Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
I Want to Be a Paperback WINNER!
* Did you see the title of this post as a parody of a Beatles song? If not, I totally wasted all that mental energy on nothing!
On October 16, to celebrate the paperback release of The Future of Us, I asked you to tell me which book you'd like to see made into a movie. I also wanted to know a song you think should make it onto the soundtrack. The randomly selected winner will receive autographed paperback and hardcover copies of the book.
And the signed books go to...
Ms. Trebek wants to see John Green's Looking for Alaska made into a movie, and the soundtrack should include the song "She's So Mean" by Matchbox Twenty.
Why "She's So Mean"? According to Ms. Trebek, it's because...
(For those of you who chose songs for a Thirteen Reasons Why movie, I'll pass the selections along to the producers!)
On October 16, to celebrate the paperback release of The Future of Us, I asked you to tell me which book you'd like to see made into a movie. I also wanted to know a song you think should make it onto the soundtrack. The randomly selected winner will receive autographed paperback and hardcover copies of the book.
And the signed books go to...
Alexandra Trebek!
Ms. Trebek wants to see John Green's Looking for Alaska made into a movie, and the soundtrack should include the song "She's So Mean" by Matchbox Twenty.
Why "She's So Mean"? According to Ms. Trebek, it's because...
- it's such a good song
- I think it (the lyrics) describes Alaska. I feel like you can dissect every lyric in this song & relate it back to Alaska. Also, I can totally see the girl in the music video being Alaska.
(For those of you who chose songs for a Thirteen Reasons Why movie, I'll pass the selections along to the producers!)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
THE FUTURE OF US: Paperback Release Contest!
The paperback edition of The Future of Us is out today!
A quick Google search of "The Future of Us" shows that practically everyone is talking about it:
To celebrate today's release, Carolyn Mackler and I are giving away two autographed copies of The Future of Us, one hardcover and one paperback. Carolyn and I will sign them both, and you can have them personalized to anyone you want.
How do you enter? In the comments section of this post, tell us the name of a book you'd like to see made into a movie, and also tell us the name and artist of a song you think would be great on the soundtrack. You don't have to, but we'd also like to hear why you think it's a great match. Is it the tone? The lyrics?
For example...
Carolyn and I recently read a draft of the screenplay for The Future of Us, and it was hilarious! Yes, it's a bit early to put too much thought into the soundtrack, but it's also fun, so...whatever! As you may or may not know, our book focuses on two teens in 1996. It also deals with who they become as adults. Our publisher showed us the song 1996 by The Wombats, which sounds like a good match to me!
We'll randomly select one person to win both books and announce the winner Thursday morning. So submit your entry by midnight (PST) on Wednesday. There's no need to leave your contact info with your entry, just check back on Thursday and we'll tell you how to get that info to us.
Good luck, have fun, and rock on!
*It may take some time your comment to appear. But don't worry, it will appear! I've been getting a lot of spam in the comments recently (not of the yummy SPiced hAM variety), so I have to use the comment moderator.
A quick Google search of "The Future of Us" shows that practically everyone is talking about it:
- The uncertainty surrounding the future of US tax breaks for wind energy projects has...
- ...Johnson was strong, fast, and talented, exactly what the future of U.S. soccer was supposed to look like.
- Can America lead? The presidential debate and the future of US foreign policy
- Is This Tuna-Bot the Future of US Harbor Security?
To celebrate today's release, Carolyn Mackler and I are giving away two autographed copies of The Future of Us, one hardcover and one paperback. Carolyn and I will sign them both, and you can have them personalized to anyone you want.
How do you enter? In the comments section of this post, tell us the name of a book you'd like to see made into a movie, and also tell us the name and artist of a song you think would be great on the soundtrack. You don't have to, but we'd also like to hear why you think it's a great match. Is it the tone? The lyrics?
For example...
Carolyn and I recently read a draft of the screenplay for The Future of Us, and it was hilarious! Yes, it's a bit early to put too much thought into the soundtrack, but it's also fun, so...whatever! As you may or may not know, our book focuses on two teens in 1996. It also deals with who they become as adults. Our publisher showed us the song 1996 by The Wombats, which sounds like a good match to me!
We'll randomly select one person to win both books and announce the winner Thursday morning. So submit your entry by midnight (PST) on Wednesday. There's no need to leave your contact info with your entry, just check back on Thursday and we'll tell you how to get that info to us.
Good luck, have fun, and rock on!
*It may take some time your comment to appear. But don't worry, it will appear! I've been getting a lot of spam in the comments recently (not of the yummy SPiced hAM variety), so I have to use the comment moderator.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Everyone Hail to the Pumpkin King
This weekend is the 2012 Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Fest! Unfortunately, I won't be there.
But!
I was there for the most exciting event leading up to PumpkinFest: the pumpkin weigh-off! Maybe that sounds hokey to you, but one of my favorite books deals with that world of competitive pumpkin growing. But my family didn't drive to Half Moon Bay for a weigh-off, we were there for a wedding. I didn't realize they were even having a championship weigh-off until we checked into our hotel, so it was a purely unexpected bonus to be able to see, firsthand, what I'd read about in a book that I love.
And that's what we were truly there for.
Love!
Specifically, the love between our good friends, Bethany and Edmond.
Isaiah was the only kid at the wedding, and I ended up taking him out to the beach during the ceremony because he kept shouting "Yay!" anytime anyone did...well...pretty much anything. Did you open your purse? "Yay!" Sneeze? "Yay!" (He's a very encouraging kid.) But we returned in time for photos and to explore the surrounding garden with his mommy.
The reception was held at a place near a huge lawn for Isaiah to run around on.
He only stopped running when an airplane flew overhead. Being near the airport, we got to see a lot of lowflying planes!
And the next day? Pumpkins! Huuuuuge pumpkins!
That book I mentioned earlier is Backyard Giants by Susan Warren. It follows growers through one season, detailing every step, as they hope to bring the heaviest pumpkin to one of several weigh-offs around the country. It's an exciting read full of passion, competitiveness, and science. So to just happen to be in town for a weigh-off?
"Yay!"
The first big pumpkin we saw weighed came in second, weighing 1,521 pounds.
The level of care given to every detail of growing these things (from seed selection, to soil enrichment, to pruning, and watering) is intense. It muse be nerve wracking to watch a forklift come and lift it out of your truck on its way to the scales.
Here's the eventual winner, at 1,775 pounds, still sucking water into its stem.
Before heading home, we stopped by a pumpking farm that had so much more than pumpkins: a train that drove us through a miniature Old West town, a haunted house, hot dogs!, childsize construction equipment...
...and a petting zoo, which provided for one of my favorite photo sequences.
"Yay!"
But!
I was there for the most exciting event leading up to PumpkinFest: the pumpkin weigh-off! Maybe that sounds hokey to you, but one of my favorite books deals with that world of competitive pumpkin growing. But my family didn't drive to Half Moon Bay for a weigh-off, we were there for a wedding. I didn't realize they were even having a championship weigh-off until we checked into our hotel, so it was a purely unexpected bonus to be able to see, firsthand, what I'd read about in a book that I love.
And that's what we were truly there for.
Love!
Specifically, the love between our good friends, Bethany and Edmond.
Isaiah was the only kid at the wedding, and I ended up taking him out to the beach during the ceremony because he kept shouting "Yay!" anytime anyone did...well...pretty much anything. Did you open your purse? "Yay!" Sneeze? "Yay!" (He's a very encouraging kid.) But we returned in time for photos and to explore the surrounding garden with his mommy.
The reception was held at a place near a huge lawn for Isaiah to run around on.
He only stopped running when an airplane flew overhead. Being near the airport, we got to see a lot of lowflying planes!
And the next day? Pumpkins! Huuuuuge pumpkins!
That book I mentioned earlier is Backyard Giants by Susan Warren. It follows growers through one season, detailing every step, as they hope to bring the heaviest pumpkin to one of several weigh-offs around the country. It's an exciting read full of passion, competitiveness, and science. So to just happen to be in town for a weigh-off?
"Yay!"
The first big pumpkin we saw weighed came in second, weighing 1,521 pounds.
The level of care given to every detail of growing these things (from seed selection, to soil enrichment, to pruning, and watering) is intense. It muse be nerve wracking to watch a forklift come and lift it out of your truck on its way to the scales.
Here's the eventual winner, at 1,775 pounds, still sucking water into its stem.
Before heading home, we stopped by a pumpking farm that had so much more than pumpkins: a train that drove us through a miniature Old West town, a haunted house, hot dogs!, childsize construction equipment...
...and a petting zoo, which provided for one of my favorite photo sequences.
"Yay!"
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Saturday, October 06, 2012
On Being a Wallflower
On Friday, to celebrate Banned Books Week, the college in my hometown hosted Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He also wrote and directed the movie based on the book, now opening across the country to amazing reviews.
I'd never met Mr. Chbosky, but was looking forward to hearing him speak.
The auditorium was packed. Every seat was taken. Many people had to stand against the walls, and not because they were wallflowers. (Sorry, but you have to agree that I almost had to go there, right?)
The two most comfy seats in the room were reserved for Mr. Chbosky and his interviewer, Victoria Billings, a journalism student at the school.
I love hearing authors speak. Some are hilarious, while others are mostly serious. (Mr. Chbosky was a nice mix of both.) But as long as the authors are sincere, I always leave inspired.
After the interview and Q&A, it was time to stand in line for an autograph. The line wrapped around the room in a circle, literally beginning at one end of the autographing table and finishing at the other.
Some people around me knew I was also a "banned author" and said I could cut to the front of the line. I told them that wouldn't be fair to everyone else, which was true. But also, I found myself imagining a scenario where I did squeeze my way to the front. I would tell Mr. Chbosky that they let me cut because I wrote two books called BlahBlahBlah and YadaYadaYada (not their actual titles), and he'd say, "Oh, really? I've never heard of them. Good luck with your writing!"
And that would crush this sensitive author's soul.
So I stood in line until it was my turn...
And he totally knew who I was!!!
Seriously, I hope I never get used to this.
I'd never met Mr. Chbosky, but was looking forward to hearing him speak.
The auditorium was packed. Every seat was taken. Many people had to stand against the walls, and not because they were wallflowers. (Sorry, but you have to agree that I almost had to go there, right?)
The two most comfy seats in the room were reserved for Mr. Chbosky and his interviewer, Victoria Billings, a journalism student at the school.
I love hearing authors speak. Some are hilarious, while others are mostly serious. (Mr. Chbosky was a nice mix of both.) But as long as the authors are sincere, I always leave inspired.
After the interview and Q&A, it was time to stand in line for an autograph. The line wrapped around the room in a circle, literally beginning at one end of the autographing table and finishing at the other.
Some people around me knew I was also a "banned author" and said I could cut to the front of the line. I told them that wouldn't be fair to everyone else, which was true. But also, I found myself imagining a scenario where I did squeeze my way to the front. I would tell Mr. Chbosky that they let me cut because I wrote two books called BlahBlahBlah and YadaYadaYada (not their actual titles), and he'd say, "Oh, really? I've never heard of them. Good luck with your writing!"
And that would crush this sensitive author's soul.
So I stood in line until it was my turn...
And he totally knew who I was!!!
Seriously, I hope I never get used to this.
If you haven't already done so, go read his book! And go see his movie! I'll be doing the same on the day it comes out here.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Jaypocalypse in Missouri
On Monday, I spoke at the high school and public library in Jefferson City, Missouri. But first, on the night I arrived, some teachers and librarians took me ghost hunting. (They apparently knew I'd be into that sort of thing. I'm not sure why they knew that, but they were so right!) We took a ghost tour of the old Missouri State Penitentiary, which opened in 1836.
Creepy, right? The gas chamber was even creepier! They allowed us to sit in the chair within the chamber, but I'm happy to say I finally discovered something a little too creepy for me to partake in.
We spent a lot of time exploring the cells, learning about the famous criminals who were housed there...as well as some who "never left." Mwah-ha-ha!
As book dorks, we were fascinated by the literature left behind.
The guide let me hold and monitor the device that detected jumps in levels of electromagnetic energy. In order to hopefully catch a ghost on camera, she suggested that we take two or three pics in the same location so we could compare them later. That way, it'd be easier to notice anything unusual, such as puffs of mist moving around us. Here I am holding the energy detector in...what else?...cell 13.
Here's another in a series of pics taken in the same spot. And while I'm still not sure if I fully believe in ghosts, it looks like we may have captured something...peculiar...in this shot.
It was homecoming week at Jefferson City High, home of the Jays. The theme for the week? Jaypocalypse!
They also had signs declaring Jay Pride, which I allowed myself to think was entirely due to my visit.
Hey, don't bum my happiness!
Here are some of the students who came to hear me speak, a mix of entire classes and students who asked to be excused from class to attend, which always makes an author feel good. (Jay Pride Forever!)
And here's the rest of that group.
It's hard to tell in the above photos, but the homecoming theme of the day was Mayhem Monday, where several students dressed funky. In the first group shot above, near the middle of the very back, it looks like someone is raising her hand to ask a question. She wasn't. But I kept almost calling on her doing the Q&A.
Hair's the source of all my confusion (and no, I didn't misspell the first word in this sentence).
Then I took a tour of the Missouri capitol, which had some great exhibits. They had a few paintings done in a perspective that changes as you walk by. Notice how far the bridge extends to the right side of the painting.
And now look!
Creepy, right?
After my recent trip to Germany, I gained a new respect for miniature recreations of historical events. Here's the Battle of Island Mound, the "first Civil War engagement that involved African-American troops."
The capitol had busts of famous figures from Missouri, including one of my idols, Walt Disney. What am I whispering in his ear? None of your business! But he obviously thinks it's a great idea.
While I forgot to take photos at my next event, a workshop at the high school where I discussed my thoughts on writing suspense to about 40 students, I left inspired by their interest and questions. I can easily imagine a few of their faces appearing as busts in the Missouri capitol one day. (I know, that was overly cheesy. But I couldn't think of a better way to end that paragraph and my flight's about to board so I don't have time to be too creative!!!)
In the evening, I also forgot to take a photo of the people who came out to hear me speak at the public library, including a group of students who traveled on a bus from a nearby college. But everyone there was...awesome? (See, that's what you get if you don't want cheesy.)
I did get a pic of the high school faculty who helped organize my visit.
And here I am with the librarians from my evening presentation.
Missouri, thank you for showing me a great time!
(See, cuz Missouri's the Show-Me state. Still too cheesy? Too bad! My flight's boarding!)
Creepy, right? The gas chamber was even creepier! They allowed us to sit in the chair within the chamber, but I'm happy to say I finally discovered something a little too creepy for me to partake in.
We spent a lot of time exploring the cells, learning about the famous criminals who were housed there...as well as some who "never left." Mwah-ha-ha!
As book dorks, we were fascinated by the literature left behind.
The guide let me hold and monitor the device that detected jumps in levels of electromagnetic energy. In order to hopefully catch a ghost on camera, she suggested that we take two or three pics in the same location so we could compare them later. That way, it'd be easier to notice anything unusual, such as puffs of mist moving around us. Here I am holding the energy detector in...what else?...cell 13.
Here's another in a series of pics taken in the same spot. And while I'm still not sure if I fully believe in ghosts, it looks like we may have captured something...peculiar...in this shot.
It was homecoming week at Jefferson City High, home of the Jays. The theme for the week? Jaypocalypse!
They also had signs declaring Jay Pride, which I allowed myself to think was entirely due to my visit.
Hey, don't bum my happiness!
Here are some of the students who came to hear me speak, a mix of entire classes and students who asked to be excused from class to attend, which always makes an author feel good. (Jay Pride Forever!)
And here's the rest of that group.
It's hard to tell in the above photos, but the homecoming theme of the day was Mayhem Monday, where several students dressed funky. In the first group shot above, near the middle of the very back, it looks like someone is raising her hand to ask a question. She wasn't. But I kept almost calling on her doing the Q&A.
Hair's the source of all my confusion (and no, I didn't misspell the first word in this sentence).
Then I took a tour of the Missouri capitol, which had some great exhibits. They had a few paintings done in a perspective that changes as you walk by. Notice how far the bridge extends to the right side of the painting.
And now look!
After my recent trip to Germany, I gained a new respect for miniature recreations of historical events. Here's the Battle of Island Mound, the "first Civil War engagement that involved African-American troops."
The capitol had busts of famous figures from Missouri, including one of my idols, Walt Disney. What am I whispering in his ear? None of your business! But he obviously thinks it's a great idea.
While I forgot to take photos at my next event, a workshop at the high school where I discussed my thoughts on writing suspense to about 40 students, I left inspired by their interest and questions. I can easily imagine a few of their faces appearing as busts in the Missouri capitol one day. (I know, that was overly cheesy. But I couldn't think of a better way to end that paragraph and my flight's about to board so I don't have time to be too creative!!!)
In the evening, I also forgot to take a photo of the people who came out to hear me speak at the public library, including a group of students who traveled on a bus from a nearby college. But everyone there was...awesome? (See, that's what you get if you don't want cheesy.)
I did get a pic of the high school faculty who helped organize my visit.
And here I am with the librarians from my evening presentation.
Missouri, thank you for showing me a great time!
(See, cuz Missouri's the Show-Me state. Still too cheesy? Too bad! My flight's boarding!)