NC Reading/Signing + Princesses + Freebies

"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!

Writer Friends & Giveaways & Such

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.)

Five Things I Love: August Edition

I love EVERYTHING right now, you guys. Seriously. This week has been fantastic. No Lola on my calendar?

WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!

Here are five things helping me celebrate:

(1) Bobby Fuller Four's "Let Her Dance"

A celebration has to start with a song, right? This was used to perfection at the end of last year's Fantastic Mr. Fox, and it's also the perfect Lola-be-gone party song! I've been spinning and twirling to it all week long.

(2) McClure's Spicy Pickles

Okay, so I just lost the people who hate pickles. But for those of you as devoted as I am? McClure's Pickles = YUM.

My husband and I saw them on the Food Network, and I've been lusting for them ever since! He finally tracked some down at Williams Sonoma. The woman who sold them mentioned to save the brine when we're done, to make our own pickles. Will do! These pickles are fresh, crispy, and classic. My favorite is the Spicy variety—I'm always game for a little heat—but if that's not your thing, the Garlic Dill is also killer.

(3) Kiersten White

I always love Kiersten.

BUT.

Last weekend she did a huge Lola favor for me, AND she just posted about a recent conversation we had regarding why we write young adult literature:

"We don't write YA because we can't get over our teenage years. We're over them. Really. Thank heavens. We write YA because we remember so clearly what it felt like to be there."

It's a great post. You should read the whole thing. Also, I stole the above photo from the Official SCBWI Conference Blog. (Thanks, Martha!) I love that picture, because it's SO Kiersten.

(4) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

I haven't actually seen this yet. It could be horrible. But I'm going TONIGHT. Because I don't have a BOOK to write, you see.

HURRAH! I LOVE YOU, SCOTT PILGRIM!

But this has hardcore potential for awesomeness. I'm a fan of both Bryan Lee O'Malley's comics (Thanks to Jim for introducing me!) and the director Edgar Wright (I watch Shaun of the Dead every Halloween), AND Jason Schwartzman is in it, and I will watch anything with Jason Schwartzman, because he is my best friend who-has-yet-to-realize-he-is-my-best-friend.*

*BONUS THING I LOVE: This interview, because it begins with this sentence: "Jason Schwartzman walks into a hotel room strumming a guitar, with a Cheeto affixed to his dress shirt." This is why we are BFF soulmates.

Also, Mae Whitman, a.k.a. Ann from Arrested Development ("Her?") plays one of Ramona's evil exes. Yay for Mae! If you've been out-of-the-loop (which I totally understand and can relate to), the trailer for the film is here.

(5) Orange Citrus Vegan Carrot Cake

Every celebration needs cake! I've had a slice every day this week. I'm not a vegan, but I'll happily admit that most vegan cakes taste better than non-vegan cakes, and the orange citrus vegan carrot cake from World's Best Carrot Cake truly IS the world's best carrot cake.

(Shh! I think it's my favorite cake period.)

If you live in my neighborhood—Asheville, North Carolina—World's Best should be on your radar. Jarrod and I used to drive past it and snortle, "World's Best? Harrumph harrumph." And then someone brought one to a party, and we ate our words. Ate our words in the form of cake.

Delicious, delicious cake.

And if you're a chocoholic, never fear! Of course it's available in chocolate.

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What are you loving this month? Let me know in the comments!

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IMPORTANT UPDATE: Scott Pilgrim was mega ultra super gigantic huge tons of awesome. I *do* love it! A lot. Check it out if you enjoy WEIRD and FUNNY things.

YA in NY Winner + Lisa & Laini + Maybe Perhaps a Hot Guy in Pretty Clothing (MAYBE)

Congratulations to "I Heart YA in NY" winner, Danae, who left this very kind message in my comments:

Stephanie, your blog posts always add sparkle to my day, and i can't wait to read Anna!!! *hands orange flower macaron*

Merci beaucoup, Danae! The fleur d’oranger macaron was divine. Please email me your address (steph AT stephanieperkins.com), and I'll send out your package prontissimo.

Or, you know, whatever the equivalent of "prontissimo" is in French.

SO . . . this happened:

"Smart and sensual, Anna and the French Kiss is everything your heart is longing for. You'll want to live inside this story forever. More, s'il vous plaît."
—LISA MCMANN, NYT bestselling author of the Wake trilogy

[Steph opens email from editor.]

[Steph's jaw hits floor.]

I'm ecstatic and overjoyed!! Lisa writes such twisty, page-turny, sexy novels. Her characters are real and interesting, they actually grow throughout the series, and as I told her in my thank you . . . it's rare to surprise me as a reader. I'm sure others who read or write a great deal can relate: since I study stories for a living, I see "twists" coming a mile away.

(Sorry, Christopher Nolan. I like your films, but they don't surprise me. But thank you for putting Joseph Gordon-Levitt in such pretty clothing and making him do cool things. A++.)

But Lisa? Something in one of her books COMPLETELY fooled me! Oh my word, it was fantastic. I'm honored by her blurb!

Also, whenever I think of Lisa, I can't help but think of this funny story my friend Laini Taylor told back in January 2009:


"One of the Cybils shortlist titles in sci-fi/fantasy, selected by me and my co-panelists, is Lisa McMann's Wake, a book I read in one sitting (well, one 'lying' because I was in bed and didn't fall asleep until I finished it at 1:30 or so). When I posted about it, a friend in Arizona emailed to tell me essentially, 'Yeah it's great, and did you know she wrote it in seven days?'

At which point I swore violently and laid curses in the general direction of Arizona, where Lisa McMann also lives, because, you know, just because. Because writing a good book in seven days is just plain showing off!! So, this same friend from Arizona, a YA book enthusiast and his wife . . . were in Portland last weekend and when we got together for lunch, they had this gift for me, a copy of Wake inscribed, by Lisa McMann, as follows:

Tee hee. I find this very, very funny, and it's made funnier by the fact that the book was handed off at night between car windows in a parking lot, the way FBI agents meet informants in TV shows. All clandestine-like. So, thank you Daanon and Michelle for the gift of the book, and thank you Lisa McMann, for good-naturedly rubbing my nose in your absurdly fast writing abilities. :-)

[psst. I don't really think she was showing off. I'm just jealous. And I really liked this book. It's about a girl who has the very bad luck that, whenever someone falls asleep in her vicinity, she gets sucked into their dream. It's a thriller and a romance, and an unputdownable read . . . It's a good read for adults or teens, and you can count on it for teen reluctant readers, because it is so fast-paced.]"


To which Lisa replied in the comments . . .


"Hey Laini! What I didn't mention is that it took seven days for the rough draft, and months for the revising, and the final product is approximately two hundred-something-something pages shorter than yours.

So there's that."


Ha ha! As someone else who writes sloooooooow first drafts (high-five to Laini), I, too, am jealous of Lisa's talent. Which is why I remember the story!

Speaking of Laini, did you hear she had a second announcement about Daughter of Smoke and Bone? I kid you not, that book will be HUGE. I feel so so sosososo lucky to have already read it. I mean, listen to what her UK editor is saying:


"Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a magnificent book, which grabbed me from the opening page, and had everyone at Hodder completely enthralled. The book’s macabre fairytale feel is incredibly inventive and original, and the fantasy is wonderfully creative yet extremely accessible.

I felt the same way about it as I felt when I read His Dark Materials and Twilight—that shiver of excitement knowing I was reading something outstanding. It’s a brilliant novel, with a feisty heroine who I know will resonate with readers young and old, male and female."


I KNOW, right? It's already on Goodreads, so mark it as to-read!

Oh. And here's the obligatory picture of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in pretty clothing doing cool things:

Of course I didn't forget.

And, for good measure, here's an interesting interview with him courtesy of Kiersten White (yes, there are pictures, better ones) and . . . here's an interesting interview with Kiersten White! Though I'm more than a wee bit biased, because she says super-nice things about me and uses the phrase "Celebrity Boyfriends staff."

What's that? You want more?

IF YOU INSIST:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in MORE pretty clothing, dancing with Zooey Deschanel who is ALSO wearing pretty clothing. I truly cannot decide which one is more adorable!

Happy weekend!

Beachy, Sandy-Feet Greetings!

Anyone else singing Echo & the Bunnymen? "Lips like sugaaaar. Sug-ar kiss-eee-ees!"

How sexy is the new cover for my agency sis Carrie Harris' zombie book? MY WORD. I'm fanning myself and chugging an entire pitcher of lemonade. I want to devour this novel NOW. (It comes out next July. *sniff*) That's winning the cover lottery if I've ever seen it.

The tagline is brilliant, too: "It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school."

ACK. Love it.

So! I'm on vacation! Yippee!! Apologies to those who have already seen this picture on Twitter:

But it's the only good one I have. My camera keeps fogging up from the humidity! I wanted to take a picture of a sailboat yesterday and make a cheesy quip about how sailboats are so '80s, but no luck.

You'll have to pretend there's a picture of a sailboat here. If it helps, the sail was white with pink and orange stripes. (LIKE ANY SELF-RESPECTING '80s SAILBOAT WOULD BE.)

During the day, I've been sleeping, eating, and reading, and doing most of it in a rocking chair. At night, I find myself taking long walks along the shoreline. It's as if I can't walk enough. I never tire, and it feels like I could walk forever. My legs and heart are restless.

I've been thinking a lot about The Darjeeling Limited. The film is about three brothers (Jason "will one day realize he's Steph's best friend" Schwartzman, Adrien "best nose in Hollywood" Brody, and Owen "shouldn't be allowed to make movies without Wes Anderson" Wilson) who are dealing with, well, issues. And they're traveling by train across India with an exquisitely strange and burdensome amount of luggage.

(Fun fact: the luggage was designed by Louis Vuitton!)

There's a scene at the end—which I imagine made most film critics roll their eyes, but that I've always loved—when the brothers are racing to catch the train home and they literally have to shed their baggage to catch it.

I think that's what's happening with my restless night walking. It's as if the farther I walk, the more baggage I shed. The last year of my life is slipping away, and I'm heading toward something new.

Something better.

These days, I often find myself thinking about the last thirteen months, in which I destroyed myself while working on Anna revisions and writing Lola and the Boy Next Door. It would be easy—terrifyingly easy—to jump back into the same cycle while working on Lola revisions and writing Book Three. So the question on my mind is: How do I keep from repeating last year? Some of the things were out of my control and couldn't be helped, but most of the damage was self-inflicted. Most of it came from a scared new author trying to figure out how to make this NEW life work.

Who knew having your dream come true could be so . . . challenging?

I have made mistakes in my daily life. MOUNTAINS UPON MOUNTAINS of mistakes. But I'm learning from them. And some day, when my thoughts have solidified, I'll share what these hard lessons have taught me. Maybe they'll help someone else.

Goodbye, Bad Year. See you never again ever.

So . . . this week has been GOOD.

There have been many good things! Alexa and Jessica Shea both sent me pictures from the big ALA conference last weekend. EEK! THANK YOU!!

DUDE. THERE WAS A POSTER.

SERIOUSLY. A POSTER.

And I heard from two people that the Penguin booth ran out of advanced copies of my book! And while it isn't the type to have a bazillion copies printed, this is still awesome happy-making news. Thank you so, so much to everyone who picked one up.

And—AND—my novel finally met Kiersten's! Look how cute:

It's like they're on a date! Fingers crossed for hand-holding and paper-cut kisses!

Thanks, Jessica, for that AMAZING picture. I grin like a fool every time I see it.

Everything is getting real now. It's strange to be in this position where people are actually reading my book. I mean, I realize that's the ultimate goal, but truthfully? This is where it gets nerve-wracking.

PEOPLE ARE READING (*cough* JUDGING) MY BOOK. RIGHT NOW.

Because of this, I've been making an effort to get Anna into the hands of as many friends as possible—people who will help me build that cushion of comfort, so when the going gets tough (I am looking at you, future nasty one-star Goodreads reviews), I'll have their kind words to fall back on.

So to everyone who has sent me such WONDERFUL emails this week (and you know who you are), please allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your words mean the world to me.

Also . . . advanced copies are arriving into the hands of other authors! I exploded with surprised joy when I opened up my Twitter feed today and found a stream of comments, including these:

Thank you Suzanne, Lindsey, (and Kimberly!). It's still near-impossible to believe that OTHER AUTHORS are READING MY BOOK.

WHEN DID THIS BECOME MY LIFE??

On top of this (!), ANNA RECEIVED ANOTHER BLURB:

“No one captures the exhilarating and exhausting ‘but-does-he-like-me?!’ question better than Stephanie Perkins. A scrumptious read.”
— Justina Chen, author of NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL

Surreal. I can't stop shaking my head. My name is in that blurb, you guys. Thank you, Justina. Wow. THANK YOU.

Justina is one of the super-cool Readergirlz and has written three novels, the latest of which I've heard nothing but great things. (And it got a starred review from Booklist!) The description sounds fantastic:


"From behind, you’d think Terra Cooper had it all: she’s tall but not too tall, has a figure to kill for, and boasts naturally blonde hair. But the palm-sized birthmark on her face might as well be her fate map. Everyone in her small, touristy town knows what’s hidden beneath the heavy makeup she’s worn since birth. Sick of being the town oddity and even sicker of her caustic mapmaker of a father, Terra yearns to escape the suffocating grid of her life. And then she nearly runs over an Asian Goth boy, her age . . . and encounters True Beauty in him . . . and herself."


It's been on my to-read list for months, so it's safe to say I'll be devouring it the moment I get home. I can't wait!

And now I'll leave you with a list of things seen on tonight's beach walk: green fireworks, young boys chasing crabs with flashlights, sandcastles being erased by the tide, a dark sky filled with stars, and one lonely golden planet.

Happiness. A good week.


EDITED TO ADD: *faints* *cries* These just in from my first book blogger! And THIS is why I love Twitter. Thank you for capping off a perfect day, The Hiding Spot:




FURTHER ADDED: I will stop bragging now.

EVEN FURTHER ADDED: But I really like the idea of other people typing "St. Clair."

EVEN FURTHER-EST ADDED: St. Clair, St. Clair, St. Clair.

HURRAH! LAINI LAINI LAINI!!!

Remember a few weeks ago when I said, "My favorite piece of good news isn't even my own. A very dear friend had an EVEN BETTER week. But because it's not *my* news, it isn't mine to share. You shall have to wait!"

WELL. THE TIME HAS COME.

LAINI TAYLOR HAS A NEW BOOK!!!

Here's a snippet from the Publisher's Weekly announcement:


"Little Brown Books for Young Readers senior editor Alvina Ling won world rights . . . at auction to Laini Taylor's tentatively titled new YA novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Ling beat four other houses for the work . . . Daughter, which is scheduled for fall 2011, is about a pair of star-crossed lovers kept apart by the fact that one's an angel and the other's a demon; also woven into the tale is the story of the devil's adopted daughter, a blue-haired art student in Prague."


First . . .

Guys, forgive me. I've been *dying* to brag!

I have read this book. And it's incredible. I promise that you've NEVER read a story like this before. Every page is bursting with wild energy and gorgeous language and interesting weird things and cities you can smell and feel and taste, and characters you want to know—characters you want to BE!—as well as the most sinfully great, heart-aching, knock-your-socks off love story that fantasy has seen in YEARS.

This book blew me away.

You will like it. Trust me.


Second . . .

I want to point out one wee little thing about the PW description. It calls her novel an angel/demon story, but . . . this is soooooooo underselling it! As you know, there are a lot of angel/demon stories on the market. This is NOT your average story. These are NOT your average angels and demons! If you've read Laini's previous work, you would have guessed this already, but I want to make it clear that this book—this world—is different. It's beautiful and luscious and creepy and intriguing, and yes, I will be gushing about it a LOT here in the coming months.

(Next year, guys! You get to read this NEXT YEAR! In the world of publishing, that is practically tomorrow!)

I cried with happiness on the phone three times when Laini told me she'd sold it. I couldn't wish a five-house auction on anyone or any book more deserving. She's an astounding writer, one of those rare authors to possess a completely unique and original storytelling voice. My most common comment in the margins of her manuscripts is always, "This line is soooooooo Laini!!!!" Because there's no other way to describe it.

And that, to me, is special.

I am THRILLED OUT OF MY MIND that the size of her audience is about to explode into the stratosphere and that the world will soon discover what it's been missing out on.

If you haven't read her work before, RUN to get Lips Touch, which was a finalist for the National (freaking) Book Award last year! It's three romantic, dark, fantastic, twisty stories with a similar atmosphere to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. And then try her Dreamdark series—Blackbringer and Silksinger—for faeries like you've NEVER read before.

If you haven't already left your congratulations on her blog, I hope you do! This is huge, joyous, life-changing news. And she tells the story behind the story, which I always love!*

*I remember that day she talks about on her blog so well! I was still a librarian, and I was stuck behind the circulation desk and longing to be writing at home, and suddenly—*POOF*—this amazing scene was in my inbox, and I was transported into this . . . magical weird curious shop. And it was wonderful.

I'm totally like, "Yeah. I knew she was awesome first."

In unrelated news . . . if you're going to ALA's Annual Conference this weekend, advanced copies of Anna and the French Kiss will be at the Penguin booth. Yes! MY BOOK IS AT ALA! And I really, really hope you get a copy! (And take a picture for me? Oh my stars, I'd love you forever if I could see a picture of my novel at ALA.)

Also . . . I love it whenever I run across something that makes me say, "THIS is why the internet was created."

Well, folks.

THIS is why the internet was created:

HA HA HA HA!! I can't stop grinning.

And writers, if you haven't seen Jackson Pearce's (author of last year's super cute As You Wish and the recently released Sisters Red) "Writers' Blok" video, which is based on the above song, you should watch this, too:

MAJOR props to Jackson for singing and dancing about something we can all relate to. Also, for the Froot Loops line. She always creates fun vlogs!

And finally . . . Lola and the Boy Next Door revisions are going well, but they'll require more time. I'll finish this draft in July. Thanks to great feedback and my first opportunity for reflection, I am FINALLY seeing it as the cool, odd, sparkly novel I'd always hoped it would be. I am happy.

(Also, I've been doodling hearts and stars around the Boy Next Door's name. So that's a good sign, right?)

Now I'm off to a wedding in Cary, NC—It's at a science museum! There will be butterflies!—and then I'm further off to Ocean Isle, NC for a week of sun, sand, and twenty-four books I've been eager to read. I don't know if I'll have internet access at the beach house, but I hope so. I'd love to blog while I'm there.

So hopefully, I'll talk to you next week. If not, I'll talk to you in July!

"When It Rains, It Pours" — Morton Salt*

So I met these guys last weekend. Was this the moment the universe shifted? Perhaps.

A strange, extraordinary thing has happened to me this week.

GOOD NEWS.

In bounty.

It's odd how one can go for months without it, positively ache for something new to cling to — Anything! Any shred will do! — and . . . nothing. And then, in a space of three days, receive an astounding, jaw-dropping, overwhelming deluge.

And I'm not just talking about good things happening to me (though there have been several amazing things, including one of the top five phone calls of all time, courtesy of Daisy Whitney — in which she said EVERYTHING I have EVER wanted someone to say about Anna; I swear, she had the crib sheet that I keep glued to my heart), but I'm talking about good things in abundance happening to many people in my life.

What is WITH this week?

I have no idea, but I am grateful for it! I'm ecstatic to the point of bursting.

I've been writing, writing, writing Lola and the Boy Next Door, so I've been unable to reply to all of the comments in my last post about beauty, but if you haven't checked them out — or left your own comment — you should! There are truly marvelous things in there. Thank you, everyone.

And there doesn't seem to be much of a point to this (unusually short) post, and I realize it's lame of me to talk about GOOD THINGS and not to get specific, but . . . I guess I just wanted to say that I hope you are having a good week, too.


*Morton Salt should be the hero's name in some Great American Novel. Seriously. Wouldn't that be perfect?

ALSO: I know I've promised a giveaway, and it will BE HERE SOON. Though now it'll be disappointing — especially when you see how long I've been sitting on it! — but sooner is better than never. I suppose. Arrrrghh. Embarrassing.

Ramble, Ramble, Ramble-dee-doo

My cat in a box. Nothing to do with anything.

I have a bigly huge list of things I want to blog about, but . . . oy. Looking at the list — and its bigly hugeness* — makes me not want to blog about ANY of them, even though they're all awesome.

C'est la vie.

OH, LOOK! BULLET POINTS ABOUT OTHER STUFF:


• I updated my website. Nothing major, but if you're interested in how to pronounce Étienne St. Clair, there's an answer in my F.A.Q. Also, I've avoided the how-to-get-an-agent question on my blog, because I got mine nontraditionally. I don't feel like my advice is particularly helpful. But I finally kinda sorta answer the question. (Also in my F.A.Q.) And I updated the On Writing page. It still doesn't have my advice but, for now, there is a tiny handful of BRILLIANT links. Check them out for inspiration!


• Thanks for your fantastic comments about my plot (and Étienne) last week! Happy, happy me. To answer a question that keeps coming up, stacythompsonschuck asked:

When will ARC's be available and how can I get one?

I'm sorry. I have no idea. As soon as I know, I'll post the information. Thank you for asking!


• My husband Jarrod is the best. I don't think I've mentioned it here in a while, so it just needed to be said.


• Those new cheeseburger flavored Doritos actually taste like cheeseburgers. At first I thought this was cool. Now that the novelty has worn off, I've realized it's gross. Also, the product's full name is: Doritos Late Night: All Nighter Cheeseburger. Late night? All nighter? Is this necessary?

I have a headache, Doritos. I BLAME YOU.

• I'd planned a giveaway this week, but a bunch o' people beat me to it. Check out that link for a giant list of recommended reads and most of those links will lead you to people giving away copies of them. Good luck! I'll save my giveaway for next week.


• Cute boys are cute. (Obligatory link to 1:24 minutes of a cute boy being cute. Nothing happens, but sexy nerd glasses are involved. Score!)


• I met Weronika Janczuk! If you're active in the writing/blogging/tweeting world, there's a good chance you already know her. If you don't, allow me to explain: Weronika has written a novel every year since the sixth grade. She interned at Flux. She reads for two different literary agents and will soon become an agent in her own right. She's currently revising a new novel that she hopes to sell later this year.

And she's about to graduate high school.

Weronika is AMAZING. We had a wonderful afternoon coffee during which I learned that not only does she have this incredible (obvious) drive, but that she's also super cool and super nice. Regular blog readers know that nice goes a long way with me! I want to be like her when I grow up.


• I'm worried I'm becoming vain. Because I'm looking at that picture up there and thinking, "Who killed my hair?" "I need to find a lipstick that doesn't fade" and "Seriously, WHY IS MY HAIR SO FLAT?"


• I will be really, really happy when I'm done with this draft of Lola and the Boy Next Door. Really. Really. Happy. And that's all I'm saying about that.


*EDITED TO ADD: Did I steal "bigly huge" from Will Grayson, Will Grayson? (Great book, by the way.) Or from somewhere else, maybe? It sounds familiar.

Happy Happy Happy News

My apologies to everyone waiting to hear from James McAvoy, but . . .

I'M ON AMAZON!!!

And I have numbers.

A RELEASE DATE (December 9th), an ISBN (0525423273), and a PAGE COUNT (384). And I realize these things are "whatever" to most people, but this information ranks as Astronomically Exciting on the debut author scale.

And do you know who else is on Amazon? My friend Kiersten White! Her fantastic debut Paranormalcy was recently made available for purchase HERE. You know how Beautiful Creatures and Hush, Hush were *the* talked about YA debut books last autumn? Yeah, that book this autumn?

Paranormalcy.

If you like romance and humor, I hope you'll consider pre-ordering our novels. You could even do it at the same time! And then we'd have that whole "Frequently Bought Together" thing going on.*

WHICH WOULD BE AWESOME.

Speaking of talented friends, did you hear Laini Taylor's Silksinger just received the CYBIL award (Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary award) for Middle-Grade Fantasy novel of the year? I couldn't be more excited or proud! I'm SUCH a fan of her Dreamdark series, and it's thrilling to see it get the recognition and praise it deserves.**

CONGRATULATIONS LAINI!!!

And further congratulations to her husband, Jim Di Bartolo, who gives her words such beautiful illustrations! I am so happy for them both.

HAPPY!

I am so happy.


*There's a chance I may have already done this, as evidenced by this part of my receipt:

**Also, my name is in Silksinger's acknowledgments. Which means now my name is in an AWARD-WINNING NOVEL. Just so you know.

Thank You, Dear Readers

Thank you, Paris. Our relationship has been as unexpected as it has been extraordinary.

To those who are new to my blog: Thank you for taking the time to say hello, and thank you for taking the time to say hello again. I love seeing you here. I hope we'll get to know each other better in the coming months, and I hope you'll stick around for the figgy pudding.

To those who have been reading my blog for some time now: Thank you for your continued support, your enthusiastic well-wishes, and your delightful comments. I love being a part of your life, even if it is this strange, tiny one. Next year will be big for me. I hope I'll make you proud.

Takk, Kate!

Takk is Icelandic for "thanks." Takk to Sigur Rós, I know what takk means.

Fellow Tenner (2010 debut author) Kody Keplinger (who is EIGHTEEN, you guys — I do not even want to think about what I was [not] doing when I was eighteen) declared last Friday the first Agent Appreciation Day. What a wonderful thing to do!

I've had some intense on and off flu action, so I haven't had the brains to post until now. But. It's important to me that I do. Because there's no way that 95% of you reading this would be here if it weren't for Kate Schafer Testerman, aka Super Agent Daphne Unfeasible.

I love my agent.

LOVE. My agent.

For those of you not in the industry, or relatively new to the industry, who don't understand the full role an agent plays, allow me to explain:

Agents do everything writers do not want to do.

Like . . . tell editors how wonderful you are. Ask those editors if they've read your manuscript yet. Ask them again. Ask them again. Ask those editors for money. Ask those editors for MORE money. Negotiate the unintelligible, horrifyingly lengthy mess that is a publishing contract. Make sure you sign the correct lines. Make sure everything is mailed on time. Make sure that it's a DONE DEAL.

Then they make sure you're paid. They wrestle with taxes. And they make sure you're paid again, later, when it's time to be paid again. And if there's a problem with your publishing house or your editor, guess what? Your agent handles it! So you, the writer, will still look like the good guy.

Then the agent tries to sell your book AGAIN. Foreign markets. Film rights. Television. And they call all of those people you wouldn't want to call — and wouldn't know how to call or where to get their numbers — and they KEEP calling them.

And when you have a new book? They do all of this for you . . . yes! . . . again.

Then there's the other half of their job, the writer hand-holding. Agents have to be good at giving bad news. They have to give a LOT of bad news, and they have to make it sound like it's not *really* that bad. And they have to mean it! Good agents are always optimistic about your future. Agents are TEAM YOU. They want you to succeed, and they guide you (as gently or as forcefully as necessary) towards the goal.

I am lucky.

Because not only does Kate do all of this for me — and with incredible gusto, enthusiasm, and style — but she's also really, really cool. Like, the kind of person I'd want to hang out with anyway. (Which is why I wanted her so badly for an agent!)

Kate loves Joss Whedon. Shoes. The Glee soundtracks and The Princess Bride. She bowls, MMORPGs, and agrees that Chuck's wardrobe on Pushing Daisies is, like, the best ever. She writes a great blog and is a fantastic tweeter. Kate once said in an interview that, "I love novels that get me (in all honesty) hot, horny, and laughing. That’s the trifecta."

YES. YES!! Me too, Kate.

She understands Anna — and she understands Anna's boy — and has done everything to ensure my novel is treated right. And she got me my not-even-in-my-dreams editor. (I am STILL not sure how you pulled that one off, Kate! You are truly magic.)

I am honored to be working with her.

And . . . I'm honored to be a part of her amazing client list. Because that's the other thing about Kate. Not only is SHE amazing, but her writers are too. The kt literary family is made up of incredibly kind, funny, and supportive people. I had no idea that when I signed with her, I would make so many instant friends.

Takk, Kate. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And I wish everyone else a continued Happy Chanukah! I wanted to share my favorite Chanukah song, Beck's "Little Drum Machine Boy," but this non-embeddable clip was the best I could find. The song gets cooler after the clip ends. Of course. (At least you can still find it on iTunes!)

I forgot how cutie pie and well-dressed he is.

The song is from the Midnite Vultures era, perhaps my favorite of his. For those of you unfamiliar with Beck's music, that means nothing, so I will say this: IZ FUNKY.

Oh, San Francisco! Don't ever change.

Let's talk about how much I love this city.

I've been scratching my head over this post for the last several days, because there's not much I can tell you about my trip to San Francisco. Despite the fact that I publicly announced it (oops), it was a SECRET trip. Filled with EXCITING THINGS that I CANNOT TALK ABOUT.

Just kidding.

It really, truly, honestly was a secret trip, but unless you count hanging out in hallways like this EXCITING:

Doo dee doo. Don't mind me. I'm just taking notes about this DOOR. Look! It has a handle!

Then you are not missing much.

I'm not even going to tell you about the time I got caught taking pictures in a public restroom. (I HAD A REASON.) Or tell you about the look on the woman's face who caught me. (I HAD A REASON, LADY!!)

The trip coincided with my ten year day-we-met anniversary with Jarrod. And since we still consider San Francisco our city — we met online while living in different cities, but we moved together to SF — it turned out to be a perfect celebration.

A perfect celebration of taking secret pictures of public restrooms.

Well. We also did a few non-secret things. For instance, WE ATE.




We couldn't afford the Fog City Diner when we lived there (Ramen Cup Noodles were more our budget), so it was wonderful to finally taste their famous gourmet diner food. Like this lemon meringue pie:

Hello, meringue! WE LOVE YOU.

And then there was this . . .

CONE O' MEAT.

My husband is seriously (seriously) addicted to the Food and Travel Networks, and Boccalone has been featured on multiple programs, so it was a must-visit. We especially loved their sign:




And to answer my family and longtime friends' question, NO. I did not partake in the tasty salted pig parts. (True story: I gave up pork when my mother read me Charlotte's Web as a little girl. I don't care how delicious he is, HOW COULD ANYONE EAT WILBUR??)

But there was still plenty for me to snack on. Like . . .

Jalapeño gelato!

And chocolate orange macarons from Miette!

Is there anything more heavenly than a macaron?

(NO.)

But enough foodage. How about . . .

Elvis Pinball!

This dastardly machine combines two of my husband's great loves, the King and pinball. Of course he couldn't resist.

And I always love the window displays in Chinatown:

Like these pretty shoes.

And these cool plastic insects.


And this, um, random crap.

And this . . . WHAT THE HECK IS THIS??

Seriously, you guys. If anyone can tell me what's up with that, I'll mail you a present.

Here's another reason I love Chinatown. While walking down the street, we found this Large Frog:




And then, only half a block later . . .

OMG. ANOTHER LARGE FROG.

Here are two more awesome non-secret things found in (non-Chinatown) window displays:

Heh.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love San Francisco?

But it was not all SECRETS and FOOD and WINDOW DISPLAYS. I was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon with fellow 2010 YA debut authors and Bay Area residents, Heidi R. Kling (author of Sea, coming out next June) and Daisy Whitney (The Mockingbirds, next fall).

Not the best quality picture, but it totally doesn't matter when we (L to R: Heidi, Steph, Daisy) look this cute!

I've said it before, but it's always worth saying again. Being a writer is a strange, lonely business. Any time I'm given the chance to spend time with other writers — writers who understand exactly what I'm going through — is the equivalent of a child's birthday party at an American Girl store.

IT'S THE BEST. THING. EV-ERRRRR!!

We met up at Bittersweet, a chocolate café. Okay. Maybe a *little* food was involved. But LOOK:

Spicy (pepper, cinnamon, & rose) drinking chocolate.

We talked non-stop for two hours, and it felt like two minutes, and I cannot wait to do it again. Daisy and Heidi were both amazingly kind, hilarious, and FUN. I'm excited to read their books next year!

[2010 . . . so close, but so far away.]

It's time to wrap up, so I'll leave you with one final picture. There are hundreds of reasons to love this city. But this? This is one of the best:

Thank you, San Francisco.