"One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight."
I have read this first line of Harold and the Purple Crayon to my son regularly for years. But that was as far in the book as I could get because he always responded, “Nuh-uh,” then closed the book and grabbed his dinosaur encyclopedia instead.
Finally, just the other night, he carefully slid it out of the vertical stacks of books on his shelf and said, “Let’s read this one, Mommy.”
We sat on his bed and read it together, each enjoying it immensely, but each getting something totally different out of the book. My son liked the fact that it was a magic crayon. And he liked guessing what Harold was going to draw on the next page.
I enjoyed figuring out how Harold was going to get out of this ridiculous mess he’d got himself into! It had been years since I’d read the book and I’d forgotten how Harold got home. (But hey—if you need the name of any predatory dinosaur, I’m your girl!)
I figured that since Harold had drawn himself a boat when he found himself in deep water, he’d just draw himself a car and a nice detailed map in order to get himself back to his cozy bedroom. But that’s not what happened.
The story ended up being about perspective. That if you look at a problem in a different way, you might just figure it out. Harold created an entire city with many windows, but he realized that none of them were his. Then, he remembered how he used to see the moon through the window of his room. Which meant all he needed to do was draw a box around the moon…and he’d be back inside looking out.
When we got to that page in the book, I tried to explain to my son that Harold was now inside his bedroom looking out. His eyes got huge and I was afraid his brain was going to explode. I thought he’d never want to read the book again. But that’s not what happened.
The next morning, at 6:30 a.m., my boy tip-toed into my bedroom, placed the book next to me and whispered, “I want to draw a city…just like Harold.”
So he did...- Robin
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Three authors discuss writing for children.
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Tell me watcha want, watcha really really want.
Okay, I know I’m dating myself by ripping off that song lyric, but it’s what today’s post is about. Plus, it’s a catchy song. Don’t deny it!
From what I understand, people start applying in January to speak at the national SCBWI conference. And that’s something I really really wanna do. Two years ago, Lisa Yee invited the Disco Mermaids to be guest speakers in her workshop on blogging. Last year, I spoke on a panel with other members of the (now graduated) Class of 2k7. But this year, I wanna take that final step and lead my own workshop.
So I wanna know, for those of you who’ve attended lots of writing conferences, what were some of your favorite workshops? Or what are some workshops you don’t see enough of?
And for those of you who rarely go to conferences, what types of workshops would make a conference worthwhile?
Any ideas would be helpful. Just throw ’em out there. Because I really really really wanna ziz-a-zig ah!
(Sorry. Had to do it…)
- Jay
HOW 2007 ENDED FOR THIRTEEN REASONS WHY
(Drumroll please...)
Kirkus Reviews - Editor's Choice
Borders - Original Voices Finalist
Barnes & Noble - Top 10 Best Books for Teens
Book Sense - Winter Pick
Association of Booksellers for Children - Best Books
Foreign Rights Sold: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea

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“Seek and ye shall find…something TOTALLY different than what you were looking for.”
Such is the case for those who typed the following words into search engines and discovered us. The Disco Mermaids!
- robin jay white -
(but eve very tan)
- dressed penguins -
(are not as annoying as chihuahuas in handbags)
- runny noses gas leak -
(we guess that's better than runny gas noses leak)
- lisa yee underpants -
(lisa, we'd really like to know why someone was searching for this)
- leprechaun yourself -
(no, you leprechaun yourself)
- is a blue jay stronger than a robin -
(no, but a happy jay is unstoppable)

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Who was I kidding when I thought I’d actually get some writing done over the holidays!? I think I have a problem understanding the difference between “what I’d like to get done” and “real life.”
With a five-year-old around, Christmas has become a two-month-long extravaganza of baking and wrapping and decorating and watching that classic Rudolph claymation movie over and over. Which, by the way, the Disco Mermaids and their spouses sat down to watch together and gave a running commentary while my boy shushed us. (Don’t even get us started on Santa’s lack of political correctness in that show!)
One of my son’s favorite gifts this year was a Star Wars themed gift from my parents that included the original 1977 movie, along with an action figure for each main character. My son had never seen the movie, but somehow pop culture had seeped into his young brain and he made it very clear that “there’s a bad guy named Darth Vader and he’s super cool.”
So Christmas night, we all sat down as a family and watched Star Wars. My boy was mesmerized…and only a little scared. (But I was scared too when they were stuck in that nasty trash compactor that was closing in on them while a huge cyborg snake attacked. Yikes!)
While my boy watched the movie, my husband and I analyzed Star Wars and tried to figure out why a movie made in the late 70s on a relatively small budget turned into such a massive empire (for lack of a better word) and earned billions and billions of dollars. We decided it was because of three things:
- For the time, the special effects were awesome. Lasers, man! There were lasers!!
- There was a villain. A very bad villain. He was scary looking and made weird throaty sounds. Good stuff.
- It was serious, but more importantly…very funny. I loved how there was the serious theme of “the force” and how there’s an energy in the universe which connects us all. (By the way, when I was a kid, I thought “the force” meant brightly colored lasers that protected you like a bubble. Seriously.) But then there was Han Solo who gave us comic relief (and he wasn’t so bad to look at either). I think it was the combination of serious and funny that made the movie accessible to both adults and kids.
So that tells me, in my next book, I need some cool technology, a super cool villain, a serious storyline, and lots of humor. See!? Maybe all this holiday activity was helping my writing after all.
- Robin

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Christmas was great, thanks for asking!
I spent five days in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains with my wife’s family. Except for being stuffed-up the entire time (which often made me too embarrassed to talk) and the hernia I got last week (which kept me at home during some family hikes), it was wonderful.
But those five days made me re-examine my life's passions…or lack thereof.
Not too long ago, my brother-in-law picked up an accordion and dove into learning the instrument with such commitment that he’s recently been touring with an amazing band, 3 Leg Torso. That same b-i-l also knows everything there is to know about coffee (he even roasts his own beans and brought a portable espresso-maker to Christmas so no one ever got tired before midnight). One of my sisters-in-law is an amazing aerial silk acrobat (it involves ribbon-like material dangling from up high, from which she performs all sorts of death-defying tricks) and even installed the ribbons to the ceiling of her A-frame. That same s-i-l, along with her boyfriend, ride unicycles together and even set up an elaborate obstacle course in their yard.
I could go on and on, but I’m going to stop talking about them because I’m getting depressed (don’t even get me started on the harmonies my wife and her sisters can produce). Over the vacation, I also finished reading Backyard Giants by Susan Warren, subtitled: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever. Now, I have no desire to grow humongous squash, play the accordion, excel at unicycling, or tangle-up my limbs in ribbon (though I just might try roasting my own coffee), but I’ve decided to find a quirky passion to call my own before the new year arrives.
Yes, writing books is a passion of mine. But now that writing has moved beyond being just a hobby, I need something that will occasionally avert my mind from worrying about writing and promoting my book. I need something which comes with absolutely no expectations...other my own.
Here are the top two considerations I came up with on my three-hour drive home:
- Stand-up comedy
- Extremely healthy cooking
Stand-up comedy has been a dream of mine for years. But it wasn’t until this year, because of promoting my book, that I realized how much I love speaking to large groups...and that I can do it without barfing before they call me to the stage.
I haven’t mentioned the extremely healthy cooking option to my wife yet (and don’t worry, she’s still up in the internet-less woods, so she probably won’t read this post), because I know she’ll try to sway me towards this option due to entirely selfish reasons.
Outside of writing or reading, what are some of your unique passions? What’s something you immerse yourself in? Something you can’t learn enough about? I’m looking to add to my list before presenting it to my wife, so maybe the extremely healthy cooking option won't stick out so much.
- Jay

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THE TWELVE FORM REJECTIONS
(inspired by The Twelve Days of Christmas)
In my twelfth form rejection, the letter said to me:
Dear Author/Illustrator,
regarding (CAPS & BOLDFACE TITLE),
thanks for your submission,
we're so glad you thought of our house,
we're proud of ev'ry book we publish,
see Writer's Market for our guidelines,
due to the number of submissions,
we can't give personal suggestions,
though we strive for quick responses,
after careful consideration,
good luck in the future,
but this story doesn't fit our current needs.
So I cried for just a minute, and then
(surging with ambition)
tucked a self-addressed-stamped-envelope
into my next submission.

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C’mon, we all have them. As a kid, it was S.E. Hinton. When I began writing for kids, it was Robert Sabuda. I heard him speak at an SCBWI conference. He was adorable and hilarious. And I fell. Hard. I bought every one of his pop-up books, sat front-and-center in all his workshops, and even paged him over the microphone during the after-hours party when I couldn’t find him. K, two words: Restraining. Order.
But I digress.
When I started writing for teens, my crush was Laurie Halse Anderson. I must’ve read Speak 1,000 times to study her mastery of dialogue and teen-think. Then it was Walter Dean Myers. Everything he writes is pure genius! Brilliant and authentic details paint perfect portraits of today’s youth. Then Alan Lawrence Sitomer. Nothing gratuitous. Nothing false. Just completely real. Then it was Dave Eggers. Reading his books, meeting him, and working for his 826 L.A. nonprofit organization absolutely changed my life and the course of my writing. His generosity and compassion for today’s disadvantaged youth is unmatched, and I consider him to be one of the most talented and altruistic people on the planet.
Not only do I take my crushes seriously, but I maintain them over time and keep adding to the list. Call me fickle. Or promiscuous. Or something. As a slow (and recovering reluctant) reader, it takes a lot for me to fall for an author. He/she must grab my attention from word one...and never let go. No flowery language or soggy middles or unnecessarily large words. And he/she must make me laugh. Even if it’s in a sarcastic, twisted, not necessarily funny to normal people kind of way.
My new crush is Brad Herzog, picture book writer and travel writer extraordinaire. His books States of Mind and Small World are love-letters to America, journals of his treks via Winnebago through the 48 contiguous states. He illustrates beautifully what I’ve always believed. Although people often think that exotic travel must include passports, shots, and malaria pills, there is a world of wonder, with interesting and diverse people and subcultures, right in our own country. Who knew??
True story: When I moved to New Hampshire in 1993, many of my college friends couldn’t find it on a map. A few didn’t even know it was its own state! One girlfriend said, “New Hampshire? That’s in Massachusetts, right?” I love that Mr. Herzog celebrates small town America and debunks the myth that small towns equal small minds, and that back roads equal backwards thinking. I knew this was a match made in heaven when I found my very own teeny tiny New Hampshire town featured in States of Mind. There’s even a picture of an old friend of mine chairing a town hall meeting!
After meeting and befriending Brad (we’re on BFF, first-name basis now), I read his books and fell really hard for his writing style and his ability to weave humor with history and universal human truths. This crush has even inspired me to re-structure my YA work-in-progress into the form of a travel diary, where my main character seeks, as Brad would say, “to cleanse one’s soul, restore one’s confidence and cure the virus of restlessness” through travel. Bonus is that the guy returns my calls and emails, and there’s been no mention of the words “Restraining Order.”
Yet.
Brad recently discovered that States of Mind is included on high school AP Geography reading lists. Which, to me, is just plain brilliant. If we were assigned books like this in high school, I would have been way more interested in Geography and American History. And my girlfriend would be able to find New Hampshire, the state, on a U.S. map!
- Eve

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Every year, Eve, Jay, and I join our children’s writers critique group for a holiday lunch celebration. About eight to ten of us gather around a long table on the garden patio of a local Italian restaurant and enjoy the fresh air as we sit next to glowing red heaters. (The heaters are a prerequisite of mine since I’m whiney when I’m cold.)
Our conversation always turns to discussing our favorite books of the year. This year it was a very special conversation since we found ourselves talking about one book in particular. Jay’s!
It was so fun hearing reactions to Jay’s book from other writers who know exactly what makes a good book for teens. To me, sitting around eating pasta and talking about a good book (especially when that book is written by one of your best friends) is just heaven. (Okay, so the heaters helped, too.)
After we were full on carbs, we had our annual book exchange. There’s only one guideline to follow…we each bring a book we think someone else will like. (I brought Kiki Strike, Eve brought Boy Proof, and Jay brought Miss Spitfire.) One person picks a wrapped book to open and the next person gets to steal one of the previously opened books or pick another one. Sounds like a sweet idea, but it gets brutal. I ended up with a copy of Twilight (but only after a sneaky under-the-table deal involving lots of whispers and inappropriate sign language).
In the end, I think we all went home happy with our new books. As Jay, Eve, and I walked from the restaurant to a coffee shop to continue the celebration, we reminisced that it was two years ago to the day that Jay turned to us and said, “I think the three of us should start a blog together.”
And in response, Eve and I looked at each other and said, “What’s a blog?”
- Robin

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Last year, I told you about visiting Disneyland with my wife, and how competitive she can be. Well, it recently happened again. I won the first round of Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters...
...but she made me ride it one more time in order to put me in my place.
Ahh, marriage!
Okay, now on to the real meat of this post:
I love vague endings.
Not quirky-vague endings (which leave you scratching your head), but intentionally vague endings that enrich the storytelling experience. I love endings which allow us to use everything we know about the characters to determine what happens next. Or, at least, to guess what happens next.
For me, the perfect example of a successfully vague ending occurs in Lost in Translation. If you don’t like this movie, fine. I know there are a whole bunch of you out there. But I love it. Yet I never recommend it without saying, “There’s a really good chance you won’t like it. It’s kind of...vague.”
The movie is made up entirely of little moments. Little looks. Little gestures. Little phrases. And if you watch it without a willingness to appreciate all of its littleness, you’re not gonna like it. But if you fall in love with its littleness, then its vague ending will seem perfect. Because the ending is another little moment…which, this time, we aren’t allowed to fully witness. The ending is a whisper too soft, and too guarded, to comprehend. It’s a moment shared between the two characters, but it’s not meant for our ears.
What? The final line of the movie is never shared with the audience?
That's right. And it's perfect that way! How weird is that!?!?
But then, last week, Eve sent me the following YouTube clip. In it, someone used digital manipulation to decode that whisper. When I first began watching it, I started sweating. Should I continue watching it? Then I started ripping hairs out of my head. Should I continue watching it? Then I started shaking. Should I…?
I watched the whole dang thing.
And I was so mad. I was mad at Eve for throwing me into such inner-turmoil. I was mad at myself for deciding to ruin the magic of that little moment forever. I was mad at the whisper for being so…vague.
That’s it? That’s all Bill whispers into Scarlett’s ear?
And then I was happy. Because the entire movie, even with its revealed secret ending, was still perfectly vague.
Yes, sometimes the perfect ending is one which allows the viewer (or reader!) to decide what happens next…or what just occurred. For example, at the end of my next book, I decided to
- Jay

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About once a year I re-read my copy of On Writing by Stephen King. Every time I read it, I learn something new. It is hands-down one of the best books on writing ever written.
After describing his difficulties in life and how his success came about (which is totally fascinating) he writes a chapter called “Toolbox” where he gets to the nitty-gritty of writing. Here’s one of my favorite quotes (one of many):
Put your vocabulary on the top shelf of your toolbox, and don’t make any conscious effort to improve it. One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed.(I didn’t continue with the quote because it involved curse words. Good ones, too.)
I love Stephen King. And I want to be him. So today, I tried it out. I decided I would be Stephen King.
In the book, he describes his writing schedule. Basically, he writes in the morning until around noon, or until he has ten pages written…whichever comes first. Then he has lunch, takes a nap, and goes for a walk. (True, his afternoon walk almost killed him once, but that’s another story.) Just the fact that he is such a talented and prolific writer, yet has such a simple schedule, made me feel…relieved. For some reason, I assumed people with his success were writing into the wee hours of the night, pulling out their hair, and kicking their dog. I was curious to see if his simple schedule would work for me.
I worked extra hours at my day job earlier in the week and devoted my entire Friday to what I like to refer to as…Being Stephen King Day. (It could catch on!)
I shoved my child off to school by 8:30, ate some breakfast, and was in my writing room by 9. (Okay, fine. 9:10. But Regis and Kelly had Anderson Cooper on, and I find him strangely attractive.)
I wrote straight through until noon. I didn’t get ten pages done, but I got a lot done. More than usual. (And for me, “more than usual” is a reason to celebrate.) I ate my lunch, went for a nice long run on a cliff trail overlooking the Pacific, jotted down some ideas for my next chapter, showered, applied some mascara and lipgloss, vacuumed real quick, and went to pick up my son from school. That was it. Being Stephen King Day had come to an end.
It…was…heaven.
Me and Stephen King are now exactly the same (except for the fact that we’re completely different). I now have to get back to my old schedule of work-laundry-groceries-homework-work-laundry-groceries-homework...while he gets to go back to being fabulous.
But at least I got to be him for a day. (Please know that if I actually was Stephen King, I think I’d purchase cuter eyeglasses.)
What about you guys? What type of schedule works for you? Any Stephen King-ers out there?
- Robin
Okay, one more favorite quote from the book:
Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life.

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We get asked this question a lot, and yes, sometimes it does feel like we're married. (You know, if this were a polygamous marriage between three already married friends.) Need an example?
We forgot our second blogiversary!!!
Last year, we were so excited to reach the one-year mark that we even wrote a song about it. But this year? It totally slipped our collective mind. And now we're already a whole week closer to our third blogiversary!
But that's okay, because year three is gonna be great. We've even got a few tricks up our sleeves to make sure of it.
And most important of all, we can't wait to see the good fortune that falls upon all of you over the next year...minus one week!
- Your Disco Mermaids (Robin, Jay, and Eve)

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I get this question daily from friends, relatives, students, the carpet cleaning guys, my dentist, and all the shopkeepers in downtown SLO who see me on a regular basis when I’m supposed to be writing, but accidentally end up shopping. “What’s your book about?” is always a tough one to answer succinctly. Although I have the standard “elevator pitch” answer, lately I’ve been altering it, depending on who’s asking.
Like, when the deli counter guy asks, the answer is, “It’s a modern day Lord of the Flies set in a mountain summer camp for inner city kids, where a friendly game of Capture The Flag develops into a war over boundaries and reputation, and ultimately parallels the evolution of contemporary Los Angeles street gangs; specifically, the Bloods and the Crips.”
However, when my girlfriend’s 10-year-old son asks, the answer is more like, “It’s a story about a tough 14-year-old kid who’s recently lost his family in a fire, and he’s sent to a mountain summer camp, where he has some crazy adventures, becomes an accidental hero, and learns that life will go on.”
When a 14-year-old tough kid I’m tutoring asks, the answer is, “It’s about a kid, a lot like you, who gets into trouble with the law because he can’t control his rage over losing his family. He goes to a summer camp and, just as he starts to turn his life around, he becomes the leader of a gang and gets tangled up in a violent revenge war.”
When my guidance counselor friend asks, the answer is, “It’s a story about a troubled 14-year-old inner city kid who’s suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after losing his family in a house fire. He’s sent to a mountain summer camp, where he creates a new family through the formation of a gang; the boys protect each other at all costs and ultimately face and overcome their demons together.”
What I’m realizing is that the story is different things to different people, depending on their ages and life experiences. On the surface, RING OF FIRE is about typical adolescent boy stuff like girls, pranks, sports, fights, and becoming a man. On another level it’s about finding family units in unexpected places, vision quests, superheroes, bears, teamwork, new experiences, fight or flight responses to stress, the violent nature of humans and animals, and overcoming depression.
But, deep down in my heart, it’s about prejudice. How prejudices of other races, classes and genders affects society and the individual. And how the universal human need for safety and belonging leads to the formation of tightly devoted gang units. The story hesitates to judge whether the creation of gangs is good or bad, but rather explores how and why they form. To me, gangs can be both good and bad. Just like people. So, that, my friends, is what RING OF FIRE is all about. Thanks for listening!
Eve

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Jay and his wife had a Christmas shindig at their house on Saturday night. Though the event took place over several hours, "book talk" lasted no more than five minutes...a record for when the Disco Mermaids get together.
We went caroling in a well-lit (with Christmas lights!) neighborhood...
We bundled up to keep warm (and yes, Eve's wearing a Mrs. Claus jacket)...
The only way to put a temporary hold on a game of "Betcha can't get me!" was for Jay to ask Robin's son to stop and pose for a photo (his dad's a photographer, so he Loves the Lens)...
And then there was the White Elephant Gift Exchange. The prize for Most Steals went to Robin's son, who finally ended up with a life-size (well, for him) girlfriend...

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Some of you may not know this, but I lead a secret double life. (No, not that kind of double life. And definitely not that!) The truth is, when I’m not writing goofy stories for kids, I’m a social worker. My job is to get services, like speech or occupational therapy, for children with disabilities (cerebral palsy, autism, mental retardation, etc…).
It’s a challenging job. A meaningful job. A serious job with not a lot of laughs. So most people I work with don’t realize that I spend half of my day with them being serious, and the other half writing goofy stories and doing goofy things such as this, and this, and one time I even did this.
So recently, when my “serious” job and my “goofy writing” job collided, it was…weird. I was about to start a meeting (along with various therapists, behaviorists, and other social worker-types) with the parents of a young boy with autism. Just before I started, the mother said, “Robin, I didn’t realize you were a children’s book writer, too.”
I was shocked! How did she find out!? I looked down to see if I was wearing a t-shirt that said, Don’t You Realize I’m a Children’s Book Writer, Too? But I wasn’t. I just had on my regular social-worker-brown jacket.
“How did you know?” I asked.
She said she read this article in the newspaper about my friend. “I think his name is Jay,” she said.
So there I was, in the middle of a bunch of serious clinical people explaining about my other life of writing goofy stories and hanging out with Jay and Eve. Luckily, the mother gave me a big smile and said, “That is so cool.”
Most of the other people were smiling at me, too. But one of the social workers just tilted her head at me and had a scrunched up, painful look on her face. She didn’t say a word, but I could tell exactly what she was thinking. We’re social workers. We’re not silly people.
But for me, being serious and silly is the perfect combination.
- Robin

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A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail from one of my old high school teachers. He was in a faculty book club at the school and they had just finished reading Thirteen Reasons Why. He was hoping I’d come back to school to discuss it.
Gulp!
So there I was, during lunch hour, in the conference room of my old high school library. The library looked the same as when I was a student there (except for the computers...and the fact that the trusty ol' card catalogue was a relic for display purposes only). I sat at one end of the room facing a bunch of empty chairs. And slowly, they started filing in. Who? A bunch of students and...my teachers!
- Mr. Huttle, my Peer Communications teacher.
- Ms. Avery, my American Lit. teacher.
- Ms. Waterbury, my Tiny Tigers (an on-campus, student-run pre-school) teacher.
- Ms. Porter.
- Mr. Tedone.
1. When signing Ms. Waterbury’s book, she reminisced about when I was a student of hers and how I told her I was going to one day become a children’s book writer. That was interesting, because I honestly didn’t remember wanting to do this that far back. I’ve been telling people it was a college-revelation. I guess I’m going to have to go back and revise my autobiography. (By the way, that was totally a joke. I’m not cocky enough to have written my autobiography...yet. But I do have a really good title for when I do!)
2. Sitting in the front row during my presentation was Ms. Avery. As juniors, we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in her class. I would get so frustrated by her because she insisted that Mark Twain put tons of symbolism and extended metaphors in there on purpose. At the time, I insisted that she was reading too much into it. Same thing went for all those ironic statements and recurring themes she made us look for. I felt she was making it up simply so she had something to test us on. Now, every time I add a little symbolism or insert a subtle metaphor, I thank Ms. Avery for awakening my eyes to the powers of such literary tools. But during my presentation, I kept looking at everyone in the room except Ms. Avery. Because if anyone in that room was able to point out my literary weaknesses, it would've been her. But when I was done, she approached me, and...and...well, I'm not going to say what she told me (partly cuz it'd give away key parts of the book). Let's just say that the woman who found faults in my high school Huckleberry arguments (and there were plenty) was extremely complimentary about my use of ironically symbolic thematic metaphors.
I suppose I learned something in her class after all! Now, if I could only retake that final exam...
- Jay
Here are the first two pages from my 15-year-old copy of Huckleberry Finn:


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Before we begin this post, we'd like to settle something once and for all. No, the Disco Mermaids are not connected at the hips. Occasionally, we do attend writing events solo. For example, just this past weekend, Eve attended the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop about two hours away all by herself. So there!
And now...onto the post:
After being away from Eve for much more than 24 hours, Robin and Jay started to feel tugs on their metaphorical Mermaid-umbilical cords. So, prompted by a strange urge, they hopped in a car and headed north on Highway 1.

"Hmm... Isn't this near Big Sur?"
Sure enough, they found themselves outside a dining hall, where faculty and students of the B.S.C.W.W. were eating dinner. The duo just happened to be carrying a vase of roses addressed to Eve, which Robin asked a waiter to secretly deliver while she and Jay watched from outside.

"I see her! And she looks totally confused."
The plan was to leave Eve baffled for several minutes, then sneak up behind her and catch her look-o-surprise on camera to share with all of you. Unfortunately, the clueless waiter (who we'll refer to as Thomas) told her the flowers were from a girl standing outside named Robin. When Eve stood up, Jay and Robin took off running. But Jay was too close to the window when Eve reached the lobby...and she caught him mid-stride.

[Since Eve wasn't camera-ready, this is only a dramatization of what she saw.]
So Robin and Jay came inside where it was warm. A bewildered Laura Rennert, agent to both Eve and Jay (Robin feels the need to have her own agent), commented on the unusual relationship of the Mermaids.

[With a 2/3 majority, Laura was voted our favorite literary agent.]
Eve introduced Robin and Jay to the amazing faculty, made up of authors, agents, and editors. Of course, we just had to get a photo with our favorite Little, Brown editor.

As with all good things, the visit came to an end. Robin and Jay needed to drive home before they got too sleepy (or their spouses got too worried). And Eve had revisions to work on before the next day's critiques.


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I’m at the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop for three days of writing, critiquing, writing some more, then revising and re-writing some more. I had planned to work on my second book, a YA love story weaved into an ethics debate on the ramifications of genetic testing. Sounds strange, I know, but somehow it works.
Anyway, my plans were thrown for a little loop after a recent chat with my agent about my first book…a middle grade novel about tough inner city kids at a summer camp, which is really a subtle allegory for the evolution of contemporary street gangs. The question we came up with is:
How real can you get in terms of edgy themes and violence in a middle grade book?
Granted, this is definitely an upper middle grade read aimed at the 11-13 crowd. However, even with a somewhat “toned down” version of what gang life can become, the story still contains some elements that pre-teens may find too disturbing. Here’s my thing: If I tone it down too much, it may lose its authenticity. If an 11-year-old kid from the hood picks it up, he may expect to find some of himself in the characters, which is my goal. Chances are, this kid has witnessed violent acts on the streets or lost loved ones to them. Hate to say it, but if an upper middle class kid picks up the same book, he may be horrified by what some of the characters go through. Of course maybe he’s seen plenty of violence and inhumane acts in movies (Hello… Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Saw) or in video games, but maybe he’s never seen it in real life. (Which is not to say that rich kids don’t experience violence and only poor kids do, but for the sake of argument, I’m simplifying, of course.)
So, my problem is this: Whether the readers are rich kids, poor kids, or Sudanese kids, do we owe it to them to present life as it really is, or do we protect them from it? If I’m making a statement about violence, which I suppose I am with this book, which is that generally it’s senseless, but it’s pervasive nonetheless as long as humans inhabit the planet, and occasionally it’s necessary for protective purposes, so we as individuals must decide if and how we’ll add to the cycle, then we have to accept the consequences (i.e. retaliation, incarceration, injury, death, etc...), then I should keep it real, right?
Originally, I insisted that this was a middle grade book because the characters are 13 and many kids are initiated into gangs at age 11. But I’m guessing that most kids who read the book will never have been initiated into a real gang, and couldn’t possibly relate to some of the issues. Then again, I’m not writing about those kids, I’m writing about those who have seen uniquely horrific things at young ages.
Rather than omitting some themes and allusions to violent acts, I could also raise the ages of the characters and consider it YA. But then it defeats the original purpose, which was to create an edgy and real MG book. But how real is too real?
- Eve

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So once I was done thinking about my brilliant idea for a new law, I got to thinking some more…maybe we should make some new laws in the world of children’s literature. Come on everyone, play along with me!
There Ought to be a Law in Children’s Literature…
- Every children’s book author shall be paid a handsome advance. And by handsome, I mean James Franco! (Just pay me in Francos, baby!)
- Every children’s book author shall be named Honorary Ice Princess in their hometown Christmas parade. (I’ve always wanted to do that, and this may be the only way it’ll ever happen!)
- Every children’s book ever written shall include at least one vampire. (Oops, I think that’s already a law.)
Oh, oh! And I think we should also have a new law in DiscoLand:
No DM shall namedrop (no matter how cute the namedropped person is) unless another DM is allowed to also namedrop (as well as excessively exaggerate with poorly used Photoshop skills).Why yes, that is Kirsten Dunst from all three Spider-Man movies (she just suddenly showed up in our hotel room at the SCBWI conference last summer). And yes, she is much paler than me. And no, I’m not good at Photoshop.
-Robin

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The lucky winners of our Two-Day Q&A contest are:
Laura
at
Creative Dreams
&
Linda D. (sbk)
at
Jumbled Ramblings
My intent was to have my wife randomly choose numbers to decide the winners, but I got home too late and she was asleep. So I found this handy-dandy site, which allowed me to still select the winners with complete randomness.
Why did I get home so late? Because I was 3-hours north doing school visits (courtesy of Kepler's Books) at Woodside High School, Gunn High School, and Palo Alto High School. And to end this post on a completely random note, here's a photo taken at the end of my last school visit:

Why yes, that is James Franco from all three Spider-Man movies! And yes, I did give him a signed copy of Thirteen Reasons Why! (And yes, he is so much cooler than me...)
- Jay
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[Below is an interview Jay conducted with Joel Johnstone, the voice of Clay Jensen on the Listening Library audiobook of Thirteen Reasons Why. And remember to leave a comment for your chance to win a free copy!]
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about a mile and a half from Jeffery Dahmer. It was a very happy place! Seriously though, I am proud to be a midwesterner; I believe it has helped give me a sort of general objectivity as I split time now living between the coasts. After high school, I moved from Milwaukee to New York to attend Fordham University. I went to the Lincoln Center campus, which was a bit of a culture shock, initially. I studied acting there, and also went abroad for six months to study at a classical conservatory in London and Oxford. After graduating I began doing a lot of off-Broadway theatre, as well as TV and film work. Outside of my career, I am an enormous fan of baseball, playing and watching. I'm on a softball team with some acting buddies right now, and let's just say our team is not doing well. Please pray for us.
What attracted you to acting?
I grew up with a problematic obsession for baseball. I went to sleep wearing my Brewers hat and Dale Murphy baseball glove until I was eleven or so. In middle school I tried out for a community theatre production of The Music Man, and was cast as Winthrop, the Ron Howard part. I had one of the best times of my life, and so I began splitting my time between baseball, in the summer, and theatre, during the ten months of winter in Wisconsin. In high school my dreams of playing second base for the Brewers quickly vanished as I was benched for the majority of my sophomore year. However, it wasn't as big a blow to me as I expected. I had been performing in my high school plays as well, and I realized I was getting a lot more attention from girls by doing theatre than playing baseball. I would love to tell a story that some transcendent, out-of-body experience is what initially attracted me to acting, but truthfully it began as just a great way to meet girls. I got a lot more serious about it throughout high school. My acting teacher was incredibly encouraging and told me this was something he thought I could turn into a career. He helped me get into a summer program at the Steppenwolf Theare in Chicago the summer before my senior year. From then on, I knew this was what I was going to do.
What have been some of your favorite acting jobs?
My very first job on film, I got to play an American serial killer for a television show in London. It was sort of the British version of Tales From The Crypt. That was a wonderful introduction to film work. In one episode I killed five people using a nail gun, a samurai sword, an axe and a shiv. Ironically, I was in London studying Shakespeare at the time. Another favorite part of mine is Wesley from Sam Shepard's Curse of The Starving Class. That play is very haunting to me. If I could play that part every night for a year I would be ecstatic. Shepard is absolutely one of my favorite playwrights, and actors.
How did you get started voicing audiobooks?
I got started voicing audiobooks after I had been doing radio and television voiceovers for a year or so. The first audition I had was a twelve page, single spaced read, and I remember thinking, "There's no way I'll ever get this." There were so many different voices I had to create; I couldn't have been more intimidated. I got a call a month later saying the book company wanted to hire me. I was stunned and terrified at the same time. The 12-page audition was a challenge for me, and the manuscript they gave me two days ahead of time was 300+ pages. Somehow, I got through it. Since then, they've gotten much easier and a lot more fun.
Is there anything special you do between when you get the script and when you sit in front of the microphone?
The biggest thing I stress when I prepare is getting all the characters down. I read the whole book, and every time a new character is introduced I write it down on a piece of paper. Sometimes when I'm finished I'll have a list of up to 50 names. I then go through and try out different voices for each character. I can't have any repeats or anything too similar, so I make notes next to each name. A lot of roles demand a dialect, so I use a website that archives audio samples of people from just about every country speaking English in their native dialect. That has been a life saver. I also highlight every piece of dialogue in the book ahead of time. This gives me warning, as I'm reading the narrative in my own voice, that a character is coming up and I have to make an adjustment in pitch, accent, etc.
What did you enjoy most about recording Thirteen Reasons Why?
From an actor's point of view, it is a thousand times more enjoyable to narrate a book in the first person, like this one. It is much more conducive to giving a performance, rather than trying to force one. The book is rich with information about Clay, which allows me to delve deeper into the read and have more fun with it.
Aside from the performance aspect, I'm fascinated by books and films revolving around high school years. In my own life, whether I like it or not, high school was a very important part of my life. Not even including the academics portion, it was an extremely informative and character building time of my life. Your book reminded me about that, which I tend to forget time to time. I've also noticed most people I meet in my adult life seem to remind me of different versions of people I went to high school with. Many of the voices I used for different characters in the book were impressions of my old classmates.
Was there anything that made recording Thirteen Reasons Why more difficult than other audiobooks?
In many ways, this was the most demanding book I've narrated. In every other job I've had, I was the only reader and had the responsibility of creating each character in the book. In Thirteen Reasons Why I hadn't yet heard Debra read Hannah. I knew what Hannah said on the page, but I didn't know the inflections or emotion behind what Debra said, which is partially what I'm responding to. The best analogy is that it was similar to acting in front of a green screen. My main job as the reader is to tell the story through characters, breath, emotion, etc. And sharing that responsibility with Debra without her in the studio was an even bigger obstacle. I had to tell the story through Clay's narration, while reading Hannah's part quietly in my head, in order to keep it consistent. I truly have to thank Scott (the producer) for guiding me through the process. There is no way I could have done this without his direction.

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[Below is an interview Jay conducted with Debra Wiseman, the voice of Hannah Baker on the Listening Library audiobook of Thirteen Reasons Why. And remember to leave a comment for your chance to win a free copy!]
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in the great area of Palo Alto, California. I was always interested in the performing arts and Silicon Valley was rich with theatrical options. I did as many shows as I could and gained a lot of valuable experience. I visited New York City at the age of 11 and saw Les Miserables on Broadway. From that moment on I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be. The Big Apple!
What attracted you to acting?
Acting was just a natural extension of my first love...singing. Just listening to good vocals isn't enough, there has to be emotion behind it and that's where acting comes in. I prefer comedy to drama, but I do both. My grandfather was an opera singer and cantor in Europe and that is from whom I got my voice.
What have been some of your favorite acting jobs?
I got my very first job in New York from an obscure ad in Backstage (a trade magazine) and after auditioning, I got a call that I had gotten the job. There was a catch: Would I cut my hair? Yikes! I was just out of school and had printed up 500 brand new resume pictures. Not to mention, my hair was long, curly,and extremely important to my persona. So I said, "No, I couldn't cut it," and the man said he would call me back to tell me if I got the job or not. I then asked about the project. He said it was Woody Allen's fall project (soon to be titled Bullets over Broadway). I said I would pay him and be bald to do the film! It was a fantastic experience in every way and I didn't have to cut my hair!
How did you get started voicing audiobooks?
Luck! I had my first audition for one and felt very at home in the medium. I booked that job and that led to others and ultimately...this job! I would like to work more in this medium. I really enjoy the challenge.
Is there anything special you do between when you get the script and when you sit in front of the microphone?
I read the script and make a list of all the characters and their personality traits. I then think of voices for each. Some voices are more of a stretch, but if the character is minor then I can sustain it. I usually keep the main character's voice close to my own sound since that is the voice for most of the book. In this book, my normal sound was too perky and light for such a troubled character, but we tried a few variations until we got one that sounded and felt like this young girl.
What did you enjoy most about recording Thirteen Reasons Why?
I really enjoy the challenge of choosing character voices that fit the style of the book and help relay the story effectively. This was a profound book and I felt that is was very important for the listeners to feel this character's honesty, so they could really experience what the character was going through.
Was there anything that made recording Thirteen Reasons Why more difficult than other audiobooks?
This book is not a flimsy or silly read. It is a serious novel depicting deep issues that can arise in high school. I knew going in that we had to keep the serious tone of the book, but also be real as to the whims and humor that goes with being a teenager. Well, by the end of the book I was completely invested in the character (just like when you read a good book). There was an emotional scene and I started crying, which was just a reaction to speaking her words as honestly as possible. If I was just reading the novel silently at home, I probably would've cried for the character as well. It means it's a good book, it pulls you in!

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I’ve had Listening Library’s audiobook version of Thirteen Reasons Why in my possession for several weeks. But it wasn’t until a few days ago that I finally slid the first C.D. into my car stereo. Basically, I was terrified of hearing someone else (in this case, two someone elses) interpret my words. And fifteen minutes after pressing play, I couldn’t take it anymore and I pressed eject.
I couldn’t take it anymore because I was freaking out! I worked on that story for several years…I knew it inside and out. Yet I was so caught up in its retelling that my muscles were tense and my mouth was hanging open as I waited to find out what was going to happen next. How is that even possible!?!?
It's possible because of the actors. According to AudioFile Magazine:
The novel makes a perfect transformation to audio. Debra Wiseman narrates Hannah’s story with a blend of dispassion, disgust, and defeat. Joel Johnstone portrays the grieving Clay, who chimes in uncertainly from time to time to protest Hannah’s words, his comments marked with desperation. The interplay of the two is perfectly choreographed in this powerful audio.
I contacted Debra and Joel to learn more about the actors who literally gave voices to the voices in my head. And over the next two days, I’d like to introduce them to you.
Also, be sure to leave comments. On Monday, I'll randomly select one commenter from each Q&A to receive a free audiobook of Thirteen Reasons Why.
- Jay
PAST POSTS: To re-read about my trip to NYC to witness the recording of Thirteen Reasons Why, click here. And if you don't already know about the audiobook's bonus track, click here.

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Lately I’ve had my fill of YA books dealing with high school bullies. And although I’ve enjoyed every one of these books, the whole “bully” thing is becoming a little played for me. Don’t get me wrong, my MG novel that I just finished features heroism, death, gang life, and what else? A bully, of course! We Americans loves us some bullies.
But, and here’s the big “BUT”… I honestly don’t remember any bullies in my high school. Is it just me? Am I delusional? I mean, we had our partiers, our stoners, our rah-rah’s, our band geeks, our drama-ramas, our sports stars, our Dungeons and Dragons nerds, our wannabe rock stars and rap stars and models, and a few real gang bangers. And I pretty much had a few friends in each group, so I sort of floated around. (Okay, mostly I was Reese Witherspoon in Election…Type A, peppy rah-rah, student government nerd, took everything too seriously, studied waaayyy too much, never partied, etc, etc. But, I digress.)
My point is, by the time high school rolled around, we were kind of over the whole “too cool” phase of adolescence. Nobody was shoving kids into lockers or trash-canning dorks or giving swirlies in the boys’ bathroom. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t angels…we just got all that stuff out of our systems in Junior High. Our HS was 10th-12th grade, so maybe not having Freshmen around to bully was part of it. But, I remember people in my HS being pretty tolerant of each other. Even back in the day, pre-Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, pre-coming out coolness of Lance Bass, Ellen, and Portia deRossi, kids came out of the closet at my HS and nobody blinked. Even the conservative kids just kind of shrugged and went on about their business.
The only true bullying I endured as a kid was in 4th through 7th grades. One day in the 4th grade, I was punched in the stomach and kicked into the street by a group of kids. The leader, who shall remain nameless, (because you know who you are, Woodrow) kicked my ass because he heard some kids made fun of his name, and he thought I was among them, when actually it was another girl (you know who you are, Kecia) who had blond hair and he got us mixed up. And in 7th grade Jackie B. tried to beat me up after school for sticking up for my friend, Kirsten, who J had called a “slut.” She chickened out when she remembered who my sister was…not a bully, but she was tough, and you wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley after you messed with her little sister! But, beyond about age 14, kids in my neighborhood seemed to focus on sports or academics or drugs or whatever their interests were. And bullying wasn’t really cool anymore. It was just sort of juvenile.
Is anyone else with me? Do kids outgrow the bullying phase by high school? Or is the bullying just more covert, more psychological and cunning rather than physical, so we don’t notice it as much? Or maybe I was just clueless!
- Eve

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Recently, Eve and I saw the movie Across the Universe (at Jay’s constant urging) and I must say…I was blown away. It’s a movie set to Beatles songs, which makes it part musical, part regular movie, part one-very-long-tripped-out music video. I came away thinking not so much about the acting or the singing (though they were wonderful) but more about the person who came up with this strangely wonderful idea for a movie. I love that she stuck to her vision and made a truly unique piece of art. I think it was because the movie stayed committed to the concept and never held back that I felt so inspired when I left the theater. Bravo!
For me, being committed to an idea is what makes unusual ones work so well. For example, let’s talk about Stephen Colbert. When he was on The Daily Show, I loved him. He totally cracked me up. So when I heard he was going to start his own show, I thought, "Oh, no way. He could never follow The Daily Show!" And when I found out he was going to do the show as a persona, a character directly opposite of himself, I thought, "Oh, no way. He seriously can’t follow The Daily Show!" But dang, if he didn’t pull it off. He commits to his idea and never wavers from it. Sometimes he commits to his idea so much that it’s over the top, but that makes me love him even more.
Speaking of loving Stephen Colbert, I must admit that Eve and I have had the “Who would you date…Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart?” conversation (but who hasn’t!?) and we both came up with the same answer. But our reasoning got very technical, so join us for drinks someday and we’ll tell you! (Jay was very quiet in the back seat of the car during that conversation.)
Anyways, I also love it when I come across books that take an unusual idea and stay committed to it. For me, that book is Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini. I mean, it’s one thing for an author to think, “Hmm…I think I’ll write a book about how to turn a nerd into a popular guy.” But it’s absolutely brilliant to then create a realistic sci-fi book about a kid who swallows a computer chip and walks through his life with the voice of Keanu Reeves in his head telling him what to do and say in order to be cool. What an amazing idea. And Ned Vizzini stuck with it, never held back, and created a killer book.
So those are the people who have inspired me to stay committed to my ideas and not hold back. But wait! There’s one more inspiration…
Every single skit with Chris Farley on SNL. That dude can commit! (Sniff.)
Who else do you feel is “committed”?
- Robin

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This past Tuesday, I spoke on a YA panel at Books Inc. in San Francisco. It was for their Not Your Mother's Book Club year-end party. And I must say, if every community had a group like that, literacy rates would be sky-high (and I'd be rich...rich I tell you!!!).
My wife drove up with me and got the chance to see her honey in action for the very first time. At one point, she claims, she even had to hold back tears of pride. At another point, she couldn't help inserting herself into a conversation two girls were having about my book by saying, "Guess what! That's my husband!"
Good times and good pizza were had by all...

(Notice CynJay squatting on the right?
Thanks for coming out!)

and members of the book club
You Say Read We Say Party!

in what I'm saying.

to get writer's cramp from excessive autographing."
- Jay
CHECK THIS OUT: Ever hear the phrase "boys don't read"? Well, let's put that ridiculous cliche away! Check out Boys Blogging Books (which includes an interview with yours truly). I'm definitely gonna check these guys out on a regular basis...and so should you.
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Lovely story--thanks for sharing. We all need a magic crayon sometimes!
Thanks Robin for sharing I mean. And for reminding me that it IS all about perspective.
Robin, he is an artist! I LOVE that drawing!!! and it's way advanced for his age! Get that boy some art lessons - he's a natural :-)
Katie, from what I've been told, Daddy did help *some.* So it may have to be Father/Son art classes.
But my son is very interested in drawing geometric shapes, so this was the perfect art project for him. I may have a little architect on my hands!
;-)
Robin
Suitable for framing! I love it. Sometimes we have to wait for when the kids are ready, not when we are.
How much do I love that picture???
So glad I checked your blog today. Some of my most favorite things are mom and child conversations, children's books, and "kid art"! Hope your new year is happy!
Robin,
Thanks for sharing. Very sweet!
Donna
Cutest picture ever, Robin! Seriously, I would love to make a print and frame it for my office. Or my dining room. Or somewhere.
I think Luke and Jayson should take that art show on the road...that's some serious talent!
Eve :)
My brain explodes quite often. I hate when that happens. Great drawing!
Greg
So sweet!
I LOVE this!! This post, this drawing, this photo! Genius!! :D