a hell of a lot of style:

It's possible I'll miss their wardrobe as much as their music!

Here's my favorite recording of my favorite White Stripes song. It's raw, hard, and sexy, just the way rock should be:

Any fans out there? What's your favorite song?

Answering Your Questions + Treats

2011-01-24T13:01:00.015-05:00

I just rediscovered this picture. My husband baked these pink celebratory cupcakes on my last day as a librarian, almost two years ago. Anna, thankfully, sold to my publisher only two months later. (In other words: The quitting-the-job thing, which EASILY could have backfired, did not.)

Phew!

And here's a celebratory cookie he recently gave me. Because Jarrod is the best, that's why:

Thank you for your recent celebratory blog comments—for cheering me on through Lola, for compliments about the VERVE cover and the John Green post, and for general Anna-related-gushing-awesomeness. You've filled this author's heart with a lot of love. I am lucky to have readers like you.

So it's time to dip into your questions from the comments!

Liz Czukas asked: This is totally unrelated to your current post, but when do we get to see cover art for Lola? I'm jonesing for another dose of the Perkins magic and some cover art might ease my suffering.

Lisa Aldin asked: When do we get to see a cover for Lola?

Anna's cover was revealed last March. My best guess is that Lola's will be revealed around the same time. MAYBE earlier, because it has an earlier release date, but I kind of doubt it. Even I haven't seen it yet!

In response to this—"I'm already preparing to dive into Isla and the Happily Ever After, but there are several adjustments to my lifestyle that need to be considered first."—Kristan asked: Lifestyle adjustments? Pray tell, what do you mean?

I meant that since Anna's release, my life has become more . . . complicated. More email, more requests for my time, more this, more that. And it's GREAT, of course, but it's new.

It means that my daily schedule—which took me a year and a half to figure out, after quitting that library job!—is a wreck again. I'm five months behind on email, I have a large number of overdue interviews, and, oh yeah, I have to write a novel this year. And edit one. And begin another. And provide feedback for my critique partners. And continue promoting Anna and begin promoting Lola and blog and tweet and Facebook.

I'm currently testing new ways to balance these things. (And have a life outside of my career, too!) I have a feeling it'll take time.

But it is, admittedly, a nice problem to have.

Lakien asked: Brazil, really? AWESOME. Can you say which publisher?

Man, I had no idea how huge young adult literature is in Brazil until a few months ago. You Brazilian book bloggers blow my mind! Portuguese rights for Anna and the French Kiss were sold to Brazil's Editora Nova Conceito. I'm not sure when it will be published; you'd have to email them directly.

Brianna Lee asked: I'm an aspiring author and was wondering if you have any tips on writing and getting published, thanks. :)

I frequently talk about writing and publishing here, so you can always browse through my blog's "Writing Advice" label, as well as follow my blog or subscribe to it. Also, I recommend checking out the links and books in my On Writing section!

Robin Mellom asked (in regards to Anna): I grew up in Atlanta so I laughed out loud at the line about EVERYONE in Georgia going to Panama City. Haha! We totally went there every summer. Did you ever live in ATL??

I *LOVE* hearing that I've made someone laugh, but, unfortunately, I can't take credit for that joke. The Panama City line was courtesy of my husband Jarrod, who was raised in Georgia. But I did live in Atlanta for three years, in Decatur, which is also where Anna is from (I never specifically mention it, though locals will recognize the few names I throw out).

Connie Onnie left a gift, a link to this website: Enchanted Serenity of Period Films.

IT'S FABULOUS. The costumes! The swoon!

Marissa (link didn't work?) read my ENTIRE blog (Wowza! Thank you!) and also left a gift: And here's some Chris, my fav HBM :D

Merci! What a cheerful picture. I believe that was from the most recent Bridge School Benefit, correct? I've seen some great videos from that show on YouTube.

Alexa asked: Have you seen the BBC series MI-5? It's on about series five now but Richard Armitage is the lead in the last two series, and before that it was Rupert Penry Jones and before that Matthew Macfadyen - it is chock full of HBM and definitely worth watching.

Nooooooooo! I haven't! It's been in my Netflix queue for ages, and I still haven't found the time to dive in. I will MAKE time this year. Thanks for the reminder.

And now, because you said the magic words, I'm allowed to post a picture of Mr. Darcy. Here is Mr. Darcy in his MI-5 role:

And here is Mr. Darcy as Mr. Darcy:

I love it when someone mentions the magic words!

And I asked you for a list of books that you enjoyed in 2010, and here were your excellent responses:

Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony
The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon by Sara Beitia
Plain Kate by Erin Bow (two mentions!)
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Matched by Ally Condie
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
Ash by Malinda Lo
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty
Grace by Elizabeth Scott
Nothing by Janne Teller
Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Now I have a NEW question for you. Did anybody try organic eggnog after reading this post? Please tell me that I got at least one of you addicted! This year, I began adding it to my coffee, tea, scrambled eggs, cookies, and biscuits. I already miss it.

Until next year, eggnog! *kisses last carton*

Writer Friends & Giveaways & Such

2011-01-21T21:06:00.012-05:00

If you want to know what I've been doing for the last three months, the above picture says it all.

Okay, well, first it says: HOW GIANT IS THAT PUMPKIN? And then: WAIT. HOW TINY ARE THOSE PEOPLE?? But that's just Kiersten White's husband having fun with forced perspective.

What the photo actually reveals is Kiersten answering one of 8,000,000 panicked/morose/doomed texts that I sent her about Lola, even when she was doing Important Family Things like picking out a pumpkin for Halloween. I have been RELENTLESS. Since autumn!

I want to take this moment to thank her, even though a moment is not enough for the debt I must repay, even though there are no words strong enough to express my gratitude for her friendship and guidance.

Thank you, Kiersten.

I have absolutely, positively no idea what I'd do without you. Probably bite off my own hair in a frustrated rage. And then eat it. And then quit.

Thank you for reading every draft in every stage. I'm sure you've memorized my novel by now, and for that, I also apologize. (Maybe Penguin will hire you to do the audiobook? I'd even let you substitute the word "fudge," especially in that One Scene, which would be really, really funny and much better than what I actually wrote.)

I also want to thank Daisy Whitney, who swooped in like a superhero during the Extra Hard Time, who edited my book ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, who filled all of my inboxes with hilarious messages that I will never, ever, ever be able to share publicly. Thank you, Daisy. I needed that. I needed you.

And Gayle. Gayle!

Gayle Forman is not only one of my favorite authors, but I've had the great pleasure of getting to know her over the last few months, and she has also become one of my favorite people. She is my fountain of wisdom, she is my inspiration. She is my friend.

And, lucky for you dear readers, she is also Anna's champion! Right now she's doing an AMAZING and GENEROUS giveaway on her blog. All you have to do is comment on this post to enter to win a signed copy of Anna and the French Kiss. But even better? If you've already read it, you can answer a few questions about the story and enter to win an *additional* second prize:

Artisanal Jacques Torres chocolate!!!

Trust me, you want this chocolate. Gayle will even let you choose if you prefer dark or milk!

Also—because friends tell each other more than they tell other people—the accompanying interview is more revealing (meaning: interesting) than most. It also contains mild spoilers, so if you haven't read Anna yet, beware! Or skip straight to the comments.

I hope you check it out, and I hope you enter to win fabulous stuff!

In further writer-friends-who-are-champions news, last Friday, I guest blogged for Natalie Whipple during her weekly Happy Writer's Society meeting. I don't normally write guest posts, but I'm a HUGE fan of her idea to bring more positivity into writers' lives. I was honored to be asked to contribute. I blogged about one of my favorite writing tricks, creating "Love Lists." If you're curious what those are, you can read my entry here.

And it received a really positive response, which made ME a happy writer!

[Actually, I have something else wonderful about Natalie to share, but I need to take an accompanying picture first. So it shall have to wait! Along with a few dozen other awesome stories that I want to share with you. Have I mentioned lately how much I've MISSED blogging?]

And in final writer-friend news, have you seen the amaaaaaazing pictures on Laini Taylor's new blog? Holy kitty cats! She spent the entire month of December in Morocco and Italy, and her pictures are incredible. Laini is one of those rare people whose life is as magical as the stories she produces. She inspires me to be a better writer, a better traveler, a better housekeeper, a better gift giver, a better everything.

Seriously, check out her blog. It is a treasure.

Also, I may—MAY—be seeing Laini again soon. In a VERY cool place. Which is exciting! I haven't seen her since Clementine Pie (above, in the cutest hijab I have ever seen) was in her belly. I have missed my Laini!

Oh.

One final thing.

If you wanted to go to this website and write-in Anna and the French Kiss (and Kiersten's Paranormalcy!) as one of your top teen reads of 2010 (if it's true!), I would be grateful. Normally, I'm like, "No biggie, I didn't make a list." But this time, I confess that my ego is getting the best of me, and I'm looking at the sheer length of that list and thinking, "Seriously? How did our books not make THAT?"

And in final-final news, egos are embarrassing, and I can't believe I just asked you to do that.

But I did.

If you want.

(Please!)

(Thank you.)

Across the Universe Launch Party

2011-01-14T03:41:00.021-05:00

The fabulous Beth Revis and some other chick.

Lola and the Boy Next Door has been turned in (YAY YAY YAY), and to celebrate . . . I left my house! Which was exciting. I've left my house a grand total of two — maybe three — times in the last month.

ME: GAAHHH! Is it always this bright outside? *blink blink blink*

HUSBAND: *snort*

Jarrod and I drove to Forest City to join in the celebrations for the release of Beth Revis's Across the Universe. Unfortunately, we got crummy directions from Google Maps and missed the first ten minutes. But we did arrive in time to hear Beth read an excerpt (amazing) and answer questions (ditto).

The crowd was huge and happy, and Beth was gracious and glowing, and I can't imagine a better way to begin this next stage of her career. This book is about to be MASSIVE. North Carolina authors rock!

[And I wish you could see her hair better in the top picture. I was somewhat obsessed. It's really, really long and beautiful, and she had it curled, and there were these awesome sparkly barrettes. Beth has PRINCESS HAIR, you guys.]

Several book bloggers drove up to see her, and it was great meeting them, too. Some of them even brought a copy of Anna for me to sign, because they knew I was coming! That kind of flattery gets you everywhere, my friends.

With Tiffani . . .

. . . Bethany . . .

. . . and Jeffrey and Jeremy.

Seriously, ladies and gents, how cute are those twins?

In the most wonderful, unexpected moment, I also met Lois Moss. I've known Lois through blogging for two-ish (or more?) years, and it was great to finally in-person talk. I knew our paths would cross someday.

Someday = Today

We had a fantastic chat in which I convinced her to watch The Pillars of the Earth, and she convinced me to send her my advanced copy of Sarah Dessen's latest.

Ha! Love her.

Now I'm home, and it's early morning, and my body is still messed up from revisions, and I'm relieved but nervous to have my life back. It's not quite the same one that I had before. I'm already preparing to dive into Isla and the Happily Ever After, but there are several adjustments to my lifestyle that need to be considered first.

Truthfully, I feel a little bit lost right now. And dazed.

New Year.

New book.

New start.

Thank goodness for new starts. Good luck, Beth, and here's wishing you a GREAT start!

What day is it? Hello?

2011-01-08T22:55:00.003-05:00

Just popping out to say hello. I miss you. I miss blogging and books and movies and sleeping during the night and leaving the house.

Lola is nearing completion.

Good things are coming soon.

Happy New Year. Shiny, shiny. Best wishes to everyone.

Merci, Merci, Merci

2010-12-30T00:23:00.005-05:00

This month has been CRAZY.

I am so grateful—and so shocked, and so overwhelmed—by outpouring of support for Anna. I'm honest when I say I believed I wrote a small book, one that would be enjoyed by a modest but (hopefully) devoted community of readers. Contemporary romance is not an easy sell these days.

Thank you for giving my novel a chance.

Thank you for recommending it to your friends.

Thank you for your emails, letters, messages, and tweets.

Thank you, John Green and Nerdfighteria. (My WORD, thank you.)

I was not expecting any of this. And it's sad for me to be so removed from the internet right now, because this has been one of the most exciting months of my life. I wish I were more available to talk to you, to thank you all personally. To give you my time.

I'm working on a major revision of my second novel, and it's due soon, and it's a slow and painful process. I am not a fast writer. And I want it to be good.

It is a difficult thing to work on something that you know will, inevitably, disappoint a large number of people. And I don't say this to put myself or my work down—or to dig for compliments—but I say it in a realistic way. Most second novels (or films) disappoint. Unfortunately, it's the nature of storytelling. Things are no longer new and sparkly. And while I know that there are rare exceptions—The Two Towers and The Empire Strikes Back spring to mind—and while I know that some of my readers WILL love Lola's story, these are the facts:

Lola is not Anna.

The boy next door is not Étienne.

America is not France.

It's hard to finish something when you can already hear the negative reviews in your head. It's stupid and self-centered, I know. But that's the truth. I wanted to spend this month celebrating Anna, and instead, the majority of my hours have been spent worrying about Lola. Sometimes, it's all I can do to keep from jumping on my roof and shouting:

PLEASE LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS!!!

Which is not, you know, a great marketing campaign.

So instead, I work. And I hope at the end of this I'll have written something that I can be proud of. (Because if I don't like it, I sure as heck can't expect any of you to like it.) But I'll continue to be fairly absent online for the next few weeks while I finish.

To everyone who has emailed me or sent me a letter, I will reply! (If it makes you feel any better, I have not replied to anyone yet. It's not you. It's me.) I just need more time. But I'm really, really, really looking forward to telling you how much I appreciate your words.

Because I do. So, so much.

Merci.

P.S. Please lower your expectations, okaythanks.

So . . . That John Green Thing

2010-12-21T19:27:00.016-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about this post for the last week. I hesitate to bore you with a long, personal story, but it’s the only way this can be written.

My apologies.

Last Monday, YA author John Green uploaded a vlog called “8 Things I Love” to his popular YouTube channel. Anna and the French Kiss was one of those things. My brain exploded. It’ll take me a while to get to the why, but if you have the time, here it is:

* * *

I am never good at answering the question, “When did you know you wanted to be a writer?” It’s kind of a toss up between “always,” “my freshman year of college when I switched majors from journalism to creative writing,” and “2007, the year I started writing Anna.” But I’d like to talk about that college answer.

In publishing, there are strong opinions about studying creative writing in a university atmosphere. Some authors think it’s necessary, but I hear many more advise aspiring novelists to do anything BUT study it in school. I fall somewhere in between.

Study it if you want to, but don’t forget why you’re there: You love to read. It gives you pleasure.

My experience in college was . . . okay. Majoring in creative writing taught me two of the most valuable career skills I possess today—being able to accept and work with criticism, and how to read novels with the eyes of a writer (that is, how to break them apart to see how they function). With practice and application, these skills, I believe, have turned me into a published author.

But college also sent me on a detour.

I’d always imagined writing for children. My first favorite author—the first one I recognized as an Author with a capital A—was Roald Dahl, and he sparked my love of voice in storytelling, a flame reignited in high school with the release of the first Harry Potter. At that time, J.K. Rowling had not yet left her mark on the world, and it was still VERY uncool for a teenager to read a children’s book.

But I read it. And I loved it. And I knew then that I wanted to write for children, because children’s books are fun. They give me pleasure.

So I took this idea off to college, where it was promptly trounced. My professors and the other students didn’t understand why I’d waste my time. The implication was that children’s literature was a lesser calling. At first, I laughed it off. Did they really forget that before Moby-Dick comes Charlotte’s Web? But after four years of their disdainful looks and snide asides, I am ashamed to say that I took their words to heart.

Why was I writing for children? Maybe it was a lesser form. I should write something with meaning and depth, something like those serious Best American Short Stories that we studied in class.

Even crazier than letting myself forget that children’s literature contains GREAT meaning and depth (hello, Dumbledore), was the idea that I might want to write a story like those in the Best American series, when I didn’t enjoy reading them. And it confused me. I wrote several serious and dull short stories that remain unfinished and untouched to this day.

So as I made my way through the rest of school, I . . . compromised. I’d secretly been loving Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones series—chick-lit was on the verge of explosion—and I decided that maybe I was supposed to write something fun, but I was supposed to do it for adults. So instead of finishing those short stories, I began to work on an adult chick-lit novel.

(I use the word chick-lit, because everyone knows what it means. Honestly, I don’t find it that insulting—other than the fact that the term “dick-lit” never caught on, because come on, it’s only fair—though I understand and sympathize with people who do.)

Because a friend knew of my love for Bridget and my love for teen movies, my life changed again, late in college, when she convinced me to watch The Princess Diaries. I'd pooh-poohed it, but she insisted. “No. I really think you’ll like it.”

She was wrong. I LOVED IT. So I picked up Meg Cabot’s first novel and, as books always are, it was much, much better than the movie.

Her books became my guilty pleasure. On the train ride home from school, instead of pulling out those Best American anthologies—which, despite everything, I still considered good for me—I pulled out Cabot novel after Cabot novel. Her characters were the first ones who felt like me, even more so than Bridget.

Yet I remained under the impression that writing for children—and for teens—was not my calling.

Fast-forward several years. I’m working as a librarian. I’m also working on that same adult chick-lit novel. It is moving slow, and I am frustrated. I want to be a writer, but I’m beginning to think it won’t happen. Perhaps, if I’m lucky, I might be published when I’ve had more practice, when I’m older.

Like, twenty or thirty years older.

By this point, I had inspected the rest of the YA shelves. I read everything recommended by patrons and coworkers, everything that received a good review, everything that caught my eye. The stories tended to fall into one of two categories, fun or serious, with little to nothing in between. I read both types—and across all genres—voraciously.

But still . . . I kept returning to Meg. Rereading her novels, scouring her blog. And it took a while, but her words finally crept in and replaced the words of my professors and classmates. Meg has an uncanny ability to talk openly about her love of romance, of Star Wars and Buffy, about being confident in yourself and owning up to what YOU like. That there’s worth in love stories, in making people laugh, in writing for entertainment.

(Example: her most recent post about "The Princess Thing.")

With this encouraging voice in my ear, at long last, the “guilty” part of “guilty pleasure” vanished from my vocabulary.

And then one of my favorite library teens handed me An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. It was a new release, and I remembered the starred review. She told me that I HAD to read it. Because I’m of an obsessive nature, I decided to wait on Katherines and start with his first, Looking for Alaska, which had recently won the Printz award for excellence in young adult literature.

To put it simply: Looking for Alaska blew me away.

I zipped and laughed my way through the first part, read with wide and somber eyes through the hard part, and then had my mind exploded on the last two pages. I’d been so distracted by the humor and the characters and the story, that somehow—and I read a lot, so this is difficult to pull off—I didn’t realize he’d been setting me up for that Big Idea the entire time. Ka-POW.

I read Katherines next, of course, and was swept away again. It's even funnier, not quite so dark, but with that same depth and cleverness and spark. I gave it to my husband, and he fell in love with John’s work, too. When Paper Towns was released, I bought it and read it the first day, and the experience was so intense that it paralyzed me. I stopped writing for several days, because I knew I could never create a book that good. That perfect.

And when I say “perfect,” I mean, of course, that the book was perfect for me. It contained everything that I love about reading.

John Green taught me that a novel doesn’t have to be one or the other—fun or serious. That a novel can give both pleasure and have great meaning. That it can fill multiple roles in a reader’s life.

I am not, nor will I ever be, as smart or deep as John. My brain simply isn’t set up that way. But I did take this idea of a book being more than one thing, and I combined it with the ideas that I learned from Meg—that it was okay to admit that my favorite stories were young adult novels with kissing and humor and cute boys, and that reading and writing for pleasure isn’t something lesser or guilty—and I wrote Anna.

Once I had this last piece, my new career happened quickly.

And it's important to mention that John is more than a talented writer. He’s also a role model for an entire community. For the unfamiliar, he and his brother Hank are known as the “vlogbrothers” online, and they’re responsible for the establishment of Nerdfighteria.

The Nerdfighters are a group of self-proclaimed nerds dedicated to fighting world-suck. The community is tens of thousands strong, many teenagers, all doing amazing things such as the Project for Awesome event, which takes over YouTube one day a year to promote videos for charity. This year—just last week—they raised over $100,000.

Regular people. One day. One hundred thousand dollars.

[UPDATE: It was actually over $135,000! Holy moly!]

I wish with all of my heart that this community had existed when I was a teenager, but I am so grateful for its existence today. My husband and I are both proud to call ourselves Nerdfighters. Check out this video or this one and be prepared to call yourself one, too.

And I’m happy to say that the kind, intelligent, hilarious man that you see interacting with the online community is the same kind, intelligent, hilarious man that you meet in person. I wish I could say the same thing about all authors, but I cannot.

But John Green? He’s the real deal.

I met him not long after the release of Let It Snow, when he came to a signing in my hometown. My husband was his usual confident and chatty self as John personalized our books, but I was speechless. He meant so much to me that my voice was actually gone. It wasn’t until we were walking away that I finally sputtered:

“YouaremyfavoriteauthorIloveyourbooks.”

John took my words, as he always does, with graciousness and kindness.

(And I did manage to get this picture.)

I met him again the next year at LeakyCon, a Harry Potter conference. I’d just signed with his editor—whom I worshiped, because I worshiped John—a valid reason to speak with him, if any. But I could not. My husband was so frustrated by my inability to approach him that he finally walked over to John, forcing me to follow on his heels and introduce myself.

Again, John’s friendliness was astounding. I have always believed that nice is a vastly underrated quality, and anyone who has had contact with John can understand how remarkable nice people truly are. He has over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube and over a million followers on Twitter. Many people in his situation would not be so kind.

And all of this elaborate rambling is to say that . . .

It is a crazy, mind-blowing, and yes, overwhelming thing to hear someone you admire say that they like your work, too. I never believed that John Green would ever even READ my novel, so the whole ENJOYING part still remains far beyond my comprehension.

Sir, you do me a great honor. I realize that you’re careful about what you say and what you recommend, because you have a lot of people listening.

Thank you. My book would not exist without yours.

And I sincerely hope that the greatest lesson I have learned from you—the lesson that I can apply to all aspects of my life—is not the one about writing a good novel. It’s the one about remembering to be a good person. DFTBA.

Natural/Artifical — Stephanie Perkins

Picture Book Heroes

Potpourri, as in the Jeopardy! definition

Resolutions + ISLA News

Cricket! My Sweet Cricket!

National Gingerbread House Competition

That One Time Mayim Bialik Held My Book

NOVEMBER: In Pictures

Local Event + Linkages

Live Blog: Monday

Fresh & Honest

Life Is Hard Before Noon

Live Blog! Today! Author vs. Author Edition!

Two Event Thingies + The Piemaker

Link-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Release Day, Release Day!

This Week In Awesome Reads

Please Read This Post

Events + LeakyCon, Pt. 2

Answers to Questions

Refilling Station

Come To My Party! (PLEASE.)

Anna and the French Kiss: New Scene

Tomorrow

Decatur Book Festival! This weekend!

My Ten Favorite Films

Real Men and the Boy Next Door

Ma-ruuuuu

The New Harry

Recommended Read: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

And My Heart Squeezes With Happiness!

Oceanside with Kiersten & Andrea

Yes, I have seen this movie too many times.

August Break + LeakyCon, Pt. 1

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Another Rose

GAHHHHHHHHH!!!

Two Linkssssss

Impromptu New York City

Hang out with me tomorrow (Saturday) in NYC!

EEEEEEEEK! Comic-Con!!!

Happy Half-Birthday, Anna!

Lola, Lola, and More Lola

Where I Have Been . . .

Auctions Close Today — Please Bid!

Blogger Problems/Auction Update

TWO AUCTIONS: Win Custom Scenes Featuring Anna & Étienne

NC Reading/Signing + Princesses + Freebies

Playing Pretend, Method Writing, & Princess Stephanie

Steph & Isla, Week One

The Emperor of Mondays

Closer and closer, Lola . . .

Accio Books!

Preparing for Lá Fhéile Pádraig

The Cat's Out: Meet Lola and Cricket!

Giveaway Winners + Colin Firth + Stuff Not as Important as Colin Firth

"That’s it for now, friends."

GIVEAWAY: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Happy Happy Happy Friday

Vague Title About Things and Stuff

Morning Jaunt to Paris

These days . . .

Answering Your Questions + Treats

Writer Friends & Giveaways & Such

Across the Universe Launch Party

What day is it? Hello?

Merci, Merci, Merci

So . . . That John Green Thing