I used to get nervous before speaking in front of a group. Insanely nervous! Sweaty, grumpy, shaky, ready-to-puke nervous. In fact, I used to pray for puke because “I can’t go on, I just puked” is a really good excuse.

But once I’m physically standing before an audience…once there’s no turning back…I enjoy myself. In fact, speaking before an audience has become something I look forward to. That sink-or-swim predicament allows me to forget all of my real-world stresses and just have fun. Of course, it took many speaking engagements before I noticed the nerves always backed off when I needed them to. But now, just knowing I will get through it without a dry cleaning bill makes me excited about upcoming gigs.

Until now.

This coming weekend is the American Library Association’s annual conference. On Friday, shortly after I make the drive down to Anaheim, Penguin’s hosting a dinner for select librarians, educators, and ALA Awards Committee members. And I’m supposed to get up and say a few words. Sounds like something I’d enjoy, right?

Well, I made the horrible mistake of asking for a list of names of the other authors who will be speaking. In alphabetical order, they are…

Andrew Clements
John Green
Ingrid Law
Tao Nyeu
Neal Schusterman
Jon Scieszka
Nancy Werlin
Jacqueline Woodson

I seriously don’t know if I can do this. At least, not without puking on something. I’ve already started shaking and sweating and a few people have even called me grumpy in the past few days (but I think they’re all stupid and wrong!!!).

Seriously, I’ve been trying to figure out where within that list I’d feel most comfortable speaking. And I don’t know where! There is nowhere!

- Jay


LAST MINUTE UPDATE:

Everything’s going to be okay.

Why the sudden change? Because of a dare. Yes, once again, I’ve been dared by a Mermaid to do something potentially embarrassing in front of a bunch of strangers. And knowing that I might embarrass myself on purpose eliminates the chance of me embarrassing myself on accident.

(Don’t worry, as long as I buy that logic, it works.)

I’ll let you know how it goes…

P.S. From 11 to noon on Sunday, I’ll be autographing copies of Thirteen Reasons Why in booth #2617. Stop by if you’re around!

This past week was a vacation at our house, only we didn’t take a family trip…at least not together. The plan was for my husband and kid to take a father/son camping trip so that I could have the whole house to myself while I worked on revising my middle grade manuscript.

I know…great plan!

Except that the camping trip suddenly got cancelled when we found out the cement mixing truck was scheduled to come earlier than expected. (We’re doing a landscaping project in our front yard, which is another post in itself, and it will include pictures, I promise!) Anyway, that meant my two-day, interruption-free revision retreat was now cancelled, too.

I know…total bummer.

My hubby saw the disappointment on my face and told me to go to a hotel…that cement mixing is bonding for a father and son. (Who knew!?) So off I went to spend two days at The Embassy Suites.

Yes, I said suites! That means two…whole…rooms! I set up the bedroom with my computer and iPod and speakers and stocked it with Coke Zeros and peanutbutter crackers. I used the “living room” to read the drafts and take notes. It was an awesome set-up. No, it was a suite set-up!!!

The hotel also had a large pool and a 24-hour gym. I brought my bathing suit and my gym clothes, thinking I’d have plenty of time for extra-curricular activities. But, no. I worked from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and only took a lunch break, coffee break, dinner break, and then a late night run to the grocery store to get Little Debbie Nutty Bars. (Love those!)

At first I thought the revisions would go quickly. I pulled out my handy-dandy red pen and cut some lines. Like, for example, page 8. A couple of sentences deleted. No biggie.


By the time I got to page 22, it was a different story. My handy-dandy red pen was starting to see a lot of action.


And page 35? Good grief. I gave up and just turned to a blank page.


So the process is coming along slowly, but at least my husband and son have now bonded in the name of cement. What more could I ask for!?

-Robin

There’s nothing about writing in this post. I just want you to know why I’m so proud of my wife.

But first, a li’l backstory…

In college, my roommate worked at Barnes & Noble and didn’t get off till midnight. I would meet him and a few other friends at Denny’s, where we’d eat seasoned fries and drink coffee for a couple hours before heading home. It was within those cushy booths that I perfected the fine art of comedic timing. My goal, whenever a new person joined us, was to get his or her coffee to come squirting through at least one nostril.

Sometimes I was able to do it alone. But quite often, it required my roommate to do a little tag-team with me. Since we had identical senses of humor, we would immediately understand when the other person was delicately setting up a joke. For example, say the new person on the other side of the booth was beginning to lift the coffee mug to his or her lips. My roommate would say something which sounded innocent enough. And then, just as the victim’s throat opened up to swallow, I would turn the "innocent" subject around…and the coffee would see fresh air once again.

My wife never understood the humor in that.

But just the other day, we were sitting in my car getting ready to go into a theater to see Kung Fu Panda. I was quickly downing my coffee because hot liquids were not allowed inside…and lukewarm, apparently, counts as hot. Unbeknownst to me, my wife began laying the groundwork for a messy pay-off, and I was paying close attention to everything she said. And just as my throat began to open, she seized the opportunity.

But it didn’t work. I was able to keep the coffee in my mouth.

So I kept trying to swallow before she came up with a back-up plan, but the giggles kept the liquid from going down. So my wife leaned close to my face, and with a voice which sounded like the spawn of Janis Joplin and Satan, she shouted, “Do it!!!”

And for the first half of Kung Fu Panda, all I smelled was coffee.

I’m proud of you, babe.

I taught you well!

- Jay


BONUS COOLNESS: Check out this NPR All Things Considered report. (Thank you so much, Amber!)

Between acquiring agents, speaking at conferences, a bestseller, getting featured on Tomie dePaola’s website, and receiving a tangential shout-out in a Newbery acceptance speech, the Disco Mermaids have had way too much fun the past two-and-a-half years.

And yet, somehow, things keep getting cooler. Thanks to Melanie Hope Greenberg, you can now find our images immortalized within the pages of a picture book.

Say it with us now: Woo-hoo!!!

Mermaids on Parade tells the story of one girl’s experience at Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade. And who’s that riding atop float #46? It’s us!

The illustration below is from the back jacket flap, accompanying Melanie’s author/illustrator bio. To see us proudly strut our stuff atop float #46, surrounded by more mermaids than have ever legally been allowed in a two-page spread, you’re just gonna have to buy the book for yourself. (And you will not be disappointed. This very fun picture book even includes instructions on how to make your own mermaid tail!)

To fully appreciate Melanie’s attention to detail, click here.

Three mer-kisses
to Melanie Hope Greenberg!!!

The other day I was reading a post on Christy Raedeke’s blog, Juvenescence, about her travels through India, when I suddenly got the itch for travel. Not like, “I need a shopping trip to Santa Barbara” travel, but the urge to get up and go somewhere completely foreign and different than my current world. Every few months, I become overwhelmed with the need to reach beyond my safe bubble and experience life as strangers know it. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the result of growing up in a military family where we traveled constantly. Or maybe I was an explorer in my past life. Or maybe I just have ADD.

There’s something about traveling to new random places that really charges my batteries and makes me feel like I’m fully living life. Travel cures my restlessness, clears my mind, and just makes me a happier person. Little did I know that I’d be transported to a place so foreign, so different from my own existence, that I’d be forever changed. And it was only three short hours from my house. And it wasn’t even another country. But it was a completely different world.

Earlier this week, I spent the afternoon and evening at Los Angeles County’s Central Juvenile Hall, where I joined several writing classes for my first official InsideOUT Writers training. Beyond fascinating. Everybody knows that jail isn’t exactly The Ritz, but nothing could have prepared me for the claustrophobia and sickening feeling in my stomach as I wandered down the long hallway of concrete cells. Tiny square windows carved into heavy steel doors framed ghostly faces pressed up to glass. Some screamed, some smiled, some cried. But I couldn’t hear a thing through the soundproof cells. Skinny feral cats lurk throughout the place. I had read about this, but never really believed it. When I questioned whether the cat situation was a health issue or not, the IOW program director commented that it was actually pretty helpful since the cats scavenge the rats, lessening the work for the probation staff. Every room in the entire joint is either freezing or a complete sauna. There’s no comfortable in between.

It’s no wonder the kids are ecstatic to join a writing class. They get human contact. Fresh (or at least oxygenated) air. Paper and pens. A semblance of normalcy. The kids were polite, funny, creative, vulnerable, and honest. Though I learned important jail stuff, like how the girls “shave” legs and “pluck” eyebrows by resourcefully using the tiny elastic threads weaved throughout their Los Angeles County CJH issued socks, and how to use ink pens and comb bristles for all my tattooing and piercing needs, the most important thing I learned was just how huge a difference teaching writing to these kids really makes. It provides them with an outlet. And connections to other people. And most importantly, hope.

Our conversations constantly reminded me how child-like they really are, missing their moms, wishing they could dress up for Halloween and eat Easter candy and listen to music. The most riveting part of the night was when perhaps the most threatening-looking, beefy, tatted-up, double-murder, facing a life sentence, would rather swim with crocodiles than meet this kid in a dark alley dude I’ve ever seen stood up to read his in-class assignment. He’d written a beautiful poem about his greatest fears in life. The one that got me the most… “Fear of love. Cuz when it’s gone, that’s the worst pain of all.” Then he said, “You know, under this tough-guy exterior…is really just a little scared kid.” I believe he summed up the sentiment of the entire class.

I think I’m going to love this job.

- Eve

Well, it’s been ten months since this happened and you’d think I’d stop being a blubbering mess by now.

My son’s first day of kindergarten was emotional because it marked a beginning in his life, and this Thursday marks the end of that beginning…the last day of kindergarten. There’s something special about kindergarten, unlike any other grade, I suspect. First, the teachers are the most gentle souls on the earth. And second, a visit to the principal’s office is a good thing…it means they get to read him a story. How awesome.

I have to admit that this past year has been my favorite as a parent. Don’t get me wrong…two-year-olds are very cute. And six-month-olds are very, very cute (even though you’re still in a daze from all the sleep deprivation and you only remember how cute they were when you watch home videos of you feeding them strawberries for the first time and you think Is that me in that video!? I don’t remember that!).

But five-year-olds? They’re amazing. They still call you Mommy, not Mom, and they still like hugging and kissing you goodbye…no matter who sees.

And they say things so wise that you’d never expect something like that could come from a person only four-feet tall. Like the time we were driving in the car and he called out to me from the backseat and asked, “Mommy…what are you thinking about?” I know, how adorable is that!? So I told him what I was thinking about and then I thought to myself, You know…maybe I shouldn’t be explaining the problems with our country’s health care system to a person only four-feet tall.

And, of course, there was the time that my son farted really loud and then turned to our dog and said, “Samson! Jeez!!!”

Yep, he learned a lot in kindergarten.

So on his last day I plan to hug him and kiss him in front of everyone because it may be one of the last times I get to do that. And then I’ll spend the rest of my day in very close vicinity to a tissue box. Maybe two.

Sniff.

-Robin

Last Thursday was one of the biggest nights of my literary life...and I nearly missed it. My wife and I raced over three hours to San Francisco, peeled into a valet parking garage, and with the valet standing nearby, changed out of our comfy work clothes and into our much less comfy (but much more appropriate) dress clothes. Then we ran a couple blocks and made it to the California Book Awards ceremony just in time.
Here's Agent-of-the-Evening Laura Rennert squished between two of her authors, Ying Chang Compestine and me, co-winners in the Young Adult category.
Paul Fleischman (the man can write anything) won in the children's lit. category.
A couple winners you may have heard a little something about are Michael Chabon...
...and Khaled Hosseini.
I swear, I felt like such a dork giving an acceptance speech to a room filled with authors of this caliber. But I had fun, and even had a chance to work Ross: Dress for Less into my speech!

The next morning, my wife and I flew to Chicago for the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair. Here's the view of the fair from our hotel window.
We went to a ceremony honoring S.E. Hinton, where she took audience questions for an hour. For such an influential writer, she's extremely down-to-earth. Unfortunately, I had to run to my speaking gig and didn't have a chance to faint in front of her. So my wife stood in line to get an autograph. And without being asked, she knew I'd want a photo to put on the blog!
Then I spoke on a very fun panel with Jennifer Smith, Renee Rosen, and David Wartik, with Kait Steele moderating. Everyone on that panel was so nice, and it was great to hear so many different perspectives on writing issues. I even used the water bottle in front of me to play an impromptu game of Spin-the-Bottle (because, apparently, everyone's played it but me)...but when it stopped spinning, it pointed back at me. Sigh!
Then we stayed in Chicago an extra day to check things out. We caught a show at The Second City. Hilarious! Took an architectual boat cruise. Awesome! Heard (but couldn't see) B.B. King play at the Blues Festival. Insanely cool! Got caught outdoors in a thunderstorm. Wet! And checked out a few museums.
Of course, we had to eat, too!

Best pizza of my life!

- Jay

So…how are my revisions going, you might wonder?

Well. Um. Yeah.

Sometimes life takes the driver’s seat and I have to just sit back and hang on. And this week, I was consumed with one thing only: planning my son’s 6th birthday party.

The planning was going smoothly earlier this week, but then it all came to a screeching halt. My boy had asked for a Star Wars themed party and I went on a massive quest to search for a Star Wars cake. First I checked with our little local bakery, but they said, “Sorry, we don’t do licensed characters.” So I called every bakery and grocery store in two towns until I finally found a big, chain grocery store that had the perfect Darth Vadar sheet cake. Woohoo!

But no…the day before the party, the store called me to say they were wrong. They actually didn’t have a Darth Vadar cake, but would I like to replace it with Indiana Jones? Umm, no. I needed a Star Wars birthday cake like Barack needed an endorsement from Hillary…without it, I wasn’t going to get anywhere. But luckily for me, I got what I needed. (And according to CNN tonight, Barack got what he needed too!) I ended up calling back our little, local bakery and explained my desperate situation. She sighed and said, “Okay, honey. Bring in some figurines and I’ll see what I can do.”

And when I saw what she did, I realized: local and little…is always better.



(She actually made the light sabers from icing!)

-Robin

I apologize. I'm a blogger, yet I walked around BookExpo America without taking one picture. Un...forgiv...able. I know!

BEA is this huge deal in the publishing world where booksellers from around the country come to see what publishers have in store for their stores in the near future.

I began my weekend late Friday night by hanging out with Stephanie from Moravian Book Shop and Jill from Square Books. Moravian is the oldest bookstore in the world (and Stephanie is Laurie Halse Anderson's daughter!). Square Books is in Mississppi, and my fingers are crossed that I can visit there next April (hint-hint, Jill).

Saturday morning, I had breakfast with my fantabulous agent, followed by an exhausting stroll through the Los Angeles Convention Center, trying to grab as many free books as possible. Then I had an amazing book signing, where I got to walk out from behind a blue curtain to face a long line of people waiting for my autograph. Seriously, this job rocks! I met lots of cool booksellers from all over, and even had an unexpected visit from the teens of Vroman's Galley Group, hereby lovingly referred to as The Screamers! Here's a photo from the signing (courtesy of Love the Books? Meet the Authors!). And no, that's not Jeff Bezos behind me, but Ben Schrank, my publisher.


Lunch with Mr. Schrank was interesting. Great conversation, good Mexican food, and people dressed as pirates carrying books by L. Ron Hubbard (no, I have no idea what that was all about). That was followed by a meeting with Mr. Schrank, Don Weisberg (the new president of Penguin's Young Readers Group), and Barbara Marcus (P.Y.R's strategic advisor). People kept asking if I was nervous about the meeting, but they're a fun bunch of Penguins with lots of exciting ideas about the future of Thirteen Reasons Why!

Oh, and then I got an autographed copy of Holes. Woo-hoo!

By the way, am I the only writer who was unaware that publishers spend a ton of money on parties? I went to (read: crashed) the Little Brown party...held on top of a building in downtown L.A.!


The entire Andrea Brown Literary Agency crew was there, but here's me with my beautiful agent, Laura Rennert.


Then I attended a party put on by Publishers Group West, thanks to a generous invite from David Diaz. That was held in a dance club, the El Rey, where they hired an amazing dance troupe to perform. Here's Mr. Diaz, Vicki Arkoff, Jen Rofé (Jaeger), and me. Jen is an agent at A.B.L.A. and Vicki writes for MAD Magazine!!!


On Sunday, now completely exhausted, I drove to Morro Bay for a wonderful booksigning with Catherine Ryan Hyde at Coalesce Bookstore. Lots of friends came, as well as our parents, which capped the weekend beautifully. Here I am with the Coalesce staff and Ms. Hyde (to my left).


And then I slept harder than I have in a long, long time. So let me end with a second apology to anyone out there who heard me snore.

- Jay


Meet a Mermaid: If you happen to be in the Chicago area this Saturday, come say hi at the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair, where I'll be speaking and signing.

One of the things I love most about writing for children is the major support network and generosity of the people in the business. I've never had a job where people are so incredibly kind and noncompetitive and sincere. And I've worked in medicine, social work, and teaching! Not that those colleagues weren't supportive, but this is a whole different world. A completely different level of niceness. It's like children's writers are inherently driven to help one another.

Of course, being a Disco Mermaid has its major perks because the support is three-fold! Those blog readers/book readers who support Jay also become connected to Robin and me. Blog readers who I become "cyber" friends with always ask for updates on Robin's and Jay's careers. It's like one giant, never ending web of friends. Seriously, we are undisputed evidence for the six-degrees of separation theory. I wonder if Kevin Bacon is reading? Hmmm...

But I digress.

My first official day of being a full time writer (Translation: Quit my day job and traded my skirt suits for sweat suits and hair products for hair scrunchies) was Friday August 2, 2002. I valet parked my car at the Century City Hyatt Hotel and nervously entered the giant ballroom that was buzzing with 1000 or so children's writers, all gathered for the SCBWI annual Los Angeles conference. I had just sped 3000 miles across the country a couple days before the conference in a move from the sticks of New Hampshire to the California Coast. And, man, did I feel like a movie star! Well, more like a wannabe movie star who had just jumped off the bus from the sticks of New England in my flannel shirt and Sorrel snow boots, hoping some big-time agent would discover me while I wandered the streets.

I must have looked like a scared child because almost immediately, the kindest woman appeared and said, "Are you alone, sweetie? Come sit with us!" And just like that, I was swimming among the "In Crowd" of the SCBWI. The woman was April Young Fritz, a fantastic YA novelist, whose first book had just come out. During the four-day conference, April and her pals took me under their wings, introduced me to everybody, and shared their meals with me so I didn't have to sit in a corner alone.

My six-year path to publication has been filled with that type of thoughtfulness from friends and strangers alike. Just the other day, I opened my mailbox to find a package with a New York return address. It was from longtime blog reader, Laura Ludwig Hamor, who sent me the most beautiful handmade bracelet and told me she had just been thinking of me and wanted to send some "Goodwriterluckiness." What a total sweetheart!


Just when I'm sinking to a new low in the "I'll never get published" pity party, I receive the most uplifting of gifts from a children's book professional I've never even met. So, thank you, thank you to Laura and all the other readers and friends out there who have provided unwavering support in my quest for publication. When I do get published, I will no doubt have the longest acknowledgments page in the history of novels!

- Eve

This past weekend, I wrote it: The End. Writing those two words makes me do back-handsprings and air-splits and handstands underwater. Well, it makes me want to do those things. (I have coordination issues.)

So instead, I settled for a frosty beverage and some Cheez-Its. Then I looked over my manuscript and realized two things:

1. It needs major revisions.
2. It kind of sucks.

Usually, a revelation like that would cause me to dig deeper into a box of Cheez-Its and pour another frosty beverage, but I finally figured out how to handle the revision part of this book. This is a totally new idea for me, so we’ll see if it works.

But first, let me share a wee bit of backstory (it’s very wee, I promise!). I came across a summary of the SCBWI Washington conference on someone’s blog and saw that an editor there had spoken on the topics of Plot, Theme, Character and Voice. Which, to me, sounded like a speech about Everything. But then I realized that those topics, in that order, are the layers of revisions I need to do!

First, I’ll go through and revise only for plot. I’ll make sure the main character gets from A to Z, and that the manner in which she gets from A to Z makes perfect sense. I’ll also make sure that the car which was lime green in chapter 1 is still lime green in chapter 24.

Second, I’ll go through and look just at theme. Now that I have a newly buffed and shiny plot, did my idea of ‘xyz’ (whatever that ends up being) come across as I wanted it to? Is it too subtle or way too heavy handed?

Third, I’ll go through and revise for character. I’m not sure what the editor was referring to in his speech, but for me, revising for character means I’ll look at all the other people in my main character’s life. I’ll try to make them well-rounded and avoid stereotypes. I might look at subplots and see if I can strengthen their stories. I want the people in her world to be as interesting as possible (but not annoyingly quirky) and deliver only some of the best punch lines.

And finally, I’ll go through and revise for voice. Now that my main character is propelling her way through a decent-ish plot, she has an interesting theme to wade through, and the characters around her are freakishly real (hopefully)…what the heck would she say and how would she say it!?!?

I’m not going to kid myself…all of this revision is going to take a long time.

So! My plan—for now—is that once I get to the voice-round of revision, I’m going to check myself into a lovely bed and breakfast and just focus on my main character and her words. I’ll only think about how she would react to each moment and just become her. I think I can do that if I’m away from my own world and don’t have to get up from my computer every five minutes to help my son clean up the Life cereal he dumped on himself (which is what I’ve been doing while writing this post).

This is a new way of approaching a novel for me, so let’s hope it works. And if it doesn’t? I’m moving on to the hard stuff…a good bottle of Pinot Noir and Rainbow Goldfish.

- Robin

Sometimes I say stupid and embarrassing things. And that makes me nervous about this Thursday. Why? Because I’m doing a live radio interview on The Dave Congalton Show.

Mr. Congalton (who’s an author, as well) used to direct the local writing conference, which I attended for several years. He’s had an open-invite for me to appear on his radio show, but I’ve shied away from committing because…well…sometimes I say stupid and embarrassing things. And that’s fine when I’m standing in a classroom, or even in an auditorium. But on the air?

So how did this happen…

This coming Sunday, I’m doing a book signing at Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay with Catherine Ryan Hyde. Ms. Hyde has been doing the publishing-thing for several years, so she’s well connected with the local media. When she asked if I wanted to do a signing with her, she also said she could get us booked on The Dave Congalton Show on KVEC News-Talk 920…to which I replied with a very audible “Gulp!”

See, in high school, I did a brief internship at KVEC. They were searching for a couple teens who might be interested in writing for the radio news business and my guidance counselor recommended me.

It was an amazing few months with many cool responsibilities. One, I had to record the ABC news feed which came in at specific times. This was before the internet took off (in fact, I recorded it on 8-track cassettes!), so if I missed it, we couldn’t just download the report. Two, I had to call people, interview them, and record sound bites. Three, if I wanted to, I could record myself doing a special news report and they would air it. But I only did that once because my teen-voice was not radio-friendly. And four, I called the police news hotline to find stories to fill air-time. I became addicted to that hotline and would wake up in the middle of the night just to see what was goin’ down in the underbelly of my town…which wasn’t much. The only story I specifically remember writing was about a neighborhood Peeping Tom who’d been peering into bathroom windows. The police caught him in the bushes…y’know…doing something. (I'm not sure if this was the inspiration for a certain scene in Thirteen Reasons Why, but it sure sounds like it.)

After writing those police stories for several weeks, I was told that the news guys hadn’t been using my stuff. Ever! Apparently, I wasn’t writing them correctly. And everyone kept forgetting to tell me I was doing it wrong...or to show me how to do it right. So, day after day, I was happily turning in material which I thought was being used.

And I’m a sensitive writer!

So I left the radio business for good. But this Thursday at 3pm, I’m back! And even if you’re not in the area, you can probably catch me saying stupid and embarrassing things online by clicking here.

- Jay

Wouldn't it be wonderful if characters from children's literature were allowed to run for president? They know the important issues. They feel the pain we authors face everyday. And they're just so darn cute! Maybe one day, if we're lucky, we might hear a speech as stirring as this one:


My fellow writers, I know your struggles. I know the mountains to be climbed, the oceans to be crossed, and the distractions to be ignored.

Hope, my friends, is on the way. And that hope…is made of wax.

Come inauguration day, I will place a crayon in every hand. A purple crayon. And together, we will draw that bridge to a shiny tomorrow. And that bridge will be purple and proud.

Searching for a novel idea? Draw a purple lightbulb over your head. Can’t bust through that writers block? A purple powderkeg will blast it away. And when you send off your manuscript to the grand city of New York, and your carefully crafted words are first seen in that highrise in the sky, draw purple dollar signs in the editor’s eyes.

You will be published. Yes, you will be published. Tomorrow’s leaders—today’s children—will read your books. And then you will be tickled a new shade…and it will be purple.

Now, my opponent may tell you that you need more than purple. That you need sparkles and feathers and things that twinkle. And even though Nancy has quite an impressive wardrobe, fancy is not what you need.

When I look out across this great country of ours, I do not see blue states and red states. From sea to shining sea, just like the mountains majesty…I see purple. It's not just a color, but a color you can believe in.

When you enter that booth on election day, vote Harold.

I've been researching astrology for my YA romance in progress for some time now. And, consequently, I've become obsessed with checking my own. In researching the history of astrology, I found that back in the day, kings, queens, astronomers, and all kinds of famous and intellectual people used their sun signs, moon signs, Venus signs, etc., to chart their futures and make big decisions. So I charted out all my signs based on the alignment of the planets (plus sun and moon) the minute I was born. I figured, hey, if powerful royal rulers used this stuff to decide whether or not to invade neighboring countries, I should take a few pointers from the universe in my quest for publication.

My "personalized horoscope" pops up in my email inbox every morning and strangely, it's usually right on in terms of how my day is going to go. Just to make sure I'm not just making my day go the way my horoscope says, sometimes I experiment and check it at the end of the day to see if it fits. My personalized reading includes a full detailed paragraph of what I can expect to endure mentally, physically, professionally and intimately during the next 24 hours. And the opening sentence sets the tone.

Since I've received so many emails from friends and supporters asking how the edits on Ring of Fire turned out, and if I've heard back from the publishing house who showed promising interest in the novel, I'll leave you with a sampling of opening horoscope lines from the last several days to let you know how my week has gone.

"Your long-term goal is completely in reach."
"Don't even think of taking a break now, the finish line is ahead."
"Creativity flows, emotions are high, the world is yours."
"Sweet success is upon you in ways you never dreamed of."
"The powers that be decide your fate today."
"Nightfall brings news you have been waiting patiently for."
"Sometimes what we want may not be what we need."
"Rejection and disappointment create a stronger, healthier, more motivated you!"

Um, yeah, thanks planets, but I think you got it wrong this time. I'm not feeling so strong, healthy or motivated at the moment.

- Eve

The reason I love the internet isn’t because I can get current pictures of Britney Spears on a minute-by-minute basis or because I can read customer reviews of hot tubs from Costco any time I want to. And it isn’t even because I can make myself into a South Park character (even though that is freaking awesome!).

I love the internet for two reasons:

1. Research for my novels
2. Pandora.com

I love those particular two things because I can listen to music on Pandora that I may have never considered listening to, all while researching information on American history. Heaven!

So this weekend I was listening to Wyclef Jean (my new fave) and looking up info on the Declaration of Independence. (I know…who wasn’t?) And I came across a woman who has done extensive research on the D of I (which is my new pet name for the good ol’ Declaration of Independence). She had written a book on the Founding Fathers and some of the information she discovered on a specific incident in history is going to be a critical turning point in my book. So I really, really wanted to find out more from her. And thanks to the internet, I found her email address.

I sent her a detailed email describing the book I’m working on and asked her a few questions about the D of I, hoping she’d give me the little nugget of info I needed to make the scene that much more real (and also hoping she wouldn’t mind me calling it the D of I). But I also figured she was probably a busy person and it was probably an old email address and I’d probably never hear from her.

Wrong.

She wrote back the very next morning. And she gave me the perfect nuggets I need to make the story so utterly real. Woo-hoo! Yes, I squealed as I read her email, which caused my husband to yell across the room, “Why are you squealing!?”

“Oh,” I said, “I’m just chatting with a history professor from MIT…that’s all!!!”

And he said under his breath, “Man, I love the internet.”

- Robin
(who is currently listening to Fiona Apple radio on Pandora)

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg is an awesome and creatively inspiring book. For a lot of you, that’s probably not news. Basically, it’s a collection of 14 black and white illustrations, each with a title and a line of text from a different book written and illustrated by the mysterious Harris Burdick. But that’s all we have…a single page from each book!

And that, of course, allows whoever picks up this amazing book to imagine what happens beyond these story prompts.

I was reminded of this book while flipping through the latest Houghton Mifflin catalogue, where they revealed the following website:

www.themysteriesofharrisburdick.com

It includes stories written by children who were inspired by Mr. Van Alls—…I mean, Mr. Burdick’s artwork. There’s also a story written by Stephen King! Mr. King chose "The House on Maple Street" to inspire his story. In that illustration, a two-story house (with a light on in the attic) is beginning to blast off. It's a cool story prompt with a little bit of personal history for me.

When I was an assistant children’s librarian in Wyoming, I used The Mysteries of Harris Burdick to teach creative writing in an after-school program for elementary school students. The only story I still remember was written by a boy who was inspired by the same illustration as Mr. King. He was so excited to show me what he'd written because…I was the main character. Yes, I was in the house as it began lift-off. Of course, with a house pushing off against the Earth’s gravitational pull, there’s a lot of shaking that occurs. And things began flying off shelves. And one heavy object hit me on the head. And there was blood oozing out of my head. Lots of blood. Pools of blood.

And when I finished reading, I heard the author laugh. “Huh-huh. Heh-heh-huh.”

I don’t know what I’m trying to say with this post, but that laugh still gives me the chills.

- Jay


BONUS COOLNESS: Check out this article from Publishers Weekly regarding Thirteen Reasons Why. It is beyond cool!!!

While working on my second YA novel, I tend to think a lot about "Bucket Lists," you know, the list of things one wants to do before he or she "kicks the bucket" (Jack Nicholson's phrase, not mine). My main character is coming to terms with her own mortality, but in an effort to be more spontaneous and less meticulous about her life she kind of creates an anti-bucket list, and spends her days doing random things she never even dreamed she'd enjoy.

When researching peoples’ bucket lists on the internet, I noticed that certain things pop up regularly. Why does everybody want to grow a vegetable garden? Experience weightlessness? Spend an entire day lounging in pajamas, eating only junk food? Okay, that one I get, but it doesn’t count as a bucket list item because I pretty much do that every single day.

I think bucket lists say a lot about people. Though I’ve never committed mine to paper, there are definitely activities or adventures that I’ve always secretly (or not so secretly) wanted to partake in. I’m very lucky that for the last 12 years, I’ve been married to the most extreme bucket-lister on the planet. He’s not the type to sit and dream about a goal, the man just up and does it. The dude has some serious ambition. He’s taught me a lot about setting fear and doubt aside and acting on dreams rather than talking about them. Although I’ve still (hopefully) got another 100 years to live, I’ve been taking stock lately, and I realized I’ve almost checked off the whole list! Not sure what that means. Either my life’s almost over, or it’s time to make another list.

My bucket list so far in no particular order:

Live on an island. X
Spend time in the rainforest, living off the land. X
Swim with dolphins. X
Jump off a really scary cliff. X
Visit Fiji (to see where The Blue Lagoon was filmed!) X
Attend the Olympics. X
Teach young children. X
Paint and show the art in a real gallery. X
Meet the President. X (Not the current one, the good one before him.)
Learn to ballroom dance. X
Drive America coast to coast. 3X
Run a marathon. ½ X
Meet Duran Duran. X (Woo-Hoo!!)
Be featured in People magazine. (For doing something cool, not for being a murder victim or anything.)
Write a novel. X
Publish a novel.

I just realized that I've secretly held 10 of these goals since childhood. And 12 of the 16 items were checked off after I met my adventurous husband. Our marriage has been one giant adventure! Any other bucket listers out there willing to share? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

- Eve

On Monday, Cynthia Leitich Smith posted an interview with my agent, Erin Murphy. I almost didn’t read it because I thought I knew everything there was to know about her. (She really likes dark chocolate. What else do I need to know?) But luckily I checked it out and, man, if the interview didn’t just blow me away! I got to the end of it and thought: She is so dreamy…I want her for an agent.

Then I kicked myself and said: She IS your agent, doofus. Now sit up straight and be grateful! So I just wanted to share with you all that I am so thankful to have such a fantastic agent (and that I’m working on my posture).

About halfway down, Cynthia asks her what she sees as the ingredients for a "breakout" book. And Erin’s answer is fascinating! I think I’ve had thoughts similar to hers on this subject, but I just didn’t know those thoughts could be put together in a way that makes so much sense. (It makes me wonder who the real writer is in this relationship!) So check it out!

I also wanted to make sure all you moms out there had a fabulous Mother’s Day! I told my family I only wanted one thing for Mother’s Day: three hours to myself. So I went to my favorite coffee shop and wrote two chapters in my middle grade novel. Then I went to the gym and exercised like crazy! But I overexerted myself and ended up dragging my limp, lifeless body home…only to find my son and husband proudly holding backpacks filled with snacks and water bottles. They both cheered, “Happy Mother’s Day! We’re going on a family hike!” They looked so cute and well-prepared…I couldn’t let them down.

And how are my thighs feeling now? Like overcooked spaghetti. Good thing I have a sit-down job.

- Robin

When Hollywood's moving too slow, you can always count on the students in Alabama*...



and Pennsylvania to pick up the slack!



- Jay


*also responsible for the awesome teen book review site, NotRequiredReading.com!

I've received so many calls and emails asking for updates on my Teaser Post about my incredible news, so I thought it only fair to appease the thousands of readers out there (okay, three) who've been politely asking.

Oh! You thought I meant that news? Oh, no, we're not talking book news here. No, I'm talking about the fact that my sister Amy and I got to meet Duran Duran last weekend backstage at the Santa Barbara Bowl!

As young teens, all my girlfriends and I ever wanted was to meet the boys of Duran Duran. I swear I'm going to write a YA book based on our crazy antics. Funny that after all these years, my inner 13-year-old still pops out upon hearing one of their songs (and certainly upon meeting them in person...who knew??). My words cannot adequately express how insanely cool it was to finally meet the band of my dreams after worshiping their awesomeness for 25 years!

I'll let the pictures (and quotes) speak for me...


Eve & Amy: We are so excited! They'd better come backstage before we hurl!


Amy: Seriously, dude. I'm gonna hurl. Not joking. Seriously.


Eve: OMG, Nick. I want to marry you!
Nick: Uh, yeah, thanks, but you should have called me when I was between wives.


Roger: If I had one wish, I would wish for Evie to smooch me!


John: OMG, Evie! I've been waiting 25 years to meet you too!


Duran Duran: We love Amy and Eve. They are our most favorite fans ever!

- Eve

Yep, I got sick again. I thought I had paid my dues when I came down with the flu (the super evil kind) last month, but the bugs of the world felt I was such a lovely host that they decided to vacation with me again. (Do they have frequent flier miles or something!?)

Sorry for the gross opening paragraph. But I spent five days (yes, five!) lounging in my bed watching bad TV. I also moaned and complained a lot, but after that I found myself—yet again—addicted to watching The E! True Hollywood Story. Last Wednesday, they dedicated an entire afternoon to Britney Spears. And it happened again, the same way it happened with JLo! Once I heard her back story (all three hours of it) I totally felt empathy with her and now I adore her! The poor girl. Someone help her! (And please, not Dr. Phil.)

Now, I would help Britney if I had the time, but I’ve been sidetracked ever since I got something in the mail…the SCBWI 37th Annual Summer Conference brochure!!! Woo-hoo!!! Breaking the seal on that little half-circle sticker to reveal the list of speakers and events is like holding a little slice of heaven in my palm. I look forward to that moment every year!

It was nice to see some familiar names on the faculty list, like Bruce Coville, Arthur Levine, David LaRochelle, Lisa Yee, and, of course, Jay Asher! Jay’s topic sounds fascinating and I can’t wait to see what he puts together because, as I’m sure you all can guess, there will be many laughs.

There are so many other people I can’t wait to see. I noticed that editor Julie Strauss-Gabel will be giving a four-day long workshop on revising your YA novel. Just as I was sitting there thinking, “Hmm…I think I’d like to take that class,” an email popped up from our local SCBWI listserv saying that Julie’s workshop had just filled up. D'oh! But I can’t wait to hear from people who do take the workshop—I think it’s a super idea to have intensive classes on revision. Are any of you signed up for it? Maybe I’ll be quicker on the draw next year!

And, of course, The Mermaids are busy brainstorming costume ideas for this year’s “Paint the Town Red” poolside party! Most of our brainstorming sessions consist of me and Eve saying to Jay: Nope, too difficult…too revealing…too itchy…too, wait…you want us to do what!?!?...okay, but only if you'll wear this...DEAL!!!

It should be fun! Do any of you have plans to go to the conference?

- Robin

I have a really long list of things I love.

At least, I say I love them, but then I don’t spend nearly enough time with them. I guess I love the idea of loving them more than taking the time to genuinely explore my love with them.

Like history. I love history! And sometimes I’ll get into a love affair with history and think, “I need to know more about the Renaissance!” Then I’ll do tons of research to find the perfect book about that time period, I’ll buy the book, and after twenty or thirty pages…I’m over it.

Or space. I love outer space! One of my friends teaches astronomy, and sometimes we’ll go camping and he’ll teach a group of us about the constellations, and I’ll think, “I need to know more about space exploration!” But pretty soon…I’m onto something else.

I also love comic books! As a kid, my favorite was the entire line of Archie comics. Riverdale High School rocks!!! But then I stopped reading any comics at all. Over the past few years, though, they’ve been piquing my interest again. Some of my friends are really into comics, and I always ask them to buy me the cream o’ the crop for my birthday. Usually, they’ll bring me their favorites titles from the previous year as well as a couple they think I’ll like. And I always love what I read!

But then I never go out and buy my own.

Last week, I saw an ad announcing Free Comic Book Day, which is always the first Saturday in May. For seven years now, all around the world, comic book stores have been celebrating FCBD. And this past Saturday, I finally enjoyed the festivities down at my local comic book store, Captain Nemo…

I spent a long time analyzing the titles on the racks from which we could choose two comic books created specifically for FCBD…

And then I went to the counter where the staff selected a non-FCBD comic just for me. That’s three for free!!!

Then I went straight home and started reading my new books while downing Mountain Dew (I guess it's a comic book culture thing...I saw a few people drinking it inside Capt. Nemo).

Now, if you're still one of those people who think comic books aren’t a respectable art, then you definitely haven’t read Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. Go read it now! It's amazing!!!

- Jay



Bonus Coolness: Thirteen Reasons Why, along with Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine, just won the California Book Award for Young Adult Literature, given each year to books written by California authors. And that's really cool for two reasons. One, both books were represented by the same literary agent...the amazing Laura Rennert! And two, from what I understand about the population distribution of the United States...California is huge!!!

I’m about halfway through writing my fourth novel, and I’ve noticed that the way I’m writing this one is much different than how I wrote my previous novels. Whether I mean to or not, I’ve been treating my manuscripts differently! (Bad Mommy!)

It’s similar to how my parents raised me and my brother differently. What worked for him, didn’t really work for me. And not just because of the he’s-a-boy-and-I’m-a-girl reasons. My brother was the type of guy who missed, like, one question on the SAT. I, on the other hand, couldn’t even find the building to take my SAT because the directions were so confusing and I was super late since my friends and I had to stop at McDonald’s for our hangover-relieving breakfast. Mmmm…combo #1.

(Sorry, Mom and Dad. But I still turned out okay…right!?)

Anyway, for novel No.4, I’ve been writing my first draft much more loosely. I’m moving along quickly without spending much time on description or searching for the perfect word. In fact, I often find myself writing things like (Insert: write about her feelings here) or (Insert: describe house) or, my favorite, (Insert: make this part not so stupid). As silly as it seems, this new technique is really working for me. It allows me to stop dwelling so much (which is not an attractive look for me) and just move along with the story at the pace my brain wants to move. And with this book, my brain feels like it’s in a drag race. Woo-hoo! Step on it, baby!

I was explaining this new technique to Eve the other day and she joked that, at some point, I’ll probably write (Insert: Next chapter here). Well, she was right! Yesterday, I got myself all psyched up to write a particular chapter, only to realize that another chapter needed to be written first. But I didn’t want to write that chapter so I actually typed the words (Insert: Next chapter here). So thanks, Eve. Your ridicule is now my reality!

So I decided to Google the phrase “how I write” to see how other writers handle the process of book-writing. Apparently Garrison Keillor gets up at 5 a.m., sits in an armchair, and types a chapter into his laptop. Then he prints it out, makes lots of changes in pencil, and types the final revised version straight into his computer…all before lunchtime! That made me feel ridiculous for not having wonderfully polished chapters completed before lunch, but then I came across this quote from Judy Blume: “The first draft is a skeleton…just bare bones.”

Aaaahhh. No wonder Judy Blume is still my hero.

(Insert: adorably witty ending to this post.)

- Robin

When the Mermaids first arrived at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, we were amazed at the amount of people who showed up on a scorching hot weekend purely for the love of books.

Then we went backstage to the V.I.P. room and were like giddy fans, surrounded by so many big-named authors. Mo Willems! Jon Scieszka! T.C. Boyle! Mary Higgins Clark! We ate as many cheese squares and fruit wedges as fast as we could in case anyone suddenly decided we weren't cool enough to be back there.

Then we met a bunch of L.A. writers of teen lit. in the Angeleno hotel, which gave an amazing view of the city at night. We followed that by having dinner with Robin Benway, debut author of Audrey, Wait!...which has quickly added itself as one of my favorite books. Don't wait! Go out and get it!!!

Of course, when we're in L.A., we just have to pretend like we're from The City and go out dancin'. (Sidenote: Eve's allergy pills made her so drowsy, she had to sit out most of the songs, which is why she's not in this photo...and it took about 85 photos for her to get even one where Robin and I look only partially goofy.)

Back at the Festival the next day, I got to meet Sherman Alexie, author of the National Book Award winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This was an especially fun first-meeting because Mr. Alexie recently wrote a blurb for the paperback edition of Thirteen Reasons Why, which you can read at the bottom of this post.

After signing books for an hour with Ms. Benway, we headed to our panel on teen literature. As the room started to fill up, I began to get insanely nervous. I expected our panel to barely sell-out a small classroom...not a whole lecture hall! This photo doesn't even show the two side-sections of seats.

Along with Ms. Benway, I was joined by Cecil Castellucci and Michele Serros. The three of them were so articulate and thoughtful, part of me wanted to just sit in the audience and watch. But it was a lot of fun...and quite an honor...to be up there with them!


- Jay

Thirteen Reasons Why is a mystery, eulogy, and ceremony. Twenty or thirty times, I snapped the book shut when a sentence, an image, or line of dialogue was too beautiful and painful. But I, afraid and curious, would always return to this amazing book. I know, in the years to come, I will often return to this book.

- Sherman Alexie