A Very Yummy Book

When Carolyn Mackler and I first began writing The Future of Us, not even our agents knew about it. We didn't tell anyone until we were certain the collaboration was going to work. When we finished writing the book and began editing it, we still told very few people. It was our fun little secret! But since I live in California and Carolyn lives in New York (and since I focus best at night), I often pulled all-nighters to get my chunk o' writing emailed to Carolyn before she woke up. Sometimes I would work until 3:30 in the morning, send it off, and then Carolyn would wake up and begin working on it within 30 minutes, just as I went to bed.

When I write that late at night (or early in the morning), I can't work at home or I'll fall asleep. The only places still open at those hours, though, were either Denny's or SLO Donut Company. That donut shop has some very creative and yummy donuts, and I often posted photos of them to my Facebook page moments before devouring them. Not being able to talk about what I was working on, most of my friends thought I simply got unhealthy cravings in the middle of the night.

Well, now you know the truth. I was working! (And I was using the excuse of working to satisfy my unhealthy middle-of-the-night cravings.)

For those of you not on Facebook, here's a sampling of what got me through writing and editing this book:

Oreo donuts, Cap'n Crunch donuts (with Crunch Berries)...


...s'mores donuts...


...Cocoa Puffs donuts...


...jelly donuts...


...Fruity Pebbles donuts...


...peanutbutter donuts...


Lucky Charms donuts (usually with many more marshmallows than this)...


and one bacon donut (could never bring myself to sample more than one of these).



And after downing all those donuts, that is when I found out Entertainment Weekly wanted to do a photoshoot.

Of course!

But the book is all done now and the donuts have become a rarity again. And now, finally, Carolyn and I can talk about it!