Cranbrook & Fremd

Cranbrook & Fremd sounds like it's either a lawfirm or a really bad buddy-cop movie, but they're really the names of two schools I visited in the past couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, none of my pics from Cranbrook saved (meaning, I accidentally deleted them), but my time there was inspiring. I've never spoken at a boarding school, and was fascinated to learn more about that and see how many beautiful experiences that school offers its students.

Just a couple hours after flying into Detroit and driving to Bloomfield Hills, I was speaking on a panel about bullying awareness and suicide prevention. The audience was made up of parents, which is something I love to see. It's only when adults aren't afraid to confront these issues and take them seriously that teens will feel comfortable reaching out and opening up.

The next day, I spoke to two groups of students, one for 90 minutes and one for 45 minutes. Almost all of the students had read at least one of my books, which always makes the Q&A portion of my presentations fun. I love having the opportunity to say, "Thank you! I've never been asked that before."

Oh, wait, two pictures did save! A student had left one of my books at home, so asked me to sign the two books she had with her that she was currently reading.

("Thank you!  I've never been asked to sign these before.")

Shortly after returning from Michigan, I flew to Illinois. Fremd High School in Palatine was nearing the end of Writers Week XIX, where I would be giving two presentations on the last day (Day V). It was fun to follow the tweets all week long and see so many former students saying Writers Week was the one week they wish they could return to high school. And it really is an amazing week! Not only do they have speakers come in from the community (or California), students get to hear other students read their works aloud, and student musicians play between sessions.

Rather than taking the time to compose a beautiful panaramic shot of the students in my sessions, here are three hastily taken and smooshed together shots from each presentation. (You can click to enlarge.)

Yes, I know. It's time to get a new camera!

The (New) Italian Paperback Edition!

Red Carpet Fantasies: Part II

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that I get very excited to watch the Academy Awards each year. Not just because I get to eat my traditional pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby, but because I'm also a movie freak!

And one of my not-so-secret fantasies is to one day write an Oscar-nominated screenplay. Something just as exciting would be to have one of my novels turned into an Oscar-nominated adapted screenplay.

If either one of those things happen, hopefully I'll get the chance to walk down the red carpet. Of course, the question then becomes What will I wear? Or What shall I do with my hair?

So, with the help of InStyle's Hollywood Makeover, I decided to try on some hairdos of the nominated actresses (and one nominated singer) of 2013...

Amy Adams for The Master:

 



Adele for Skyfall:

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty:

Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables:

Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook:

Naomi Watts for The Impossible:

My Favorite Bad Review

I don't (usually) mind bad reviews. I don't!

(Usually.)

Sometimes I even love bad reviews (but not very often). That's especially true when the review is for a book I didn't write, but which some people think I did write. That can happen when there's another author named Jay Asher. It's even more likely to happen when Goodreads tells people that the same Jay Asher who wrote Thirteen Reasons Why and co-wrote The Future of Us also wrote Love in Progress.

(He didn't.)

Here's my favorite review of the other Mr. Asher's book:

Not Jay Asher's best work. It felt sloppy and full of typo's. I don't know if this was released before 13 reasons why, but it felt a lot looser in terms of writing and story arc. I know he was trying to broach the subject of lesbianism, but I feel like he fell flat of the mark somewhat, as I kept imagining Jane as a male, not a female. A lesbian still thinks like a female, and I think that is the mistake Jay makes - her thoughts are frank and non-descriptive (although, kudos for researching some labels, though I doubt lesbians who describe themselves as Butch would care). Sorry Jay, I still love your other books.

That final sentence makes the entire mix-up (mostly) worth it!

You're Retired From Valentine's Day, Charlie Brown!

This week, I officially became the child of two retired parents. (I feel so old!) On Tuesday, to celebrate my mom escaping...I mean, exiting...the workforce, a limo picked our family up and took us to dinner at the Madonna Inn.

(from left to right, in relation to Isaiah:
Grandpa, Daddy, Self, Grandma, Mommy, Auntie Sarah, Uncle Nate)

 

Isaiah loved sitting at the back of the "big car" in his carseat, where he could see all of our faces the entire time.

And congratulations, Momma!!!

 

On Valentine's Day, we had a potluck dinner at our house for friends and family. Appellation Bluegrass Band (featuring JoanMarie!), played in our living room.

 

 

The band usually plays in a pub, so Isaiah and I don't get to see them perform very often. It's not that I can't go into a pub, I'm just usually watching Isaiah during the gigs. (But that's awesome that you thought I might be under 21! Unfortunately, like I said, both of my parents are retired.)



 

 

On Saturday, JoanMarie and I went to a local production of God Sees Dog: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead at The SPOT. If you've followed this blog for a while, or heard me give an author talk, you may already know what a huge Peanuts fan I am. This play imagines what might happen to the Peanuts gang when they reach high school. There are definite reasons the writer had to come up with creative ways to avoid actual character names from the comic strip. With swearing, substance abuse, sex, and suicide (four Ss the Snoopy gang managed to avoid), I'm sure the estate of Charles Schulz wanted to stay away from endorsing this. And as a Peanuts aficionado, I was nervous.

 

But because the theater owner (and this show's director), Jake Liam McGuire, personally invited us, and because I love supporting local arts, I almost had to go.

 

 

And now for the verdict...

 

The acting was wonderful! Everyone was so natural and perfect in their roles. And while it was unnerving to see what becomes of this version of the Peanuts gang (which is totally not what really happens!), if I pretended it was a play about teens I didn't know, it was intense and sad and funny. But how was it if I couldn't let go of the fact that I will always be a Peanuthead? It was still sad, and also darkly funny because of in-jokes, but at the very very end, it becomes astoundingly beautiful!

 

It was great to meet you, Jake! We can't wait to check out your next show.



Teens Know Best

On my first trip to Minnesota, I spoke at a college. Second trip, I spoke at a library. Most recently, this past weekend, I spoke in a church. (Being an author is so weird.)

This visit was part of their Teens Knows Best author series. If you live anywhere near the Twin Cities, you must check out their upcoming YA authors: Steve Brezenoff, Lauren Myracle, Jordan Sonnenblick, Neal Shusterman, Andrea Cremer, Tamora Pierce, and Barry Lyga.

The view from the stage is always great. What's not to love? Everyone in the audience is there to hear me talk about writing! (Even when only four or five people show up, it's still fun.) But sometimes the location itself provides an inspiring view.

Speaking from a pulpit for the first time, it would've been cool if I'd thought to wear a flowing white robe, but I just went with my traditional Author Attire.

Addendum Books in St. Paul (a children's and YA bookstore!) provided the books for my signing.

They also brought a lampshade for me to sign, which had already been signed by several other authors. Why a lampshade? Because it looks cool when lit up in their store, and also lends itself to a very cool metaphor.

Of course, as a huge Charles Schulz and Peanuts fan, being in the Twin Cities is a time to reflect on the man's awesomeness and influence on me. Sparky (that's what his friends and wannabe friends...like me...call him) was born in Minneapolis and raised in St. Paul, and there are reminders of him throughout the area. For example, in the airport you can find the World War I Flying Ace himself!

(Mr. Schulz passed away 13 years ago today.
A moment of silence, please...)

Minnesota was also a place I got to have some fun with another creative project I've been working on. In fact, it's something I began working on in junior high. And if this thing comes together like I hope it does, I can't wait to tell you all about it very soon!

It Starts With Me: Journey of Hope

When I was trying to write funny books for young children, I never would have imagined I would one day be speaking at conferences dealing with suicide and bullying. Within the past several days, I spoke at two of those conferences, and it was a huge honor to participate.

First, I spoke at an event at Cuesta College. It Starts WithMe: Creating a Community Without Bullying was an all-day event. Some speakers shared personal stories of being bullied, most gave tools to address and combat the issue, and a lot of time was spent just trying to define bullying.

I gave a breakout presentation focusing on Thirteen Reasons Why. It was the first time I shared my reasons for writing each chapter in the book.

Then I gave a presentation to all of the attendees, having to stop to keep the tears in check more than I ever have in one of these presentations. Mostly, that was because I could see tears being wiped away by several people in the audience. Feeling so connected with them over an issue I care so much about is overwhelmingly beautiful.

(Okay, you're right, they don't look like they're crying in this photo.
It was taken when I was being introduced!)

 

Three other authors who spoke were JodeeBlanco, Trudy Ludwig, and Kathryn Otoshi. Getting to meet or get reacquainted with them during our lunchtime book signing was a definite highlight.

Yesterday, I gave a presentation at New Life Church for Journey of Hope 2013, put on by Transitions-Mental Health Association. This conference raised awareness about suicide, with over 30 organizations represented in the lobby, places people can turn to if they needed help, or where they can find help for others.

The stories shared on that stage brought so many people to tears. Because I was speaking near the end, I was just glad I wasn’t wearing mascara. (And yes, that was the first thing I said when I stepped in front of the microphone. Sorry, it just came out!) After my keynote, they played my wife’s recorded version of Soul Alone, which also plays at the end of the Thirteen Reasons Why audiobook. The lyrics to that song make up Hannah’s poem in the book.

The woman sitting just to the left of the podium in the first photo is Wendy Thies Sell, the event’s emcee. At the very end, we both went back onstage for a fun Q&A. 

After the program, I sold out of both Thirteen Reasons Why and The Future of Us. So I came up with a plan and met several of the attendees at the Barnes & Noble a few cities over for an impromptu book signing.

Thankfully, I didn't know KSBY was filming my presentation earlier that evening. Knowing 500 pairs of eyes were on me was plenty!
 

Burbank High School: Part 2

As I've said many times before, I love speaking at high schools. It's my favorite part of being an author! But until yesterday, I hadn't spoken anywhere in two months, so I was more nervous than usual about speaking at Burbank High. Never mind the fact that, two nights earlier, I caught one of the many bugs going around and spent the entire night with my head slung over a toilet. While I felt perfectly fine on my three-hour drive to the school, I couldn't shake a feeling that I was about to become a YouTube sensation for a video titled Author Hurling.

But that didn't happen!  (Which is kind of too bad, because nothing good comes up when you type that into YouTube.)

When I first arrived, I noticed this banner hanging in the library. Yep, I was in the right place!

Then I noticed a framed photo on the wall. It was taken one year ago when Carolyn Mackler and I spoke at Burbank High on the last day of our book tour for The Future of Us.

Carolyn and I had such a great time on our visit, I began to get even more nervous. What if no one showed up because they'd seen me speak just one year ago? What if they didn't think I was as funny without Carolyn? What if...? What if...? What if...? I had some special guests coming to hear me speak, and while it's not the size of the audience that matters...it kind of does!!!

Thankfully, the turn out was wonderful.

 

Here's a shout out to the special guests who came to hear me speak for the first time. My cousin Sondra is circled in green. (She's only ten days younger than me, but apparently that still means she gets to open her Christmas presents before me every single year. But whatever!) There were also two guests representing the producers behind the Thirteen Reasons Why movie. I can't find Kristel from Strike Entertainment in the above above, but Mandy from July Moon Productions (and Selena Gomez's momma) is circled in red.

And there's a giant purple circle surrounding everyone because...well...you're all my special guests, Burbank High!

Aaaaah...!

The Japanese Edition!

The Polish Edition!

The Portuguese Edition!

Hark!

This post is about angel farts and Christmas carols (and unless angels expel Christmas tunes, they're not the same thing).

Last week, I asked people on Twitter and Facebook Twitter to respond to two prompts. The first prompt:

Favorite Christmas carol. And why. And...go!

37 songs were represented. Tying for 2nd place were Carol of the Bells, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and O Holy Night. I especially love O Holy Night, but my personal favorite is also the one selected by the most number of you.



The second prompt was:

This is important.
I need to know the sound and scent of an angel fart.

Some people questioned the importance, but I'm someone who believes laughter is very important...so don't question it! (But yes, some of the following suggestions may make it into a future book.)

One person offered a beautiful response: "Only true believers in angels can smell and hear their farts."
 

Two people contradicted each other while discussing the inner-workings of angels: "Depends on what they eat." "They don't fart, because they don't eat."
 

One person offered an explanation for an absence of sound and smell: "It sneaks up on you - you don't hear or smell it. You sense it. It's mysteriously wonderful. Not a bad thing at all. And then...something really good happens."
 

One person suggested that I ask David Boreanaz.
 

And two people claimed angelic reasons for their first-hand knowledge:
 

Annette Curtis Klause: "I'll be right on over to demonstrate."
 

Lisa Albert: "Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you."

True to her word, a few minutes later, Lisa returned: "Okay...I'm back... It sounded like the coo of a dove and smelled like Angel Food Cake mixed with Love's Baby Soft. Do you need to know what I sleep on, too? Fallen eyelashes and feathers."
 

Here are some other answers left by the weirdos on Facebook and Twitter:
 

WHAT ANGEL FARTS SOUND LIKE:

Adele; wind chimes; they're silent; trumpets (if explosive); harps (if a gentle, long release); a baby’s sigh; poof; bells chiming; pfft; a gentle bell chime; a foghorn; a sigh; a harp arpeggio; crackling bacon; a gentle breeze whistling through trees; Rice Krispies; bird wings flapping; an A minor chord; a high C; A B flat; a delicate soap bubble pop; Celine Dion

WHAT ANGEL FARTS SMELL LIKE:

Celine Dion; honey roses; gingerbread; cotton candy; vanilla; vanilla mint; pine with a hint of vanilla; chocolate chip cookies; fresh baked sugar cookies; sweet and puffy marshmallow; whipped cream; nutmeg; sand tart cookies (her sister calls them “angel turds”); a sulfur blast; fresh rain; that ion-y smell just before it rains; rainbows; baby powder; the gardens of heaven; just heavenly; church (lemon floor polish and wine); fresh linen; fabric softener; lavender; like the moment you first step into Sephora; crackling bacon; White Cloud perfume; donuts; marshmallow crème frosted chocolate cupcakes; wood smoke on a winter night; frankincense; poo

And now you know!

Name Change

It's December. Time to throw out my Writing Tip of the Year!

(I actually don't do this every year, but it sounds better than Writing Tip of the Every-Few-Years-Or-So.)

2012 Tip #1
Always question your first ideas.

The first idea to pop into your head, whether it's an obstacle for your character to face or the solution to that obstacle, is probably your first idea because it would also be the first idea to pop into the heads of many writers. That doesn't necessarily mean it's not an original idea, but it probably means it's too obvious.

Even when a first idea isn't obvious, it can still be problematic. At least, it could be improved upon. I recently rediscovered a file I kept while writing Thirteen Reasons Why. Each chapter in that book is Hannah Baker telling a story about one person at her school. This computer file was a list of those character names.

Names are important. For me, each name needs to sound and feel right in relation to many things. The sound has to match the tone of that character's story. It has to feel right in comparison to other names mentioned around theirs. And the list goes on... As I write, when a new character appears, I need to find a workable name before I can move on. No placeholder names allowed!

When I was almost done writing Thirteen Reasons Why, but before sending it to publishers, I wondered something. What if the names that sounded and felt so right weren't names teens today would hear shouted in their hallways? What if I was plucking names from my high school years? Even though, when I began writing the book, I'd only been out of high school for ten years, name popularity can change fast. (When I was born, Jacob and Isabella weren't in the top five like they are now...for some reason!) And while I didn't want every name to be extremely popular, which would give the book a generic feel, I also didn't want every name to be extremely unpopular. It needed to feel real.

I found a website run by the Social Security Administration, where you can find the top baby names for people born in the U.S. going back to 1879. I figured out the year I hoped my book would be released, then subtracted the age of my characters, checked their birth year on the website, and I didn't like what I saw.

Of the twelve characters Hannah discusses that are given first names, I ended up changing seven of those names. I still liked the sound and feel of their last names, so I found different first names to match with those last names.

Here are all of those names, changed and not changed, in alphabetical order by last name so the order doesn't spoil things for those of you who haven't read it. (But seriously, what are you waiting for?) The first names listed are how I originally wrote them, followed by how that name changed.

• Travis Bicknell – Brandon Bicknell
• Marcus Cooley
• Melody Crimson – Courtney Crimson
• Katie Davis – Jessica Davis
• Sam Delano – Zach Delano
• Harold Down – Tyler Down
• Carson Foley – Justin Foley
• Clay Jensen
• Jenny Kurtz
• Thomas Shaver – Ryan Shaver
• Alex Standall
• Bryce Walker

The character of Travis/Brandon Bicknell ended up disappearing from the book altogether.

Three other major characters had their names changed for reasons having nothing to do with the website.

1. Early on, Hannah's first name was Anna. I soon discovered three other YA novels about girls named Anna who committed (or may have committed) suicide. That didn't seem fair to girls named Anna, but I really liked the sound of Anna and Baker together. What to do?! I threw an H at both ends of her name and called it good.
2. Very early on, Clay Jensen was Clay Donaldson, but I didn't like the sound of his name having the same number of syllables as Anna/Hannah Baker.
3. The teacher and guidance counselor, Mr. Porter, also had a different last name. Thankfully, an early reader of my manuscript reminded me that Mr. Mackey is also the guidance counselor on South Park.

Like I said, always question those first ideas!

The Slovak Edition!

The French Canadian Edition!

There is No Tampa State

Earlier this week, I gave four presentations at Tampa Preparatory School. All of the freshmen had read The Future of Us, and I did a writing workshop with them in the morning.

 

During the Q&A, one student reminded me that Tampa State is mentioned in The Future of Us. A fairly big plot point revolves around that school, but until she brought it up, I'd forgotten that our character Emma originally ends up going there for college. Awesome!

And then the student asked, "Did you know there isn't a Tampa State? There is a Tampa University, though."

I stammered. "Um...uh...yes, of course. I mean, I think we knew that. And we must've had a reason."

During lunch, I called my co-author, Carolyn Mackler. "Yes, that was intentional," she said. "If we ended up writing a sequel, we knew there'd be several scenes set there, and we might need our school to have a different set-up than Tampa University." "Oh, right," I said, "just like Josh and Emma live in Lake Forest, Pennsylvania, which isn't a real town." "Exactly," Carolyn said.

See? I knew we had a reason!

And then I gave a writing workshop to the seniors, who had all read Thirteen Reasons Why.

 

(Thankfully, in that book, I don't name a city or state where any part of the story takes place!)

During the last period of the day, I gave a presentation to the entire school. While they filed in, I took a photo. Scenes like this make me laugh. I still get stagefright before I speak, but I know my pre-published self would faint if he knew I'd one day be speaking in front of groups like this. And he wouldn't believe it if I told him I actually enjoy it!

Friend and local author, Greg Neri, then took me to the University of South Florida (not a fictional school!) to visit their library's Ted Hipple Special Collection. That collection of thousands of YA novels includes "[s]igned first editions, manuscripts, authors' working notes, and page proofs" that "provide a window to explore the genre's creation."

Here I am with Greg and the Special Collectors (my name for their rock band), including Dr. Joan Kaywell. Ms. Kaywell later interviewed me for a video anthology they're putting together.

 

The collection already has a first edition of Thirteen Reasons Why and several of Carolyn's books, and now they have The Future of Us.

Before I left, I got to hold a stone tablet with cuneiform writing that's over 3,000 years old!

Back at Tampa Prep, I gave an evening presentation. In the audience was Alicia Thompson, author of Psych Major Syndrome, who reminded me that I included her book in this list.

 

Also in the audience was the English Department Chair, Stephanie Cardillo, who was responsible for putting this visit together, and bestselling author Michael Connelly. (Their noggins are circled in green.)

Thanks for a wonderful visit, Tampa!

My So-Called Life-brary

Yes, the title of this post is cheesy. At least I'm not one of those people who doesn't realize he's cheesy. Oh, I realize it! But that title was the only way I could tie together the coolest elements of my trip to Burr Ridge, Illinois.

Some of you may already know of the influence My So-Called Life had on my approach to storytelling, especially while writing Thirteen Reasons Why. The tone of that show was constantly in mind while writing that book. I played the soundtrack repeatedly to set the right atmosphere. There's even a subtle tribute to MSCL after one of the party scenes.

So I was so excited to share the same in-flight recycled air, from L.A. to Chicago, with Tom Irwin, the man who played Graham Chase!

My first speaking engagement was at Hinsdale South High School. When I first arrived, I was shown a very cool poster designed for the library.

Then I spoke in the auditorium. I always love hearing what students come up with to introduce me. Sometimes, as was the case here, they give 13 reasons why they're excited to have an author visit.

Then I spoke at Burr Ridge Middle School.

 

I always enjoy the Q&A portion of presentations, especially when someone asks a question I've never been asked before. For example, a question about the number of times Clay "hurls" in my book!

In the evening, I spoke at Indian Prairie Public Library.

After my presenation, students accepted awards for entering the 7th Annual Write-On Cool Compositions Contest. Andrew Salgado gave the awards for songwriting, and I gave the awards for short story and poetry.

Thank you, Sarah, for organizing these wonderful events (and letting me steal some of these pics!).

Of course, I couldn't leave the area without grabbing a Chicago dog at the airport.



Yes, I tried to add Chicago dog into the title of this post, but I couldn't make it work. And yes, that disappoints me very much.

The Swedish Edition!