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2k8: We're back for the second day of debut author Debbie Reed Fischer's launch week. Her young adult novel, Braless in Wonderland, is available everywhere.

Debbie, you've got to tell everyone that great story of how you became a model booker. AND explain the strange pic at the top of today's post!

Debbie Reed Fischer: Well, I sort of fell into it. Or rather, it fell into me.

During my senior year of college, I had an internship at a model and talent agency. On my first day, I was told to file head shots and resumes in these huge, floor-to-ceiling filing cabinets. There were six of them. Wildly curious about the talent repped by the agency, I spent more time reading the resumes than filing. So I wasn’t paying attention to the fact that I had pulled open every single drawer on this one filing cabinet.

Until I heard a strange creaking sound.

And jumped out of the way just in time.

The entire filing cabinet tipped over, knocking into the one next to it, then into the next one, and so on and so on and so on, until the last mammoth filing cabinet crashed into the wall. It was like giant dominoes.

The owner actually had to hire a moving company to set the cabinets straight again!

Certain I was fired, I sneaked out early. Later, I received a call from the owner. “You’re the best intern we’ve ever had,” she said. “I want to hire you.”

I took the job, and the next day, told the story to this stunning model lounging in the waiting area. “Don’t you think it’s weird I got hired?” I asked her.

“No,” the model replied. “That’s the business. It’s crazy.”

And she was right. It was glamorous AND crazy.


2k8: How did get from being a model booker to writing Braless in Wonderland?

Debbie Reed Fischer: I’m a graduate of the University of Miami’s screenwriting program, so my plan was to write screenplays. Although, as fate would have it, I fell into the business side of the film industry, starting out as a talent agent for TV and film.

And then I did the model booking thing in Miami. The modeling world provided me with a treasure chest of material to write about. I usually felt like the blonde on The Munsters, scratching my head and wondering what planet I’d landed on. I kept notebooks on everyone and everything while I worked there, and years later, those notes came in very handy when I sat down to write the Braless in Wonderland. The book is fiction, but the notes make the scenes really authentic.

2k8: Thanks, Debbie!

Oh, yeah, and about those modeling terms from yesterday's post--

backdrop: whatever's behind the model at a photo shoot (eg. seamless paper)

clean-clean: clean hair (as in washed), clean face (as in no makeup), how you might be instructed to show up at a photo shoot

cyc studio: a photo studio with no corners

(From Model Business)


Join us tomorrow for the inside skinny on where Debbie does her writing!

Psssst! In the meantime...hop on over to Nineteen Teen where M.P. Barker, author of A Difficult Boy, is guest blogging today. You don't want to miss it!

I went to Barnes and Noble today because they were doing teacher educator day and they were offering books for 25% off. And I knew that some local authors would be signing books, so I headed over with my three year old daughter in tow. She bypassed all the teacher "freebies" and headed straight for the "kids' section" as she calls it. That might really impress you, but she wasn't headed back to look at books, but rather to play with Thomas the "lead-infected" Train. She didn't even give me time to gather a few books to read while she played, so I limited her time. I did the count down--3 more minutes, 2 more minutes, 1 more minute, okay, say goodbye to Thomas.

We finally got to pick out a few books, and talk to the authors. Cece Bell was there with her Sock Monkey books. We just purchased her latest, Sock Monkey Rides Again, at the local art show. I also highly recommend her new board book, Food Friends. It's very simple, but it pairs common foods together (i.e. mashed potatoes and gravy, bacon and eggs). My three year old was "reading" it to herself after I read it to her once.

Cece was there with her husband, Tom Angleburger (aka Sam Riddleburger) of blogging and QuikPik fame. I got to meet the fellow blogger and get him to sign a copy of The Quikpick Adventure Society for me. I can't wait to read it.

But my daughter of course, wanted to find her own books. We already have all of Cece's books (which are age appropriate for her), so she found the things that were her height--Disney princess books. I know it serves me right for going to a big chain bookstore with their paid advertisement books facing out. So she picks up this princess book and INSISTS that we get it. Yuck! I say. Let's get something better--how about an Ed Emberley drawing book? How about How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? How about...

That stupid princess book made it's way to the cash register. Thank goodness it was cheap, but I still hate it. And you might think, so why didn't you just tell your kid NO! Well, I guess I'm also from the school that at least she loves books. As a teacher, parents complain to me all of the time that their kids aren't reading what they'd like to see them read. My response is always, "It's wonderful that they are READING. At least they don't refuse to read at all." I must take my own advice. We have hundreds of high-quality books in our home library. My daughter will still be exposed to the good stuff. I don't want to squelch her personal choice too much. I just need to have an arsenal of decent princess books that don't make me want to hurl. I love The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch and Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle. Help! I need some more STRONG girl titles for little three year olds who think they are princesses. I can't bear another Disney book!!!!